Blog Author: Morgan Fletcher

Dear Calvary,
On Wednesday night of this week 64 of us gathered for a different worship experience. We gathered in the north parking lot at the church, socially distanced apart, while wearing masks, and we worshiped God in person, together. Worshiping in person is an experience Calvary has not been able to offer since March of this year. I knew I had missed worshiping with all of you in person but what I could not have really appreciated until we worshiped together again, is how the Spirit moves among us to spark in the moment words while leading worship. I felt this during both parts of the service I led. Read More…

Dear Calvary family & friends,

One of the ways that I like to decompress on a day off is by working jigsaw puzzles. I get “in the zone” and will finish a 1,000 piece puzzle in a day because I keep thinking “just one more piece and then I’ll take a break” but of course that break never comes. For me, preparation is key in working a puzzle. I study the picture on the box for a few minutes to get the image in my mind, lay all the pieces out face up (sometimes grouping them by color or design), and then pull out the straight edges. It’s tedious, but when I do this prep work it makes the puzzle a bit less puzzling. There’s nothing like getting down to those last 25 pieces and filling in the image quickly until that last ‘snap’ of the final puzzle piece. So gratifying! Read More…

Calvary family & friends,

This week is brought to you by the letter P (thank you Sesame Street!):
• Pandemic
• Protests & Petitions
• PRIDE
• Politics
• Promises
• Puzzles
• Personal Issues & Personalities
• P_________ (what word would you add here?) Read More…

Hello Calvary Family -

While we are still under “Safer at Home” safety measures and folks begin to explore what social distanced gatherings look like it can be a bit unsettling. What do we feel comfortable with? How do we know what to do? It would be nice to see people but how do we navigate awkward boundary conversations if someone encroaches on mine? These, and I imagine many others, are questions you might be tossing around as you wish to see those you love from Calvary. Read More…

Tags: Church School, Children; Youth, GPS Groups, Enews, Intergenerational, Properties

Dear Calvary, my beloved church family,

How difficult it is to be apart during times where the ache in our souls is like a gravitational pull to be together. Through your social media posts, emails, calls, and cards, I have heard your pain, your questions, and your prayers as you express emotions of outrage, sadness, and grief over the murder of George Floyd at the hands of law enforcement. I, like you, have been moved to see so many people in the streets day after day unrelenting in their calls for justice, and it has been a hopeful sign in some cities to see police officers kneeling and joining arms with organizing leaders. I have lamented with friends of color about the outside groups that have coopted peaceful protests with looting and violence. I join you in feeling a complex range of emotions. But emotions are not the headline here; injustice is. While our grief and lament and passion and worry is warranted, action is what is needed. Read More…

During these times of following safety measures for Covid-19 we are not gathering to engage in faith formation together so I wanted to provide you all with some options for engaging your faith formation at home or within your communities. These are things we can do even after Covid-19 safety measures end so now is a great time to practice and see what works for you. You can also see some of these during the Gathering worship service as Pastor Alice uses some of these for the Faith Formation piece of that worship experience. Read More…

Tags: The Gathering, Spiritual Practices, Intergenerational, Enews, Education, Discipleship

Dear Calvary Family,
On this Memorial Day weekend, I am reminded of the story I learned from one of our own beloved Calvary veterans, Nelson Cox (1921-2019). Nelson was a U.S. Army Lieutenant; he served in World War II in Italy, Germany, and France as a combat platoon leader. At the beginning of his service all the army divisions were fully manned so Nelson was placed in a pool of replacements for casualties of equal rank and sent to Europe where he was assigned to a replacement depot. He then went to Rome for airborne training as a CG-4A glider soldier (not as a pilot he would clarify), but just as he was finishing his airborne training, the Italian campaign was slowing and the war in France was gearing up. So he was sent back to the replacement depot in France and was soon assigned to a ground combat unit already in action to replace the second lieutenant who had died in battle. After meeting the company commander at 5:00 a.m., he said to Nelson, “Lieutenant, your platoon is up there on that hill, go up and take over.” ... Read More…

Dear Calvary Family,
I hope this letter finds you healthy and well and perhaps enjoying the refreshment of both the sunshine and rain showers this week. Read More…

Learning from one another as we engage our practices of faith and faith formation out in the community and at home. The items listed on this blog post come from Calvary members who are sharing how they are engaging their faith during these times of social distancing. If you would like to share how you are engaging your faith by sharing a resource others can take part in please email Pastor Morgan. Read More…

Tags: Spiritual Practices

Calvary, thanks to all who joined in our Lenten mid-week gatherings that then extended into Eastertide. Read More…