9:00 a.m. & 10:45 a.m.
(In-Person and Livestream)
The Seventh “I AM” Statement: I Am the True Vine
John 15:1-11
Pastor Bret Laird
News
There will be no regular high precaution service today, December 13.
Schedule over the Christmas Holiday:
Every year, LifeGroups, AWANA, and other ministries take seasonal breaks to enable volunteers and participants to enjoy fellowship with family and friends during the holidays. This year, in an effort to limit possible virus exposure from the church to families and from families to the church, we are expanding our traditional holiday break.
Christmas Break: There will be no LifeGroups, Children’s programs, Nursery or youth activities on:
Sunday, December 20
Sunday, December 27
Sunday, January 3
These ministries will resume on Sunday, January 10.
There will also be no Wednesday night AWANA, Prayer Meeting or GrowthGroups on:
Wednesday, December 23
Wednesday, December 30
Wednesday ministries will resume on January 6.
During these weeks around the holidays, men’s and women’s bible studies and other church related activities will also be cancelled. If anyone has questions related to their activity, please contact the church office.
**Normal schedule for all 3 main Sunday worship services remain unchanged
It will not be long until Christmas is here and we celebrate our Lord and Savior’s birth. In order to facilitate socially distanced seating, this year we will have three Christmas Eve Candelight Services at:
3:00 p.m. High Precaution (masks worn throughout)
4:30 p.m. (please wear masks unless seated, Nursery will be provided)
6:00 p.m. (please wear masks unless seated)
Please invite family and neighbors, especially those who do not attend church on a regular basis.
New LifeGroup coming for those post-college through age 35! Launch date is January 10, 2021…watch for further details!
We have the opportunity to Encourage the Saints with a church wide Christmas Caroling ministry on the evenings of December 18-23. We need teams of people to come together with a willingness to share their Christmas joy in a time when some have experienced the inability to join the body in-person. The church will provide a song list and books along with a few individual residences to visit on the evening(s) of the teams choosing. We will be taking appropriate precautions for travel, spacing and face coverings as we serve. To become part of a Caroling Team click here or to request a visit to your home, click here. Sign ups end tonight, Sunday, December 13 at 11:00 p.m.
Have you had a loved one pass away? Please consider joining us for GriefShare as you navigate the journey of grief. We will begin on Monday January 4 from 10 a.m. - 12 p.m. We meet in the reception rooms, wear masks and social distance. The class runs for 14 weeks and the cost is $20. Please contact Donna Steinke to register or for questions.
Our Calvary Bible Church family has provided generously in reaching 53 families and 116 children for Angel Tree Christmas 2020. Praise God for our community outreach and pray for the teams as they contact families and deliver Christmas before Christmas.
Tim Johnson, one of our most tenured, senior staff informed the Pastors that he plans to retire in the next few months. We will be honoring Tim in the months ahead, but we are initiating a search for his replacement, both internally and externally. Please feel free to contact the church office for more information. Resumes may be submitted here.
In spite of all of the pandemic precautions, God has used the church body at Calvary Bible to send 1,015 shoebox gifts out through Operation Christmas Child. Your efforts and generosity with these gifts ensures the good news of Jesus Christ will reach many children. We rejoice that God has provided 27,440 shoeboxes from Southwest Michigan.
The Elders have approve Ryan Corra for membership.
Year End Giving Projects
Praise God from whom all blessings flow! The year-end giving for the Next Generation Coin Offering was fully funded in the first week. The Elders approved 2 other year-end giving projects applicable to our local body as we transition into 2021:
In response to Christ’s command to disciple the nations, Calvary partners with 37 partners and singles ministering around the world and 6 local and foreign organizations. One year-end giving project is to fund the budget shortfall of approximately $40,000 for Global Ministry. Any excess funds received for the Coin Offering will be allocated to Global Ministries.
In anticipation of resuming our search for a Pastor of Outreach Teams, the Elders created a “Local Outreach Start-up Fund” to jump-start the ministry, with a target of $50,000.
To give to these projects, simply write, “Year-End Giving Project-Global Ministries” or Year-End Giving Project-Local Outreach” on your giving envelope or on the memo line under the “Other” category for online giving.
Prayer Requests
For the family of Jack Ballard, father of Deb Foley, who departed from this life December 8.
For the family of Chase Ray, brother-in-law of Elizabeth Miller, who departed from this life December 5.
Faith at Home Ministries
Date Change! The Faith at Home Wednesday evening Growth Group will resume on January 13 with the topic being Grandparenting. Whether we are desiring to be impactful grandparents or want to know how we can utilize the impact of grandparents in our children, we would love for you to join us for this discussion.
Global Ministries
Our Global Ministries Team are regularly communicating with our Partners as often as possible. Currently they are all in good health and either at home or in a safe location. If you would like an electronic copy of the weekly Global Partner Prayer Sheet, please contact the church office.