Saints,

I received the following from Aimee Huber of First Choice Womens Resource Center (http://www.1stchoice.org) here in Montclair. I would ask that we all take a moment to read and respond. Keep them in your prayers as well.

Pastor George

Dear Calvary Chapel (Church),
In my almost 19 years at First Choice, I have never written to ask our supporters to contact an elected official on our behalf. We are in a new place today, however, because for the first time, there is a bill in our state legislature that would negatively impact pregnancy centers like First Choice. As one who supports our ministry, I’m asking for your help on our behalf.

Bill A3477 deals with the sale of ultrasound machines. Its wording could be interpreted to prohibit the sale or distribution of ultrasound machines to pregnancy centers. If you’re familiar with our ministry, you know that ultrasound is a major component of what we do. There’s nothing that impacts an abortion-vulnerable woman more than seeing her baby on the screen. We offer free ultrasound scans in all three of our centers and I can’t imagine our ministry without them.

Since this bill would adversely impact us, I’m asking for your prayers that it wouldn’t pass through the Senate. If you live in NJ, I’m also asking that you call or e-mail your State Senator and the Senators that serve on the Senate Commerce Committee. Your message should be:

“Please vote NO on A3477. We are supportive of our local pregnancy center, First Choice, and their purchase and use of ultrasound equipment under the supervision of licensed NJ physicians.”

The Senate Commerce Committee members and their contact information can be found here and your State Senator can be found by going to New Jersey Family Policy Council’s website, and clicking on Legislative & Action Issues and Find Your Legislator. You can then enter your address and it will link you to your representative.

It’s possible that the Senate Commerce Committee could hear this bill on June 11th, so it’s important that you contact the Senators within the next few days. It’s my understanding that phone calls are more effective than e-mails, although both are helpful. The bill has already passed through the Assembly and if the Senate passes it, we expect that the Governor will sign it. With his signature, it becomes law.

Thank you for your prayer support and for taking action on our behalf. Our trust is in the Lord and we serve with confidence, believing that our ministry to women in unplanned pregnancies is close to His heart.
Sincerely,

Aimee Huber, Executive Director

All,

In 2nd Chronicles 20:9 as Jehoshaphat prays we get a glimpse of the heart and mind of Israel at the time as they stood in the temple and prayed: ‘If disaster comes upon us—sword, judgment, pestilence, or famine—we will stand before this temple and in Your presence (for Your name is in this temple), and cry out to You in our affliction, and You will hear and save.’

This week I’m sending an early reminder that there is prayer Friday night at 7:30. We’ve been praying for our church for the last 4 weeks, we started well but now attendance has sharply declined.

I want to remind you that the things we’ve been petitioning God for haven’t all come to pass yet – things like a more permanent meeting place, more financial stability, stronger leadership and members, and more. We shouldn’t just pray in time of perceived need or only when it’s convenient, but we need an ongoing dialog with God.

Some of you have said that you pray at home for the church, I have no reason to doubt you but know that your physical presence at formal prayer meetings is deeply significant. There’s solidarity, there’s unity, there’s a show of support and commitment before God and your fellow Calvary Chapel mates. You are saying to the pastor and leadership “I will stand with my church”, you are saying to God “we are standing together as a church”.

Wont you consider committing to our weekly time of prayer? Each meeting is typically less than an hour – yet for 7 days following, the church and our lives are noticeably impacted. This is what we want!

The time is 7:30 pm at the church office. Between now and then I’m praying that you’ll be there!

Pastor G

A church in town has taken to positioning themselves as a “Jesus Movement” church. In particular they’ve emphasized the expressiveness and diversity of the music of that period and they are seeking to emulate that on Sundays. Godspeed to that church. While Calvary Chapel was a major player in the movement we by no means were – or are the only ones. However after reading an article in the Montclair Times on that church I felt a need to clarify a few points regarding the movement.

Additionally, the Montclair Times just published a mostly accurate and very flattering article on us (I actually don’t sling my guitar over my shoulder while preaching, and my sandals have a closed top). This article covered a lot of who we are but again I’d like to make a few clarifications. There is much to be googled regarding the Jesus Movement and Calvary Chapel but what follows is just my condensed version:

Calvary Chapel and the Jesus Movement
Pastor George Hillman, Calvary Chapel of Montclair 7/25/08

Discussion about the 60’s and 70’s never seems to happen without mention of the music and art.

Though the impact of that period’s music and art was significant, it was merely the by-product of a socially and politically conscious generation. Young people were alive, aware and involved.

This is equally true of the Jesus Movement of that time, even musically. What now is a thriving contemporary Christian Music industry was spawned from the artistic expressions of an unprecedented number of kids who “turned on to Jesus” in the 60’s.

The kids of the 60’s and 70’s counter-culture were not church go-ers by and large. This was probably mutual in most cases – churches were propagators of the very ideals and traditions they were disillusioned by and churches typically shunned them because of their long hair, style of dress and non-traditional ways of expressing themselves.

It’s no big revelation that religion can sometimes be myopic and self-serving. Even when churches reach out there’s often a motive. That motive usually is to change folks – to conform them to the look and feel of the religion. During the 60’s and 70’s there were a few churches and individuals that took a different approach. One of the most significant was a congregation of about 25 people in Southern California called Calvary Chapel. This was a group of people who not only accepted the kids of the counter-culture just as they were, but Calvary Chapel also taught those kids directly from the bible and showed them how to live as Christians – as opposed to religious church people. The church grew to hundreds of kids, then thousands , then tens of thousands.

When we look at our young people today we see proof that the socio-political activism of the 60’s and 70’s hasn’t waned. Likewise there is proof that the Jesus Movement never faded away either. Calvary Chapel of Costa Mesa grew quickly from 25 people to hundreds, to thousands to over 20,000 weekly attendees. Today it is still one of the ten largest protestant churches in the US today, and now has over 1300 affiliates worldwide – including the one right here in Montclair.

In short, a number of those kids branched out all over the world as they grew up becoming many of our present day pastors, theologians, evangelists, psalmists and missionaries. Calvary Chapel of Montclair still continues in that pattern of accepting folks as they are and teaching them verse by verse through the bible – and yes – the music here is pretty cool.