Pastoral and Executive Staff
Jim Samra, Tom Olsson,
Joy Gillette, Kristen White
Since September of last year, we
have been focusing on the life and
letters of the Apostle Peter, a man
whose life was totally transformed
by the power of the Holy Spirit.
His letters (1 and 2 Peter) talk a lot
about persecution and suffering,
emphasizing that these can be
expected as a normal part of the
Christian life. Peter knew this from
personal experience, and all of us
here at Calvary know the truth of
that as well.
But we didn’t choose to call this
sermon series “Suffering,” we chose
to call it “Refuge,” because difficult
times are not something we experience as a result of God abandoning
us; they are something we experience as a result of following Christ
in a fallen world where we no
longer fully belong. Our refuge from
the suffering we experience is in
God. Though suffering is not often
made easy, God’s grace is present
within it to sustain us, restore us
and strengthen us.
This past year I have been thrilled
to hear many stories about God’s
grace working in the lives of our
congregation. On the one hand, it is
hard to hear about suffering in the
body of Christ (just like it is hard to
experience it). It can be frustrating
and upsetting when the natural
inclination is to want everything to
be easy, both for myself and for all
of you. I have at times found myself
asking God, “Why do things have to
be hard?!?” But what I have learned
is that what God wants for us is
growth: growth in our commitment
to Him; growth in our dependence
on his mercy and grace; and growth
in the joy and peace we experience
as a result of a deepening relationship with Him.
God is calling us to be an outpost
of His kingdom here in Grand
Rapids: a place where His love and
grace are experienced and shared
freely with one another, spilling
out on those around us. This is not
an easy assignment, but it is one
in which we will experience the
fullness of God’s joy. It’s also a big
job, so I’m glad it is something we
are called to do together.
As we have been thinking about
who we are, and whether or not
we are living out our calling as
completely as we can, we have
begun to focus on some of the
limitations of our current facilities.
This spring, we began calling our
potential building project by the
name “Grace Beyond,” because we
believe that it isn’t just about the
building, it is about how God has
shown His grace to us and how He
wants to show His grace through
us. There is more information about
the building project later in this
report (and elsewhere), but I want
to emphasize here that the most
important thing about it is its relationship to grace.
I hope that this past year has
been one in which you have been
aware of God’s grace in your own
life. As you read these pages of
the Annual Report, join us as we
thank God for all the ways He has
been building us into a body that is
strong, firm and steadfast. And, as
always, please pray for Calvary, for
our leadership, and for me, that we
would continue to seek refuge in
God’s grace and extend it to others
with abandon.
— Jim Samra, Senior Pastor
CALVARY CHURCH 2013-2014 ANNUAL REPORT | 3