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| CALVARY’S MUSIC - FROM SIMON HOLT |
On Sunday, February 7, Calvary Music School will be putting its students through their paces in a Student Recital beginning at 3:00pm. This 90-minute program will include performances by approximately 30 of our students of all ages and standards. There will be something for everyone, and you are welcome to join us!On Sunday, February 21, Ege Izmirli will be giving a Piano Recital beginning at 3:00pm. Born in 1994, Ege started showing interest in the piano from a very early age. At the age of seven, he began taking piano lessons at the Thames Valley Music School, studying first with Kathleen Cooper, then with John Metz. Since 2006, he has been studying with Simon Holt at the Calvary Music School. During his time at Calvary, he has performed in our biannual recitals, as well as several charity and social events. In the summer of 2009, Ege gained admittance to, and subsequently attended Interlochen, an internationally-renowned arts camp. There, he took daily sight-reading, performance, and studio classes, as well as attending a regular masterclass with distinguished guest artists. He also took private lessons from Dr. Carolyn Bridger, with whom he expanded his repertoire significantly. Ege is currently a sophomore at The Williams School, where he is involved in sailing and competitive swimming. I hope you will be able to join us for Ege’s recital!Please give me a call on 535-3334 if you would like any further information about any of our upcoming events.
Simon Holt
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| FROM THE SENIOR WARDEN |
The Annual Meeting was January 24. Some portions of the Annual Meeting were held during the two morning services. Leslie’s sermon was the state of the church entitled “An Encampment called Calvary Stonington”. I gave a portion of my Senior Warden report at both services; the slate of Officers, vestry members and Diocesan Delegates was presented at both services ( to be voted upon at the meeting); and a brief Treasurer’s update was given at the 10:00. It was quite apparent at the meeting that the parish is concerned about finances. We have a deficit in the proposed 2010 budget. A motion was made and passed expressing the opinion of the members of the congregation who are uncomfortable with having the church run a deficit and would like the vestry to look at all the ways to deal with the situation. The vestry was given a charge and much to discern about. I want to thank Phyllis for spending hours compiling the Annual Report; Barbara Barnes for the many hours spent printing and collating the report; and Lucia Johnstone , Ann Hughes, Carla Stebbins, Rowlie Stebbins, Carole Barnard and Lori Taylor for assisting in collating the report.
The vestry spent 24 hours together at the annual retreat January 29-30. Leslie acted as facilitator and, in my opinion, led us through the most productive retreat I have attended. First, and foremost, the vestry discussed how blessed we are here at Calvary: people, clergy, programs, music, CNS, CMS, outreach, the campus. Yes, we are truly blessed. We spent time getting to know one another. The vestry was given a charge a week earlier at the annual meeting. In response to that charge and to supply the Search Committee with the correct information to compile the church profile, the following issues were discussed and consensus reached:
Consensus to Address the 2010 Budget in 3 Ways: 1. Ask the Finance Committee to bring to the vestry a tighter deficit budget( by February 18); 2. Form an ad-hoc committee of the vestry to look for additional ways to cut the $43,000 from the budget, line by line; (by February 18); 3. Invite the Stewardship Council to attend the February 18 Vestry meeting to discuss how they might be able to help as instructed by the Vestry.
Consensus Regarding Use of Calvary House: The Vestry agreed to make Calvary House available to the new rector as part of the negotiations that will include a letter of agreement which states that in the near future we intend to have a task force on the utilization of our campus which may have different findings. Final discussion and vote will take place at the February 18 Vestry meeting.
Consensus Regarding Assistant Clergy Position: We are committed to taking a vote at the February 18 meeting regarding a second clergy position in the 2011 budget.
The vestry welcomes any suggestions/comments the parish has regarding these critical issues. Contact a vestry member or clergy before February 18 if you have any input. Please note all Vestry meetings are open to interested parishioners. The meetings are held in the Parish Hall at 7:00p.m.
On January 4 our beloved apple tree blew down. Many CNS families who remember the tree as the centerpiece of the backyard, and important events such as May Fair and class pictures, expressed concern and deep sadness for the tree. Bob Wood, Jennifer Parsons, Jennifer Manfredi, and Liz Hall met to discuss what should be done with the tree. CNS requested a large limb to use as a balance beam which was placed in the sand area. They also requested more small stumps to match the ones they already had (made from pruned pieces) and were placed around the woodchip area. The remaining wood that could be saved for future use is temporarily being stored under the deck of Calvary House. Some wood has been cut into circles which could be turned into art or craft projects. Peter Cummin has offered to suggest a species to replace the apple tree and get us a wholesale price. Woody Cushman suggested a tulip poplar. Many of the church school children have expressed a passionate desire to be included in the process. Liz Hall (572-6048) is happy to be the contact person if anyone else has any ideas. The hope is to replace the tree, perhaps making a dedication, create something long-lasting with the wood and/or raise money selling bundles of firewood.
Faithfully yours,
Deb
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| SEARCH COMMITTEE, UGANDA MISSION TEAM, LAY PASTORAL PRAYER & CARE TEAM UPDATES |
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SEARCH UPDATE
- Survey and Focus Groups completed. Presentation to the Vestry is scheduled for Jan. 28 with a presentation to the parish on Sunday, Feb. 7 after the 10:00 service.
- Next step is to become more familiar with the “Themes” dentified by the parish which will tell us who we are, where we would like to go and the qualities a rector needs to best serve us at Calvary.
- We will also start formulating the Parish Profile.
- We have elected Barbara Barnes as our Secretary as John Groton can no longer serve, due to a work conflict. We thank him for his extraordinary work as Secretary for four months. He will continue to serve on the committee.
- A full report is in the Annual Report, and a verbal report was given at the Annual Meeting.
- All search news and information can be found on our website, http://calvary-stonington.org.
- Continue to keep us in your prayers.
UGANDA MISSION TEAM UPDATE
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Christmas assistance at CHAIN - in December, $800. was sent to CHAIN to provide a special Christmas meal for more than 100 children, provide them with gifts of school supplies, clothing and soccer balls. The funds came from a designated plate offering in the spring, the Alternative Gift Fair, and a generous matching gift from a supporter of the Mission Team. We received a note, thanking the fellow Christians at Calvary for their love and care and commitment to doing Christ’s work in the world. In Uganda, so little goes so far.
- Retired Archbishop Nkoyoyo will be visiting us in late April, and African crafts will be sold on April 25, 2010.
LAY PASTORAL PRAYER & CARE TEAM
Our Biggest Challenge: Learning about those in need of our assistance. Our Priests and our team members are doing a great job of keeping us informed of those in need that they know of. We are depending on you, as an individual, to be the eyes and ears of Christ and call the clergy or the office when you learn of someone in need. We are prepared to give assistance through prayer, LEV, transportation, visits, phone calls, correspondence, casseroles, and handy-man activities. Please do not assume that someone else has notified the clergy. We would rather have numerous calls about one person than not be aware of the need. Thank you.
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| 2010 SPRING LENTEN LUNCHES |
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 SPRING BRINGS US ANOTHER SERIES OF HOME COOKED LUNCHES
FEBRUARY 22 will be the start of this year’s five SPRING Monday LUNCHES at Calvary Church prepared and donated by FRIENDS, PARISHIONERS and NEIGHBORS. We will be starting off with a hearty beef stew prepared by Carla Stebbins and Carol McBee and served from Noon to 1:30 preceded by Noonday Prayer at 11:45 a.m.
Monday MARCH 1: Tom Sanford and his Chefs Extraordinaire from the Friday Men’s Group are providing the main dish of Spiral Baked Ham, Sweet Potatoes, Green Beans, Salad, Bread, Dessert and also being our waiters.
Monday March 8: Margot Johnstone and Doug Bjorn will provide an Italian Dinner of manicotti with Bolognese Sauce.
Monday MARCH 15: will be Lamb Shepherd’s Pie, Mashed Potatoes, and Pureed Vegetable prepared by our generous friend, Grant Simmons.
Monday March 22: Lois and Richard Cole will once again provide their delicious Polenta/Sausage Ragout.
Our tickets are $10 each (children under 6 are free) for which you are served not only the main dish, but also a salad , bread, dessert and coffee, tea, juice or milk; and the proceeds go to support our local outreach programs and families. Please call your neighbors and friends to join you for lunch with us.
Lucia Johnstone
860-535-3035; off 860-535-2490 ext 15
luciajohnstone@prudentialct.com or ltjohnstone@snet.net
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| WARM SHELTER COOKS NEEDED |
| Cooks are needed for the WARM Shelter for 2010. On the third Wednesday of every month, Calvary Church provides an evening meal for the WARM Shelter that includes an entree and salad or vegetable for 50 people and 4 gallons of milk and fruit juice. You can volunteer to provide all or part of a meal. You can sign up in the Parish Hall or by calling Candy Sanford, 860-535-3399, cdsanford@sbcglobal.net. |
| AN INVITATION FROM SEABURY DEANERY |
 If you’re interested in going on the Ecuador mission trip for this year, please let the coordinators for the trip know as soon as possible. There are already 13 confirmed participants and another 7 seriously considering, with room for up to 23. They need to know who wants to participate from the Deanery parishes so that they might have the “first opportunity” to register before the slots are filled. The trip is scheduled for August 5 - 16. Several people have already begun serious fund-raising efforts in order to pay for the trip. We encourage all who feel “called” not to let finances stand in the way of going. What we do need right now is notification of commitment to go. If you’re interested in signing up or finding out more about this trip, please contact gowarner@comcast.et (860-536-1238) or gracebarnum@att.net (860-536-3449. |
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Calvary Nursery School is currently accepting applications for the 2010-2011 school year. Enrollment is open to everyone. Space is limited, and tuition assistance is available.
Calvary Nursery School’s 2009-2010 Annual Appeal is currently underway. We hope you will consider making a donation this year. Every gift helps us live out our mission statement which is to nurture the development of each child in a safe and inspirational learning environment dedicated to the Episcopal values of faith, hope, love and service. If you have already contributed to this year’s appeal, we thank you and greatly appreciate your support. For your convenience, additional return envelopes can be found at the back of the church, or you may simply drop your donation off at the church office or mail it to CNS, 27 Church St. Stonington, CT 06378.
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| A BRAND NEW PROGRAM COMING TO CALVARY! |
 Introducing a Brand New Program Offered Here at Calvary . . . Starting in March, Interactive Language Learning Solutions LLC, will bring to Calvary Church fun, engaging, play-based foreign language learning experiences for children ages 2-6. Research shows that children ages 6 months to 6 years old are at the optimal age to learn a second language. During this “Window of Opportunity”, children’s brains are hard-wired for language acquisition and
young children store both their native language and all other languages in the same area of the brain, making second language learning much easier than at any other time in life. After this “Window of Opportunity”, people then store a second or third language in another part of the brain and will not ever be able to reach the same level of fluency or proficiency as a person who was exposed to foreign language at a very young age. Cognitive development and school success is also enhanced by second language learning.
Why must our children be dual language speakers?
· To gain a competitive edge in the global world they will live and work in.
· To help ensure American students are the best in the world and can compete with all students around the world.
· Most colleges require two years of a foreign language. Highly competitive schools require three and Ivy League schools four. Many students struggle in high school if they have not had previous exposure to foreign
language at a young age.
· In order for our students to communicate effectively, work collaboratively, and contribute to the global marketplace, our students will need to be able to converse fluently with others from around the world.
· Research shows that learning a second language improves brain development, scholastic aptitude, and self-confidence.
· Research shows that learning a foreign language increases children’s creativity and flexibility of mind.
The instructors of Interactive Language Learning Solutions are all native speakers who will bring cultural, native music, song, dance, storytelling, and traditions to the sessions. Some of the benefits of Interactive Language Learning Solutions program include:
· “Developmentally Appropriate” learning strategies and activities to optimally support young learners’ acquisition of a second language.
· Teachers are native Mandarin Chinese and Spanish speakers.
· Program is fun, interactive, and engaging to encourage full student participation in their second language learning.
· Curriculum is theme-based to build foundational and functional vocabulary.
· Full-immersion in structured play environment with native speakers.
· Continuous stream of Mandarin Chinese or Spanish language promotes children’s acquisition and understanding of a second language.
· Program fosters understanding of the world and an appreciation of other cultures.
· Song, movement, books, and play makes learning a second language fun.
Sessions are now forming. For more information or to enroll your child, please contact Ginny or Jason Brown at 401-742-6569 or illsincstaff@gmail.com. |
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| For the step-by-step process of calling a new Rector, just click here: The Map: Calling a Priest to Your Parish |
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