Creative Community

This fall our church will be going through the Old Testament during our Sunday morning gatherings. The sermons will all work together to present a chronological view of the "first section" of God's amazing story. Although we are not producing any specific curriculum for this series, we have pulled together several small group resources your group can use to compliment our Sunday sermons. These materials are available in The Cove, so check them out if you are interested. The following dates are the important dates for this fall's "Quest": August 26 -- Registration Ends September 2 -- Quest Guide Published September 9 -- Quest Begins September 9 -- LG Summit 1 September 26 -- LG Summit 2 October 7,14,21,28 -- Link-Up at 10:45am November 4 -- One Day Link-Up from 10:45am-2pm November 4 -- LG Summit 3 November 18 -- Baptism December 16 -- Quest Ends Remember: You are not expected to attend all three Summits (although you are welcome to). We are asking that y...

Remember, this Sunday is the last chance to register your LIFEGroup for this fall's quest! Also, remember that beginning September 9, all our Discipleship Communities will be called LIFEGroups. (DC leaders, don't forget to register!) Just to remind you what registration is and isn't. It ISN'T: A way for the church to get more control of your group. We've already got our hands full! A way for us to force you to do what we want. If you're sharing your life with a group of believers, we're excited about that! Just another thing we're doing. I (david) am committed to this for the long haul. Difficult. Just click here . It IS: A way for us to communicate better with you. If we know who is meeting and what you are doing, we can get info to you easier. A way for us to help people find groups. Knowing what groups are meeting, and what they're doing enables us to help others get connected. A convenient way for your group to have "starting" a...

Sometime this weekend, our family will head out to do some school shopping. We'll get pencils, notebooks, lunch-boxes, some new clothes, and who knows what else. All this effort is necessary to make sure Emma and Liam get off to the best start possible. Every September brings a time of fresh-starts. Children start a new grade (some start a new school). Families start a new schedule. Sports clubs begin their fall season. Churches often kick off new programs in the fall. Here at Calvary, things start getting back in gear in September, and by October, we're rolling along at full speed. This September, we're starting our first "Quest". Although the official starting date will be September 9, your group may start earlier or later than that. Whenever you start, don't miss out on this unique opportunity for a "FRESH START". You can use the concept of a quest, along with the start of the new school year to try some new things or restart some old ...

Thailand Team 2008 January 18, 2008 – February 1, 2008 Background In 1996 Calvary Church desired to adopt a lost people group (a group of people who had never heard the gospel). Through GAP Ministries we were put in touch with Pastor Kiatisak Siripanadorn. He is a native Thai pastor at Grace Baptist Church in Bangkok, Thailand. Pastor David Livermore, then our missions pastor, visited Pastor Kiatisak and went to see the villages of the Akha and Lahu tribes in northern Thailand. This area is about 650 miles north of Bangkok. The Akha and Lahu are two of many tribes who migrated from southern China over the past 100 years. Because they are not Thai they are often seen as second class citizens in Thailand. They worship animals and spirits and do not follow the Buddhist religion of most Thais. They live high in the hills because they believe evil spirits dwell in the valleys. These people are subsistence farmers and live in villages with bamboo houses and grass thatch roofs. Some v...

As part of our efforts to continually provide communication and occasionally provide helpful ideas and suggestions for our LIFEGroup Drivers, we have held four LIFEGroup Summits each year. It has been my desire that all our drivers attend these (I really don’t think that’s asking a lot?). Beginning this fall, we are changing the process a bit. As you already know, we have designated the time from September 9 – December 16 as our Fall Quest . We will also be engaging in a Winter Quest from February 3 – April 6 and a Spring Quest from April 13 – June 8. During each quest, we will host three LIFEGroup Summits. These summits are open to anyone, and our LIFEGroup Drivers are welcome to attend them all. We only ask that every LIFEGroup Driver attend at least one summit during each Quest. The Fall Quest summits will be held: Sunday, September 9 @ 12pm (noon: Lunch Provided!) Wednesday, September 26 @ 6:30pm (Pizza Provided!) Sunday, November 4 @ 6pm (Coffee Provided!) Each of these sum...

I received this email as a response to the post about "recitals". It was worth sharing. David, Just a few thoughts I wanted to share. I read your email the same morning I read 1 cor 1:18-2:5. This scripture is special to me for I have experienced God taking many of my weakness and using them for His glory. I look at your Quest Discipleship model as a challenge for us to go beyond ourselves individually as well as lifegroups and allow Gods power to grow his kingdom. ** God doesn't expect us to be prefect(have all the skills) and totally sure of ourselves(have a know a talent), but does expect us to TRUST in the Power of God. As in 1 Cor 2:1-5 (nlt) Paul went out with the Good News of Christ with weakness-timid and trembling!! Hadn't used Lofty words or brilliant ideas. So that trust is in the power of God rather than man. And than 1 Cor 3:6 We're only servants, it is our job to planting seeds or water, the power of grow is from God. Our jobs of planting or wa...

I have this idea for small groups in churches that emerge up out of the ground. Pastors nurture them, fertilizing the ground, watering, weeding, providing stakes when necessary, but they don't try to force them into a template. They allow them to find their way. There are no objectives or outcomes, just a simple expectation that they continue journeying together. The question that is asked is not "where are we going?" but rather, "who's coming with me?" Sound like fun?