April 03, 2020
Calvary: IN Response!
A Message from Stewardship Committee Chair, John Kron
Under the current restrictions necessitated by the COVID-19 pandemic, the Stewardship Committee has altered the plans we had for a "Calvary Gives Day" on May 3. The purpose of that one day event was to highlight the many things that Calvary does on an on-going basis. From that we hoped to solicit support, not just from our committed church family, but from our friends, families, neighbors, and the greater Denver community through a concerted social media push.
The coronavirus had other plans. After consulting with the pastoral staff, and meeting via Zoom, we decided to not abandon our plans altogether. Instead we will concentrate our efforts on social media throughout the entire month of April. Our Calvary: IN Response! program carries over the theme from last fall's stewardship campaign, "I'm IN!". It will highlight a different theme each week, beginning April 6, culminating on Sunday, May 3.
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First, we are IN-Side. As we stay at home, Calvary is finding ways to cope with physical isolation by creating online Sunday worship services, encouraging spiritual growth through Lenten Sabbath Moments, and maintaining valued Calvary traditions virtually through Holy Week worship/devotional opportunities. Of course, being home-bound provides ample time for personal reflection and spiritual practice.
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Second, we are IN Touch. Through our Calvary Care Team check-ins, Calvary Zoom meetings and gatherings, social media contacts, and telephone communication, Calvary is checking up on our church family members. We are also coordinating shopping or essential errands for members who cannot get out. While practicing "social distancing" and staying home per our Governor's instructions, we are still maintaining our connections with one another.
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Third, we are still IN-Volved with our missions and ministries that serve those in need in our community. Food bags are available for our Bootstraps and Blessings clients Mondays outside the church. Through Family Promise, we are paying to host and feed families experiencing homelessness for a week at a hotel during our Family Promise host week in April. We also offer financial support for Calvary members impacted by job-loss during this crisis.
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All of this means we are IN Need. We continue to pay our contract and hourly workers (nursery workers, sound techs, cleaning company, etc.) to help keep them solvent until we can reopen our doors. We need to make up for lost building usage income. And we still must pay utilities on our idle structure.
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We must trust, IN Faith, that we will weather this storm. We cannot predict how long this current situation will last. But we know Who holds the future. And we know we can depend on God for strength throughout this ordeal.
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Finally, we must persevere IN Unity with one another, holding on to one another and upholding one another in spirit, if not in the flesh.
Together we will stay IN-Side, stay IN Touch, stay IN-Volved. Together IN Faith and IN Unity we will meet our Needs, as Calvary rises up IN Response to this current global crisis.
Help us spread the message on social media! Share our Facebook posts with your friends and contacts. A link to our GIVE page will help folks contribute IN Response! We will be tracking the "spread" of this generosity, publicizing the number of donations rather than the accumulated amount. Every contribution helps! Together Calvary will weather this storm since we are, as always, ALL IN!
- Stewardship Committee
(Rachel Chang, Amy Kehew, John Kron, Natalie Ralston, Susan Wirt)