I am in my final days with you at Calvary as your pastor. When I stop to think about the significance of these words, it is hard describe the emotions I feel along with them. My time with you at Calvary has been a great blessing in my life and in my ministry. It has also been a wonderful gift for our family, to baptize our three children, Scarlett, Jude, and Sybil in your midst, and to celebrate many other family milestones as well.
I hope to make the most of the remaining opportunities to share with you my reflections on this transition, what is next for our family, and the ways I will be praying for Calvary during these days of change. For today I wanted to share with you a few encouragements and thanksgivings.
First, I pray the congregation of Calvary Lutheran Church will continue to find ways to walk together through this transition, with hope and excitement for what God will do for you in the days to come. I have been extremely grateful for the ways Calvary members have united around our decisions in recent years, to undertake a major construction project with near unanimous consent, to dedicate ourselves to new ministries and activities as we created a Roadmap to 2020, and in the election and support of our church leaders. There is a wonderful sense of unity and togetherness within the congregation currently, and though change always brings stress, I pray that with God’s help, you will continue to find ways to stay close and walk together.
Second, I would invite your prayers and encouragement for your Board of Directors. Calvary is very fortunate to have an effective, hope-filled, and enthusiastic Board of Directors right now, and I have no doubt they will do, and are already doing, all they can to lead Calvary well through this transition. I am so very thankful for the members of the Board and that even as my time in leadership at Calvary has come to an end, I have no concerns that Calvary will be led well in the months and years to come. Please pray for your Board of Directors – Dustin, Lori, Ashley, Nancy, Susan, Dan, and Carl. They will be putting in extra time and energy to ensure Calvary’s needs are met during this time.
Finally, I would invite your prayer for my family, just as I know you already have been praying for us. We are excited for the future, sad at the thought of goodbye’s, filled with joy by good memories and final celebrations, and also stressed by the moving process and fleeting nature of time. But most of all, we are grateful, for the days we have shared with you, for your gracious understanding of our decision to relocate, and because we have faith in a good and loving God to care for us, and for Calvary.
There is so much more I could say, and so much more I hope I will be able to say to you still, during this time of goodbye’s, and yet I also sit in the comfort and knowledge that ultimately it is our loving God, through his Son Jesus Christ, who is truly in charge of this time in our lives, just as he has been for all these years we have been blessed to share with you at Calvary. And I know, beyond any question, that the grace of our Lord Jesus, is enough.
My love to you all as your pastor,
~Pastor Mike Middaugh
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We will worship in the Sanctuary at 10am this Sunday, and we would love to have you join us. Classroom wing restrooms are now complete and approved for use. We are not currently providing childcare services on a weekly basis, but we look forward to having our sitters back soon.
Join us on October 17th for a Ribbon Cutting Ceremony for the new Calvary Elevator. After our Sunday worship service, the congregation will be invited to move to the space around the new elevator, as we pray God’s blessing upon, and dedicate this machine for its use within our space.
A Voters Assembly will be held this Sunday, October 17, following the worship service and elevator ribbon cutting ceremony. If you are a member of Calvary you are strongly encouraged to attend this Voters Assembly to receive communication from the Board of Directors related to the Pastoral transition at Calvary. This will also be Pastor Mike’s final Voters Assembly with Calvary.
Pastor Mike has announced his intent to step down as Pastor of Calvary Lutheran Church at the end of October. His final Sunday at Calvary will be October 24th. Please join us in praying for the best possible transition for Calvary as we also wish Pastor and his family well in their future endeavors. The Board of Directors is already actively working on the transition plan and will provide regular updates to the congregation.
Offering checks may be mailed to the church office. Please allow a slightly longer timeline for depositing your checks as our staff is not in the office everyday. However, mail will be checked regularly and checks will be processed as soon as possible. Alternatively, giving may be done electronically via the Calvary website HERE.
More upcoming events can be found on our CALENDAR.
This Sunday
The readings for this Sunday are: Isaiah 53:4-12; Hebrews 5:1-10; Mark 10:35-45
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Silver Spring MD 20910
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8:45am-12:00pm – Childcare Services
8:45am – Adult Bible Study
10:00am – Sunday Worship Service
10:15am – KidsChurch
11:30am – Fellowship