Calvary Assembly of God

If you missed part one of our Christmas series, here’s a recap from our pastor’s blog.

In astronomical terms, a supernova is an explosion almost beyond compare. For a brief moment the explosion is the brightest point in the universe, sending enriching energy reverberating in every direction.

There was a supernova in the opening words of the Old Testament—in the beginning God created. There was an explosion of God’s love that was the brightest spot in the universe He just created. But shortly after a supernova explodes, it appears to go dark for a period of time.

In history this could be seen as the time in-between the in the beginning of the Old Testament and the time before Jesus is born. Isaiah describes this as a people walking around in darkness and gloomy distress. Then all of sudden Isaiah says a great light explodes on the scene—

For to us a Child is born, to us a Son is given, and the government will be on His shoulders. And He will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. (Isaiah 9:6)

The reverberation of God’s supernova in the opening words of the Old Testament show up again in the opening words of the New Testament—A record of the genealogy of Jesus Christ. The light of Jesus exploded on the scene!

And the Christ became flesh and tabernacled among us; and we actually saw His glory, such glory as an only begotten son receives from his father, full of grace and truth. (John 1:14)

Because of the energy released in the supernova of Creation and the reverberation of the Advent, we are the beneficiaries. Astronomers tell us that the explosion of a supernova makes it possible for other stars to be born. That’s you and me!

Live clean, innocent lives as children of God, shining like bright stars in a world full of crooked and perverse people. (Philippians 2:15)

May this Advent season remind you of the supernova explosion of love of Jesus Christ, and our ability to shine brightly because of His life in us. Shine brightly!

Next Sunday we are going to look at the next aspect of the Star Of CHRISTmas. Please join us!

Hey, Calvary Assembly of God, how did you do on your 1:one:(12) challenge in November? Hopefully you got your 1 in! Whether you did nor not, December is here, so get started on your 1 for this month. There are lots of great things happening this month as we celebrate Advent—like our Advent series The Star Of CHRISTmas—so go get your 1!

For our guests that may not know what 1:one:(12) is all about… just ask us!

Pastor Craig and Pastor Josh say they are really enjoying preparing for our 3-week Christmas series called The Star Of CHRISTmas. If it’s not obvious to you by the way we wrote that title, we believe the star of Christmas is Christ!

We will be learning how Jesus Christ’s birth in Bethelehem was the…

• SUPERNOVA which brings light into the Old Testament’s darkness, and allows other stars (that’s us!) to be born.
• MORNING STAR which shines brightest just before the dawn and replaces a feeling of phobia with the confidence of favor.
• NORTH STAR which helps us keep going in the right direction despite the circumstances around us.

If you are able to join us over the next couple of Sundays at 10:30am, we would love to celebrate The Star of CHRISTmas with you!

Prayer is the vital empowering source for the church. Unless we pray, we are operating only under our own power, and that can become very tiring. But when we wait on God, He empowers us with His strength!

We invite you to join us for prayer the first Sunday of each month at 5pm. Our next prayer time is Sunday, December 1, at 5pm.

Please come pray with us.

This is from our pastor’s blog. You can read his daily posts by clicking here.

His heavens shall drop down dew (Deuteronomy 33:28).

“What the dew in the East is to the world of nature, that is the influence of the Spirit in the realm of grace. How greatly do I need it! Without the Spirit of God I am a dry and withered thing. I droop, I fade, I die. How sweetly does this dew refresh me!” (Charles Spurgeon)

May you find the refreshment of the dew of God’s Holy Spirit today!

We are big fans of the EnGedi Youth Center, an after-school program in Cedar Springs.

This Christ-centered program gives students in 6th grade and up a safe place to hang-out after school, and gives them opportunities to play some organized sports with high school coaches, get homework help, learn life skills, and develop lasting friendships with the dedicated Christian staff members.

If you have a couple of hours a week you can invest with these students, we promise you that the rewards will definitely be eternal. For both you and the students with whom you will work.

EnGedi for 6th-8th grades meets Monday through Thursday, from school dismissal until 5:15pm, in Red Hawk Elementary. For more information on EnGedi, visit their website by clicking here.

Lifewalk for Alpha Family Center was a huge success this year! Over 160 walkers representing 18 area churches raised $12,000 for this vital ministry!

Huge thanks to Lorrie Shelton (Alpha’s director), the army of volunteers who helped with all the behind-the-scenes work, and our sponsors and underwriters for boldly making a stand for life.

Below are a few pictures from our day together, but you can see the full collection on Flickr by clicking here.

The church in Acts 2 was one of whom everyone spoke favorably. In other words, if they used bumper stickers, people would be spotting “I ♥ My Church” stickers all over town.

We still try to live this way. We want to be a church that is known for loving people and serving our community. So people say “I ♥ Calvary Assembly of God!”

These coffee mugs and t-shirts help us remember how we’re supposed to live. They are available at Calvary Assembly of God during our regular Sunday and Wednesday services. Or you may click here to order via email.

The coffee mugs are $5 each, and the t-shirts are $10 each.