Our Newsletter ·
November 2011 Messenger
From the Pastor’s Study:
The theme for our stewardship season this year is “Giving from the Heart” -- which seems so obvious and so basic. The source of all giving is a movement from our hearts… in empathy and in sympathy. That’s where it starts. That’s the basis. When we get into the particulars of how much should we give or to whom should we give or when should we give . . . that is the domain or our reason, of our minds. But the first impulse of giving (of our time, our attention, our money, our effort) is an opening of the heart. And often it comes unbidden. We can hear a story and tears spring from our eyes. We see harm done to an innocent victim and we instinctively want to make it better. We are inspired by a particular “cause” or movement, and we want to join in. True empathy is “to feel with” another. To put ourselves in their shoes, as it were. And when we open our hearts, we allow ourselves to be affected by the circumstances of that other person or that situation. The problem is that when we open our hearts, we are vulnerable. We are moved. And in our culture, with so many needs and valuable efforts, we can become overwhelmed, and shut off our ability to feel compassion at all. But that isn’t how God made us.
At Calvary, I am often inspired by the ways that you give of your time, effort, attention and money. Within the church, of course, but even beyond our own community. We want to celebrate this year the variety of ways that our congregation gives from the heart. On November 6th, we will dedicate our “Time and Talents” cards. We will lift up the importance of giving of your own energy and ability to sustain the work of our church. But we will also honor the ways that each us give . . . to our families, our neighbors, other institutions and organizations, strangers far and near. On November 13th we will dedicate our financial Pledge Cards. We rely on your gifts to support our ministry. We can’t continue without your help. You will find on your pledge cards a budget summary, which describes in general terms where we spend your gifts. But if you want to receive a more detailed proposed budget, just email Gail in the church office. But on November 13th we will also honor the ways that you give financially to support, family, friends, strangers and organizations that you care about. Calvary is not the only recipient of your generosity. We know that and we are enriched by your compassion for others.
I invite you to notice during this stewardship season what moves your heart? In what ways are you touched and motivated? Our prayer is that you will be moved to support Calvary as an expression of your compassion for others.
Faithfully,
Holly
Stewardship Mailing: During the first week of November you will receive a mailing from the church. Inside will be two items -- a Time and Talents Survey and a Financial Pledge Card. We use the Time and Talents Surveys all during the year to find support for various ministries in our common life, so we appreciate your thoughtful responses. The pledge cards provide valuable information as we prepare our general budget and make crucial decision regarding salaries and mission giving.
We will dedicate the Time and Talents Surveys on Sunday, November 6th.
We will dedicate the Pledge Cards on Sunday, November 13th.
Please give your prayerful consideration of the ways that you can support the ongoing ministry of Calvary in 2012.
Faith in Action: Holiday Outreach Activities:
As in years past, Calvary has the opportunity to spread some holiday cheer to the children and adults served by the Colfax Community Network. Later this month, we will place a gift suggestion list in the Narthex for anyone who would like to buy toys, gift cards, or adult gifts. These will be distributed during the CCN Christmas Party.
This year, the CCN Christmas party will be held during the afternoon of December 10. It's an amazing day, in which hundreds of people who are homeless or near to it, join together for Christmas festivities. Volunteers are needed throughout the day to cook and serve a delicious dinner, to help families Christmas shop in the "gift store," to wrap the chosen gifts, to keep the kids neatly in the line to visit Santa (yes, Santa will be there!), and a myriad other things. Please sign the volunteer sheet in the Narthex, so that we can give CCN an idea of how many people from Calvary can help. Even an hour or two of your time will make a tremendous difference.
Beginning late this month, we will offer an alternative Christmas gift fair, to support Church World Service's activities around the world. CWS aids refugees such as the Osman family and assists communities to become self-sustaining. You will have an opportunity to "buy" many of the types of items and services that are currently helping the Osman family to become settled and self-supporting in Denver: sewing machines and supplies, sewing lessons, school kits, and literacy classes, as examples. Your contribution to CWS from the menu of services and supplies can be life-changing. Please consider this alternative way to buy Christmas gifts for those on your list this year.
Calvary Creations: Bake Sale / Craft Sate
Sunday, November 13
This year Calvary Creations will not join Salem in their Craft Sale. Instead we will have a Bake Sale / Craft Sale here just for Calvary on Sunday, November 13. We need the help of the congregation to bake goodies for the Bake Sale. Please help us as we will use the proceeds of the sale to buy yarn for our prayer shawls. Please contact Pat Herring at 303-756-3294 or linkslady34@q.com if you need more information.
Daylight Savings Time Ends on November 6: Fall back! Come to church on time. Don’t forget to turn your clocks back one hour on Saturday night before you go to bed…..
Harvest Potluck: Sunday, November 20th at 11:00 am (after worship and fellowship). This is a time of thanksgiving for the abundance that God has provided. As a sign of our gratitude, we bring offerings of turkey (please let Sydney Summers know if you are bringing a turkey; we need 3 people for this), side dishes and desserts to share with the Calvary family. (Remember . . . if you are over 80, you don’t have to bring anything.) Come, bring family and friends to share in this feast!
Hanging of the Greens: Saturday, November 26th at 10:00 am. Come to help dress our sanctuary for Advent and Christmas! There is light work and heavier work. We will place the stable and manger, hang the purple curtains, drape the greens and put the Chrismons on the trees in the sanctuary and narthex. It is a glorious time of transformation!
Session Highlights - October 2011:
Calvary’s Session met October 18, 2010, with the Rev. Dr. Holly Heuer serving as moderator.
Treasurer Julie Christiansen reported a checking account balance of $7,061.16 and $30,000 in savings.
Session met with new member, Barbara Ellis, and heard her faith journey
Session APPROVED the sale of pumpkins for Carpenter’s Helpers, APPROVED the collection of scarves, gloves and hats for the Osman family, and APPROVED collecting donations for Church World Service in December ( instead of the Heifer Project).
Fred Huff indicated that the rental rates and terms for tenants are being reevaluated. The garden level dedication was scheduled for October 23.
Session approved the Calvary Diversity Council’s survey with editorial suggestions.
Update on the Osman Family: The Osman family is gradually getting used to our way of life in Denver. The boys are attending Kenton Elementary School, and they are close enough to walk. Deko attends Central High School (in Aurora), also in walking Distance. Fatuma and Molitho (mother and adult foster daughter) are attending Emily Griffith Opportunity School in the mornings, taking English as a Second Language. They ride the bus with several other Somali refugees from their Apartment. They also attend ESL classes on Saturday morning at First Presbyterian Church, Aurora. There is another family, the Ibrahims, who live nearby, who seem to be their "best friends."
Our pastor has been advocating for the Osman's, attempting to cut through red tape to get things that they need, including bus passes for the adults and lunch/tutoring forms for the children. She has also found a translator to assist during the tutoring lessons. We have begun weekly tutoring "classes" in their apartment on Wednesdays at 4pm. It is a fun time to learn letters and numbers and for them to practice their English. Still the most common phrase is "I don't understand." If you want to join the rotating team, please speak to Sue Vodehnal, who is coordinating the classes (303-757-3826) or Edie Lovegren or Rachel Yates. We also have a sign up sheet in the narthex for this.
Sheryl Campbell and Mary Parks will be giving sewing lessons to Fatuma and Molitho. A church member donated a sewing machine to the family. If you would like to volunteer to help with sewing lessons, contact Edie Lovegren or Rachel Yates and we will put you in touch with Sheryl who is coordinating the sewing lessons.
A frequent sight when we arrive at the apartment is the laundry -- out on the apartment railings, drying. They are gentle people, eager to learn and grateful for all our support. The furnishings, clothes and supplies that you provided are well used and loved.
A Wintertime Need for the Osmans: Through the first week of November, we are collecting new or gently used scarves, gloves, and knit hats for the family. They come from a mild climate and do not have winter wear, except the coats given to them when they arrived. The children are: Deko (daughter) age 16, Abdullahi (age 7) and Zakaria (age 5).
Book Club: The Book Club will meet in the Calvary Library on Monday, November 14, at 1:30 in the afternoon. Pat Herring will lead a discussion of "The Postmistress" by Sarah Blake. Also we will choose books for upcoming months. All are welcome. Please call Nancy Coffern at 303-758-3492 if you have questions or ideas.
Need for Counting Teams: We are looking for counting teams for 2012. Teams of two are responsible for counting the offering after church and dropping the deposit off at the bank. This takes approximately 15 to 30 minutes per week and depending on the number of volunteers, teams count every eight to ten weeks. If you are interested in assisting please contact Julie Christiansen at 303-757-0732 or jkclbd@aol.com.
Notes from the Garden: Our gardening season has officially ended with the frost of mid October. We were blessed with a long fall growing season, but that didn’t seem to help our tomatoes get red. Other gardeners reported similar problems. We did plant some spinach which should overwinter and be ready for early spring harvest. It worked last year. If you have suggestions for an item to be grown next year, speak to Sydney. Zucchini and cucumbers have been very popular and prolific, for sure.
Thanks go to the garden committee who tended the garden over many weeks: Larry Knott, Dale Vodehnal, Bruce Derenthal, Nancy Coffern, Nancy Ulrich, Wayne Kaufman, Heather Hector and especially Sydney Summers who coordinated a great deal of the work.
Be sure to check Calvary’s website for announcements to keep current: www.calvarypresdenver.org.