BIG Plans for the Fall

We have been working very hard behind the scenes at Calvary these past few months — trying to lay a solid foundation for our ministries in the fall.  There have been several groups of people involved in the discussions:  many of our teenagers and parents, the church staff, the elders, and others.  Beginning this Sunday - we will start sharing some of the upcoming changes publicly.  Below is a brief overview of what’s ahead:

1.  Children’s Ministry is being renamed, reworked, and relaunched on the first Sunday of September.  Rachell Colebank, our new Children’s Minister has a great vision for the future - and we are doing everything that we can to support her in the efforts to move our Children’s Ministry forward.  The new name is “S3 Kidz.”  The new name reflects our belief that people, including Kids, grow and fully become who God created them to be by “SEEKING God, SERVING God, and SHARING their lives with others.”

2.  SML - our teen worship experience - will also undergo some BIG changes.  The Middle School & High School will separate.  We believe that the ages here are just too vast - and that our middle school students have been cheated over the years.  Once school starts - we will be saying “goodbye” to SML (Sunday Morning Live.).  We will launch a new worship service on Sunday Mornings at 10:45AM for the High School Students - while Middle Schoolers will have small groups during that time slot.  Then, on Wednesday Nights the High School students will have small groups - while the Middle School students will have a worship experience designed specifically for them.  We believe that this will benefit ALL of the students.

3.  Teen Ministry & Children’s Ministry are SWAPPING spaces.  Beginning when school starts - The Teen ministry will move to the Chapel.  The Children’s Ministry will move out of the chapel to a temporary space for one month - and then will begin their brand new program the first Sunday of September in the gymnasium and surrounding rooms.  We believe that this change will improve the quality of programming for the teen worship experiences - and it will provide the necessary space that the Children’s Ministry needs to implement our new vision.

4.  Our School age program (K-5th Grade) will undergo an exciting change beginning on September 7th.  We will begin “workshop rotation.”  In a rotational setting, the same Bible theme is taught for several weeks.  Each week, learners rotate to a different “workshop.”  The story remains the same, but children encounter it in a unique way in each workshop.  This method is intended to take advantage of our kids’ God-given thirst for multi-modal learning.  Research has show that children learn by DOING.  They will see, hear, taste, touch, and DO in these various workshop environments - and retain 90% of what they experience.  As a result - the Bible will come to life for them - and it’s meaning will stay with them…leading to life transformation!!!   Transformation is the ONLY way to help kids FULLY BECOME who God created them to be.  Workshop environments will include:  Creation Station, Holy Word Theater, Faith in Motion, Mouse Pad, Solid Rock Cafe, & Science Quest.

5.  We will be launching a number of new adult LifeGroup opportunities when school begins and later into the fall - thereby creating more and better opportunities for adults in the life of our church to FULLY BECOME.

These upcoming changes in the life of our church are requiring a great deal of effort and work.  We are completely transforming the church building right now.  If you have some spare time - and want to contribute - we would love to put you to work.  There are many, many ways that you can serve God in a tangible, physical way at this time.

A New Chapter

In some ways - today was the culmination of well over 6 months of effort.  In another way - it was just the beginning of some really big challenges that lay ahead.

John Hearn joined us today for his first full day at Calvary.  We hired John about a month ago to serve as our new LifeGroups Minister at Calvary.  John will be responsible for furthering our LifeGroup efforts among all age level ministries - from children through adults.  He’ll be working with Rachell Colebank (Our new Children’s Minister) when it comes to developing small group leaders to work with our kids — and with Rob Hill (Youth Minister) when it comes to identifying and developing Small Group Leaders for our Middle School & High School aged children.

In the adult areas - John will be working primarily with me - to develop more opportunities for people to connect into LifeGroups; and to support, encourage, and assist current group leaders.

We’ve been trying to fill this position since November — so this has been a very longtime in the making.  John’s addition to the team today brings some closure to the more than six months that it took us to identify the right person for this position - and the Children’s Ministry position that was vacated by Susan Pope.

We are still currently looking for a new Principal to lead the school - but we have some great candidates, and are confident that God is going to bring us the right person.

As we met together as a staff today - we identified six BIG areas that need to be our focus for the next 6 months:

1. Successfully Re-Launch our Children’s Ministry in the Fall (More about this on Sunday!)
2. Successfully Separate & Re-Launch our Middle School & High School Ministries in the fall
3. Solidify our Existing Adult LifeGroups - and Successfully Launch New Groups in the fall
4. Successfully hire our new principal and Continue the schools important & effective ministry
5. Achieve full buy-in and ownership of our VISION among staff and Eldership
6. Establish a consistent and steady routine of community service projects.

We’ve got a lot of challenges ahead of us - but we are excited, we believe that we are in the center of God’s will for us as a church, and we can’t wait to see what God’s gonna do next!

A Family Get-Away

Life can be pretty stressful.  Most of us live under way too many expectations and demands.  We keep schedules that are insane.  We work way too much and way too hard.  We drive all of the margin out of our lives - and the truly important relationships in our lives begin to suffer.

This is why it’s imperative that we get away every now and then with our families.  We have to take time to relax - refresh - and reconnect with those we love the most in life.

The Walton family has elected not to take a full blown, week long family vacation this year.  Instead - we are choosing a few short family getaways.  On Monday morning we left for one such trip - to Holiday World in Santa Claus, IN.  Holiday World is about 2 hours away - and it is a GREAT trip for families with young children.  Ticket prices were comparable to that of other parks - but the soft drinks in the park are completely FREE - even at the snack bars.  Food was moderately priced by any standard - and portions were big.  The park is neat and clean — and there were plenty of rides to keep by 2, 4, & almost 6 year old quite busy.  They also have a huge water park - which was amazing.

The beginning of our trip was suspect.  It’s a two hour trip - but it took us 6 to get there.  We stopped in Corydon, IN for lunch (which by the way - is about your last chance to stop).  When we came back out - there was no power steering - and the engine was overheating.  We drove over to a Chevy dealership - and several hours and $300 later we were on the road again.  The kids and I got to play with blocks in the dealership lobby - I made a kickin’ airplane!  Nealy and I recounted that we hadn’t gotten stranded in a car together for nearly 14 years - so we were probably due.  We just chalked it up to part of the experience.

We rented an RV at the campground next door - so we also partook in a City Slicker camping experience.  The kids were thrilled to death about building a fire - roasting hotdogs - and enjoying smores.  One set of Grandparents - the Bakers - came down to spend the day with us on Tuesday.  The kids really enjoyed being with them - and we created some good memories.  We arrived hom on Wednesday night - everyone was drop dead tired.

As we were going to bed - Jaylen just couldn’t turn off the tears for some reason.  I asked her what was wrong - but she wasn’t sure.  “I don’t know daddy,” she said.  “It might be cuz I miss mammaw and pappaw Baker; or it might be cuz I can’t stop thinking about Holiday World!”

As I got up to go to work this morning - I couldn’t stop thinking about Holiday World and all the fun we had either.  I know how she feels.

Our Battle Is Not Against Flesh & Blood…

Paul said in Ephesians 6:10-13 “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.  Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.  For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.  Therefore, put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.”

Those verses are carrying new meaning for me this week.  It is easy to forget during the whir of our daily routines that there is always more going on around us than meets the eye.  There is a spiritual battle taking place around us - a battle in which the souls of many hang in the balance.  God desires that all men be saved.  Satan is set against that desire.  The Bible is clear that in the end Satan will lose - but in the meantime - he is determined to hold ensnared in his lies as many people as he can.

This is why, as Christians, our day to day choices are so important.  Will we be faithful to what God has called us to, or will we be selfish?  Will we be faithful, or will we take the easy way out?  We cannot, we must not forget that we are at WAR!  All is not as it should be in this world.

This war requires that we live at our best every day - that we live for God.  We MUST take our stand against the devils schemes.  His schemes to destroy our relationships, our churches, our witness, our ministry, and to ensnare us in his lies through sin.  We must run to our heavenly father daily so that we are STRONG IN THE LORD - because we never know when that “day of evil” is going to come. 

Resist the devil and he will flee - but don’t make the mistake of thinking of him as a little dude in a red suit with horns and a pitchfork.  Scripture says he masquerades as an angel of light.  He will come in ways we do not expect.  He will entice, distract, stir up, and divide.  He will discourage, and burden us with guilt, cause us to be afraid and to be filled with doubt.  Resist Him.  Be strong in the Lord.  Do anything and everything you can to stand firm.  And after you’ve done everything you can — stand firm anyway.

Walton Family Scattered for a Week

The Walton family was disbursed throughout the United States last week.  Nealy was in Chicago with Warren Colebank, Gordon Smith, and Trish Torline at the Willow Creek Arts Conference.  My three kids were in southern Indiana at Grandma & Grandpa Walton’s.  I was in the central Colorado area - as a member of the core planning team for the “National Church Volunteer Leadership Conference.” 

When:  October 1-4, 2009

Where:  Omni Interlocken Resort - Broomfield, CO

Sponsored By:  Church Volunteer Central - A Division of Group Publishing, Loveland, CO

I love Colorado - unfortunately I didn’t have much time to explore the mountains.  We spent some pretty intense times in conversation and planning - in an attempt to make this first of it’s kind event a success.

While I was out there - I heard that over 70 people showed up on Wednesday night for our first service event of the summer.  You can see pictures of the night on our website.  I was thrilled with that turnout - and it has prompted us to plan extra hard for the events throughout the rest of the summer. 

This Wednesday - at 7pm we will be meeting at the home of a woman in our community, 205 Sterling Street #5.  (You may park at Central or Conkwright schools and walk across the street.)  We will be painting the outside of the trailer and a shed, so bring paint rollers, brushes, and wire brushes.  If you have lopping shears, bring those, too.  Bring the kids - bring yourself - and roll up your sleeves to work alongside others from Calvary as we add value to our community.

There is also a big effort going on in our community to rebuild the home of a woman who’s house flooded.  She is a daily volunteer in the Ark of Mercy food pantry.  A few members of our church are very involved in this project - including Mike Rogers & Jason & Mary Ann Mandola.  There are several churches involved in this project.  Our Elders decided to participate this past week by donating $10,000 toward the project.  This money was given immediately so that the project can move forward.  If you would like to contribute to this project - please just drop us a note and let us know.  The total rebuild is expected to be around $30-40K.  Our donation brings the total raised to about $14,000.

I’m proud to be associated with Calvary - and excited to see what the future holds.

More “Success Stories…”

Today our teens are back at it — painting, moving, fixing, laughing.  They’re awesome! 

This morning - I thought of another incredible aspect of Calvary this weekend.  Tomorrow - we are sending a group of poeple to Richmond to participate in the Special Olympics.  During the contests, there is an area setup for the athletes - where they can play all kinds of games and win prizes and such.  The areas is called “Olympic Town.”  We signed people up for that event — and ended up with over 80 people on the list!!!!  That’s crazy incredible in my book.

When Joy Graham, who is coordinating the group, called in the number - the Special Olympics folks were overwhelmed, and immediately asked if they could use our folks in other areas of the program.  This is precisely the action and reaction that I want our church family to provoke in our community.  That through humble acts of service - people would be overwhelmed by the love and mercy of our great God.

Another story — a month or so ago there was a story in the Winchester Sun about a woman in our community whose home was flooded in recent storms.  Some people in the community got involved - and they have decided to tear down her home - and rebuild it - for free!  Our own Mike Rogers and Jason and MaryAnn Mandola have taken point roles in this project.  We will be looking for ways to get more of our church family involved.  Keep your eyes and ears open!

Real Success

Rob Hill, our Youth Minister preached on Sunday morning about REAL SUCCESS.  He challenged us that a REAL SUCCESS in the eyes of God is a man, woman, or child who serves others.  Rob preached an incredible message.  He did a really great job, and I was very proud of him.  We are blessed to have such a great man of God to lead our youth.  I think what made his message truly powerful was the fact that he can speak about that topic with such integrity.  Rob is first and foremost a servant.  He demonstrates this in his daily life - and it is reflected in the fact that our teens are so servant-minded.  I encourage you to listen to his message on our website.

Speaking of servant-minded — I really have to mention a few other things that I’m both proud and thankful for.  I already mentioned in the post before this all of our teens who have been serving in the church this week - they’ve been awesome.  I also want to report on the work that Lorra & Tabitha Graham have done this week.  You would never know this if I didn’t tell you - but these two ladies have put over 20 hours of work into cleaning our baptistry this week!!!  Now - I have to tell you - this baptistry has been a source of great irritation for several years.  A thick scaley residue had built up on the inside of the baptistry - and a number of men have tried all measure of solutions.  NONE of them were successful.  Several had concluded that the baptistry would never be clean again.  Well - apparently all it was lacking was a woman’s touch.  This mother/daughter team has that thing back to factory fresh condition.  They have worked REALLY hard - with no expectation of gain or reward.  That IS real success!

As I was leaving the church tonight - I encountered three more members of our church - David Wills, Kathy Sams, and Brian Thomas - they were mowing the church lawn.  They are part of a fairly large ministry team that has taken the responsibility to keep the church grounds looking neat and clean for those who visit our church.  We have had great responses to our requests for people to adopt spaces in the building.  We have had dozens of people cleaning specific rooms, performing certain maintenance tasks, and just generally participate in the maintenance and care of our facilities.  These tasks, though they may seem small, are a critical part of our ministry.  A well maintained and clean facility sends a positive message to our members and attenders, while making a positive impression on our visitors. 

And finally - we’ve struggled to get our church sign changed on a regular basis.  We try to put each week’s sermon title on the sign — but sometimes we were getting to the weekend before getting the sign changed.  Recently a young couple in our church - Josh & Courtney Wills have taken over that ministry.  As I was driving out of the parking lot after church on Sunday - I looked up and the sign had already been changed to “REAL CHURCH,” which is the title of this coming week’s message.  I know it may seem like a small thing - but to me it’s huge.  It’s just another sign that we have a lot of REALLY successful people in our Calvary family!

Extreme Church Makeover

Around the office this week - it’s felt a little like I’m a part of “Extreme Church Makeover.”  I keep expecting Ty Pennington to jump out with his megaphone!  This week Rachell Colebank’s new office has been painted - a dizzying combination of yellow, pink, limalicious green, and rasberry sorbet - complete with polkadots; the office work room and three other offices have been painted - and new flooring is going into most of those areas.  Of course - that has meant that everything had to be moved out into the hallways.  It looks a little like we’re prepping to have a really bad yardsale.  It was definately time for the old carpet to go — it was the original carpet from 1999 when the building was built.  Now - maybe that doesn’t sound like very long to you - but think about it.  These rooms get a lot of action.  They looked horrible.  It was time.

But here’s the thing — yeah there’s alot of work getting done this week.  Yes - the new flooring products look great.  Yes - the the new paint looks great.  Yes - those really are the colors of Rachell’s office.  But none of that is really why I’m telling you this.  Here’s the thing — we have some of the most amazing teenagers I’ve ever met.  Most of this work has been done by a group of about 12-15 teenagers.  They have spent a tremendous amount of time at the church this week.  They have painted rooms, cabinets, moved stuff, cleaned stuff - you name it, they’ve done it.  They have great attitudes, and are a joy to be around.  As chaotic as this week has been, I’ve really enjoyed having our youth around.  Please keep in mind that these are the same kids who spend most of their Saturday mornings at Community Services - serving those less fortunate in our community. 

We have truly incredible teens in this church.  If you guys happen to read this - I’m so proud of you, and I have enjoyed getting to know some of you a little better.  Thank you for all you do.  Not only are you faithful servants - but you are also leaders - setting an example of servanthood for the rest of us.

Our Children’s Ministry Moves Forward

Tomorrow at church we will announce that we have FINALLY found our new Children’s Minister!  It took us five months to find the person that God had selected for us - and she was here all along.  I’m not sure what that says about us.  We have called Rachell Colebank to lead our Children’s Ministry - and her first official day is June 1st - that’s tomorrow!

Rachell is a wonderfully creative person.  She possess many leadership qualities - but approaches people in a loving and gentle way.  Rachell has been involved in the children’s ministries of every church that she has been a part of - and served on staff as the Assistant Children’s Ministry Director of her last church - which was a congregation of over 1600 in average attendance, with over 400 children involved in the ministry!  She is a certified Elementary School teacher -and has taught in both public and private schools over the past five years.  She has won many awards for the creativity and dedication that she brings to her ministry to children.

The search team took a great deal of time in this search - and considered over 50 applicants.  In the end - the team unanimously and overwhelmingly agreed that Rachell was the person that God wanted in this role.  We recommended her to the Elders in early May.  The Elders reviewed her application information - interviewed her - and also unanimously approved her hire.

The leadership of Calvary wholeheartedly believes that Rachell is the right person to lead our Children’s Ministry forward.  That being said - we have also spent a great deal of time discussing the possible reactions.  Rachell is married to Warren Colebank - our Worship Minister.  It has been my experience over the last 13 years of ministry that there are always some people who are looking for a controversy or conspiracy.  A few people will undoubtedly suspect that Rachell only got the ministry position because of who her husband is.  I cannot do anything about people who insist on thinking that way.  I can only promise you that the opposite was actually true.  We asked her to take the position IN SPITE of who her husband is!

I am excited to work with Rachell - and look forward to what my three small children will experience under her capable leadership for many years to come!  I believe that it will be a very short period of time before it becomes clear to everyone that this was indeed God’s will for our church and children.

I ask you to welcome Rachell into this role (rachell@calvarychristian.net) - support her in her ministry - and consider how God may want you to partner with her to move the ministry forward.

A little at a time

Over this past year - God has hammered home to my heart time and time again that He wants Calvary to make a very real and substantial difference in our community.  I feel this conviction deep within me.  But - to be honest - sometimes it’s hard for me to tell if its really happening. 

This morning I joined a dozen or so other folks from Calvary at 86 Brink here in Winchester to clean up the lot of an abandoned house.  The house is owned by Habitat for Humanity.  They had placed a family in the house some time back - but the family defaulted on the payments, and the home reverted back to Habitat.  The house and lot are completely trashed.  The grass in the yard was waste high in some places.  It was completely filled with trash.  The crawl space under the house was packed full of junk.  Someone had cut copper lines out from under the house - as well as made mince meat of the airconditioner in order to get the copper, the compressor and anything else they thought might have value.  The inside of the home - though we didn’t work on it - needs to be completely gutted and redone.

We had to whack at the grass with weed eaters - then mow.  We had to mow twice and then rake.  Others of us were on trash detail in the yard and crawl space - while others planted a few flowers in front of the house and mulched a small area.  It looked a lot different when we left.

We only spent part of the morning there - but I’ve got to think we made a difference.  I’m not so naive as to think that we changed anyone’s life today.  But we cleaned up an eyesore - and we got the house a little closer to being sold or reassigned to a family.

Sometimes I think that I am guilty of thinking that the “DIFFERENCE” that God has called us to make has to be accomplished in HUGE gestures all of the time.  But in my moments of sanity I know that’s not really the case.  The people of Calvary ARE making a real and substantial difference in our community as we live our lives faithfully for him - being obedient to what He asks of us - and taking advantage of the opportunities that He places in our paths each day. 

We’re making a difference - moment by moment, day by day…a little at a time.