Please join us for a Women’s Heart & Soul Event on Thursday, September 24th at 6:30 p.m. in Room 111.
Come to learn more about Midwest Mission, the Prayer Shawl Ministry, Dream Weavers, Fibers of Love and more! This is a wonderful chance to learn more about how you can use your creative skills to help the community – no crafting skills required!
Please sign up using this link.

Help us provide Thanksgiving meals to our neighbors in need!
Home Sweet Home Ministries (HSHM), Thrivent, and Midwest Food Bank are partnering again this year for The Big Give, a Thanksgiving meal food collection designed to help local families enjoy a special holiday meal.

Collection Dates: Sunday, September 27 – Sunday, October 11
Collection Location: Collection boxes will be available in the atrium.
Items Needed:
• Stuffing mix
• Canned corn
• Canned green beans
• French-fried onions
• Boxes of mashed potatoes
• Canned pumpkin pie mix
• Boxes of pie crust mix
• Turkey certificates from Hy-Vee or other Grocery Stores
(Hy-Vee or other grocery stores will provide the certificate directly to Midwest Food Bank.)

The meal boxes, complete with turkeys, will be distributed by Home Sweet Home Ministries and Midwest Food Bank on Thursday, November 21, at the Normal Midwest Food Bank warehouse.
With your generosity, Home Sweet Home Ministries and Midwest Food Bank hope to provide 2,000 Thanksgiving meal boxes to families in need again this year.
Every donation makes a difference. Thank you for helping make Thanksgiving a little brighter for our neighbors!

Calvary celebrates our third graders each year by presenting them with their own Bible. All third graders are invited to receive a Bible during worship on Sunday, October 4, 2026. We would love to have your child be part of this special day. If the 3rd grader cannot be present on October 4, we can have their Bible at the KidVenture Connecting Point after October 4. If you have a 3rd grader, please register by Monday, September 28 so we can prepare a Bible for them.

Calvary is hosting a Fall Festival on Sunday, September 27 from 4-6 p.m. We will have hayrack rides, s'mores, yard games, and pumpkins for painting. We invite you, your family, neighbors and anyone else to attend this free event. It is a great time to slow down, spend time together and enjoy the outdoors.
If you are interested in volunteering for this event, please fill out this form to help us make it a success!  

The Seekers adult Sunday School class will begin a new study entitled “Rooted Methodism” on September 13. We will view and discuss videos produced by the United Methodist General Commission on Archives and History. They cover the following aspects of American Methodist history: Methodists & Race; Methodists & Women; Methodists & Sexuality; Methodists & Young Persons; Methodists & Education; Methodists & Voting; Methodists & Healthcare.

You are welcome to join us Sundays at 10:30 in the parlor or on Zoom. If you have questions, contact Carroll Bross.

Grief is a journey that shouldn’t be traveled alone. This Christ-centered program helps people apply biblical principles as they deal with the emotions and life stresses following the death of a loved one.
Sharyl Jennings will lead a 13 week course every Tuesday evening at Calvary UMC (1700 N Towanda Ave, Normal) from 6-8 p.m. in room 111. 

Did you know Calvary has an online directory? It's called CCB or Church Community Builder. This is a great tool to connect with your church by joining groups, searching for members to connect with, and ministering to your fellow congregants. 
If you don't have an account or want to learn more about how to use it, join Erin Scott and Amanda Nesby between services at 10:10 a.m. on Sunday, September 13 in room 113/115 (junior high classroom). We will cover topics like how to log in, create an account, update your profile and more. 

Dream Weavers will resume a regular weaving schedule, starting Sunday, September 13. We meet in  lower level room 8 on the first and third Tuesdays from 10-noon, and the second and fourth Sundays from 2-4 p.m. Anyone interested in joining is welcome; no experience necessary!

This 7 week bible study focusing on Hosea starts August 26 in room 111. We meet every Wednesday from 10 a.m. to noon. Purchase a copy of the book at Lifeway or Amazon. If you have any questions, please reach out to Sharyl Jennings. 

The book of Hosea—it’s a deeply personal and passionate love story, yet it’s a difficult story. As an account full of harsh judgment unfolds, we find in its midst a rare and pure gem: the truest and purest of loves.

Hosea, an Old Testament prophet, preached his own life message using his marriage as the sermon illustration. The study of Hosea looks deeply at that message. In this 7-session Bible study, Jennifer Rothschild provides background to better understand the intricacies of the man and his message. You’ll be guided to understand, but more especially to apply the message of the prophet of love.

Calvary is partnering with the American Red Cross for a blood drive. Sign up or walk in Monday, September 21 from 9 a.m. to 4:15 p.m. Fall into the habit of donating. Every 2 seconds, someone in the U.S. needs blood. Help save lives. Give blood.
Walk-ins are welcome, or you can sign up here. 
You can maximize your blood donation and help more patients. If you are an eligible type O, B- or A- donor, consider making a Power Red donation. Red blood cells are the most commonly transfused blood component. 
Get a $15 e-gift card when you donate between September 21-October 18. 

Men’s Faith and Fellowship will begin our new season of study, fellowship, and support of each other on Wednesday, September 9, 2026. We will study “The Holy Spirit-God’s Presence and Power At Work In Us.” This is the latest study by Adam Hamilton. This is for all men who desire a deeper understanding of and openness to the work of the Holy Spirit in their lives. We meet at 7:00 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 that would like to seek to follow Christ more fully by engaging in study together. Growth happens in community.
If you would like to participate, please contact Gil Dorsey or Jim Brown for us to make certain we can provide the study materials needed.

It's here! Please join us for our final Calvary serving opportunity for 2026!
Calvary will help at the Midwest Food Bank Wednesday, September 9 from 6-8 p.m. Ages 5-105 are welcome! Reservations for are for 20 people and we can make room for more.
PLEASE sign up at this link as soon as possible!
Some helpful information about who can volunteer and how to do so: Closed toe shoes are required. Children between the ages of 5-9 must be accompanied by their legal guardian. Anyone under the age of 16 must be accompanied by an adult. When minors are registered, it will ask for the name and email of the parent/guardian. The Golden Volunteer program will autogenerate an email to the parent/guardian with a link to complete the process. Minors and guardians are not able to share the same email. If the minor doesn’t have an email, they can use this email format: golden+firstnamelastname@midwestfoodbank.org (example: golden+donnahaas@midwestfoodbank.org) The minor’s reservation is not complete (or their spot reserved) until the waiver has been signed. For safety and insurance purposes, any minor who has not been registered or received parental consent for an opportunity will not be able to participate in volunteer activities. If we have fewer than 20 participants, the sign up will be opened to the community.

Medical supplies collected are then distributed to other countries for those in need.  Please contact Susan Sopek if you have any of the following to donate:

• Walkers

• Crutches

• Canes

• Misc Orthopedic Supplies (walking boots, slings, braces)

Greetings, all. We have once again heard that emails are circulating from people alleging to be staff members of our church. If you receive an email claiming to be from Pastor Vince or any other staff member that is not from an official church email (@connectwithcalvary.org), it should be treated with great suspicion, if not completely disregarded. Please be safe and vigilant to protect yourself from scammers.

Calvary serves meals for those who are food insecure in our community on the first and third Fridays of the month. In the near future, you can sign up to serve on Oct 2, 16, and Nov 6. Please contact Tammy Carlson if interested. 309-533-6663, Tk.carlson@yahoo.com. 

Volunteer to help aging adults get to medical appointments, shop for groceries, and stay engaged. Get behind the wheel for care receivers! You hold the keys to a kinder community. Begin with Faith in Action Volunteer Training. Call Stacey at 309-827-7780.
Volunteer orientations are the first Tuesday of the month at 2:30 p.m. in the ARC Community Room. https://bnfia.org/i-want-to-volunteer/.

Since school has started, Backpack Ministry will be starting again soon. In order to supplement the food that we receive from the Midwest Food Bank, we are looking for Peanut Butter donations for the students of Parkside Elementary School. We need 14 - 16 oz jars of Peanut Butter (any brand or variety) to be added to the bags that go home with the students of Parkside Elementary School that are facing food insecurities. You can bring in peanut butter through September 13 and leave it at the Welcome Desk. Thank you for supporting Calvary's Backpack Ministry.

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.

Come join us as we build the Faith House for the 2026-2027 Habitat for Humanity Season.

Build dates: Third Saturday of the month
Location: 16 Trailside Court, Bloomington 
Time: 8 a.m. to noon
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. Contact Jon Eric Fujimoto if you are interested in participating this way. 

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!

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.