2021 Year in Review & Our Focus in 2022
Dear Calvary Family,
As I pause and reflect, it’s been another wild year in the life of our church and our world. Obviously it’s been almost two years of having our lives turned upside down in so many ways and I don’t think any of us would have thought we’d still be dealing with it today. Through it all, there is still much to celebrate and thank God for. I encourage you to read through the highlights of Calvary's local and global ministry in our 2021 Year in Review and praise God for what He has done.
I love that as we entered our 90th year in 2021, Calvary Church has continued to respond in reaching out to a hurting world that needs Jesus both for eternity and their daily life. We have continued the Pop Up Pantry serving those in need in our community. We have started a new ESL program that is building momentum to help provide greater opportunities for many near our church. While we wholeheartedly believe that gathering in-person will have the greatest impact, we still know that a diversity of ways to connect is helpful - podcast, online bible studies, livestream worship services, etc.
We have also had a heart to return to the basics of our faith. We have been so distracted in our world with busy schedules, politics, social media, and endless news cycles. This affects our life in the church, too. This is part of why we created and preached through our 12 Core Values for Calvary Church in 2021. We want to look more at how we can return to our first love and ground ourselves in the essentials of faith - prayer, scripture, service, and worship.
Therefore, we are turning our full attention as a church in this next season to our values of dependence and oneness. Dependence is all about prayer - listening prayer, activating prayer, declarative prayer and honest, intimate prayer with our God. Oneness is all about unity in Christ. We are all so different from one another in age, ethnicity, preferences, politics, etc. That’s why we must unite around our oneness in Jesus and the mission He has called us to as a church.
I look forward to all that God will do in 2022.
May the Lord bless you and keep you,
Eric Wakeling