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. I will be leading Calvary’s outreach efforts at the local and global level alongside teams that are already formed and committed to the work we are doing. Our church will continue to pursue partnerships and serving opportunities with both local and global partners. We’ll keep sharing what’s happening (in our community and around the world) with you, the church family. In fact, you can connect with us on Facebook and Instagram: @calvaryoutreach.

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One of the things I love about the church’s commitment to outreach is that it brings together the “greatest commandments” and the “great commission” from the Bible. When teachers of the law confronted Jesus asking what was the greatest commandment, he said, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself. All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments” (Matthew 22:37-40). Love God with everything you are and love your neighbor as yourself.

Later, following his resurrection, Jesus gave his disciples a commission, an essential task: “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age” (Matthew 28:19-20). Sharing the gospel with the nations is one of the primary missions of the local church.

Outreach gets Christians beyond the walls of the church to share the love of God and their love for people by telling others about Jesus and meeting their felt needs. As individuals, our abilities, our gifts, and our compassion equip us for different kinds of outreach. We’re not all going to go to Africa (although you should seriously consider it!), but we can all help someone in our neighborhood, our city, or in a far-off place know that they are cared for both by God and the church. 

A big part of our Summer Kickoff in Central Park on June 1 will be focusing on our local partners and the work they do. You can meet a lot of them and hear how you can be part of their mission to “love our neighbors like ourselves.”