Town Hall Meeting Digest

     About 6 weeks ago, we held a Calvary Town Hall meeting.  As indicated in the previous post where this was promoted, the meeting consisted of fellowship, prayer and discussion.  The objective was to touch base as a church body and see how our church is doing.

     The meeting began by hearing reports from the pastoral staff.  Pastor Susan spoke about children's ministry and the exciting things which took place in the summer including VBS, Camp Tejas, and a developing special-needs ministry.  Pastor Marcus talked about the spiritual growth in the life of students, the record number taken to Camp Zephyr, the innovative "Valley Project" where students learned about and did missions with much excitement, and the strength of the college ministry.  Pastor Rolando talked about plans for the EQUIP ministry in the fall and about developments in the Spanish Language Ministry.  Pastor Chad shared about the refugee relief efforts in the summer, the upcoming India and Chiapas trips, and the difficult decisions made by the Missions Committee in regard to budget cuts, including reduced or removed funding for some missionaries.

     I shared about developments in the worship ministry.  In spite of the fact that we have not been able to fill the vacancy of Pastor for Music & Worship, our Sunday worship services have been vibrant.  The 9:30 service had several guest worship leaders throughout the summer.  Chuck Olson continues to lead the choir and do a phenomenal job at it.  Jared Solis and Benjamin Aguirre continue to lead the 11 AM and the 12:30 PM services respectively.  Our deacons continue to visit the elderly, serve in various areas of the church and provide spiritual support to the pastor and other leaders.

     In regard to Sunday worship attendance, the following charts* were shared with the group:

 The chart* above shows the attendance to the two English services combined.  It is evident that while 2013 showed a decrease, compared to 2012, 2014 is demonstrating a clear upward trend including a higher summer attendance than the two previous years. 

 This chart* shows our worship attendance for the three Sunday services combined.  Interestingly the summer attendance for 2013 & 2014 shows much less of a dip than 2012 (and than previous years).  Also 2014 is showing an upward trend and it seems like this fall we might be hovering at around 1000.

     In terms of giving to the budget, the following chart* was shared.  

 

It was noted that 2011, 2012 & 2013 had one exceptional giving month each (July, May & December respectively).  Removing those exceptional months, budget giving has hovered at roughly an average of $150,000 per month, which would render a rough annual average of $1.8 million.  The current year (2014) has not been much different than previous years with the exception that there has been no extraordinary giving month as there was in 2011, 2012 & 2013.

      Our 2014 budget consists of $2,141,159.  However, giving has been at approximately 81% of the budget and, if the current rate continues through the end of the year, our budget receipts are projected to be somewhere at around $1,742,425.  I shared with the group that we were taking measures in the fall to reduce spending as much as possible in an effort to end the year in the black.  I also shared with the congregation that our budget development for 2015 needs to work responsibly from this data.

     After these reports and information were shared with the congregation, we discussed things to celebrate, concerns, priorities and possibilities by tables and then at large.  The following comments were made in the group at large:

Things to Celebrate about Calvary Life & Ministry:

• the diversity of our congregation
• the level of missions engagement
• the commitment of volunteers
• Calvary's good reputation in the community
• Adult Bible Fellowships
• the staff
• the evidence of God's love through Calvary people
• the church's efforts with the Central American refugee humanitarian aid
• the number and quality of opportunities to be equipped
• grateful for what people have given financially
• the children and youth ministry
• new people coming and joining the congregation

Things that Concern Us as a Church Family:

• having to reduce missionary support and engagement because of finances
• the need for more volunteers, especially in children ministry
• the need to do staff cuts
• the need for organized prayer
• the need to mobilize equipped members for ministry
• the need to grow in financial giving
• lack of visitors
• lack of doing life together in some ABFs
• not meeting budget
• the need for worship ministry staff

What do we consider areas of Priority moving forward?

• leadership for worship ministry
• Children ministry
• neighborhood outreach
• taking care of the current staff
• building and grounds contracts
• communication to the entire church
• shift from paid staff to volunteers
• mobilizing the 80% of the congregation that is not serving
• revise the profile & job description that had been recommended for the Pastor of Music and Worship to meet our current financial reality
• ask people for commitment
• prayer
• fasting
• discipleship

The items in bold were the recurring themes throughout the evening:

1. Prayer
2. Volunteer mobilization
3. Children ministry
4. Budget  
5. the need to adapt the worship leadership plan

As lead pastor, and as a staff team, we have been working to address each of these areas.  I will be communicating in future blog posts some of the decisions that have been made in regard to these.  For example, you can see the following posts:

decisions-made-about-pastor-for-music and worship

dan-cather-is-new-classic-service worship leader

staff-reductions-at-calvary

     In the meantime, I invite you to join me in prayer for our church.  May God continue to guide, empower and use our church for His glory.

*the charts have been updated since the Town Hall Meeting

Calvary's DNA: Revisitng the CBC Vision

There a lot of great things happening at Calvary these days!  We have undergone important changes and are facing some challenges as well.  I am convinced that the future is bright for our church and that God has set some great opportunities for us to make a kingdom impact.

As we move forward it is important to occasionally, if not frequently, revisit our vision.  What is it that we are about?  What are we trying to accomplish?  How do we measure success?  What are the vehicles that we are using in order to accomplish our objectives?  How does each member, leaders and ministry of our church relate to the overall vision and purpose?

That is the purpose of the "Calvary's DNA: Revisiting the CBC Vision" class that I will be leading over the next four weeks on Wednesday nights (August 27, September 3, 10 & 17 from 6:30 to 8:00 PM).

It's important that our leaders will be there as we share the vision.  So, unless you are teaching elsewhere on Wednesday night, please come join us.  However, this is not exclusive to leaders, please encourage others to come: your team, your group, your friends.  Seasoned leaders and new comers can all benefit from this time together.  I hope to see you there.  Let's talk and pray together so that we can move forward to God's future together!

Townhall Meeting this Sunday

This Sunday, as we move to a back-to-school mode, we will have an opportunity to touch base as a church family.  Our CBC Townhall meeting will consist of fellowship, discussion and prayer.  The objective of this time is to hear from each other how we are doing as a church body.  

We will consider, under our purpose and vision statements, how we are doing in various ministries, what are our strengths, opportunities, challenges, and priorities moving forward.  Consider our purpose and vision statements below:
 

Calvary’s purpose statement:

Calvary Baptist Church exists to glorify God by loving Him with all our being and by loving people in the power of the Holy Spirit that they might become Christ followers.

 

Calvary’s vision statement:

We will be a community of Christ followers who love God with all [our] being and are sent into [our] world by Jesus Christ in the power of the Holy Spirit to love others and to encourage them to follow Christ in the same way, resulting in the multiplication of missional communities.

This meeting is open to the entire Calvary family.  So please communicate this to your respective team or group.  We are encouraging everyone to bring their favorite dessert to share.  The evening's schedule will go as follows:

6:00 PM  Dessert fellowship

6:30 PM  Brief reports from various staff members/leaders

7:15 PM  Discussion with congregation and time for prayer

I hope to see you there as one of our leaders.  This will be a time to contribute your input and to listen to the input from others as we discern God's continuing direction in the life and ministry of our church.

Calvary's Response to Refugee Influx*

Today I share with you an update from Pastor Chad Mason regarding Calvary's response to the Central American refugee influx in our city:

 

“And then the King will say to those on his right, “Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the Kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world.  For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me I was in prison and you came to visit me… The King will reply, “I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.”

Matthew 25: 34-36, 40

As you all know since about June 9th, the City of McAllen has been responding to the overwhelming needs of Central American Refugees who were being released by the Immigration and Customs officials to “sponsor” family members already living in the US.  They were being released at the McAllen bus station in anticipation of their immediate departure for other locations in the US.  Because of the conditions that these refugees were in, the need arose to provide a relief center to help provide for their immediate needs.  This includes providing a shower, clean clothes, a meal, some provisions for their immediate travel.  For the few that had to wait overnight a tent shelter with cots has been provided.  

Calvary became involved during the first week of the relief center’s operation.  Catholic Charities responded to the City’s need immediately and established the Relief Center at Sacred Heart Catholic Church.  The Church’s Community Center proved to be the best location to host the center.  Since getting involved Calvary has responded in the following ways: 

• Recruited Volunteers to Serve at Sacred Heart with the Refugees
  
• Recruited Volunteers to serve at the Food Bank of the RGV.  
• Collected Items to be given to Sacred Heart & Flip Flops for the Unaccompanied Minors 
• Volunteered to host a Mobile Laundry Unit and staff volunteers to meet the daily laundering needs of the Relief Center.  
• Provided Leadership to the BGCT to engage teams from around the State that have a desire to help.  
• Acted in an Advocacy Role in representing the need to government leaders, officials, and media. 

We have responded in this manner with the heavy investment of volunteers over the last 60 days.  These volunteers have sacrificed massive amounts of time, invested of themselves with tremendous passion and skill.  Jeanette Ahlenius has been a God-sent as we first got involved and then transitioned to providing the Laundry service.  Her willingness to design systems, recruit and train volunteers, and to serve as a representative of Calvary has truly been a blessing.  Ron Corbett has been another tremendous blessing!  Since day one he has made himself available in any capacity that is needed, installation of the laundry units, pick-up and delivery of the clean and dirty laundry, and much sweat and some tears in interacting with the refugee families.  Lastly Denise Love has been involved since we first became involved.  She and her husband David have spent a great deal of time at Sacred Heart and recruited teams and leaders from other Churches to get involved.  She has been a huge support through out this time.  

There have been many other volunteers who have been heavily involved in the various ways Calvary is engaged, and I cannot thank them, you, enough.  I have never seen a need like this, and I have never seen the overwhelming response poured out by so many.  Thank you!!!!!

Today I want to update you on some of the changes that have emerged in the last few days.  

1.  Sacred Heart:  Since last Saturday Aug 2, the border patrol (BP) has begun to detain the Family Units that are defined as a Mother and her Children.  They are transporting them now to a facility just south of San Antonio.  The Relief Center has been seeing between 50-200 people a day since they started the center in June.  Now they expect to see 20-25 people a day.  The people we will now see at the Center will be the Family Units that are defined as a Father with Children, or Pregnant Mother’s.  These are the only population groups that the BP is continuing to release.  This changes the needs drastically.  The biggest is an immediate halt to collecting donations of items such as clothes, shoes, baby supplies…  The biggest ongoing need will be volunteers and funds.  

2.  Laundry Service:  Calvary has committed to continuing the Laundry service, but the volume will be much decreased.  This means that we will only need one shift per day in the morning.  Unless there are new changes, the laundry should be finished by 12 noon daily.  Jeannette has needed to step out of her leadership role with the Fall season approaching.  Tammie De Los Santos has stepped up to organize the Laundry need for the immediate future.  The initial mobile laundry unit was lent to us by Texas Baptist Men.  Our current mobile laundry unit, which is bigger than the first one, is on loan to us from Baptist Child and Family Services.  

3.  BGCT Mission Teams:  Calvary has been asked by the BGCT to take a role in hosting teams who are coming to serve from out of the area.  We will begin providing breakfast and a devotional for visiting teams (larger than 15) starting the week of Aug 15th.  This will be ongoing, and we are working to develop a team to take this need on.  Betty Flores will be organizing this ministry opportunity. (These teams may not be staying at CBC but at the Valley Baptist Retreat Center in Mission.  However, we will play an important role in receiving them and connecting them to volunteer opportunities).

4.  Border Patrol Care: Calvary has found that there is high interest in finding ways to care for the many Border Patrol Agents that have been overworked and highly stressed throughout the time that this crisis has occurred.  Several of our member have organized a Cookie-Bake on Friday September 12 that will seek to provide many dozens of cookies that can be given to Law Enforcement along with an encouraging thank you note.  This we hope will be the first event, that will help us to recruit a team to help us organize a larger BBQ for a Saturday late in September welcoming Law Enforcement Members and their families.  

5.  Calvary Relief Director:  Because of the many roles that Calvary is involved in with this Crisis the BGCT offered to provide us with some help in staffing. They have offered to fund a full time person on a month-to-month basis to be a liaison for our church at Sacred Heart and to direct the various ministry opportunities that we are involved in.  This person will provide onsite leadership to the Relief Center at Sacred Heart.  This person will provide Relief oversight in the various areas discussed above, in partnerships with the Missions Ministry Staff at Calvary.  Denise Love has been selected as the person to lead our Relief Response. 

6.  Southtexasrefugees.org website: Calvary has continued to develop and administrate the Relief Response Community Bulletin Board at www.southtexasrefugees.org.  We daily receive 10-15 emails inquiring how people can help and respond to the many needs that continue to emerge.  Because of the massive amounts of information and constant attention the site, and the information requests have required, we hired a 20-hour a week intern to manage the communications.  This has been Arnold Garza, who is returning to Truett Seminary this weekend.  We will seek to replace his position with a bilingual intern who is technologically proficient and able to respond to emails and phone calls, as well as daily update the website.  This position has been funded by designated funds for this cause.

7.  Partners:  We have been blessed to work alongside local partners such as the City of McAllen, Catholic Charities, the Salvation Army and the Food Bank of the RGV.  In addition, we have also received the support of our denominational partners such as the Rio Grande Valley Baptist Association, the Baptist General Convention of Texas, Texas Baptist Men, the Hispanic Convention of Texas, and the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship (Diann Whisnand has secured multiple gift cards from churches around the country to provide supplies for our operation).

8.  Financial Cost:  We have received in excess of $8,553.42 in designated donations by individuals for this cause.  In addition, the BGCT has also provided other funds.  All of the financial cost for this operation, including utilities, supplies, staffing, etc., has been/will be covered by these designated donations. 

9.  Articles in State and National Media:  Because of our involvement, our church has been featured in multiple articles or news pieces by state and national media.  Here are some of them for your information:

Baptist Press:  

http://www.bpnews.net/bpnews.asp?id=43018

CBN News: http://www.cbn.com/cbnnews/us/2014/July/Border-Crisis-Why-Are-the-Kids-Coming-to-America/

CBN News:

 http://www.cbn.com/cbnnews/us/2014/July/Army-of-Christians-Ready-to-Help-Migrant-Children/

Buckner:

 http://www.buckner.org/buckner-shoes-offer-respite-for-weary-immigrant-children/

Fox News: 

http://video.foxnews.com/v/3668979027001/border-pastor-babies-are-passed-out-everywhere/#sp=show-clips

Facebook video:

 https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=636707076420976

Facebook video:

 https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=10152098379187493&set=vb.305044439587243&type=2&theater

At the beginning of September we will reevaluate our staffing needs and shift according to the emerging needs.  Thank you for all your help, your service, and your love for these, “least of these”.  I believe that God has been honored in our response.  

“Keep on loving each other as brothers and sisters.  Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some people have entertained angels without knowing it.”

Hebrews 13:1-2

*Biblical basis for this ministry: Leviticus 19:10, 34; Job 31:32; Isaiah 58:7-10; Matthew 10:43-45; 25:34-46; Luke 14:12-14

Worship Leader and Style for 9:30 AM Service

     It has been more than a year since we have had a full-time Pastor for Music and Worship.  Each of our three services is different in style and one of them is different in language.  Benjamin Aguirre has been the worship leader for the 12:30 PM service.  He does this in addition to pastoral ministry responsibilities in the Spanish Language Ministry.  Jared Solis continues to be the worship leader for our 11:00 AM service, which is labeled “contemporary.”  Jared’s other responsibilities on staff include coordinating all of the media elements for each of our Sunday worship services and also overseeing communication elements, such as the bulletin production, graphic design, etc.  During the interim time, when we have not had a Pastor for Music and Worship who oversees all of the worship and music ministries, we have had several people lead our 9:30 AM service, including Chuck Olson, Diann Whisnand, Chad Mason, Jared Solis, Melinda Rodriguez, Jeff Bridwell, and guest worship leader, Andy Muskrat.  We are thankful for the great talent and spirit with which each of these have led our worship experience.  God has blessed us with talented folks who possess a servant heart.

     In regard to filling the full-time position of Pastor for Music and Worship, our Church in Conference voted to table the decision to begin the search until the next regular Church in Conference due to financial reasons.  Whatever the decision of the church might be at the next Church in Conference, given the nature of search processes, it is evident that we will not fill this position any time soon.  In fact, the position may not be filled until 2015, if then.  In the meantime, I have asked that Benjamin Aguirre continue to be the worship leader for the 12:30 service and that Jared Solis continue to be the worship leader for the 11 o’clock service.  So the next decision I need to make is the appointing of a part-time worship leader for the 9:30 AM service.  Your prayers for me as I make this decision are greatly appreciated.

     (It should be noted that the full-time position of Pastor for Music and Worship entails much more than directing the 9:30 AM service.  This position is designed to be the pastoral level position in the church that oversees all worship and music functions in addition to aspects of communication.  This includes coordinating general direction of Sunday services, working closely with each worship leader, overseeing music and worship budget, supervising the music and worship ministry assistant, coordinating weddings and policies, coordinating funerals, leading seasonal musical presentations such as Easter, Christmas, etc., facilitating children's choir, handbells choir, adult choir, and resourcing multiple volunteers in the area of music and worship.  The full-time Pastor for Music and Worship also supervises the media associate making sure all aspects of worship production function appropriately.  In addition the Pastor for Music and Worship was overseeing bulletin and graphic design production.  Thus, having a worship leader for each of our services does not mean that all of the needs are addressed by them anymore than having a preacher for each service would mean that we have pastoral leadership.  Thus, in the meantime, I have given Jared Solis the supervision of the bulletin and graphic design, and since we do not have a Pastor of Administration, I will be the coordinating pastor for the rest of the music and worship areas not covered by worship leaders).
 
     Before making a decision on who should be the part-time worship leader for our 9:30 service, we must revisit the issue of music style for that worship service.  Although we want to avoid the worship wars we fought back in the 90s, we do need to address this issue.  The current label for our 9:30 service is “classic.”  Those that came up with it used this label in the same sense as “coke classic” versus “new coke.”  What they meant by it was a “blended” style of worship that utilizes the great hymns of the faith and combines them with contemporary songs in order to provide a meaningful worship experience for people of all ages who prefer not to worship in an all-rock-style format.  We believe keeping this balance in the 9:30 service will give the service longevity regardless of what generations are included in the congregation.  We don't intend for this to be a fully contemporary service but we do want it to be a vibrant and classy service.  That has been the design of the “classic” service for many years, regardless of the time it met (11:00 AM; 8:15 AM and now 9:30 AM).  However, many have interpreted “classic” to mean “classical” or “traditional.”  Some mistakenly have assumed that our 9:30 service is an all-classical or all-traditional style worship service.  Thus, two issues need to be addressed: (1) Since the "classic" label has proven to be confusing for some folks, consider changing the name from “classic” to something else that conveys more clearly the design of the service; (2) explore and communicate clearly what we mean by “blended” or whatever label we use.

     In order to explore this, I will be inviting various worship leaders throughout the summer.  These are not necessarily candidates who we are considering for part-time worship leaders.  Most of them would not be available for that!  They simply will help us explore with variations of “classic” (“blended”) worship style so that we can have a conversation about it.  During the summer I will be seeking feedback through various means in order to make a determination.  Determining a label and a description of that label for our 9:30 service will help us select the right worship leader.  Please be open-minded, worshipful, and prayerful through this process.  (John 4:23-24).  It is easy to get distracted with issues of worship style and song selection and forget that worship is about God and not about us.  So we must continue to focus on worshipping the FATHER in spirit and in truth.

     On Father's Day Benjamin Aguirre led our 9:30 worship service.  We are grateful for his willingness to do so.  He and his family brought a beautiful special song as we celebrated Father's Day.  The choir had a break and we missed them.  But we are thankful for all the instrumentalists and vocalists who participated and made it a meaningful worship experience.

     Yesterday we had a guest worship leader in the 9:30 service.  Carlos Rangel is originally from Brazil where he graduated from the Baptist Seminary in Rio de Janeiro with a B.A. in church music and a concentration in voice.  Since then he graduated from the Baptist University of the Americas in San Antonio with a B.A. in Theology and from Baylor University with and M.A. in Divinity with a concentration on worship leadership.  He is currently pursuing an M.A. in Music at Baylor University with a concentration in church music.  He has recently served on the music and worship staff at Park Lake Baptist Church in Waco and Trinity Baptist Church in San Antonio.  We are grateful for Carlos and his leadership of our worship service.

     Next Sunday, June 29, Dr. Marshall Johnston will be our guest worship leader in the 9:30 service.  Dr. Johnston serves as the Dean of Student Affairs for the South Texas School of Christian Studies which has a Corpus Christi and a McAllen campus.  He has served various churches in Texas as pastor and as worship leader.  We look forward to having him in our midst as God uses him to lead our congregation into His presence through music.

     Calvary is a blessed church!

Benjamín Aguirre accepts the Call

         Benjamín Aguirre has accepted Calvary's call to fill the position of Associate Pastor for Spanish Language Ministries.

         The Church met in Conference last Sunday, June 1st at 6:00 PM in order to act on the recommendation presented by the search committee for Associate Pastor for Spanish Language Ministries.  Iliana Garza, chairperson of said committee, presented Benjamin Aguirre as the committee's candidate for the position.

          The congregation voted by secret ballot, casting 65 ballots with 63 votes in favor and 2 against, resulting in a 97% affirmative vote.  The results were shared with Bro. Benjamin extending the invitation to him, which he gratefully accepted.

         We thank God for Benjamín Aguirre's ministry and availability.  We look forward to what God will continue to do through his life as he develops his pastoral ministry with the rest of the Calvary pastoral staff.  We count on the prayer support of the congregation as we move forward.

         Bro. Benjamín: welcome to this new stage of your ministry and the history of Calvary Baptist Church in McAllen.  May God bless you and your family as we serve Him together in the coming years.

Search Committee to Recommend Benjamín Aguirre

 

           At our Church in Conference on March 30 of this year, Calvary (1) approved the recommendation from the personnel committee to change the staff position of Spanish Language Ministry Associate to a pastoral staff level position with the title Associate Pastor for Spanish Language Ministry, and (2) elected a search committee to recommend a candidate who can fill the position, in keeping with our church bylaws regarding the filling of pastoral staff positions.  (The personnel committee recommended that Benjamin Aguirre, who presently occupies the position at the associate level, be considered as the primary candidate for the position).

          The elected search committee consists of Iliana Garza, Mine Mutz, Artemio Perez, Jose Luis Cuellar and Jeffery Bodoh.  The committee elected Iliana Garza as the chairperson and met multiple times to pray, discuss the search plan, and interview Benjamín Aguirre.  Subsequently, the committee voted unanimously to recommend Benjamin Aguirre to fill the pastoral staff position of Associate Pastor for Spanish Language Ministry.  This Sunday night, June 1st at 6:30 PM, the committee will present its recommendation to the Church in Conference.  The church will vote on that same occasion.  This recommendation is the only item on the agenda for the Church in Conference.

          The graphic below demonstrates the change that this recommendation implies (moving Benjamín from associate staff level to pastoral staff level):

The chart above shows in the third column the staff members that are hired (not by congregational vote) and in the first two columns the pastoral staff members who are called (by congregational vote).  The difference between team leaders and other staff pastors are that the former requires a masters degree and supervises multiple staff members, while the latter requires a bachelor's degree.

          The recommendation will include the name of the candidate and the compensation amount approved by the personnel and the stewardship committees.  The personnel committee has developed a system for determining compensation amounts for pastoral staff that takes into account the following variables: level of education, level of responsibility, and years of experience and/or service at Calvary.  The compensation package which will be presented will be in keeping with this criteria.

          The job description for this position and Benjamín's resume can be accessed through the following hyperlinks for your information:

Associate Pastor for SLM Job Description 

Benjamín Aguirre's Resume 

          As a Calvary leader, I encourage you to be present, participate and prayerfully consider your vote on this search committee recommendation.  I also ask that you encourage your group and/or ministry team to do the same.