Midweek Meditation: Wednesday, July 16, 2025
Dear Calvary Family,
Who makes the first move? In some strategic games, being the first player to move gives that person an advantage. In social settings, like dating, being the first person to make a ‘move’ is a risk which may or may not be rewarded with a date. Certainly people in sales often initiate contact and make a cold call to a possible consumer.
But what about faith? God? Jesus? The Holy Spirit? Are we on our own to reach out to an eternal invisible being?
And what does any of that have to do with little, tiny LEGO blocks? LEGO blocks were patented and designed to ‘connect’ with one another. And the really good news is that GOD has initiated connection toward each of us… first. He made and continues to make the first move to connect with you! Go re-read Romans 5:8-10 which is our message for this Sunday.
See you in person as we bless FastTrack pencils and final preparations for LEGO Camp, and pray for Rev. Erbele and her family as they enjoy a vacation week together.
Serve as Hearers and Doers,
Pastor Michelle
Here’s what’s happening in the life of our Church and how you can get involved:
LEGO CAMP VOLUNTEERS: MARK YOUR CALENDAR
If you are volunteering in some way, but were unable to join us for the orientation in June, we will do a make-up session for that this Saturday, July 19, at 10:00am in Fellowship Hall. Following that, from 10:45-11:15, will be a brief set-up for camp. All volunteers are asked to arrive on the first day of camp (Monday, July 21) at 7:45am. The entire congregation is invited to join us for the opening worship time from 9:00-9:30 all three mornings (July 21-23).
FASTTRACK
Thank you to all of you who generously shared pencils for the Brownsburg Schools FastTrack program! We achieved the goal of 10,000 pencils and we will bless them at the service this Sunday ahead of the distribution time on July 26. If you’re available to help at this event on Saturday, July 26, 8:00am-10:30am, sign up here https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0A4DAFA72CAAF8C16-57240758-fast#/ and join us at East Middle School!
KEEP SUMMER GIVING STRONG
While many of us travel and have busy activities during the summer, we need you to keep your financial giving strong to the operating and mortgage funds during the summer months. Ministry continues even while each of us travels. Thank you for your generosity!
PRAYING FOR OUR PASTORS
Just like Aaron held up Moses’ arms so Israel could win the battle against their enemies, we need you, our faithful family, to pray for our Pastors. They fight battles every day in the spiritual realm. Let’s lift them up, pray for them, and help them hold up their arms in their daily work. We would like you to pray once a month on the day you select through December. While Monday through Saturday we ask you to pray for both pastors, on Sundays we would like to have one person pray specifically for Pastor Michelle and another person pray specifically for Pastor Jolita. A sign-up sheet is on the mission table in the hallway across from the office or you may sign up here: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/60B0F45ABAC2AA3F85-57384628-praying
KINDNESS KITCHEN
This past Sunday, Calvary’s cooking team (Karen Striegel, Tom & Shirley Hanna, Portia Erickson, and Isaac Mittenzwei) competed in the Annual Chopped Challenge Event at the 4-H Fair. This exciting event brings teams together for a fun and friendly cooking competition using ingredients commonly found in food pantries. It was a great day filled with creativity, community spirit, and support for a vital cause. The event raised over $12,000 to fight hunger across Hendricks County. Calvary contributed $700 to the fundraiser! Thanks for your donations to Family Promise and thanks to our great team! Find out more and see our Pancake Breakfast advertised here: https://familypromisehendrickscounty.org.
Our Kindness Kitchen is wrapping up this busy July with a Pancake Breakfast to support Family Promise and celebrate LEGO Camp on Sunday, July 27th. Bring your appetite and join us for that time of fellowship! Volunteers are needed to set up, cook and serve, and clean up. A sign-up sheet for that is on the Mission table or email office@CalvaryUnited.org, if you would like to help. Our cooking team extended the invite to come to this to the Messiah Lutheran team, so expect some fun competition again in the pancake flipping area!
-And, one more request: We would love to see a few more faces in the kitchen! If you would like to help with Sunday coffee or Classics Luncheons, funeral meals or other events, contact the office and let us know. If you have any questions about any of this, please email Karen Striegel at KarenStriegel5@gmail.com.
YOUTH GROUP TRIP – SUNDAY, AUGUST 3
To celebrate summer together, the youth will be heading to Sugar Creek to go canoeing on Sunday, August 3, leaving right after worship. Plan on having lunch there and spending a few hours in the water. If you’d like to go, email Pastor Jolita (jerbele@calvaryunited.org) before this coming Sunday!
BIBLE STUDY FOR “NEWBIES”
Here’s a Bible Study for adults who have never done a Bible Study before! And, it works with our August Sermon Series: “Back to School: The BIBLE”. Beginners and novices join Pastor Michelle with your Bible and a willingness to try something new on five Tuesdays: August 5, 12, 19, 26 and September 2 in the Conference Room from 10:00-11:30am.
SHARE YOUR TIME THIS WAY
The next school year is quickly approaching and we will be resuming our Sunday School classes for Kindergarten through 5th grade and for 6th through 12th grade on August 10. We would love to have you share your time in this fun way for 45 minutes after church once a month or so. Contact the office (office@CalvaryUnited.org or 317-852-2541) to find out more!
JULY CLASSICS LUAU LUNCHEON
Join us on July 29 at Noon for roasted pork and other luau fare. Bring a friend and something to share! Time for luau dancing will follow that. RSVP by contacting the office or signing up on the sheet on the Mission table in the hallway. See you there!
REMEMBERING CHRIS TJELMELAND
The family of Chris invites you to celebrate her life with them on Saturday, August 16 between noon and 2:00pm in Fellowship Hall. Please join us!
SEE OKLAHOMA! ONLY 4 SEATS LEFT!
Otterbein Franklin has planned a trip to see the musical “Oklahoma” and is inviting Calvary UMC friends to join them on Wednesday, July 30. Departure from our church will take place at 10:45am to arrive at the Harmony (Myers) Dinner Theater in Hillsboro in time for lunch and the show. We should return to our church by 5:00pm that same day. The all-inclusive cost of this is $129 per person. RSVP and payment is due to Lew and Cathi White by Monday, July 21. To save your spot or ask a question, email Lew (lew@aviontoursandtravel.com) today!
CALVARY COOKBOOK
Our initial typing is wrapping up and we’re now getting ready to edit! Do you have an eye for that? We’d love to have you join us! We plan on meeting Monday, July 28, at 6:00pm in the Youth Room. Questions? Contact the church office.
GRIEFSHARE
We will once again be offering GriefShare, a support group to help you move through the grief process. It will begin on Wednesday, August 27, at 10:00am in the Conference Room here at church and will continue for 13 weeks. A GriefShare support group is a safe, welcoming place where people understand the difficult emotions of grief. Through this, you’ll discover what to expect in the days ahead and what’s “normal” in grief. Since there are no neat, orderly stages of grief, you’ll learn helpful ways of coping with grief, in all its unpredictability – and gain solid support each step of the way. If you would like to attend, please contact the church office. (office@CalvaryUnited.org or 317-852-2541)
WORSHIP:
-Sunday, July 20, 10:00am (Traditional) LEGO & Let GOD: “God Initiates Connection”
Romans 5:8-10 (NRSV) Rev. Michelle Knight
-Sunday, July 27, 10:00am (Contemporary) LEGO & Let GOD: “Connecting to One Another”
Acts 12 :1-17 (NRSVue) Rev. Jolita Erbele
SAVE THE DATE:
-Make-Up LEGO Camp Volunteer Meeting – Saturday, July 19, 10:00-10:45 orientation; 10:45-11:15am set-up in Fellowship Hall
-Euchre – Saturday, July 19, 6:00-8:00pm in Fellowship Hall
Pancake Breakfast – Sunday, July 27, 11:15 in Fellowship Hall
-Classics Luncheon – Tuesday, July 29 at Noon in Fellowship Hall
-Office Closed – Wednesday, July 30 for Staff Retreat and In-service
-Back-to-School Backpack Blessing – Sunday, August 3, 10:00am Service
-First Monday of the Month Prayer Time – Monday, August 4, 6:30am in the Sanctuary
-Infant and Toddler Family Fellowship – Saturday, August 9, 3:00pm, Fellowship Hall