From the Pastor's Study

Getting Involved at Calvary through Servant Teams

2012-01-12T09:24:00.001-08:00

We are strengthening our Servant Teams to prepare for the growth that God has already begun this year. The list below includes broad areas of service opportunities from physical labor, to relations, to creativity. There is an opportunity for everyone with many new places to plug in.

The teams we are beginning, reintroducing or recruiting new members include: CBC Front Sign Team, Pregnancy Support Center Liaison, Reach (visitation) Team, Visual Arts Team (this is a non-performing group to help with visuals enhancement for worship and special events at CBC), Food preparation for “Meet the Staff” (a monthly luncheon for prospects), Media Library, Calvary First Impression Team (parking lot, door greeters, and bread bakers), Security, Maintenance, Landscape/Grounds, Set Up, Decorations, Way of Hope Team, Community Cafe, and the Calvary Minute Men Team ( a group to help with small repairs and minor construction around the church.)

Please pray about how the Lord is leading you to volunteer in 2012. If you are not sure about what opportunities are good for you, please see Mike Dugan to receive a spiritual gift assessment to help you find your fit.

Financial Update from Leadership Team

2011-12-01T08:31:00.001-08:00

As we transition from November into December, we reach that point in the year where the Leadership Team begins working on the budget for next year, 2012. Truly, the economy has had an impact on us. We know it’s been a tough year financially for our families – and that has been reflected in our giving trends this year. The cycle of contributions at Calvary is usually fairly consistent, with normal giving in the first five months, then weaker through the summer followed by a slight pick up in the Fall. December is typically our best month, as people catch up or make year end donations.

This year, as sometimes happens, receipts are lagging behind expenses. We’re approximately $100,000 behind, which represents approximately %10 of our budget. In previous years, a strong December has caught us up and we’ve broken even, or come close. We need to do the same this year. This will help us plan for next year.

We’ve been good stewards with budget planning and with expenses. For the last two years, we’ve basically frozen the budget and made only the necessary adjustments while keeping the total amount steady. The danger is that as fixed costs such as utilities go up, we have to cut other areas to keep the budget in line. This inhibits growth and future planning for ministries.

Prayerfully consider your contributions in December, and let’s make this a December that not only allows us to catch up but to plan ahead.

Living Nativity Information

2011-11-23T09:22:00.001-08:00

I hope everyone is having a great Thanksgiving with family and friends. As I think about the next few weeks I know we’re looking forward to an incredibly fruitful Christmas season at Calvary. One change is that Calvary is not conducting the Living Nativity this year. There were a number of factors that led to this decision and I thought it might be helpful for you to know of them.

We’ve conducted the nativity for at least six straight years and have been so blessed by your serving and participating. It’s a huge effort by many behind the scenes as well as those who stand in the cold and display the stations of the nativity. Even though the brutally cold weather last year led to calling it off each night, we still had to have all preparations in place and were ready to go until the weather prohibited us from presenting it each night. This has also happened on another occasion or two such as when rain or storms leading to partial showings or nightly cancelling.

From this and other observations, we’ve learned a thing or two: One, we need to have weather provisions, such as constructed shelters or blinds that shield the actors and scenes from wind, rain, or the cold. The beauty of the nativity is that people can drive through – but the actors must stand in the weather, and some years that’s a tough thing to do. As we move forward and consider next year, we’ll think about how that might be done.

Also, since it’s so intensive a production, it’s a good idea to give our people a breather this year and consider the possibility of doing the nativity every other year, or resuming it on a yearly basis in 2012. In particular this year, the choir is conducting a major drama and musical production. We know how hectic the Christmas season can be, and to give proper emphasis of resources and effort to the musical, it seems best to not have two weekends back to back where our people were stretched so thin.

We’ve also noticed that the attendance at the Living Nativity has been slowly trickling downward, this due possibly to having conducted it so many years straight in a row. It seems clear that the future uniqueness and interest in the event could be enhanced by a break this year.

These thoughts give you a snapshot into the decision making process and hopefully helps you understand the reasoning for not conducting it this year.

Clearly we have a full month of opportunities for ministry and fellowship at Calvary and I’m confident the Lord will bless us as we honor Him. In addition, I hope that you will support Christmas House and the Adult Choir in prayer and by your presence.

Dr. Mark

Rebuilding Your Broken Marriage

2011-10-10T06:39:00.001-07:00

I’m posting here the sermon points from yesterday. For the full length video and the broader context of the sermon, go to our church website, www.cbcol.net and click the “watch sermons” category.

Rebuilding Your Broken Marriage: Ephesians 5:21-33

Three Assumptions:

A Recommitment to a relationship with Christ (or the establishment of a new)
Reaffirm desire for reconciliation with spouse
Re-consecration of the marriage to the Lord

I. Seek help and Intervention – agree together to get help

Diffuse the immediate crisis
Seek Godly help and counsel
Keep intensity level down by having a referee

II. Rework the Communication System

Make your communication Honest but not Hostile
Identify the core issues – what’s underneath the surface?
Resolve issues, do not regurgitate them
Receive coaching and clarification

III. Create a Process for Restoring Trust

Eliminate distractions
Define acceptable behavior
Create and environment of openness and vulnerability
Expect accountability as a necessity – accountable to spouse and to others
Set markers to celebrate

IV. Draft a Plan for Personal Health

Immerse in a healthy Christian culture/environment
Immerse the mind and heart in the transforming power of scripture and prayer
Eradicate unhealthy and unholy behaviors
Conduct periodic evaluation and have consistent accountability

Real Marriage, Real Expectations

2011-10-10T06:25:00.001-07:00

After preaching this sermon recently, we received a request for the the points to be posted. For the full sermon and broader context of the points please go to our website, www.cbcol.net and view the full length video under the “watch sermons” category.

Real Marriage, Real Expectations -- Ephesians 5:21-33; 1 Peter 3:1-8; Colossians 3:18-21

The Pyramid of Expectations

Top Tier: The Lord expects of your marriage relationship:

Faithfulness and Loyalty
Respect and Love
Encouragement and Nurture

Second Tier: Your Spouse expects:

A. Realistic examples -

You will set Christ as a priority and will lead or follows as Christ guides
You will not physically, verbally or in any way emotionally
You will not be the manipulated object of the relationship
Your spouse can know where you are and what you’re doing at any time
That you will be honest and fully disclose, not deceptive, about matters and issues
That you will include your spouse in decisions, especially when they affect family or the other person in some way
That you will inform your spouse of any untoward advances or awkward situation that you encounter

B. Unrealistic examples -

That my spouse can make me happy
That my spouse can be everything I need them to be
That my spouse can meet all my needs
That my spouse is perfect
That my spouse can change or fix me – or I change or fix them
That my spouse can fulfill me
That my spouse should be the center of our universe

Third Tier: Individual Expectations – of yourself in personal growth and in relationship with the Lord.

Lifeway Men’s Webcast – with Tony Dungy

2011-09-06T12:20:00.001-07:00

Just a note to all the guys of Calvary. I heard about a webcast for this Thursday at noon that you might find interesting. It’s a Lifeway presentation that should be fun, and spiritually uplifting.

And to top it all, the guest is Tony Dungy! Check it out Thursday at the following link:

http://www.lifeway.com/Event/Mens-Webcast-Stand-Firm-September-2011

What About Giving?

2011-08-03T13:47:00.001-07:00

Recently, one of our new church members asked about the different levels and ways of giving to Calvary. Thinking that there might be others with the same questions, here’s an overview:

Budget giving: as typical, these are the areas of general ministry including utilities, ministry line items, salaries, missions giving, Vacation Bible School, etc ... To meet the budget, people generally give based on a tithe. The combined amount of the general budget and the Land of Promise is slightly over one million dollars this year.

Land of Promise: For many years, the ongoing part of our larger budget that is directly tied to our mortgage payment (land and building) has been called the Land of Promise. Originally called the Nehemiah Fund, the capital program that led to the initial purchase was renamed when we bought the land and began building a facility. We encourage members to give above and beyond the tithe to fulfill this responsibility.

Children of Promise: Early in 2010, we began considering the need for expanding our building to accommodate growth in the children and youth areas. We determined to begin first with the greatest need, the children’s wing. The design calls for an end cap including a large assembly room, extra office and storage areas, and classrooms. We are raising money for this and will “build it when we get it.” We anticipate somewhere between $300,000 – $400,000 to add the extension and parking.

What about ways to give:

Obviously, you can drop a check in the offering basket on Sundays, and members often mail their checks to the church office, where the financial secretary posts them. But there are other ways …

Bill Pay is a feature that is included on most online banking systems. It’s connected to your online account management from your bank. It includes sending paper or electronic checks to companies or individuals. I use it all the time for bills, and I use it for my contributions. It will set up payments with a number of different schedules.

We do have the ability to draft accounts. Since we have that set up with the bank already, our financial secretary has the forms to use. Please contact our financial assistant and we will assist you in that process.

Heaven and Hell DVD sermon series now available …

2011-07-06T07:48:00.001-07:00

After beginning to preach a recent sermon series on Heaven and Hell, I began to receive requests for copies of the videos. We decided to put together a package of the six sermons; they are now available. If you’d like a DVD set, please contact the church office and we’ll have one prepared for you.

Sermon Audio Clips: The Founding of America Parts 1 and 2

2011-07-05T13:17:00.001-07:00

As an addendum to the sermon last Sunday, I wanted to provide the full length links to the audio versions of The Founding of America Parts 1 and 2. The podcasts are provided by Focus on the Family and feature historian David Barton.

Part 1: http://www.focusonthefamily.com/radio.aspx?ID={B42B2063-7BA8-4A8E-B25B-9AC8C0275213}

Part 2: http://www.focusonthefamily.com/popups/media_player.aspx?MediaId={368E1D9E-07B6-49A5-B249-3203B78DE384}

VBS Revisited!

2011-06-20T11:31:00.001-07:00

Just wanted to drop a few of the VBS highlights on the blog. It was a great week, the Spirit was at work in some significant ways.

First, I have to commend April and the co-laborers who put it all together – it was well organized and smoothly run. There were no hitches or snafus. As someone who watches and observes how systems function, this system worked excellent.

Second, almost half of the VBS kids were visitors or guests from our outreach ministries. This is a significant development and lets us know that we are reaching outside of our box!

Third, and also worthy of note, there were about 150 teachers and volunteers who made VBS happen each night. That’s a huge number and a great ratio of kids to volunteers. This resulted in about 350-370 people here each night!

Last, and very importantly, we know of eleven children that made decisions to accept Christ as their personal Lord and Savior. This is great commission work!

Just a few thoughts to remind us that God is at work at CBC.

The Future Intention of the Lord

2011-01-13T09:08:00.001-08:00

The concluding part of the New Year Sermon Series from Isaiah 48.

First: God has a New Word for you: the Lord’s word to you is always fresh and invigorating.

Second: God has a Unique Word for you: His word to you is specific.

Third: God has a Useful Word for you: His word to you, while important for you, always benefits his larger kingdom purpose and the greater body of Christ.

Fourth: God has a Timely Word for you: He is always in-Time and On-Time. His Timing and Opportunity followed by Our Obedience leads to Kingdom Fulfillment

The Former Involvement of God

2011-01-05T13:10:00.001-08:00

In the sermon this past Sunday, I addressed a theme from Isaiah 48 which reminded us that God has been active in our past. I’m posting here the seven conclusions of the sermon.

1. A review of our history verifies God has been involved in our journey.

2. The Lord has invested in our past to give us promise for the future.

3. The incidents of our lives are not coincidental; they are caused by our choices or orchestrated by God.

4. The circumstances we have experienced are not wasted; they contribute to our spiritual character in Christ.

5. The missteps we make do not negate our future.

6. God’s intervention has saved us from unknown results.

7. Thankfully, God is at work in our lives – past, present, and future.

Fifteen Points on Thanksgiving!

2010-11-22T08:55:00.001-08:00

Based on the sermon yesterday (11-21-10) here are the fifteen points concerning Thanksgiving.

Why Thanks:

Thanks is an expression of confidence in God – He is in control

Thanks raises your perspective above the circumstance

Thanks changes your focus from the bad to the good

Thanks starts an attitude change process in your heart and mind

Thanks creates hope when desperation seems to prevail

Thanks reminds us of God’s goodness and His provision

Thanks helps us prioritize our wants and desires

Thanks is a command – the Lord is a rewarder of those who are obedient

Thanks is His will – that we should be victorious in all situations

Thanks is the melody of the heart song of gratitude

Thanks is a Victory stand over pervasive Greed

Thanks removes personal satisfaction of prideful accumulation

Thanks results in joy for the smallest things as well as the greatest

Thanks infects others with an attitude of spiritual potential

Thanks promotes a spiritual reaction in the lives of others

Holiday Schedule Notes

2010-11-16T08:53:00.001-08:00

This Sunday we’ll start a holiday schedule which will return us to one worship service and one Sunday School for the remainder of the year. As placed in the bulletin this past Sunday, (and found online in pdf) all the classes have been assigned and provisions have been made for a number of our classes to meet at Providence Christian Academy. Those groups and classes are: The Youth Department (which will meet in the PCA front building), the Whitefield/Morgan class, the Twenty-Something Class, and the George Class, and the Singles (these groups will meet in the PCA main building). For the classes meeting at PCA, our Youth Pastor, Mark Smith will be opening the building at approximately 8:30 am.

All Sunday School classes will begin at 9:00 am followed by the thirty minute fellowship time and then 10:30 am worship.

We look forward to a full and fruitful Sunday.

Mark W. Gregory

Information for the MidTown Building

2010-10-11T18:21:00.000-07:00

The Leadership Team has been working consistently to provide the information that we currently have about the MidTown Ministry and the potential of receiving the gift of the church building. We've been able to visit all the Connect Groups, including the Choir, and will be planning on an informational meeting sometime in the next few weeks. In the meantime, there will be new information posted on the Calvary MidTown web page as it becomes available. It is my hope that before the end of the week, we'll have a number of photos, descriptions, and FAQ's on the page. I'll keep you up to date as soon as those hit the website.

As always, feel free to contact me in the church office or by email through our contact page. The email link will be directed to my attention, or you'll find my email address on my personal contact page: Dr. Mark W. Gregory

MidTown Ministry Update

2010-09-28T12:06:00.000-07:00

This past Sunday we shared in both worship services the story of the development of the MidTown Ministry. If you were not able to be present, please take time to view the sermon at this link: MidTown Presentation This presentation will provide an excellent overview of how the ministry was initiated and the progress over the last couple of months.

In addition, we will begin spending time in the Connect Groups sharing more details and answering questions. We look forward to hearing from you.

Schedule Offerings for September

2010-08-02T12:08:00.001-07:00

I announced this past weekend, and we placed in the bulletin, four new offerings for Wednesday evenings starting September 8th at 6:00 pm. We will continue to emphasize our Connect Groups (and hopefully launch new ones) but we wanted to provide additional studies that might interest our members and attenders. The four include:

1. Leadership from the Inside Out: A Leadership Class that I’ll teach based on my latest writing project. 2. Experiencing God 3. Men’s Fraternity 4. A Parenting Class entitled: Shepherding a Child’s Heart

There will be more information to follow on the leaders for the other classes and you’ll find this updated on our website as we solidify the offerings. (Click here to follow link to the correct page.)

Also, the staff has been in discussion for some time about emphasizing the choir ministry by moving the rehearsal time from 7:30 pm to 6:00 pm. This accomplishes a number of things: 1. It gives the choir more time for rehearsal (from 6:00 to 7:20) and 2. keeps families with children from being here till almost 8:45 pm. 3. and we hope it will foster interest in the choir since it will be conducted during the normal times of our ministries. We pray the choir will continue to grow and the ministry will bear great fruit on Sunday morning as a result of the new time. The new schedule for the choir will include the Praise Band, who will now rehearse in the auditorium beginning at 6:0o also.

Our young adult worship experience, DownPour, will move to a later time, 8:00 pm. After considering the new schedule and comparing our Collegiate and Young Adult ministry to other churches in town, we believe this will work quite well, even allowing our collegiate and young adult members to be involved in serving our other ministries or be involved in choir.

Children’s Promise – August 2

2010-08-02T11:42:00.001-07:00

The summer is almost over and school has either started or will start for most of the systems this week. For us a Church, we are beginning to see the upswing of attendance as people get settled back in and routines return to normal. That also means it’s time to bring to the forefront the Children’s Promise Campaign. We kicked it off in late May, knowing that through the summer we would just let it build and grow without emphasizing it – but now it’s time to remind our members to give so that as soon as possible we can design and build the addition to the children’s wing. We currently have about $38,000, which is a great start, but our goal is $400,000. Consider what you might give to help us reach that benchmark and get the building underway. I’ll keep you posted as we re-emphasize this project.

Mark W. Gregory, Pastor

Sermon Series Conclusion and Smart Phone App for Sermon Notes

2010-07-08T08:17:00.001-07:00

I’ll conclude the sermon series this week from Galatians 5 – with an emphasis on the last item on the list: self-control. I imagine that we all need to work on this area, and fortunately, we have the resources and power of the Spirit to help us in the process of conquering those parts of our lives that come up short.

A unique feature that we’re starting this Sunday is to make the sermon notes and scriptures available for those who have smartphones – such as the blackberry, iphone, android, palm pre, or other versions of web capable devices. We know that many people today use their smart phones as a way of reading along with the scripture exposition. So, you can now use the YouVersion bible app from your market and through the “live” feature on the app, you can select Calvary Baptist in this zip code and the sermon notes and scriptures will be downloaded on your phone. It’s a great tool that we’re going to try for a few months to see if there’s sufficient interest. Let us know what you think.

If your phone market doesn’t seem to have this app, you can go to youversion.com/download and it will point you to the correct location. It’s also known as the LifeChurch Bible.

Vacation Bible School for CBC

2010-06-10T07:40:00.001-07:00

What a great week it’s been at Calvary with Vacation Bible School. All the effort and work brought great results – from the worship rallies, staging, teaching, crafts, food, recreation and all … There were no less than 170 children here each of the four nights, and on Tuesday there were a number of decisions to accept Christ. Thanks to everyone’s hard work and willingness to serve – there was probably in excess of 100 adults and other workers this year. We’ll report more later, but just wanted to say thanks.

And remember, this Sunday we will complete the VBS emphasis with church wide rallies in both services followed by a meal and fellowship time.

Update on Children’s Promise 6-8-2010

2010-06-08T12:46:00.001-07:00

Just wanted to give you the latest totals on the Children’s Promise Campaign, which puts us at $34,000. It’s a good start as we move into the summer. Continue to pray about what you and your family can do to help us reach our goal of $400,000. Remember, our commitment is to “build it when we get it” so we’ll look forward to the Lord prompting and moving us forward.

Children’s Promise

2010-05-18T07:24:00.001-07:00

This Sunday we will conduct a special offering for the Children’s Promise Project. Information is available on the website that details the scope of the work; but let me address a couple of aspects here:

First, this Sunday will be the “kick off” of the campaign; in essence the cash offering will jumpstart the process. If we receive $5,000 or $10,000 – that’s great. If we receive $40,000 or more – that’s great. We’ve not established a target goal for the first Sunday; but we do believe that it’s time to get the ball rolling and let the steam build. Since this is the starting point, we intend for the contributions to keep coming in over a period of time. How long? It would be great if in just a few months everything would be in place, but our commitment is to “build it when we get it” so if it takes three months, six months or one year, that’s okay. Please keep in mind that we’re asking members to give to Children’s Promise above and beyond normal tithe giving so that the budget doesn’t suffer.

Second, for many of our new members, there may be a question about the difference between Land of Promise and Children’s Promise. These are two very different campaigns. The Land of Promise was and still is the initial campaign to pay for our land purchase and building. We started raising money toward the end of the first year of Calvary, calling it the Nehemiah Fund. That fund folded into the major campaign (Land of Promise) that continues to help pay the monthly loan amount. We encourage our new members to join us in giving to the Land of Promise (above and beyond their budget giving).

Children’s Promise is focused on the new project for the children’s wing expansion that includes new classrooms, worship space, extra parking, etc… This is a short term (hopefully) campaign that allows us to pay for the expansion without incurring additional debt. The estimate for the project is $400,000 and once that has been completed we’ll then turn our attention to the youth room project – which will be a totally separate campaign. So, in short, the Children’s Promise, as identified on the drawings, is the way we hope to expand the facility and provide for our children’s ministry.

New Sermon Series to begin in May

2010-04-13T13:23:00.001-07:00

If you would like to begin reading ahead, I’ll start a new sermon series the first Sunday in May on “Life in the Spirit” based on Galatians 5:16-26 and selected passages in Romans. The first few weeks we will explore the nature of living under the control of the Holy Spirit as compared to yielding to the flesh. Then I’ll turn attention to the fruit of the Spirit as they are detailed in verses 22-23.

I’ve asked our Youth Pastor, Mark Smith, to preach the next two Sundays to prepare us for this series. He’ll lead us into a deeper look at John 15 and the principle of “abiding” in Christ. Pray for Mark as he preaches and pray for me as I prepare for this “in-depth” look at the work and fruit of the Holy Spirit.

Easter – Where are you?

2010-04-01T07:23:00.001-07:00

Where are you in the walk of faith? At what point of maturity do you find yourself? This Easter Sunday, the sermon text of John 20:24-31 concerns Jesus’ interaction with Thomas, who is often called “Doubting Thomas.” Let’s turn this around and call him “Believing Thomas” which is the end result of the story. How did he get to that point? Just like him, we’re all at different stages and points of our spiritual journey. Some have not taken the first step of faith and invited Christ into their lives; others have made an initial commitment, but need to walk more deeply with Him. This sermon explores those points along the way and how to “get there.”

The schedule for Easter Sunday is normal, with the addition of an Easter Sunrise Service at 6:30 am (this service is an abbreviated devotional service that is different from the 9:00 and 10:30 am services). Join us and bring some one with you to celebrate Easter.

Calvary Live: March 28th at 6:30 pm

2010-03-24T13:26:00.001-07:00

The second of our two concerts will be held this Sunday evening beginning at 6:30 pm in our sanctuary. We have two groups sharing their music with us – The Artisan Stage and Daniel Gregory (with band). I was so pleased with the turnout and the response to our first concert last month, let’s invite our friends to join us again for a full evening of music.

March Mission Madness – did you miss it?

2010-03-15T11:31:00.001-07:00

The Mission’s Madness weekend was an excellent emphasis with work being conducted in four areas in our community. It’s our chance to support the sister ministries/organizations in Murfreesboro. There was a group cleaning brush at the Greenhouse Ministry, two scattered to pick up the groceries from local stores, then another group stacked the canned goods. We did work at the Journey Home which houses the Community Cafe – a ministry that we’ve been a part of for many years. Also we were at Room in the Inn and helped with a project for Domestic Violence Center. There were about thirty-five of our members who participated.

The Weekend was completed by a Mission’s Variety Show with about twelve different acts, emceed by John Horn. There were musical groups and solo performances, at least three dancing groups (including the children’s dance team), and a comedic monologue. A quick count puts the attendance at about 350. As the line kept filling up, we kept bringing out more tables and chairs!

Thanks to Mike and all the Mission Team for their efforts for the March Mission’s Madness Weekend.

A Faith Filled Ten Years – March 5, 2000 to March 5, 2010

2010-03-05T07:49:00.001-08:00

Today actually marks the tenth anniversary of the first service of Calvary. On March 5^th, 2000 we gathered at the Keathley University Center at MTSU and began the journey that carried us to many places and in many directions. Permit me to reflect on some of that journey!

For the first month (in March of 2000) we met at the university (MTSU: Keathley University Center, Tucker Theater, Wright Music Hall), then for three weeks we were at Cason Lane Academy; followed by a four year pilgrimage at Central Middle School. In the middle of our sojourn at Central, we frequently had to meet offsite in places such as Barfield Park or back at MTSU. The weekday ministries were conducted anywhere we could find a spot – such as the old Board of Realty Building and then consistently the Lion’s Club building at Cannonsburg. The first offices were in the recently vacated Ruckart building on College Street; we were on the second floor and the Pregnancy Support Center utilized the first floor at that time. After about a year we moved to the ministry center on Hickerson Drive where we stayed until ’04 when we moved to the new building.

In 2001 we started a Nehemiah Fund which allowed us to start thinking about a future property purchase. After looking at two properties on the west and south side of town, the Lord directed us to the DeJarnett Lane land which we purchased from the Shaver family in 2002. Construction began in ’03 and we moved into the new building in two phases: we occupied the educational and office buildings in June and then a few weeks later the sanctuary was completed and we held the first worship service on July 11, 2004.

Over the last ten years, we’ve made some wonderful steps: We began an Adult Sunday School ministry and Key Groups (now called Connect Groups) after the first month. The Youth Ministry which started from the first week, initially met at the old Realty Board Building downtown and then moved to Cannonsburg where they stayed until 2004. The Christmas House ministry began in 2002, the Living Nativity in 2004. The Women’s Banquet has grown from around a hundred to almost five hundred, and the Sportsman Banquet reaches over three hundred men.

At this point our ministries are healthier than ever. A 2009 renovation of the Children’s Wing, now called Kidzboro, enhanced the learning experiences of our children; and the total Wednesday evening ministry, including adults and youth is seeing attendance numbers consistently around 350. The youth ministry itself has grown to a regular attendance of 100 students. We now have a Wednesday worship experience called “DownPour” that is reaching college students and young adults. Last year we strategically launched two Sunday Schools and two Worship Services. The results for the Sunday Schools are the strongest numbers we’ve seen thus far; and the worship attendance is building, with the second service showing increases as new members come into the church.

At each step of the journey the Lord has provided, directed, and blessed this work. We are so thankful for the manner in which He has led us to develop and expand the work of Calvary. We are confident that the best is Yet To Come!

New Leadership Team Members

2010-03-03T09:15:00.001-08:00

On March 7th, we will elect two new members to Calvary’s Leadership Team; and to prepare for the annual meeting, I wanted to introduce to you the two persons nominated this year: Bud George and Blake Morgan.

Bud, Leann and their family are charter members of Calvary and have been very involved in our ministry. Currently Bud is a Sunday School teacher in the second hour; and Leann serves regularly in Kidzboro.

Blake, Stephanie, and their children have been a part of Calvary since the Central Middle days. They lead a Sunday School class in the first hour and Blake is a regular player in the Praise Band.

Tenth Anniversary For Calvary!

2010-03-03T06:46:00.001-08:00

What a great ten it’s been for us as we’ve seen the Lord work and move. I hope that you have planned to be here for the celebration that will include special music, a chronological slide show and video testimonials. There will also be pictures on the bulletin boards that you’ll enjoy seeing – recounting some of those early days.

For more information, check the front page of the website.

Personnel Information Related To Budget …

2010-02-17T12:28:00.001-08:00

At the annual meeting in March, the Leadership Team will update you on the budget for this year. Due to the significant giving in December, the Team is pleased to announce that one change in the budget was to move the Part Time Assistant position filled by Patrice Pugh to a full time allocation.

This assistant’s position was formerly full time, but in an effort to be good stewards of our finances, toward the end of ‘08 and through all of ‘09, the allocation was only part time. It had been our hope at some point to restore it to full time status; and thus recently, Patrice began employment on a full time basis. We appreciate Patrice’s expertise in graphic design and website content, in addition to the general responsibilities of an assistant and we are pleased she can serve in this capacity.

We will share more soon …

Employment Position filled at Calvary

2010-02-12T11:50:00.001-08:00

We appreciate the interest of all the applicants and affirm the tremendous credentials and experience that they brought to the table. We have carefully and prayerfully considered their qualifications and after a thorough process, the leadership team and staff are pleased to announce that the Pastor’s Assistant position has been filled. Becky Hall has accepted the position and will begin work on March 1st, 2010.

Becky is a former member of Calvary who currently lives in Chattanooga, Tennessee, where she is serving as a church secretary. Becky was employed as a Ministry Assistant at Calvary from 2000 – 2003 and she has over fifteen years of church work experience. We ask you to join us in praying for her as she begins the process of relocating to Murfreesboro.

Special Offerings for Haiti and Dominican Republic Mission

2010-02-09T17:09:00.001-08:00

We are watching the continuing relief work in Haiti and aware of the long term nature of their needs. We have directed you through the IMB to one method of giving, but we also want to have a special offering that will allow church members to assist the efforts. On February 21st, we’ll take a special offering for Haiti relief. There will be information in the bulletin this week to prepare us for that effort.

In addition, we’ve schedule two upcoming events called Calvary Live (more on that later) the first which will be on February 28 at 7:00 pm, and the second on March 28th. The February 28th date will feature Messenger and Twelve South, both groups that are connected to Calvary. For the 28th, we take an offering which will be applied toward assisting those going on the Dominican Republic Trip.

Continue checking the blog for more updates …

Thanks to all helped prepare for Sunday’s worship time…

2010-01-31T16:12:00.001-08:00

Just wanted to offer a word of thanks to all who helped shovel the sidewalks and mark the parking lots as we prepared for worship today. We appreciate everyone pitching in and making it happen.

Also to Brent, praise band, team and choir – great job to all!

We’ll look forward to seeing everyone this Wednesday for Connect Groups, Youth, Young Adults, and Children. Last week was one of the strongest attendances we’ve seen yet for a Wednesday evening. Keep up the good work!

New Info from IMB on Haiti

2010-01-20T13:52:00.001-08:00

I've just received an email update from the IMB with a link to an article on our work in Haiti. Click on the link to access the article.

http://www.imb.org/main/news/details.asp?StoryID=8306&LanguageID=1709&cid=imbeb

Haiti Resource Update

2010-01-18T08:27:00.001-08:00

With all the news flooding the airwaves and requests for funding, I’m including here a link to the International Mission Board - Baptist Global Response funding site. It’s a part of our SBC network and you can feel confident how these resources will be used.

Global Baptist Response Weblink

If you also want to give through the church, we’ll forward those on to the IMB/Global Baptist Response as well.

Vision Trajectories – teaching and discussion … Haiti Help?

2010-01-14T06:46:00.001-08:00

Great group last evening for the Connect Group teaching time! I’m very pleased with the response thus far and will look forward to reading through the comments. Starting in February, I’ll be dropping by various Connect Groups to further discuss the questions that were posed, so that we can continue to develop our role and responsibility in fulfilling the vision of Calvary.

With the earthquake in Haiti, I’m sure many of you are wondering what can Calvary do? First, we as Southern Baptists are already working on the relief efforts, coordinating with the IMB and Florida Baptist Convention which has a long standing missional and relief relationship with Haiti. I’m posting below the text of an email I received that will give you an update. We will also be considering how we should respond as a church – offerings, etc… I’ll keep you posted.

---- copy of news flash email from IMB ---

Southern Baptists mobilize to help earthquake victims
Southern Baptists are mobilizing to assess disaster relief needs after the largest earthquake in more than 200 years rocked Haiti the evening of Jan. 12.

The initial Southern Baptist disaster relief effort will be led by Florida Baptists, who have had ministry relationships in Haiti for more than 20 years and currently have six staff members who live and work in the country, said Jim Brown, U.S. director for Baptist Global Response, a Southern Baptist relief and development organization. The International Mission Board does not have long-term personnel stationed in the country.

Initial funding for the relief effort will be provided by the IMB’s disaster relief fund. You can contribute to the disaster response effort at gobgr.org.

The North American Mission Board’s disaster relief office is organizing an emergency consultation with state disaster relief directors to coordinate response to the catastrophe, Brown said. Disaster relief teams in Mississippi and Kentucky are on standby for immediate response.

An assessment team is being organized by Baptist Global Response, IMB, NAMB and state convention disaster relief directors to enter the country as soon as possible, Brown said. They will work with Haitian Baptists to identify immediate needs that must be addressed and will draft mid- and long-term plans for an ongoing relief effort.

The 7.0 magnitude tremor hit 10 miles from the center of Port-au-Prince, a city of 3 million people, at around 5 p.m. Jan. 12, according to news reports. One source said the quake could be felt more than 200 miles away. The earthquake triggered a tsunami watch for Haiti, the Dominican Republic and Cuba.

Multiple strong aftershocks continued to rock the country after the initial tremor, said David Brown, who with his wife, Jo, directs BGR work in the Americas. Reports from inside the country indicate infrastructure and many buildings suffered catastrophic damage. The main airport is closed; power and communications are down and security is a serious concern. Specialized search and rescue teams and military units from several countries are being rushed into Haiti to help secure the situation and begin relief efforts.

Apart from donating to the disaster relief effort via gobgr.org, you can help greatly by joining in focused prayer for Haiti’s 9 million people, more than 80 percent of whom live below the poverty line, said David Brown.

“Please pray for us as we assess and monitor the situation in Haiti after the 7.0 earthquake and subsequent aftershocks this evening,” Brown said. “The initial information indicates 2 million people in Port-au-Prince are directly affected. Please pray for victims and their families. Pray for wisdom as responses are initiated.”

The situation in Haiti is very fluid and additional information will continue to flow in on a daily basis, Brown said. Updates will be released as new information becomes available.

Prayer updates will also be available.

New Communication Tools!

2010-01-12T09:37:00.000-08:00

One of my commitments for this year is to provide better access to the internal working of Calvary, and to keep you connected we have added new features to our website.

One is a new Facebook account, which you'll see linked on the home page. If you're not a fan, please select it and this will provide status updates on important events, needs, ministry opportunities, deposit deadlines, etc... We truly want you to know more about what's imminent.

Another is this blog which will be hosted here, and which I'll use to comment on ministry developments or to give an update on important church matters. For example, I'll be soon posting general information on our year end financials - which we'll all rejoice about, since it ended so strong. This blog will represent my personal observations as well as give occasional reports from the Leadership Team.

A third aspect of my desire to communicate more effectively to the church is my personal Facebook, Twitter and blogsite accounts which you're welcome to follow, and in the case of Facebook, please feel free to send me a friend request. You may also notice that on my contact page on the Calvary Website, we've introduced the RSS feeds from my Twitter and blogsite, and we'll include this feed as well.

There's much in the works, and I'll look forward to updating and keeping you informed.

Your Pastor,

Mark W. Gregory