Wonderful Worship

2009 started out with a bang Sunday with wonderful praise and worship. Thanks again, have to go to Robert Clifford for all the love and dedication he has for the music at Calvary. The addition of the guitar Chuck has been bringing the past few weeks has really added an element of beauty to the songs. Welcome back to Rodney Murray who rejoined the worship team on Christmas Eve with the traditional song " Mary Did You Know". Having Rodney back made Christmas very special. Seeing him and the Murray family there was a blessing and now every Sunday Rodney will be helping us enter into worship. God is so good.
Our January fellowship is the last Sunday of the month and Cindy Nigels will be sharing her testimony. I will also be bringing a simple craft to share. Don't miss this wonderful time of sharing and growing together in the Lord. As usual, coffee and tea will be provided , bring a little dish to share if it is easy for you but don't let that stop you if it is not. We always have plenty.
The committee welcomes Peggy Paulus to the group this year. We will meet at 4 prior to the fellowship, as usual.
We are looking forward to a great year !! Come be a part of it and fill your life with JOY !

Happy New Year !!!!

What a great time of fellowship and fun we all had at the JOY holiday party. Once again, the ladies outdid themselves with the food and everyone was able to take home a little sampling of the goodies. We welcomed Diana Skinner and Ruth Williams to the group as new guests.
Also, a thank you to the committee who led us through 2008 and we welcomed Peggy Paulus to the leadership for 2009.
The new year brings so many new challenges and happenings. I encourage you to let go of any bitterness and any grudge you may have so that you can enter the new year completely at peace with God and man.
The link to the Mayo Clinic gives a lot of good advice for forgiveness but the most important reason we need to forgive is that we are commanded to do so by our Saviour !
I pray you have a wonderful 2009 filled with love, happiness, and lots of " JOY"

2009 ...PLAN TO BE "JOY"FULL

The New Year is on the horizon. I am not much for making New Year resolutions because most times they are not realistic and become a source of failure but what I do propose is that we look for places in 2009 where we can grow in Jesus and make more Christian friends because in times of joy and times of trouble we need people who care to share our news and circumstances . Consider becoming a vital and committed member of JOY. Once a month for 2 hours, the ladies of Calvary come together ...nothing heavy and no big homework to do just a time to share with each other and have some goodies, a cup of tea or coffee and hear a short message or testimony.
In January, Cindy Nigels will be sharing her testimony of how God has worked in her life and the victories He has brought from her trials . Cindy has only shared once before and it was at a youth group meeting years ago. Your faith will be strengthened hearing how faithful God has been in her life.
We meet the last Sunday of the month at 5:30. If a sitter would make it easier for you to come, please let me know as I can book a sitter if we have some interest. The last time I booked one, we had no kids come so I do need a commitment if you are coming with kids.
It is easy to come to church on Sunday and never meet or get to know your sisters in the Lord. This is your opportunity !! We really want to include all of our ladies, also bring your neighbors and friends....let them know this is not a plea for them to join our church , just a monthly ladies fellowship. I think you will love it and want to return. Dixie

The Holidays are Coming

December is upon us... December 6th we will decorate the church for the coming of the King.
Come out and join us and help get the Lord's house ready for the season.
There are advent dinners and worship each Wednesday night from now until Christmas.
Christmas Eve we will come together at 8 p.m. for a candlelight worship service.
Gather friends and neighbors and encourage them to come celebrate this holy season.

Planning meeting

Sunday , November 23rd at 5:30 there will be a planning meeting for all the ministries at Calvary. You need to sign up if you are coming and bring a dish to share but this is a time that all the ministries at Calvary make plans for the upcoming year. As leader of JOY, I invite you to come and help us plan for the women's ministry. We will have dinner and then a brainstorming session. The leadership committee of JOY now consists of Alice Schultz, Dixie Roberts, Bonnie Brunson, Marlene Vatter, and Kathy Nagle. We would love to have you help us plan and if you are interested in joining our leadership group, we welcome your presence. We meet at 4 o'clock on the last Sunday of the month just prior to the 5:30 fellowship of JOY. If you feel you can meet with us to pray and plan, please call the church office and get Kathy to put you on the list for the dinner. This is your opportunity to get your ideas into action. Thanks, Dixie

Brunch Report

We held the November brunch on the 8th. What delicious food we had and plenty of it. Thank you ladies for all the dishes and for all the help with clean up. Thanks also to Cindy Nigels for helping me decorate and set up the brunch area. All the fall decorations really put us in the mood for the Thanksgiving and the holidays. We had a good group show up , about 25 of us enjoyed the fellowship and good food. We discussed some plans for the group and shared about looking outward at the big picture , not dwelling on ourselves and imperfections. Several of the ladies shared from their hearts. We were blessed to have several new ladies there for the first time.
Our group is growing and we have just 2 more times to meet this year. November 30th we will have our regular fellowship at 5:30. On December 28th we will meet at 5:30 but at the the home of Dixie Roberts. This will be our holiday party. You will receive an invitation in your box soon with all the details and there will be a sign up sheet. No child care will be provided so look at your calendars soon and get a sitter so you can come and be part of the fun. We will have door prizes and great food and cozy time by the fire. You don't want to miss this one.
Next year 2009... we are looking for several of you ladies to step up to the plate. You will have the opportunity if you want it to lead the fellowship one of the months of 2009. If you are interested in organizing one of the monthly fellowships with your teaching or activity, please email me with your ideas and we will get you on the calendar.
I have really enjoyed leading the group this year. If you are interested in being part of our leadership committee, please contact me. We meet at 4:00 on the regular fellowship days ( last Sunday of the month) and we set up and clean up for the fellowship, make plans for the activities and pray for each other. It is a great group and we would love help.
Pray for JOY ....

THE EARTH DECLARES HIS GLORY !

Fall is so beautiful. It came to my mind today that all the colors and beauty was just for us !!! Jesus did not have to make everything so beautiful for it all to work. We were in his mind when he created purple mountains against a misty sky and turquoise waters that run along the Niagara River flanked by orange and gold and yellow and cranberry colored leaves. Jim and I just returned from a trip to the falls and were reminded of the scripture.... The heavens and earth do declare HIS glory. Can we even imagine the creativity of a God who placed all of this beauty for us ?? Even our senses are a gift from HIM meant to enhance our pleasures. The smell of Pumpkin spiced coffee brewing has caused me to welcome the mornings. The feel of the crisp air of fall has given me renewed energy! The song you hear on this site by Chris Rice makes me think he has experienced all of those same feelings as he looked out onto the landscapes, seascapes and colors. I spoke with a friend this week in NY who shared with me her feeling of total awe when she stood beside the grand canyon. Just the gift that we have of perceiving things the way we do is incredible to me. It was the plan of the Creator that we have these feelings of awe when we look at a beautiful scene or smell a nostalgic scent. He could have made these things but not given us the brain that would process it the way we do. I am so in awe of Him and His creation. Enjoy fall, stop and smell the air , the coffee...get a pumpkin latte tomorrow and take in FALL ! Build a fire, it is worth the work... gather some leaves and some pine cones and make a fall wreath... a glue gun and a few minutes and you will have a front door that welcomes the season. It will all change to Christmas before we know it so hurry !!! AND FOR ALL YOU FRIENDS In Niagara...go to that park and get all the chestnuts before the squirrels do ! I wish I had thought to get them last week. Dixie

Fellowship Reminder

Our October fellowship is on the 26th at 5:30. Nancy and Emily Beck will open with praise and worship . Joy Jennings will be sharing that night. Joy has been coming to Calvary with her beautiful kids for quite some time. She is a member of the worship team.
Feel free to bring a goody to share...we have had awesome treats at the last few fellowships. Coffee and Tea will be provided by the committee.
Alsoooooo there is a sign up sheet out for the November brunch. Please invite a friend...lots of door prizes...
this is a time to show off your fall recipes. When you sign up, you will need to check whether you are bringing a hearty dish or a sweet treat. Also we could use helping with set up, clean up and kitchen people for warming the dishes up before they are put out on the buffet.
WEAR your fall colors.

The Church is not a business but business must be conducted to have a successful church....

The church is a group of people. Without people,all you have is a building. When we gather in the sanctuary and we work side by side, worship together and fellowship, we become a family in the kingdom of God. It would be wonderful if we could just show up and worship but alas, there are bills to pay, people to hire, repairs to be made.... a lot of business.
Last night we had a voters meeting. Some people stay away from voters meetings I am told because it is stressful. It should not be that way. Please prayerfully consider becoming , first a member of Calvary and then a voting member. It is important that your voice is heard. A small handful of us should not be given the opportunity to make plans and decisions for the whole congregation. Once a quarter for 2 hours, it is important to be a part of the guiding hands for the church. We all get busy, we all would like to be home more but church is the most important thing that we have to hold us to our convictions, to keep our families focused on the right things, to keep us one with each other in the body. I urge you to make time for the voters meetings. Furthermore, do not come with the mindset of how fast this should be. I hear moanings and groanings throughout the meetings and people trying to hurry everything along. There are members who might like to share their feelings and thoughts if they felt that the meetings really gave a place for that. I don't think we would consider pushing our bosses to finish quickly if we were invited into a corporate meeting that was set up to set guidelines for budget and activities of the business. God's business is important and should be given high priority and patience.
Watch for the posting of the next meeting and come out and be a part of it all. We are in a crucial time for Calvary...choosing a new pastor, deciding how our budget will be spent, making decisions about ministries we will support. Your tithe is crucial in supporting the work of the Lord and your voice is crucial in determining where it will be spent.
I think I am going to work on making it a little more appealing , maybe with coffee, tea and some treats...are there any of you out there that think that might be a good idea? Then we could settle in and relax and spend the time we need to making the church run smoothly. Consider it a family meeting. I will fix coffee and tea and we can get a few people to bring goodies.... seems like we are happy when we are eating. I also think we should consider changing the name of the meeting. The meeting is not about voting. This is a meeting where we lead, guide and tweak the happenings, events, and business of the church. Maybe we should call it a " members meeting "so that we don't scare people away thinking they are not"voters."... voting is not all that we do there. Also, I think we should have someone report on the meeting to the congregation the sunday after we meet. This would make everyone feel they are part of the church and entice them to come to the next one.What do you think? Post your comments to this blog by clicking on the word "comments" below this post. Hope to see you at the next one. Thanks, Dixie

October Pot Luck

NO it is not food time again. This month the pot luck is in the teaching. Two ladies have expressed an interest in presenting a teaching for the October meeting on the 26th . Dixie will be out of town celebrating her 34th anniversary with Jim. The praise and worship will be led by Emily and Nancy Beck and the teaching will be one of the two ladies who responded. Joy Jennings has volunteered to lead the study and Shannon Weldon also responded. Shannon has to work but is trying to change her schedule so if she can, Joy will share another time. If Shannon cannot work out her schedule, Joy will lead the night. YOU might get double JOY.... JOY sharing at JOY. Either way, I know that God will use these young women to inspire you and give you new thoughts to deepen your walk with him. Come , bring a friend, and be inspired to live for Jesus daily. I will miss being with you all but will look forward to November.