Calvary has 2 upcoming dates to help at the Midwest Food Bank: Wednesday, July 15 from 9-11 a.m. and 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.
Sign up for our July event by July 9!
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.
Calvary is hosting a blood drive in partnership with the American Red Cross. You can schedule an appointment ahead of time or arrive for a walk-in. The drive takes place in Calvary’s Gym (1700 N. Towanda Ave., Normal) on Monday, July 20 from 9 a.m. to 4:15 p.m. When you donate blood between July 13-31 you can receive a Fandango Movie Reward. For more details, visit rcblood.org/july and sign up to donate at the same time.
Heart & Soul will be making tote bags and other fabric items to support women in Calvary's gym Saturday, July 11 9-11 a.m. We will have sewing machines set up, but please come even if you don't know how to sew! We also need people willing to cut and prepare fabric for sewing. These are simple, easy projects, and you are welcome to come for the whole morning or just an hour, as your schedule allows. Please sign up using this form.
Do you love Jesus? Do you love kids? Be part of the team that helps lead and care for the youngest kids in our Calvary family. We can use more helpers on Sundays at both 9 and 10:30 a.m. in our nursery and in our Preschool/Kindergarten rooms. Leaders serve together with another helper and all curriculum and supplies are provided--as is some basic training. You can choose to serve at either 9 or 10:30 once or twice a month or more frequently. If rocking a baby or playing with preschoolers sounds like a fun way to spend part of your Sunday morning, please let Lori Short know. And, if summer is busy and you can't imagine fitting that in your schedule right now, let Lori know that too and we can wait until fall to get you on the schedule.
The Staff Parish Relations Committee of Calvary UMC is pleased to announce the hiring of Wyatt Lenhart as our new Director of Student Ministries. Wyatt is originally from Georgetown, Illinois (near Danville) and graduated from Lincoln Christian University with a Bachelor of Arts in Youth and Family Ministry. Wyatt has most recently worked at O'Fallon (Illinois) First United Methodist Church for three years as their Youth and Hospitality Minister. To allow him to complete his commitments at O'Fallon First UMC, Wyatt will begin his time on staff at Calvary on August 1.
Wyatt has shared these words of greetings with us:
I am excited to join the staff here at Calvary and become part of the church family! Student ministry has been a passion of mine ever since I was a student in high school. It is a joy walking through life with students as they grow.
I met my wife (Katelyn) in college and we have been married for six years. We have two daughters. One puppy girl who is three and one baby girl who will be two in August. I am happily outnumbered in a house full of girls.
Outside of church I have a mix of both nerdy and non nerdy hobbies. I love playing soccer, other sports, video games and recently picked up Dungeons and Dragons. I also enjoy watching movies, tv shows, sports, and too much TikTok. I am excited to get to know everyone at Calvary and look forward to serving and growing alongside the students and families of the church.
Blessings,
Wyatt Lenhart
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.
We saved a seat for you. Join others who are grieving the loss of a loved one. This 13 week study starts on April 7, meetings happen every Tuesday 6-8 p.m. at Calvary United Methodist Church (1700 N Towanda Ave., Normal) in room 111. Contact Sharyl Jennings for more information.
A support group to help you move through the grief process
A GriefShare support group is a safe, welcoming place where people understand the difficult emotions of grief. Through this 13-week group, you’ll discover what to expect in the days ahead and what’s “normal” in grief. Since there are no neat, orderly stages of grief, you’ll learn helpful ways of coping with grief, in all its unpredictability—and gain solid support each step of the way.
Men’s Faith and Fellowship will return on September 9 with a new study.
We meet at 7 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 or any man that would like to seek to follow Christ more fully by engaging in this study together. We benefit by gaining a deeper understanding of God’s word and what he wants us to do with our lives.
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.
Have you signed yourself, your kids or grandkids up yet? Be part of Kingdom Quest, Calvary's VBS taking place July 20-23 from 6-8 p.m. each evening! We'll play games, do amazing projects, have a snack, and sing worship songs all based around a special Bible Adventure of the day.
Register today to be part of one of the greatest weeks of the year! Kids who are 4 by September 1, 2026 through kids who just finished 5th grade can be student participants. Anyone older can be a volunteer! Sign up before June 18 to be assured a spot and a t-shirt! If you're not sure you or your kids can be there each night, simply note that on your registration. Questions or concerns? Reach out to Lori Short and she would be happy to chat with you! Come be part of Kingdom Quest: An Epic Journey to Discover God's Kingdom!