elders
This past year at Calvary has been one of great encouragement to the elders . It is our desire that Calvary is a place where we can experience the warm fellowship of being with brothers and sisters in Christ , a place where the good news of the Gospel is faithfully preached and taught , a place that is a refuge from a world filled with the ugliness of sin and rebellion , and a place to freely worship our Lord and Savior , Jesus Christ . It has been all of that and more . As we look over this past year , this is some of what we see .
Grace Beyond , our recent building project was completed . Our new space includes a sanctuary that is more conducive to worship , the Gathering Place that encourages a greater sense of community , and a more secure and effective classroom space for our children . It has been heartwarming to see so many of us sitting around the tables in the Gathering Place before , after , and between services , conversing and sharing our common bond in Christ . And we don ’ t want to forget the prayer garden , which was the first step in the Grace Beyond project , built as our “ extravagant gift ” to God as our expression of our love and devotion to Him .
The prayer garden was also the beginning of the elders ’ commitment to a more urgent reliance on prayer . We continue to invite any who would like us to pray for them to meet with us before our regular elder meeting on the first Tuesday of each month . For those who cannot come on a Tuesday evening , we invite you to pray with us between Sunday services , or we will visit and pray with you at your home or in the hospital . These times of prayer have been a great encouragement to all who have participated , but especially to us as elders who have seen many miraculous answers to our requests . We are truly blessed to see God at work among his people .
We are also blessed to listen week after week to our pastors who , in the words of Oswald Chambers , “ never water down the Word of God , but preach it in its undiluted sternness , with unflinching faithfulness .” It is our desire as elders that this will always be true of Calvary Church , that it will be a place where “ the glorious Father may give you the spirit of wisdom and revelation so that you may know Him better ” ( Ephesians 1:17 ). We sense that is happening at Calvary , and we sense a spirit of unity among us that has been refreshing .
There is much more that we might say about our journey together over this past year , but we will simply say that God has been very good to us , and we praise him for his faithfulness .
Eric Cerling , Calvary Church Elder
Elders 2017-2018 Bob Boverhof Bruce Bradford Eric Cerling Steve Gronsman Jim Hoekwater Les Lamborn Dave Oviatt
Steve Rowan Nate Schmidt Vernon Spears Mike Still Brian Swanton Scott Tubergen Allen VanHaitsma
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