Calvary Baptist Church

Transcription

1 T h e C o l u m n s M a y From Our Pastor Last month in this space, I introduced a sermon series about discipleship. My hope was to help us focus our attention on the Christ-commanded primary activity of the Church. So many times Christians mistakenly equated faith with church attendance, participation on committees within the church, or even Bible Study. Each of those things is important and I would never want to discourage anyone from practicing the cornerstone disciplines of the Christian faith. However, Jesus was never any more direct in His commands to us than when he said in Matthew 28:19, Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. To be disciple-makers, however, it is critical that we first learn what it means to be a disciple. So, I ve been spending time during worship talking about some of the qualities that we see in those first disciples; how they related to the Savior, how they practiced their faith, how they exercised their commitment to Jesus, and how they were empowered by him before, and especially after, the resurrection. By way of exercising our discipleship, I want to challenge you to look for a place to plug in as a disciple. At Calvary, we are establishing a new way of connecting disciples with ministries that they feel called to. Last week in worship, Kim Pitts, taught the children s lesson in worship. In that message she is talking about all believers possessing seed. Seeds are only potential. They are possibilities. They have all the genetic capabilities of becoming whatever plant they came from. But unless those seeds are brought in contact with the soil and encouraged with proper nutrients and water, they will always be only seeds. Each of us has seeds that we carry around as potential. Some may carry the seed of teaching. Other s may carry the seed of listening. Still another may have the seed of organizing and leadership. And still another may have the gift of sharing the Gospel of Christ to someone who needs to hear. Until those seeds, that potential, are introduced to the right medium and nurtured, they re pretty much worthless. God has given each of us something that we can do to contribute to, making disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. So, plant your seed. Let s see something grow. Along with a pack of seeds to plant, you were given a survey of some things you might be interested in doing. It would be helpful if you would fill that out and bring it back to church; that way, when a fertile spot of earth opens up, we can point you to a place to plant your seed. May we plant and grow and bear fruit that the Kingdom of God may become more present in our world. Your Pastor, Steven 1 Evelyn Townsend Circle May Project: The circle will prepare and serve a meal at the Ronald McDonald house on Monday, May 14. We will have our regular meeting after the dinner. All women of the church are invited to meet with us to serve the meal (4:30) and stay for our meeting. Upcoming Events: Plans are being made to serve a lunch at the Samaritan Inn in August and to sell calendars later this year. Stay tuned for information about these 2 events! Annual Church in Conference Calvary s Annual Church in Conference will be held following worship on Sunday, May 20th. All members are encouraged to attend this yearly event during which the annual reports of church organizations are received. May 2018

2 God made us all different so that everything in the world gets done. If we all liked to do the same thing, there would be a whole lot left undone. You are the steward of your talents, and God is watching to see if you use what he gave you effectively on Earth. If you use those talents effectively on Earth, he s going to give you more responsibility in Heaven. God Uses Our Talents to Test Our Unselfishness By Rick Warren, founder of Saddleback Church God has given each of you a gift from his great variety of spiritual gifts. Use them well to serve one another (1 Peter 4:10 NLT). God uses our talents to test our unselfishness. You have to decide in life for whom or what you re going to live. You re either going to live a self-centered, miserly life or you re going to live for something greater than yourself the Kingdom of God. Faithful people don t live for themselves. They realize that the talents God gave them are not for their own benefit; they re to make the world a better place. When God made you, he gave you all kinds of gifts, talents, and abilities. We call it your SHAPE: your Spiritual gifts, Heart, Abilities, Personality, and Experiences. These five things make you, you. And God made you, you. There s nobody like you in the whole world, and he wants you to be you for his glory. God shaped you to serve him, and there s only one way to do that: by serving other people. Faithful people realize that their talents are not for their benefit. You may have a talent for art and say that you do it just because you love to do it. That s nice, but that s not a good enough motive. God didn t give you artistic ability just so you can love to do it. He gave it to you so you can use your art in some way to help other people. Have you ever thought about why didn t God just create us and take us to Heaven? Why does he put us here on a broken planet for 70 or 80 years? He put you here because life is a test and a trust and a temporary assignment. He s watching to see if you are faithful to use what he gave you here on Earth to bless other people. The Bible says in 1 Peter 4:10, God has given each of you a gift from his great variety of spiritual gifts. Use them well to serve one another (NLT). God gave you talents, and he wants you to be faithful with them. Have you completed your Time, Talents & Treasures survey yet? If you did not receive a paper survey form during the April 29th service, let us know and we will mail one to you, or you can pick one up at the church. You can drop your completed survey in the collection box outside the sanctuary, mail it in, or place it in the offering plate during Sunday s service. OR, you can complete the survey online at Calvary s website under the Get Involved heading: Thank you, in advance, for your participation. Our members are invaluable to our ministries, and we hope this process will allow us to match the gifts of our faithful with opportunities to share them. Some people have an ability to fix things. Some people are good at math. Some people are good at closing deals. Some people are good at music. Some people are good at organizing. And some people are good at trimming and gardening. 2 May 2018

3 Calvary s Wish List There are some things that just never seem to fit into our budget or our schedules so we have decided to start a Wish List. These are items and service opportunities that we would like to have and that you can help provide through monetary donations or donations of your time. Here s how it works: If you see an item on the Wish List that you would like to purchase/donate, or contribute toward, contact Debbie in the church office. She will help you figure out the best way to directly contribute or contribute toward the Wish List item. She will also make sure you receive a donation receipt for your records. If you want to remain anonymous we can make sure that happens, too. If you see an item on the list that involves contributing your time and effort, contact Debbie. She will work with scheduling activities around the church calendar, coordinate efforts where there are multiple volunteers as well as make sure you have any tools and/or special materials required to complete the task. Finally, if you have an idea for something to be included on the Wish List, let Debbie know. She will collect the suggestions to share with the Church Council for final approval and let you know. Current Wish List items include: Teacher(s) for the Children s Sunday School class (2nd 5th grade) Teacher(s) for Young Adult Sunday School class Volunteer(s) to assist with video and sound during Sunday services. Volunteer(s) to serve as Usher for the 2nd Sundays Volunteer(s) to help set up and take down our outdoor banners on weekends Volunteer(s) to update bulletin boards in Communications Hallway Volunteer(s) to spruce up around the church grounds (pick up trash, etc) Volunteer(s) to share the Children s message during worship Donations toward repainting light poles on front lawn Donations toward new exterior doors in the dining room with updated security Donations toward removing and replacing the green tiles on the youth building Donations toward parking lot repair/seal and marking Donations toward water fountain on 1st floor Donations toward replacing shrubbery on lot perimeter Wish List Thank You s! We continue to receive blessings of donations to items on our Wish List. THANK YOU to all who contribute toward making these wishes come true! Most recent Wishes granted. Folding tables for the dining room Additional chairs and office supplies 3

4 F a i t h F o r w a r d Community Up Calling EVERONE interested in Community UP (yes - YOU!) It has been some little time since the UP group met and hopefully that means you've been praying individually for God to share His vision with His people at Calvary. Now let's gather to pray collectively for His will for Calvary. On Wednesday, May 23 at 6:30 p.m. let's get together to brainstorm ideas about how you'd like to organize time together seeking God's plan for us. EVERYONE is invited. You don't have to be a "member" of the Community Up group - this is an all-inclusive invitation to those who want to connect and pray. We can chat about groups, curriculum, ideas - anything you feel that will move Calvary closer to God's vision - that's where we're headed. So - COME. Wednesday, May 23, 6:30 p.m., Calvary's dining room. Community Out The Community Out Committee held its first sponsored event on Saturday, April 14, 2018 with a vendor tent at Roanoke s Pride in the Park. As a church that has long maintained an atmosphere of acceptance and inclusion for all of God s children, we felt that this would be an excellent way to welcome the LGBTQ community to worship with us at Calvary. Thanks to all of our members who came out and supported this worthwhile cause. The Community Out Committee s second sponsored event is coming up soon. We will be participating in the Walk for Hope on Saturday, May 12, We are blessed to have several folks from our congregation who will be walking in this event which raises much needed financial support for the HopeTree Family Services ministries. If you have not yet contributed towards this walk, it s not too late. Simply contact Robert McKinney (rvm6973@gmail.com) before May 10 and he ll make arrangements to collect your donation. Again, thanks to everyone who has helped support this. It speaks well of our church and our commitment to God s earthly kingdom when we actively engage in community events such as this one. 4 Community In Calling All Men!!- Breakfast and Fellowship Opportunity. As part of the 100 days of prayer insights, we would like to form a men's fellowship mission group. The first meeting will be on Saturday, June 2nd at 9:00 am in the Church Dining Room. Breakfast will be served from the Roanoker (donations are welcome) and we will brainstorm and share ideas for the direction of the group. A Sign-Up Sheet will be placed on the bulletin board in the hallway. If you have any questions, please contact John Urquhart at In January we met together to review the insights from last Fall s 100 Days of Prayer initiative in which over 60% of our active members participated. Of the 75+ insights revealed during those first 100 days there were three primary areas of focus into which results were sorted; Community Up, Community In, and Community Out. Participants at the conference selected a category to which they felt most strongly called and discussed how to proceed with further exploring and acting to bring the insights to actualization. Now, going into May, we enter our next 100 days. We continue to pray for God s guidance and direction in our efforts to respond to what we believe is His purpose for our congregation. And, we encourage you to be involved with those efforts. If you have not yet engaged with a group, or wonder which of the three might best align with your calling, feel free to chat with Rev. Pollard, or with one of the team captains to get more information. Community Up, headed up by Kathy Kinsey, is where everything begins and ends. Community Up focuses on our relationship with God. Community In, led by John Urquhart, is where we plan and prepare to move forward into the disciple -making commandment of Jesus. The focus of the Community In group is our relationship with each other. Community Out, led by Robert Mckinney works toward God s charge to us to GO and make disciples of all nations. The focus of Community Out is our relationship with the world outside our building. May 2018

5 Music News Featured Dates Wednesday, May 2nd, 7:00PM Deacon s meeting Sunday, May 6th, 12:00 PM Church Council Mtg 4:00 PM Salem Choral Society Sunday, May 13th, 9:30 AM Mother s Day Breakfast and Joint Sunday Scholl Class Monday, May 14th, 4:30 PM Evelyn Townsend Circle Serving Dinner at the Ronald McDonald House. Monday, May 14th, 4PM - 8PM, Calvary Music Program fundraiser at Roanoke area Panera Bread stores Thursday, May 17th, 6:00 PM From Communion to Community kickoff, First Baptist Church - Gainsboro Sunday, May 20th 12:00 PM Church in Conference Meeting and Dessert First Wed, May 23rd 6:30 PM Community Up Meeting Monday, May 21st, 5:30PM Women s Monday Night Bible Study Wednesday, May 23rd, 7:00 PM Community UP mtg Mother s Day Breakfast and Joint Sunday School On Sunday, May 13th at 9:30AM,the Deacons will host a breakfast for all ladies of the church in the dining room. there will also be a joint Sunday School class that day. Please add your name to the list on the bulletin board near the elevator to let us know you will attend. Organ Concert Series Starting in October of this year, we will hold the first ever organ concert series. We will be featuring local artists, as well as some pretty famous organists. We are looking to our church family, friends, and others to donate to our music fund to help offset the costs of these musicians. Some of our prospects that we have been in contact with are Carol Williams and Richard Elliott. Carol Williams's performances have taken her around the globe to popular pipe organ venues. She throws out a wide net to entice new audiences to the concert organ. She is known for her collaborations with various Jazz, Blues, Pop and Rock bands and performances with leading orchestras including the BBC Concert Orchestra, San Diego Symphony Orchestra, and the Beijing Symphony Orchestra to mention a few. Carol has performed for many special occasions including for Princes Diana, the Virgil Fox Memorial Concert and, in the 10th anniversary of the Walt Disney Concert Hall Organ celebration. Richard Elliott is the Principal Organist from the Mormon Tabernacle. He is a native of Baltimore, Maryland, and former student at the Peabody Conservatory and the Catholic University of America, Richard earned a bachelor of music degree from the Curtis Institute in Philadelphia and master s and doctoral degrees from the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, New York. A former assistant organist for Philadelphia s famed Wanamaker organ, he currently sits on the advisory boards for the Friends of the Wanamaker Organ and the Eccles Organ Festival at Salt Lake City s Cathedral of the Madeleine. Prior to his appointment as the Tabernacle organist in 1991, he was an assistant professor of organ at Brigham Young University. Dates are still being determined for each musician. If you would like to help obtain these fine musicians, we ask you send donations to Calvary s Music Fund. Panera Bread Music Fundraiser Support Calvary s Music program by going to Panera Bread at Valley View Mall or Tanglewood Mall on May 14th between 4:00 and 8:00 PM. By showing the cashier the Panera Bread flyer attached on page 7 of this newsletter, the music program at Calvary will receive 20% of the proceeds! Thank you for your support! Salem Choral Society Concert - A Life of Song The Salem Choral Society, directed by S. Reed Carter IV, will present their Spring Concert on Sunday, May 6th at 4:00PM. The concert will be held at Salem Presbyterian Church at 41 E Main St, in Salem and will include Broadway tunes, Gospel and Americana favorites and others, all celebrating "A Life of Song". Admission is free (donations are accepted) and childcare will be provided. 5

6 M A Y S E R V I N G S C H E D U L E May 6 Jim Bryant, Ch., Betty Hall, Randy Harrison, Rita Bryant, Mickey Cratch, Esther Crosier Neal Kinsey, Ch., John Urquhart, V. Ch., Harry Bundy; Janice Deyerle, Ch., David Seidel V. Ch., Linda Dwyer Church Closer: Randy Harrison Children s Message: Ben Martin Scripture and Offertory Prayer: Herb McBride May 15 Paul M. Howell, Ch., Donna de Simone, Louise Dickey, Betty Hall, Herb McBride, Tony Mason Bobbie Hawkins, Ch., Ben Martin, V. Ch., Rita Bryant; Herb McBride, Ch., Cara Sutherland V. Ch., Jim Bryant Church Closer: Jack Pilcher Children s Message: Cathy Howell Scripture and Offertory Prayer: David Seidel May 20 John Urquhart, Ch., Dominic Moresco, Eddie Eades, Debbie Urquhart, Cheryl Nicely, Lisa Baker Harry Bundy, Ch., Ben Martin, V. Ch., Linda Dwyer; John Urquhart, Ch., Kathy Kinsey V. Ch., Neal Kinsey Church Closer: Harry Bundy Children s Message: Bonny Dillon Scripture and Offertory Prayer: Kathy Kinsey May 27 Bobbie Hawkins, Ch., Ronnie Baker, Ch., Eddie Eades, Betty Garraghty, Joyce Waugh Kathy Kinsey, Ch., Bobbie Hawkins, V. Ch., Jim Bryant; Janice Deyerle, Ch., Neal Kinsey, V. Ch., Rita Bryant Church Closer: Joe St. Clair Children s Message: Joyce Waugh Scripture and Offertory Prayer: John Urquhart BIRTHDAYS 05/01 Ronald Wisely 05/02 Ray Templin 05/03 Amy Peters 05/04 Linda Dwyer, Tom Waugh 05/11 Carol Tate 05/12 Christopher Wirt 05/16 Danielle Stoots 05/19 Mark Henderson 05/20 Kaitlyn Hatcher 05/21 Lillian Howell 05/23 Judy Farano 05/24 Donna de Simone 05/26 Jeanette Williamson 05/29 Joe St. Clair 05/31 Cara Sutherland, Jesse Bell 608 Campbell Ave SW Roanoke, VA Church Ministry Staff Dr. Steven W. Pollard, Pastor Jared Martin, Minister of Music Donna de Simone, Director of Preschool Ministry Debbie Foutz, Office Manager Jane Price, Nursery info@calvaryroanoke.org 6 May 2018

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