reach

MAGAZINE

VOLUME 6 | ISSUE 1

HOMES
OF HOPE
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COVER IMAGE

Salt & Light

ALSO IN THIS ISSUE

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Wont you be my
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NEIGHBOR?

Jesus said that we are the salt of the earth and the light of the world. Being salt and light is not optional. Jesus did not say you can be or you have the potential to be He said you are. Everyone who has trusted Christ for salvation and is born again is salt of the earth and the light of the world. When Jesus told his disciples that they were the salt of the earth they understood the metaphor. Salt is not as readily apparent to us today, but the mandate that Jesus gave is still relevant. When Jesus said, You are the salt of the earth, He meant that all of His disciples were to serve as preservatives, stopping the moral decay in our sin infected world. The spiritual health and strength of the Christian is to counteract the corruption that is in the world. In Matthew 5:14, Jesus tells His disciples, You are the light of the world. As salt the Christian is to counteract the power of sin. As light we are to illuminate or make visible. Our lives are to be an on-going witness to the reality of Christs presence in our lives. When we worship God with pure hearts, when we love others as ourselves, we are lights shining. It is not our light, but the reflection of the Light of the World, Jesus Christ, that people are to see in us. We are to shine as lighthouses, warning of danger and directing people to a safe harbor, providing hope for those who have lost hope. God uses us to be like beacons from a lighthouse shining in the darkness and showing the way to Him. Will you be salt and light and let God have your best for His glory? Liz Gold Reach Global Missions Director You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt has become tasteless, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men. You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden; nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven. Matthew 5:13-16

CONTENTS

Jesus did not say you can be or you have the potential to be
REACH MINISTRIES at CALVARY CHURCH
Matt Doan - Reach Pastor Liz Gold - Reach Global Missions Director Reach Local Office 714.550.2310 Reach Global Office 714.550.2341
Christians, as salt, are to inhibit sins power to destroy lives. This in turn creates opportunity for the gospel to be proclaimed and received. We have been given a wonderful privilege to be the salt of the earth, but Jesus gave us a warning in the second half of Mathew 5:13. Jesus did not say that we can lose our salvation; He said that we can lose our saltiness. When salt is contaminated it becomes corrosive and poisonous. If we have allowed disobedience, carelessness and indifference to rule our lives, we have become contaminated salt and have lost our saltiness. We need to confess our sin and let the Lord
ONTHECOVER

He said, you are.

2014GLOBALREACHWEEK
What did Jesus mean by Salt & Light? page 3 Schedule of Events page 4 Missionaries & Special Highlights page 5 Guest Speakers page 6 Guest Speakers & Global Vision Dinner page 7
ALSOINTHISREACH

Bringing Hope to Moldova page 8 Wont you be my Neighbor? page 10 Apartment Life Ministry page 12 Marys Kitchen page 14 Homes of Hope page 16 Art Weekend/WWAM page 18 Walk, Run (or Paw) on a Mission page 19 Salt & Light Stories from around OC page 20 14 Way to be Salt & Light to OC page 22

restore us to the purpose for which we are called.

Elizabeth, the five year old daughter of YWAM ministry workers, lends a hand as Calvarys team of 148 volunteers build five homes for families in Mexico. page 16

You are the salt of the earth ... the light of the world. Matthew 5:13-14 reach _ VOLUME 6 | ISSUE 1 3

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cALVARY mISSIONARIES Attending

Friday, March 7 Saturday, March 8 Sunday, March 9 * 6:00 PM 8:45 & 10:45 AM 10:30 AM 7:00 PM Wednesday, March 12 6:00 PM 6:00 PM 7:01 PM 7:00 PM Thursday, March 13 7:00 PM 7:00 PM Friday, March 14 Saturday, March 15 Sunday, March 16 8:45 & 10:45 AM 10:30AM 7:00 PM 9:30AM Global Vision Dinner (tickets required) - Pastor Berti Dosti - FH Worship Services - Carlos Calderon - WC Calvary missionaries in all adult LifeGroups both hours Hispanic Worship Service - David & Wendy Nellis - GYM College Missions Event - Amy West - FH Alpha Course (ongoing) - WC Kids Walk for Hope & Family Dinner - S. Parking Lot/Grass Area Jr. High FEAST Global Focus - Carolyn Eumurian - FH High School - Sundar & Sareeta Thapa - WC (Choir Room) Young Adult Dinner - Matt & Krisy Faber - FH 30s Group - Dan & Tammy Gonzaga - Off Campus (Taylor home) Albania Vision Follow Up Dessert - Pastor Berti Dosti - FH Global Missions Breakfast (tickets required) - Men & Women Sundar & Sareeta Thapa, Nepal - GYM Closing Worship Services - Pastor Berti Dosti - WC Calvary missionaries in all Childrens Programs both hours Hispanic Worship Service - GYM 7:00 PM Hispanic Multicultural Event - Carlos Calderon - GYM Rahnella Adsit International Branches of Armor Lanny & Carla Arensen England/Africa AIM Glenna Clark Retired Wycliffe David & Heidi Coombs Peru/USA Wycliffe Carolyn Eumurian USA Avant Ministries Matt & Kristy Faber Africa AIM Dan & Tammy Gonzaga USA InterVarsity Dan & Darice Gutierrez USA/Mex/Can AIBI Cory & DJ Hovivian Ireland GEM Pete & JoAnn Johnson USA CRU Bart Maley USA Wycliffe Associates Dave & Wendy Nellis Mexico UIM Johanna Olson International CRU Lloyd & Nancy Peckham USA Wycliffe Tom & Margie Rafetto USA/Asia Wycliffe Gary & Charlene Ramm USA CRU Jonathan & Joy Smalley Asia ReachGlobal Pete & Jill Stuck USA Avant Ministries Sundar & Sareeta Thapa Nepal Christian Aid John & Joan Tungseth USA CRU John & Kathie Watters International Wycliffe Lee Watters Retired Wycliffe

GLOBAL VISION Dinner

SATURDAY, MARCH 8 6 PM FELLOWSHIP HALL Guest Speaker: Pastor Berti Dosti

Free event - Tickets required See page 7 for speaker/event information

Bringing HOPE to Children who are Orphaned

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 12 6 PM Registration & Family Dinner 7 PM Kids Walk: Glow Edition Register at KidsWalkForHope.com

GLOBAL MISSION
SATURDAY, MARCH 15 9:30 AM GYM Guest Speakers: Sundar & Sareeta Thapa
Tickets required $10 Suggested Donation See page 6 for speaker and event information

Breakfast

* Daylight Savings - Turn Clocks Ahead FH Fellowship Hall FR - Fireside Room SC - Samsvick Chapel WC Worship Center

Amy West International Wycliffe Lisa Yabuki USA International Students Inc.

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2014 GLOBAL REACH WEEK

GUESTSpeakers
CARLOS CALDERON
HISpANIC MINISTRY MULTICULTURAL EvENT MARCH 7 7:00 PM SUNdAY WORSHIp SERvICES MARCH 9 8:45 & 10:45 AM
Carlos grew up in war-torn El Salvador. He came to know the Lord through the witness of a high school friend. The two teenagers were on fire for the Lord and before long they had a group of 30 in a Bible study they started, and were making missionary trips to other parts of El Salvador. Carlos became a professor, but the university was closed when guerrilla activities became too intense. He used this time to volunteer as a youth pastor at his church. Carlos coordinated Mission 84, the first international missions conference in Central America, which helped to spark a missionary movement across South America and helped to coordinate COMIBAM, a continent-wide missions congress held in Sao Paulo, Brazil, in 1987. This was the milestone that signaled the change in the Latin American continent from a mission field to a mission force. Carlos and Lorena moved to a Middle Eastern country where he worked for a computer company while they served as leaders of a church-planting team among Muslims. This proved to be an invaluable experience for his future role, from 1991-2006, with Partners International as Area Director for the Middle East and North Africa. Carlos currently serves as Vice President of International Ministries directing the work of more than 100 Partners Internationals indigenous partners in 56 countries.

Sundar and Sareeta Thapa

GLOBAL MISSIONS BREAKFAST SATURdAY, MARCH 15 9:30 AM
Sundar and Sareeta Thapa were born and live in Katmandu, Nepal. In 1987, they started the Evangelical Christian Fellowship (ECF), an expanding fellowship of more than 175 Nepalese churches. They head a church that has three daughter churches, run two orphanages of about 100 street kids, rescue girls from sex-slavery in India, and feed street children (there are 15,000 in Kathmandu). They do all this with very minimal financial help from the West. ECF also holds regional training conferences and help Christian families driven from their homes.

GLOBAL VISION DINNER MARCH 8 6:00 PM SUNdAY WORSHIp SERvICES MARCH 16 8:45 & 10:45 AM

Pastor Albert "Berti" and tatiana "Tana" dosti

God brought Sundar and Sareetas work to Calvarys attention in 2004, at the Lausanne Forum in Thailand. A friendship was formed, and in 2011 they were able to visit us in the states, and meet with the Calvary Church Missions Team, Pastor David, and our Calvary Elders. After their return to Nepal, Calvary decided to take the Thapas on as Calvary Missionaries. We are excited to have them join us as our speakers for the Calvary Global Missions Breakfast. Tickets are required for this event ($10 suggested donation) and are available in the Worship Center lobby on Sundays or at the Reach Offices during the week.

Formerly an atheist country, Albania struggled under the dictatorship of Enver Hoxha for nearly 50 years. It was within this system that Berti Dosti was trained as a leader in the Communist Army of Albania, teaching soldiers how to listen for and intercept enemy radio signals. In the late 1980s, Berti began to hear programs in the Albanian language coming from Monte Carlo that spoke about God and His love for all people. They spoke to Bertis heart, in his own language. It was the first time he had heard such a message, for in Albania, God was forbidden. After Hoxhas rule finally came to an end, Albania was opened to the Gospel in 1991. Great progress was made in establishing churches, and the number of Christian churches increased together with the number of born-again Christian believers. The younger generation of Albanians was seeking after

God, but they needed guidance and leadership. With the help of Trans World Radio, Berti began to train, encourage, and lead his own people. After starting one of the earliest churches in Albania, Rruga e Pages (Way of Peace Church), he formed an English training and computer skills school called Victory School in 1997, which helped Albanians acquire skills to find jobs. Victory School now teaches more than 750 pupils a year, offering classes in English, Italian and Computer Studies. Due to the economic conditions in Albania, many Christian and secular leaders have been forced to immigrate to other countries to find work and support their families. This has left the country, and church, in dire need of leadership. Calvary Church would like to help develop Albanian leaders through training and discipleship programs, both in country and on-line. In a country that has been scarred by its leadership in the past, godly leaders are needed to repair the hearts and souls of Albanias people. Would you consider coming alongside Pastor Berti and Calvary Church to help create a new generation of political, cultural, and spiritual leaders for Albania and the Lord Jesus Christ?

GLOBAL VISION

SATURDAY, MARCH 8 6 PM FELLOWSHIP HALL

Dinner

The Church is Gods plan for the growth of His children and His kingdom. Calvary Church seeks to see the lost come to know Jesus and gather them into God glorifying, Gospel-reaching communities. Our vision is to partner with The Way of Peace Church in Lushnje, Albania and to provide leadership training, elder based curriculum, and discipleship models among members resulting in other healthy reproducing churches. Calvary Church and Way of Peace Church, by forming a sister church partnership and working together, will accomplish more in our vision to reach the world for Jesus Christ. Come listen, ask questions, and get involved! There is no cost required for the ticket, but we ask you to consider a financial gift designated to Reach Global Missions to offset the cost of the evening and for the continued support of our Calvary Church missionaries and global ministries, both here and around the world.

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is one of the poorest countries in the world, and the center of human trafficking in Europe. Recently one of the state run orphanages in Moldova was found to have issues of abuse in all kinds of forms and expressions, and a new and very disturbing trend in the country is the growth of human organ harvesting. In most of the cases orphans are targeted, as they are the most vulnerable. When we hear about the horrors and atrocities that take place in other countries, it is easy to ask if there is any hope for those living in places such as these. Hope for Moldova, founded by Calvary Missionaries Oleg and Marina Reutki, is working hard to strategically shine the hope and light of Christ in this dark place. Hope for Moldova reaches out to children, from new born babies to young adults, through camp programs, classes in state run schools, orphan ministry, and transition homes for teens. The ministry seeks to transform both lives and the society, while reaching the next generation for Christ. One way they create change is through awareness. We praise God for the 15,000 kids in the state run orphanages and public schools that we were able to inform to be aware of trafficking that was happening. Through awareness, we saw a yearly drop of 3% in trafficking. About 5,000 posters were spread by churches in the shops, schools, city halls, streets, and door to door. Because of Hope for Moldovas partnership with these churches, more than 10,000 kids heard the Gospel through their Stop-Trafficking campaign.

Moldova

When we think about orphans, it always reminds us of the Lord. He is the Father of the fatherless, and His heart breaks at the idea of what these kids have to go through.
In Moldova, once an orphan reaches the age of 16 or 17, they are usually discharged from the only home they have ever known, but with little money, very few resources or protection, and almost no lifeskills. Hope for Moldova is providing Transitional Homes as one solution to this issue. In each home, 16 orphan girls at a time find their place of healing and restoration through the care of loving Christian couples. They learn about life outside the orphanage, how to cook and take care of themselves, continue their schooling and develop life skills. Transition Homes are a place of care, love, and compassion; a place where each one of these children matter. Many of these girls come to accept Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. In their most recent letter, Oleg and Marina reported, Last August, five of these girls were baptized. Now they are plugged into the local churches and Christian society. It is such a joy to see the great results of these years of godly investment. In their spare time, most of these girls are serving as part of the drama team; traveling to camps, churches, youth events, and orphanages to share the Message that transformed their own lives We see Gods hand at work. Thank you for making this possible.

Main image left page: Two young orphan girls in Moldova. Above, top: Orphan children in school program pose for a photo. Above, center: Oleg and Marina Reutki, with their three children, Mark, Carina and Esther.

On Wednesday, March 12, Calvarys Childrens Ministries will host the third annual Kids Walk for Hope. The funds raised during this evening will be used to help orphans in Orange County, Africa and Moldova.

Oleg and Marina Reutki will join us June 23 - 29 as the 2014 VBS Missionaries, and will share how the funds that were raised during REACH Global Weeks Kids Walk for Hope helped care for orphaned children in Moldova. Visit kidswalkforhope.org to learn more.

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With three children under the age of eight, I have watched my share of Mister Rodgers Neighborhood videos over the last few years. It has been a joy to share these old classics with my kids. In the opening of each episode, Mister Rodgers sings, Wont You Be My Neighbor which begins and ends with the lines:

I challenge you to cut or tear off the chart on the next page and fill out the names of your neighbors. Place the chart on your refrigerator or somewhere you will see it each day and commit to simply pray for your neighbors on a daily or weekly basis for the rest of this year. (For some of us, this may mean having to humble ourselves to ask the names of our neighbors once again!)

Its a beautiful day in this neighborhood, A beautiful day for a neighbor... Wont you please, wont you please, please wont you be my neighbor?
Lets be honest. Here in Orange County, there are some major obstacles to being the type of neighbor Mister Rodgers sang about. From the high cost of rent and mortgages that create high residential turnover rates, to the fact that many of us exit our cars as we return home directly through the garage or back door, to the reality that many of us work more than five miles outside the home. It seems like we leave earlier and return home later than any generation before us. It isnt easy to be a good neighbor! In 2014, I want to grow specifically in my ability to be a good neighbor to those God has placed geographically and directly around me. I want to be available to care for my neighbors and be the salt and light which Jesus has called me to be in my neighborhood. I would like to invite you to do the same!

Some of us are born to make friends, and will take on this challenge with a plate of cookies in hand and a big smile on faces as we meet or reconnect with our neighbors. There might be others who would feel more comfortable by connecting online first, at a site like nextdoor.com. This site is a community billboard version of Facebook. Instead of finding friends from high school who now live hundreds of miles away, youre interacting with people who are down the street from you. However you decide to get to know your neighbors, I still challenge you to pray for them and shine the love of Christ into their lives! Lets take this simple step in 2014 and watch God do amazing things as He uses us as salt and light in our neighborhoods! Matt Doan, Reach Pastor

and you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength. The second is this, You shall love your neighbor as yourself. There is no other commandment greater than these. - Jesus in the Gospel of Mark 12:30-31
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APARTMENT LIFE

Ministry

Victor & Kim Estrada

If you have ever attended a service in Elevation, you probably recognize the name Victor Estrada. Victor has served on staff at Calvary for over 13 years, leading and overseeing worship through music for students and adults. What might surprise you is that he is somewhat nervous about being the guy standing front and center, with a thousand faces staring back at him. He loves leading worship, using his gifts and talents to bring glory to God, but his favorite ministry happens behind the scenes. Victor and his wife, Kim, love one on one conversations and sharing with small groups. They enjoy listening, encouraging and praying with those whom God brings into their lives. And while Victor will still be up front leading worship on Sunday mornings, God is using his passion for connecting with people in a new ministry opportunity, right next door to Calvary. Recently, Victor and Kim became an official Cares Team with Apartment Life, a non-profit, faith based ministry that serves apartment communities all over the nation, including several here in Orange County. Apartment Life is motivated by the belief that every individual is created for community. Apartment Life's mission is to transform the lives of apartment residents by fostering environments where residents can build authentic friendships and develop lasting community. Research has shown that apartment communities are largely unchurched. The average American has only two people they can confide in for any meaningful relationship, and 1 in 4 have no one. 31.4 million people live in apartments and 95% have no meaningful connection to a church. Victor and Kim resonate with these statistics. In the past, they felt disconnected to those around them. Then the Lord starting placing people in their lives that reached out and made them feel valued in their communities. Their hearts began to be convicted that they needed to do the same. God used that taste of community as a stepping stone for them to continue the pursuit of authentic relationships with their neighbors. The job of a Cares Team, has many different aspects. It ranges from welcoming new residents, listening to input from those who have been there for a longer period of time, putting on community events and last but not least, caring for staff and the special needs of the residents. In all of these things, as followers of Jesus Christ, Victor and Kim pray that Christ is made known. Victor and Kim ask that those at Calvary partner with them through prayer. We know that the words of Ephesians 6:12 are true. For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.

Victor and Kim ask that you pray for them in these four specific ways: 1) PRIORITIZE: Please pray that we would stay near to Jesus in our individual lives and as a couple, and that we would put on the full armor of God so that we may be able to stand against the devils schemes. Please also pray that the Lord helps our family to balance our additional responsibilities well, and that He is glorified both inside and outside our home. 2) POWER: We know that apart from Jesus we can do nothing. Pray that the power of the Holy Spirit would be upon us (and our volunteers) and all glory would go to Him. 3) PROTECTION: As we engage with all different types of people, we pray for Gods protection over our home, our children, and our volunteers. 4) PROVISION: We pray that God would bring people to pray consistently for us. We also pray for the needs of our events to be provided from volunteers; to donated goods, to those with special talents that would be willing to utilize them for our events. To learn more about this ministry, visit apartmentlife.org. If you would like to partner with the Estrada family, contact the REACH Local Ministries office at 714.550.2310.

Victor and Kim Estrada, with their three children, Matthew (8), Rachel (6) and Emily (5).

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A few years ago, you served at a homeless outreach up in Northern California while visiting family. How did that experience impact you and lead you to today? We were visiting my aunt and uncle in Menlo Park and their church was involved with a ministry where food bank food was provided to needy families at schools in Redwood City. We had the opportunity to go with them and help give out this food. We were passing out boxes of Corn Flakes. We will never forget the excitement of one little girl as we handed her the box. Hearing her say with excitement,Oh Mom, cereal! We returned to Calvary and shared this with Matt Doan and began to see if God had something similar for us to do here through Calvary. How did Calvarys partnership with Marys Kitchen come about? Calvary had set up a program called The Calvary Pantry, where our church family brings food to church about four times a year and we fill our food pantry. Through the Volunteers In Pastoral Service, we provide food to any person who walks through Calvarys door needing help. This group was contacted, through Matt Doan by Yorba Linda Friends Church. They had been providing food on Saturdays for the homeless at Marys Kitchen in Orange for five years and were asking for help. We were able to apply for a Ministry Extender grant from the Emergency Needs Fund and were able to take over the 4th Saturday of the month at Marys Kitchen. What does a typical Saturday at the kitchen look like? We purchase the food a few days before and Calvary volunteers make five large trays of casseroles. On Saturday we bring all the food to Marys Kitchen and the cooking begins. We prepare a breakfast of eggs, pancakes, sausage, home fried potatoes, and coffee for about 150. We pray with the clients and have the opportunity to serve them this hot breakfast. While cleaning up the kitchen, another team is preparing 200 sack lunches. 150 of these will be given out with the hot lunch, as Marys Kitchen is closed on Sunday. The other 50 are taken to the county courthouse to be given to the homeless at that location. We then start to prepare a hot lunch of the casseroles we brought and make a green salad, fruit salad, vegetables, rolls and dessert. After a blessing, another 150 are served at 1 oclock. Marys kitchen serves any person who walks in the front gate with no questions asked and no forms to fill out. It is run by mostly volunteers and food is mostly donated by local vendors. How can people from Calvary get involved in serving with you? We are hoping to get LifeGroups involved in preparing the casseroles beforehand and in serving them on Saturday. Sheri is our contact person and lines up the volunteers for each Saturday. She can be contacted at sgoodrich@calvarylife.org. Also, Marys Kitchen can use help throughout the week. Lastly, supporting the Emergency Needs Fund offering helps pay for the food we provide. It costs about $950 a Saturday for food to make 500 meals. How can people pray for the ministry at Marys Kitchen? Our team of volunteers would love for you to pray for our team and this new ministry of Calvary Church. We are not sure what God has in store for us, but we are enjoying the adventure of being his hands and feet in ministering to the homeless in our community.

Brad and Sheri are involved in several areas at Calvary Church; from Sheris role on staff as the Hospitality Coordinator, to Brads volunteer role as a Volunteer Pastor (VIP). Recently they launched a brand new ministry here at Calvary Church, partnering with Marys Kitchen (maryskitchen.org) in Orange to serve breakfast, lunch and dinner to over 150 homeless men, women and children on the fourth Saturday of each month. We sat down with Brad and Sheri to ask a few questions and find out more.

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HOMES

HOPE
of
By Shameeron Paur In 2004 the Paur family helped build their first home for a family in Mexico. Now, ten years and 37 homes later, this ministry is thriving!

Homes of Hope is part of YWAM (Youth With a Mission) San Diego/Baja. The staff at Homes of Hope are fulltime missionaries. Before our teams arrive, they screen and select the families whom we will be building homes for, and after we leave, YWAM follows up with ministry in the communities. What these teams accomplish in one weekend makes a life changing difference to the families, all in the name of Jesus. Our family was first introduced to this ministry in 2004, when my husband, Neil, was asked to speak on financial stewardship at a YWAM fundraising event. Over the course of this weekend we had the opportunity to build a house with a team. Neil, myself and our four kids were so impacted by this experience that we knew we had to do it again. The next year we invited a few families to attend with us and saw that they had an experience similar to ours.

strong relationship and share an experience that is priceless. Presenting these families with a home that they have helped to build with us is quite an emotional experience. What our team does in one weekend would take years to accomplish on their own, and as we model the love of Christ, these families can see that God deeply loves them. Through leading these trips, I have learned that I have passion for serving the poor, confirmed that I have leadership gifts in administration, and that I love seeing families come to love the ministry that I have come to love. I have learned that the families that we bring and the families that we build for are not very different from us. We all love our kids and want Gods best for them. I have learned that a simple life is a treasure. I have come to meet so many people through this ministry that have become dear friends whom I never would have met if I did not respond to the Lords prompting to build homes. I never had any idea it would become this big, or go on this long, and I have seen God provide resources when it seemed overwhelming to consider how much needed to be raised. God has been so faithful in every detail of every year.

In 2006, we felt the Lord asking us to bring a group from Calvary to build a house. The fundraising weekends were wonderful, but were not a good fit for families without the resources to make a donation. So we spoke with Liz Gold, the Reach Global Missions Director at Calvary, who was very supportive of us and offered to help us in any way. Our team was able to advertise the trip My heart is filled by what God has done in the last 11 years. I and send out support letters. We had such a positive response would say the highlight overall is seeing how my kids have grown that first year that we ended up building two houses. up doing this ministry, and now have come to own it as their own. We are the Paurs and we build houses for the poor. Over the years this amazing team of families has grown through word of mouth. Many of the families who now go learned about It is not just my family who has been positively affected by the trip from receiving support letters from others. This year was serving on these trips. Many of the young kids have had this our largest team ever, with 39 families made up of 148 people small weekend missions experience plant a seed of Gods love building 5 houses over the weekend. Since 2004, our family and for the world in their hearts. Since Mexico, so many of them the teams that we have brought have now built 37 homes and have gone on to serve in Africa, Costa Rica, Peru, Ecuador, a tutoring center, and have helped Trinity Presbyterian Church Australia, Papua New Guinea, and the Philippines. Even Neil take teams on an annual trip as well. and I developed more confidence in missions and went on a trip to a Muslim region in Montenegro last fall. When families decide they want to go on one of these weekend trips, there are a few steps that have to happen. They must Is God placing a call on your heart to be part of this ministry? get passports or passport cards for themselves, as they are You can sign up to go with our team, (although spots fill up required to re-enter the United States. Second, they must very quickly) or I can help you take your own team - you only commit to raise funds for the trip, or pay their share of the need about 15 adults or teens and a house can be built in one cost of the team. There are two components to the cost of the weekend! If you want to do a small thing for huge transformation trip. It costs around $325 per person, which includes their food, in a family and community, then go build a house for the poor lodging, and transportation. We also fundraise to cover the cost in Mexico. Contact Reach Global at 714.550.2341 to learn more. of the houses and some modest furnishings. We recommend that children should be at least six years old to really enjoy the trip as well. The trip is very safe, and is an amazing experience for all of the families involved. Our team travels into Mexico in large coach buses and spends Friday night getting acclimated and ready for the build. Saturday and Sunday we build the houses alongside the families who are receiving them. Each site has Homes of Hope staff which includes two experienced builders, a translator and a host. Over the course of the weekend, working side by side with the families and those on our teams, we develop a

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ART WEEKEND

worshiping God through the visual and dramatic arts

Once a year Calvarys Worship Center lobby is transformed into a gallery where artwork is displayed. Art Weekend is a unique opportunity to reach out and invite friends and family to Calvary, and gives our visual and dramatic artists a chance to use their abilities for the Lord. Stop by to see unique artwork created by the people of Calvary. ARTISTS! Registration is available online, and will be available at Connection Point Central in the Worship Center lobby.

Art Gallery: May 1-4 | Open during Art events + Sunday services | Worship Center Lobby

Dress for Mess: May 3 | 10:00 - 11:30 am | Courtyard

An interactive art experience for young kids and families with opportunities to create and have fun!

WALK RUN (or PAW )

5k fun run/walk

Spring Play The Exact Center of the Universe: Friday, May 2 at 7:00 pm
Saturday, May 3 at 2:00 pm Sunday, May 4 at 6:00 pm | Worship Center What happens when a self appointed small town authority meets her match in her son,s unexpected bride? Find out in this witty, charming and insightful play. Recommended for ages 13 and up. For more information about the Art Weekend or to lend a hand during Dress for Mess, contact Anna at awinocur@calvarylife.org or 714.269.2186. For information on the spring play, contact Linda Paszkiewicz at lpaszkiewicz@calvarylife.org or 714.550.2301.

on a mission

saturday, may

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Calvarys Local Reach partnership, the OC Rescue Mission, is asking people to run or walk to raise funds, which will go towards providing over 50,000 meals to homeless men, women and children in Orange County. This years 5K walk/run will be held at the OC Rescue Missions Village of Hope in Tustin, and will wind past the historic Blimp hangers on the Tustin Marine Base. There are a variety of running and walking categories, including a dog and a stroller division! Race registration is $25 for adults and $10 for kids and includes a race t-shirt, post-race breakfast and prizes for different categories. In addition to the race registration fee, participants are asked to seek out donations from friends and neighbors to support their run with all proceeds going directly to the feed the homeless in Orange County! Pledge sheets can be found by going online to calvarylife.org/race. Registration begins at 8:00 am and the race starts at 8:30 am at the Orange County Rescue Mission, Village of Hope. (1 Hope Dr, Tustin, CA 92782). Contact Reach Pastor Matt Doan with any questions or to find out more about how to be involved.

Are you a woman with a heart for missionaries? Women With a Mission, or WWAM, is a multi-generational group that meets monthly to keep up-to-date with missions and connect personally with our missionary families through guest speakers, videos, and correspondence from around the world. After the group session, the women break into small groups to pray for specific missionaries. Our missionaries are greatly encouraged by the love and support they receive from this group. WWAM meets on the third Thursday of the month at 9:00 am and again at 6:45 pm in the Fireside Room. Both meetings are essentially the same except that childcare is offered in the morning with RSVP. Save the date for the next WWAM meetings on: Thursday, March 20 ~ Calvary Missionary Carla Arensen serves with AIM in both England and Africa. Thursday, April 17 ~ Calvary Missionary Tammy Gonzaga serves with InterVarsity at UCI among international students. To learn more about WWAM, contact Lynn at lahern@calvarylife.org or 714.550.2351.

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SALT & LIGHT STORIES

A CHRISTMAS DAY BIKE RIDE WITH A PURPOSE
For many, Christmas morning is a time to watch children open gifts, enjoy a special breakfast or prepare to travel to visit family and friends. Dave Holtmann, who leads our Elevation Host/Usher team at Calvary, enjoys all those things, but this past Christmas he felt a call to add something new to his Christmas morning routine. He and his son (with help from Mom, Kim) woke up early, packed a small wagon with bottled waters, socks, snacks and toiletry items, attached it to their bikes and rode down the Santa Ana river trail from their home in Orange, distributing items to the homeless who had spent Christmas Eve outdoors fighting the elements. It was a simple gesture of compassion that Dave felt a clear call from God to do. The inaugural Christmas morning outreach ride went so well, the Holtmanns are planning to do it again next year! Want to serve the homeless men and women that live in and around the Santa Ana River Trail like the Holtmanns did this past Christmas? Sign up to be part of our Marys Kitchen team that serves a hot breakfast and lunch, the fourth Saturday of each month in Orange. Check out the article on page 14, and contact Sheri at sgoodrich@calvarylife.org for more details.

INDOOR SOCCER AND THE GOSPEL

For the past 3 years, every Tuesday night from 9:00 pm to Midnight, you can find Calvary member, Edwin Benavente (pictured below with his wife, Ileana) opening up the gym at Calvary Church to host 50 to 75 young adults from the community who love to play in-door soccer. 90% of the guys (and some girls!) who attend are unchurched. Each Tuesday night, Edwin halts play about halfway through the evening for 10-15 minutes, and takes the group through a chapter from the Bible. Last fall they got through the first 11 chapters of Genesis and this spring they are studying the Gospel of John! Most of the group has never read or studied the Bible before, so this has been an amazing opportunity to plant seeds and present the good news of Jesus. Want to donate pizza or water bottles to an upcoming Tuesday night? Or want to jump in, play some soccer and share a devotional on a Tuesday night? (Bilingual preferred). Contact Ileana at ibenavente@calvarylife.org for more info.

from around the OC

News and Notes on Calvary Church members putting their faith in action.

1ST GRADER DONATES $250

Its not every day that a 1st grader contacts us at Calvary and asks where he can donate $250! But that was the case recently, when a 1st grader raised money through lemonade stands, chores and other fundraising activities and wanted to give it away to a family in need at Christmas! In the course of our Angel Tree ministry this past December, our Angel Tree team came across a mom who had been left alone to care for her six children while her husband is in prison. Wanting to give this family an extra boost of encouragement this Christmas, we connected the 1st grader and his family to this family of seven, and they were able to personally deliver gift cards and presents, all courtesy of a six year old! Want to get involved in serving the families of prisoners or even prisoners themselves in 2014 like this 1st grader did? Contact Liz at elizzav82@gmail.com for more info on Calvarys Prison Ministry.

Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven. Matthew 5:16

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Do you have a REACH story to tell? Let us know! Share your story at calvarylife.org/story

We are partnering with the OC Human Trafficking Task Force and several OC Churches to host a giant parking lot garage sale at Anaheim Vineyard Church, Saturday, March 15 from 9:00 am - 2:00 pm. All proceeds will go towards the new Salvation Army Human Trafficking Shelter here in Orange County. Sign up to host a table or bring items to donate. Contact: Rachel, rachel@thesnydersonline.com Calvarys Mens Ministry is calling on all men to join us for Operation Love on Saturday, April 12. We will meet at 8 am for breakfast in the Fireside Room at Calvary, then from 9:00 am - noon small teams of volunteers will travel to the homes of elderly widows to help with yard work, light maintenance and more. Contact: Sharon, 714.550.2381 or sbaillargeon@calvarylife.org (Family Friendly) Join us the Saturday before Easter at Cabrillo Park in Santa Ana distribute 20,000 Easter Eggs filled with candy to neighborhood children, ages 0 - 12. There will be live music from the Altar Billies, face painting, a free breakfast and a Gospel presentation sharing what Easter is truly all about! Volunteers need to be at the park at 8:00 am; program begins at 9:00 am. Contact: REACH Local Ministries, 714.550.2310 or mdoan@calvarylife.org (Family Friendly) This years 5K walk/run will be held at the OC Rescue Missions Village of Hope in Tustin on Saturday, May 10. Race registration is $25 for adults and $10 for kids. Registration begins at 8:00 am, race starts at 8:30 am. Pledge sheets can be downloaded at calvarylife.org/race. (Article on page 19) Contact: REACH Local Ministries, 714.550.2310 or mdoan@calvarylife.org

(Family Friendly) Join our convalescent home ministry, serving Seniors with memory loss on the second and fourth Saturdays of each month at 10:00 am at the Cranbrook Senior Living Home in Tustin. Contact: Bob Browning, rdbrowning@msn.com or 714.345.7435

Serve breakfast and lunch for homeless men, women and children the fourth Saturday of each month. Volunteers are needed for the breakfast shift (8:00 - 11:00 am) and the lunch shift (10:00 am - 1:00 pm). Contact: Sheri, 714.550.2302 or sgoodrich@calvarylife.org (Article on page 14)

Safe Families is a grassroots, local church based program supported by Olivecrest, which provides temporary housing to children (0-18) whose families are facing a sudden crisis. You can sign up to offer your home as a temporary place for a child to stay (1 - 40 days on average). Contact: Jen McAvaney, jennmac@mac.com

(Family Friendly) Giving Children Hope is looking for volunteers to sort through donated food, stock shelves and pack backpacks full of food for the homeless children to take to their families over the weekend. Volunteers are needed anytime Monday through Friday 9:00 am - 4:30 pm. Contact: Drew Bryson, 714.523.4454 or dbryson@gchope.org (Family Friendly) All proceeds from the Sheepfold Thrift Store go to support the programs at the Sheepfold, which provides shelters and programs for abused woman with children. Duties include moving merchandise from the back of the warehouse to the front of the store, cleaning and organizing the aisles and clothing racks. Contact: DeAnne, 714.237.1444 or deanne@thesheepfold.org

Calvary will partner with KidWorks to help transport 75 low-income students to our Calvary Vacation Bible School this summer. Contact: REACH Local Ministries, 714.550.2310 or mdoan@calvarylife.org

(Family Friendly) Join hundreds of volunteers from Calvary as we reach out to our community in practical ways with the love of Jesus Christ. Meet in the South Calvary Parking Lot at 8:00 am to register and receive your assignment. Most jobs will involve physical labor so wear clothes you can work in and dont mind getting dirty. Sign-ups begin Sunday mornings at Calvary in July. Contact: REACH Local Ministries, 714.550.2310 or mdoan@calvarylife.org Join Calvarys Motel Ministry at the DaVinci Motel in Santa Ana (2222 E. 1st St. Santa Ana 92705) at 10:00 am on the second Saturday of each month to distribute grocery boxes and resources from the Orange County Rescue Mission to low-income residents. Contact: Ben Stripe, bstripe@juno.com

Join Calvary Church as we reach out to those who are incarcerated through monthly visits to prisons in California. Through this ministry, we are able to reach out to those who have lost hope by telling them about Jesus. Contact: Liz Zavala, elizzav82@gmail.com

Every day, Birth Choice serves and cares for pregnant women in crisis at their five Orange County clinics, including the Santa Ana clinic in Calvarys Heritage Building. Male volunteers are needed to care for and mentor dads through the Birth Choice Dads Project. Female volunteers are needed to care for and mentor moms in crisis through the Beginnings program. Contact: Keith, keith@birthchoiceclinic.org

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