Women of Calvary & guests, we invite you to join Heart and Soul for our annual Pause Before Christmas on December 11! KB Smith will guide us through making a Christmas craft to take home with us. Sweet refreshments will be provided.
We'll be meeting in Calvary'sgym Thursday, Dec 11 at 6:30 p.m. Feel free to invite a friend who does not attend Calvary. Cost to attend is $5. We hope you'll join us for this hands-on event with great fellowship! Please sign up here. 

Join us December 9 at 6:30 p.m. as we spread holiday cheer with our neighbors at Evergreen (1700 Evergreen Boulevard, Normal). Together, we will sing Christmas songs and decorate cookies. Wear your favorite festive gear.
All ages are welcome! Please reach out to Erin Scott if you are interested or have any questions. 

Bring your family and friends of all ages and have fun at the Calvary Christmas Party! Come to the Calvary gym on December 7 between 3-5 p.m. Take part in a Mission project packaging gifts for Safe Harbor residents, play Christmas Bingo, create a Christmas ornament, take a photo at the Photo Booth, play Christmas games and enjoy a Hot Cocoa Bar.

Men’s Faith and Fellowship will begin a new study, “Voices of Advent” by Matthew Skinner, on November 19.  In addition to the study, we enjoy fellowship, prayer and support of each other.  This is a four week study (with the week of Thanksgiving off), and so is a great time to jump in and join us.

We meet at 6:30 a.m. 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.

As the days are getting colder, and in the spirit of Thanksgiving, the November Calvary Food Pantry focus is on soups and Thanksgiving side dishes (ex, packaged potatoes, canned vegetables, stuffing, pie mix, etc.).
Thank you ALL for keeping our food pantry stocked each week! It is so fun to come in and see the shelves ready for the next hungry souls who come through our doors.
If anyone would like to assist Susan Sopek with the pantry, please let her know!

The Good Samaritan story (Luke 10:30-37) gives a clear picture of God’s desire for us to help those in desperate need wherever we find them. After describing how the Samaritan rescued a hurting man whom others had passed by, Jesus told His hearers, “Go and do likewise.” Here is a way Calvary can “Go and do likewise’" by bringing a gift of love and the message of Jesus Christ to children around the world.
For the past several years, Calvary Outreach Ministry has participated in Operation Christmas Child project (OCC). OCC is one project, under the Samaritan Purse organization, that collects shoebox gifts filled with fun toys, school supplies and hygiene items—and delivers them to children in need around the world to demonstrate God’s love in a tangible way. For many of these children, the gift-filled shoebox is the first gift they have ever received. Through this project, Samaritan’s Purse partners with the local church worldwide to share the Good News of Jesus Christ.
Shoe boxes for packing, along with detailed packing information, will be available in the atrium on Sunday, November 2, 9, 16 and 23.  You can also build a box or donate online. 
For additional information, contact Lurinda Venezia at lurjv48@gmail.com.

FIA is adding care receivers again. Those that need help with dialysis and cancer care are considered a priority. We are not adding care receivers for Lexington until we add more volunteers. We are still working to add volunteers!
News & Events:

• Darla Heath, FIA Executive Director, is a 2025 Athena Leadership finalist!

• 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.

• The Christmas Card Signing event will be at the First Presbyterian Church on November 14th.

• Presents for Residents Holiday gift drive will again be available to our low-income care receivers this December.

• We will be doing Leaf Raking the weekends of November 8th and 15th. We have several youth groups that help with this along with some athletic teams (including ISU and IWU).

• Transitions by Go Green Commercial Cleaning Fundraiser – (continues all 2025!)
  When you book their service and mention Faith in Action in 2025, Transitions will donate a portion of the proceeds! Visit their website or call 3(09) 585-0423.
  
  If you have any questions, contact Jan Kibler.

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.

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 December 17, 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.

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!

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. 

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.

Safe Harbor 
The following dates are available for you to serve at Safe Harbor: 

• December 5 and 19

If you are interested in serving, please contact Tammy Carlson. If you are new or have questions, please feel free to reach out!