Many of you know that Kathy and I were able to spend a long weekend in Phoenix for our annual gathering with Calvary snowbirds. We met on Sunday afternoon and had a great time. It’s always fun to get Calvary people together. Actually, I’m writing this while still in Arizona. Don’t be too jealous. It rained all day Sunday and Sunday night and was still totally cloudy Monday.
There are a number of very important things that I want you to know about. I’m going to share them more in the order of their happening rather than any order of importance. Read on to learn more about:
- This week’s Lenten portrayal.
- The “Called to Worship” concert of praise.
- The activities of the Affiliations Task Force.
- A new call for Pastor Kevin Johnson at Emmaus Road Church.
- This week’s E100 focus.
Tonight (Wednesday), we continue with our Lenten journey by hearing the testimony of Thomas. Even though we tend to apply the label “doubting” to Thomas, I have a hunch you might find you have more in common with Thomas than with any other disciple. You’ll want to come at either 5:30 or 7 p.m. to hear his story.
This Saturday evening, our Expressions Choir, along with our own Ben Hertle and a special trio called Redpath, will present a “Called to Worship” concert of praise at 7 p.m. It will be a wonderful and worshipful evening that you won’t want to miss.
Calvary’s Affiliations Task Force is nearing the end of their work and will present their findings to the church council on Tuesday evening, March 16. This has been a long and laborious process, but one bathed in prayer by our entire congregation. I have been absolutely amazed at how these 10 former presidents, each with very different views on all that has happened, have been able to come together, and I believe they will be able to present a unanimous proposal to the council—something that I never thought would be possible. They are still working on finalizing their recommendation, but I believe you will find it to be a unique and a new way of looking at how Calvary should move forward in mission and ministry. Once the council has received the report, decisions will be made about exactly how the report will be shared with the congregation and what kinds of opportunities will be made available to give congregational members a chance to hear the rationale of the recommendation and ask questions.
I want to thank the Luther Seminary faculty, as well as moderator Dayton Soby and organizers Shelby Andress and Gordon Eid, for the panel discussion on Monday evening. As we move forward in our affiliations assessment, I’m hopeful that it was helpful for people to hear some very different perspectives.
While in Arizona for the weekend, I received word from Pastor Kevin Johnson that he has accepted a call to Emmaus Road Church in St. Louis Park to be their pastor. They have asked him to start on Easter Sunday, so he will be making a rather quick transition from Calvary to his new position. That means March 21 will be his last Sunday at Calvary. We will have an open house that morning for Kevin, so all of you can have a chance to thank him for his ministry and wish him well in his new call. Staff changes are never easy, but I know we all feel that we have been very blessed to have Pastor Kevin on staff for these years, and we know God will bless him in this new opportunity.
This week we continue our E100 readings around the title “The Fall of Israel.” God warned Israel what would happen if they had a king, and that warning is beginning to play itself out.
Have a great week. See you in church.
March 10, 2010