I am excited to announce the new fall ministry schedule! We have made a few adjustments from last year in an effort to better serve the families of Calvary and enable more participation. Our new ministry season begins the week of Sunday, September 11.

The biggest change that we’re making this year is that we’re moving the different family ministries from Friday night to Sunday morning and Tuesday evening. Children’s ministry and teen ministry will now be children’s and teen Sunday school classes meeting at 9am alongside the adult Sunday school class. Meanwhile, the men’s and women’s ministries will now alternate meetings on Tuesday evenings of each month. Young Adult Ministry will still meet on Friday evenings per its previous schedule.

Below is a little more specific preview of the ministries resuming in September:

• Adult Sunday School (9am Sundays): Sunday school will begin with a presentation from a missionary guest speaker on 9/11. Then, on 9/18, the adult Sunday school class will begin an eight-week series on early church history (apostolic church to the fall of Rome). Also beginning on 9/18 is the 4-5 week baptism and membership class. We plan to offer Sunday school classes continuously from September to June. Note that there will not be nursery provided during the Sunday school hour, but there will be nursery provided during the main service.
• Teen Sunday School (9am Sundays): The teen Sunday school class will begin on 9/18, and the teens will begin studying through a new curriculum. Teens from 7th-12th grade are welcome.
• Children’s Sunday School (9am Sundays): The children’s Sunday school class will begin on 9/18 and will also feature a new curriculum and format. Children in grades PreK-6th grade are welcome.
• Church Fellowship (Sundays after the Lord’s Table celebration): We will resume our monthly post-Lord’s Table fellowship meals together starting on 9/11. The meals are provided through the kitchen ministry. All are welcome, though we ask, if able, for a $5 donation for each participating teen and adult to help cover costs of food.
• Iron Man (7pm Tuesdays): Our men’s ministry will again consist of large group and small group meetings this year. Large group meetings will be on the 2nd and 4th Tuesdays of each month with the first large group meeting on 9/13. This year’s theme is “Knowing God” and will center around a study of A.W. Pink’s classic work, The Attributes of God.
• Side by Side (7pm Tuesdays): Our women’s ministry will also again consist of large group and small group meetings. Large group meetings will be on the 1st and 3rd Tuesdays of each month with the first large group meeting on 9/20. The women will be studying the book of Ephesians this year.
• Zoom Prayer Ministry (7pm Wednesdays): Our weekly online prayer gathering will continue in the fall but with a new official start time: 7pm. The meeting will still open at 6:45pm for people to come early and share requests, but the actual devotional and prayer time will begin at 7pm.
• Young Adult Ministry: (7pm Fridays): YAM will continue meeting on the second and fourth Fridays this fall, but the first meeting will not be in September but on October 14. This year, YAM will be studying the letter of 1 John.
• Nursery, Nursing Home, Kitchen, Book Nook, Greeter, Audio-Visual, Music, and Family Fellowship Ministries will also continue in the fall.

There will be more information about our ministries in the coming weeks, but I wanted you to have a preview today so that you can start planning for and getting excited about what’s coming up at Calvary.

Remember, as we were learning together last Sunday, the church is a special and precious mystery on earth. In being devoted to the gathering, people, and ministry of the church, you both honor Christ and bless yourself. Therefore, please prayerfully consider with your families how you can maximize your involvement in both attending and serving in our church’s ministries this fall.