March 2021

A Note from Pastor Grannis

Come now, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit" – yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring…Instead you ought to say, "If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that." ~ James 4:13-15

Greetings people of Calvary,

The above passage has indeed born itself out in each of our lives this past year.  We have each had to navigate constant changes with regard to plans and expectations.  Saying we will do one thing and then having to re-evaluate, reconsider, and change what we thought were well thought out plans has been a humbling if not frustrating experience.

At our February 24th Midweek Lenten service a central message of my sermon was that as we “return to the Lord” we must take steps forward in faith to “return to normalcy.”  With all of this in mind, it is with humility that I tell you the following plans for taking steps toward normalcy in the months ahead…if the Lord wills.

We are in the early planning stages of planning Easter breakfast. It will look a little different this year (reservations, table service, to-go options, table games and activities rather than an egg hunt), but I am excited to see everything coming together.  Be on the lookout for upcoming information and please make your reservations.

While Sunday Bible Study and confirmation started back up in the fall, we have been without Sunday School and Youth Group activities for nearly an entire year now.  However, starting on Saturday, April 10th and continuing on the second Saturday of each month (at least through the summer), we will be having a monthly gathering for the kids and youth of Calvary.  It will start at 10 a.m. and include, a short opening devotional service, fun crafts and activities, snacks and prayers, and games.

 We pray that this monthly event will be a good way to reconnect with our youngest members and their families.  We also pray that it will serve as a way for them to invite friends and neighbors to grow in the knowledge, faith, and joy of our salvation in Christ.  It could also serve to prime the pump for participation in our 2021 Vacation Bible School.  We are planning on holding VBS during the last week of August (23rd – 27th).

The VBS week will also (not so coincidentally) lead into our annual outdoor service and cookout, where we will be  inviting our VBS participants to share some of the songs they learned at VBS that week, as we acknowledge their participation and bless them and their upcoming school year.  

Lord willing, our plan is to start back with regular Sunday school on the second Sunday of September (Sept. 12th).  Of course with all of these plans we will be making accommodations to mitigate risk factors of spreading any illnesses. 

As we continue through this Lenten journey with Jesus through His cross and to the empty tomb of the Resurrection morning, I pray that we would all remember and live out the truth – that we are resurrection people; we are people with a sure hope that has overcome death.  May Christ continue to bless your Lenten journey as together we “return to the Lord” our God.

Living forever, now,

Pastor Michael James Grannis