Weekly Bible Study will not happen this week. We will resume on May 12.
The church staff will be on their planning retreat off-site this Monday through Wednesday. The church office will only be open 9 AM- 12:30 PM those days, so plan accordingly if you need to drop off donations. We will be back to normal office hours on Thursday.
Covid-19 Update
Dear Calvary Family,
As we continue to navigate the COVID-19 waters together, we wanted to make you aware of some additional changes as we safely try to resume some sense of normalcy in congregational life.
With a rise in vaccination rates and with the gradual easing of some restrictions by state authorities, the Joint Board has decided the following beginning Sunday, May 16:
1. Committees and other small groups may hold gatherings both in and outside the church as long as masks are worn and social distancing is kept. The same practices we currently use for our worship gatherings will also apply to any small group gathering. Committees and small groups have the freedom to decide whether they will meet in person, by ZOOM or use a hybrid combination of both. As before COVID, committees and small groups will need to contact Jacob Patrick, our Communications and Office Office Manager to schedule meetings at the church.
2. Our two adult Sunday School classes (New Life and the Friendship Class) are also free to meet at the church at 9:45 a.m. on Sundays as long as masks are worn and social distancing is kept. The teachers of these classes have been informed of these changes. Classes will need to decide for themselves if they will meet in person, by ZOOM or use a hybrid combination of both. The leadership of these classes will need to be in communication with Amanda Schumpert, our Director of Congregational Ministries regarding when and where they plan to meet.
3. At this point, if committees, small groups or Sunday School classes decide to offer a hybrid model (a combination of both in person and virtual) technical support will be limited until we are able to formulate a plan for creating this type of ministry offering effectively with our contracted IT support person.We are also actively working to resolve some issues surrounding an unstable internet connection in the building.
4. Upon a recommendation from the Christian Education Committee, youth and children’s programming will not begin until mid-August. However, the CE Committee is working to plan some outdoor events for families, small groups and our church family throughout the summer.
There are the next steps we can take together as we move into the post-COVID world! It goes without saying that we are most grateful for your patience, understanding and support. The work of reassembling has to be done carefully and cautiously with sensitivity to the comfort level of those around us as we follow the command of our Lord to love neighbor as self! If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us.
The Joint Board
In addition, here are our guidelines for in-person worship:
Phase 2 of Reopening
Calvary has entered Phase 2 of our reopening which loosens some but not all of the requirements in place for when you attend a service.
Changes are:
- You do not need to register to attend
- You no longer have an assigned seat, you may sit in any designated seat.
- You may sing and read responsively
You still need to:
- Wear a mask – including while singing or reading
- Maintain social distancing
- Have signed a waiver
- Follow other policies regarding sanitization
Graduation Announcements
On Sunday, June 6, we will observe our annual Youth and Children Sunday and Graduate Recognition Day. On this special day of worship, we will be acknowledging all those who have completed the major milestone of graduation from high school, college, or graduate school. As soon as possible, please let the church office know of anyone in your family who will be graduating from high school, college, or graduate school. This will give us the opportunity to announce graduate information in our church publications, including the bulletin and our newsletters. In addition to the names of graduates, please provide school/college information, graduation date, and any future plans for the students following graduation. We look forward to the June 6 service and to acknowledging and congratulating all our graduates.
Church Survey
As we plan further for coming back together carefully, we need your input! Go to the website below to take a quick survey that will help us in all our programming and educational planning. Thank you for being open and honest!
Please reserve/pre-order your Calvary Cookbook today!
In order to make sure we order enough books, please let Lydia Ingram know how many you will want to purchase. Books will be $15, but you don't need to pay in advance; we just need to get your name on our list. You can call Lydia and leave her a voicemail (210) 882-0241, or you can email her: Lydia.K.Ingram@gmail.com.
With over 350 recipes—including dozens of Moravian specialties, Calvary church favorites, and all kinds of other delicious things—these cookbooks will make wonderful gifts! The books are hardcover three-ring-binder format, and each print copy comes with a download code to get a free DIGITAL version of the entire book! The books should be here by mid-June. Please reach out to Lydia today.