THE WEEKLY

Dear Calvary Family,

I wanted to give a pastoral update on how things are going at Calvary Church right now.

Livestream Worship Services and Midweek Events

• We have done six Sunday worship services via livestream so far. We are learning a lot about how to plan a worship service to be experienced at home. We are experimenting with different formats and methods. The feedback has been overwhelmingly positive and we are grateful for everyone who works so hard to make it happen. I look forward to “seeing” you this Sunday at 9:30am.
   
• We don’t currently have any timeline for when we will return to meeting in person. We will seek God’s wisdom, listen to the advice of medical experts and government leaders, and consult with colleagues at other local churches as we determine our next steps. We have contingencies and plans for when we are allowed to have 10 people, 50 people, 250 people and more.
   
• We have had an almost nightly livestream event every weekday at 7:00pm that has helped us all feel connected in the quarantine life. Monday Words of Wisdom, Tuesday Prayer Meeting, Wednesday Bible Study with David Mitchell, and Thursday At Home with Eric. We are evaluating what was good for the first few weeks, what will be helpful for the rest of the quarantine, and what will remain helpful over the next year.

 

Church Life Online

• Many of our small groups are meeting through Zoom or other virtual platforms. We are also starting new LifeGroups that will meet online. If you would like to join a LifeGroup or help start a LifeGroup we can help resource and equip you to do it. It’s probably a lot easier than even in person. You can fill out The Card at calvarylife.org/card or email our LifeGroups Pastor, Robert Carter, at .
   
• Our Children’s and Student Ministries are doing a great job providing lots of different opportunities to connect online. Find out more at calvarylife.org and look under “ministries.”
   
• The Alpha Course started this week online to explore big questions about life, faith and God in a friendly series of  videos and conversations. You can still jump in and participate by signing up at calvarylife.org/alpha

 

Prayer

 

• We know and have experienced that prayer is vital to seeing God’s hand at work in our lives, our church, our community and our world. The Day of Prayer and Fasting was a beautiful time of crying out to God. We continue to seek Him for rescue, answers, hope, provision and intimacy.
   
• We are partnering with many Orange County churches for something called Seek Week. May 4-8 will be a time where the larger Body of Christ is crying out to God and expressing our dependence on Him. This will include virtual prayer gatherings, 24/7 prayer and other prayer opportunities. Find out more at www.seekweek.org
   
• We also continue to pray the request of Luke 10:2 every day at 10:02am for God to give us Courage, Heart, Opportunities and Words to Say as we share the good news of Jesus. calvarylife.org/prayer

Our Staff

• We have about 95% of our staff working from home with just a few that work on our facility or utilize special equipment being on campus. But we are all still working hard to serve you and our community.
   
• We have people available if you need counseling, prayer, a listening ear, financial advice, help understanding how to use technology, errands, someone to talk to, help understanding giving online, or help with knowing what is available for you or your family. You can fill out The Card at calvarylife.org/card or simply reply to this email.

Give Help and Receive Help

• We continue to help several people a day with deliveries and errands. We are calling and checking in on people. We would LOVE to help you with anything or you can volunteer to give help at calvarylife.org/help
   
• We are also partnering with other ministries to try a Pop-Up Food Pantry on a weekly basis to give a week’s worth of groceries to hundreds of local families. More information for this will be coming soon.

Our Finances

• We are grateful for your generosity and to God for His faithful provision. Our giving dropped significantly for the first two Sundays meeting online. After your generosity and the elders committing to doubling their giving for three months, our general fund giving has caught up to budget at this point.
   
• Our Reach missions fund is almost $100,000 behind budget with about 2 months to go in this fiscal year, so we appreciate any further giving to that area. You can give to support the work of ministry locally and globally at calvarylife.org/give
   
• We have applied for PPP assistance especially for our preschool, school and other church staff that have obsolete positions during this season. We continue to pay all of them and are temporarily reallocating people to different responsibilities while our world is so different.

Our Schools

• Our K-8 school is continuing education online. Our preschool teachers are still connecting with their students online, but we can’t provide the on-campus care that parents desperately need. The faculty is doing a fantastic job.
   
• Please be in prayer for our schools because many parents are having financial struggles and will need significant financial aid to remain at Calvary Christian School.
   
• Finally, we are prayerfully and carefully undergoing a thorough nationwide search for our next Head of School. Discover more about CCS, along with qualifications and responsibilities desired for this role in the Head of School Opportunity Profile at calvary.school/hossearch

Thank you for being part of our church family as we navigate through this moment and seek God for what He wants from us in the future.

May the Lord bless you and keep you,
Eric Wakeling