In his book, Five Practices of Fruitful Living, United Methodist Bishop Robert Schnase identified five characteristics that he believes faithful people and fruitful, growing churches all have in common: radical hospitality, passionate worship, intentional faith development, risk-taking mission and service, and extravagant generosity. Beginning on September 28, Calvary UMC will be studying these five practices. Each Sunday, our worship services will focus on one of those themes so that we may seek God’s leading as we reflect on that together. We will also have members of our church sharing each week about how they have experienced some of those practices of fruitful living here at Calvary. Those who are present in worship each week (in person or online) will receive a Heart Card tool that will encourage you to reflect on the day’s practice of faithful living, and how you have experienced that here. Everyone present will be encouraged to use these Heart Cards for reflection, and we will also invite you to share those cards for display if you are willing to do so in order for it to be shared with the church. We will even have some fruitful snacks available if you return your Heart Card.

Join us for Junior and Senior High Midweek Programming on Tuesday nights! Junior High meets at from 6 to 7 p.m. and Senior High meets at 7:30 p.m. in the Hub. All are always welcome!
Students don't have to come every week to be part of the fun and fellowship. Reach out to kb.smith@connectwithcalvary.org with any questions or for more information.

Saturday, September 27 | 9:00 – 11:00 AM
Join us for a morning of fellowship and service as we come together to care for our church grounds! We’ll be focusing on the front landscaping with tasks including:

• Weeding flower beds

• Pruning and trimming bushes

• General clean-up and maintenance

This is a great opportunity to lend a hand, enjoy some fresh air, and connect with others in our church community. Please bring gloves, garden tools, and any extra supplies you may have; and meet us near the main entrance to the church building.
All are welcome—we’d love to see you there!

Calvary celebrates our third graders each year by presenting them with their own Bible. Your third grader is invited to receive a Bible during worship on Sunday, October 5, 2025. We would love to have your child be part of this special day. If they cannot be present on October 5, we can have their Bible at the KidVenture Connecting Point after that Sunday. If you have a 3rd grader, please register by Monday, September 29 so we can have a Bible ready for them.

Pastor Vince Rohn will be hosting a new members conversation from 5-7:30 p.m. on Sunday, September 21 in the Calvary UMC parlor. If you have been worshipping with Calvary and would like more information about the church and your next step here, this is it! If you have been connecting with Calvary for some time and would just like to know more about the congregation, this is your chance! A light meal will be served as part of the gathering, and you can sign up to attend here.

47% of area students qualify for free and reduced lunch through their school. With grocery prices on the rise it is getting harder for families to afford food for meals.  Midwest Food Bank tries to fill that gap for families by providing food for students that qualify for free and reduced lunch over their weekends when students are at home and not in school. Calvary has been a partner with Parkside Elementary School for many years now and this year we will be partnering with them again to provide bags of food for the children to take home for the weekend. Each month we receive a pallet of food from Midwest Food Bank and we meet as a group and unload the truck, organize the food and pack grocery bags that are delivered to Parkside Elementary School and given to the students on Friday to take home for the weekend. We are in need of volunteers to help once a month to unload the truck, organize the food and pack the bags. Our first time to meet for the new school year will be September 10 at 10:45 a.m. in the lower level classrooms. 
All ages and abilities are welcome to help. If you have any questions please contact Brenda Leopard.

Do you love to hold babies and play with toddlers? A new KidVenture Nursery will be opening in October during our 9 a.m. service and those babies and toddlers need you! You can choose to serve once or twice a month (or more) but don't have to serve every week. We're also looking for volunteers for our Preschool/Kindergarten room (both worship hours) or people who are willing to be on call or a sub in any of the rooms. If interested, please contact Miranda Lanza or Lori Short.

At Calvary, we invite youth in eighth grade (or older if they have not previously completed Confirmation) to participate in Confirmation. We will be starting a Confirmation Class in January, to conclude with a Confirmation Sunday in May. Please complete this form to confirm your participation in Confirmation. We will also be having an informational meeting about Confirmation 2025-26 on Sunday, September 28 at 10:05 in room 113. 

It’s Habitat for Humanity Season! 
Calvary is proud to announce our sponsorship of the Faith House for the 2025–2026 building season — Habitat for Humanity of McLean County's 201st house!
A huge thank you to everyone who volunteered their time and labor last year to help build a home for Dionne Anding and her family. Your generosity made a lasting impact.
This year, we’re excited to build for Davasha Williams and her family. 
Build Dates: Third Saturday of each month, starting in October
Location: 701 West Market Street, Bloomington
Time: 8:00 AM – 12:00 PM
Who Can Volunteer: No experience required! Volunteers must be 16 years or older
Snacks Needed: Calvary is also looking for people to provide snacks for volunteers
If you're looking for a meaningful way to give back, Habitat for Humanity volunteering is a great place to be. Let’s make this another incredible season of service and community!

Help provide specific needed items for Home Sweet Home Ministries, Thrivent and Midwest Food Bank as they collaborate for 'The Big Give' Thanksgiving meal food collection again this year. This is an opportunity to help provide our neighbors in need with Thanksgiving meals.
Collection boxes will be in the atrium starting Sunday, September 14 through Sunday, September 28.
These meal boxes, complete with turkeys, will be distributed by HSHM and MWFB on Thursday, November 27 at the Normal Midwest Food Bank warehouse.
The following is a sample of needed items that we’ve been asked to collect: Stuffing Mix, Cans of Corn, Cans of Green Beans, French Fried Onions, Boxes of Mashed potatoes, Cans of Pumpkin Pie Mix, Boxes of Pie Crust mix, and Turkey certificates from Hy-Vee (Hy-Vee will give the certificate to Midwest Food Bank).   
With your help, Home Sweet Ministries and Midwest Food Bank will be able to provide 2,000 meal boxes again this year to families in need.

Each week during the school year students on free and reduced lunch at Parkside Elementary receive a bag of groceries provided by Midwest Food Bank to help sustain them through the weekend. Calvary's Backpack Ministry partners with Midwest Food Bank to fill and organize those bags. We would like to supplement that bag on long weekends and/or holidays by providing the students with a jar of peanut butter. We are looking for donations of 16 oz jars of peanut butter which can be left at the welcome desk. Your care for the students is appreciated.

In Matthew 25:35, Jesus says, “For I was hungry, and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty, and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger, and you invited me in.” This verse captures the heart of our mission. Through the distribution of food and drinks, Midwest Food Bank supplies partner agencies with the resources they need to reach the lost, lonely, and hungry in our community. 
As food insecurity continues to rise, so does the need for dedicated volunteers to help distribute these vital supplies. We’re reaching out to local churches to come together in faith and service—living out Matthew 25:35 in a tangible, impactful way. 
Our greatest volunteer need is during our Distribution days, when partner agencies pick up food to share with their clients. Volunteers help load cases of food onto carts and into vehicles. If you can lift 30 pounds, you can be a part of this important work! 
To support this effort, we’re forming a Servant Squad—a group of volunteers willing to step in when extra hands are needed. Servant Squad members will receive an email with a sign-up link and can choose the dates and times that work best for them. It’s simple, flexible, and incredibly meaningful. 
Anyone interested in joining the Servant Squad just needs to fill out the sign-up form to get started. 

Men’s Faith and Fellowship will begin our new season of study, fellowship, and support of each other on Wednesday, September 3, 2025. We will begin with “On Purpose, Finding God’s Voice in Your Passion,” a study that includes author and Senior Pastor Magrey deVega. It is a four-part exploration of the spiritual principles that allow us to listen go God, discover our purpose and passion, join with others in the journey, and ultimately, make a difference in the world around us. As Pastor Vince Rohn shared in his sermon of 8/17/25, we listen for God’s voice through prayer, study and others we trust.
We meet at 6:30 am on Wednesday mornings in Room 111, and begin with refreshments and coffee, share joys and concerns, have a video study, and discussion among the group. There is plenty of room for any man

Calvary, it’s that time again! The Celebration Singers, Calvary’s adult choir, will be joining worship at the 9:00 service, starting on September 7th, and we’d like to extend the invitation to all of you to come sing with us! Rehearsals begin on Wednesday 8/27 and be held every Wednesday from 6:30-7:30 in the choir room. We are open to anybody regardless of age, experience level, or even talent—all we ask is that you bring a smile and a good attitude! If you have any questions, or if you don’t know where the choir room is, shoot me (Leah) an email and I will happily help you out. We have a ton of fun and we hope to see you there!

And on that note, the worship team (10:30 service) is always welcoming new participants, so please drop me a line if you’d be interested in that as well, and we’ll make sure to get you looped in!

Do you have college students in your household? Let Calvary college care send your students encouraging inspirations and blessings by mail, email or text. It will be a reminder that their Calvary family will continue to pray for them and continue to be an important part of their faith journey. Click on this link to sign up. In order for us to have the current information, the form needs to be completed each year.

Dream Weavers uses plastic grocery bags to weave mats for those in situations where a simple sleeping mat is needed. We meet in Room 4 on the lower level on the 1st and 3rd Tuesdays (10 a.m.- noon), and the 2nd and 4th Sundays (2-4 p.m.) of each month. Come join us - no experience necessary! For more information, contact Larry or Lurinda Venezia or Sandy Dickson.