STAFF CHANGES
We express our appreciation to Gina Taylor for faithfully serving Calvary Baptist Church as the Secretary/Bookkeeper over the past 5+ years. Gina is looking forward to her retirement and to continuing to serve as a volunteer in various ministries here at church.
We are happy to welcome Marla Hoy, who will join the staff as our new Secretary/Bookkeeper beginning September 4. Together with her experience in accounting and office management, Marla comes with a heart to serve the Lord and His church. Please pray for this transition.
CALVARY COUNTRY HOEDOWN
Join us for a Country Hoedown at the home of Steve & Marlene LeMont (11505 Maple Grove Road, Fairfax) on Saturday, September 21 at 6:00pm. We will begin the evening with sloppy joes and chips, veggies w/dip, and strawberry shortcake for dessert. Ice cold water will also be provided! There is no cost for this event, but a free will donation is appreciated. Please sign up on Breeze or at the Welcome Center.
We suggest that you bring lawn chairs and/or blankets for seating. Feel free to bring a lawn game. You might want to wear your favorite cowboy clothing for the featured activity of the evening, which will be a boot scootin’ good time in the hayloft of the barn. Yeehaw!
In past years the LeMonts have welcomed your canine companions to their home. Unfortunately, their family dog is not so tolerant of canine visitors these days, so they request that there be no canine Hoedown attendees this year.
MINISTRY TRAINING ELECTIVES
Equip yourself with practical knowledge and skills to be all that the Lord wants you to be in your various relationships and responsibilities. See the Connections insert for more information about the available classes.
KOINONIA
Post high school young adults are encouraged to join one of the Ministry Training Electives on Sunday evenings. Sign up at the Welcome Center or on Breeze. Contact Chris Brown or Pastor Matt for more information.
YOUTH GROUP
Students in grades 7–12 are encouraged to join Pastor Matt on Sunday evenings in the “Tactics” elective. See the Connections insert for more information.
SONSHINE SINGERS
Children in kindergarten through 6th grade are invited to join the Sonshine Singers children’s choir to have fun learning biblical truth through music, choreography, drama, and other creative activities. Contact Jeannette Frey at 319-654-4260 or jjhux59@gmail.com for more information.
CALVARY CHOIR
The Calvary Choir will begin another season of ministry on Sunday, September 15. Rehearsals are on Sunday afternoons from 4:30pm to 5:45pm. New members are welcome! Contact Pastor Mike for more information.
AWANA RETURNS!
The Awana clubs begin again on Wednesday, September 4, with a hot dog supper for the kids and their families at 6:00pm, followed by the regular program from 6:30pm to 8:00pm. Register online at www.CalvaryCR.org or on the Breeze app.
SALT & PEPPER RETIREES FELLOWSHIP
We will meet in the fellowship hall at 11:30am on Tuesday, September 24, for fellowship and a spaghetti lunch. Following lunch, we will move to the sanctuary for a presentation by Cedar Rapids’ brand new Public Works Director, Breanna Fall. Watch the bulletin for further details. Contacts Nadene Roberts or Donna Voss for additional information.
CHURCH YARD CLEANUP DAY
Many hands make light work, so please join us on Saturday, September 28, anytime between 8:00am 3:00pm to work on preparing the church grounds for the change of seasons. We will be mulching, trimming, and as many projects as we can accomplish. Contact Eric Wienola for information.
GRIEFSHARE
Grieving the loss of a loved one? Our Grief Share group meets weekly on Sunday evenings from 6:00pm to 8:00pm. You are welcome to begin attending the Grief Share group at any session, as each session is “self-contained.” There is a suggested donation of $20 for the workbook. For more information or to register, contact the church office or go online to https://www.griefshare.org/groups/242315.
LIFE CHAIN
Join in a peaceful, prayerful public witness to the sanctity of human life by standing with other pro-life advocates during this city-wide event on Sunday, October 6 from 2:00pm to 3:30pm. All participants are asked to pre-register with Sue Martinek at 319- 270-0054 or email susjmar@aol.com. Contact Steve Patton at 319-551-1805 for information.
CHRISTIAN SYMPATHY
Our condolences to Bob and Kathy Kaufman on the death of Kathy’s brother, David Potter on August 8.
Our condolences to Clint Jeffers on the death of his daughter, Vickie Gregg, on August 15.
Our condolences to the Crittenden family on the death of Jen’s grandmother, Pat Carson, on August 24.
Our condolences to the Rogan family on the death of Will’s mother, Ann Rogan, on August 24.
APPRECIATION
It was such a joy to get to see you all and participate in VBS this summer! Thank you so much for giving us the opportunity to share with the children about Bible translation. We were blown away by the generous giving! We are so thankful for your partnership with us.
Nathan & Carey
On August 15, 2023 we had our kitchen fire. We have been so appreciative of everyone’s love and prayers during that tough time. So many of you had checked in with us so often to ask how we are doing and how the progress of the restoration was going. We’ve been in our home since the end of March and we thank God for that. We want to thank our family here at church. We had people provide for us in so many ways. Some we were personally able to thank and some were anonymous. Again...we are so thankful for our new kitchen and how God has sustained us through this past year. He is good!!
The Winchester Family
MUMS (Mothers Uplifting Mothers)
MUMs is our very own young-moms program. We will begin on Tuesday, September 17 (registration begins at 9:00am), and we will meet every first and third Tuesday (9:15am–11:15am) through May. MUMs is open to moms whose youngest child is in kindergarten or younger, as well as expecting moms. For more information, see our brochure at the Welcome Center, click the link on the church website, or email crmums2019@gmail.com. Childcare will be provided in our Little Sprouts program. If you are a stepmom, foster mom, adoptive mom, birth mom, or any other kind of mom, you are a MOM, and you are welcome in our group!
LADIES NIGHT OUT
Ladies Night Out is for all ladies in the church, and they are welcome to invite friends as well. We will meet on Monday, September 9 at 6:30pm at Granite City (4755 1st Ave SE). If you plan to attend, please call or text Debbie Gaeta (319-491-7720) so she will know how many will be attending. If you want to come but need a ride, please let Debbie know and she will arrange to have someone to pick you up.
POSITIVE IMPRESSIONS
Positive Impressions is scheduled for Saturday, September 14, 10:00am–3:00pm in Room 23/24. Invite your friends to join you in creating with rubber stamps or working on some other favorite craft project. This is an enjoyable and non-threatening way to spend time developing relationships and building bridges in order to make a positive impression for Christ on your unsaved friends and family members. Even the greeting cards or other crafts that you create for other people can be beneficial in making a positive impression on their lives. If you plan to attend, please RSVP to Kim Nelson (319-640-9856) and bring a snack or drink to share with the group.