June 2, 2009

Dear Members and Friends of First Calvary Baptist Church,

Minnesota summers are the best. It is my favorite time of the year for many reasons. From warm weather to long days, I like summer. Like many of you, our family will be traveling in the weeks to come. Knowing that so many are in and out during the summer months, I want to attempt to communicate as often as possible about the happenings around our ministry.

Let me begin with mid-week events. Throughout the summer, our Wednesday nights are full of opportunities for you and your family. It begins at 6:00pm with a meal hosted by one of our families. The cost is minimal, $2 per person or $10 max per family. Sign up in the days prior and show up to eat.

At 7:00pm our children head to an exciting weekly kids group led by Pastor Chris Juvinall. Our teens move to the youth group meeting led by Pastor Sam Brown. The adults head to auditorium for Bible study and prayer. Many of the weeks in the adult time will feature the men of our church opening God’s Word to us. You will hear men that you have never heard before. I look forward to Wednesday nights.

In just two weeks on Sunday, June 14th we will participate in our second Abounding In Thanksgiving offering for 2009. The offering will be used two ways. 50% (up to $2000) will go to our missionary Lisa Armstrong to aid her and her family following the death of her husband. The remainder will add to the resources necessary to move ahead in the future on our building plans.

Last summer, our Steering Team introduced a Master Site Plan for our 9.7 acres on Robert Street. This plan determined the potential use for the whole of the property and what kinds of facilities we need to fulfill our responsibilities. Many of you have given formal and informal feedback.

The Steering Team continues to meet and work. It is my hope that they will deliver to the church for its consideration the next proposed step in the development of our site prior to the next Abounding In Thanksgiving offering in September. Let’s pray together as they serve us in this way.

One more thought, beginning Sunday, June 14th all our adult Sunday School classes will meet together in the auditorium for the summer months. I have asked Pastor Chris to teach all of us using the theme Life In the Father’s House. This is a series on what it means to be a part of a local church. I desire that we do this for several reasons.

· The study itself is worthy of our ongoing attention. In many of his letters to local churches, the Apostle Paul addresses over and again the nature of the local church and what should characterize the interaction of the people in that local church.

· We have 5 adult classes that meet individually each Sunday. It will be good for us to come together for these weeks in the summer. As our church continues to grow, it is important that we know each other. I routinely hear people in our church say about others in our church, I don’t know who that is. It’s easy to get lost in the crowd or to neglect those outside of our groups. Being together will allow us the opportunity to bridge these gaps.

· Our teachers work hard at what they do each week. They can use a little break from their labors. When we return to our groups at the end of the summer, these teachers will be “chomping at the bit” to get back to their teaching. We all will benefit from their refreshment.

It is very important that we get started each Sunday at 9:15am. The format of the class is not going to be straight lecture. I have asked Pastor Chris to make it very interactive. In order to do that, we must start on time and end on time. Your help in being ready to go at 9:15am will make this possible. We have communicated this with our nursery and children’s Sunday School staff to help you with childcare responsibilities.
I hope this “information push” is helpful to you. I’m looking forward to a great ministry summer as we fulfill our God-given responsibilities, responsibilities that normally come in the form of…

Thank you for your faithful attendance, your generous giving and your work in the ministry. You have been an encouragement to me, and, I trust, I to you. God’s best to each of you.

Sincerely,       

Mike VerWay
          Pastor