Dear Calvary Church Family,
- This Sunday, Ron Shigematsu, our Elder Chairman will be giving an update related to the diagnostic report from last Fall and this transition season.
- Peacekeeper or Peacemaker?
- Fast and pray on Wednesdays for the Dave and the Ludwig family.
- Summit 1, March 10 3-6pm
Elder Update
The Elders have been processing the diagnostic report from last Fall and considering how to make the most of this transition season. Ron will make himself available after the service in the Coffee Lounge if you have any questions that aren’t answered in his update.
Peacekeeper or Peacemaker?
Last week Markel spoke on Matthew 5:9, “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.” And he rightly distinguished between peacekeepers and peacemakers. The data from the diagnostic report last Fall indicated that, as a congregation, we are not very good at dealing with conflict, with only 27% of the survey respondents thinking that Calvary is good at conflict resolution. Forty percent (40%) of the survey respondents indicated that poor communication is a primary reason for conflict at Calvary. I can tell you that our Elders and Staff have been working on improving our communication. Two weeks ago, our Staff and Elders met for dinner and dialogue—and we will meet next Friday to continue the dialogue. The overall goal is for our Staff and Elders (and Deacons) to be firmly on the same page related to our mission and vision as a community of believers. We are also working on upgrading our governance model for greater clarity regarding roles and responsibilities. Good progress has been made and the three upcoming Summits (with your input) will help us to clarify, focus, and re/affirm what the Holy Spirit is saying to Calvary Church.
All that to say that this Sunday we will be revisiting what it means to be a peacemaker with some (very) practical instruction on biblical conflict resolution. There will be a handout as well.
Fasting and Praying
Our Staff is fasting and praying for Dave and the Ludwig family on Wednesdays – and we are inviting you to join us. Feel free to fast whatever and however you feel led and dedicate that time to prayer. And if you sense that God is giving you a word, Scripture, or picture, please contact Zack, Jordan, or me.
Also, Jordan is hosting prayer in our Prayer Room (second floor of the Sanctuary building on the Palisades Dr. side) from 8-9am and 3-4pm on Wednesdays. And all are invited to our prayer gathering on Sunday mornings from 9-9:30am to pray for our church and the service.
Summit 1 — Sunday, March 10
Three all-church Summits have been scheduled. This is in response to Recommendation #3 in the recent diagnostic report, which said, “Discover what God wants for [Calvary] through the Focusing the Church Process. Focusing the Church is a series of (all-church) summits or gatherings that aim to answer three questions: (1) Where have we been? (2) Where are we going? (3) How are we going to get there? If you want to have input into the future of Calvary Church, come to the Summits! They will be more like workshops with plenty of interaction and focused (ultimately) on what God desires for the next season of the life and ministry of Calvary Church. We’ll laugh, we’ll share, we might cry a bit, and we will focus on the future.
The Summits will also serve to re/affirm our values, mission, and vision, which will provide us with specific input on the gift-mix, experience, skill sets of who we should be looking for in a permanent Lead Pastor.
Here is our schedule please save the dates:
Summit 1: Sunday afternoon March 10th from 3-6pm in the Fireside Room
Summit 2: Sunday afternoon April 21st from 3-6 in the Fireside Room
Summit 3: Sunday afternoon May 19th from 3-6 in the Fireside Room
See you on Sunday!
Pastor Gregg