Calvary UMC has been supporting the school and church in the village of Fev, Haiti, for the past several years. As the new school year begins, Pastor Walnique, founder of the school and pastor of Fev Church, would like to thank the congregation at Calvary UMC for their generous financial support and continued prayers.
This year, the school will have five classrooms serving approximately 100 students.
Administration
• Rose Marie Cenat — Principal
• Dersinta Jules — Secretary/Accountant
Teachers
• Fadiane J. Baptiste — K1
• Derslande Jules — K2
• Yvane St Fort — K3
• Michelange Charles — 1st Grade
• Mirlanda Dormeus — 2nd Grade
School Staff
• Felucia Louis — Housekeeper
• Adira St Fleur — Cook
• Emalia Pierre — Cook
• Jude St Fort — Cook
We are grateful for the opportunity to partner with the Fev school and church community. Please continue to keep the students, teachers, staff, and Pastor Walnique in your prayers as they begin another school year.

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 Saturday, 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!  

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. 

We'd love to have you join us as we create mats from plastic bags. The mats are donated to local agencies that serve the homeless. 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!

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. 

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/.

The Backpack Ministry resumes September 16 at 10:45 in the lower level of the preschool wing.  The Backpack Ministry receives food from Midwest Food Bank and packs it into bags to be taken to Parkside Elementary School. The bags are given out to students that have food insecurities so they have food over the weekends. We need people to join us on Wednesday morning to unload the food from Midwest Food Bank, unbox it and pack it into bags to be taken to Parkside Elementary School. The process takes about an hour and all abilities and ages are welcome.

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!

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.

Calvary serves meals at Safe Harbor ever first and third Friday of the month. If you are interested in serving, please contact Tammy Carlson. If you are new or have questions, please feel free to reach out! 

The word must be getting out about our little food pantry - it has been utilized much more in the past few months! Thank you, Calvary Family, for keeping it stocked so well!
Due to current inventory, we'd like to focus on stocking breakfast items for the next few weeks:

• cereal (all kinds, all sizes)

• pancake mix & syrup

• granola bars

• anything else that you might eat in the morning

• soups and single meals are still flying off the shelves, as well

Calvary’s food pantry is a great lifeline for those in our community who need food assistance. If you are hoping to receive items from the pantry, it is located in our entryway and available at any time of the day, any week, to anyone.

Your contributions are welcome at any time. Here is a list of suggested items to bring in any time:

Protein Sources 

• Canned: tuna, chicken, salmon, or other meat

• Dried: or canned beans (black beans, chickpeas, pinto beans)

• Peanut butter: or other nut butters

Grains 

• Pasta

• Rice: and rice mixes

• Oatmeal: and other hot cereals

• Whole-grain: bread, crackers, and cereal

Fruits & Vegetables 

• Canned: or dried fruits (peaches, pears, raisins), canned or dried vegetables (corn, tomatoes, peas), fruit in juice or water (not syrup)

• Low-sodium: canned vegetables

Soups, Sauces & Condiments 

• Canned: soups and chili

• Spaghetti: and tomato sauces

• Salsa

• Oils: (vegetable, olive, canola)

• Condiments: like ketchup, mustard, and spices

Other 

• Nuts: and seeds

• Shelf-stable: milk

• Baking staples: such as flour, sugar, and corn starch

• Personal care items: and cleaning supplies

  Questions? Contact Susan Sopek.

The Prayer Shawl Ministry will begin meeting Tuesday, February 11. We will be working on shawls as well as hats, scarves, and mittens of all sizes. Join us as we work and pray every 2nd and 4th Tuesday from 9:30-11am in L7.  No experience is required. All materials are provided, including yarn, patterns, and needles/hooks. We also have shawls available to be given to individuals in need of warmth and comfort. For more information, contact Linda Ferrence.

Are you a caregiver, family member, or friend of someone with dementia? If so, you are invited – and encouraged – to attend the Alzheimer’s support group. The mission of this group is to provide education and support to caregivers and loved ones. Please note that it is not designed for those with dementia. Meetings are held in Calvary’s conference room on the second Tuesday of each month at 7 p.m.

Facilitators are Mary Sanko and Lurinda Venezia.