Dear Calvary members,

We are gearing up for the first ever Calvary Mission Blitz on Sunday, September 26. Sign up for projects begins September 12.

What is a “Mission Blitz”?
It is a day dedicated to service, community outreach and fellowship. We will be living out our calling to be the hands and feet of Christ in Grand Forks as we mobilize the entire congregation to different service projects both here at Calvary and throughout the community.

Why are we doing this?
As we state in our mission statement, we are a congregation committed to “serve and ignite people for Christ.” We follow through with this commitment in many ways, both as a congregation and as individuals. But on this Sunday, we want to join together as one big Calvary family, spotlighting the component of service in our communal life of faith, and celebrating the good we can do when we combine our efforts.

What is our model for this?
Some of us experienced the joy of a “mission blitz” at synod assembly last spring when over 600 delegates were sent out to dozens of sites all over Jamestown for an afternoon of service projects. Pastor Roger raked leaves for a homebound woman. Pastor Kristen sorted stuff at the local recycling center. Others led worship in nursing homes, picked up litter at local parks, all sorts of helpful work. The experience was definitely the highlight of the weekend, bringing renewed energy, joy,

and a sense of shared purpose to the assembly.

Isn’t this how it usually happens, when you step out of your comfort zone in Jesus’ name? You go out with the hope of being a blessing and you find Christ ready to abundantly bless you. Last Sunday 23 youth and 7 adults returned from a trip to Seattle. By all accounts, it was a wonderful experience for them, not just because they got to see new places and do some amazing site-seeing, but because they got to feed homeless folks, be in their space, sit down and talk with them, find out about their lives, and simply live love. Our youth are our model. They remind us that loving others is a huge high, and it’s not one we need to go to Seattle to get. There’s need all around us right here in Grand Forks.

How is this all going to work? What should we expect from our Mission Blitz?
Our Sunday schedule will include three worship times, 8:00, 9:15, 10:45 a.m. all in the Sanctuary, as the Fellowship Hall will be filled with projects. Worship will be very brief. The 8:00 a.m. will be about 30 minutes long (much like Holy Grounds worship in the summer). The other two will be about 15 minutes long. They will be very “kid friendly” since the Sunday School kids will be joining us at the 9:15 and 10:45 a.m. time slots. After each worship service the congregation will be mobilized for overlapping shifts of service at on-site and off-site projects. There will be projects for all ages and abilities, with flexible shifts to meet your schedule needs. The Sunday School children who are dropped off will have projects that fit within the time frame, but we encourage families to sign up for a project together in the church office. We are really hoping to have EVERYONE participate.

Right now we are in the process of organizing sites and projects. If you know of one you would like included in the Blitz, please let me know. We are especially interested in hearing from elders or those with physical limitations who could use help with their yard or other fall projects. You can sign up in the office to have volunteers come.

Beginning September 12, ALL CALVARY MEMBERS will be encouraged to sign up for a service site. Those who have not signed up ahead of time can also participate on the day, but it will go a lot smoother if you sign up in advance.

Finally, there will also be a simple sack lunch provided on that day for all volunteers as they return to the church so that together we have an opportunity to share our experience with others over table fellowship.

Are you excited yet? I sure am. Are you a little nervous about what you might be getting into? I admit, I’m a little nervous. Maybe like the Calvary youth felt when they stepped off the bus in Seattle. I hope you will follow their lead, follow your faith and dare to serve in Jesus’ name. I think it’s going to be a great day to be the people of Calvary Lutheran, living what we believe, confident that we are blessed to be a blessing.

Following Jesus,
Pastor Kristen