Our Newsletter ·
May 2012 Messenger
From the Pastor’s Study:
The reader board in front of the church now reads: “It takes faith to get out of the boat…. We’re ready!” This is a reference to Janet Schlenker’s words at our congregational meeting on Sunday, referencing the text in Matthew 14, where Jesus is walking on water towards his disciples and he invites Peter to get out of the boat and meet him. The congregation of Calvary Presbyterian Church voted 43 to 5 to sell our building and real property to the Montessori School of Denver, closing on June 29, 2012 and renting a portion of the building for a year, with final departure on or before June 29, 2013. This vote represents an enormous act of faith, and an exciting opportunity to discover what future God has in store for us. Our action has been approved by Presbytery Council, which is sending the motion to the Presbytery Assembly, where the formal vote will take place on Tuesday, May 22 at Green Mountain Presbyterian Church. You are invited to attend that meeting, if you are interested.
Already we have begun our planning for this venture, writing a kind of “charter” to give us direction for our exploration. We’ve begun conversations with Montessori regarding how we will share the space. Presbytery is exploring the possibility of hosting a gathering where we might meet potential ministry partners. I have gotten emails from colleagues with promises to pray for us as we go on this journey. Gail will be sending a “Mini-Messenger” between issues of our monthly Messenger with details about plans, requests for help, Q and A’s and ideas that we are considering. I’ll be tweeting. We cherish your prayers for our life together, your ideas and your concerns. If you are interested in serving on any of the transition teams, email me. This is an important time to stay connected to each other, maintaining the bonds of love. I am honored to be your pastor and rejoice in this new venture. Here we go!
Faithfully,
Holly
Reflecting on Change:
From Tisa Roberts' Facebook page:
"Take the first step in faith. You don't have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step." Martin Luther King, Jr.
A quote sent in by Nancy Ulrich:
"There is a tide in the affairs of man which, taken at the flood, leads on to fortune. Omitted, all the voyage of their life is bound in shallows and in miseries. We must take the current when it serves, or lose our ventures." William Shakespeare, Julius Caesar
Edie Lovegren's musings:
I thought, "Walk on water, I want to learn how to walk on water." My mind was joking with me, or so I thought initially. I could see the conversation, "Holly, you need to teach us to walk on water . . . " But the thought would not go away. Walk on water. Janet's comment in the congregational meeting -- Jesus called to Peter, the rock of the church, "come, walk on water." My mind wandered, and I thought of Pema Chodron and her teachings on groundlessness and how profound and emergent and in-the-moment that is. I thought, "What is more groundless than walking on water? The boat is gone, the ground is gone, and there you are, walking on water. The storm is all around, the waves are pulling, pushing, up and down, and you are on your feet right in the middle of it. That uncertain, unfamiliar, shifting pace: One foot at a time, eyes on Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith. Don't spend too much time looking at the storm or you will sink. Just keep walking. Expect to get there." So that is the gift of this situation. Like it or not, we will be walking on water, living in a groundless state, one footstep at a time.
Pentecost:
In the bright spirit of Pentecost, Calvary will provide gifts of summer blooms to the newest church in our presbytery, North Highlands Presbyterian Church, on May 27. Pastor Ashley Seaman suggested that the congregation would like three hanging baskets of summer flowers. So, following our regular worship service, we will prepare the flowering baskets, and around 11:15 a contingent will deliver them to North Highlands Presbyterian Church. The timing is intended to coincide with the conclusion of their regular service.
A list of items needed on May 27 is below, and a sign up sheet will be placed in the narthex: small pots of ivy or greens; gardening tools and gloves; potting soil; and a small donation to cover the cost of flowers and baskets
An Invitation from Calvary Community Committee:
Amid the changes and possibilities our congregation is considering, the Calvary Community Committee (CCC) maintains unswerving focus on cultivating an environment of Christian fellowship and hospitality. You are invited to join committee chairs Cathy Jaynes and Andrea tenDanne for monthly CCC meetings. During the meetings, we determine how to honor our traditions and also build on new opportunities for worship, celebration and commemoration. The next CCC meeting will be Monday, May 7 from 7-8 pm in the Gathering Place. Please join us for tea, conversation, and summer event planning.
Congratulations, Graduates!
Hannah Karn will be graduating from South High School in Denver on May 16. Hannah engaged in many activities during her high school career. She was active in student government, received two academic letters, was on the Gold Honor Roll for four years and participated in National Honor Society. She was active in sports, playing varsity volleyball and track and field and receiving four letters in volleyball, three letters in track and field and one in soccer. She enjoyed all of the friends that she has made, her exposure to numerous world cultures and the amazing opportunities that she has had. She will miss all of the high school traditions, such as homecoming, pep rallies and sporting events, and the amazing people she has spent time with. She won’t miss the massive amounts of homework!
Hannah will remember Calvary as the place where she grew up. “The congregation has been my extended family. Youth group activities and church picnics are some of my fondest memories.” Asked about her spiritual life and how it contributed to her education, Hannah says, “It gave me the confidence and strength to know that my future has great things in store for me. With compassion, hard work and the support of my community and my God, I can achieve anything I want.” Hannah asks the Calvary congregation to pray for her continued guidance, wisdom, bravery and strength as she makes this transition. She gives thanks that she has been blessed with the opportunity to attend college and to further her education.
Hannah will be attending CSU this fall and hopes to study environmental sciences/sustainability. During and after college, she hopes to work to better the health of our environment and the beautiful home that God gave us.
Lindsey Ketterer has been attending Denver East High School and will be graduating on May 16th. While there, she participated in many activities. She was the founder and president of Harry Potter Club, was a member of National Honor Society, acted as a Junior escort at last year’s graduation, was part of the Link Crew (peer mentor for incoming freshman) and belonged to the Ceramics Club. Her honors included High performance on AP testing: International Honor of an AP Scholar; Gold Honor Roll / Dean's List; Ceramics Piece recognized at the District-wide Art Show. Lindsey enjoyed meeting new friends and learning about what interested her the most. She also started playing lacrosse which is now one of her passions. Lindsey says, “I will miss going to school where I grew up and being so close to all of the friends I have made across the years.”
Lindsey’s memories of Calvary include the Christmas pageants, Easter and the egg hunts, youth group, Highlands retreats and confirmation. She would appreciate prayers from the congregation to help guide her through another four years of education and life experiences and finding out what her true purpose in life is.
Lindsey will be attending Boston College outside of Boston, Massachusetts in the fall. Her intended major is biochemistry, and she would ultimately like to go to medical school to be a doctor: either an oncologist or neurologist, or do research on cures/prevention for cancer and genetic diseases.
May Presbytery Assembly
Green Mountain Presbyterian Church, 12900 W. Alameda Parkway, Lakewood
The May Presbytery Assembly meeting will be on Tuesday, May 22nd at 6 pm. The formal vote of our action will be near the beginning of the meeting. If you would like to attend for that portion of the meeting, plan to arrive at 6 pm.
Update on Olan Mills Directory:
We have received the proof of the directory for corrections. Look for the arrival of your directory in early summer. (Sorry that it has taken so long!)
Faith in Action:
FIAT has had a busy month, and May will be no different. We had a wonderful team of volunteers who helped with the Colfax Community Network Easter egg hunt on April 14. We “hid” more than 2500 eggs and candy, and then tried to run crowd control so the littlest children could get their fair share. Your candy donations were quickly grabbed up by eager little hands. Each child – more than 1200 in total -- also received an Easter basket to take home.
Thanks also to everyone who contributed to the Colfax Community Network Family Night dinner. With your contributions, we prepare a delicious meal of lasagna, chicken fettuccine alfredo, garlic bread, salad, and cake. Anne Baldrige, Bruce Derenthal, Rachel Yates, Holly Heuer, Janet Schlenker, Andrea ten Danne, and Janet Wolfer helped to cook, serve, and clean up. Despite a few mishaps involving sharp objects (including Rachel nearly stabbing Janet in the chest!), we fed about 100 people. Most of the guests came back for seconds, and we still had leftovers for take-home boxes. During the “Circle Time” of sharing, we also heard the poignant stories of struggles, laced with hope and good news. Thank you for sharing in this ministry.
Mark your calendars for a special mission event on May 20. After worship, we will have the opportunity to help Church World Service in two ways. First, we will assemble emergency kits – packages that may be distributed quickly after a disaster. We will provide the supplies, if you will provide the easy labor. Second, Fatuma Osman and her children, along with friend Anisa, have expressed their interest in cooking Somali snacks for us, as a fundraiser to help them make ends meet. From sanbuus to mufta to pasta, you will be delighted by the aroma and taste of these traditional Somali foods, made in our own kitchen. By purchasing these items, you will help this refugee family become self-sufficient as they learn to take their skills and apply them profitably. It will also be a nice time for you to meet this grateful family and see how your support of Church World Service impacts lives of refugees all around the world.
Notes from the Garden:
Some of you may have noticed a patch of green in one of the raised garden beds. That is our spinach, planted last fall. Feel free to pick some leaves and put them in your salad. If you need help, or don't know quite how to do it, let one of the garden members know and they will be glad to help you. This month we met and turned the soil, pulled weeds out of the flower bed, and planted the early crops. We planted baby bok choy, spinach, peas, cilantro, all sorts of lettuces, onions, beets and radishes. If anyone lives in the neighborhood or comes to the church regularly and would like to be on the watering schedule, let us know. We always appreciate help, and it's an easy job to do. We like to water every other day while it's dry.
Choir:
There will be choir rehearsals on Wednesday, May 2 at 7 pm and on Sunday, May 13 at 8:45 pm. There will be no other rehearsals in May. Choir will resume in the fall.
Adult Education Class on Sunday, May 6:
"A Reflection on My Cancer" Gary Wolfer was diagnosed with stage-4 lung cancer last December. He has been on the Calvary Church prayer list all of 2012. The journey toward healing has been full of surprises. The class will look at medical and spiritual insights from this cancer journey.
Service of Worship and Ordination for Tisa Roberts, Sunday, May 6 at 3 pm:
Tisa Roberts invites you to attend a service of worship and ordination for her as she enters the Christian Ministry on Sunday, May 6, at 3:00 pm at First Congregational Church UCC, 1128 Pine Street, Boulder, CO. A reception will immediately follow. Tisa has been called by Community United Church of Christ, Boulder, to serve as a Specialized Minister of Peace and Justice Outreach to the Spirit & Garden Encounters (SAGE community), a ministry of the Rocky Mountain Conference of the United Church of Christ.
Book Club:
The Book Club will meet on Monday, May 14 at 1:30 in the Calvary Library. We will discuss the book High Wide and Lonesome, by Hal Borland. This is a Colorado story. Mr Borland's family came to the area of Brush Colorado by covered wagon and settled there in 1910. Sydney Summers will lead the discussion and we hope you will join us, whether or not you get to read the book. Looking ahead, on June 11, the book of the month will be Major Pettigrew's Last Stand by Helen Simonson.
Comings and Goings:
Margaret Steadman
301 N Marks
Oberlin KS 67749
same email address
Bertha Magee
4802 E Kentucky Circle
Denver CO 80246