The issue of gender is increasingly becoming an important issue in the church. As the issue encroaches upon global Christianity it is critical that Calvary have a clear understanding of what gender is and how to respond to a post-Christian critique as well as gender roles in ministry. The static or fluid nature of gender has ramifications for how the church deals with issues such as transgenderism, sexual identity, any distinctions between the genders such as roles and responsibilities, and gender roles in ministry. While the scope goes far beyond this paper, this provides a summary of Calvary’s position in my understanding and experience.

The chaos, unrest, and division of today harkens to a similar period of uncertainty in the 1960s. Pastor Jon reflects on a Christian response that was born in those days and how these days we’re living in may also offer a greater opportunity for the church to reach people with the hope of the gospel.

You’ve asked, “Where do I start if I want to learn more about what our black brothers and sisters have experienced?” Good question.

UPDATED MONDAY, MARCH 16 Calvary family, let’s take a moment to talk about what’s on our hearts and minds this week. The COVID-19 virus that has been impacting our world is now impacting our own lives on a local level, and I want to share with you how our church is responding.

On Sunday, January 26, several leaders shared about recent changes (all good!), continued growth, and the vision for local and global outreach at Calvary Church.

As I get older, I’m finding that I really care about fewer and fewer things. Don’t get me wrong, I still get fired up about a few things, but the list seems to be dwindling. How does this relate to prayer? Indifference, or detachment, as an attitude of prayer means that caring about what I want pales in comparison to God and what he wants.

To go along with the That’s Not Me identity series, we put together a list of books, articles, and sermons with the theme of identity.

On Sunday, August 25, several leaders recapped the last 8 months of growth and change here at Calvary. Read a recap of the recap or watch the Family Meeting video.

Let’s be honest, foot washing is uncomfortable. But this ancient cleansing ritual once carried out by Jesus has real implications for how we think about serving today. It’s humbling to put our feet into someone’s hands and have them washed clean.

How God’s silence in the face of our prayers may be an invitation to draw closer

Our church’s local and global outreach ministries have always worked toward common goals to reach our city and the world with the love of Jesus. This spring, we’re bringing them together in a fresh way.

The invitation of Easter is simple. Do you really want to be happy? Do you want to know where you find real hope and purpose and significance in life? Come & see. Come and see who Jesus is, what he did for you, and how he changes everything. Whether you’ve been a Christian for years or are just starting to discover faith, the invitation is for you.

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Introducing Noah Smith this past Sunday as our new Director of Student Ministries marks the end of a nearly year-long search to fill the Calvary Students leadership position. And in many ways, we're ending where we began.

On Sunday March 3, one of our elders, Dave Kurt, announced that our restated constitution was enthusiastically adopted by congregational vote.  As a result, our new constitution became effective on March 1.  The first official action was to affirm Josh Reasoner as our lead teaching pastor, which we celebrated at our Sunday service on March 3.  One of the major changes in our new constitution is the creation of elder term limits as well as a new process for nominating and choosing new elders.  

How does God want the church to serve immigrants, refugees and strangers?  How are they part of God’s plan to spread the gospel to all nations? Throughout the Old Testament and the New, we are taught to treat the foreigner well: to extend hospitality, offer compassion, and embrace equality as we love them as ourselves (Leviticus 19:33-34). In short, we make them our neighbors.

As you know, we are toward the final stages of restating our old constitution. I am pleased to report that as of the end of the 30-day voting period, February 15th, we have received only four votes against the restated constitution.  This means that as of March 1st, 2019, the proposed restated constitution becomes official.  We will immediately begin working on the Lay Elder nomination process and term limit procedures.  You will hear more of this in the very near future.

A church is like a big family, and family members need to talk and listen to each other well in order to flourish and grow.  I plan to touch base with you here to keep our church community informed of big picture issues relating to Calvary. We had a fantastic turnout for our Family Meeting last Sunday.

As we continue learning more about spiritual disciplines, it’s important to keep in mind that regimens are different than rhythms, which are part of the flow of daily Christian living. You can read about spiritual rhythms here. This second part is geared toward helping you explore more spiritual regimens and the purpose behind them. Remember, these should be approached prayerfully and not by just “plowing into them.” Regimens are often considered practices of abstinence, meaning they use self-restraint to avoid or to get rid of something. In that sense, they often feel abrupt and difficult.

The spiritual disciplines are a key means of growth for the Christian. They're how we "get on the road" to becoming more like Jesus. Some are meant to be part of the normal rhythm of daily life. (I wrote about those here.) Others, the regimens, are meant to interrupt our daily life and invite God to something new or different in us. You can see my introduction to the regiments here.