Praying for Wise & Godly Leaders
Dear Calvary Family,
This Sunday, we're continuing our series, The Way Begins, with a look into Acts 1:12-26. We will also take a moment to have our Annual Meeting as a church in each of our services on May 17th (English/ASL at 9:00 am in the Worship Center and Spanish at 11:00 am in the Chapel). During this time, we'll share important updates on life at Calvary and have a vote by church members.
You can see details on the Elders' recommendation of a Construction Proposal vote for Forward in Faith, including a project update and FAQ, at CalvaryLife.org/Forward.
We will also be voting in the Annual Meeting on affirming nominees to serve as Elders. Their role according to Scripture is found in 1 Peter 5 and Hebrews 13:17, where we see the calling to provide oversight as spiritual shepherds who can lead, pray, and counsel the church with wisdom, love, and grace. You can discover more about the leadership of Calvary and the role of our Elders at CalvaryLife.org/Leaders.
Our bylaws state that Elders can serve two 3-year terms in a row and then they must take at least one year off before being able to be nominated again. Anyone in the congregation can make nominations to the Elder Board. The current Elders then enter a season of prayer and careful consideration to choose the final nominees, before presenting them to our official members, who vote on affirming those nominees with a simple yes or no vote on each (they aren’t running against each other or anything like that). You can explore the path to becoming an official member of Calvary Church and take your next step today at CalvaryLife.org/Membership.
Here are the bios on our nominees for Elders. Please be praying for them and for our church to have wise and godly leaders.
CRAIG BRYSON | 2nd Term
Craig accepted Christ through the influence of Calvary Church's College Ministry in 1971. He and his wife, Betty (Zuercher), were married at Calvary in 1973, and he has been a member since 1974. They served as Short Term Missionaries, supported by Calvary, in Colombia (where Betty grew up), with GMU from 1975 to 1978.
Craig has served at Calvary for over 40 years in various roles, including leadership in the Homebuilders Sunday Morning LifeGroup, as a Trustee Team member and Church Treasurer, and as a Reach Global Team Member and Chairman. He has previously served two six-year terms on the Elder Board, including time as Elder Chairman.
Craig and Betty have three grown sons, all happily married, and eight grandkids. Craig and Betty love to travel, and paddle their kayaks. With his son Drew, Craig co-owns and operates a company which provides administrative services to Christian ministries. He also serves on the boards of several of those ministries.
SEAN CONNALLY | 1st Term
Though raised in an Episcopal home, Sean did not consider himself saved until he attended a Christian summer camp just weeks after his high school graduation in 1999. With the impending Y2K scare and the possible end of the world, he decided that having a relationship with Jesus as his Lord and Savior was the most important decision he could make at that time.
Currently, Sean is a math teacher at Foothill High School. Sean and his wife Niccole have been married since 2006 and have five children who have all either attended Calvary Christian School or are currently enrolled. Niccole is also a high school teacher on special assignment in Orange Unified. Their oldest daughter, Emma, attends UCI, followed by Hannah and Rebecca who are at Foothill. Next is Leanna who is in 7th grade at Calvary, and last is their son Noah in 4th grade. Noah was a miracle baby who was born with Hypoplastic Left-Heart Syndrome in 2015. The Connallys are very thankful for all the prayers and support they have received from Calvary Church and School over the years.
Sean has been a member at Calvary since 2011, when his oldest daughter Emma was attending the Preschool. Sean has helped for several years with VBS as a group leader and currently helps as a table host for Alpha. He served on the Calvary Christian School Ministry Team for 6 years and has attended the Calvary Middle School G.O. Trip to Costa Rica in 2025 and 2026. In his free time, Sean likes to spend time with his family, be a Cub Scout leader, referee lacrosse from youth to college, and drive his kids all over creation.
BRANDON ELROD | 1st Term
I love this place, and I love this congregation. I originally came to Calvary Church in 1985 as a 7th grader after giving my life to the Lord at age 9. And throughout the years since, I have personally witnessed our great and wonderful Father draw us, as a people, increasingly out of fear and bondage and into greater love and freedom. He has escorted us and continues to beckon us into new realms of belief and dependence upon Him through the voice of His Spirit.
My response to His invitations is a resounding “Yes Lord!” My desire for Calvary Church is that we continue growing in our experience of His presence, His provision, His power, and His love. I believe that there is so much more that He has for us, beyond what we can ask or imagine!
Calvary Church of Santa Ana isn’t a place, necessarily, but a people. We are the family of God and it is my joy and privilege to serve as an elder. I served previously from 2019-2025 and once again look forward to being led by the voice of the Lord as a representative of this family.
TOM SHOOK | 2nd Term
Tom grew up in Anaheim California and graduated from Western High School in 1978. In 1979 he met Gayle and a year later they were married. After a rough start, they began to attend church at the invitation of Gayle’s older brother. After going to church on and off for about two years, on Easter Sunday 1987 Tom committed his life to Christ and accepted Jesus as his Savior. His life was completely transformed and from that moment until now his life’s purpose has been to know Him and make Him known.
The Shook family started coming to Calvary Church in 1987 and entered the Practical Missionary Training program under Pastors Fred Morse and Bob Foyle. During that time, they served in Children’s Ministry, International Students Ministry and Church Planting Ministry. In 1992 their training was complete and the family was commissioned to serve the Lord in Outer Mongolia, where they spent 17 years helping to establish the church. Upon completion of that work, Tom served as an Asia division leader overseeing staff and heading up crisis response for Asia. In 2013 they moved to Malaysia to focus their energy on reaching a country in North Asia. Tom returned to the US in 2019 and launched His Refuge a ministry to refugees and immigrants.
Tom and Gayle have three children and 11 grandchildren, all living in Southern California. Before becoming a Missionary with Calvary, Tom worked as a shop foreman in the metal manufacturing business here in Orange County. In his free time, Tom enjoys budget restoration of classic cars. He has restored a 1964 VW beetle, 1962 Ford Falcon and his current project is a 1969 VW bus.