Connected

Calvary Church,

We wanted to update you as Calvary begins to make steps towards re-opening.

The first thing, I want you to know is that these are not light decisions. Our Elders have been hearing regularly from Dr. Eric Wiest as well as engaging information from the State of Minnesota, the CDC, and the World Health Organization. We have been praying and seeking wisdom and have come up with the following plans.

• Church ministries and church groups can resume using the facility under the following guidelines: We can meet freely in groups 10 and under. Within the parameters of the State of Minnesota, we can also meet in groups that exceed 10, but do not exceed 75 provided that you take social distancing seriously.  We also recommend, but do not require the use of a mask for these larger groups. These guidelines include the Friday morning Men’s Contenders group, Women’s Bible studies, committee meetings, and fellowship gatherings.
• We are working to relaunch summer Community Groups. We will begin promoting them as soon as the details are finalized! If you are not normally a part of a Community Group and you would like to join one, this is the perfect time, please email ben@calvarychurchvg.com and I will help you get connected.
• Finally, we are tentatively planning on hosting an outdoor Worship Service on the east lawn on June 21^st at 930. Much of the risk of gathering (including singing) is mitigated by being outside. As of this moment, we are not planning to meet outside every week, we are just taking one step forward. As coronavirus information changes weekly, we will have more information about that meeting and future meetings in a timely fashion.

Finally, as we start to “re-open” please be praying for church unity. There is a diversity of opinions about how all of this should be handled. We are seeking to be wise and discerning using the best local and national medical data to make our decisions, and shepherd our flock. Romans 14 teaches that we should refrain from passing judgement on one another in these kinds of issues.  Rather, let us be “eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.” (Ephesians 4:3)

Thankful that we have a date on the calendar!

On behalf of the Elders,

Pastor Ben

Calvary Family,

As many of you know, the CDC has made recent changes in their Covid-19 recommendations regarding public gatherings by limiting those to 10 people or less. In light of those recommendations, Calvary Church has made the decision to cancel all activities at the church (including, Bible studies, Awana, Youth Ministry, and our Worship Service) until further notice. We are continuing to monitor the situation and will be continuing to re-assess each week and notify you of any updates or changes.

Beloved, please know this, none of this challenge our God! Let me remind you that Jesus is the bread of life (John 6). He is the light of the world (John 8). He is the door of the sheep (John 10).). He is the Good Shepherd (John 10:11) He is the resurrection and the life (John 1). He is the way, the truth, and the life (John 14). And He is the true vine (John 15). Our hope in Jesus is secure and he will be with us always (Matthew 28).

Beloved as we walk through this season, the Elders, Trustees, and I are working on several plans to shepherd our church through this, both physically and spiritually. We are still working through what that will look like, but hopefully we will be rolling a plan out early next week!
In the meantime, we have created several tools that we think will be helpful.

Weekend Gathering
On Sundays at 9:30, we will be hosting a digital gathering on Zoom. It will not be a “church service” per se, but will be a time of fellowship, prayer, and encouragement. We chose Zoom to facilitate our gatherings, because it allows us to see each other rather than just seeing a speaker. There are 3 ways that you can access Zoom. First, you can log in directly at https://zoom.us/j/625219640
Secondly, we are working to stream the Zoom feed directly to our website. http://www.calvarychurchvg.com/connected/ And finally, you can call in and listen. The number is (312) 626-6799, and then enter meeting code 625 219 640 followed by the pound key.

Prayer Wall
We have added a prayer wall to the Connected page on our website. You may post prayer requests, as well as be praying for the published needs of the church in this unique season.

In Acts 17, we are reminded that it is the Lord who determines our appointed times, and the boundaries of our land. Much like Esther, we were appointed for a time such as this. Let us walk forward not in timidity or fear, but with our eyes fixed on Jesus the author and perfecter of our faith.

Partnering with you in the Gospel,
Pastor Ben