Calvary AGM will take place on Sunday, Feb 25th.
Our time of celebrating God's goodness in 2023 and dreaming for what's ahead will be part of our (shortrened) worship service.
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We will transition immediately/ flow into the other pieces of our AGM right out of worship.
Lighthouse will happen during the worship and then transition into a time of childcare/movie for the second part.
You do not have to be a formal member to be part of the AGM. Visitors are welcome to join us and if you call Calvary your family please participate and engage. (And formally speaking, adherents who contribute regularly to the support of the congregation may vote on motions brought forward at this meeting)
The service and AGM will be streamed/broadcasted but, according to UCC guidelines for voting, votes must be made in person. If you are unable to attend, you are welcome to send questions in advance to Lorie.
We hope you can join us to worship, celebrate, learn, and engage with God's doing here at Calvary.
Links to Sections of the 2023 Annual Report
DOWNLOAD OPTION
Click on the button below to download the .pdf of the annual report
Note: If printing on a colour printer, you may want to choose the ‘grayscale’ or black & white option to save on ink.
Message from the Minister
Your love, O Lord, reaches to the heavens, your faithfulness past the skies Ps 36:5
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God plants seeds in our present season as promise and proof of what he has ahead. Each time we hear how God has moved, answered prayer or met someone, we are given another piece of evidence to stockpile: God is faithful and will be again!
In fact, If I were to pick one phrase to sum up scripture and people's relationship with God, I think I'd choose: "Even in this, God is faithful.” Overcoming challenges with God's presence and help is the plot of every page of scripture and every disciple's story. Israel's heroes step out to follow, overcoming deserts and enslavement, rejection and attack. Peter steps out on the water and begins to sink yet Jesus lifts him up. Later, Peter vows to defend Jesus to the death only to deny him hours later; even still, Jesus meets him, restores and recommissions Him. In every story, Jesus faithfully meets his disciples, calls, restores, heals and resends them. In effect, promising them and us, “as you go, you'll get to discover more of my faithfulness, my presence, my love and my power.” Even in this, God is faithful. So, we shouldn’t be shocked and surprised by challenges nor by the way he meets us there.
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Your Love, O Lord, Reaches to the heavens…
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Isn’t this our story too? Go through Calvary’s history; talk to our people. Whether they've been here a long time or not, you will hear again and again, God's love and faithfulness met us - even in this.
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In 2023, God met us, and met with us:
As I sit here at the end of January, looking through these reports, I’m struck again by our story: God’s love and faithfulness showing up everywhere!
As we gathered, God drew near and drew us together. We gathered together at people's homes, seeking to hear and share our senses of God's heart for Calvary, for our families, us. And we gathered together in small groups, studies, retreats, practising the way gatherings. Last year everything was tentatively coming alive in our gatherings: our chili cook off was our first congregational meal together. But this year, the gym was abuzz with joy, laughter, eating and connecting.
In our worship, encounters, leaders stepping into God’s call upon their lives, in praying for one another, trusting God when resources or answers seemed confusing, God kept meeting us. Calvary, we met together, encouraged each other to trust in God’s faithfulness and look for him to meet us in love.
Faithful
Your faithfulness reaches past the skies…
From people finding comfort in personal challenges, answers to prayer when facing challenges and looking for more of what God has for them, God has been good, loving and faithful to us.
Perhaps the greatest testament to this is how we faced the financial challenges this past year. I’m so proud of how we, as a community, sought God’s leadership, direction and provision. We sought to learn how to depend upon him in a greater way. Even in this…
Our leadership kept hearing God remind us of his faithfulness through Exodus.
Moses and the people of Israel escaped slavery and were heading to red sea. Though he rescued them, Will god be faithful? Will he make a way to fulfill his promises?
Our finances pushed us to pray and seek our communities counsel in more intentional ways. And, it moved us to set aside a day for prayer and fasting. In doing so, we were saying, “God, we need you. And we want to hear you and wait for you.”
We are so proud of all the ways our teams and leaders practised listening for God's leading, trusting in his promises, and stepping out in faith. God’s response is in every report. I’m so grateful for our staff who seek God’s love and faithfulness in how they serve Calvary - faithfully and lovingly. I’m so grateful for our leadership who pull together to love God, each other and see God work in us more and more. And i’m so grateful for this congregation! We gather together to see Jesus meet us and move in us and we look to him, even in uncertain times. We have such testimonies of his love and faithfulness.
We believe your reading this report will stir you to praise and thankfulness for repeated signs of his good faithful love. And maybe it will encourage you to hope again as you hear the stockpile of evidence of God’s love and faithfulness. The God who met Peter is still showing his faithfulness and love at Calvary. And you can hope he will meet you even in this too.
He has sown in this past season the promise and the proof for what he has for us in the next. Let his past faithfulness cause you to look up; Recognize and receive his love. And as you look ahead, keep this same posture : receiving his love, expecting his faithfulness.
Your love, O Lord, reaches to the heavens, your faithfulness past the skies Ps 36:5
Submitted by Rev. Drew Maxwell
Weddings, Baptisms and Funerals
Weddings
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Carly Dunbar and Michael Fleming
Marilyn Wolfe and Darrell Peckham
Rosalind Marshall and Joel Shantz
Heidi Pugh and Konrad Schilbe
Kaylie Wolfe and Simon MacKenzie
Baptisms
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Julia Pond
Callie Pond
In Loving Memory of…
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June Elizabeth Bauman

Shirley Ella Couillard
Lucille “Dolly” Wendland
Amy Catherine McDougall
Mary Eileen Bauman
Mary Mabel Swayze
Gloria Coats
Official Board Report
We declare that God is leading our community by His spirit. Our focus is on Him and we are seeking His kingdom and His glory.
As we reflect on 2023, we can see in hindsight that it was a year of peaks and valleys.
Some of the overarching events included:
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We thanked Debbie and Jane for serving Jesus and Calvary in their years on the board and then we welcomed Esanju! We are grateful for and celebrate each board member's dedication to God and to Calvary.
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At the start of every meeting, we shared God’s goodness, made a declaration about what God is stirring at Calvary, and took turns sharing an area where God is moving in our lives.
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We studied Culture of Empowerment by Steve Backlund to help us learn how to create and foster growth opportunities at Calvary.
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With the goal of maintaining a vibrant board, we decided upon a board term of 3 years with the option of one additional renewal term.
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We once again gathered at Conestoga Bible Camp for a retreat weekend. This was an opportunity to draw closer to God and each other; to listen for God’s will for Calvary.
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In support of a United Church recommendation, we affirmed that the Indigenous community can establish an autonomous National Indigenous Organization within the United Church.
Due to our financial situation, this year was very difficult to navigate for the board. The challenge started in the spring with the recognition that our income was not adequate to support our operating or capital needs. It was a hard season – a “Lord we’re in over our heads” season. It felt like a Red Sea challenge. And yet it was an opportunity to turn to God; to lean in and share with Him our vulnerability; to learn to work through our challenges personally, as a board, and as a church family. We focused on banding together as a community. Thank you to our congregation for stepping into that with prayer, feedback and givings!
God taught us to turn to Him for answers – to lean not on our own understanding, but to put our trust in Him. As a board, we had to learn to work together to listen for his leading, discern his path and direction for us, and choose to boldly follow. We followed a biblical example of laying our worries and concerns before Him and praying over them. As a church body, we practiced this act through our day of prayer and fasting on December 6. He taught us to have faith in His promises of provision – both those spoken directly over Calvary and the many scripture references about it. We asked our family to step forward in faith that God was calling us to invest in Calvary.
And we saw God bless our Yes! We celebrate all the good God has accomplished through Calvary and our people. What a great testimony this is of His faithfulness. As James 1:6 says “Just make sure you ask, empowered by confident faith, without doubting that you will receive.”
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We also want to honour our staff. We experienced a year of growth and development for Calvary within the structure of Gather, Grow and Go! Thank you for persevering through the season of financial uncertainty – wondering if your jobs would be affected. A special thank you to Drew who led us through in faith – reassuring us this is God’s church.
God walked with us through this journey – opening the sea in front of us when we did not see another way and allowing us to pass through. We are excited to step into His promises for this place, to follow His leading, and to walk confidently and respond together as a family!
Janine Armstrong, Esanju Bonga, Bill Dunbar, Jean Healy-Martin, Cathy Linseman, Anita Pugh, Drew Maxwell, Lorie Silverthorne, Terry Smith, Amanda Wood-Atkinson
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Submitted by Lorie Silverthorne and Amanda Wood-Atkinson
on behalf of Calvary’s 20223 Board
Worship Ministry
Worship Leader and Worship Planning Team Report
Oh how good it is to praise the Lord together! We once again saw pictures of what it means to worship Him and experienced many beautiful spaces of His glory.
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On Sundays, we celebrated as the sanctuary filled and the lobby buzzed before and especially after the services over coffee and intentional connection. Our worship teams led us in singing and worship to the glory of God! God’s word moved our minds and hearts forward through Drew’s bedrock of inspired and faithful preaching, supported by many sharers and teachers in our midst. We explored spiritual practices as well as the fruits of His Spirit much of the year which reminded ourselves of the invitation to ABIDE in Him!
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“More” weeknight worship continued (Tuesday & Wednesdays 6:30 - 7:30) both in person and online, providing space for soaking, worship, praying & caring for each other, a space to share prophetic words as we leaned in together.
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Encounter services (monthly) helped us deepen our connection with God and pray with each other. We particularly enjoyed the energy and passion that our young adult friends of Ignite ministry brought to those nights.
Calvary family, thank you for being Jesus’ hands and feet as we worship together.
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Thank you:
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To our Hospitality team - Brian & Angie, Bill & Cindy, Jean & Quentin, George & Kathryn, Wayne & Sheila, Anita & Terry, Rod & Tracy, Wendy, Cathy, Dorothy & Ray - for supporting our community and visitors with welcome and encouragement (and coffee!) Special thanks to Liz Guest for coordinating our new community “coffee” model after the service.
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To our Hosts - Amanda, Janine, Cathy, Terry, and Angie - for communicating what’s coming up, setting a beautiful welcoming tone and hosting God’s presence as we start our worship each Sunday.
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To our Tech team - Steve, Matt, Trent, Ian, Andrew, and Tucker - for combining the creative and technology beautifully, ensuring we could see and hear well online and in-person, and flexing to the max as the Spirit moved in our services.
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To our Worship leaders - Aidan, Amanda, Cathy, Dan, Darlene, Drew, Esanju, Jane, Joel, Jordan, Harold, Ken, Liz, and Marilyn - thank you for pointing us to Jesus with your hearts for worship and musical skill.
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To our Prayer Teams - thank you for how you continue to respond to the Spirit as you share words of encouragement and blessing, and are such a powerful God-filled presence as you come alongside our community in celebration and need.
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To our Teachers, Speakers and Preachers - thank you for moving us forward and keeping our eyes fixed on Jesus.
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To our Sharers - thank you for stepping up and sharing in truth and power from your heart and experience. These views into what God is doing continue to be such a beautiful Kingdom picture!
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Finally to our worship planning team - thank you for how well you listen to God and pour out creatively in support of our worship. Such a beautiful picture of the body of Christ!
The 2023 Worship Planning team consisted of: Ian McHardy, Rhonda Elgersma, Kelly Beitz, Drew Maxwell, Amy Gayman, Jane Herlick, Cathy Linseman, Terry Smith and Dave Small.
Submitted on behalf of the Worship Planning Team
Dave Small, Director, Music Ministry
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On a personal note, I am so grateful to Jesus and our Calvary church family - 2023 was a powerful year of both restoration and new seasons in our worship together. I am constantly amazed at the deep hearts of worship God has grown in our midst over the years and generations here, and cannot wait to see where Jesus’ goodness, presence and glory will lead us to in 2024!
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Blessings,
Dave Small
Family, Children & Youth Ministries
Lighthouse Family and Children's Ministry
Jesus said “Come, follow me.”
Calvary’s Family and Children’s Ministry continues to be a space in which:
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We long for kids and their families to personally hear Jesus’ invitation to “Come. Follow me.”
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Kids and families meet and encounter God in all his fullness as Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
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We aim to have leaders and mentors in this ministry who are openly pursuing Jesus themselves while also discipling, leading and mentoring the children and youth around them.
We want to invite kids and families to “Walk with me as I walk with Jesus”. The heart of this ministry is to provide unique opportunities for kids to encounter the good and loving heart of their heavenly Father.
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Sunday Morning Lighthouse Ministries
OVERVIEW: Our Sunday morning Children’s Ministry is called “Lighthouse” because we know that Jesus is the “Light of the World”and when we follow him we reflect that “Light” into the parts of our world that remain in darkness.
Our Calling:
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To know God, Jesus and Holy Spirit
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Receive the love he has for each of us
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Share that love with others
Our Goal:
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Creating a community of learners and believers that models family where we recognize we are growing and maturing together as followers of Jesus
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Giving our kids space to meet with, talk to and hear God each time they come to Lighthouse
CURRICULUM: We write ALL our own Children’s MInistry Curriculum on a weekly basis, often following the themes and topics of the Sunday morning sermons. This encourages our kids to be pursuing Jesus and their faith TOGETHER with their parents and families. We encourage our kids and parents/adults to be talking to each other about what God has been teaching them each week. In 2023 the curriculum continued to be created by Kelly Beitz with the support of Amy Gayman and Olivia Martin.
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Specifically, this past year we followed the journey of 3 pirates who met a new captain, God, who taught them his character, how to hear his voice and what it means to follow him. The summer was spent outside in our garden space learning the names and character of God with a journey through the stars. Fall of 2023 we launched into A Year of Fruit with our larger church family. We have been discovering the character of God together through the fruits of his spirit.
LEADERSHIP: We have an amazing Children’s Ministry Leadership Team here at Calvary including Leaders, Mentors, Worship Leaders and a Drama Team! We have adults who continue to invest in our Calvary kids year after year and those who join the team for a season. Thank you to this amazing team who are pursuing Jesus themselves and who are consistently showing up to pour themselves into loving and discipling our kids.
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Gerry Arcand
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Victoria Arcand +
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Gavin Atkinson +
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Gavin Beitz +
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Jade Beitz -
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Trent Beitz +
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Lisa Eby
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Amy Gayman
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Carter Gayman +
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Tori Gayman
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Doug Gielen
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Emmaline Henry
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Chloe Hoch +
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Sarah Jacobs
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Jean Martin
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Olivia Martin -
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Trisha McLaughlin
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Leanne Nullmeyer +
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Mariella Oliverio +
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Crystal Schnarr
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Megan Stickney -
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Angie Tuffnail
- left in June 2023
+ joined in Sept 2023
Other Family Ministry opportunities
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January - PD Break Away Day - A day of fun and faith at Calvary for kids grades 1-8
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April - Easter themed “Light in the Park” - Calvary families were invited to participate in the Light in the Park ministry in St Jacobs. The event was a huge success and our Calvary families were able to have some Easter themed fun while also connecting with our local community
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Summer Saturdays “Light in the Park” - This past summer Calvary families were invited to partner with Light in the Park to host an outreach at their own neighborhood community park. We were able to visit many neighbourhoods in which our own Calvary families live and play including Elmira, Waterloo, Kitchener and Alma.
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October - Parent’s Quarterly - Parents gathered with other parents to discuss the big question: How do we parent and disciple our kids in today’s culture? October’s topic was friends and dating.
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December - Jesus Birthday Party - Many of our Calvary kids and families invited friends and neighbours to join them for this fun filled Sunday!
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Sunday mornings - Nursery Care - A huge thank you to Jean Martin who has stepped into the role of coordinating nursery care in addition to her leadership role in Lighthouse Ministries and of course - A HUGE thanks to all our nursery team who help make this space available for our young families on Sunday mornings!
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Submitted by Kelly Beitz
Director of Family and Children’s Ministries
Junior Youth
The youth in grades 6, 7, 8 (‘jr youth’) are such an important part of our church family! We have loved seeing this group of youth grow on Sundays as they engage in our Lighthouse Ministry. The Jr Youth have a special format designed to pour into them as growing followers of Jesus and leaders. Each week they engage as a small group together in their jr youth room (with their own Jr Youth Cafe station!), or they gather in worship with the full Lighthouse crew, or they step into serving roles throughout the church. On these serving Sundays you’ll find the Jr Youth connecting with kids in Lighthouse, changing the sign at the road, helping in the tech booth, prepping meals for the Meals Ministry, organizing DTK bins and so much more. We love watching the Jr.Youth serve and shine! They enjoy being together at church and eager to participate and dive into their faith!
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Once a month we gather to grow as a community and have some fun together! We were able to make a number of great memories together including playing games at the church, pizza parties, outings to Skyzone, Activate, and bowling!
A huge thanks to Angie Tuffnail, Doug Gielen, Sarah Jacobs, and Crystal Schnaar who pour their time and attention into this amazing group of youth!
Submitted by
Rhonda Elgersma (Director of Youth Ministries)
Kelly Beitz (Director of Family and Children’s Ministries)
Senior Youth
We call our regular sr.youth gatherings “HOME”. We call ourselves HOME with the goal that our community would be a space that felt like a family. A place of belonging; a place where you are known.
HOME’s vision continues to seek to be a safe passageway for youth to meet with and encounter the love and transforming freedom of Father God, Jesus and Holy Spirit through community, memorable experiences, worship, growing, and serving.
This year’s youth crew has been slowly growing after a number of our youth graduated the last two years. It’s been a neat opportunity to rebuild and pour into this new crew of youth. They have energy and love to play and laugh and be with their friends. They ask great questions and have a genuine hunger to grow in their relationship with God. They are all coming from different places in their faith journey, but our heart is that they can grow in Him and know they are loved by God Himself. I call it an honor that they are choosing to spend their Friday nights at church! I love that we are a church that continues to value and make space for young people!
Some special highlights this year included:
Fun Highlights & Adventures including movie nights, Skyzone, Activate, our classic run around the church games - and even a St Jacobs village scavenger hunt! When we have smaller numbers, some of our favorite times were playing some new ‘living room games’/ board games (Ask any of our crew about how fun “Happy Salmon” is!)
Serving at Mennonite Central Committee - We’ve done this a few times and it’s been a hit! We got to help pack some of the school kits for this ministry’s work around the globe!
Helping make meals for the meals ministry - This crew loves to serve! Crank the tunes in the kitchen, give them some recipes (and maybe a bit of direction) and they crush it! We’ve loved making a few meals and treats for the meals ministry this year.
Alpha Series - In the spring we used the awesome Alpha video resources again to help teach on some faith foundations and stir up great conversations. This was also integrated as our confirmation preparation.
Confirmation - This year, Tori Gayman took the step in her faith to make a public declaration of her commitment to Jesus and reaffirmed her baptism vows! So exciting! Congrats Tori!
Camp Ministry - While youth group pauses over the summer, we love supporting the ministry opportunities that happen at camp! Four of our sr.youth participated in the Junior Leadership Program at Silver Lake Camp, three served on staff at Silver Lake Camp, others volunteered at camps or attended youth camps. What a joy it was to see them shine in those spaces, grow in their faith and leadership - and how that strengthens our youth ministry is a bonus fruit!
A special thank you to our awesome rotating volunteer team (Jamie Connelly, Kaylie & Simon MccKenzie, Brayden Boerner, and Grace Deter) along with the partnership & support of Kelly Beitz and other members in our church family.
God has amazing things in store for all our amazing youth and we celebrate them!
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Submitted by Rhonda Elgersma
Director of Youth Ministries
Small Group &
Discipleship
Opportunities
We have delighted in seeing how many people have been joining opportunities to connect with others and grow in their faith through the variety of groups offered. We really have felt a strong sense to discipleship and eager to create pathways for people to GATHER (spaces to be community, to connect, to be family) GROW (spaces to learn, to teach, to explore), & GO (spaces to bring Jesus into the world and learn how to do that). You can see more glimpses of our gathering, growing, go-ing in other reports as well but as we seek to look more like Jesus, we want all these elements to be included in our discipleship journey.
This fall we introduced a new format which focuses many of our learning/ “grow” groups on Thursday nights. We call it our “Thursday Growth Track” where we offer short term sessions on various topics and faith formation opportunities. We start at 6:30pm for a time of gathering, and then break off into our group of choice at 7:00pm. It’s been well received and we are excited to see it flourish even more!
In addition to these groups listed below, there were other groups and bible studies happening throughout the year. We also saw discipleship and community happening in informal ways as well - from 2by2 (prayer partners), small bible study groups, phone calls, visits, mentoring, and much more!
So much to celebrate as we look at the many people who have participated - as leaders, as learners, as connectors, as disciples, as family.
Submitted by Rhonda Elgersma
Women's Group
Four sessions/studies took place over this year, this year switching to a bi-weekly format. Using different teachers and study resources, the women would spend time sharing goodness, either watching a video study or digging into scripture, and then into breakout groups for discussion & prayer. In winter we did a Psalms study (online) with a combination of resources: The Bible, The Bible Project videos, and songs. We discussed what was highlighted in scripture, what it taught about God and people. In May and June we studied Philippians (in person) using a video series from See, Hear, Love. Over the summer we gathered outside to study the book of Ruth - with no need to read in advance! In the fall, we dove into the book of James (in person). Thank you to Lorie Silverthorne & Cathy Linseman for their leadership and shepherding of this beautiful ministry!
In November, Sharon McKay did an amazing job organizing a women’s day with about 25 in attendance from Calvary and the community. There was worship, video teachings, discussion and fellowship. And even dessert and draw prizes! Such a rich time together!
Men's Group
This year had wonderful growth for our men’s ministry at Calvary. Most Tuesday evenings, you’d find a group of guys connecting, learning, and growing together. This year they worked their way through the book of Mark & James using some simple bible study tools. Thank you to the leadership of Terry & Drew for their leadership.
Parents Quarterly
Starting in the fall, Kelly launched this night for parents to connect with other parents to discuss the big questions. How do we parent and disciple our kids in today’s culture? This first fall gathering focused on the topic of friendships and dating.
Practicing The Way
This past year we discovered a new small group resource that we have absolutely loved! Practicing the way provides video teaching and other resources to dig deeper into becoming a disciple of Jesus. This year we did 3 different sessions: Prayer, Sabbath, and Solitude. The format included starting off in a time of fellowship, then gathering in the foyer as a whole group to watch the video teaching, and then a few break out discussions with 2-3 people. A big thanks to Drew & Kelly for launching this and to Mike & Lorraine for leading the last two sessions for us and creating such a wonderful space to gather and grow!
Running After Group
One of the words over our church is that it is a place that ‘raises up big people’. We each have powerful giftings, purposes, and callings on our life and God wants us to step into them. This group gathers for 3 sessions (and follow up meetings) to help people build up their confidence in their IDENTITY and DESTINY through simple tools, reflections, and encouragement. We are excited for these opportunities to help people run after who and what God has called them to! Thanks to Janine Armstrong, Amanda Atkinson, and Rhonda Elgersma for facilitating this journey for people.
Grief & Loneliness - The Journey at Christmas
This two week group provided space for folks who may have been grieving - something particularly challenging in the Christmas season. Featuring Janessa Bauman, a Social Worker Woolwich Counseling, Janessa’s clinical expertise along with her love and trust in Jesus encouraged us as we navigate different types of grief and loss.
Elements
This group is a 3 session opportunity for folks newer to Calvary where they can connect with staff and learn about some of the key cultures of our community. A great space to meet new people. We were able to run this group twice in 2023.
Minto Group
God continues to be extending the geographical reach of Calvary - more folks from the Palmerston, Harriston, Listowel area call Calvary their home church. This bible study opportunity for the “Minto area” folks was formed last year and now a group of 6-8 people gather bi-weekly on Tuesdays to connect and study scripture together. This year they spent time mostly in book of Exodus. Thank you to Dave Small & Anita Pugh for leading this group!
Heart of Worship
Dave launched this new group to create space for people to deepen their hearts for worshiping Jesus. This group spends time exploring our understanding of what worship is, our response to Jesus in worship, and following the Spirit's leading.
Joy Group
This online opportunity used the resource of the Igniting Joy by Steve Baukland to spur one another on in choosing joy in all circumstances. This was the first time we tried an ongoing “whatsapp” group format in addition to weekly zoom connects. A neat format that allowed us to check in more regularly and share highlights and struggles as we learned.
GO! Outreach
& Equipping
Jesus said, “Go share the Good News and make disciples.”. He models how to do this with his own life: Through loving relationships, always speaking truth and through a life spent abiding with His Father. Once we are followers of Jesus he asks us to do the same. At Calvary we are constantly learning how to “Go!” by learning to abide with God - being with him and coming to know his heart. It is through our relationship with him that we start to see others through his eyes and we become compelled to share our faith and the Good News of Jesus with those around us.
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At Calvary, the heart of missions is to both partner with agencies and other ministries that embody this call and also to come alongside, encourage and empower individuals who have a heart and a call to GO! Partnering and coming alongside agencies and people might include financial support, prayer support and/or volunteer support. In 2023 we had the opportunity to partner with or encourage the work of the following groups:
Adventure for Change, By Peaceful Waters Counseling Agency, Disciple A City, Every Disciple Sent, Kenyan Kids, K-W Pregnancy Centre, Mennonite Central Committee, Ray of Hope Kitchener, Refugee Sponsorship, United Church of Canada Camping Ministries, Woolwich Community Services, Woolwich Counseling Services and World Renew. In addition Calvary supports the United Church’s Mission and Outreach ministries which meet local and global needs.
As you look at the above list, allow God to place a cause, an organization, a ministry or a people group on your heart. If something stirs in you that is not already a space that we as a church family have been stepping into, talk to God about it. Maybe he is placing it on your heart for a reason and we are meant to encourage you. Or maybe he is placing it on your heart so that you can invite others into it with you. Either way we would love to hear from you to help you discern how you can start to act on what God is placing on your heart. Contact Kelly Beitz (kelly@calvaryunited.com)
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Below is a glance back on some of the specific 2023 Go! Initiatives at Calvary.
GO! Local
Go! Equipping Nights
In the fall of 2023 Calvary offered a GO! Equipping Night. The focus of this night was to help our own church family take conversations with others past the surface level and into a place where we can talk about Jesus. These nights will happen once every “quarter” and will be a time to equip, encourage and build confidence in each of us to fulfill our call to share the Good News with those in our lives.
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DTK - Downtown Kitchener Ministry
A team from Calvary gathers to serve the marginalized people in Kitchener every other Tuesday night from 8-9pm. While the team offers a bite to eat, a beverage, and a few essential items, the real heart is to build relationships, demonstrate the love of God and offer the hope of Jesus to whoever stops by. Our team typically consists of 4-6 people to serve food and hand out hygiene and personal items and teams of 3 people to walk the streets with hot chocolate and a willingness to connect with people wherever they are.
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In November of 2022 we started gathering at 7PM to offer “SIMPLE CHURCH ” at City Hall to any interested guests.This group has continued to meet throughout 2023 for connection, bible reading and prayer. Each week we hear testimonies from guests who have found community and receive hope through this “Simple Church” experience!
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In March of 2023, Bethany Evangelical Missionary Church (located downtown Kitchener), agreed to partner with Calvary and take over supplying and preparing the hotdogs and hot chocolate required each Tuesday evening. This partnership has been a great help both financially and practically as the food is now prepared just down the street from the site. Many Tuesdays we also welcome and serve alongside our new friends at Bethany Church.
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A crucial part of this ministry is the ongoing support of you - our Calvary family. Donations of the items we hand out as well as monetary donations make this ministry possible. Some ongoing donation requests include:
• mens sized hats & gloves • scarves • razors • toothbrush • travel-sized (hotel sized) hygiene items including • shampoo • shower gel • soap • toothpaste • deodorant • peanut free granola bars
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Thanks to LDC and our Jr Youth who baked and packaged cookies to give out over the Christmas season! Please connect with Kelly Beitz to get more information, to volunteer with this ministry opportunity or support it with a donation.
Every Disciple Sent
In June of 2023, Calvary sent a small team to Saskatoon to support “Come Together”, a stadium event put on by evangelist Tyrelle Smith and Every Disciple Sent. Every Disciple Sent is an initiative started by our friends and partners at Disciple a City with the heart of training and equipping believers to fulfill the great commission to share the gospel. The team sent to Saskatoon (Gerry Arcand, Debbie Martin and Kelly Beitz) had the honour of upholding the event and its leadership in prayer as well as being part of the prayer ministry team. What a privilege to be a part of what God is doing across our country! Every Disciple Sent continues to be a valued partner. Calvary blesses this ministry by allowing Kelly and Rhonda to use some of their hours on an as needed basis to support this ministry.
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Light in the Park
This “Drop In” style GO! Ministry started in 2021 and has continued seasonally since. Light in the Park takes some simple truths about God (He is good, You are loved, Jesus is the way and Nothing is impossible) and uses games and activities in a local park to share the gospel and build relationships with our local community. The structure for building relationships and sharing the gospel has been widely successful and many connections have been made with both local families and visitors to the area.
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This past summer Calvary families were invited to partner with Light in the Park to host an outreach at their own neighborhood community park. We were able to visit many neighbourhoods in which our own Calvary families live and play including Elmira, Waterloo, Kitchener and Alma. In addition to summer pop ups, we also hosted an Easter Light in the Park (April 2023) in our very own St Jacobs Village.
Ray of Hope
Thanks to the financial support of our Calvary family, the Ray of Hope team served three meals in 2023 including March 1, May 30 and November 6th. After not quite having the donations to cover the costs of the first meal in 2023, the donations and support for the last 2 meals showed the generous heart of the Calvary church family. For the November dinner the Stirbet family (Wendy Stirbet is Calvary’s Office Administrator) donated 30 chickens! Prep crew for this meal included Wendy Stirbet (she did the roasting in the Calvary kitchen), Gary and Lori Melitzer, Brian and Angie Tuffnail, David and Sharon McKay, Barb King, Cathy Linseman. A huge thanks to all those who financially supported the meals this year and also to the team who gave of their time to prep and serve these meals.
2023 Ray of Hope Team: Brenda Tithecott, Marg Scheid, Jean Martin, Barb King, Wendy Krieck, Cathy Linseman and Lorie Silverthorne. We bless Lorie Silverthorne as she steps off this team to seek the spaces where God is calling her!
United Church Camping Ministries
We were thrilled in 2023 to see Ryerson and Silver Lake begin to thrive again in their ministry of overnight camping! We were excited to both encourage Calvary families to attend these “partner camps” and to see many of our own Calvary youth go on to be staff. In the spring of 2023, a Calvary team went up to Silver Lake to join in the Work Bee and help with various projects which keep the site at Silver Lake looking good and functioning well. Calvary also gathered two teams in the fall of 2023 to enter into the Adventure for Kids Campaign in support of raising funds for the building of the new dining hall. These teams “Hiked” and played “Capture the Flag” and raised over $2500 for this capital project!
Calvary has been supporting Silver Lake with monthly donations since the fall of 2021. These consistent contributions assist with the ongoing needs of operating a camp ministry in addition to supporting the build of a much needed dining hall. Calvary is continuing to consider ways to bless, encourage and strengthen the camp ministries that so many of our own youth and families enjoy and benefit from.
Calvary also had the honor of hosting Leadership Development Camp (LDC - co-directed by Rhonda Elgersma) as they designed and ran a youth service out of Calvary. In addition to providing a great space for this sized camp, our Calvary family provided the food for their stay here. This very tangible gift of shelter and food is such a blessing to this small traveling camp.
This past year we have had the privilege of encouraging and coming alongside Ignite, a new young adult ministry that has been started out of our camping communities. This ministry seeks to provide opportunities for college and university aged youth to worship, engage in Christian community and be discipled. If you have been out to an Encounter Service you will have had an opportunity to meet and encourage this community of young adults. We look forward to seeing this relationship grow as we seek to provide space and mentorship to this young ministry.
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GO! International
Missionary Couple
Calvary’s financial support has come to an end for a young missionary couple (names withheld for safety reasons) from our region that have a heart to serve the Muslim people. For the last few years Calvary has supported this couple with monthly donations as they have served in Jordan. Early in 2023 this couple moved back to Canada to access services for their daughter. Our leadership team sat on a discernment team as they came before God to ask what was next for them as a family. After prayer and a discernment process the couple decided to withdraw their status as missionaries with MSC in 2023. Calvary made the decision to continue financial support until Dec of 2023 to help with their transition back to Canada and to support the ongoing needs of their daughter. Please pray for the ongoing work of this couple with Muslim believers in the KW area and for their daughter’s health and development. Feel free to contact the church office to receive more information on this couple.
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Youth in Missions
We are excited to once again have the opportunity to invest in and launch young people from our own Calvary family into their mission calling. Braydon Boerner was able to return to YWAM Kona in Hawaii to learn and serve particularly in the area of worship and missions. Jordan Vogt spent a portion of her summer in the Middle East teaching and building relationships with the goal to share the love of Jesus. Our congregation was able to support these young people with both prayer and finances.
Also, please pray for who God might be highlighting next for our Calvary family to encourage, support and launch into the commission of going and making disciples of all nations.
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Submitted by Kelly Beitz
Director of Outreach
Refugee Settlement Committee
(Jean-Healey Martin, Lorie Silverthorne, Highview Community Church)
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2023 continued to see a lot of activity for refugee settlement! Partnerships are the theme with our work, especially with Highview Community Church in Kitchener, and we now have even more partnerships!
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We love the community building that happens through our fundraising efforts. This is especially true for the fall auction - thank you so much for partnering with us in donating items and for the bidding! God has greatly blessed us with His provision for this passion of ours.
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We are very concerned for Venus and Aphrodite’s family due to the conflict just to the south of them between Israel and Gaza. Prayers are welcome! The good news is that we expect travel to be imminent! Their application has been in process since 2021. We expect to need the additional funds we have raised since then to support this family. As we all know prices have gone up a lot since then! We are partnering with Venus and Aphrodite to prepare for their family’s arrival and settlement.
Our sponsorship of our Somali family of 8 made some progress in 2023 – the application was reviewed for completeness, passed, and is now being evaluated. This sponsorship is in partnership with their extended family in Waterloo.
We are partnering once again with the Al Othman family to facilitate sponsorship of Alia’s grandson. The application will be submitted shortly.
We entered into a new partnership with an organization called Remember Ministries to sponsor a mom, dad, and young adult son. This is a Christian family from the Middle East currently living in Turkey who has been persecuted for their faith. For this sponsorship, we are providing hands-on settlement work but are not financing it. Their daughter Donya and son-in-law Pouya were also sponsored by Remember Ministries and they arrived in Canada in October. Some of you met them when they visited Calvary in December. You’re sure to see them again soon!
Thank you for sharing our heart for refugees as we follow Jesus. With your help, we have impacted the lives of 39 people!
There your people finally settled, and with a bountiful harvest, O God, you provided for your needy people. Psalm 68:10 (NLT)
Submitted by Lorie Silverthorne
Refugee Settlement Committee
Pastoral Care
Ministries
Comfort - to give strength and hope to; to console
Encourage - to inspire with courage, spirit or hope; to spur on
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These two words comfort and encourage play such an important role in pastoral care. Did you notice the word “hope” in each of those definitions? This is exactly who Jesus is. He is the person of Hope. He is our comforting and protecting Shepherd. The words in Isaiah 61 gave hope and encouragement to the people of Israel - “He has sent me (Jesus) to comfort the brokenhearted and to proclaim that captives will be released and prisoners will be freed.”
Each one of us here at Calvary is a part of caring and supporting one another, encouraging one another, consoling one another other and spurring one another on, in hope. And we certainly know that this is happening in this house. Mary Jane and Cathy found themselves in a season of need this past year and were so grateful to welcome Mike Cahoon in a new role of Community and Pastoral Care. The needs in our church family have increased significantly in the past few years and so Mike adds a depth of heart, wisdom, good humour, compassion and formal pastoral and counselling training in this role. He and Drew work closely together and Mary Jane and Cathy support as best as they can.
When you find yourself needing some extra help as we all do at one time or another then please feel free to contact any one of us. It is truly a joy to serve and walk alongside our Calvary family in this way.
Submitted with gratitude,
Mary Jane Schenkel, Cathy Linseman, Rev. Drew Maxwell, Mike Cahoon
Prayer
Ministries
Calvary is a house of prayer. We celebrate the various opportunities for people to both receive prayer and also give the gift of prayer. We know our prayers are powerful and effective and love seeing how God has used our various prayer ministry teams and tools to provide vision, direction, healing, unity, encouragement, and comfort.
We’re so grateful for those who set aside time to listen and to pray for God’s will to be done on earth as in heaven.
Thursday Morning Prayer. Through many rich prayer times, this faithful group of intercessors prayed for our church family and for God’s heart for our town, our region and the world.
Sunday morning prayer ministry continues to be an important part of our worship times. We know the opportunity to receive a blessing, impartation, or simply have our petitions and praises released alongside someone else is powerful and important as a body. Thank you to our wonderful prayer ministry team (Amy G, Angie T, Cathy L, Debbie M, Gerry A, Jane H, Janine A, Kathryn S, Lorie S, Sharon M, Wendy K) and a special shout out to Lorie Silverthorne for administering this team so that each Sunday prayer was able to be offered in person (and online for much of the year) each Sunday.
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MORE worship & prayer on Facebook twice a week provides a space for not only music and worship but also for people to share petitions, words of encouragement, prophetic declarations, and scriptures to the others joining! It has been beautiful to see people minister to one another in prayer in that space! A special thanks to Dave, Drew, Aidan, Brayden, and other Ignite friends for their leading.
Prophetic Prayer - This ministry has continued to thrive and grow in ways we never could have guessed. People from our church community and beyond can sign up for a short (10 min) prophetic prayer session. While available for our church, it has gained much traction internationally. Over the past year we were able to facilitate over 30 prophetic sessions! Many of these folks have been finding us online from around the world - we have gotten to minister to people from England, Malaysia, Africa, USA, other provinces, and more! Thank you to Debbie, Jane, Amy, Esanju, Gerry, Kelly, and Drew for your leadership and involvement in this ministry! In addition, some of our prophetic prayer team (Kelly, Debbie, and Gerry) were invited to attend a large evangelical conference in Saskatchewan with the sole purpose of praying for leadership and offering prophetic prayer and ministry to attendees.
Sozo Ministry - The Greek word ‘sozo’ means to save, deliver, make whole or restore, heal, be whole. To describe SOZO in just a few words, we could say that it is a ministry of healing, freedom and restoration. The team of prayers listen to God’s prompting as to how to pray and use tools that the attendee then can use themselves to listen to God’s voice. We have seen the power of forgiveness and the joy of freedom. Hearing the shepherd’s voice will lead you out of whatever has penned you in. Sessions can be booked through sozo@calvaryunited.com. We were able to facilitate a few sozos this year. Thanks to our sozo team from over the years including some new members: Drew, Ian, Dave, Phil, Donna, Sharon, Karen, Janine, Kelly, & Rhonda.
Submitted by Rhonda Elgersma
Calvary Prayer Chain
We continue to be amazed and thankful at God's attention & answers to our prayers.
Again this year we have had people join our prayer chain to pray for others. We have had lots of prayer requests for both Calvary church family and others from our community. Please contact myself or Wendy in the office if you wish to be part of our email list of pray-ers.
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Click on the link to read Prayers for Victory and Success
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Submitted by Sharon McKay
Prayer Chain Co-ordinator
Community &
Special Events
In addition to small group opportunities, we also were able to celebrate times of community, fellowship and fun together! It was wonderful to have the full return of more of our larger group gatherings again! The word “together” continued to be a key and prominent this past year. And part of being family is simply being together to enjoy and connect as a church family!
Some gatherings and community highlights this year included:
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Coffee Hour after church on Sundays - we love the buzz and connections that happen in the foyer after church with some cookies and a cup of coffee! A special thank you to our faithful hospitality team and Liz Guest for her leadership and coordinator in this ministry!
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Chili Cook Off - The annual tradition resumed! Such a great time enjoying yummy chili recipes and fun competition! Thanks to the many hands who help make it happen with chili & food contributions, set up & clean up!
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Hot Dog & Soup Potluck - A classic church lunch returned! It was great to have another time to enjoy fellowship together after church. Thanks to those who contributed soup and a big thanks to Bev & Barb, Dorothy & Ray, and the volunteers who helped make it happen!
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Family Gatherings - In the spring, the board wanted to create some spaces for our church to gather, connect, and vision and dream together as a family - We were able to meet in 6 different homes. There was such positive feedback from these times - not just the specific discussions the board facilitated but the rich community and connections. We look forward to hosting these again!
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Food Trucks & Family Fun - Following a worship service in June, three local food trucks came to serve up some yummy lunch and treats! A great time of connecting with one another over food - something we love to do at Calvary! We also set up some games and bouncy castle activities for the kids! Such a fun time together! Later in September, we enjoyed a special local coffee food truck. Fun to support local small businesses!
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Men’s Wing Night - In September, a group of guys got together to connect over some wings and beverages! We celebrate seeing the community of men growing at Calvary!
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Women’s Day - On Saturday, Nov 18, a group of around 25 women gathered together at Calvary for a time of fellowship, worship, video teachings, small groups, prizes, and treats. It was a rich and beautiful time together! A big thank you to Sharon McKay and her team of volunteers who helped bring back this special time.
Submitted by Rhonda Elgersma​.
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50+ Group - were able to resume monthly gatherings this past year. Each month an opportunity to connect together and often learn together was facilitated. Thank you to Dora, Roy, Dorothy, and Ray for their leadership and coordinating along with others in the group.
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In January, we met for a pot luck lunch and our yearly planning session.
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In February, our speaker was Amelia Ballak of the Woolwich Community Health Centre who presented Music Therapy for Seniors followed by coffee and desserts We sang and played instruments and thoroughly enjoyed the session and the treats!
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March’s lunch was soup and sandwiches followed by our speaker Blair McKay who shared the video, Transend, the story of his son-in-law, Wesley Korir. He offered copies of the video and Wendy’s book.
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In April, we had a pot luck lunch. We were blessed once more to have a speaker from our own church family, Amanda Wood-Atkinson. She and her co-worker, Janessa Bauman from the Woolwich Counselling Centre, spoke on Emotional and Mental Wellness for Seniors: Growing Through Adversity and Building Resilience.
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We tried something different in May enjoying a pizza lunch before playing shuffleboard.
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June found us in Calvary’s Memory Garden for a brown bag lunch, conversation and outdoor games.
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We resumed our activities in September by meeting for a light lunch of muffins etc. before heading to the Waterloo Waste Reduction/Recycling Education Centre and a tour of the recycling centre.
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October found us volunteering at the Woolwich Community Services Food Bank, a very rewarding experience for all of us! Lunch at the Elmira Golf Course Restaurant followed.
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In November we attended Nicole Guse’s, The Sounds of Christmas, a presentation we look forward to attending.
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Our annual Christmas Dinner at the Schmidtsville Restaurant was followed by some fun Christmas activities and a carol sing accompanied by Rev Drew on guitar. We also enjoyed The Twin City Harmonizers here at Calvary.
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All members of our Calvary family are invited to join this informal group as we enjoy fellowship and community together. Members are notified by email or telephone as well as Calvary Connects and Sunday reminders.
Submitted by Dora Robertson
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Euchre Club - The purpose of the euchre club is to promote fellowship, make new friends, and have some fun. The euchre club started last October after a two year break. Our group consists of 16 members and 9 spares. Two groups of eight players meet the 3rd Friday of the month in host’s homes, and the schedule will finish in April.
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Special Events Committee - The annual Twin City Harmonizer Christmas Show in December “An A Cappella Christmas, with special guests “the girlfriends”, entertained to a large audience. This year we even had a visit from Santa Clause and also Elvis. Special thanks to Wendy in the office for compiling the program, to businesses who sponsored ads in the program, to sound technician Mathew Kuntz, and to any others who helped in any way to make the show a success. Profit raised: $ 2,192.10. During the Christmas season, 20 angels were placed on our memory tree in the foyer with donations totalling $355.00. Our committee consists of: Bev and Barb Bowman, Bruce and Donna Dammeier and Ray Clement .
Submitted by Dorothy McMillan,
Special Events.
Ministry &
Personnel
The Ministry & Personnel (M & P) committee works on behalf of the congregation to support Calvary’s staff. This is through contracts, salaries, job descriptions, working with the board on staff recruitment/mediation and providing pastoral care to each staff person. Our main focus continues to be caring for our staff. We have an M & P point person for each staff member to connect with and check in to see if we can support them in any way. We want to foster and maintain healthy relationships within our staff and congregation. We are the consultative and supportive role for the staff.
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This scripture reminds me so accurately of our staff. “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.”
Philippians 2:3-4
Wendy Stirbet our Office Administrator. Wendy’s kindness, gentleness and smile is a welcomed greeting when entering our building or reaching out by phone or email. Thank you, Wendy for your continued support of our Calvary family and our staff. Thank you for managing the office and all you do behind the scenes.
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Dave Small our Director of Music Ministries. Dave is so talented and wonderful in leading us in worship. Not only is Dave an amazing musician, but he also brings great leadership to his Worship teams. Through Sunday mornings, Encounter services and Heart of Worship nights, thank you Dave for leading us in worship, for helping us to open our hearts and minds to invite the Holy Spirit in and for sharing your Joy of music, worship and praise with us.
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Kelly Beitz our Director of Family & Children Ministries and Director of Outreach. Lighthouse leaders, mentors and kids are so blessed by Kelly’s leadership. Kelly continues to use her many gifts to lead children and adults into a relationship with Jesus through her creativity, ingenuity, fun and her presence. Thank you Kelly for shining your bright light on our children and for showing them Jesus through you!

As Director of Outreach, Kelly seeks ways and organizations to spread the word of God and love of Jesus beyond our doors of Calvary. One way this happens is at DTK (Downtown Kitchener) Ministry. Kelly wonderfully leads/mentors the team to serve our guests and gently share who Jesus is. Kelly is also involved with Disciple A City and Every Disciple Sent organizations.
Rhonda Elgersma our Director of Youth Ministries and Director of Ministries. Rhonda has amazing gifts and talents to connect with youth. It is awesome to see Rhonda’s energy and enthusiasm for youth and encouraging them to know who they are, grow in their faith and stepping into leadership opportunities.

As Director of Ministries, Rhonda uses her organizational and administrative gifts to keep us running smoothly not just on Sunday mornings but also helping with communications, visioning, strategic planning and connecting people to opportunities. Rhonda can see clearly what others may miss about themselves or a situation!! Thank you, Rhonda, for using your gifts to support each of us and Calvary!
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Mike Cahoon our Community Connections Staff Member. Working with the board and staff a decision was made to hire a Community Connections Staff Member for a six month term. This position is to assist equipping and supporting others, connecting with those in time of need, and creating and strengthening connections in Calvary. It was a pleasure to have Mike Cahoon fill this position in July. Welcome to the staff of Calvary Mike!!
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Drew Maxwell our Lead Pastor. We are so blessed by Drew’s leadership, mentoring and faithfulness! Thank you for continuing to lead by example. Thank you for encouraging all of us to grow, to press into more, to experience God’s presence, encounter the Holy Spirit and to share testimonies. Thank you for your continued commitment to Calvary and your investment into all of us. Thank you for sharing all of your gifts during worship, teaching, preaching, praying, small groups, encounter and your presence. Under your leadership, Calvary is AMAZING!!
“May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you the same attitude of mind toward each other that Christ Jesus had, so that with one mind and one voice you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Romans 15:5-6
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Members: Angie Tuffnail, Mary Jane Schenkel, Esanju Bonga, Andrew Atkinson
Submitted by Angie Tuffnail
Chairperson, Ministry and Personnel Committee
Committees
Coordinators & Nominations for 2024
We are grateful for the many names and volunteers who have served our church family in so many ways. Many have been celebrated in the previous reports and there are many more! We want to thank all our teams and volunteers!
We honor the work of the various leaders in all aspects of our church family. Here’s a look at some of the committee teams & coordinators for the coming season. Use this as a helpful list to reach out to the appropriate point persons and lift them up in prayer! If one of these areas jumps out to you, please contact a church staff member.
*denotes chairperson
Official Board
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Amanda Wood - Atkinson, Janine Armstrong (outgoing), Esanju Bonga, Bill Dunbar (outgoing), Jean Healey-Martin, Cathy Linseman, Drew Maxwell, Anita Pugh, Lorie Silverthorne, Terry Smith
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Nominations: Ian McHardy, Allison Williams, Mike Misener
Ministry & Personnel
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*Angie Tuffnail, Andrew Atkinson, Esanju Bonga and Mary Jane Schenkel
Finance
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Treasurer: Terry Smith
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Committee: *Terry Smith, Wendy Krieck, Wendy Stirbet
Hospitality & Community (new)
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Coordinator: Angie Tuffnail
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Special Events - Harmonizers Concert, Christmas Memory Tree - *Dorothy McMillan, Bev & Barb Bowman, Ray Clement, Bruce & Donna Dammeier
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New teams and opportunities incoming!
Pastoral Care 

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Coordinators: Cathy Linseman, Mary Jane Schenkel, Drew Maxwell, Mike Cahoon
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Meals Ministry: Shannon Robinson
Prayer Ministry
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Prayer Team Co-ordinator: Lorie Silverthorne
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Prayer Chain Co-ordinator: Sharon McKay
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Sozo Co-ordinator: Rhonda Elgersma
Property & Facilities
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Team: To Be Developed
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Trustees: *Mark Beitz, Paul Herlick, Drew Maxwell, Murray Martin, Geoff Williams
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Cemetery Committee: *Sharon McKay, Dave McKay, Gary Melitzer
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Garden Care Co-ordinator: Bill Dunbar
Library Committee
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*Donna & Ian McHardy
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Worship
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Director: Dave Small
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Planning team: Kelly Beitz, Rhonda Elgersma, Jane Herlick, Cathy Linseman, Drew Maxwell, Ian McHardy, Dave Small, Terry Smith
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Media/Tech Ministry Coordinator: Steve Morris
Children & Families Ministry
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Director: Kelly Beitz
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Nursery Coordinator: Jean Healey-Martin

Youth Ministry
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Director - Rhonda Elgersma
Outreach
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Director: Kelly Beitz
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Refugee Settlement: Lorie Silverthorne
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DTK: Kelly Beitz, Cindy Dunbar, Katinka Gielen
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Ray of Hope: Cathy Linseman
Calvary
Property & Facilities
Trustees Report
The trustees are responsible for ensuring the building and property, the trust, are cared for and managed well.
We're grateful to have a strong property team who oversee the day to day needs of the property and building including the lighting, heating, cooling, plumbing and cemetery care.
Further thanks goes out to our volunteers who care for the Church gardens planting and caring for them throughout the year.
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Trustees: Mark Beitz, Paul Herlick, Murray Martin, Drew Maxwell & Geoff Williams.
Submitted by Mark Beitz
Property Committee
We are thankful for the dedication of Dale Schieck, Gary Melitzer, and Rod Straus in maintaining our church building and property.
We are always looking for volunteers to join the property team. You do not require a particular skill set to be part of property. The church family includes those with specific skill sets that I call on from time to time and are always willing to help. Those individuals include Brian Tuffnail, Quentin Martin, Jeff Martin and Dave McKay. Volunteers only require the urge to serve and the ability to take and give direction.
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We have 8 furnaces in total, 5 outdoor roof top and 3 indoor. With 1 replaced, the other7 are 23 years old. We need to keep this in mind and plan for future replacement.
The smaller of the two hot water heaters had to be replaced. Also had to replace venting pipe that was outdated and needed to be brought up to code for 2023.
We continue to look at short term and long term projects requiring attention, and to deal with them in a timely manner.
Lorne Andrews is our church custodian. And what an awesome job he does. Lorne continues to go above and beyond his initial job responsibilities with quiet enthusiasm and pride. If you have the opportunity, please stop Lorne in his travels around the church and thank him for a job well done.
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Submitted by Dale Schieck
Property Chair
Cemetery
Committee
Your Cemetery Committee: Gary Melitzer, David McKay, Rod Straus, Terry Smith, Sharon McKay.
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The cost of time mowing, gas, and lawn mower maintenance is shared with Calvary Church.
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This year we are thankful for the hands-on helpers & John McKay who worked (and donated) many hours of mowing to take care of the cemetery property at Calvary and at Hillside cemetery again in 2023.
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THIS YEAR on SUN, JUNE 9TH AT 2PM we would like to invite any family members who have loved ones buried in our Calvary cemetery to join us for a memorial service. We will be outdoors weather permitting. This has not happened for several years partly due to Covid. Please spread the word as we would like to check in with families who own grave sites and compare it to our map. We would like to offer a time to remember and worship and donate to the ongoing cost of cemetery upkeep going forward.
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Terry Smith has kindly offered to do the “bookkeeping” as part of the church accounting system, keeping cemetery income and expense separate from the Church account. It will simplify having a financial statement easily accessible for annual report for cemetery. We appreciate any donations to the cemetery fund to help keep up with lawn mower maintenance, topsoil, cleaning stones etc.
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PLEASE SPECIFY “CEMETERY’ on any donations.
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Submitted By Sharon McKay
2023 Financial
Statement
Submitted by Terry Smith
Treasurer
AGM Minutes
