Officially, I have been Calvary Fellowship’s Administrative Pastor for a little over one year. It is amazing to think that just one year ago, Pastor Brett Williams became Senior Pastor of Calvary Chapel South Whidbey and we were in the midst of the most comprehensive staff reorganization since our move to Mountlake Terrace in 1997. Just as he did then, the Lord provided, guided, equipped and bore fruit. It has been remarkable to watch the Lord work; to remember the 1400 guys who attended our Men’s Conference, to see the crafting, writing, producing, recording, and editing of a new praise album, to serve almost 500 pastors and leaders at the Northwest Pastors and Leaders Conference, to witness the birth of two church campuses, Wallingford in 2009 and Capitol Hill currently. Overall, I am amazed at the work Jesus has done through this church in the year I have been working as Administrative Pastor. Therefore I believe that it is my responsibility, as Administrative Pastor, to bring to remembrance the things God has done this summer and prayerfully will do in the few months ahead. Like the children of Israel, I want to build stones of remembrance (Joshua 4:1-7) to remember God’s work and to heed the warning of Peter to not forget (2 Peter 1:9-12) by recapping the summer. Using this foundation, I would also like to focus on the future in the months to come.
Recapping the summer.
Mission Trips:
France
Pastor Craig Finley assembled a group of 20, represented by 2 bands and swing dancers (yep, swing dancers!), who took the gospel to the streets of France. Three French cities later – Paris, Nice and Lyon – Pastor Craig describes it as “the most extraordinary evangelistic mission trip I have ever participated in.” It included playing swing music and rock music (courtesy of the New Divide) in front of the Eiffel Tower, preaching to crowds of well over 300 on the Seine River, and preparing the soil for a new church plant with Calvary Fellowship missionaries in the city of Lyon.
Nicaragua
This summer Elder Joe Sinclair lead a group of 34 from Calvary Fellowship to Matagalpa, Nicaragua including 5 doctors, 3 RN’s, Pastor Wayne and a host of others ready to work. Their mission included health examinations, free prescriptions, free eyeglasses, VBS outreach, music outreach, basketball outreach, prayer and evangelism. To cap it all off a new church was planted in the countryside of Matagalpa where we will be able to continue the work of the Lord.
Vacation Bible School
Calvary Fellowship’s Vacation Bible School outreach to children is an annual summer event ministering to large groups of families. The gospel has been shared with over 1,600 children in the years past with hundreds making a decision to accept Jesus as their Savior or to renew their faith in Him. This year 180 children attended each day, enjoying all the different activities and teachings. A total of 129 children accepted Jesus as their Savior or renewed their faith in Him.
Financial Downturn
The months of July and August 2010 saw a financial downturn at Calvary Fellowship that led those in leadership to make a church-wide announcement that we currently had not paid our Senior Pastor’s salary, and needed urgently to pay our utilities. We typically do not overemphasize giving or tithe amounts from the pulpit, but deal with the topic as it comes up in Scripture, acknowledging that, typically, your money is spent on your priorities. But, we knew this step of faith needed to be taken. As a church the response was faith building. We saw a much needed increase in giving, a focused spirit of participation in the work of the Lord throughout the church, a renewed effort of prayer, through it all, ministries expanded. A new prayer ministry started during Sunday mornings and the Capitol Hill church plant continued.
Baptisms
So far, in 2010 we have had the privilege to baptize 16 people as they professed to have died and received new life in Jesus Christ (Romans 6:1-10). Both baptisms have seen the young and the old brave the natural cold of Lake Ballinger as they declare Jesus Christ to be their Savior.
Bible College
In starting my seventh year as the Bible College Director with 30 students (2/3 of whom did not regularly attend Calvary Fellowship, with students coming from as far as Alaska and Maine) I have seen the continued faithfulness of the Lord. I started out with three goals: 1) make sure all classes are “live” classes (not video) 2) purchase dorms to house out-of-state students 3) graduate six students per year by my fourth year. By God’s grace CCBC Seattle has graduated 23 students since then and we are adding 4 more graduates this semester.
Pastors Conference
This year, as a leadership we decided to move the Pastors Conference from Warm Beach Camp to Calvary Fellowship, here in Mountlake Terrace. We welcomed 488 Pastors & Leaders from 70 churches and ministries with 85 attendees from Calvary Fellowship alone. As a conference, we focused on the Supremacy and the Centrality of Jesus Christ. What we walked away with was a more accurate description of the heart of Jesus whom we are seeking to make supreme. Check out the audio and video content under the media tab.
Sometimes we get tired, and sometimes that tiredness can cloud our understanding of God’s character and even contribute to thoughts and actions of unbelief. But, Paul encourages us to “not grow weary in doing good…we shall reap if we do not lose heart” (Galatians 6:9). Losing heart doesn’t necessarily mean blindly pushing on. Clearly Paul is encouraging the teachers of God’s Word to keep teaching, the listeners of the word to keep listening, and overall to keep sowing to the Spirit which is rooted deeper in God’s work than our work. Not losing heart is the humble submission of allowing yourself to hear that God is good, God is in control, God will provide (just like he always does). We may be tempted to resist service because of tiredness but we must remember that God will guide us if we allow him, if we sow to the Spirit. (And, when the time is right, God will guide us to rest as he did on the seventh day of creation). These upcoming events not only represent “something to attend” but they reveal places to give – to give of your time, your effort, your love, your prayers, and your money. “For God so loved the world he gave…”
