Only 14 days until Groundbreaking Sunday! Happy Father’s Day to Dads everywhere. Read this moving Father’s Day column by Paul Greenberg. Our three boys are scattered today—Josh is visiting my brother Alan in Tupelo, Mississippi, and Mark is serving a youth ministry internship at a Baptist church in Dallas, Oregon. Onl…
As Mr. Rogers liked to say, it’s a beautiful day in the neighborhood. Mid-70s, blue sky, moderate humidity, not much wind. Basically a great day for golf (the U.S. Open is in town this week) or for bike riding. Two years ago I set a personal record by riding over 2300 miles. Last year my goal was 3000 and I rode a little over 3300 miles. In J…
Only 16 days until Groundbreaking Sunday! Had a wonderful visit this morning with Greg and Carolyn Kirschner and their four children—Christine, Katie, Stephanie and Jonathan. Greg and Carolyn are medical missionaries in Jos, Nigeria serving with SIM. They arrived in the US last night after a brief stopover in London. …
Congrats to Kevin McCullough who has been a fixture in Chicago Christian radio (and a part of our church family) for more than a decade. He’s moving to New York City where he will host programs on two stations in the nation’s #1 media market. Read about it here Comings and goings at Calvary … The Allied Force High Sc…
Groundbreaking Sunday is only 18 days away! The tent is on order and will be set up on Saturday the 28th. We’re borrowing a portable baptistry from the Rock Church to baptize 12 people that day. Lots of people will be bringing special offerings, including several folks who are bringing their piggie banks and loose change jars that day. Does t…
Up early so I could ride my bike at 5:30 AM. Nice to ride when there aren’t many cars on the road. Only 19 more days until Groundbreaking Sunday (June 29). Our goal is 100% participation by the congregation. We’re asking each person who attends to do three things … 1) Bring an offering with you 2) Bring a picnic bask…
The big day has finally arrived. Nick graduates from Oak Park-River Forest High school at 3 PM today. As I walked to church this morning, I felt a strange mix of emotions—happiness, sadness, excitement, and something else that I can’t quite define—something wistful about the passage of time. Several of the peopl…
MY COMMENCEMENT ADDRESS TO THE CLASS OF 2003 by Ray Pritchard Thanks for allowing me to share this happy occasion with you. My congratulations to the parents and grandparents who prayed and worked and wondered if this day would ever come. Soon the seniors will graduate and high school will be behind them forever. When you r…
Sermon Series: Ponder This - 2003Took a long bike ride today, starting about 6:30 AM. Went east on Lake Street from Oak Park into the Austin neighborhood of Chicago. Rode past the Rock Church and Circle Urban Ministries and thanked the Lord for the good work being done there. Followed the el tracks east past Cicero, Kostner, Pulaski, eventually got all the…
This is the 59th anniversary of the invasion of Europe by Allied Forces on D-Day, June 6, 1944. Have you ever wondered what heaven will be like? Check out this excellent collection of articles on heaven at Christianity Today Online. This is also graduation weekend at our house. David and Colleen Axberg arrived from Boston y…