finding the balance: churches are embracing the gift of...

Calvary Call April 2012 Calvary Presbyterian Church, 4495 Magnolia Av., Riverside, CA 92501-4198, Phone (951) 686-0761

April 2012 Vol. XLIII Issue 3 March Issue Periodical

The Calvary Call (USP 555-660) is published monthly January

through November, by Calvary Presbyterian Church, 4495 Mag-nolia Ave., Riverside, CA 92501-

4198. Periodicals postage is paid at Riverside, CA. Postmaster:

Address changes to the Calvary Call, 4495 Magnolia Ave., River-side, CA 92501-4198.

Finding the balance: Churches are embracing the gift of technology. But Facebook and email can’t always substitute for face-to-face communication.

By Kathy Wolf Reed Most days of the week, the young pastor awakens to the sound of her bedside smartphone. Grabbing the device one morning, she learns via Facebook and Twitter that a father in the con-gregation has been up since 3 a.m. with a crying baby, that today is the birthday of a church elder and that thousands of miles away a colleague is dealing with heavy overnight storm dam-age to his congregation’s sanctuary. Before her feet have even hit the floor, she says a prayer for all three.

The rest of her day is not unlike these first few moments. Emails pour in with urgency and she receives texts from young people. She barely remembers to check the voice mailbox on her of-fice line at the church. (After all, if it’s urgent, members know to call her cell.) By lunchtime the pastor has made electronic contact with more than 35 members of her congregation; yet the only person she has made eye contact with is the church’s administrative assistant. Though she wishes she had more time for home visits, the pastor feels compelled to clean out her inbox first.

The use of technology in today’s world is increasing at an astonishing rate. While the average age at which young people acquire their first cell phone plummets, many grandparents and re-tirees now consider themselves avid Facebook users. More and more people use the Internet to communicate with friends and family, pay bills and read the news. In a growing number of Presbyterian congregations, pastors and members are connecting, sharing prayer requests and doing church business online. And they are discovering that the use of technology in a commu-nity of faith has both benefits and limitations.

In her latest book, Alone Together: Why We Expect More from Technology and Less from Each Other, Sherry Turkle, a professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, examines the ways in which technology both helps and hinders interpersonal communication. She notes that when one does not have time to make a phone call, a simple text (“Praying for you!”) can remind a loved one that he or she is in our thoughts. Texting church members scheduled for surgery or traveling long distances reassures them that someone is praying for them during a time when a face-to-face visit may not be practical or possible.

When Adam Copeland served as pastor of First Presbyterian Church in Hallock, Minn., he lived more than an hour’s drive from most members of the congregation. Copeland found that making himself available via text message, email and Facebook helped him build relationships

A Sea of Laptops: In plenary sessions at the 219th PC(USA) General As-sembly last summer, commissioners participated in the business and vot-ing via technology. Photo by Danny Bolin High Tech Continued on Pages 12-13

Calvary Call April 2012

A Partial Review of My Work at Calvary – Some sta-tistics: 10 years and 7 months; 3865 days; 36 baptisms; 49 weddings; 128 funerals; and 133 new members. Renovations on our buildings during my time include: Milliken room, the sanctuary narthex restroom, the bride’s room, the men’s choir robe room, fellowship hall including theater quality sound system, the two primary restrooms, Copeland hall, Copeland hall kitchen, lower CE building, the club room (old Wylie Children’s Cen-ter), Catholic charities counseling rooms, Westminster hall, the nursery, the fellowship hall kitchen, new energy efficient windows in the CE building, new carpet in the sanctuary, heating/AC system for sanctuary, sacristy floor, added AC and new chairs to the choir room, and fixed or replaced a half-dozen AC units.

Outside Our Walls – As we think missionally beyond our own needs, during my tenure at Calvary we have • engaged in the city-wide coordinating efforts on

homelessness • continued serving Hot Meals each week • plugged in to ICUC for Christian social witness • become involved with TURN (Today’s Urban Renewal Network) for Christian caring ministries • shared in mission with Tijuana Presbyterian partners • opened our building for Path of Life Ministries operations center for their seven shelters/ministries to the poor • opened our doors to Catholic Charities to provide

low cost counseling in the downtown area • revitalized our connections and support of Habitat

for Humanity, • hosted first one and now a second Korean language

Presbyterian congregation • hosted the Saturday noon sack lunch distribution by

three other congregations, and now our own sack lunch hand-out Mondays through Fridays

• opened the clothes closet as part of Hot Meals • opened our doors to many individuals who are not

Calvary members to come and serve at Hot Meals • hosted the Medical Van and the Dental Van for our

Hot Meals guests

• put the parking lot under management in order to better serve our needs and serve the Riverside

community • implemented a Safe Place Policy which has grown

into a broader Safe Church Policy and • developed a harmonious working relationship

with our neighbor the Hospital. (I’m sure I’m forgetting something!)

My Biggest Disappointment – I was not able to persuade our Commissions and the congregation in general to move the times of worship later and earlier, so we could have a dedicated Education hour in between. Consequently, I could not be involved in teaching adults on Sunday mornings. Coupled with that was the very low turn-out of our adults for any form of adult Christian Education. I failed to convince our people that Bible study is a life-long endeavor of great value.

My Proudest Achievement – I leave a very strong and healthy congregation which has a strong sense of harmony in its midst and a heartfelt desire to move into our neighborhood in mission to be at work in God’s Kingdom out there.

What I’ve Tried to Teach 1. Christianity is not a set of dogma, rules or even

beliefs, but rather a practice of daily living; 2. The church is the instrument of continuing Christianity, and you cannot be a practicing Christian without being connected to a community of faith through being in worship every Sunday; involving yourself in the work of church committees, ministries, and activities, and of course practicing generosity in the giving of your money to keep all the rest running. 1. I’ve tried to lead our church culture towards being permission-giving rather than regulatory – that is to be encouraging of each individual in their call to do ministry. 1. To teach tolerance of widespread theological differences. 1. To live each day in the joy of the Lord.

Peace and Joy Dean Kokjer

List of Advice Given to Dean at the Retirement Forums in March Follow God’s leading. Decompress – let God tell you what to do. Take naps.

Dean’s List Continued on Page 2


Dean’s List Continued from Page 2

Plug into service opportunities (like chaplain for law enforcement).

Take some time to let God direct you. Stay active in what you enjoy and feel God leads you.. Have a health plan as you age. Develop new social circles. Sense God’s call for this next stage of life. Don’t make a plan – let it happen. This is a time to think about others and not yourself. Consider doing an Interim Pastor job.

Disclaimer for last month’s invitation on page 13: Calvary encourages members to be involved in political action as part of one’s faithful response to serve God in any and all ways. We commend Jeff and Jeanette Norman for opening their home for such a purpose. However, we did not publish with the invitation any form of disclaimer that this was not a church sponsored event, thus giving an unintended appearance of the church officially supporting a particular candidate. Calvary follows the IRS regulations for non-profits and churches that we cannot in any way support or oppose specific candidates for elected office. Members are welcome to individually invite other members to their homes for such purposes, but we cannot use Calvary Call, or Sunday bulletins, or other official church publications in a manner that gives the appearance of supporting or opposing candidates. I apologize to those members who took issue with the invitation being published in the Calvary Call. Pastor Dean Kokjer

Worship in April April 1 – Palm Sunday; Communion, “Born a King!” April 5 – 7:00 p.m. Maundy Thursday communion April 6 – 7:00 p.m. Good Friday service April 8 – Easter; Children’s Choir; Flower Cross. “Belief and Doubt” April 15 – Heritage Sunday April 22 – Mark 5:1-20 “The Pigs with Hyperbole and Humor” April 29 – Luke 4:16-21 “Jesus’ Manifesto”

The Blessings of Justice

" Pilate spoke to them again, "Then what do you wish me to do with the man you call the King of the Jews?" They shouted back, "Crucify him!" Pilate asked them, "Why, what evil has he done?" But they shouted all the more, "Crucify him!" So Pilate, seeing he could do nothing, took some water and washed his hand before the crowd, saying “I am innocent of this man’s blood; see to it yourselves.” ~Mark 15:12-15

Injustice is all around us. It was most blatant in the crucifixion of Jesus, which the youth and the leaders are seeing as we prepare to lead the Good Friday (April 6) service along with youth from Wesley Meth-odist. The injustices around us today are not unlike those that surrounded Jesus and his disciples, and the call to respond is the same for us. Jesus talked a lot about, and to, the oppressed, the poor, the unedu-cated, the widows, and the outcasts. He was always challenging those in power to listen to those with no power, at the same time giving those not-in-power ways to respond non-violently. This is our call even today, not to become isolated from the world around us, but to get involved as God calls us, to make changes and call for justice in the world. In this complex, multi-cultural environment we live in here in Riverside, there are many pressures. Some that can be overcome, and some that simply threaten to crush people’s spirits: the pressure to perform, at work or school, the pressure to be part of a group, whether it be the ‘cool kids’ at school, or a sports team, or a cluster at work, or, in the most negative sense, a gang. External pressures can lead people to forget their humanity and act in inhumane ways. Bullying others, forcing people to commit crimes, or demanding they join a gang by killing another hu-man being. When this happens, we all lose our hu-manity, unless we fight against it and try to effect change where we can, being advocates for issues that threaten others.

Just this last month, I attended a funeral with Elder Reba Woller and Makala Shifflette, one of our youth

~Blessings Continued on Page 7, Column 1

Easter Cross

Bring your spring flowers to share in Calvary’s Easter Cross Sunday, April 8, 2012.


The Happy Van: Update on Medical Van Services See these smiling people? They’re just a few of the volunteer staff members who help to run the Health in Motion Medical Van that has been a part of our Hot Meals Program on a monthly basis for the last three years. They are not the only ones smiling, they put smiles on the faces of our homeless guests!

Operated by Path of Life Ministries (POLM), the Community Health Foundation and Kaiser, the van provides free medical services to the underprivileged, uninsured and homeless in our community. This mobile medical clinic is staffed by volunteer physicians and nurses and delivers basic primary care services and chronic disease management for such illnesses as hypertension, diabetes and asthma. Patients can also be screened for serious diseases including HIV and cancer and receive free laboratory services. In addition, prescriptions and refills are provided, eliminating the barriers many homeless individuals face due to poor health. Based on their experience over the past three years, POLM estimates that they will see an average of 20 patients per month in 2012. As our guests become more and more accustomed to getting regular help from the medical van staff, we hope that more and more time can be spent on preventive rather than emergency care. POLM has now obtained status as a nonprofit organization and is expanding its services in the community. This nonprofit, named Urban Community Action Projects (UCAP), will serve as a clinical training site for local schools including Cal-Baptist and Cal-State San Bernardino. UCAP will be providing services in three rooms at the Riverside Access Center at Hulen Place and will send teams of medical providers into the river bottom and the parks where homeless individuals congregate. As one of the original sites for the van, we will continue to receive services for our homeless guests at Hot Meals.

As our homeless population becomes healthier, we all benefit. By supporting this much needed medical program, Calvary continues to demonstrate its mission to “proclaim the message of God’s love in Jesus Christ and relate that message to the challenge of everyday life.” … “and to lead our members to those who are hurting and in need both within the church and the world outside it.” Calvary members have welcomed patients and helped with record keeping for the medical and dental vans while our endowment committee has supported both programs. Calvary is at work in the community! ~ Mission Commission

L-R: Dr. Devadas Moses, M.D., Martha Delsado M.A, Ann Abueg, R.N. (not pictured Emily Martinez, R.N.)

Another way to help and share God’s love with those in need. One Great Hour of Sharing donations go imme-diately to those affected by natural disasters, provide food to the hungry and help build strong communities.

REMEMBER: APRIL 1, 2012


In March, a few Presbyterian Women from Calvary drove out to Amelia’s Light, a Lutheran Social Services of Southern California (LSS) community care center, in Moreno Valley at the former March Air Reserve Base. Presbyterian Women are always involved in mission projects, and for this year of 2011-2012, for their local mission, Calvary women have chosen to help with this particular center. Amelia’s Light has twenty-two 1-bedroom apartments and offers long term transitional living for women and children who are already on track towards independent living. This is a program designed to transition clients to permanent housing, while providing needed life skills, and resolution of issues that hinder self-sufficiency. Included is intensive case management on a regular weekly/monthly basis, linked with other programs or services, creating a comprehensive approach to self-sufficiency. Program fees and a mandatory savings plan are part of this program. Child development includes an after school program of activities that include homework help, tutoring, mentoring and organized play. The Presbyterian Women of Calvary are saving bed linens, blankets, towels and wash cloths, children’s toys and books, as well as monetary gifts to assist with the on-going needs of this organization. If you wish to help in any way, please feel free to give linens or toys to any member of Calvary Women.

(L to R) Sonja Almgren, Margaret Robinson, Joan Stolard, program director Deniece Marshall

Helping those in need find a brighter tomorrow.

Food storage Bedroom Living area

Laundry Nursery Playground

Books in children’s nursery

~Information from: http://www.lssccc.org/about-2/locations/riverside-county Pictures by Marjie Boyer


It’s time to go to the Presbyterian Women’s annual birthday party. Each year in April, Calvary Women celebrate a special Birthday Offering. We have cake and candles, balloons, spring flowers and a real birthday party with games and fun. Please wear an Easter bonnet to share in the Easter Parade.

It all started out in 1922, when women gave one penny for each year of their lives as a birthday gift to Miss Dowd’s School for Girls in Kochi, Japan. The donations and projects have changed over the years, but the idea remains...Presbyterian Women share! The monies gathered in 2011 went to the following: • Circle of Friends: Celebrating Life, Inc. Living Water for Girls, Peachtree City, Georgia • New Opportunities for Romanian Orphaned Children (NOROC) Gymnasium and Activity Center, Tulcea, Romania • Synod of the Sun Solar Under the Sun (SUTS) Irving, Texas

JOIN US, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 4, 2012 10:30 a.m., Fellowship Hall

Our luncheons are catered by An Affair to Remember, $6.00. Please make your reservation with Mary Welch 951-781-0384.

EVENING PRESBYTERIAN WOMEN

Please save April 30, 2012, 6:30-8:30 p.m. for an evening Presbyterian Women’s circle meeting. Along with fellowship and prayer time, the women are studying “Horizon Bible Study—Confessing the Beatitudes.

Remember to collect “gently-used” suitcases which will go to young foster children. With a good suitcase, they can carry their clothes and belongings proudly and not have to stuff their items into a black plastic bag.

FELLOWSHIP CIRCLE Our April Bible Study will be held in C.E. Room 2 on Wednesday, April 18, 2012, at 12:30 p.m. The lesson is Number 7, Greatly Honored are the Peacemakers! Reba Woller is our teacher.

Key idea for this lesson is: Jesus honors those who work for children as his own sisters and brothers, children of God.

~Marjie Boyer, Moderator. Presbyterian Women

You are Invited to PRIMETIME

Program and Fellowship Wednesday

(second Wednesday) 9:45 a.m. – 12:00 noon

In Fellowship Hall Wednesday, April 18, 2012

Program:

Some Riverside Firsts (and maybe some seconds and thirds)

By Kevin Hallaran Museum Archivist

Catered Lunch by

An Affair to Remember $8.00

It is very important to let us know that you will attend. We need a count for lunch! Call the church office 686-0761 or Debbie Keller for reservations

by Monday, April 16, 2012.

Our goal is to bring Prime Time (Seniors and Retirees) together for Fel-lowship, Spiritual Nurture, Enrichment,

Information and Entertainment.

Debbie Keller

Director of Senior Ministries

Calvary Presbyterian Church


During this 125th Calvary Celebration Year, on the third Sunday of each month, during the 10:30 a.m. worship service, Calvary approximates an order of service from a certain decade. Sunday, March 19, 2012’s service was one reminiscent of the 1930s. The order of service on Heritage Sundays is quite different from those with which we are familiar now-a-days. For instance, we might be expecting to stand, when instead we sit; or, surprisingly, we are standing through several items instead of sitting down at the conclusion of a hymn or responsive reading. Yet it is interesting and quite fascinating to worship just that little bit differently and perhaps imagine what church was like so many years ago.

The hymns for this service were used during the 1930 era. Older members of Calvary were quite at home with the hymns: I Love to Tell the Story, He Leadeth Me, and Joy to the World (with the usual well-known words, using a different tune, but one we all knew). The organ music was played during the 1930 era, as well. As a prelude, Dr. Beverly Howard played Bach’s Prelude and Fugue in D minor, and her postlude was the Fugue in C Major, composed by Dietrich Buxtehude. Music lasts forever: J.S. Bach has been played in churches for centuries (Buxtehude was born before Bach).

During this 125th year of commemoration, each third Sunday during the year we will highlight a decade of Calvary’s history. Come and share with your church friends. In Fellowship Hall, continue to keep abreast of the timelines of Calvary’s history.

Ted McKinney (minus his hat) and Joan Stolard read announcements from Sunday bulletins from the 1930’s decade.

Blessings from Pastor Erin, Continued from Page 3

who attends Poly High. The funeral was for a 14-year old friend, Loreanz Simmons, who was gunned down in his grandma’s front yard not ten blocks from Calvary. There were nearly 500 people there, many young people who counted Loreanz as their best friend. I learned that he was a positive, loving, energetic young man who was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time. As I write this, I am preparing to participate in a Peace March with Makala’s mom, Jennifer, and many others who want to respond in a positive way to Loreanz’ death. They want to advocate for peace and take back a neighborhood that has been ravaged by violence. Sometimes, we respond by marching, or by sponsoring a forum on ways to prevent bullying as Reba and the Christian Education Commission did last week. Some-times, we support our young people by simply standing with them in their grief. And sometimes, we pour energy into a cause we believe in: hunger, animals, poverty, housing for the poor, tutoring, homeless issues, or prayer. Justice brings the world back into a more Godly balance. Justice challenges anger into positive solutions. Justice shares love. Justice shares Jesus. Where is God call-ing you to take a stand for the Kingdom and for justice?

Blessings,

Would you like to have a really happy, not-expensive- evening out, where you don’t have to cook or wash the dishes? Then, come to Cruisers! Bring friends so they can meet other Calvary members. Eat a delicious dinner, then play a game of Whist to top off the evening.

Wednesday evening, April 4, 2012.

Fellowship at 6:00 p.m. Dinner at 6:30 p.m. ($8.00)

(Dinner catered by An Affair to Remember)

~Jane and Wes Rousser


Larry and Marsha were bid goodbye by all the Sunday School children and teachers, Sunday, March 4, 2012. Later, during the 10:30 a.m. worship service, Pastor Dean honored the Taylors with kind words. Church members met during coffee time in Fellowship Hall for cake and a time to say good-bye NEW ADDRESS: 239 W. Oak Street Waterville Kansas 66548


Endowment Funds for Special Projects are Available

The Mission of our Church is to proclaim the message of God's love in Jesus Christ and relate that message to the challenge of everyday life. With joy and thankfulness the Endowment Committee announces that it again has funds to assist in starting or maintaining projects consistent with Calvary’s mission of providing nurture through faith, fellowship and education. Besides helping to maintain our beautiful church buildings, funding based on the interest earned on Calvary's Endowment that has been so generously provided for by past and present Calvary saints is available for Mission, Christian Education, and Outreach projects not covered in the annual church budget.

The Endowment Committee is eager to help, but the ideas need to come from you. We encourage you to pray, brainstorm, and think about ideas and possibilities. The Endowment Committee wants to help reach out with you and together proclaim God's love and Calvary's faith-fulness in Jesus Christ.

The process for applying for Endowment funds is simple. Once you decide what you want funded, please complete and submit the one-page Application for En-dowment Funds form available in this newsletter, in the church office, on Calvary's website on the FORMS page,, or from a member of the Endowment Committee. Appli-cations for funding are then reviewed by the Committee. There is no deadline for submitting an application, but requests will be considered in the order received.

Yours in Christ, Don Reierson, Chair Endowment Committee

Joan Stolard gives the most wonderful, welcoming hugs. Most Sunday mornings she is found in the narthex handing out programs. She is always glad to see everyone. She listens, encourages and uplifts. She praises God when she hears things are going well!

...But did you know how many other ways Joan serves Calvary? She “pops up” at Hot Meals just in time to hand out dinners. She has served as our Deacon and Elder. She loves to attend Calvary’s Presbyterian Women activities and is Vice Moderator of PWP. Just to be near her, watching her smile— she makes everything enjoyable.

Thank you, Joan, and please save us a seat next to you! You know Ted McKinney as a member of Calvary, who often serves as an usher. He is the one with the cute handlebar mustache. Ted helps out in many committees, and is always willing to fill in where needed.

...But did you know why he carries around a clip board? He is signing up volunteers to be liturgists or greeters. Actually, he is offering an opportunity for lay members to participate in Calvary’s worship services. If you want to be an active participant, please say yes when Ted approaches you.

Kudos, Ted, for doing this job for at least the last 10 years.

~Judy and Gary Mares

The 90’s Club April 1 Mary Cecil April 2 Leila Kohrell April 8 Eva Schroeder

April 16 Mildred McClay April 21 Evelyn Gragg

Birthdays for April


SAVE THE DATE! Middle School Mission Trip

June 18-23, 2012

for kids going into 6th – 8th grades.

This is local and not overnight. More

details to come this month.

See Pastor Erin if you are interested.

Save the Date!! Calvary will be going Overboard!!!

Vacation Bible School will be June 25-29, 2012.

OPERATION OVERBOARD: Dare to go deep with God!

Dive in and discover God’s underwater universe! Swim with humpback whales and seahorses, scuba through a vibrant coral reef, and take a personal submarine to the ocean floor, where eels and oc-topi play. As they journey miles below the water’s surface, kids plunge into Bible stories of people with deep faith and learn to trust a God whose love is bigger than the sea. If you would like to dive in and help out in one of Calvary’s always successful Vacation Bible Schools, contact Jacquie Lesch (951) 776-9414

April is a perfect month to invite a friend to attend church with you. Many people enjoy attending Easter services and perhaps that friend you’ve been considering inviting is just waiting for someone to suggest the perfect place to go this Easter. There are several events taking place over the Easter weekend at Calvary that would be ideal to which to bring a friend. On Good Friday, April 6, 2012, from 7:00—8:00 p.m., the Youth Groups of Calvary and Wesley United Methodist Church are holding a worship service for the community to contemplate. It is being held here at Calvary in the Sanctuary. Childcare is available that night by reservation. (Reservations for childcare must be made by April 2, 2012, by calling the church office: 951-686-0761.) On the following day, Saturday, April 7, 2012, there will be an Easter Egg Hunt and lots of fun crafts and activities for children starting at 10:00 a.m. And, of course, we will hold Easter morning services at the 9:00 a.m. OurSpace worship and the 10:30 a.m. traditional worship service. Please consider inviting a friend, neighbor or co-worker to one of these exciting events. ~Carol Anne Fuentes, Outreach Chair


Friday, April 6, 2012 7 p.m.

Calvary’s Sanctuary

The Last Hours: Walking with Jesus to the Cross

Calvary Youth in collaboration with the Youth from Wesley United Methodist

Church will lead this dramatic and contemplative service.

"The Scholarship Committee reminds all Calvary members that April is the time to apply for an educational grant for this fall. Active participants in Church youth groups and programs are also eligible. Applications will be ready for pickup at the office after April 1, 2012, and must be completed and returned by April 26, 2012 at 1:00 p.m. Scholarship applications are also available online at www.calvarypresch.org; go to Main Page and click Church Forms. A copy of your most current school transcript is also required, so don't wait until the last minute. Ten students received awards in 2011, $750 for full-time study and $300 for part-time. ~Dallas Holmes, Scholarship Chair

Rory’s class at her Middle School baked over 200 cup-cakes, which she brought to Hot Meals...decorated with a Saint Patrick themed shamrock. You might want to think of a similar Random Act of Kindness (RAKS). Or sign up to join someone else in one. See the bulletin board in Fellowship Hall for ideas and signs ups!

Win adds a Valentine cookie to lunches for our homeless guests.

GOOD FRIDAY SERVICE


~High tech, high touch Continued from Page 1

In her latest book, Alone Together: Why We Expect More from Technology and Less from Each Other, Sherry Turkle, a professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, examines the ways in which technology both helps and hinders interpersonal communication. She notes that when one does not have time to make a phone call, a simple text (“Praying for you!”) can remind a loved one that he or she is in our thoughts. Texting church members scheduled for surgery or traveling long distances reassures them that someone is praying for them during a time when a face-to-face visit may not be practical or possible.

When Adam Copeland served as pastor of First Presbyterian Church in Hallock, Minn., he lived more than an hour’s drive from most members of the congregation. Copeland found that making himself available via text message, email and Facebook helped him build relationships with church members.

“As someone new to the community, I found that viewing people’s profiles helped me get to know them, on some level at least, rather quickly,” he says. In addition, many members facing health challenges shared their health status or appointment updates via Facebook. Members unable to attend church because of health, weather or travel were able to read recent sermons on Copeland’s blog, connecting them to their faith community.

While online connectivity can instill a deep sense of community among church members and leaders, at some point everyone must decide where to create boundaries in the use of technology to share personal information. Turkle observes that in other realms of life, “People are skilled at creating rituals for demarcating the boundaries between the world of work and the world of family, play, and relaxation.” However, as people become increasingly attached to their email, Facebook accounts and cell phones, the lines between public and private realms of life have blurred. Often, the church gets caught somewhere in the middle.

While he was pastor of Mission Bay Community Church in San Francisco, Bruce Reyes-Chow, moderator of the 218th General Assembly (2008) of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), developed a set of boundaries to reinforce the lines between his public and personal relationships. When using technologies with instant chat features, Reyes-Chow made himself available to chat only with close personal friends and family members.

Though church members could not chat with Reyes-

Chow online, they could depend on him to respond promptly via text messages, email or phone calls. Reyes-Chow embraced the fact that most of his congregants were used to these technologies and would text and use Facebook regardless of their church involvement. “Just as older generations expect their leaders to know how to use a telephone,” he remarks, “younger generations expect us to know how to use social media.”

Congregations and other groups have discovered innovative ways of using technology. While attending the 219th PC(USA) General Assembly in Minneapolis last summer, Chuck Proudfoot preached to his congregation at Community Presbyterian Church in Payson, Ariz., using Skype videoconferencing technology. The willingness of his congregation and the handiness of his laptop computer allowed Proudfoot to fill the pulpit back home while serving as an Assembly volunteer.

Chuck Proudfoot, pastor of Community Presbyterian Church

in Payson, Ariz., preached to members of his congregation

back home using Skype videoconferencing technology. Photo

by Shane Whisler.

At the College Conference at Montreat (N.C.) in January, nearly a thousand students gathered to worship and learn. Recognizing that many of these students had Twitter accounts, the conference leadershipteam encouraged participants to “tweet” their experiences throughout the event. As they listened to sermons and speeches, students actively participated by sharing quotes and posing questions to one another. At a face-to-face “tweet-up” a few days into the conference, participants discussed the ways Twitter had allowed them to express their impressions of the conference with those unable to attend.

Heather Scott, a recent graduate of Belmont University who was working as an intern at Montreat, reflected on her experience as a student and facilitator of the event: “With almost a thousand college


students attending the conference, it was not possible to talk with all of them,” she says. But Twitter enabled students attending the conference to share their ideas with others at Montreat as well as with young adults following the event electronically across the country. Reyes-Chow says online discussion of church events can be a means of outreach to those who otherwise might never seek involvement in a church community….

For every benefit that new technology affords the church, questions arise. Earlier this year, Catholics and Protestants alike raised their eyebrows when Pope Benedict XVI blessed the use of an iPhone application designed to lead users through the practice of confession and to provide an electronic means for keeping track of their sins. While some applauded the Vatican’s embrace of technology, others wondered whether it would detract from the deeper spiritual meaning of confession.

“I think a lot of times we can use the Internet as an escape from truly being in community with one another,” says Jennifer Fouse, a Presbyterian campus minister at Vanderbilt University. She often sees students, friends and colleagues posting things on Facebook and Twitter that she knows they would never say in a face-to-face setting. “It can be cowardly,” she observes. “But more important, it keeps us from sitting down in person together and building relationships.” In her book, Turkle notes that online communication can magnify conflicts. “Misunderstandings are frequent,” she observes. “Feelings get hurt. And the greater the misunderstanding, the greater the number of emails.”

Building relation-ships: Face-to-face conversations keep us from using the Internet “as an escape from truly being in community with one another,” says campus minis-ter Jennifer Fouse. Photo by Shane Whisler.

For churches that want to take advantage of the latest technology, there is an additional dilemma: how does faith shape the way we use technology? For instance, if the majority of members in a congregation do not possess email accounts, is it good stewardship to begin an online newsletter? If most session members check their email accounts just once a week, does voting on

important matters electronically build community? If most of a church’s members rely on visits and phone calls to share news, what good does setting up a congregational Facebook page do for these members?

Technological advances empower the church to witness to the world in new and exciting ways, making possible increased communication, wider connections and outreach to those who might never otherwise show interest in the church. But the idolatry of technology by some in the church community can be deeply troubling. In congregations that long for more young people in the pews, it is common to hear people say, “If we just brought a screen into the sanctuary, more young people would come” or “If we just make a Facebook page, then the church will grow.” Such attitudes can create a slippery slope toward superficial efforts at church growth, say some church leaders.

“If we begin to think that technology will save the church and save us, we have made an idol of technology,” says Reyes-Chow.

We must be good stewards of technology, Copeland says. “If social media and other technologies are gifts from God, then we should use the same framework for faithful use of these gifts that we use with other gifts from God.”

The Apostle Paul wrote these words to the Roman Christians with whom he so deeply wanted to connect: “I am longing to see you so that I may share with you some spiritual gift to strengthen you—or rather so that we may be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith, both yours and mine” (Romans 1:11–12). This suggests that the purpose of all God’s gifts, including technology, is for Christians to build up one another in Christ. Whether it’s with text messages or handwritten notes, Facebook posts or home visits, God calls us to be in relationship with Christ and one another in ways that grow healthy, gracious communities of faith. Kathy Wolf Reed is associate pastor for youth and campus ministry at First Presbyterian Church in Tuscaloosa, Ala. Presbyterians Today, Feb. 12, 2012

http://gamc.pcusa.org/ministries/today/cover/


Summer Camp 2012

Big Bear Lake If your child, grandchild or someone you know would like to attend camp this summer, Christian Education Commission would like to share information regarding registration and scholarships. Call Linda Craig, (951)681-5413 Please call if you would like to sponsor a camper!

Discounts for early registration, so call today!

Junior Camp

July 8-14

Students entering

4th –6th grades

Jr. High Camp

July 15-21

Students entering

7th-8th grades

High School Camp

Session 1 July 8-14

Session 2 July 15-21

Easter Egg Festival April 7, 2012

10:00a.m. – 12:00p.m.

Mark your calendars and plan on joining us for fun and fellowship. Chris-

tian Education will host our annual Easter Egg Festival. This will be a morning filled with an egg hunt, puppet show and crafts. We will need

volunteers to assist with this event and will welcome candy donations.

Candy needs to be individually wrapped and dropped off in the church office. For more information, please contact Linda Craig 951-681-5413

Invite your family and friends!


Lectionary Texts For April

1 Palms: Mark 1:1-11 or John 12:12-1 Ps 118;1-2, 19-29 Passion: Isa. 50:4-9a; Ps. 31:9-16 Phil. 2:5-11; Mark 14:1-15:47 or Mark 15:1-39 (40-47)

8 Resurrection of the Lord/Easter Acts 10:34-43 or Isa. 25:6-9; Ps 118:1-2, 14-24; 1 Cor. 15:1-11 or Acts 10 :34-43 John 20:1-18 or Mark 16:1-8 Evening Isa. 25:6-9; Ps. 114 1 Cor. 5:6b-8; Luke 24:13-4

15 Acts 4:32-35; Ps. 133 1 John 1:1-2:2; John 20:19-31

22 Acts. 3:12-19; Ps. 4 1 John 3:1-7; Luke 24:36b-48

29 Acts 4:5-12; Ps. 23 1 John 3:16-24; John 10:11-18

Dr. Kokjer’s Texts and Themes For April

1 Palm Sunday: Luke 2 and Matthew 2 The birth stories—both the peasants and the elite come to bow; Matthew for foreigners: Luke for locals; born to be King on coronation day.

8 Easter: John 20 The resurrection story; seeing and believing, doubts, purpose of the gospel.

22 Mark 5:1-20 The pigs—Jesus’ followers are puzzled but follow anyway, anti-Jesus folks don’t get it; hyperbole and humor

15 125th Heritage Sunday—Pastor Erin preaching

29 Luke 4:16-21 (Isaiah61) Jesus’ manifesto; a key passage to understanding Jesus’ ministry

Liturgists For April

1 Ellen Mueller

8 Morgan Craig

15 Harold Born

22 Scott Lesch

Crucifers, Beadles, Acolytes For April

1 C-Dominique Boyer B-Makala Holloway A-Caroline and Chelsea Younglove

8 C-Hayden Huntley B-Jordan Mock A-Brie Bradshaw and Kaitlin Lee

15 C-Morgan Craig B-Jeremiah Ward A-Ben and Isabelle Gordon

22 C-Jake Jones B-Destiny Boyer A-Megan Jones and Zane Montgomery

Greeters For April

Mack Allert; Jeff/Jeanette Norman

29 Jeanella Vennekotter

29 C-Charlotte Gordon B-Jamee Alvarez A-Jordan Paxton and Kayla Ward

Calvary Sunday Office Sitters 8:45—10:30 a.m.

1st Eden Mares

2nd Annie Wooldridge

3rd Margie Wayne

4th Peggy Miller

5th Joan Stolard

Relief Margie Wayne


Pastor ……………………... Dr. W. Dean Kokjer

Associate Pastor…….. Rev. Erin Thomas

Seniors Ministry……….. Debbie Keller

Business Admin………… Debbie Neal

Secretary………………….. Amy Keller

Choir Director…………… Jonathan Osbrink

Wedding ………………….. Debbie Neal

Organist……………………. Dr. Beverly Howard

Pianist—choir…………… Barbara Mease

Pianist—OURSPACE….. Ronda Dyer

Hand Bells Director…… Jonathan Osbrink

Children’s Choir………… Vacant

Morning Custodian…… Melissia Larsen

Afternoon Custodian… Larry Statti

Child Care…………………. Johannah & Lynn Schoebel

Mid-day Custodian…. Gary Bell

Calvary Presbyterian Church 4495 Magnolia Ave Riverside, CA 92501-4198 Address Service Requested

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Send articles for the Calvary Call to: [email protected]

Deadline: 3rd Monday of each month

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www.CalvaryPresCh.org

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Calvary Call is an instrument which draws all its

members closer together, keeping us aware of

the needs of each other and the needs of our

community.

4495 Magnolia Ave

Riverside, CA 92501-4198

Phone: 951.686.0761

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