Back in the Saddle & "I Am Calvary"

This is my second week of being back in the Valley and at work in Calvary.  I am so glad to be back.  Our children have started their school year and we have moved into our house (although we have not closed yet, we are renting until we close).  We are very grateful for the prayers, support and encouragement during these days.

"I Am Calvary"


In my last communication, I shared with you the need for Calvary to develop, acknowledge and celebrate their congregational identity.  In that e-mail I shared with you statistics about the age groups in our church as well as longevity in our congregation.  It is to be noted that over 25% of our Sunday worship attendance consists of the group that attends "Calvary en español" (our Spanish language worship).  The ethnic make up of our congregation is also interesting.  Of the 1072 Calvary resident members, 66% are identified as Anglo, 30% as Hispanic, 2% as Asians, 2% of more than one ethnicity, and less than 1% Black.  (Please notice that these are actual membership figures and may not reflect attendance or participation).  This rich tapestry of ages, worship-style-preferences, congregational longevity, language, and ethnicity is a blessing!

What does this diversity mean for congregational life? ministries? our mission? the future of our church?  Those are great questions but before they are answered, it is important that we have a clear sense of identity and that we affirm that identity as we move forward.  It is important that we affirm all that Calvary is and that we do not become exclusivists.

For that reason, I am proposing a fall emphasis called "I Am Calvary."  This emphasis has the purpose of helping us develop and celebrate our congregational identity.  The emphasis will include the following elements:

• a time of spiritual preparation (through preaching and worship);
• a 40-days-of-prayer period seeking God to reveal to us who we are, who our community and our mission field are;
• a sermon series which explores God's design for the church and its mission;
• the sharing of information and of personal stories about the various segments;
• the administration of a survey that helps us get information from the congregation about our current identity, spiritual vitality and missional readiness;
• the celebration and inspiration of the entire congregation in terms of God's design for our church and his mission;
• the intervention of a consultant to work with our leaders to help us think more strategically in our mission

Some of the elements of this emphasis will begin as early as September 12 and some will continue as late as October 27, so it is essentially a 6-week emphasis.  I share this with you asking you to pray about this so that God uses it to accomplish his purpose in our church, to share your thoughts and ideas about the emphasis and its elements, and to ask for your full participation in the process.

One of the several implications of the "I Am Calvary" emphasis that we expect is the affirmation that "Calvary en español" is not a "mission" of Calvary.  This means there is no intention for it to become a separate congregation.  "Calvary en español" is an expression of Calvary very much like the classic worship service and like the contemporary service is.  It is also a ministry to a particular segment of our congregation like student ministry and children's ministry are.  Thus, "I Am Calvary" needs to include the acknowledgement that "Calvary en español" will be an integral part of Calvary for the long run.  That has budgetary, leadership, and organizational implications which need to be explored.  This also promises to be a viable model for reaching Hispanics and experiencing congregational life in a multi-cultural setting.

In the next post, I will talk about our FAITH program developments, the multiple worship services and other pertinent items.

I also would like you to know that we are planning to have a chat about some of these items on an upcoming Sunday night.  This would be an opportunity for me to talk about these things in person and to hear from you.  So be on the look out for an invitation to the "leaders chat room."

It's good to be back in the saddle.  Let's pray and seek God's face for the future of Calvary.