| Calvary News
Upcoming Events
July 29, 2009 |
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| Greetings! |
Children are a gift from the Lord, not just for a family, but even for society. The Holy Spirit seems to be saying the same thing to many key leaders in our day: We must reach and raise up a new generation to experience the transforming power of Christ and to serve as agents of transformation. The youth of today are the leaders of tomorrow. Will this be a generation who seeks the Lord, who prepares the way for the King of Glory to come in?
Several key leaders point to the need for believers to engage today's children with the love of Christ. Ron Luce of Teen Mania reports that only 4% of children and youth are coming to faith in Christ. International leaders like Luis Bush are calling the church to adopt the 4/14 Window, because the needs of this generation are so great and their potential in Christ is so awesome.
In this email, you will read about two practical ways that we can engage this generation with the love of Christ. One is through prayer. The other is through acts of kindness, like providing assistance to elementary students in the first week of school to help them get off the bus at the right place. This volunteer effort is called Bus Buddies.
What is our motivation for pouring our lives into children and mentoring our youth? Jesus loves children. They were created to experience the goodness of God and to bring him glory. The Lord gave his life to rescue them from sin and to make them a part of God's forever family.
Join with other believers in praying for, reaching out to, mentoring, and touching children with the love of Christ. |
| Friends & Family Celebration, Aug. 2 |
Join us this Sunday for our Friends & Family Celebration. It all starts at 10am.
This creative and casual Sunday morning gathering includes a continental breakfast.
Bring the entire family. And, this is a perfect opportunity to invite friends, neighbors, and work associates. Everyone will enjoy hearing stories of God's goodness and guidance.
By the way, this Sunday is a Bible Study and Kids Church Rest, so that everyone can join in the celebration.
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| A Night of Worship with Kari Jobe |
 Kari Jobe is an international worship leader and song writer based out of Dallas, Texas. Kari serves as Associate Pastor of Worship at Gateway Church in Southlake, Texas. Many of our young people have experienced Kari's music, worship, and leadership at the New Breed Youth Camps.
Kari has a deep passion for God and a sincere heart of worship.
Kari will lead us in a night of worship on Sunday, August 9, at 6pm.
Tickets are required. Seating is limited. Reserve your ticket today!
Three ways to reserve your free ticket:
- Call the church office at 281.550.4323.
- Send an email to toni@calvaryhouston.com. We need a name and phone number for each free ticket you want to reserve.
- Or, sign up at Calvary at one of our services.
A love offering will be received that evening. |
| Week of Prayer for Children, Aug. 16-22 |
 With the end of summer and the start of school just around the corner, we are joining with Mission Houston, and with several other organizations and churches, to invite you to participate in a Week of Prayer for Children. (Click here for a link to resources, graphics, and prayer guides, facilitated by UBA Houston.)
As you pray for our children and youth, do so with the knowledge that your voice is being joined in informed, unified prayer with others.
The prayer guide focuses on seven systemic issues facing children and teens in the greater Houston area.
- Date: August 16 - 22
- Pray: Carve out time each day to pray for children and youth
- Action: Download the prayer guide and pray
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| Bus Buddies |
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You can make a difference!
What is Bus Buddies?
Bus Buddies is a partnership between the Cy-Fair volunteer community and the school district to provide assistance during the first week of school to elementary students to help them in getting off the bus at the correct location. The program requires one "Bus Buddy" per elementary bus the first three days of school. The approximate time commitment is from 2:45 - 4:45pm on August 24, August 25, and August 26.
What are my duties?
All that is necessary is that you help the bus driver assist children in getting off the bus at the correct stop. There will be a short training (see available times below), a background check, and then the campus staff will assign a bus to you. The route is approximately 35 minutes in length.
Training Information:
All training will be conducted at the Berry Center.
- August 17, 2009 9:30 - 10:30am
- August 18, 2009 7:30 - 8:30am
- August 19, 2009 6:30 - 7:30pm
Register for Bus Buddies |
| Upcoming Bible Study Schedule |
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The goal of our teaching ministry at Calvary is to prepare God's people for works of service (Ephesians 4:11-13). We are blessed to have gifted and anointed teachers who love God, are grounded in the Bible, and share from a wealth of experience and study.
- Adult Bible Study classes meet at 9am on Sundays, starting on August 16.
- For this semester, our Equipping the Saints class will meet every Wednesday at 6:45pm, beginning on September 2.
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| Baptism is Sunday morning, Aug. 16 |
Baptism is one of our first steps of obedience as followers of Jesus (Matthew 28:18-20). It is also a powerful prophetic picture of the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ (Romans 6:1-4).
In the waters of baptism, we publicly declare that we have died to our old way of life and have been raised to walk in the new life we found in Jesus.
A spiritual transaction takes place in baptism (Colossians 2:11-12). Remember what happened at the baptism of Jesus? The Father declared his love to the Son and the Spirit touched Jesus. We should anticipate that the Lord will meet us in our baptism. Like Jesus, our baptism is a great pleasure to the Father. Baptism is a time for us to encounter God's affirming love and the empowering presence of the Holy Spirit. If you are interested in following the Lord Jesus in Believer's Baptism, please contact Margaret Petry at margaret@calvaryhouston.com or at 281.550.4323 x 120. |
| Discovery Day and New Members' Fellowship, Aug. 23 |
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Discovery Day is a part of the New Members' Process at Calvary. In this seminar, guests and new members find out about the philosophies, practices, vision, and values of our congregation.
Our New Members' Fellowship follows the Discovery Day seminar. This informal luncheon is a great place to interact with our pastoral team.
Our next Discovery Day is scheduled for 9am on Sunday, August 23.
Please let us know if you plan to participate in Discovery Day, so that we can prepare enough materials and food. Kid Care is also available.
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| ArtReach Report as of Wednesday, July 29 |
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ArtReach...
is going great! Many thanks to Sheryl Busch, Jeff Chapman, and our incredible team of adult and youth volunteers!
What a joy to see our entire facilities transformed into a wonderland for dance, art, music, games, crafts, discovery, prop building, fun, and food.
Kids are discovering their unique talents and gifts through interactive workshops. And, they are enjoying fun and crazy hands-on activities, games, and Bible lessons.
Here is a report from the week:
- 200 children enrolled
- 56% are new to ArtReach
- 80% don't attend Calvary
- 120 adult and youth volunteers
We thank the Lord for all the hard work and labor of love by our team of adults and youth. We bless the gospel seeds planted in hearts this week. May the children of our community discover their Creator through their creative impulses,the efforts of ArtReach, and the work of the Holy Spirit.
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| Honoring Pastor Steve Meeks for 25 Years at Calvary |
 Twenty-five years of faithful ministry is a significant milestone, one that is worthy of significant celebration.
This fall, Steve and Sehoy Meeks will celebrate 25 years of ministry at Calvary. As their church family, we want to honor them in a special way. Scripture teaches us that the elders who direct the affairs of the church well are worthy of double honor, especially those whose work is preaching and teaching (1 Timothy 5:17). Steve has directed the affairs of our church exceedingly well, and he is worthy of special honor.
On Sunday, June 14, the sermon spelled out the kind of leader God has given to us in Pastor Steve. It was also explained that Calvary wanted to honor Steve and Sehoy in a significant way for this Twenty-fifth Anniversary. Click here for the detailed outline of that message.
Here is the anniversary gift: We would like to honor Steve and Sehoy for 25 years of ministry at Calvary with three months of sabbatical (1 Timothy 5:17). How he divides up that sabbatical will be at his discretion, so he can work his schedule around his calendar and events throughout the year. (He will not be gone out of the pulpit for three straight months.) The purpose of a sabbatical is to take time to meet with the Lord, to relax, to write, to attend conferences, to visit other churches, and to engage in other professional development activities. We will fund the sabbatical through receiving a special offering.
Spelling out the gift in detail
- Anniversary gift: Three months of sabbatical spread out over a year. Pastor Steve will not be out of the pulpit for three consecutive months. He will use his sabbatical time for different events and opportunities throughout the year.
- Special offering: will be received from June 14 through September 20, 2009, to bless Steve and Sehoy and to fund sabbatical activities.
- Presentation: of gifts and offering on Sunday, September 27, 2009.
Defining and Explaining a Sabbatical: What is a sabbatical?
A sabbatical is a leave, a time to get away in order to engage in rest, in study, in prayer, or in personal or ministry development.
A sabbatical is an extended period of time granted for professional development and spiritual renewal away from normal ministerial responsibilities and in a manner that is not possible during the busyness of a typical work year. Sabbaticals are a gift of time devoted to study, reflection, rest, and renewal.
Taking Action
- Pray that God would cause Steve and Sehoy to feel richly blessed.
- Pray about what the Lord would have you give toward this special offering.
- Pray that God will meet Steve during his time of sabbatical.
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Jeff McGee
Executive Pastor
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