Spotlight April 2015 Thank you and Bless you Pastor Al Inside This Issue 2 Did You Know … 2 Summer Services 3 Music Notes 3 Congratulations 3 Our Sign Language 4 Pastoral Care 4 Upcoming Events 4 Birthdays "On behalf of Dianne and our family please know how grateful we are for our Calvary family. The 'farewell' luncheon on Palm Sunday was joy-filled and warmed our hearts. Thank you too for your generous gift to us. We expect it will go toward new furniture that we hope you will appreciate using whenever you find your way to London. Love to you all, Al" A Gift for the Roberts Help is needed with promotion and refreshments for this parenting event. Speak to Diane Houzer 416.698.7502 or Victoria Drysdale 416.694.7619 to add your gifts to this outreach ministry. Sunday, March 29th was bittersweet as we celebrated a wonderful Palm Sunday service and then said a formal farewell to the Roberts family. We all had good fun eating a Pickle Barrel lunch and heard stories of Al’s hockey and communion adventures At the end of the luncheon the gift was presented privately to Al and his family. Thank you to all of you who contributed. Moderator, Marguerite Campbell Calvary lives to seek, know & worship God representing the redeeming love of Jesus PAGE 2 CALVARY SPOTLIGHT Did You Know … Love & Prayers Our church family sends their love and prayers to Chela Tisdall as she continues with her chemotherapy treatment. Love and prayers are also sent to Shelley Faulkner who recently fractured a bone in her elbow. Love and prayers also go forward to Peter Ryzebol, father of Diane Roberts, who is presently in hospital. Best Wishes We send our best wishes to Kathie Condie who retired Friday, February 27th from the Ministry of Health as Manager of Client Services for the central region of Ontario. Kathy and Jay will be moving in late April to the new home they had built in Picton. Congratulations Congratulations to Darlene Kelley on receiving her 40 year plaque from Scouts Canada for her work with Cubs. She has been active in many different areas. We also congratulate Marlene and Don Ronson who celebrated their 48th wedding anniversary March 24th. Love, Prayers & Sympathy The church family sends their love, prayers and sympathy to the family of Wayne Stratton who passed away Friday, March 27th at the Chatham-Kent Health Alliance. Wayne was an active member of Calvary until a few years ago when he retired to Wallaceburg. The funeral service was held April 2nd. Spring & Summer Services What Happens Now? April 12, 19, and 26: our Pastor Emeritus, Rev. Rex Deverell, will be leading us in a post-Easter Sunday series : Beyond the Hallelujahs. May 3: we will welcome the first of our monthly guests who will speak to us about new forms of ministry. This Sunday, Lee McKenna will be telling us about her work in areas of ethnic conflict. May 10 and May 17: our own Shelley Faulkner will be the preacher. May 10 will be a special Mother’s Day celebration. May 24 and May 31: we will welcome Rev. Dr. Cameron Watts to the pulpit. Cam, who is known to many of us, was recently pastor of Aylmer Baptist Church and is the President of the Gathering of Canadian Baptists. June 7: we have asked the Rev. Tom Crosby and wife Dr. Monica Justice to speak about the relationship of Science and Faith. Monica is Program Head and Senior Scientist, Genetics & Genome Biology and Professor, Molecular Genetics, University of Toronto. Tom is an ordained Baptist Minister and former Minister of Music in Texas and Louisiana churches. June 14: we will welcome Rev. Errol Johnson to our pulpit. Errol is the relatively new pastor of our sister church, Shiloh Baptist. Two Sundays later we will join with Shiloh in their service. This will be a chance for our two congregations to get to know one another more closely. June 21: we are honoured to have The Very Rev. Hon. Dr. Lois M. Wilson joining us. Dr. Wilson is an author, a former moderator of the United Church of Canada, a Canadian Senator, and former president of the World Council of Churches. She will be speaking on the topic “What Kind of Leadership do Churches Need Today?” June 28: we will be joining with the Shiloh congregation at their 1 p.m. service under the leadership of Pastor Johnson. July 5 and 12: Shelley Faulkner will be in charge of the services, one of which will be centered on the music of Taizé. July 19: Paul Abell will be our special guest. Paul is a Stewardship Coordinator with A Rocha, an organization dedicated to Christian Conservancy, and he will be speaking about faith and care for our planet. July 26: our own Dr. Rita Deverell, broadcaster, journalist, and writer will speak to us on the topic of her current concern for our congregation. August 2: Tom Crosby and his brothers from the U.S. will be leading an exciting service featuring Texas Gospel music. August 9: we have asked the Rev. Gary Harder to speak about the concept of intentional transition (or interim) ministry. Following August 9, we hope to welcome an interim pastor and finally a new minister. CALVARY SPOTLIGHT Music Notes Worshipping Well One of my responsibilities as a leader of worship is to encourage our congregation to "enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and His courts with praise" (Psalm 100:4). When we come to worship together, it's important to remember our purpose together is to 1) give God the praise He is due both corporately and individually 2) prepare our hearts to listen and respond to what God wants to communicate to us through all the elements of the service and 3) be strengthened to be more equipped to serve Him wholeheartedly on a daily basis. PAGE 3 Congratulations to Diane Tisdall (daughter of Barry and Chela) on her Outstanding Achievement as a Young Diplomat If we come to church expecting not just to meet with our friends, but that Jesus Christ wants to meet with us in a special way, our hearts will be more attentive to what His Spirit is trying to impress upon us. We can prepare ourselves for this weekly "God" meeting from before the time we enter the church building right up until the final musical postlude and afterward. Even if we are experiencing challenges and we come in weighed down with burdens, Jesus promises to meet with us and give us rest (Matthew 11:28-30). Everyone expresses their form of worship in their own unique way. For some, being quiet and sitting prayerfully is most meaningful, while for others moving and clapping to the music and raising their hands in adoration to God is equally significant. It's important to focus our minds and hearts on the Lord as we worship, and not how others are worshiping. This way we will be active participants, rather than merely observers. God reminds us in 1 Samuel 16:7 that He is looking at our hearts, and not outward appearances. When some aspect of the service really touches us, we can respond in various ways from a quiet or hearty Amen, to heartfelt applause. We can also take a moment after church to approach the person who has shared and thank them for the ministry that has impacted you. We need to remember that when we are responding, we need to be sensitive to what is happening during the service. For example, if we are participating in a quiet, reflective service like Communion, it is more appropriate to withhold applause when someone shares a song or instrumental number, and perhaps utter a gentle 'Amen' or ' thank you' as a way to show appreciation for what has been shared. Other times, when the music and worship are more upbeat and joyful, it is more natural to start clapping in response to what is going on. Above all, our ministry and participation in church services needs to be worship-focused, rather than performance-oriented. Let us prayerfully consider how we respond in our weekly worship together in ways that are most suited for the mood of each service, and be attentive to how God's Spirit is trying to communicate with us. Easter Music By the time you read this Spotlight, we are well underway with our wonderful Easter services, which have been sprinkled with worshipful music of all kinds. The Easter choir has also prepared special music from Palm Sunday to Easter Sunday, and we have appreciated the additional people that joined in to participate in the Easter choir. Sheelah Saunders, Director of Music The Young Diplomats of Canada (YDC) are proud to send five of Canada's brightest young leaders to attend the 2015 Youth 20 Summit in Istanbul, Turkey. Diane Tisdall is a Policy Analyst at the Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development where she coordinates development policy from various sectors (infrastructure, food security, environment, health). Diane is fortunate to have had several opportunities to work and live abroad. She conducted primary research in Rwanda for a grassroots NGO and supported capacity building in small business management for a CIDA funded project in an indigenous village in Argentina. Diane also worked in the trade division at the Embassy of Canada to Chile. Through these PAGE 4 CALVARY SPOTLIGHT Pastoral Care: April Birthdays Going Forward Without a Pastor Calvary Baptist church is an affiliate of CBOQ (Canadian Baptists of Ontario and Quebec). The following is an excerpt from CBOQ under What Do Baptists Believe #6 (www.baptist.ca) 2 8 “Government in a local church is controlled by the principles of the priesthood of all believers, the Lordship of Christ, the authority of the Scriptures, and the guidance and power of the Holy Spirit. Christ, present in the lives of congregational members, leads them corporately to discover and obey his mind and will. Such “congregational government” calls for and expresses the equality and responsibility of believers under the Lordship of Christ.” 10 11 12 13 16 This means we (the congregation) get to choose our next pastor. The Mission Team will endeavour to set this Committee up shortly and get approval at an upcoming Huddle. The Mission Team will also confer with the congregation about the attributes we need in a pastor at this time. 29 Pastoral Care and Support The Pastoral Care Team (Marlene Ronson) and Worship Team (Shelley Faulkner) aided by the Office Administrator (Carol Carney) will coordinate the needs of the congregation as they arise. From April through August, Rex Deverell, Shelley Faulkner and Tom Crosby will each be in the church office one day a week. Their office hours will be noted in our Sunday bulletins. If specific or urgent assistance is required, please contact Carol at the church office and she will put you in touch with Rex, Shelley, Marlene or Tom. Jay Roberts Ian Drysdale Wendy Wood Gord Moore Stephanie Saunders Rae Condie Jessie Attan Kathie Collins-Williams Margaret Ledger Grace McQueen Upcoming Events Mon. April 13 – Parenting Event 7 p.m. Clarke Hall. See picture on page 1 Tues. April 14 – Mission Team Mtg 7:15 p.m. Resource Rm Wed. April 15 – Praise Team Practice Tues. April 21 – Movie Night 7:15 p.m. at the Drysdales (416.694.7619) Summer Preaching Schedule See page 2 Reunited Toronto Star March 22, 2015 Ontario’s lengthy wait for long-term care separated Robert and Elizabeth Cleland for almost two years. Last week the couple, married for more than six decades, were finally brought together again. For the past two years Elizabeth was at Cedarvale Lodge in Keswick and Robert 150 kilometres away at Hope Street Terrace in Port Hope. They are now together in Keswick. Elizabeth and Robert Cleland were active members of Calvary for many years where Elizabeth, at one time, was church secretary. A wonderful ending to two years of separation of a devoted couple. We send our love and prayers to this special couple. The Main Thing ● OUR SIGN LANGUAGE For March – Ahh! MARCH God reigns. The Son shines. Thanks & Farewell Pastor Al Calvary Baptist Church Pastor: Al Roberts ● GPCC Director: Kathie Collins-Williams ● Director of Music: Sheelah Saunders Administrator: Carol Carney ● Building Manager: Jim Yolevski 72 Main St. Toronto, ON M4E 2V7 416.691.4721 calvaryonmain@bellnet.ca www.calvary-baptist-church.ca
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