I’m lovin’ the prospect of a new beginning! 2010 was a difficult year for me personally, for Calvary Chapel, and I know it was for some of you also. But oh boy! It’s over! Thank the Lord we all made it!

The year was not without blessings however. There was an unexpected but very positive change in our church board, our Wednesday night study took off – often surpassing Sunday morning in attendance and ministry. The biggest blessing by far was seeing the radio station permit come to fruition at the very end – an asset that will be a real game-changer in 2011.

As our Lord has granted us new life (Romans 6:4, 2 Corinthians 5:17), as His mercies are new every morning (Lamentations 3:22-23), as He has a plan for the future for us (Jeremiah 29:11), may we be of Paul’s mind when he said “…one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 3:13-14).

Many blessings in this new season! May His mighty hand be upon us all in 2011!

Pastor George

Last Wednesday I gave a short list from the book of proverbs of the causes of strife. I have received requests for that list.

I shared how conflict always comes but strife is optional! As I write this now I’m reminded of Romans 12:18 – Paul says “If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men.” In fact all of chapter 12 is good reading on the subject!

Anyway, here is that list of proverbs:

• hatred: prov 10:12
• pride: 13:10, 28:25
• wrath: 15:18
• perversity: 16:28
• sin: 17:19
• gossiping: 26:20
• Contentiousness: 26:21
• Anger: 29:22, 30:33

The list is by no means exhaustive, but it definitely is enough to help you see that IF we are walking in love AND walking in the Spirit we will not respond to conflict with strife.

Blessings!

Pastor G

Calvary Montclair wants YOU!

To Commit To Serve:

Sunday Morning Services
Sunday Evening Services
Wednesday Night Services

To Commit To Pray:

Tuesday Night @ 6:30

To Commit To Grow:

Men’s Bible Study
Every 1st and 3rd Saturday @ 9am

Contact or See Pastor George for Details!

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

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.