Calvary Connection

Men of God

Men rarely show their emotions. If you ask people on the street, they will tell you that men are not typically thought of as spiritual, instead different adjectives are used to describe most men.

Fortunately, we have men that belong to an organization where prayer, praising God, and leading boys to Christ is expected and a normal part of their lives. Such is the Calvinist Cadet Corp.

The Calvinist Cadet Corp was founded by Christian men, in 1952, with the purpose of providing local churches with a ministry that enabled them to effectively share Christ’s love with boys from their church and surrounding community. At its core is the Bible, the Word of God. The organization uses the title “Calvinist” to honor the Protestant reformer, John Calvin, who devoted his life to religious education of God’s children.
My Journey To Profession of Faith

(Nicole’s Story) I, like most people I know, have had ups and downs in my relationship with Jesus. My relationship began when I was little (just 6 or 7 years old) and I had a close relationship with Jesus. But there was also a time in my life when I remembered God only when I needed or wanted something. Then, I started attending Sunday School and going to a class at Rose Park Baptist Church. I was baptized, and again, for a while, I had a really close relationship with God. Unfortunately, our family moved a few times and I didn’t know where to go to church.
ALPHA Memories - A New Believer's Experience

I became a Christian January 8, 2003. On January 9, I began attending my first Alpha course. Six weeks later, during the Alpha retreat, as I was waiting to be prayed over by our small group leader, a man from another group sitting next to me told me he was accepting Christ as his Savior. A chill went through me. I asked him how it felt to go into the evening knowing he was going to do this, and he told me that he just realized, while sitting there, that he was going to do this. A bigger chill went through me and I was unable to stop a few tears from slipping out. I realized then that the most joyful experience I would ever have as a Christian would be witnessing someone else becoming a Christian.
Loving our Neighbors

“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and Love your neighbor as yourself.” ~ Luke 10:27

This year, Student Ministries has taken the words of the Shema to heart. The High School Youth Group has been inviting Calvary's neighbors from Briarwood and the Beeline Apartments to join us on the first Sunday night of each month for an evening of fun and relationship building.

Our first night together was in October, and we used a carnival theme for the evening. There was a cake walk and other simple carnival games, including a dunk tank, which was the favorite activity for many of the kids. We also served hot dogs and ice cream for dinner.
Children's Academy Update

Construction is underway! The first building with two classrooms, administrative offices, and a community meeting room should be complete by June 2012. The plan is to immediately use the classrooms for literacy for young people and adults.

In September 2012, the Haiti Partners Children’s Academy will officially open. The first year it will receive approximately 50 children ages three and four, and these students will be the first graduating class from the school. Each year, two more classes will be added (built) and eventually the school will be a full primary and secondary school. Calvary Church has helped start this new school in this area of Bawosya, where many children are not going to school and few get beyond 6th grade as there is no local secondary school.
Todo Gloria A Dios - "All Glory to God"

Our family recently visited Casa Bernabe, an orphanage in Guatemala. We came home with a lot of stories, and priceless memories of the friends we made. However, Daniel’s story really demonstrates how God moved in response to the many prayer partners who prayed for us that week.

No one knows exactly what caused the beginning of Daniel’s special needs, but when he was born, he was unable to move and was sick with a fever for five months. His symptoms are similar to a child with cerebral palsy. Daniel doesn’t speak and has a visual impairment, but he can understand speech and follow commands. He has never learned to crawl or walk, and has been carried everywhere for the past six years.
Hope for Honduras

Calvary has partnered with Unión MicroFinanza (UMF) and provided the core funding to build a coffee processing, quality control, and training center (beneficio) in the region of La Union, Honduras. UMF also provides Calvary’s coffee!

UMF is working with local farmers to build a center that will support small-scale farmers who cannot afford their own processing equipment. Currently, farmers who do not have their own processing equipment are forced to sell their coffee in a semi-processed state. In the past, this has excluded them from being able to sell to higher-priced specialty markets in the U.S. With the installation of this beneficio, any farmer, even a farmer who harvests only a few hundred pounds of coffee, will have the opportunity to sell their coffee at significantly higher prices.
Transitional Housing Update

Beginning in January, Kristi’s House will be used as a transitional home for older teens that are leaving the foster care system. Calvary will be partnering with Barnabas Ministries, an organization that works with homeless teenagers in Ottawa County. (barnabasmin.org)
A Lesson in Generosity

I was pushed by a 5 year old to the point of tears. But don’t call him a bully, his name is Sam, and he is my son.

My wife Kristie and I try to include our kids in our conversations and acts of giving. So, last year when Calvary collected money for a school in Haiti, our kids became determined to help.
GEMS

My story begins back in January of 2008. I was working for a professional photographic company as the second in command, making good money and enjoying traveling across the country. At that time, I felt a strong tugging on my heart that the Lord had other plans for my life. So, after many months of prayer, I left the company and began searching for what it was the Lord had in store for my life.

I joined the GEMS program at our church and immediately felt a connection with others. As I was driving to church one Wednesday evening in November, I had an overwhelming sense that there was still more the Lord was requiring of me. That night, I was pulled aside by the current GEMS Club Coordinator and was told that she had a moment where the Lord spoke to her, and told her that I was going to be her replacement in the GEMS program.

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