Abuse Awareness and Prevention Training
If you have been around Calvary for very long, you might have noticed that we love children! From children hurrying down the aisles to hear the children’s sermon on Sunday to making a joyful noise to the Lord in choir on Wednesday, we truly see children as a sign of new life in our midst.
Jesus Himself said in Matthew 18:3-5 “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever takes the lowly position of this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. And whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me.” Clearly God values children very highly! Immediately after that, in verse 6, Jesus continues “If anyone causes one of these little ones—those who believe in me—to stumble, it would be better for them to have a large millstone hung around their neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea.”
Those are some pretty weighty words. Words that call us to examine how God values children and their safety and well-being and how we as a church can also pay attention to these things.
It is for this reason that in 2 weeks, on Sunday, November 3rd, following worship (12:15-2:00 pm) we will have a required abuse awareness and prevention training for all who serve with children at Calvary (SS/Nursery/Extended Session/Bible Club, etc.) to ensure that we are working together to care for God’s children in the best ways possible.
At Calvary, we strive to teach our children about God and His love for them and the first step to doing that is creating a safe learning environment for children where they know they are loved and protected. To all of our wonderful volunteers, thank you so much for all of the ways that you have ensured that Calvary’s kids are safe and well cared-for thus far! I anticipate that this training will be another opportunity for us to continue growing and learning together how we can best serve our children.
Please RSVP to jchilton@cbcwaco.net by November 1st. Include whether you will need childcare. Lunch will be provided!
*If you are a volunteer with our children and cannot make it, please also let me know that.
The peace of Christ be with you,
~Jenni Chilton
Up Ahead 10/24 10:00a - Meals on Wheels
10/26 06:30a - Yard Sale 10:00a - Fall Festival
10/27 9:30a - Sunday School 9:30a - Color of Compromise Small Group 10:45a - Worship
10/29 10:00a - Meals on Wheels
10/30 12:00p - Lunch for Truett Students 6:00p - Bible Study: David 6:00p - Bible Study: Color of Compromise 6:00p - FUSE Kids 6:00p - Youth Bible Study 7:00p - Intergenerational Choir Rehearsal
Financials Jan-Sep 2019 Projected Budget Receipts: $463,662
Jan-Sep 2019 Actual Budget Receipts $428,925
Jan-Sep 2019 Actual BELOW Projection $34,737
Birthdays 10/25 - Chuck Williams 10/27 - Jimmy Clark 10/28 - Kendall Ellis 10/30 - Guilherme Almeida
Worship 10/27 Message
Messy: The Messiness of Community Scripture: TBD Ali Chappell DeHay
First Wednesday Preaching Series
On Wednesday, November 6, we will host our next student preaching spotlight to give some of our college and seminary students experience preaching in a church setting. Our next student preacher of this series will be Taylor Shippy. Taylor is in his second year as a student at Truett Seminary and also serves with our children and in the intergenerational choir at Calvary. Come hear a short sermon from Taylor, followed by a space to offer affirmations, helpful feedback, and blessing for his call to ministry. We will meet in the Chapel from 6:00-6:50 PM.
Thank You from the Bradleys
The Bradleys would like to offer their continued gratitude for the many ways that the Calvary family is walking alongside them through this difficult season. Thank you for your prayers, your messages, and your outpouring of love and support. To receive the most up-to-date information on how the Bradleys are doing, please follow along at https://www.caringbridge.org/visit/brendabradley2. You can also sign up to receive emails every time they post. Thank you for being the family of God in this place for them in so many important ways in this journey.
Children’s Calvary T-Shirts
We ordred children’s sizes of our mint-colored Calvary t-shirts this summer for children’s camp. We have a limited number of t-shirts available, sizes Youth Small - Youth X-Large, as well as a few Adult Mediums, available $10/each. If you would like to purchase a shirt, contact Jenni at jchilton@cbcwaco.net.
Wednesday Night Meal
Hey Calvary family, join us for dinner on Wednesday, October 30th at 5 p.m. We'll have soup and salad and would love to see you there! $3 per person, $5 per couple, $10 per family.
Lunch at Truett on October 30
Are you a student at Truett seminary and interested in learning more about how to get involved in ministry and mission at Calvary? We’d love to invite you to join us for lunch between classes on Wednesday, October 30 from 12:00-1:00 PM in Room 309. Any Truett students, faculty, and staff are welcome to join! Please RSVP with TaNicia by Monday, October 28 at 12 PM.
Looking Ahead This Year… Month of November: Collection for Mission Waco Christmas Toy Drive
November 17: Church-Wide Budget Conversation (during Sunday School)
November 24: Harvest Meal (during/after worship)
December 1:First Sunday of Advent
Mission Waco Toy Drive Pick-Up
“Love Your Youth” Camp Fundraiser Begins (Dec. 1-15)
Advent Wreath Making Lunch (after worship)
December 4: Last Night of Wednesday Night Activities
December 7: Children’s Christmas Craft Party (Morning, Time TBA)
December 8: Second Sunday of Advent
Children’s Choirs Present in Worship
Youth Christmas Party (6 PM)
December 12: Service of Consolation (7 PM)
December 13: Intergenerational Choir Christmas Party
December 14: Christmas Coffeehouse (Evening, Time TBD)
December 15:Third Sunday of Advent
Intergenerational Choir-Led Service
Church-Wide Christmas Open House at Mary Alice’s (2:00-5:00 PM)
December 22:Fourth Sunday of Advent
December 24: Christmas Eve Service (6 PM)
Community Yard Sale and Fall Festival - THIS Saturday, October 26
There are lots of ways you can be a part of the festivities coming up this week:
We are collecting CANDY and PRIZES through Friday for the Fall Festival. They can be dropped off with John Hunt anytime this week through Friday.
We welcome any gently-used items that you would like to donate: clothes, furniture, household items, electronics, children’s toys, etc. (No televisions, please). Donations can be brought to the stage in the Fellowship Hall OR to the Welcome Center Thursday night (6-8 PM) or Friday (9-12, 1-3 PM). All money raised goes toward our 2020 mission trips AND youth camp!
We also need help preparing for the Yard Sale and Fall Festival on Thursday night (6-8 PM) or Friday afternoon (1-3 PM). On Saturday from 5:30 AM - 1:00 PM, there will be opportunities to help with set-up, hospitality, fall festival activities, and clean-up.
The Calvary family coming together to make this happen will make this a great day for and with our community, so please join in any way you are able! For more information, contact Jess Gregory at Jess_Gregory2@baylor.edu. Sign up to help at http://bit.ly/2nzqXQO.
Box Tops for West Avenue Elementary!
Box Tops for Education are found on hundreds of products from cereal and snacks to cleaning supplies and office supplies (https://www.boxtops4education.com). Each Box Top is worth $.10 each for a participating school. West Avenue collects and redeems Box Tops, and we have committed to helping them collect this school year. Simply clip the Box Top from participating products and save in a Ziploc bag or on a collection sheet printed from the website. Turn your Box Tops in to the collection box at Calvary in the Welcome Center. Thanks for helping West Avenue this year!
Extended Care – Need All Hands on Deck!
We are so excited that Calvary’s children’s ministry is growing! More children also means that we need more volunteers for Extended Care for our infants and Pre-K children during worship. We currently have 19 volunteers who faithfully serve in Extended Care once every 5-6 weeks. However, the dream of the children’s ministry is to have so many volunteers that everyone only serves once a quarter (every 3 months). We are asking for 40 more people from the Calvary family to volunteer for Extended Care. That means we need people of all ages and stages of life, men and women, involved in this important ministry. Please consider giving one Sunday a quarter to love and serve Calvary's children and families. We are so grateful to those who are already serving and hope to welcome many more.
Messy: Learning to Meet God in the Mess Join us for our new worship series: Messy. From the beginning of creation, God has been working with chaos to make something beautiful. Even Jesus moved toward people’s messes instead of away from them. And living in community with people absolutely calls us to step into the messiness of each other’s lives. It’s a reminder that there are no “quick-fixes” or easy solutions in the Kingdom of God. Following God in authentic ways is always going to be messy.
However, can we learn to meet God in the mess?
October 27: The Messiness of Community Preacher: Ali Chappell DeHay
Contributing Financially to Calvary
Each week, we present our offerings as an act of worship. However, many of us pay for the majority of our expenses online or through an automatic-withdraw from our bank accounts, and each month when we pay our expenses, we can present an offering to God in these ways too. You can give to Calvary online at http://cbcwaco.net/give-to-calvary, but please note that 1-2% of your gift will go toward transaction fees. If you would like to set up an automatic withdrawal from your bank account, which has no transaction fees, please contact Phil Sitton at psitton@cbcwaco.net.
Let's be in prayer for one another. Click HERE for the prayer list.
Ministerial Staff
Mary Alice Birdwhistell - Senior Pastor mab@cbcwaco.net
