NEXT

We have a lot of exciting things happening at Calvary Church! Follow this page for important updates on our potential Oak Lawn campus and our NOOR Arab-American worship service.

Upcoming NEXT conversations:

Sunday, April 15 at 5:30 pm

Tuesday, April 17 at 7:00 pm

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2/8/18

Dear Calvary Family,

For several months, the leaders at Calvary have been discussing and praying with several Arab members of our community about ways we can begin reaching out to our Arab neighbors in the Chicagoland area. We are excited about what is developing and want to share with you some things God is laying on our hearts as it concerns starting an evening worship service geared towards those who speak Arabic.

First, perhaps you already know this, but Chicago has one of the largest Arabic communities in the United States. While most Arabs are Muslim, there are many who are Christians — both Catholic and Protestant. That said, many who identify as Christian often do so simply because of their heritage. In fact, what we are discovering is that there is a growing number of secular Arabs currently not involved in worshiping anywhere. In addition to this, we are also discovering that there are no reformed churches in our area seeking to reach the Arabic speaking communities and we are increasingly sensing God’s leading to explore how we might go about being the first.

In recent months, we have continually felt convicted of Jesus’ words in Matthew 28 where he encourages his followers to go and make disciples of the nations. Jesus’ invitation extends to us still today and, as we said above, are feeling more and more that the Holy Spirit is inviting us to create a space for Arabs to encounter Jesus and become his disciples.

Second, besides sensing the Holy Spirit’s leading on this matter, we have also discovered that one of our members here at Calvary is a very experienced, trained, and spiritually mature Arab leader fluent in the language and culture who is passionate about the same things we are. Dr. Lawrence Haddad is a member of Calvary and is a loving father and husband who is committed to Calvary’s vision of joining with Jesus to transform lives. Dr. Haddad is an optometrist, has led a large Bible study for Arabic Christians, and also has been awarded a theological degree from the Moody Bible Institute. Most importantly, Dr. Haddad loves Jesus and wants nothing more than to share the good news of Jesus with other Arabs in hopes of seeing God transform lives.

Given how we have sensed the leading of the Holy Spirit to start an Arabic speaking service, and given the fact that Dr. Haddad also has also expressed feeling a similar call, we are excited to share with you our hope and dream for the future. We envision an Arabic speaking worship service at Calvary that will take place in the late afternoon or evening on Sunday. We envision Dr. Haddad as the pastor who leads and cares for this community. We envision the sermon in this service to be the same as the morning sermons so that we are collectively growing and celebrating God together. We envision this service to have worship music similar in style to Calvary’s morning worship, with some culturally relevant Arabic elements, and that all our offerings and gifts will continue to go towards Calvary’s general fund.

In an effort to be transparent with you, we want you to know that Pastor Ron and the elders are having numerous discussions with Dr. Haddad and members of his family who would assist with this new service. We are praying diligently in hopes to discern the Lord’s heart and are also listening and open to any feedback you may have. We hope to make a final decision in the next 30 days. In the meantime, please join us in praying about this opportunity to join with Jesus to transform lives. If you have any questions or concerns please email Pastor Ron or the Vice President of Consistory, Barry Voorn.

For Christ’s fame,

The Elders of Calvary Church

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1/23/18

Dear Calvary Family,

One of the things we have heard through our Next Conversations is a desire from you to be kept up-to-date on decisions being considered by our church leadership. We want to honor this request! This letter is to give you an update on the possibility of Calvin CRC becoming a multi-site of Calvary Church.

Wanting to gain the best wisdom on this possible gospel endeavor, we have brought in a consultant whose expertise is with churches becoming multi-sites of larger churches. Based on conversations with him, prayer and our own deliberations, we believe one of the key indicators that we ought to move forward with this opportunity is finding the right leader to lead this campus. On Tuesday, January 17th the elders approved a process to begin interviewing candidates for this position. If we find the right, qualified leader we will have a greater confidence that the Lord is in this. The hiring of the right leader will also help us determine the launch date of this new campus.

Over the last two months, we have had the opportunity to get to know the congregation of Calvin. They are an amazing group of believers who love Jesus and want to see gospel outreach and transformation happen in Oak Lawn. It has been a huge blessing to be on this journey with them.

As you can imagine this process is complex and has a lot of moving parts. We covet your prayers and input. Any comments, questions or concerns can be addressed to Pastor Ron Citlau, ronc@calvaryop.org, or Bill Brooks, bill.brooks13@outlook.com, Chair of the Transition Team.

For Christ’s fame,

The Elders of Calvary Church

Pastor Ron Citlau