VOLUME 7 | ISSUE 1

reach
magazine

putting

feet
TO THE MESSAGE

PAGE 3

walking
the journey of
Generosity
PAGE 16

generous

soles
CALVARY SCHOOL

PAGE 20

CONTENTS
GLOBAL REACH
REACH GLOBAL WEEK SCHEDULE 2015 Putting Feet to the Message page 4
GUEST SPEAKERS Scott Nutter, Dr Nabeel Jabbour, Larry & Kathy Dunne, David Yeghnazar pages 5 - 8
MISSIONARIES AT REACH GLOBAL WEEK page 9
CALVARY CHURCHS NEWEST MISSIONARIES page 10
URBANA 15 page 11
YWAM HOMES FOR HOPE with Shameeron Paur page 12

LOCAL REACH
5 QUESTIONS with Eric Nielsen page 14
LOVE SANTA ANA INITIATIVE page 15
WALKING THE JOURNEY OF GENEROSITY with Ray Pertierra page 16
PRODIGAL CHURCH with Brent Dedmon page 17
TALKING ABOUT JESUS AROUND THE DINNER TABLE a look at Alpha Course page 18
GENEROUS SOLES with Calvary Christian School page 20
15 ONGOING WAYS TO SERVE ORANGE COUNTY page 22
PAGE

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Our theme for the 74th Annual REACH Global Week,

Putting Feet to the Message, was inspired by
Romans 10:15, How beautiful are the feet that bring
Good News. That is what we want to impress on
you this year; Gods message needs to be sent out,
not kept on a shelf in our homes. If we really believe
Gods Word to be true and that it changes lives, then
we want to find all the ways possible to get it out to
people everywhere. We can be those beautiful feet,
we can get the Message out, but we cant do it if we
do nothing. Lets put feet to the message.
We will be kicking off our focus on REACH Global
Week with prayer stations on campus. These prayer
stations will be up throughout the month of March.
As you check out each of these stations around the
campus, you will learn many of the ways that Calvary
is involved in global ministry around the world, and
various ways you can impact the world through
prayer. In addition, on Saturday, March 21 from 7:00 8:30 pm we will meet together in Samsvick Chapel to
pray for our persecuted brothers and sisters around
the world who are suffering for acknowledging their
faith in Jesus Christ.
Many of our REACH Global Week speakers are
involved in ministries whose main focus is getting
the Message out to the Muslim world. We will hear
about Islam and how to be proactive in reaching our
Muslim neighbors with the love of Christ.

Dr. Nabeel Jabbour is an Egyptian born

author, speaker and teacher. He is considered
one of the top professors of Islam in the U.S.
He will be sharing with us on Sunday, March
15, in both the morning and evening on how to
speak to Muslim peoples in our own context.
David Yeghnazar, the Executive Director of
Elam Ministries, will be our closing speaker on
Sunday, March 22. One of the Iranian pastors
that we have been praying for, Pastor Farshid,
was imprisoned for distributing the Elam
translated and produced New Testaments
in Farsi through over 50 church plants he
started to over 50,000 people in Iran. David
will bring us up to date on what God is doing
in Iran and hear about the many thousands,
possibly millions, of individuals who have
come to Christ.
We hope as you read through this edition of
REACH that you will find multiple ways that
you can begin Putting Feet to the Message
both here and around the world.
Liz Gold
Reach Global Director

Matt Doan
Reach Pastor

On Saturday evening, March 14, Scott Nutter will

share with us about the 70% of the world that are
oral preference learners this means that they would
rather hear something than read it. His agency, Faith
Comes By Hearing, produces auditory recordings
of the Bible in over 800 languages. This year, they
produced the auditory Bible in the Farsi language to
be sent by satellite to televisions in Iran, where they
will be heard by seekers all over the country.

reach _ VOLUME 7 | ISSUE 1 3

Schedule of Events
How beautiful are the feet
that bring good news.
Romans 10:15

REACH

globa

REACH Global Week 2015

March 13-22, 2015

FRIDAY , MARCH 13

7:00 PM

Hispanic Multicultural Dinner GYM

SATURDAY, MARCH 14

8:30 AM
6:00 PM

Kids Walk for Hope South parking lot

Global Dinner - Scott Nutter, FCBH & Missionaries FH

Worship Services - Guest Speaker, Dr. Nabeel Jabbour (Part 1) WC
Calvary missionaries in all Adult LifeGroups on Campus
Hispanic Worship Service SC
Guest Speaker, Dr. Nabeel Jabbour (Part 2) SC

SUNDAY, MARCH 15

8:45 AM &
10:45 AM
10:30 AM
6:00 PM

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 18

6:30 PM
7:00 PM
7:00 PM

Adults - Alpha & other classes continue WC

Childrens Missions Game and Prayer Night On-Campus
Jr. High & High School Dessert - Larry & Kathy Dunne FH

SATURDAY, MARCH 21

9:30 AM
7:00 PM

Global Missionary Breakfast - Larry & Kathy Dunne - Men/Women GYM

Prayer for the Persecuted Church SC

Closing Worship Services - David Yeghnazar, Elam WC
Missionary Commissioning in both services
Calvary missionaries in all Children classes both hours
Hispanic Worship Service SC

SUNDAY, MARCH 22

8:45 AM &
10:45 AM
10:30 AM

Prayer Walk throughout campus beginning March 1 and concluding March 31

FH Fellowship Hall
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CALVARYLIFE.ORG/REACH

FR - Fireside Room

SC - Samsvick Chapel

WC Worship Center

saturday, maRCH 14 2015

REACH GLOBAL DINNER
GUEST SPEAKER
SCOTT NUTTER
Saturday,March 14

6:00 pm Fellowship Hall

Come hear from Scott Nutter of Faith Comes by

Hearing as he shares about some of the exciting
things that are happening with recorded Scriptures.
His organization uses the translated Scriptures by
Wycliffe Bible Translators, Elam and other ministries,
and in a storytelling manner produces them for
various types of use. In addition, a panel of our
Calvary missionaries will be sharing how they Put
Feet to the Message in their work. We will hear from
these Calvary Missionaries serving in four continent:
Amy West (Asia), Don & Janie Nellis (The Americas),
Chris & Susan Tweedy (Europe), and Shel & Kym
Arensen (Africa). This will be an evening you wont
want to miss!
There is no cost required for the ticket, but we ask you
to consider a financial gift designated to Reach Global
Missions to offset the cost of the evening and for the
continued support of our Calvary Church missionaries
and global ministries both here and around the world.
Tickets can be picked up on Sunday March 1st, 8th or
during the week in the REACH Global office.
Scott Nutter is the National Development
Representative & Church Engagement Director for
the ministry Faith Comes By Hearing in Albuquerque
New Mexico. Scott was called to serve full-time with
the ministry in February 2008. He travels and works
with churches and mission organizations across the
USA and around the world, sharing the ministries goal
to reach and disciple the worlds poor and illiterate
with the Word of God in Audio. FCBH has over 868
audio New Testament recordings spoken by 5.7 billion
people and reaching 190 countries.

reach _ VOLUME 7 | ISSUE 1 5

sUNDAY, maRCH 15 2015

SUNDAY MORNING &
EVENING GUEST SPEAKER
Dr. Nabeel Jabbour
Sunday,March 15
Part 1: 8:45 am & 10:45 am
Worship Center
Part 2: 6:00 pm
Samsvick Chapel
Although Dr. Jabbour comes from an Arab Christian
background, for the first fifty years of his life Muslims
were his neighbors, teachers, friends, roommates,
and students. While earning a doctorate in Islamics,
Dr. Jabbour's method of study was phenomenology.
It is a method of study where the phenomenon is
allowed to speak for itself resulting in a compassionate
understanding of the phenomenon from the adherent's
point of view. He did not want to project his prejudice
on Islam and Muslims and come to predetermined
conclusions.
Instead he learned to put on Muslim worldview lenses,
to stand in their shoes and to see the world through their
eyes. Today he is an adjunct professor at five seminaries
and a lecturer at churches and missions conferences.
Dr. Jabbour has visited most of the Islamic countries in
the world. Because he has lived in the United States since
1991, he has come to understand both worlds of the Arab
and Muslim world on one hand and the American and

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CALVARYLIFE.ORG/REACH

Christian world on the other. He has learned

how to interpret the "strange" phenomenon of
Islam and Islamic fundamentalism to people in
the West, and especially to Christians.
Dr. Jabbour has authored three books in Arabic
and four in English. Unshackled and Growing:
Muslims and Christians on the Journey to
Freedom; The Rumbling Volcano on Islamic
Fundamentalism; and The Unseen Reality on
spiritual warfare. His latest book, The Crescent
Through the Eyes of the Cross, on the Muslims
worldview, has been reprinted six times.
The Crescent through
the Eyes of the Cross,
as well as other books
by Dr. Nabeel Jabbour,
are available in the
Calvary Church Corner
Bookstore and Cafe.

saturday, maRCH 21 2015

SATURDAY MORNING REACH
GLOBAL BREAKFAST SPEAKERS
larry & kathy dunne
Saturday,March 21
9:30 am Gym

Join us as we hear from Calvary Missionaries, Larry and Kathy

Dunne, who serve with Global Outreach Mission, Inc. in County
Mayo, Ireland. A great morning with song, a scrumptious
breakfast, and delightful speakers; you wont want to miss
this! Tickets are available on Sunday mornings in the Worship
Center lobby beginning March 1st and in the REACH office
throughout the first two weeks of March.
Larry and Kathy have been missionaries with Calvary Church
for over 20 years. Kathy was born and raised in Orange and
attended Calvary Church. As a young adult, Kathy first went
on a short term trip to Indonesia and discovered that it wasnt
her fit. Another trip to Ireland proved to be the perfect match
for Kathy not only the location but the people, and one
person in particular, her husband, Larry. Once a commercial
fisherman raised in an Irish Catholic home, Larry had never
heard that he could know God in a personal way. Following
a fishing accident and the loss of his arm, Larry found Christ
by walking through Dublin City and hearing a street evangelist
doing Sketch-board Open-Air. Interested in what the man
was drawing, Larry heard for the first time how Jesus Christ
wanted to have a personal relationship with him, and he found
the answers to the questions that had plagued him since
childhood. Fast forward a few years, and Kathy Oakland shows
up sent by Calvary on a GEM summer team. Once the team
finished their 3 months in Ireland, Kathy was hooked, and so
was Larry. And so, after a very short time, they married. Larry
spent a few years in the states teaching Evangelism classes at
Calvary and getting his US Citizenship before they returned to
Ireland. Their first years were on the east side of Ireland near
Dublin in Skerries, Larrys childhood home. Soon after, they
moved all the way to the west side of the country in County

Mayo where they began their first years of

church-planting.
Much of Larrys work involves door-todoor and street evangelism. Kathy enjoys
developing relationships, hosting, and
ministry communications. West Ireland is
a very challenging land and remains quite
unreached territory. Larry and his evangelism
team are developing their church plants in
five main towns of County Mayo. The team
also runs a small Christian Bookstore near
the Westport Church. They have been able
to get into a number of public schools (which
are all Catholic), teaching children the Bible
Explorer Program as an aid to the schools
religious curriculum. With Larrys Irish
fishing background, there has been a huge
open door, evangelizing those living on the
nearby islands. Each year they have a newly
constructed, professional, evangelistic free
magazine that is collectively distributed all
across Ireland by Irish churches. It has been
a great opening tool for Larrys door-to-door
work. Larrys testimony and story of losing
his arm was featured in their first magazine
edition and received with interest (especially
among the coastal and island areas). In the
past several years, Larry has led a Seekers
& New Believers Bible Study in Claremorris
town the focus of their fifth church plant.

reach _ VOLUME 7 | ISSUE 1 7

sUNDAY, maRCH 22 2015

dAVID yeghnazar
Sunday,March 22
8:45 am & 10:45 am
Worship Center

8_

David Yeghnazar was born in Iran in 1974 into

a family parented by Christian ministers.
When he was three years old, as part of the
Lords work, his family moved to Lebanon
where they lived for six years during a time
of civil war. While there, David experienced
the Lords faithfulness and protection in a
way that impacts him to this day.

In 1998, David joined Elam Ministries and as of January 2015

he is now the Executive Director of Elam, a leading Christian
mission to the Iran region. Elam specializes in training Christians
from the Iran region for ministry; producing and distributing key
Christian resources in the region; and taking the Gospel to the
people in the region through various mission and relief efforts.
Elam has played a significant role in the recent unprecedented
growth of the Iranian church.

As a child, David gave his life to the Lord

in 1983, just before his family moved to the
United Kingdom.

In 2015, David moved to England, where he resides with his

wife, Louise and their four children, Grace, Theo, Hope and
Beata.

Hailing from the Middle East, David has a

deep understanding of the region, and has a
great passion and burden to see the Gospel
reach the over 1 billion Muslims in the world.
After graduating from the City University
in London, where he studied Management
Science, David spent one year with the UK
based Universities and Colleges Christian
Fellowship (UCCF) training Christian
students to reach out to the Muslim
community. Subsequently, David worked for
a London law firm for two years.

Elam Ministries was founded in 1990 by Iranian church leaders

with a vision to serve the church in Iran. From the very
beginning, Elam Ministries has been training and equipping
Iranian believers to reach and disciple their own countrymen.
As a third-generation Iranian believer, David now serves as
the leader of Elam Ministries on the front lines of reaching
Muslims with the good news of Jesus. For most Americans, the
country of Iran conjures up images of a stern-faced Ayatollah
and crowds shouting "Death to America!" Few realize that
Iran is also the fastest-growing Christian country in the world.
Elam Ministries seeks to further the goal of sharing the love of
Christ with Iran, and seeing new believers come to Him.

CALVARYLIFE.ORG/REACH

missionaries at
REACH Global Week 2015

UNDERSTANDING

SHEL & KYM ARENSEN

GLENNA CLARK
JOHN & JULIE CLARK
STEPHEN COOMBS
BOB & JOAN CRITCHFIELD
LARRY & KATHY DUNNE
DAN & TAMMY GONZAGA
TOM & GRACE GORETH
KEN & PAT GRIMES
DAN & DARICE GUTIERREZ
MISSIONARY A
DON & JANIE NELLIS
MIKE & TRUDY NEWELL
TOM & JANNI NUNZIATO
VIC & JOAN OLSEN
JOHANNA OLSON
LLOYD & NANCY PECKHAM
GLORIA RADACH
TOM & MARGIE RAFETTO
GARY & CHARLENE RAMM
ANDY & NADINE SPRADLEY
BEV STALEY
PETE & JILL STUCK
JOHN & JOAN TUNGSETH
CHRIS & SUSAN TWEEDY
GALE & JEAN VAN DIEST
LEE WATTERS
STEVE & KATHI WEEMES
AMY WEST
ORAN & CAROL WEST
OLIVER & LINDA WILLIAMS

MORMONISM

AIM Kenya
Wycliffe Jamaica (Retired)
YWAM Mali
World Horizons Creative Access
Wycliffe Texas
GOM Ireland
InterVarsity California
JAARS/Wycliffe California/Intl.
UIM California
AIBI California/Mexico
Creative Access
UIM Mexico
Christar Georgia
CRM Oregon
ABWE Bangladesh (Retired)
CRU International
Wycliffe Indonesia/USA
SIM Ghana (Retired)
Wycliffe Philippines/PA
CRU Washington
SEND Intl Macedonia
Wycliffe Florida
Avant California
CRU Florida (semi-Retired)
GEM Germany
InterAct Washington/Alaska (Retired)
Wycliffe Peru (Retired)
OMF Japan/California
Wycliffe N. Carolina/Philippines
Wycliffe Texas (Retired)
Christar Texas

Pick up your copy of Calvarys

brand new, 2015 Missionary
Prayer Guide. This helpful
resource will not only tell you
more about our missionaries
around the world, but also how
you can actively pray for them.

WORLd religion
Classes
Teacher: Matt Doan
Sunday, April 12, 19 & 26
10:45 am Church Library

Was Joseph Smith a true prophet of

God? Is the Mormon God the God
of the Bible? Does Mormonism
teach the truth about Jesus?
These and other questions will be
discussed in the class, along with
how to share your Christian faith
with Mormons, especially when
they believe they are Christians.

ISLAM

Teacher: David Slottje

Sunday, May 3, 10, 17
10:45 am Church Library

David will cover the basics

of Islam, the differences and
similarities between Islam
and Christianity and how to
reach out to Muslims. The
class will also distinguish the
differences between Sharia
and Sunni Muslims and where
ISIS fits into the whole scheme
of things. This class is a repeat
of the one offered late last
year at 8:45 am.

reach _ VOLUME 7 | ISSUE 1 9

CALVARY CHURCHS

NEWestMissionaries
Stephen Coombs will be serving in Eurasia with World
Horizons, beginning at the end of 2015. He will be working STEPHEN COOMBS
using Filipus, an intensive, community-based program that
teaches national believers how to plant churches in a predominantly
Muslim context. Stephen will also be involved in outreach and churchplanting in cities that do not yet have any Christian communities. He is
the youngest son of David and Heidi Coombs, and is the last of their four
children to become a Calvary missionary. He joins Jonathan, Rebecca
(Pazmino), and Daniel who have all served globally with Calvary
Church. Pray that Stephen will have an effective year of training and
preparation as he is currrently finishing his final year at Biola.

LENCI & ALTA MENE

Lenci and Alta Mene are national missionaries serving with Christian Aid
Mission in Tirana, Albania. Alta is the daughter of Berti and Tana Dosti, the
pastor of our Sister Church Partnership in Lushnje. The Menes are second
generation Christians coming to Christ following the fall of communism and
atheism in their country. Lenci preaches, does translation work, and writes for
the Albanian church. In addition he serves as an adjunct professor at a Bible
Institute and is a leader with a student organization. Alta disciples young
women who come to Tirana to attend university. They have two toddlers,
David and Ema. As Calvary sends our Elders and other short term teams
over to Lushnje, Lenci will be working with them to help grow and develop
the people at The Way of Peace Church to become a sending church to the
villages of Albania with the Good News.

Tom and Grace Goreth are currently serving with JAARS, the
transportation arm of Wycliffe Bible Translators. Grace is the daughter TOM & GRACE GORETH
of Cameron Townsend, the founder of Wycliffe Bible Translators. She
was raised in South America as a missionary kid (MK) and has the joy of sharing about
the story of her life as the daughter of an amazing innovator. She spends several weeks
each year on the road speaking at conferences and sharing with church leaders about
the importance of Bible translation. A large part of Tom and Graces role with JAARS
is to raise funds for special projects that make Bible translation possible. The Goreths
(along with the Weemes following) are church members who are doing US Based Global
Focused ministry and are part of Calvarys new missionary category status structure. We
are blessed to have them available to help Calvary with teaching and training of future
missionaries when they are in Orange County.

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CALVARYLIFE.ORG/REACH

JIMMY SIMPSON
STEVE & KATHI WEEMES
Steve and Kathi Weemes
serve with OMF (Overseas
Missionary Fellowship)
and lead OMFs national
movement to multiply local
volunteers who want to
be missions mobilizers in
their churches and other
spheres of influence. One
key strategy is to empower volunteers to facilitate
missional small groups, thus awakening the US
church to Gods heart for unreached peoples.
The Weemes have been active here at Calvary by
teaching Understanding World Religions classes
and mentoring two of our Future Missionary Focus
candidates. Prior to living here in Orange County,
they served for over 20 years in Japan as church
planters and evangelists. Steve and Kathi have a
heart for service and led a short term team to Japan
last year. They are hoping to see more teams head to
Asia in 2016. The Weemes ask for prayer as they seek
spiritually mature volunteers to lead mission focused
small groups to impact churches.

Jimmy Simpson, who has been serving

with OMF in Asia, has recently gone
off missionary status until he returns
to the field in early 2016. He is now
living in Korea and working with the
father of his fiance, Chloe Lee,
who pastors a church there. Jimmy
and Chloe plan to be married on
May 7th in Seoul, Korea where her
parents and family live. Following
their honeymoon they will return to
the US, begin their married life and
eventual training for OMF as future
missionaries of Calvary Church.

Do you feel that God is calling you into missions? You might consider attending Urbana 15, December 2731, 2015. Urbana is a unique opportunity to engage face-to-face with leaders from more than 250 missions
organizations and seminaries. Nowhere else can you get the kind of live information Urbana offers from
women and men who are doing missions. Youll worship, pray, and learn with people from around the world.
Discover organizations that could be part of your journey to serve God in the world. Learn about all kinds
of missions opportunities in all kinds of fields. Talk with people who can offer their insight and experience
as you explore your own passions. Dont miss what God is doing through our generation around the world.
Pick up information on Urbana from Kristen Gackle in College Ministry. Early registration begins March 1,
so for the best prices register early. Some partial scholarships are available from Calvarys REACH Global.

reach _ VOLUME 7 | ISSUE 1 11

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CALVARYLIFE.ORG/REACH

YWAM
Homes for Hope
Hello, Id like to introduce myself. My name is
Maria and I live in Rosarito, Baja California. Im
23 and I have two kids. I work in a bakery that
allows us to feed my family. My husband left
about half a year ago and thats why Ive been
living in a house that others lent to me. Theyve
been kind in letting me pay for my own land
while living there. Ive been trying to build a
room where my kids and I can live but its been
hard. Im grateful that youre all coming to help
my babies and me.
I need your help because I do not have a house.
The trailer we live in was borrowed from some
family members. I appreciate your help. God
bless you. (The woman who accepted Christ.)

We are very thankful because we have food

to eat every day that God blesses us with. We
would like a home because even with working
hard and saving what we can, we are only able
to make a little. Weve worked hard for what we
have but wed like a home and a better place for
our children. Were so thankful that weve been
chosen out of the many families in need and we
sincerely thank you.
These are letters from three of the five
families that received Homes of Hope. We are
overwhelmed by the generosity of our Calvary
teams that go out to touch the lives of so many
through this outreach.

A letter from Shameeron Paur, team leader for

YWAM Homes of Hope.
Just want you to know that this 2015 house-build
weekend was the best trip we have ever led. The
Lord provided everything: finances, weather,
safety, precious families to help, an incredible
YWAM staff and facility, and a really great team!
I was honored to organize and lead it. I am so
blessed to have participated in so many homes
to date, 43, plus a tutoring center. Many of those
have been with Calvary families and it has blessed
me to partner with you!
I love that it is a family ministry and that so many
kids can truly be involved with their parents, yet
also build multi-generational relationships with
others! For all of us it expands our world view of
the Kingdom of God. A great byproduct of the
trip is that I have seen so many of these kids over
the years go on to other international outreach
ministries because they confidently started here
in Mexico, building a home. Its a beautiful thing to
be a blessing and yet be blessed beyond compare!
I hope you can see all the Facebook posts from
team members, as well as mine. Tons of pictures,
but also grateful hearts. Also, our purple team
(Jeff Stice and Jeff Leedom and the YWAM
builder) led one mom receiving a house to the
Lord at the end of the build. AMAZING!
Thanks for the support, encouragement, and
freedom to do what I have been called to do!!
Shameeron

reach _ VOLUME 7 | ISSUE 1 13

5ERIC NIELSEN
Questions with

CALVARY MEMBER & JUVENILE HALL MINISTRY VOLUNTEER

Q1: HOW DID YOU GET CONNECTED TO CALVARY CHURCH

AND HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN ATTENDING THE CHURCH?
Our family has been attending Calvary Church
since 1996. One of our first exposures to Calvary
took place when Jill and I brought our two boys,
Matt and Chris, to Light The Night, back then known
as the Un-Halloween Party. We were so impressed
by how friendly the volunteers were, we decided to
start attending Calvary on a weekly basis.

Q2: WHAT CAUSED YOU TO GET INVOLVED IN PRISON

MINISTRY AND HOW DID YOU GET CONNECTED TO PACIFIC
YOUTH CORRECTIONAL MINISTRIES?
I first heard about Pacific Youth Correctional
Ministries through a ministry volunteer I had
met working out at 24 Hour Fitness. I had
previously served as a volunteer working with Bill
Glass' Champions For Life, working with adults
incarcerated at various county jails and state
prisons throughout California. Upon hearing that
PYCM was doing weekly Bible studies directed at
troubled youth, I felt called to contact them.
Pacific Youth Correctional Ministries is a nonprofit
biblically based ministry that works alongside
Orange County Probation and Social Services
Departments. The ministry meets the spiritual needs
of incarcerated youth at Juvenile Hall, Orangewood
Children's Home, and other extensions of the
juvenile justice system offered by the county. The
ministry does this through weekly Bible studies,
chapel services, one on one discipleship, and a
Christmas pageant offered to the entire Juvenile
Hall population once a year.

Q3: WHAT DOES A TYPICAL MONDAY NIGHT OF MINISTRY

LOOK LIKE FOR YOU WITH PYCM?
Our group of PYCM volunteers meet at Juvenile
Hall in a conference room, and share any prayer
requests or praise reports we have in our own
personal lives. We also may go over any probation
procedures or information pertinent to us, if
necessary. We then pray together and break up
to go to our assigned units. I have a partner. The
units we are assigned to are Units G and H. We take
turns teaching a Bible study and sharing the Gospel
message. The Bible study is conducted by one of
us, and the 15 minute gospel presentation is shared
by the other. Our total time spent with the boys is
one hour. Afterwards, we fill out a form briefing the
ministry on the events of the evening.
The boys who attend our study are boys who
choose to sign up to attend when they attend a
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CALVARYLIFE.ORG/REACH

REACH

Q4: WHAT HAVE BEEN SOME OF THE JOYS AND HIGHLIGHTS OF MINISTERING AT JUVENILE HALL?
I would say that the biggest joy of my five years of working as a volunteer,
would be seeing how the Lord uses us to minister to these kids. I don't
consider myself an eloquent speaker by nature. I'm amazed each week how
the Holy Spirit speaks through me in ways that would probably surprise
ones who know me well. Many times I will ask myself, "Did I really just say
that?" I love getting the visual and verbal feedback from the boys when they
understand the love and grace God offers them through the sacrifice Jesus
made on their behalf.

Q5: HOW CAN OTHER PEOPLE HERE AT CALVARY GET INVOLVED IN MINISTRY WITH PYCM?
Anyone at Calvary interested in participating in this ministry can contact ParaChaplain Sheri Snyder at 714.935.6365 or 714.434.6012. PYCM has the means to
train any volunteer to serve in whichever capacity he or she feels called.

DO YOU HAVE A HEART FOR PRISON MINISTRY?

We have opportunities here at Calvary to get involved in leading Bible Studies
in OC Jails and State Prisons, participate in a Bible Study with an inmate
through a letter writing ministry and even help inmates transition to life outside
the cell through mentoring and discipleship. To learn more, contact our Calvary
Prison Ministry Leader, Liz Zavala at lizelizzav82@gmail.com

LOVE Santa Ana

local

chapel service. We can have as little as one, or as many as 6-8. The overall
population at Juvenile Hall has been down the last two years, so our studies
lately have been attended by 1-3 boys per week.

INITIATIVE

On February 14th, (Valentines Day!) Calvary Church joined nine local churches
and over 300 volunteers for the second Love Santa Ana Initiative. This
included picking up trash on neighborhood streets, painting houses and
fences in the community, distributing groceries and laundry supplies, hosting a
resource fair to introduce Willard neighborhood residents to community nonprofits, distributing free hot dogs, chips and waters and offering prayer and
encouragement to the neighborhood.
The goal of the Love Santa Ana Initiative is to both demonstrate and proclaim
the good news of Jesus to Santa Ana by showing tangible love to the
communities in the toughest, most economically challenged neighborhoods in
the city. The proclamation of the good news of Jesus comes through setting
up prayer stations at each event, explaining the Gospel both publicly (large
group gathering) and relationally (one-on-one with those we meet in the
neighborhood) and by promoting and encouraging the local church already
established in each neighborhood or through forming a community Bible study
that could lead to a church plant where there is no local church presence.
God is up to something really exciting and powerful through the Love Santa
Ana Initiative! For more information or to volunteer or donate materials for the
next Love Santa Ana Initiative, contact Calvarys Reach Pastor, Matt Doan, at
mdoan@calvarylife.org or 714.550.2378.

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WALKING the JOURNEY of

Generosity
by Ray Pertierra, Stewardship Pastor
I hope most know that the Emergency Needs Fund
(ENF) helps the Calvary Family with the basic
necessities: food, shelter and clothing. That includes
rent, mortgages, utilities, car payments, car insurance,
food, clothing and sometimes medical or dental bills.

a family cruise. This family also shared the need with

their LifeGroup who decided to also donate monies to
the family. The Calvary ENF was also able to assist
in a small way through our Good Samaritan Program.
THE LOVE OF CHRIST DURING THE HOLIDAYS

DID YOU KNOW:

Each month $8,000 to $22,000 is paid out to
help Calvary families and individuals.
Averaged annual assistance is about $127,000 each
year since 2004.
$1 million in help has been given in the last ten years.
Those are the dollars.
Here are a few heart stories that show the impact of
your sacrificial gifts:
CALVARY FAMILY AND LIFEGROUP HEED GODS CALL

A Calvary family knew of a family whose finances

had been depleted fighting the mothers cancer, but
more treatments were needed. In a family meeting
they decided to give by sacrificing monies saved for

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This year was unusual in that over the course of about

30 days I had become aware of seven households that
would not have a Christmas dinner or presents for
the kids due to money issues. As wonderful as these
things are, they are not basic necessities so they do
not qualify for ENF monies. So I simply made some of
Calvarys LifeGroups and generous individuals aware
of the need. In three days, all but one family had been
taken care of. Then the phone rang. A local business
called to say that they would like to provide Christmas
presents for one of our families. We serve an amazing
God!
ENF is just one part of the Calvary body. The ENF
serves just as any other part of the Calvary body
serves. Together the Lord uses the different body
parts to function and serve His people to bring glory
to Himself.

CASE IN POINT:

A Calvary family father recently came into

The Pantry to pickup needed food. While
speaking to a Volunteer in Pastoral Care (VIP)
the father confessed to a crime, which led to
one of our pastors joining the meeting to offer
guidance and prayer. The father, with his wifes
blessing, turned himself into the authorities.
ENF provided significant immediate assistance.
Three days later he was released on his own
recognizance (a small miracle). The father was
free to enjoy Thanksgiving and Christmas with
his family, but without work there was no money
to celebrate. A Calvary LifeGroup stepped up
and provided a tree and Christmas gifts for
all. Both the father and mother have told me
how throughout this ordeal they have seen the
Lords hand at work and have received many
blessings. The father will be sentenced shortly,
but with no jail time and able to work at his new
job! Hes also now participating in a one-on-one
discipleship program. God is so good!
THIS STORY MIGHT HAVE BEEN DIFFERENT IF:

We did not have a Food Pantry

We did not have a Volunteer (VIP) present
We did not have Pastors with varied experience
and skill sets available to assist
We did not have an Emergency Needs Fund
We did not have LifeGroups
We did not have people with grateful hearts
We did not have grateful hearts that are willing
to give when there is a need
We did not have our Lord who makes
it all possible

If we are blessed with resources beyond our

needs, it is not solely for the purpose of living
more richly but to bless others. We are blessed
to be a blessing. I thank you all for your generous
giving to Calvarys Emergency Needs Offering
Fund, and for stories of generosity like these.

After years of planning, prayer, and anticipation, Prodigal

Church officially launched on Sunday, January 11, 2015,
as a Calvary Church plant in Irvine, CA! In late 2013,
Calvary Church commissioned two couples, Brent and
Patti Dedmon and Matt and Erin Hemphill, to attend
an assessment for church planters. As a result of that
assessment, and with the support of Calvary Church, the
two couples began developing a vision for a new church
that would reach lost souls in Orange County. God was
faithful to provide a core leadership team, and the mission,
values, strategy, and overall vision of a brand-new church
began to take shape.
Prodigal Church is planted firmly in Irvine, a city which will
see 10,000 new homes built and 30,000 new people arrive
in the next few years. The harvest is ripe. Irvine represents
one of the safest, most-educated, and wealthiest large
cities in all the US, yet is riddled with self-sufficiency, overachievement, and spiritual indifference. These are our
people. These are the lost. This is Irvine. Over the course
of the last two years, Calvary people and leadership have
been faithful to pray, support, and contribute to this
extension of their own church's ministry.
Prodigal Church held its first weekly service on January 11, 2015,
at Jeffrey Trail Middle School! Prodigal Church is all about
loving every day people into an authentic relationship of
grace and freedom with the God who loves them. Wanting
to be a community marked and motivated by extravagant
love, authentic expression, genuine relationships, freedom
that transforms, and lives of impact, our young church family
is a place where all are welcome and all are invited into
abundance. We invite you to join with what God is doing
in the city of Irvine through Prodigal. Consider praying for,
supporting, or giving financially to the efforts of Prodigal!
We are excited to see this extension of Calvary Church
multiply exponentially as we reach new people with the
transforming, prodigal love of God. Visit prodigaloc.org

Every good and perfect gift

is from above James 1:17
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TALKING ABOUT JESUS

at the DINNER TABLE
Ronald Reagan once said, All great change in
America begins at the dinner table.
If Reagan is correct, we are facing a cultural crisis in
our generation.
Harvard Professor, Robert D. Putnam wrote a book
at the turn of the 21st century, called Bowling
Alone. In the book he writes that family dinners in
the average American home dropped by 43% in the
last 3 decades and hosting friends and family over
for dinner dropped during that same span by 35%.
Although we are surrounded by more restaurants
than any generation before us could have ever
imagined and we are exposed to more cooking
shows on TV than any one person could possibly
stomach (pun intended!) the practice of sharing a
meal together in our culture has become somewhat
of a lost art.
This is one of the reasons The Alpha Course has
developed into such a great place for Calvary
attenders to invite their friends and family to
discuss the claims of Christianity. The course
involves dinner around a table each Wednesday
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evening. The shared experience of eating a meal

together opens the door for Alpha attendees to
relax from the burdens of the week, let down the
walls of pride and cynicism and honestly discuss
the topic of the evening which ranges from, Why
did Jesus Die? to What is the Church?
The Alpha Course originated out of London in the
late 1970s (alpha.org) and over the past 40 years
has become somewhat of a global phenomenon,
as courses have been run in 169 countries in
112 languages and attended by over 22.5 million
people worldwide.
Calvary Church began running the Alpha Course
in 2011 and we have seen over 400 people join us
for dinner and discussion over the last 4 years. As
we continue our mission as a Church to reach
Orange County and the World for Jesus Christ,
we are excited to see how God will continue to
use the Alpha Course as a tool to share the good
news of Jesus Christ! Who will you invite to dinner
in 2015 to experience the Alpha Course with and
introduce Jesus to?

THE

ALPHA RECIPE
Calvarys Alpha Course meets on Wednesday nights
from 6:30pm to 8:30pm for 8 weeks in the Winter and
Fall covering the following topics:
WEEK 1:
WEEK 2:
WEEK 3:
WEEK 4:
WEEK 5:
WEEK 6:

WEEK 7:
WEEK 8:

Christianity: Boring, Untrue, Irrelevant?

Who is Jesus?
Why Did Jesus Die?
How Can We Have Faith?
What is Grace?
Why and How Do I Pray and Why and How
Do I Read the Bible?
The Work of the Holy Spirit
What is the Church?

WHAT WILL YOU FIND AT ALPHA?

CURRENT
WINTER 2015

Next Steps after Alpha:

DISCOVER

CLASSES

Take a next step in your faith

Discover Classes are interactive
experiences designed to help you
learn how to live out the Christian life.
Come take a next step in your faith
by getting connected in community
with God and others at Calvary, by
growing as a follower of Jesus and by
discovering your purpose.
Visit calvarylife.org/discover to find
out more.

ALPHA COURSE:
(It is not too late to participate!)
Wednesdays Worship Center Lobby,
6:30pm to 8:30pm
Now through March 25, 2015

FALL 2015

ALPHA COURSE:
Wednesdays - Worship Center Lobby
6:30pm to 8:30pm
September 8 through October 28, 2015

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S O L E S
4 SHOES
DONATION
D R I V E
C A LVA R Y
CHRISTIAN
SCHOOL

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generous

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CALVARYLIFE.ORG/REACH

by Troy Wathen (CCS Head of School)

The students at Calvary Christian School led the way for our
church in cleaning out our shoe closets for a good cause. Soles
4 Souls (soles4souls.org), is a non-profit that provides slightly
used and new shoes to people who are in need of shoes for
job interviews, school uniforms, and general health. Students
and teachers from the school set up boxes around campus,
sorted shoes as they came in, and loaded up trucks to deliver
the shoes to a distribution center in Riverside, California.
The vision for this project was developed by the schools Dean
of Elementary, Leah Hess, who had previously participated in
a similar shoe drive. The timing of this collection was on the
heels of Christmas when we knew our students and parents
would be receiving new shoes as gifts. Mrs. Hess thought
we could bless others by cleaning out our closets of those
shoes and passing them on to a group who would effectively
distribute them to those in need. We set a goal of collecting
500 pairs of shoes between our school and church families.
The drive was announced in our first January chapel with the
message of walking in someone elses shoes and in both
services at church. We were overjoyed when the final count
reached 1,513 pairs!
The Soles 4 Souls drive concluded with a short service to
pray over the shoes as we prepared to send them out. Our
students followed a path from the playground out to the
Fruit Street parking lot where a giant cross was formed with
hundreds of shoes. A photographer from the Orange County
Register, along with our own photographers, snapped shots of
our students singing worship songs and praying for those who
would receive these gifts. The hearts of our young people
can overwhelm us at times when they are encouraged to
have a mission mindset. This is only one of the ways Calvary
Christian School is impacting Orange County and the world
for the cause of Christ. Thank you to all from the church and
school who supported this cause!

Photo left: Students line up as shoes are collected

Top Right: Leah Hess, Laura Spurgin and Troy Wathen
Middle Right: CCS Students with shoes to donate
Middle Right: CCS students gather around over 1,500 pairs of shoes
Bottom Right: CCS students

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