Chris Tomlin Concert

Thursday March 15, 2012 – Thursday March 15, 2012

Map and Directions | Register

Description:

You are invited to join us for a night of fun & worship.  Amazing singer/songwriter/worship leader Chris Tomlin will be in Bemidji, MN for a concert… hope you’ll join us!

Thursday, March 15

Bus loads at Calvary at 4 p.m. (concert is at 7 p.m.)

COST: $35 — includes charter bus transportation, ticket price & ‘box’ sandwich supper!

All are welcome — full payment due upon sign-up.  Payments are non-refundable.

Sign-up in the church office today or register here online!  Space is limited.

For more information, please contract Kim Adams (kim.adams@calvarygf.org)

Register

Women’s Retreat

Friday March 16, 2012 – Saturday March 17, 2012

1405 S 9th St

Map and Directions | Register

Description:

The retreat begins with supper Friday and ends Saturday evening. It is not an overnight retreat. It will include break out sessions, a justice market, service project, worship, food and fellowship.

Guest speaker/musician/songwriter Sarah Hart will grace us with her presence and lead us in worship and general sessions.

Registration: $65, Students: $30 / Registration Deadline: March 12

Women’s Retreat Flyer

Register

Calvary Holy Land Trip, Feb 4-17, 2012

To follow the progress of our travels, visit our blog at http://calvaryholyland.blogspot.com .

Lent ~ 2012

It is soon Lent. Are you ready to give up?

Historically, the forty days (excludes Sundays) of the season of Lent (Ash Wednesday to Easter) are associated with some kind of fasting—a “giving up” of food. Today in America, Lent is typically associated with “giving up” undesirable habits: drinking soda pop, eating too many desserts, eating chocolate by the pound, buying venti frappa-machi-chino-hooper-whatsits every morning, watching TV, watching football, or sunbathing (note: the last two are hot choices for March). Truth be told, these “Lenten disciplines” have a lot to do with the New Year’s resolutions we made at the gym, and they may or may not have a lot to do with our relationship with God.

Here at Calvary this year, we have a little different understanding of what it means to “give up” for Lent. While “to give up” typically means “to get rid of” or “relinquish” something, there is yet another sense to the phrase: to give over—especially to Someone above you. Accordingly, while we may focus some this Lenten season at Calvary on “getting rid of” specific things, we will focus more on what it means to give over certain areas of our lives to God. After all, to “get rid of” bad habits takes self-discipline, but to give significant matters of our lives over to God takes faith. Any self-disciplined person may get rid of a bad habit; only the person of faith can surrender to God what is truly God’s in the first place.

We are also doing Lent a little different this year: our theme will encompass not only Wednesday evenings, but also Sunday mornings, as well as daily readings at home. Following Jesus’ story in the Gospel of Mark, we will consider various things we do well to “give up” in some capacity:

As in previous years, Lenten Wednesday evening worship (5:30 and 7:00pm) will present the message in the form of a drama, and a kids’ message will offer a take-home object each week. We especially welcome families to worship with us on these Wednesday evenings, and to eat dinner at Calvary hosted by our youth (see below for more information on this year’s Lenten Dinners).

Along with attending to these themes in worship, we will also read at home the Gospel of Mark. We will soon have available two different read-and-study resources: one for individual study, another for family conversation. Both of these resources supplement a reading plan of the entirety of Mark’s Gospel over forty days with questions and activities to foster learning and appreciation of this great story. Even more, we will have some designated times for “Readers’ Conversation & Q&A” (AKA Oasis sessions) on Sunday morning and during the week (times yet TBA) – open to all and anyone reading Mark. …We invite all congregation families and members to join together in this seasonal reading and meditation. If you have never before read a book of the Bible from beginning to end, this will be an engaging time and remarkably approachable way to do so.      YYou can pick up your copy of the reading plan at Calvary, or click on the following link to access it as well.

Mark Reading Plan

Mark Bible Study

Many of us are familiar with ideas of “giving up” sweets and the like for Lent. During the season this year, however, let us consider rather how we might give ourselves over to the God who gave all for us.

I am excited to give up. Are you?

Your fellow believer,

Pastor Troy

Lenten Dinners ~ 2012

This year’s Lenten theme is “Giving Up” and we will be exploring what it means to give over to God what we have (possessions, expectations, etc…).

This year, we are going back to the traditional Lenten Soup Suppers as we journey through our Lenten Season.  A study taken in 2011 reported that there are 925 million hungry people in the world.  In round numbers there are 7 billion people in the world, meaning that 13.1 percent, or almost 1 in 7 people are hungry.

What does this mean for us?  Lenten Dinners are generally large scale, with plates full of food and much of what is served on a plate often discarded simply because it was “too much.”  This year, we are scaling back, reminding us that we have an abundance of food…even with a bowl of soup, a piece of bread, and a salad we have MORE than enough. 

So, we invite you to join us in the Fellowship Hall every Wednesday evening during our Lenten season from 5:00 – 7:00 p.m. for a hot bowl of soup.  Proceeds will go to support the senior high youth traveling to New Orleans this summer for the 2012 National Youth Gathering.  

Dinner rolls, salad, and ice cream will also be served each week, and pizza will be served for children who choose not to eat soup.

Cost is $5/adult and $3/child.

ELCA Youth Gathering, New Orleans

Saturday July 14, 2012 – Monday July 23, 2012

Map and Directions | Register

Description:

Next summer, our senior high students have the opportunity to attend the ELCA Youth Gathering in New Orleans, LA.  This event happens once every 3 years.

We are asking for all students who are interested in going to register here, online.  Your deposit of $150 is required.

You will also need to complete the Youth Agreement and Release of Liability Form upon registration.

For more information about the event, please visit www.elca.org/gathering

Register

Feed My Starving Children Mobile Pack is March 23-25, 2012

After the tremendous response to our first “Mobile Pack” Event in Grand Forks for Feed My Starving Children this past spring, a second event is now on the calendar for March 23-25, 2012.  Calvary members Bruce and Jodie Storhaug will once again be chairing the team planning this event in partnership with churches and organizations throughout the region.  For more information, you may read the Calvary FMSC Letter for 2012 event, or check out the Photo Recap of FMSC 2011 Event in Grand Forks held last April.  Please put this event on your calendar now, and make plans to be a part of this wonderful opportunity to share, in God’s name, the gift of food for the hungry.

Registration for volunteers from partnering organizations (including Calvary)  who would like to work at the event will open on February 10.  Registration for the general public will open on Feb. 16.  Click here to register now.

For more information about registering, and an update on how fundraising for this year’s event is going, you can read Open Letter to all Calvary Members  from FMSC Team Leaders Bruce and Jodie Storhaug.

Sanctuary Screens and one Projector now installed in Sanctuary; Donations Still Sought

After months of planning and donations being sought, two screens and one of the two projectors have now been installed in the Calvary sanctuary.  These additions were approved by the Calvary Council earlier this year, provided it could be done in a way that is aesthetically pleasing and consistent with the architecture of our beautiful sanctuary, and also provided that money was raised to pay for these additions.

With $12,500 of the anticipated $22,000 cost having now been pledged or given, the Council at its September meeting approved installing both screens and mahogany valences to conceal them when not in use, and also to purchase one of the two projectors we will need.  The second projector will be purchased when the additional money is raised.  Both screens and valences were put in at this time to eliminate additional labor costs that would be needed if we did them at two different times.

Here is a picture of the sanctuary with the screens retracted behind the valences so they are concealed when not in use.  The “Calvary Cross” in the front of the sanctuary was raised approximately 20 inches and outlined in black metal to make it more visible against the brown brick wall. 

Two remote control units allow us to lower the screens when we are using them.  They then appear like this:

For the time being, since we have only one projector, only the left screen will be lowered for use.  With only one screen, however, there will be a few “blind spots.”   Those will be dealt with when we receive additional funds and purchase the second projector.

If you’d like to made a gift to this, please send or drop off a check indicating “Projector and Screen” on the memo line.  You can also donate online.  If you would like to make a pledge at this time for an amount to be given later, please let Heather Vandervort know.

Questions?  Contact any of the Pastors or Council members.

More information about the addition of a projector and screen in Calvary’s sanctuary

Sunday School Registration

Registration for Sunday School 2011-2012 has begun. Please stop by the tables at church on Sunday or in the church office.

You can also print a downloadable form from the website.

Sunday School Registration Form

Confirmation Registration

Registration for Confirmation this year (grades 6-9) is in progress.  Please check with Jackie if you have any questions (772-4897 or jackie.spiros@calvarygf.org). 

You can print out the registration form by clicking on the link below and bring it into the church office, or mail it in.

Confirmation Registration Form