We Are About To Get Our Green On In Calvary Kids Ministry!

From the heart of Carrie Pauquette our Children's Minister: 

It’s that time of year … spring is barely here but we’re planning for summer already. We can’t wait to feel the warm sunshine, smell the roses, hear laughter and squeals from the kids running through the sprinkler, or taste the freshly picked vegetables from the garden. All these amazing experiences of summer are made possible because God created all of these things for us to enjoy. He also made these things for us to take care of. 

Genesis 2:15 says, “The Lord took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it.”

In my anticipation of these summer experiences, the Lord prompted me to design this year’s Vacation Bible School around this very concept - He made so many things for us to enjoy AND care for. In June, the kids of our church and community will come together to learn a whole new perspective on dirt, a whole new appreciation for water, a keen awareness of trash, and a deeper understanding of our responsibility as caretakers of God’s creation. When we, as followers of Jesus, take care of God’s creation, we have an extra good reason … we do it out of love and appreciation for OUR Creator, the One who made it all just for US!

Get Your Green On: Taking Care of God’s Creation will be at Calvary Evangelical Church on Sunday, June 14 through Wednesday, June 17 from 6-8:30PM each night, with a free family meal beginning at 5:00 every evening. This 4-night event is open to all current 4-year-old Preschoolers through 5^th Graders. Register today!

I (Pastor Brad) was asked the question ‘Why do I do what I do?’.  And to this question I have two main answers… A short answer and a long answer…

The short answer is that I love teenagers.  More importantly, I love Jesus.  I recognize that no matter what happens in my life, Jesus Christ DIED FOR ME so I dedicate myself to LIVE FOR HIM!  But also, I see that God has given me an unique ability to build solid, lasting relationships with people, especially teens.

Now for the slightly longer answer.  I had a lot of struggles as a teen!  I kept most of these issues to myself.  I went through my daily routine of inwardly struggling with self-esteem and self-worth, while outwardly putting on a fake smile and going about my business.  Not only was I not willing to share my struggles with others, I really did not feel like I had someone that I could share them with.  I needed guidance.  I needed someone in my life to listen.  I just did not know who I could turn to. 

As the Youth Pastor here at Calvary, I am blessed to be the person that many of our teenagers turn to in a time of need.  I can tell you from experience that there are times during our teenage years that we need someone to confide in.  For me, nothing is more fulfilling in this position than sitting down with teenagers to help walk them through the difficulties of life, friendships, family issues and most importantly a relationship with our God.  I have learned that I clearly do not have all of the answers to this life, but my hope is that God uses me to help point our teens to Him!   I want all of our teens to know that our God is bigger than our problems.  Our God loves us despite our failures.  And honestly, we can take joy in knowing that we serve and AMAZING GOD!

I (Pastor Clark) am excited for our Tenebrae/Communion Service on Maundy Thursday, April 2^nd at 6:30pm.  Maundy Thursday is the night before Good Friday; the night when Jesus ate his last Passover supper with His disciples and where He instituted the first communion service. The word Maundy comes from the Latin word for “commandment,” which Jesus gave when He told His disciples that He was leaving them “a new commandment,” recorded in John 13:34-35 (NIV)  “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.  By this everyone will know that you are My disciples, if you love one another.”

The service will begin with sharing the elements of communion together followed by the service of Tenebrae. The Tenebrae service is an ancient tradition in Christian history, being celebrated for generations. Tenebrae is once again a Latin word meaning “shadows” or “darkness.”    As scriptures detailing the events of Jesus’ passion are read, the lights are dimmed and candles are extinguished until at the end of the service, the room is completely dark.  The purpose of the service is to commemorate the betrayal, abandonment, and agony of the events of Thursday night and Friday when Jesus was betrayed by Judas, abandoned by His disciples, tried by the Jewish religious leaders, beaten by the Romans and crucified. Before the people leave the service in silence- remembering the suffering of the Savior, one candle is re-lit as a symbol of the hope that Easter Sunday is coming.  There is no closing prayer; the service is left unfinished, because the story isn't over until Easter morning where we will celebrate Jesus’ resurrection and victory over sin and death on Sunday, April 5^th at 10:00 am.

Tenebrae Service Outline:

·       Candle’s lit

·       Hymn

·       Communion

·       Tenebrae

·       Scripture reading

·       Closing Hymn

Pastor Clark Williman

Being a follower of Christ I have one priority...

From the mind of Pastor Adam...

Being a parent forces you to focus on priorities.   Every moment of every day is limited.  And this is especially true when your kids are still quite little.  You blink and another year has passed.  Just the other day, my wife and I had lost track of the time and realized that we were about an hour behind on starting the bedtime routine.  Clearly this made for a relaxed evening of well-behaved children……

Success means knowing what is and isn’t important and not compromising on getting those most important priorities accomplished.  It is easy to get distracted by the non-essentials and miss out on key moments.  A five year old needs to learn to pick up their own room, but it is more important that they know they are loved than they have a clean room.  And it is vital that they don’t confuse being loved with a result of the cleanliness of their room!

Well-meaning parents will sadly sometimes miss the most important priority in what it means to be parent; Love.  Nothing else matters if your parenting isn’t driven by love.  A child who doesn’t feel like their parents instructions are coming from a place of love is a person who will grow up to be resentful of the behaviors and habits they were unfairly “forced” to have.

“If Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is useless, and so is your faith” -1 Corinthians 15:14

Being a follower of Christ I have one priority.  Christ crucified and Christ risen.  As the Apostle Paul points out in 1 Corinthians, our faith begin and ends with the message of the Cross.  Everything else hinges on that.  It is easy to focus on the peripherals first.  What I like to call the behavior modification aspects.  But Christ didn’t come to help us behave better, but to die for our sins, defeat sin and death, and offer, through HIS finished work, hope for eternity. 

The power of whatever I do as a preacher is sourced from one place.  The unconditional love offered at the Cross.  The people in our lives don’t need a better approach to achieving some sort of “better life” goals.  They need to hear the Gospel of the Cross. 

My kids need to know that they are loved deeply before what I teach them, hold them accountable to, and expect from them, makes sense.  And they need to know that their success and/or failure at achieving these standards is not the basis of whether their daddy loves them.  The love is unconditional, which gives them the freedom and hope to get back up when they fall. 

We need to know that we are deeply loved BEFORE we are equipped to pursue the Holiness that Christ calls us to.  And the Cross tells us that this love is not dependent upon how well we are currently doing at running hard after Christ.  People change because they are loved.  They can’t change so that they can get loved.

Your kids matter to us!

My name is Carrie Pauquette. I am a mom of three beautiful children and the Director of Children's ministry at my church. I would like to share with you my vision and PASSION for our kids ministry (and your kid!) here at Calvary Evangelical Church.

Just like adults, kids need belonging and significance.

I am confident that Calvary is the place where they are going to find both. Kids want a God to belong to and a Heaven to go to. They want a peer group to belong to and a place to call home. That place will be Calvary and that God will be Jesus. They want to feel that their lives are significant RIGHT NOW, and that they have a significant future. I feel called to show them that they have significance in Christ NOW and that Christ has a significant future planned for them ALREADY.

How will they find their belonging and significance?

1. By building a foundation of basics in scripture, prayer, and worship
2. By providing a place where families worship together through creative and fun activities
3. By offering a clean, fresh, bright and happy environment at Calvary
4. By simply connecting with each child at their level

When will they find their belonging and significance?

1. When they come to Sunday School
2. When they worship, learn and have fun on Sunday mornings and Wednesday nights
3. When their families participate in activities or events at Calvary
4. When their families take church home and utilize the weekly Parent Cue
5. When they participate in summer Vacation Bible School

I feel called to create a children’s ministry that focuses on the fundamental basics of following Jesus by instilling the importance of memorizing scripture, being in God’s Word, being in constant conversation with Jesus, learning how to worship the Lord in authentic and creative expression and connecting with Jesus and others on a very real level. I genuinely want to show each child that walks through the doors of Calvary that not only do they belong to Christ and have significance in Him, but also that they are a significant part of Calvary Kids Ministry and that they belong here.

I hope to see your kids (and you!) at church soon!

Carrie Pauquette

Who we are.

The Calvary Church Family is committed to win and disciple people for Christ by equipping individuals to love God, love others and serve the world in order to reach the far from God.

GUIDING THE MISSION:

1. BIBLICALLY TRANSFORMATIONAL
(Romans 12; Ephesians 4:17-24)
We believe that people are to be transformed to God’s standard as seen in scripture.

2. CULTURALLY RELEVANT
(John 1:1-14; Matthew 9:9-14; I Corinthians 9)
We believe we must go where people are, communicate in the language of the culture and serve their felt need in order to meet their ultimate need.

3. RELATIONALLY AUTHENTIC
(John 4:1-26; Colossians 3:12-13)
We believe that we must accept people where they are, but help them see themselves as God sees them.  We will not mask our failures nor will we allow them to continue.  We will care for one another’s needs in order to help them become like Christ.

4. RADICALLY GENEROUS
(Matthew 25:14-30; Acts 2:42-47; II Corinthians 9)
We believe the resources God has entrusted to us are used to impact the kingdom.  They are not mine to use; I must evaluate how they will be used most effectively for the kingdom.

WHAT WE BELIEVE:

ABOUT THE SCRIPTURES
We believe the Scriptures, both Old and New Testaments, to be the verbally inspired Word of God, without error in the original writings, the complete revelation of His will for the salvation of man and the divine and final authority for all Christian faith, life and conduct.  (II Timothy 3:15-17; Hebrews 4:12; II Peter 1:20,-21; Revelation 22:18-19)

ABOUT GOD
We believe that God is the Creator and Ruler of the universe.  He eternally exists in three persons; the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.  These three are co-equal and are one God.  (Genesis 1:1, 26-27, 3:22; Psalm 90:2; Matthew 28:19; I Peter 1:2; II Corinthians 13:14)

ABOUT THE SON
We believe that Jesus Christ is the true God and true man, having been conceived of the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary.  He was crucified, dead, buried, and rose again.  The shedding of His blood on the cross and bodily resurrection became the only ground of atonement for sin, whereby man through faith is delivered from the penalty of sin.  (Luke 1:35; Romans 1:3-4; John 3:16; Acts 3:18-19; Acts 4:12; Romans 5:8-11, 18-21; I Corinthians 15:3-4, 4:20-22; Ephesians 1:3-7; Hebrews 7:23-27, 9:11-15, 24-28; I Peter 1:18-21)

ABOUT THE HOLY SPIRIT
We believe the Holy Spirit is the Third Person of the Triune God, the Divine Agent in nature, revelation, and redemption.   His present ministry is:  to glorify the Lord Jesus Christ; to convict men of sin; to regenerate the believing sinner; and to justify, seal, sanctify, cleanse, instruct, indwell, and empower the believer for godly living and service.  (John 14:16-17,26; 16:7-14; Acts 1:8; Romans 8:1-17; I Corinthians 3:16-17; 6:11, 19-20; Ephesians 5:18; Titus 3:5)

ABOUT MAN
We believe Man was created by God and in His image.  We believe that as a result of the sin of Adam and Eve, all people are separated from God with no possible means of salvation.  The entire human race is therefore lost, without spiritual life, separated from God, and by choice under the judgment and wrath of God.  (Genesis 3:1-7; Psalm 51:5; Jeremiah 17:9; Romans 3:10-12,23; 5:12,17-19; 6:23; I Corinthians 15:22; Ephesians 2:1-3,12; 4:18-19)

ABOUT SALVATION
We believe that salvation is a gift from God to man.   Man can never make up for his sin by self-improvement or good works.  Only by trusting in Jesus Christ as God’s offer of forgiveness can man be saved from sin’s penalty.  Eternal life begins the moment one receives Jesus Christ into his life by faith.  (Romans 6:23; Ephesians 2:8-9; John 14:6, 1:12; Titus 3:5; Galatians 3:26; Romans 5:1)

ABOUT SATAN
We believe that Satan is a real being, evil, active, and powerful.  He has become the adversary of God and the adversary of God's loving purpose and plan for man.  He is the author of sin.  We believe he was defeated through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, and will be finally eternally punished in the lake of fire.  (Genesis 3:1-7; Job 1:6-7; Isaiah 14:12-15; Ezekiel 28:14-15; Matthew 4:1-11; II Corinthians 4:4; 11:14; Ephesians 6:11-12; Hebrews 2:14; II Peter 2:4; I John 3:8; Jude 1:6; Revelation 20:10)

ABOUT THE CHURCH
We believe that the true church is composed of all persons who, through saving faith in Jesus Christ, have been regenerated by the Holy Spirit and are united together making up the body of Christ of which He is the Head.    We believe that God has laid upon the members of the local church the primary task of giving the gospel of Jesus Christ to a lost world.   (I Corinthians 12:12-13;  Ephesians 2:19-22;  Acts 1:8;  Acts 2:42; Hebrews 10:23-25)

ABOUT BAPTISM AND COMMUNION
We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ has established two ordinances to the local church, Baptism and the Lord’s Supper.   We believe that Christian Baptism is the immersion of the believer in water into the name of the Triune God as an outward expression of an inner commitment to serve Christ.  We believe that the Lord’s Supper was instituted by Christ for the commemoration of His sacrificial death.  We believe that these two ordinances should be observed and administered until the return of the Lord Jesus Christ.   (Matthew 28:18-21; Romans 6:3-5; I Corinthians 11:23-26)

ABOUT SPIRITUAL GIFTS
We believe that the Holy Spirit gives spiritual gifts to each member of the body and that each member shall contribute in service to the church body through the discovery, development, and exercise of these gifts.  (Romans 12:4-21; I Corinthians 12:4-11, 27; II Corinthians 12:12; Ephesians 4:7-16)

ABOUT CHRISTIAN CONDUCT
We believe that all Christians are called to a life separated from sinful practices and appearances of evil.  We believe Christians should live for the glory of God and the well-being of their fellow Man.   We believe that we are God’s ambassadors for declaring the gospel of Jesus Christ to this world.  We believe that we are to be involved personally and as a community in serving the lost, making disciples and being both locally and globally oriented in our outreach.  (Matthew 4:19, 9:37-38, 28: 19-20; Acts 1:8; Romans 12:1-2; I Corinthians 9:19-22; II Corinthians 6:14-18; Ephesians 4:25-5:5; I Thessalonians 5:22;  I John 2:15-17)

ABOUT END TIMES
We believe in the imminent and bodily return to the earth of our Lord Jesus Christ.  We believe in the bodily resurrection of the dead: the believer to everlasting joy with the Lord, and the unbeliever to judgment and everlasting punishment.   (Matthew 24:36-44, 25:13, 41-46; Mark 9:41-48; Luke 23:43; Acts 1:6-11; II Corinthians 5:8; II Peter 3:10-14; Revelation 19:11-16; Revelation 20: 4-15)