Blog : Archives February 2020

10:30 a.m. Worship
Preacher: Rev. Anne J. Scalfaro
Scripture: Mark 10:17-31 (NRSV)
Title: Anything But That

As we continue our journey through Mark’s gospel, we are met with a text that speaks to the heart of our struggles in discipleship. We can feel like we are doing all the right things and that we are more or less a “good person,” and yet still know that something is missing. We are not fulfilled; we feel empty, spiritually thirsty, and are left wanting for something deeper, something more.
In the case of the man who runs up to Jesus in Mark 10, he discovers that what he is missing is something that he doesn’t know yet if he is ready to give up – his wealth, his possessions. Jesus has compassion and love for this man; he knows it will be hard for him. He also knows that it is the only thing that will allow this man to inherit the life eternal he is so longing for. Jesus reassures us in our doubts that the most seemingly impossible things to us, are possible with God. So why do we still cling to material things as a means of reassurance and identity and comfort?
On this first Sunday in Lent we will grapple with this text as a way of taking stock of what we, too, must do to experience fullness of life with God. Just like the man in the text we will look at what we have already done and are doing now, and see still yet what is lacking. That will then lead us to look at those parts of our life that we really don’t want to change and ask the question: could that be the very area in our life where God could unlock for us a whole new depth of faith?

Read More…

Tags: Enews, Worship

Come for this presentation by Rev. Chuck Goertz at Piccolo’s Restaurant (3563 S. Monaco Pkwy) titled "The Myth of a Christian Nation." People arrive at 6 p.m. for dinner; presentation begins at 7 p.m. (buying dinner is optional). With inclement weather, cancellations do occur. Email David Ferguson (dfergusonhome@msn.com) or Dave Crane (dcrane1049@aol.com) to be put on the email list and notified of cancellations.
Read More…

Tags: Top Story, GPS Groups

Sun. Mar. 22 & Sun. April 5– Connections Class for Those Considering Membership– 3:30 p.m. - Fireplace Room.

If you recently joined the church or you’re considering membership at Calvary, please join us a series of two classes and an afternoon at the Pastor’s home. Dinner is provided.

Description: This class is designed for those who are new to Calvary and/or those who are interested in becoming a member of our church. During the two sessions you will be introduced to key staff and lay leaders, church structure, ministry areas, service and small group opportunities, Calvary history and denominational affiliation, membership requirements, and more. In addition, we will learn more about you and how you would like to connect with Calvary. The third session you will have the opportunity to connect more personally with staff and lay leaders at the Scalfaro’s home.



Read More…

Tags: Top Story, Enews, Intergenerational, Discipleship

Sat. Mar. 14 - Sun. Mar. 15 – Taizé Weekend Hosted by The Threshold: Hospitality - A Pilgrimage of Trust – The Regis University Chapel, 3333 Regis Blvd, Denver, CO 80221, (Sat. 9:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.) and Calvary’s Sanctuary (Sun. 4:45 - 6:00 p.m.). In an increasingly fragmented world, people are asking: Who is my neighbor? Is reconciliation possible? Is community a dream? Join Brothers Emile and John from the Taizé community as they share in the dialogue and spiritual practice that is the heart of the community's home in France. More information on the Taizé Weekend cards on the Welcome Kiosk. To register, visit www.thethreshold.us. Read More…

Tags: Partnership

View our GPS Small Groups here. Read More…

Tags: GPS Groups, Top Story, Enews, Intergenerational

10:30 a.m. Worship
Preacher: Rev. Anne J. Scalfaro
Scripture: Mark 8:27-9:8 (NRSV)
Title: Who Do You Say That I Am?

As Jesus pivots from his Galilean ministry to his days in Jerusalem where he will suffer and die, he seems to be provoking his disciples to think deeply about who he is and in turn, to think deeply about their own identities and callings as his followers.
At the beginning of this passage, Jesus flat-out asks his disciples, “Who Do You Say that I Am?” It’s a good question. Who is Jesus? Once we answer that question, it seems that the question that logically follows is: who am I in light of who Jesus is?
Sunday’s sermon will explore the complexity of Jesus’ identity and in turn our own identities. The capstone story of this passage, the Transfiguration, may hold a key truth: that knowing who we are begins and ends with knowing whose we are.


6:30 p.m. Worship
Come to hear our guest preacher, Rev. Sara Reynolds!! Sara is a chaplain at Children’s Hospital Colorado, and has been a chaplain for 7 years. She is an ordained minister through the Alliance of Baptists. She also helps to teach youth church school. She is originally from Smithfield, VA. Sara loves her 2 cats, Rowena and Helga, and loves to force them to snuggle, even though they'd rather play. She also loves to play, to read young adult fiction, to craft, and has a crazy sweet tooth. Read More…

Tags: Enews, Worship

Sat. Mar. 14 – Lenten Sabbath Moments Half-day Retreat – The Sanctuary Center in Castle Rock* – 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. Are you looking for an intentional space to practice sabbath? Join us for a time of prayer, singing, labyrinth walking, prayer stations, and meditation as we spend time in community and in God’s creation, which can be a healing and renewing sabbath practice. Meet at Calvary at 9:00 a.m to carpool. Coffee/drinks and light breakfast items provided. If the weather is dreary, we will meet at Calvary in the Chapel. Please RSVP to Pastor Alice by March 12 so we can plan accordingly and inform you of a change in location. Read More…

Tags: Top Story, Spiritual Practices

Sat. Mar. 7 (NEW DATE) – Women’s Group – 11:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. – Three Fountains Clubhouse (3280 S. Oneida Way, Denver 80224, very close to the church). Come join us for lunch, fellowship and a fabulous presentation of the top reads, including both fiction and non-fiction, by two librarians with Arapahoe Libraries. All women ages high school and above are invited and guests are welcome! Cost is $10 cash at the door. RSVP to Pam Chapman at pachap@comcast.net or 303-437-4731 call or text. Read More…

Tags: Intergenerational, Enews

Lent at Calvary: A Journey of Sabbath Moments
Creating intentionality around keeping sabbath is an essential component of our life of faith, and yet, for so many of us – it is the last thing we give attention to because we’re so busy or we think it won’t fit into our way of life. Through our church-wide curriculum, we’ve studied the biblical and theological roots of Sabbath in January and February. Now we continue the journey of sabbath discernment this Lent by exploring what sabbath means for our individual lives and for our life together as a community of faith. For most of us sabbath may not come in large blocked off periods of time and/or in taking a whole day off at a time to rest or renew. Rather, sabbath might just be about finding Moments – moments where we can just be, breathe, re-center, and re-focus. These sabbath moments are about reminding ourselves that we are beloved children of God just as we are, and they’re about releasing the responsibility of “producing and earning” and/or responding to the needs and desires of others. And over time, all these sabbath moments can and will create meaningful change in our lives.

Worship

Sunday Worship: We will practice sabbath by continuing our deep dive into the story of Scripture through following the Narrative Lectionary for Sunday worship.
• Sundays, Mar. 1, 8, 15, 22, 29 – Worship – 10:30 a.m. / 6:30 p.m. (Sanctuary/Fellowship Hall)

Additional Worship Opportunities: Through creative and ritual-based worship experiences on Ash Wednesday, at Common Table, Common Life, and throughout Holy Week, we will connect more deeply with God and with one another.
• Wed. Feb. 26 – 6:30 - 7:30 p.m. – Ash Wednesday Service (Fireplace Room)
• Sun. Mar. 15 – Common Table, Common Life (20 min. prayer & communion service) – 8:30 a.m. (Chapel)
• Holy Week
o Palm Sunday, April 5 – Worship – 10:30 a.m. & 6:30 p.m. (Sanctuary/Fellowship Hall)
o Holy Monday, April 6 – Worship (30-45 min) – 12:00 p.m. (Chapel)
o Holy Tuesday, April 7 – Worship (30-45 min) – 12:00 p.m. (Chapel)
o Holy Wednesday, April 8 – Worship (30-45 min) – 12:00 p.m. (Chapel)
o Maundy Thursday, April 9 – Tenebrae Worship – 7:00 p.m. (Sanctuary)
o Good Friday, April 10 – “Seven Last Words of Christ” Service with New Hope Baptist Church – 7:00 p.m. (Sanctuary)
o Holy Saturday, April 11 – Worship (30-45 min) – 12:00 p.m. (Chapel)
• Easter Sunday, April 12
o Sunrise Worship at Red Rocks with the Colorado Council of Churches – RSVP to cbc@calvarydenver.org to reserve a spot on the church van
o All Church Reception, Crafts, & Egg Hunt – 9:00 a.m. (Fellowship Hall)
o Worship – 10:30 a.m. & 6:30 p.m. (Sanctuary/Fellowship Hall)

Connect

Sabbath Suppers: Through conversations and rituals, our Wednesday evening Sabbath Suppers will allow us to explore topics together such as “How do our Sundays at Calvary fit into sabbath” / “Individually and collectively, what barriers do we experience around practicing sabbath?” / “What does practicing sabbath look like for committees, small groups, and social groups at Calvary?” / “Is keeping sabbath even possible in this day and age? Why or why not?” As we explore these barriers and/or challenges to sabbath practices, we will see how we as a community can support each other in moving through these barriers to a place that is more freeing as we seek to make practicing Sabbath a reality in our lives.
• Weds. Mar. 11, 18, 25 & April 1 – 6:30 - 8:00 p.m. – Sabbath Suppers (Fellowship Hall)

Sabbath Moment Morning Retreat: Join us for a time of prayer, singing, labyrinth walking, prayer stations, and meditation as we spend time in community and in God’s creation, which can be a healing and renewing sabbath practice.
• Sat. Mar. 14 – 9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. – Sabbath Moment Morning Retreat – The Sanctuary Center, Castle Rock

Sabbath Celebration: On Easter morning, we will engage in the sabbath practice of celebration and fun at an all-church reception as we prepare to worship the Risen Christ.
• Easter Reception with Food, Crafts, & Egg Hunt – 9:00 a.m. (Fellowship Hall)


Reflect

Lenten Devotionals: “A Moment of Sabbath” Lenten devotionals will be delivered to your inbox 2-3 a week, allowing you to pause and have a moment of sabbath through quotes, reflections, soundbites, and audio guides. With each of these devotions we hope you are able to take a moment to breathe as you connect with God, self, and others. If you are subscribed to Calvary’s main enews list you will receive them. Questions? Email Pastor Alice.
Read More…

Tags: Top Story, Enews, Spiritual Practices

Monday, February 17– Monday Night Pub - 6:00 p.m. – Piccolo’s Restaurant (3563 S. Monaco Pkwy) – Sing for Life. Come for this presentation by Emily Crile. What are your favorite childhood songs? When you think of yourself at age 12, who was your favorite singer or band? What was your high school class song, the song you danced at prom or perhaps your own wedding? What was your parents/grandparents favorite song? Music can define our entire life. We will discuss and even sing many genres of music to remind us that singing is powerful and important for our entire life. Don’t worry if you can only carry your tune in a bucket!! All experience levels welcome.

People arrive at 6 p.m. for dinner; presentation begins at 7 p.m.. Eating is optional. If you don't want to buy dinner, you can just come at 7 for the presentation.

With inclement weather, cancellations do occur. Email David Ferguson (dfergusonhome@msn.com) or Dave Crane (dcrane1049@aol.com) to be put on the email list and notified of cancellations. Read More…

Tags: GPS Groups, Top Story

Mark 6 takes a difficult turn; life gets real. If following Jesus is a journey of peaks and valleys, this chapter shows us the valleys.

Jesus is rejected in his hometown. It’s not just that people misunderstood Jesus; they actually took offense at him. Jesus sends the disciples out two by two on their own and warned them they would be rejected by some. The silver lining in this passage is that the disciples are fairly successful out on their own; they heal and help people. But they learn that Jesus won’t always be with them in this work.

And as if to drive this point home, we receive the gruesome details of the story of John the Baptist’s death (Jesus’ predecessor), which foreshadows Jesus’ death. If nothing else, this story reminds us of the cost of discipleship and the difficult fate that prophets face.

This Sunday, we’ll explore the costs of discipleship. What is a conviction that we believe so much in that we’ll put everything on the line? Suffering is a part of life, which means it’s a part of faith. What does it mean to consider the suffering of the world alongside (or even ahead of) our own suffering? How do we know when to speak out and when to hold back? Read More…

Tags: Worship

Summer Organ Study for Teenage Pianists. Are you a teenage pianist who would like to study the organ? Do you know a teen-age pianist who might be interested in learning to play the organ? The Denver Rocky Mountain Chapter of the American Guild of Organists is sponsoring a scholarship program for tuition-free organ lessons for summer 2020. Information is on the bulletin board in the entrance hallway of the church, and you can ask Calvary organist Denise Lanning for an application form. Contact Denise at deniselanning@netscape.net. Deadline for applying is Thursday, April 2, 2020. Auditions will be held on Saturday, April 25, 2020 in order for applicants to demonstrate their piano skills. This is a great opportunity to learn to play the King of Instruments! Read More…

Tags: Education, Music Ministry

Dear Pastor Scalfaro and Pastor Downing,



On behalf of our students and the entire Stedman community, thank you for your generous donation. Stedman students will enjoy these high interest, culturally relevant books for years to come! Your donation came at the same time the library collection was being revised, and our new PTA-funded librarian began her position. Perfect timing!



We are also building classroom libraries and students will enjoy some of the beautiful books you donated in the classroom, fostering a love of reading throughout the school.



Please see the slide show below showing how library services at DPS helped transform our space from a storage unit to a beautiful library.



Stedman Library Slideshow



Again, thank you for your generosity, and we look forward to our continued collaboration in service of the community.



Sincerely,



Michael Atkins Read More…

Tags: Top Story, Education, Missions, New Hope Baptist Church, Partnership