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Links to Sections of the 2020 Annual Report
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Message from the Minister
“But blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him. They will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit.” Jeremiah 17:7-8
As we have for many years, we choose to let our annual report be a declaration of God’s goodness and a celebration of what God is doing in and through Calvary. As we began 2021, we sensed the word ‘thrive’ and Jeremiah 17:7-8 best described God’s work in our midst.
Thriving in every season starts with God: how God provides, leads and works and how we learn to draw closer, trust more and dig deeper. As we look through these pages, isn’t it amazing how God prepared us in advance of lockdown - for example to have had prayer meetings, and several nights of more worship happening that just shifted to online. We’ve even found how online has allowed a greater interaction in this opportunity: a chance for people to share, listen, pray for one another, encourage one another in an environment of worship and abiding in God’s presence. Like trees planted by streams… in every season.
And, Jeremiah 17 says, through abiding, fruit appears in every season. As we read this report, I think we can declare: God has produced amazing fruit in this season. What amazing, exciting ways God has provided, cared for and enabled life to abound at Calvary - even in the midst:
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incredible outpouring of ideas and strategies
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praying for nations
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walking and praying through the village
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worshipping and praying for one another online
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online prayer rooms
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small group studies
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online coffee hours
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drive by celebrations of staff and volunteers
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creative children & youth ministry opportunities
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incredible team of Sunday hosts, sharers, worship teams, speakers who creatively and consistently helped us hear God’s voice, worship together, lean on God and be lead by him.
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calls of congregation members to one another
I don’t know if we would have seen the burst of creative problem solving. Back in the beginning of 2019, some felt we should start praying that technology would ‘bow down’ - and serve God’s kingdom coming. Earlier in 2020 we launched a new webpage (huge thanks to Paige Johnson & Wendy Stirbet for their work in this!) And look how important our online resources have needed to be in this season! Also, we started some online groups and practised facebook live in 2019, not knowing that those little lessons would be practise for pivoting to online worship, online meetings and connections. What an amazing gift it is to see people using their skills and experience to build platforms from the ground up - for Steve Morris, Andrew Atkinson, Dave Small and Dan Rose who problem solved and created our online platforms - allowing us to broadcast from our homes during the beginning of lockdown to the hybrid models we have now: live - ish and online.
What an amazing thing to watch the creativity and support of teams: the Christmas Eve drive through with snowmobiles and bonfires and time to greet each other, the trivia evening, groups meeting to pray and sit with scripture, training and encouragement in evangelism and in mental health, the list could go on and on. This is the fruit of abundance as God uses the gifts and servant hearts of our people to provide for our whole body.
As we conclude almost a year of lockdown, we feel keenly the loss of connecting and community: the chance to support one another, laugh and share life together. But the fruit in other areas gives us hope that God will help us find ways to see these met. Is it possible that we will find ourselves saying in future years, if God did this in 2020, we can face this and know God will be faithful and we will see good fruit? I think so.
Submitted by Rev. Drew Maxwell
Pastoral Activities
Weddings
Emilia Klassen and Mitchell Smith
Abbey Grabics and Curtis Abagi
In Loving Memory of…
Brian Alan Payson
Eric Hubert Hiltz
Georgina Alberta Harris
Official Board Report
The saying ‘Hindsight is 20-20’ has maybe never been a more appropriate way to look back at a year than ... well ... 2020. However, a peek in the rearview mirror brings to mind the many good things God continued to provide for our church family in the midst of a very difficult season, perhaps the most important being another significant ‘20’ - our 20th anniversary as the light on the hill! As a member of the board, I was amazed at the goodness of God testimonies at the beginning of each of our meetings too. Healings, blessings, giftings and deeper connections to God all come to mind and are happening IN OUR FAMILY! I know that we are not the only ones to experience His goodness in 2020!
Although 2020 looked different, with most of our meetings held over Zoom, the board was able to participate in a ‘Running After’ group, a key piece of Calvary’s vision for 2020. We each gained a deeper understanding of our individual giftings, or ‘folds’, and look forward to digging into those in 2021 and sharing them with you. We encourage each of you to do the same. Be bold and dive into what you are running after this year! What gifts does God have waiting for you? Together, we can stretch our tent wide and place stakes in the ground for God’s Kingdom.
Staying connected with one another was a challenge in 2020. The board is grateful for the hard work by the staff and volunteers who made the switch to online worship seamless. We recognize it was not always easy and honour all those who made it happen. Connection with the Calvary family became a priority for the board and we are thankful for the deeper connections we now have with so many of the Calvary family.
Looking back - hindsight! - at our AGM ‘Dreams for 2020’, many of them came to fruition, both despite AND because of Covid. Whether it be having an active presence in the Village of St. Jacobs (GO! Ministry, DTK, Disciple A City and Prayer in the Park), installing LED lights throughout the sanctuary, the creation of more small groups (Kingdom culture, Running After, Luke study groups), live streaming video services, or more prayer for the Nations, all of these ‘dreams’ came true in 2020 and we can’t wait to dream with you and God in 2021!
Please continue to reach out to your board with questions about Calvary itself, our mission, vision, direction or operations. We value connecting with you.
Janine Armstrong (Vice-Chair), Steve Gayman, Jean Healy Martin (Secretary), Jane Herlick, Debbie Martin, Drew Maxwell, Donna McHardy (Secretary), Lorie Silverthorne, Terry Smith (Treasurer), Angie Tuffnail, Geoff Williams (Chair), Amanda Wood-Atkinson
Respectfully Submitted by Steve Gayman
on behalf of Calvary’s 2020 Board
Worship Ministry
Worship Leader's Report
'Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ .' Eph 1:3
Looking back at 2020, am humbled by the faithfulness and provision of our God and so very grateful for and proud of our Calvary church family.
As a church we walked boldly into the promises God had given us for our hope and our future, and held to those words as we evolved our worship in our changing environment.
In March we moved our More nights - such an important stake in the ground - online through Facebook live, and have seen cross-country connections, a broadening of the voices and talents leading (thank you Jordan and Aidan!), and healings, encouragement and new access to worship that wasn't previously possibly from our building alone.
Our Sunday morning services went to an online/in person hybrid (and then online only and back again) - and our incredible media/tech team not just met the online livestream challenges but tackled them with excellence, faithful to our church family identity, with techniques that have spilled over to other churches in our region and beyond.
Encounter continues to be a key anchor point for our church family and moved online as well - as we continue to meet God, receive Jesus and follow the Spirit's leading in new and powerful ways together. We continue to see healings, words and new gifts and anointings released! Special thanks for Drew, Rhonda, Kelly, Debbie and Esanju for the core support
I want to recognize our Media/Technical team for the incredibly heavy lifting that got us online with excellence in 2020 and continues to follow God's heartbeat as they innovate on these new platforms - Steve Morris, Dan Rose, Andrew Atkinson, Trent Beitz and Matthew Kuntz. Thank you team!
Our worship teams also worked through lots of shifts and changes to online and hybrid worship, and continue to lead us faithfully in worship each week: Troy Grose, Jordan Vogt, Cody Scott, Dan Rose, Aidan Maxwell, Cathy Linseman, Darlene Vogt, Jane Herlick, Annie Straus, Marilyn Wolfe, Joel Shantz, Ken Jacobs, Evan Maxwell, Dave Proulx, Drew Maxwell, and Esanju Bonga. Thank you teams!
I had the privilege of being able to take a 6-week sabbatical in October and November and am grateful to all the worship teams for stretching to cover during this time - special thanks to Aidan Maxwell who so ably took on the leadership of our worship teams during this time. Thank you Aidan!
Finally - thank you to our church family, for your prayers, your worship, and your patience and resiliency as we 'fast forwarded' into all God has for us in this season in our worship. Your encouragement and support of our worship and our teams continues to be an incredible blessing, and helps keep us moving forward through all the challenges and joys together.
Submitted by Dave Small
Director, Music Ministry