Three Important Notes

Article 8 of 37 from the Ponder This - 2004 series

February 2004 - THREE IMPORTANT NOTES by Ray Pritchard 1) “The Passion of the Christ.” The much-discussed movie premieres this Wednesday in theaters around the country. On Saturday afternoon 450 people from Calvary (members, regular attendees, and their guests) will attend a showing of the movie at the Cinemark Theater in Melrose Park. Afterward we are hosting a discussion and fellowship time (with refreshments) in the Dining Room. We will also be giving away copies of John Piper's brand-new book, The Passion of Jesus Christ. If you were not able to purchase tickets to this special showing, I hope you'll be able to view the movie at another time. Invite a friend to go with you and then take time to discuss it later. The movie will open many doors to share Christ with others. 2) Open House Sunday. After many months, and several unexpected delays, our renovation project is nearly complete. We expect the portico to be finished and the west parking lot opened up within two weeks. March 14 has been set aside to celebrate God's faithfulness. On that day we'll have a special time of dedication and thanksgiving in all four services. We are canceling all Adult Bible Fellowships and inviting everyone to tour the renovations. We'll have guides to answer questions, plus the gym will be set up so you can envision how the simulcast sermon will work. Please plan to spend some time checking out the renovated gym, the new portico, the new nursery, and the two floors of new classrooms and offices in the west wing. The total project has ended up costing just over $3 million. Right now we've paid about half that amount. We hope to completely pay for the remainder by Thanksgiving 2005. In order to do that, we need about $16,000 in the Legacy Campaign/Building Fund each week. So far this year giving has lagged behind that pace. Would you join me in making a special Building Fund gift on March 14? If we all do our part, we'll catch up quickly and stay on schedule to pay it off in 21 months. 3) New Service Schedule. On March 21 we return to a three hour format on Sunday morning. However, we will still have four worship services every Sunday. Our three service times will be 8:30, 10:00, and 11:30 a.m. In the Sanctuary the service schedule will be traditional, contemporary, contemporary. In the middle hour (10:00 a.m.) we will have two services at the same time–one in the Sanctuary and one in the gym. We're calling the one in the gym the “Upper Room Service.” We hope to use this service to unleash a new generation of leaders at Calvary. The service will feature live worship with the sermon from the Sanctuary simulcast on a large screen in the gym. The feel of the service will be informal and contemporary. I hope you'll consider coming to the Upper Room Service, which starts four weeks from today.