This week the members of Calvary met to elect elders and officers who will lead us in the next year of ministry. We also approved our 2024-2025 operating budget, so we’re off and running for another journey of faith, building Christ-centered communities devoted to loving God and loving others. Who doesn’t love an Annual Meeting? Ha! I’ve talked to a few people, new to Calvary, who have shared their own stories of other church business meetings that were marked by tension and conflict whenever the congregation got together to make financial and business decisions. Glory be to God that our gatherings have been a celebration of what God accomplishes through a united congregation on mission for Jesus. We ended by singing the doxology, praying for His good will in the days ahead, and eating ice cream! Who doesn’t love an annual meeting?

Now that is not to suggest we don’t face many challenges. The days are evil. The church moves in a different direction than our culture so that we are frequently opposed. Many of our members and regular attenders face personal hardships of health, employment, finance, and family strife. We live in a broken world, and we are all sinners. More than ever, we need the stabilizing community of a church committed to God’s truth and grace. Each of us are called to pray for one another. Leaders and pastors pray for members. Members pray for their leaders.

This is a good opportunity to remind us all of the six commitments we make as members of Calvary. Even if you are reading this and not a church member, these are core commitments of being a Christ follower. These are shaping values of discipleship.

We are committed to:

Biblical Authority. We submit ourselves to whatever the Word of God teaches and affirms. His Word is a lamp to our feet – a light to our path. Jesus called us to observe all that He commanded. Like Ezra we set our hearts to study the word of the Lord, and to do it, and to teach it to others.

Prayer in Faith. We know God accomplishes His will through our prayers. Jesus taught us how to pray and to always pray. The greatest blessing is that He prays for us.

Loving Relationships. We put on love, which binds everything together. We bear with one another. We are tender hearted, forgiving one another as God in Christ has forgiven us. Love is the greatest. When love shapes the life of a church, it shouts the reality of the gospel and becomes the place lost people want to be.

Moral Excellence. We are committed to pursuing holiness in the fear of God. Jesus told us to be holy as our Father in heaven is holy. None of us have this dialed in to consistent perfection, but we grow in grace and the knowledge of the Lord and pursue a life that reflects His goodness and holiness.

Confident Witness. We communicate in word and deed that salvation is found in Christ alone (Acts 4:12). With Paul we say, “we have become all things to all people, that by all means we might save some. We do all things for the sake of the gospel, that many may share in its blessings,” (1 Corinthians 9:19).

Faithful Stewardship. We give generously and faithfully of our financial resources. All that we have – our time and talents and treasures – are gifts over which we are merely stewards. We invest all of them for God’s purposes and glory as He builds His Church and advances His Kingdom.

When these kinds of values get internalized in a congregation, and are then practiced in the way we live, work, and play, the church becomes a very attractive community to be a part of. There is nothing like it in the world. People are starving for love, relationships, truth, connection to God, and a mission worth sacrificing for. Let’s give ourselves again to these important shaping values. Pray with us that God’s will might be accomplished in the next year through all the ministries that happen in Boulder, Erie, Thornton and beyond. Our best days are ahead. We have a great Savior. He is Lord of the Church.

With you on the journey,

Tom