Pastoral and Executive Staff:
Jim Samra, Steve Gibson, Tom Olsson,
Joy Gillette, Kristen White, Ruth Gudbrandson (retired May 2013)
an
undivided
heart
— Jim Samra
God led us to spend the past year
thinking about our hearts and our motivations.
Are we motivated by our fear of God or of our
circumstances? Do we fully put our trust in
Him? What does it mean to have an undivided
heart for God? What does that look like? What
are the results?
Our sermon series for this past year took
us through 1 & 2 Samuel and portions of the
Psalms, looking especially at the life of David,
a character with many faults who nonetheless
is presented to us as “the man after God’s
own heart.” Through every story and every
week, we found God telling us that He wants
to be our God. He wants us to clear the idols
from our hearts and devote ourselves fully to
Him. When we do, the peace and joy we will
experience are immeasurable. God wants to
work on our behalf; He is asking us to let Him.
Our focus on community has endured
this year as we continue to seek to see
everyone at Calvary connected in a smaller
community where they can experience the
depth of God’s love for us as we care for
one another. We have been overjoyed to
hear many stories about how people are
experiencing care through their communities
at Calvary and are being challenged to grow
in their faith. We are thankful for the way God
has been moving in our congregation!
If you have not yet found your place at
Calvary, I encourage you to sign up for an
upcoming community group launch or try
one of our Sunday morning classes. If you
have tried this before, pray about trying again.
It takes some grace to admit that we are all
still human, and not everything works out the
first time, but it is true. I know that God wants
each one of you to be surrounded by a caring
family at Calvary to give you the opportunity
not only to be loved but also to love.
My hope and prayer for Calvary is that
all of us would move into this coming year
relying on God’s faithfulness with undivided
hearts for Him. We will be beginning a new
sermon series on 1 Peter this autumn, looking
at how God wants us, as His church, to be an
outpost of heaven in this world, experiencing
the full joy of His salvation and offering that
to those around us. Please pray for Calvary,
for our leadership, and for me. God wants to
accomplish great things!
O Lord, give me an undivided heart
That I may know You as You are
That I may fear your Name
and glorify You Lord.
Calvary Church Annual Report | 3