Ministry is serving and caring. Everyone at Calvary has some part in its ministry, both within church walls and out in the world. Members with special interests or talents can find -- or create -- many kinds of ministry. Taking the words of Jesus seriously, we serve the hungry, thirsty, naked, sick and imprisoned. Some ways we minister as individuals and as a congregation include:
MISSION OF THE MONTH
Recap - October 2008 Church World Service and CROP Walk
The walk in Indiana County on October 5th was a great success. We had more walkers/participants, more churches, and more donations than last year. We even had a few dogs participate.
We hosted a festive community lunch on October 19th. At this lunch, the CROP committee presented fun-filled good natured awards from the CROP Walk. Members from many of the local churches attended. Lorna Vite, the Executive Director of ICCAP, spoke briefly on the needs of ICCAP at the lunch. The coveted GOLDEN SHOE award was won by Trinity United Methodist for the most walkers and the most dollars raised. Rev David Hanna and Rev George Porter exchanged good banter. Calvary put Trinity on notice that Calvary would like to receive the GOLDEN SHOE award next year.
By the end of the lunch Indiana County had raised nearly $7000 for Church World Service. Of that total, Calvary is responsible for approximately $1200. Thank you so much for all of you support in this worthwhile effort.
We are extending the donation time for the health kits. Because of the recent flooding and other domestic disasters, Church World Service is completely out of the kits they distribute in emergencies. The health kits are sealed in a one gallon plastic bag with a zipper closure and include:
1 hand towel
1 washcloth
1 comb
1 metal file or nail clipper
1 bar of bath-sized soap
1 toothbrush
6 band aids
You can donate individual items OR donate complete kits. We will package these up for shipping on Nov 3rd. Contact Leslie Krummert if you are interested in helping with the shipping of the kits.
November 2008 – Salvation Army
Our Mission of the Month for November is the Salvation Army. We are trying something a little different for November. We have an Ad Hoc group helping out. It’s not too late to help with this committee, though, if you are still interested. Call Amy Roland or Leslie Krummert.
This is the busy time of year for the Salvation Army. We will be doing many things this month. Our members will have an opportunity to ring bells for the Salvation Army. We will have a mitten tree and an angel tree. The committee has some other surprises in store for the church.
Our lunch on November 16th will feature soup and salad. It was so nice to see people from the community at our lunch in October. Feel free to invite others to our lunches each month.
Next Month – December 2008 - CareNet
The Almost Seniors will sponsor the Mission of the Month in December. They will help us assist CareNet.
Mission of the Month Sponsors – 2009
Would your group like to sponsor a Mission of the Month? Contact Leslie Krummert in the church office. We need sponsor groups for next year.
Rwanda - Update
Thank you for keeping them in your prayers as they traveled around the Gitarama region in Rwanda.
We will have updates, information and projects for Rwanda from time to time to keep us in tune with our Partner church and the Rwanda region. If you have ideas about how to support this effort, contact Leslie Krummert, DCAM or Cindy Holuta, Mission Committee Chair.
Update – ICCAP: Circles Initiative
How has your time and efforts made a difference? The Circles Initiative with ICCAP is still underway. Would you like to find out more about this group? You can attend a Big View meeting on the last Thursday of each month at Trinity United Methodist Church at 5:00. This group is seeking to address the barriers to getting out of poverty. The public is invited. Dinner and childcare provided at no cost.
Again this month Calvary donated the leftovers from the October Mission of the Month to the Circle ICCAP dinner on October 23rd. Thank you Presbyterian Women for your assistance with this Mission as well.
ICCAP is still pairing families in poverty with Allies. An ally is an individual interested in befriending a person in poverty to help this person move out of poverty. We still need a few allies for the families. Please consider becoming an ally. It only takes a few hours a month and it is extremely gratifying. Call the church office for more information.
Recap September 2008 – Pathways Shelter
In September our Mission of the Month was sponsored by the Presbyterian Women encouraging us to assist the ICCAP Pathways homeless shelter in Blacklick. Thanks to all of the wonderful Presbyterian Women of Calvary for preparing and organizing the Mission in September.
When we called the shelter to ask what was needed, we were told that the shelter is well supplied with food and clothing, but they rarely receive donations of cleaning supplies so, we felt that we could be helpful by providing these supplies for cleaning.
Not long after that phone call to the shelter, our church helped a homeless family staying at the shelter. We mentioned to the family that in addition to raising money to help the shelter we were asking for cleaning supply donations. The mother commented that she had been cleaning at the shelter and there was only one bottle of bleach to clean with. Her skin had broken out into a rash as a result of cleaning with the commercial grade bleach. Thank you to all who donated money and cleaning supplies. It seems that we answered a prayer. We dropped these off at the shelter around the first of Oct.
October 2008 Church World Service and CROP Walk
The Church World Service and the CROP walk will be our Mission of the Month for October. The Mission Committee and the CROP Community planning committee are sponsoring this mission.
The walk is scheduled for October 5th and is changing this year. (See the article for more information about the walk). Our lunch is scheduled for October 19th. At this lunch we will host a presentation of awards for the CROP Walk. Members of the local churches are invited to attend our lunch for the awards presentation. As usual, all of the proceeds from the lunch will go to Church World Service.
Rwanda - Update
The banner, which we dedicated in August made it safely to Rwanda. It was presented to our partner church in Rwanda by the travel team. The blog from their travels, found at www.rwanda.kiskipby.org, gives an overview of the travel team in Rwanda. Thank you for keeping them in your prayers as they traveled around the Gitarama region in Rwanda.
As part of the efforts to support the Rwanda Partnership, we sold hand-crafted angels. These angels quickly sold out. We contacted the Presbytery and now have additional angels in the office. Call the church if you did not get an angel and would like one. When you purchase an angel 100% of your money goes to the Rwanda Partnership.
We will have updates, information and projects for Rwanda from time to time to keep us in tune with our Partner church and the Rwanda region.
The CROP Walk
The CROP WALK is changing this year. It should be a fun-filled, walking, rocking, biking, running, mission-minded day, so mark the date Oct 5th at 1:30 p.m. on your calendar. Registration will begin at 1:00. Come rain or shine, area residents are gearing up to join in the Indiana CROP (Communities Responding to Overcome Poverty) Walk.
We will start the walk at Grace United Methodist Church, located across from the Indiana Post Office and end the walk at Calvary. There will be a Praise Band at Grace United Methodist Church to send us on our way and a celebration at Calvary at the end of the walk. The route is different this year. This year, you will have the option of walking a short (1 ˝ mile), a little longer (2 ˝ mile), longer still (3 ˝ miles) or the whole route (5.2 miles). We will be walking by many of the churches in town, so we are hoping more churches and their members will participate. Of course, there will be rocking. We are hoping to have enough rocking chairs to stretch between Graystone and Calvary.
Organized locally by a committee from Calvary and Trinity, the Indiana County CROP Walk has set a goal of doubling last year’s participants and hopes to raise nearly $8000 to help stop hunger here in our community and around the world. One fourth of the funds raised here in Indiana County will go to the food pantry of Indiana County Community Action Program (ICCAP). Last year our local ICCAP Food Bank received over $1000 from this event for use locally in providing food and services for over 15,000 disadvantaged families throughout the county.
We Walk Because They Walk. In Africa, a person can walk as far as 6 miles to get to a clean water source. CROP WALKS make a big difference – in helping people grow foods for their families, in providing clean water to villages, in working to assure that schools are zones of safety and learning, in the struggle against the AIDS pandemic, and in countless other ways. Africa presents special challenges, with the uprooting of millions in the Darfur region of Sudan by government-sanctioned violence, and the severe drought-induced food shortage plaguing Niger and other parts of the Sahel region. The Church World Service is making a difference around the world. CROP WALKS are also making a big difference in communities recovering from Hurricane Katrina and sites of other floods and natural disasters – enabling Church World Service to have emergency responders trained and equipped to assist relief and long-term recovery efforts along the Gulf Coast and throughout our country.
So get ready to walk, run, bike, rock, or even dance for the CROP on Oct 5. For more information about the efforts of the Church World Service go to www.churchworldservice.org.
Update – ICCAP: Circles Initiative
How has your time and efforts made a difference? The Circles Initiative with ICCAP is still underway. Would you like to find out more about this group? You can attend a Big View meeting on the last Thursday of each month at Trinity United Methodist Church at 5:00. This group is seeking to address the barriers to getting out of poverty. The public is invited. Dinner and childcare provided at no cost.
Calvary donated the leftovers from the September Mission of the Month to the ICCAP dinner on September 25th. Thank you Presbyterian Women for your assistance with this Mission as well.
ICCAP is still pairing families in poverty with Allies. An ally is an individual interested in befriending a person in poverty to help this person move out of poverty. We still need a few allies for the families. Please consider becoming an ally. It only takes a few hours a month and it is extremely gratifying. Call the church office for more information.
Lifeway Baby Bottle Campaign –
We raised $586.27 from the Baby Bottle campaign in the spring of this year. Thanks to all who collected their change in the baby bottles.
Mission Possible Picnic -
Mark your calendar!! On Sunday, September 28, immediately following the worship service we will have a Mission Possible Picnic. This church picnic will be at Calvary this year as we celebrate some of our success and unveiling some new Mission opportunities for people of all ages. Of course, there will be some traditional picnic activities and food. Look for more information and registration soon.Prayer Ministry. A PRAYING CHURCH IS A STRENGTHENING CHURCH
. Every Tuesday at 10:00 a.m. anyone wanting to join in prayer for
members of the congregation, community, and world, should come to the
chapel. It is a wonderful way to hold each other up in prayer. If you
are not able to attend please keep in mind that you may pray at home,
during your lunch break, etc. for those who are on your heart.
If you have a personal need for prayer during that time call Brenda Hanna at 724-471-3003 or Marcia Buriok at 724-463-3291 and we will include you and your concern in our prayers with confidentiality. You may also give your concern in writing to Pastor David Hanna at the end of the service in church on Sunday, in the church office, in the chapel, or place it in the wooden prayer box on the table in the Narthex. You need not give names if you don’t wish to – just first names or initials are fine.
If it is an immediate need for prayer there is a prayer chain which can be started by calling Dorothy Phoebus at 724-349-3883.
"Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. Let your gentleness be known to everyone. The Lord is near. Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God." Philippians 4:4-6
HAPPY FIRST ANNIVERSARY!
PRAYERS & SQUARES
THE PRAYER QUILT MINISTRY
One year ago "Prayers & Squares, The Prayer Quilt Ministry" began. We are Chapter #612 in the international interdenominational organization. In that one year 18 prayer quilts have been knotted and given with prayers.
Those who have seen a prayer quilt and have offered a prayer while tying a knot, have experienced how a prayer quilt is made with love and tied with prayer. It is truly a spiritual experience to pray for others in this way. During this one year in action the Prayers & Squares Prayer Quilt Ministry has made and dedicated 18 prayer quilts, several four inch prayer squares have been sent or given to persons in need of extra prayer, and many military prayer squares have been sent or given to soldiers for prayer support.
It takes many prayers and many hands to bring this together. Meeting every Tuesday from 11 am – 1 pm (on a come and go basis) are: Lois Allison, Eleanor Arbuckle, Marcia Buriok, Linda Jane Double, Jeannette Fulmer, Naomi Kipp, Karen Ross, Joanne Rowley, Thelma Smith, and Rose Yirenkyi. We need help in ironing, pinning, sewing, cutting, organizing the fabric, and pulling the yarn through the quilts. Anyone is welcome. There are many jobs with a tremendous amount of reward!
A special thank you goes to those who have donated time, fabric, supplies, money, and especially prayers toward the ministry. We are not in the church budget and rely on donations to keep on. THANK YOU!
If you know of someone who is in special need of the healing power of prayer; whether member or non-member, child or adult, ill or facing surgery, or in a difficult life situation, you may request a prayer quilt. The process is:
Ask the person’s permission. The person must agree to accept the gift of prayer in the form of a quilt.
Make sure the person knows it is a gift of love.
Call Marcia Buriok (724-463-3291) with the request.
Prayer squares (a 4 inch square with 5 prayer knots) are also available for mailing or to give to a friend.
Motto: It’s not about the quilt, it’s about the prayers.
Habitat for Humanity helps families with low incomes build houses for themselves. Anyone who has construction skills or likes to paint and wallpaper can participate in Habitat, and Calvary has several members who do so regularly. As a congregation, we also support the program with funds to buy construction supplies.
Our Prison Ministry began with former Associate Pastor Elizabeth Rogers and several women members visiting the women prisoners at the county jail, leading worship services and Bible study there on Sunday afternoons. Members of the congregation participate in the Presbytery Prison Group which conducts worship services at SCI Pine Grove near Indiana quarterly. This group has formed a local chapter of the Pennsylvania Prison Society, whose members visit and advocate for prisoners, many of whose families live too far away to visit regularly.
Through our Healthcare Ministry, we tend to physical as well as spiritual needs. We host blood drives and provide blood pressure checks after morning worship once a month to anyone who needs to be monitored. Nurses and doctors in the congregation volunteer their time to answer questions from members who need help in understanding a medical problem or their medications, navigating the healthcare system, or arranging for nursing home or hospice care.
Providing meeting space in our building for community organizations such as AA, Alanon, Alateen, and the Parkinsons' Support Group is one congregational ministry. Individually and as a congregation, we care for the community through programs such as the ICCAP Food Pantry, Meals on Wheels, and CARENET. We care for each other by serving funeral meals for grieving members, by visiting homebound and hospitalized members, by praying for those who ask our prayers and by being there for each other in times of need.
With our gifts of money to the church, we carry on a wider ministry in many places throughout the world. These funds help people in times of disaster and in everyday efforts to become self-sustaining, through ministries such as:
Heifer Project, which fights hunger and develops agricultural communities by giving breeding animals or bees to individual families, who then give offspring of those creatures to other struggling families in their communities.
Self-Development of People provides seed money and guidance to third-world communities in projects such as building and managing safe water supplies, educating people in sound health and agricultural practices, and helping communities to build cottage industries into self-sustaining sources of income.
Disaster Relief meets the immediate needs of refugees from wars and natural disasters with food, medicines and medical care, temporary housing and clothing.
Calvary also invests in the lives of poor people to fight poverty. Calvary has joined the Ecumenical Development Cooperative Society, lending funds at a low rate of interest to farmers' cooperatives, street vendors and artisans in the world's poorest communities, who can't get loans from conventional banks. Loans rather than gifts give people in these communities the opportunity to grow their businesses and work their way out of poverty in a way that builds human dignity.
We invite you to experience God's love and to share it through caring ministries in the church, in your community and in the world.