September 23, 2026

CHRISTIAN WORSHIP

In Worship This Week...

For the past two weeks, we have been exploring Sabbath as God’s invitation into a different way of living. We began with Elijah, discovering that sometimes the faithful thing is simply to stop and receive God’s care. Last Sunday, Ecclesiastes invited us to recognize the rhythms of our lives and to practice Sabbath as a rhythm that helps us resist the constant pull of urgency.

This Sunday, our Sabbath journey takes us somewhere unexpected: a field. In Leviticus 25, God tells the people of Israel that even the land needs Sabbath. For six years they may plant, prune, and harvest. But in the seventh year, the land is allowed to rest.

Imagine how strange that must have sounded. Their lives depended upon what the land produced. Yet God asked them to stop cultivating it and trust that life could continue without their constant labor. There is something deeply challenging about that command.

And yet, while a field lying fallow may look unproductive, beneath the surface the soil is being renewed. What appears inactive can actually be part of what makes future growth possible.

Could the same be true for us?

This Sunday, we will explore “The Gift of Rest” and what the Sabbath year can teach us about trust, enoughness, and allowing ourselves, and our community, to lie fallow from time to time. Come worship with us as we continue learning the rhythms of Sabbath together.

Please keep in your prayers:

Calvary’s mission and ministry and for the mission and ministry of the church in the world; for those who need the presence of God in their lives; for those serving in armed forces; and for those serving in ministry around the world and here.

And for: Coleen, Mike, Serena Rose, John and Audrey, Michael & Chelsea, Laura & Marc, Patrick G., Katherine D., Tom and Family, Cheryl, Laura, Paula, Kathy, Dave & grandson Jesse.

And those members of Calvary who are no longer able to be active among us as they once were: Joan, Bernie, Pepper, Shirley, Marj, June, Helen.

Virtual Prayer Request

If you have a prayer request that you would like lifted during Sunday services you can now submit them online at our website or by clicking the link below. We have also created this QR code, which can be found in the Sanctuary and round the building. It can be scanned at any time to send a request.

Calvary Online Prayer Requests

SPIRITUAL GROWTH

Sabbath as Resistance: A Three-Week Book Study

What if Sabbath is about more than simply taking a day off? What if it is a way of resisting a culture that constantly tells us to do more, produce more, buy more, and keep moving?

As part of our year of Sabbath renewal, you are invited to join us for a three-week study of Walter Brueggemann’s Sabbath as Resistance: Saying No to the Culture of Now. Together, we will explore the biblical roots of Sabbath and Brueggemann’s invitation to discover a different rhythm for our lives—one shaped by rest, trust, justice, and our relationship with God and one another.

This is a short study, so it is a wonderful opportunity to join a group without making a long-term commitment. We will gather on Wednesdays, October 7, 21, and 28, from 6:00–7:30 PM, with the option to participate in person at Calvary or by Zoom.

Come read, reflect, ask questions, and consider what it might mean to say “no” to the relentless demands of our culture so that we can make room for a deeper “yes” to God.

Three Wednesdays. One powerful little book. A different rhythm for life.

COME & REST: Sabbath in the Sanctuary

In the middle of a busy week, give yourself permission to pause. Each Wednesday, the sanctuary is open as a quiet space for Sabbath rest, prayer, and reflection. Come for a few minutes or stay for a while.

WEDNESDAYS: 11am-1pm

Use one of our interactive prayer stations:

Walk the Prayer Labyrinth.
Rest with a devotional.
Spend time in prayer.
Add a prayer to our community journal.
Touch the waters of the baptismal font and remember your baptism.

Or simply find a comfortable place to be in the sanctuary. This space is here for you. Come as you are. Stay as long as you need. Rest in the presence of God.

sit • breathe • pray • be still

Sabbath Retreat Kits - What a Response!

What a wonderful response to our new Sabbath Retreat Collection! All 50 of the Sabbath Kits we prepared were taken this past Sunday. We are grateful that so many individuals, couples, families, and friends are choosing to make intentional space for Sabbath in the year ahead.

If you did not receive a kit, you can still participate! Simply email the church office and let us know that you would like a copy of the four seasonal retreat guides.

While we cannot provide all of the additional materials and gifts included in the original Sabbath Kits, the guides contain everything you need to experience the retreats. We simply encourage you to look ahead before each retreat so you can gather any materials you may want to have available.

Our hope has always been that these resources would help us move beyond talking about Sabbath and actually practice it together. Whether you have one of the complete kits or simply a set of retreat guides, there is a place for you on this journey.

Way Group Handbooks Are Here!

Our renewed vision for Calvary’s small group ministry is beginning to take shape, and we are excited to share the next step with you!

Way Group Handbooks will be available for pickup this Sunday following worship in the Gathering Space.

The handbook is an invitation to discover what Way Groups are all about. Inside, you’ll find the heart behind this renewed ministry: communities where we can build meaningful relationships, engage Scripture together, experiment with spiritual practices, and encourage one another as we learn to follow Jesus in everyday life.

Way Groups build upon much of what we have valued in House Church while inviting us deeper into communal discipleship and spiritual formation. Each group will become a covenant community shaped by four simple commitments: We Belong. We Learn. We Practice. We Go.

If you have participated in House Church before, are considering joining a Way Group, or are simply curious about what this new ministry might look like, pick up a handbook and take it home with you. Read through it. Pray with it. Imagine what it might mean to have a small community of people intentionally walking the Way of Christ alongside you.

There is no commitment required to pick one up. For now, we simply invite you to read, pray, and begin discerning whether a Way Group might be part of your journey.

Click here to see the Top of the Week email

For more information, please visit our Family Ministry page.

All Family Worship Sunday – October 4

Join us for our first All Family Worship Sunday! This family-friendly service welcomes and engages all ages. Tweens will sit together with a special sermon guide, while children can enjoy the Prayer Ground, children’s bulletins, lap desks, and other activities.

Children are always welcome in worship! Their questions, movement, and joyful sounds are all part of our worshiping community. We look forward to celebrating together!

Family Ministries - Fall Festival

Family Ministries Fall Festival will be held on Sunday, October 18th from 2-4pm. This is a free community event. We will have trunks for trunk-or-treating, games, crafts in Fellowship Hall, and a bounce house! We are looking for volunteers to serve in many different roles both day of, and prior to the event. Please see available opportunities here: https://bit.ly/4hh8108 or email Michelle at LathamCalvaryPreK@gmail.com for more information.

A New Family Ministry Corner

You may notice something new taking shape in our Gathering Space! Just outside the coat room, we have created a Family Ministry Corner. This is a central place for children, youth, and families to connect with all that is happening at Calvary.

Stop by the Family Ministry Corner to learn about upcoming opportunities for Youth Group, King’s Kids, Tweens, Children’s Church, and our Preschool. Whether you are looking for the date of the next gathering, wondering how to get involved, or simply want to see what our young people are up to, this will be the place to start.

The corner is also a Sunday morning landing spot for our children and youth. Before worship, children can pick up a lap desk, crayons, and children’s bulletin to use while sitting with their families. On All Family Worship Sundays, tweens will also find special Tween Sermon Guides designed to help them listen, wonder, take notes, and connect with the message in ways that work for them.

Most importantly, we want every family to know: children are always welcome in worship at Calvary.

Children do not need to sit perfectly still or worship exactly like adults do. Our Prayer Ground is available during worship as a place where children can engage in ways that fit their bodies and imaginations; moving, building with blocks, coloring, reading quietly, or simply finding a comfortable place to be.

All of these resources reflect something we deeply believe at Calvary: children and youth aren't waiting to become part of the church someday. They are already an important part of our worshiping community today.

Take a look at the new Family Ministry Corner this Sunday and help us continue making Calvary a place where families can belong, grow, and worship together.

New Tween's Group

We’re excited to announce a new Tween Group for students in grades 5–8, during worship at our regular Sunday School time.

Jane Glassman, John Drake, Cliff Hyde, and Hope O’Brien are excited to lead this new group and create a warm, welcoming place where our middle schoolers can make friends, ask questions, explore their faith, and have fun together—including the chance to put their toughest questions in the “Stump the Pastor!” box.

The kids will have a room of their own to help decorate and turn into a space that feels like theirs.

We’re excited to offer our middle schoolers a place where they can belong, be themselves, and grow in faith together. We hope our whole congregation will encourage the kids in their lives to come, bring a friend, and be part of this new group.

We’ve got the room, the ideas, and the enthusiasm—now we just need the kids!

PASSIONATE SERVICE

Small Items, Big Impact: St. Ambrose Monthly Collection

Calvary’s Missions Team continues our partnership with the St. Ambrose Food Pantry and the amplification of our church’s mission of addressing food insecurity in our community. In response to the dire need for personal care and hygiene items not provided through food benefit programs, once a month we will add to our “Joyful Giving” of food items a special collection of a personal care or hygiene item. Please place donations with food items on Sunday or in the outer vestibule. Thank you for caring for our neighbors!

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ITEM OF NEED for October 4th:

Bar Soap and Hand Soap

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Thank You for Joining Us!

Thank you to everyone who attended our Ministry Fair and explored the many ways to get involved at Calvary! If you weren’t able to attend, there’s still time to sign up and find a mission or ministry that’s right for you.

Ready to get involved? Use the signup form here: https://forms.gle/LHyqjzyeiWo4GAr5A

The Red Bird Mission - Shoebox Project

Calvary UMC is serving as a designated collection site for the Red Bird Mission Christmas Shoebox Project again this year. Collection of the shoeboxes and other donations will begin in October. All donations, including monetary gifts, must be delivered to Calvary by Sunday, November 8.

A list of suggested items to include in the shoebox and labels for the top of the box are linked below. Please include $1.50 per box to help with transportation costs. Both the $1.50 and the label should be taped on the TOP of the box.

In addition to filled shoeboxes, Red Bird Mission also accepts donations of new:

Pillows
Twin and full-size bed sheets
Blankets and throws
Bath towels
School supplies and toys
Socks, gloves, hats and scarves

Calvary Missional Partnerships

Calvary has long standing relationships with a number of mission organizations that impact people from the local area. For more information on the following organizations, please click here.

Rags to Riches
St. Ambrose Food Pantry
Sidewalk Warriors Troy
Quarterly Cook 'n Serve at Rescue Mission

Find More Volunteer Opportunities

JOYFUL GIVING

Support Calvary

If you would like to Support the ministry of Calvary, you may do so using the link below or QR code. Thank you for your generosity.

https://giving.servantkeeper.com/CalvaryLathamUMC

For more ways to support Calvary, please click here.

OPEN TO ALL

Preschool Update

We are in our second week of preschool and our theme is All About Me and My Family. We are having a great time learning more about all of our new friends. We also had our first PE class with Coach Dale and had a great time learning to play tag and practicing moving our bodies in new ways.

Art Night

Art night is Monday, September 28, from 6:00-7:00pm. This is a community building event to bring together families from the church and the preschool. Artist of all ages are welcome to create a unique piece of art using various methods. See more information and RSVP click the link below.

RSVP by Friday, September 25th so we have materials ready: https://forms.gle/drP9cPTB7TJcoo6C8

We are still accepting registrations. For more information email Michelle at LathamCalvaryPrek@gmail.com.

Church Apparel Sale

Are you looking for a way to share your love for our church while out in the community? We are partnering with Awards by Walsh to offer tshirts, sweatshirts, and more. Please indicate the items you would like to order below. Payment can be made by check - made out to Calvary Methodist Preschool. Orders are due October 4th by 8pm, and should arrive within 10 business days. A portion of each sale supports preschool programming.

You can order by filling out the following form online: https://forms.gle/ij2Y53yUF7T1epty9, or completing a paper copy found on the table in the gathering space. If you have any questions please contact Michelle Hykin at LathamCalaryPrek@gmail.com.

Tellers Schedule

The Tellers for this Sunday, September 27th, 2026

Paul Breslin and Bob Savage

Click here to see the full Teller Schedule.

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