Ash Wednesday Opportunities
Calvary UMC will mark the beginning of the season of Lent with Ash Wednesday on February 18. Lent is a season of forty days, not counting Sundays, which begins on Ash Wednesday and ends on Holy Saturday (the day before Easter), a season that is traditionally seen as a time to prepare for Easter through repentance and devotion. On Ash Wednesday, we confront our own mortality and confess our sin before God within the community of faith. The use of ashes as a sign of mortality and repentance has a long history in Jewish and Christian worship, and the Imposition of Ashes can be a powerful way of participating in the call to repentance and reconciliation that characterizes the Lenten Season. Calvary will offer two ways to observe Ash Wednesday:
Drive Through Ash Wednesday, 7-9AM: Pastor Vince Rohn will be available in the Calvary UMC parking lot to offer the imposition of ashes for anyone who would like to stop by in the morning. This will be available for anyone in the community who would like to stop in.
Ash Wednesday Worship, 6:30PM: Calvary will offer a traditional time of worship with hymns and the imposition of ashes. We invite you to join us for this special time of worship recognizing the beginning of one of our holiest seasons.

During the season of Lent this year, Calvary UMC will be joining in an All-Church Study of the book "Why Did Jesus Have to Die" by author and pastor Adam Hamilton. This book, and its connecting study, asks us to consider some of the spiritual practices that we can include in our lives to help us draw closer to God.
Our Sunday morning worship services will be focusing on themes connected to the book from March 1 to April 5. We will also be offering a variety of Small Group and Sunday School classes offering a group study connected to this worship series, and we are encouraging everyone to find a class or group to connect with during the season of Lent (either one you already are part of or one you might join). We will have copies of the book for sale at the Welcome Center on Sunday mornings (beginning February 8) for $17. Everyone is encouraged to pick up a copy and read a chapter a week through Lent.

From Pastor Vince

The end of 2025 brought a couple of reminders of the generosity of those who call Calvary UMC our church home. In early December, I shared an email that the church was running behind our expected financial goals and was likely to end 2025 with a significant financial deficit. Many people responded to that call, the spirit of generosity that is common at the holidays, and traditional end of the year giving; and I am pleased to say that we ended the 2025 at a virtual breakeven point from a financial perspective. Our year-end financial report shows a loss of $2,132 for 2025, but given the size of our budget and expenses that loss is less than .02% of our expenses. Thank you to all who responded so faithfully, and as we move into 2026 please remember that Calvary UMC continues to have financial needs if we are going to fully live into the call of God and live out all of the ministries that we can in Jesus's name. I remain convinced that there is no better place to invest our giving than in the life changing work of God through Calvary UMC.

I also want to share that our Christmas Eve offering at our three services totaled $11,883. We had pledged half of that offering to go to Home Sweet Home Ministries to support their Bridge project to help provide shelter to our unhoused neighbors. We have sent that check, and the Bridge will be welcoming its first residents anytime now.

Volunteers are needed for our next event with our neighbors at Evergreen (1701 Evergreen Boulevard, Normal). We will be celebrating the Lunar New Year, playing games from different countries who celebrate this holiday and learning about the culture behind it. Wearing red is a symbol of good luck in the New Year. We look forward to spending time with the residents on Tuesday, February 10 from 6:30-7:30 p.m. If you have questions or are interested in volunteering, please contact Erin Scott.

Everyone is welcome to complete a survey about the global United Methodist Church and our possible future in preparation for a global meeting of our denominational leadership later in 2026. The survey can be found here.

We urgently need your help in March to prepare and serve meals at Safe Harbor!

We have several opportunities available to serve our neighbors for 2026:
March 6 & 20
April 17
May 1 & 15
June 5 & 19
July 17
August 1 & 14
September 4
October 2 & 16
November 6 & 20
December 4 & 18
Please contact Tammy Carlson (309) 533-6663 or tk.carlson@yahoo.com

Have you been attending Calvary for some time and feel ready to take a next step in your faith or your connection here? Have you recently joined Calvary and find that you would like to explore ways to go deeper in that connection? Pastor Vince Rohn will be leading a New Members Class on Sunday, February 1 from 5-7:30 p.m., with a light meal provided. Pastor Vince will share about the Christian faith, United Methodism, life at Calvary UMC, and what the expectations are of church members as compared to attenders and others. Feel free to contact Pastor Vince for more information at vince.rohn@connectwithcalvary.org or sign up.

Pastor Vince Rohn and staff of Calvary visited The Bridge and prayed over the buildings and grounds along with other local churches. We learned about the ways Home Sweet Home Ministries will be breaking barriers to help those who are experiencing homelessness in ways other shelters haven’t been able to do so before. Please continue to pray over the 56 individuals who will be getting ready to move in, as well as the staff working there. Calvary is blessed to be able to support this ministry and those in our community. If you are interested in learning more about Home Sweet Home Ministries or their needs, please check out their website.

The Seekers adult class will start a new seven week series on January 4 entitled “The Way.” We will view & discuss videos with Rev. Don Long, Jr. (Larry & Carroll Bross’ son-in-law) reflecting on his 500 mile pilgrimage on Spain’s Camino de Santiago three years ago. Anyone is welcome to join us. We meet in the parlor or on Zoom Sundays at 10:30 a.m.

As Home Sweet Home Ministries expands its work with people in need in Bloomington-Normal (including their new shelter village), Calvary UMC is blessing Home Sweet Home with a gift of $50,000! Calvary has an endowment fund that was established to help fund our Good Samaritan Fund, and the requests that we receive for assistance through that fund have not kept up with the income in that endowment fund. These funds can only be used to care for those experiencing temporary hardship and not for any of the church’s ongoing expenses, and so continue to grow beyond our ability to effectively use them for direct grants. The decision has been made then to give this gift of $50,000 to Home Sweet Home as their work also cares for people experiencing a variety of temporary hardships. More information will be shared in the near future concerning how this gift was used to care for others in the name of Jesus. Please know that in this winter season, Calvary is going above and beyond to help care for those in need in our community.

2025 Recap: We took on 118 new Care Receivers, as well as 108 new volunteers! We organized 12,200 events which included providing rides, grocery shopping, friendly calls/visits, home maintenance, newsletter folding, Christmas cards, meetings, and more! We provided services to 397 of our 600 care receivers! Our FIA Office Manager, David Nybakke, retired and Tracy Severns is the new Office Manager.

Upcoming Activities:
- 20 Over 60 Nominations due February 15, 2026 https://bnfia.org/event/20-over-60-awards-nominations/
- Mardi Gras Bingo - February 12, 2026 at Destihl Brew Hall. Currently sold out, but there is a waiting list. https://bnfia.org/event/mardi-gras-bingo-bonanza/
- Fannie May Sale (Shop to Donate to FIA) 307 Veterans Parkway Suite 512 is on March 19, 2026 from noon-4:00 p.m.
- Spring Bus Trip to Mackinaw Island is scheduled for May 18-22, 2026.
- Fall Bus Trip to Boston, Salem & the North Shore is scheduled for September 22-30, 2026.
- Volunteer orientations are the first Tuesday of the month at 2:30 p.m. at the ARC Community Room.

Men’s Faith and Fellowship will begin our new season of study, fellowship, and support of each other on Wednesday, January 7, 2026. We will study “A Disciple’s Path.” This invitation is to review the patterns of spiritual disciplines of Methodism as developed by John Wesley and authored by James Harnish and Justin Larosa. This is a six week study that will guide us to take our next step in discipleship.
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 that would like to seek to follow Christ more fully by engaging in this study together.
If you would like to participate, please contact Gil Dorsey or Jim Brown for us to make certain we have enough study books available.

Our next day to meet for the Backpack Ministry will be on February 11th at 10:45 a.m. on the lower level of the Preschool wing.  We will assemble food bags for the students of Parkside Elementary School to provide food for the weekends.  All ages and abilities are welcome to come and help. Please contact Brenda Leopard, leopardhouse5@gmail.com if you have any questions.

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. We meet at 10:45 a.m. in the lower level classrooms on January 14, February 11, March 11, April 15, and May 13.
All ages and abilities are welcome to help. If you have any questions please contact Brenda Leopard.Brenda Leopard.

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!
Build Dates: Third Saturday of each month
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!

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. 

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.

Our Calvary Garden Team with the help of Larry Gamblin has donated 1409 pounds of fresh produce to Midwest Food Bank, and various other food pantries in Bloomington Normal during this 2025 growing season. We have a great team, but never turn away anyone who would like to help. We usually pick and wash vegetables on Saturday mornings, and then deliver later that morning. If you would like to get involved please reach out to the church office and we will add you to our text group. 

Thanks to the generosity of the people of Calvary UMC, and the leading and blessing of God, we have already exceeded our goal of $8,000 for classroom furnishings, school supplies, restrooms, and a septic system at the school we have helped to build in Fev, Haiti! We will be in conversation with our friends in Fev to make sure that 100% of the money we receive through this appeal will go to the school and church in Fev, used for cost overruns on construction, additional supplies, or other needs at the school and church. Thank you to everyone who has given to allow the children of Fev to receive the gift of an education and all of the people of Fev the gift of hope.