address change mar. 2010 vol. xli issue...

Calvary Call April 2011

Calvary Presbyterian Church, 4495 Magnolia Av., Riverside, CA 92501-4198, Phone (951) 686-0761

ADDRESS CHANGE SERVICE Mar. 2010 Vol. XLI Issue 3 April Issue Periodical

The Calvary Call (USP 555-660) is published monthly January through November, by Calvary Presbyterian Church, 4495 Magnolia Ave., River-side, CA 92501-4198. Periodicals postage is paid at Riverside, CA. Postmaster: Address changes to the Calvary Call, 4495 Magnolia Ave., Riverside, CA 92501-4198.

In case you were not able to be there, Pastor Erin's Housewarming on March 20, 2011, was a huge success! Thanks to everyone who helped set up, clean up, transport tables/chairs, barbe-cues and attended. Thanks to those who brought so much delicious food and wonderful gifts (I saw several plants and bird feeders) and gift cards for Pastor Erin. And thanks especially to the Congregational Life Committee, who coordinated it all and worked very hard. We all toured her lovely home and saw where the vegetable garden is going to be planted. Pastor Erin now has lots of advice from many experienced homeowners (e.g. projects will take four times as long to complete), and her beautiful home is already warm and "homey" (the roaring fire in the fireplace was so welcoming thanks to firewood from Pastor Dean and Sandie). Miraculously, the rain held off until we were starting to clear the tables and put things away! Then the heavens opened! Pastor Erin even read a couple of her recent poems about the proc-ess of packing and moving, then the task of unpacking and moving in. Here are a few photos to remember the day. It was a great day of celebration for all of the family of Calvary! ~ Sharon Boothby

~More pictures on Pages 12-13


� He is risen! He is risen indeed! That magnificent Easter message will soon ring in our ears once again. It is the reason we exist as children of God and followers of Jesus Christ. It is the energy that drives us. It is the hope that propels us. It is the glory of God’s love ex-pressed for us on this earth. Be with us at Calvary this year to celebrate this most important event in any of our lives. If you have family visiting, bring them too. If you are traveling, find a church “home for the day.” Bring friends and neighbors as well. This is really just too good to miss! Because He is risen – and that makes all the difference in our lives that we could ever need. And P.S. – On Easter, be sure to shake the hand of everyone near you that you do not know and tell them you are glad they could worship God with us this day! Ask what they might want to know about our Calvary church. � Twenty households are changing the way they man-age their money through the Financial Peace Univer-sity course on Tuesday evenings. Pray for these 30 per-sons that they may gain the insights and the discipline to become debt free and thus the means to be greater giv-ers – discovering a true financial peace in their lives. Cal Boothby and I attended a Presbyterian Stewardship Conference in Phoenix the first of March. A few tidbits I collected: • How many non-profits are there in Riverside competing for our church’s gifts? • How do we demonstrate to members that the mission and ministry of Calvary will not be fulfilled without their gifts? • How do we show that Calvary’s mission and ministries are worthy of their gifts? • Pastors should have knowledge of everyone’s

pledges – when there is noticeable change it may indicate a household crisis, such as loss of job, or increased medical expense, and thus becomes a

pastoral care concern. (This is not presently the case at Calvary as the pastor has no knowledge of either pledged amounts nor of actual giving amounts.)

Presbyterian Disaster Assistance has already sent $100,000 to our partners in Japan following the Sendai

earthquake, tsunami and nuclear disasters. These funds come from your gifts to One Great Hour of Sharing last year. Thank you so very much for your generosity! PDA works in cooperation with Christian churches in the disaster affected area without the ex-pense of sending staff so that nearly all your dollar goes into actual aid. Several churches in Riverside are also working with Riverside City to channel relief aid to our sister city of Sendai. I urge you to give as you are able for this disaster relief making your checks to Calvary, but please mark the check for “PDA” or for “sister city” according to the avenue you choose, and we will distribute your gifts according to your wish. Inquirer’s Class with Pastor Kokjer will be of-fered Sunday April 3, 2011, about 11:45 a.m. in the Milliken Room next to the church office. This is an opportunity for anyone with questions about Calvary or about Presbyterians to talk with the Pastor. Those who choose to do so can become members of Cal-vary at this time. Let me know if you are interested in attending and/or need child care. The Pastor’s Sunday evening Bible class will meet April 3, 2011, but not on April 10, 17 or 24, 2011, for Easter. The Maundy Thursday Service with commun-ion will be at 7:30 p.m. on April 21, 2011, in the Sanctuary. The Mt. Rubidoux Easter Sunrise Service will be at 6:00 a.m. this year, with parking along Teques-quite. If you go up and attend, please report your experience to me. Peace and Joy, Dean Kokjer

Worship in April April 3 – Communion

April 10 – Children’s Choir sings April 17 – Palm Sunday; Hand Bells play

April 21 – Maundy Thursday service at 7:30 p.m. 24 – Glorious Easter Sunday

Looking ahead to May

May 8 – Gifts of Women Sunday May 15 – Our Youth will lead worship


Everyday Blessings The Blessings of Home

“Now the Lord said to Abram, "Go from your country and your kindred and your father's house to the land that I will show you. I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you, and make your name great, so that you will be a bless-ing.” ~ Genesis 12: 1-2 I remember first hearing the word, seeker when Bill Hy-bels and the Willow Creek Community Church burst on the national church scene in the late 1970s. They were all about connecting with those who had not been raised in the church, those now ‘seeking’ a church home, and a relationship with God. If we spend any time in the Bible, we can see from the beginning of the story of God’s people that those ‘desert fathers’ like Abram and Moses and their kin, were seekers. They were seeking to find God’s favor, seeking do God’s will, seeking to inhabit the land of promise and build a nation of people devoted to the God that created them. Today, we are not so different from Abram and Sarai, except we have many more distractions in our seeking. The life of today’s church always seems to be competing with culture: commitments to school, work, family cele-brations and other milestones. When those life events and church ritual intersect, it is a special joy. The birth of a baby is acknowledged with a baptism; a young per-son receives their first Bible; youth are confirmed into membership in the church with their statement of faith; we celebrate life in milestone birthdays, marriages, fu-nerals, even renewals of vows. We commemorate those moments together as friends but also as members of a wider church family that connects us to our ancestral roots in a deep and meaningful way. Intersections are the basis of the Vespers Services offered through April 13 on Wednesday nights after the Soup Suppers. We are telling Bible stories of people we might call seekers whose lives intersected with Jesus, the Living Water. The large, active water element we are using (built by Boyd Bradshaw) calls people to engage with, to touch and feel and experience the Water that truly

satisfies. Are you parched? Is your life feeling a bit dry? Come to the Water and be filled up. When I first walked into the Brockton house I now call home, I knew that this was ‘the one,’ the house I had dreamed of all my life. That may sound senti-mental to some, but for me, it is not unlike how I felt when I made my decision for Christ at a Youth-led Easter sunrise service; to become a minister; and to say yes to Calvary. I felt like I was coming home.

Where do you call home? How do you know when you have arrived? No matter where your spiritual journey has taken you, God is always calling you home, to enter into a relationship, or form a deeper one than you have right now. To truly come home takes a deep hunger and desire; some diligent seeking, and lots of praying for insight into the direction one should go.

Dear seeker, no matter your age or stage of life, dur-ing this season of Lent into Easter, may God help you find your true home. Blessings, Pastor Erin


~Photos by Jim Almgren

A Remarkable Bunch

All of these dedicated people grace Calvary’s Hot Meals pro-gram on Sundays. Table setters are there early in the morning, cooks come in during the afternoon, servers and helpers show up a little later, and a crowd of dedicated pots-and-pan scrub-bers finish up!


(First in a series of articles featuring some of the

many people who have given of their time and talents to make this program a success)

“It’s God’s Program” says Win Carey. “He just let me have joy for three years when I was the first cook.”

Ask Win Carey about her experiences as the first cook and organizer for Hot Meals over twenty years ago and she states with enthusiasm, “We had so much fun. It was just a really good feeling.” She says the whole idea originated with Calvary’s Deacons. Jack Mitchell had examined Calvary’s two restaurant-sized kitchens and wrote a letter to the church stating that it was a shame Calvary wasn’t doing something to feed the homeless. The letter went from Session to the Deacons. Rick Deam and Nancy Gylove did all the research, talking with both the health department and the food bank. When a decision was made to go forward with a homeless feeding program, Win went to her boss at Harris’ Department Store and got every Monday off so she could cook and run the program. Starting at 9:00 a.m. every Monday, she went to the food bank to purchase food for 12 cents a pound. At Calvary, she would plan the menu based on the food that she had bought and start to make chocolate milk and pudding. A group of women came in to help at 3:00 p.m. to butter bread and dish up desserts, including Rosamond Fessendon’s mother, Jessie. Rosamond volunteered to make punch on the very first Sunday and has been making punch every year since then! More volunteers came at 5:00 p.m. to make salad. After cooking all day long, Win and her helpers served dinner at 5:30 p.m. Win states, “Nobody ever does anything alone. There is always somebody there to help.” Many people donated supplies. Norton Younglove brought in dairy products from the county. The Mazzetti family brought in oranges from their groves. John Vanderzyl donated all the paper goods. Doris Beld made sure that homeless children had Christmas gifts at Christmas. And, after finding Win standing on a stool in order to stir food in a big restaurant pot, Hank Roselle decided to help her out and brought her a long-handled ladle that he had used in the

Navy. After the third week, Corkie Mensinger was there to help Win at the food bank, with bookkeeping, and with anything that needed to be done through- out the day. Win says, “Corkie was my sidekick, my support. I couldn’t have done it without her.” When you ask Corkie about her early years in Hot Meals, she says “Win was the organizer, planner and cook. I’m a good person for comic relief and I just supported Win, that’s all.” Win remembers many occasions when homeless guests expressed their gratitude for the Hot Meals’ Program. “There was a homeless man, a former CEO who had lost his job, who talked about the food he had just eaten, a tuna noodle casserole. He said, “That was the best meal I’ve eaten in weeks!”

The long-handled ladle Hank Roselle had used in the Navy and gave to Win for stirring food in big restaurant pots.

Win Carey and Corkie Mensinger


Saturday April 2, 2011, starting at 9:00 a.m., Calvary will host the Presbyterian Women of the Presbytery for their Spring Gathering. The featured speaker will be Morella Larsen, a "First Responder" for Presbyterian Disaster Assistance Worship will be led by Executive Presbyter, The Rev. Dr. Anita Hendrix. Wednesday April 6, 2011, at 10:00 a.m. in Fellowship Hall, Calvary Women will welcome Jerri Rodewald who will report to us on her February trip to New York to attend the Council on Advocacy for Women's Rights. Luncheon is optional. Reservations are required and may be made by calling Marion Sink at (951) 780-1919. Cost of the luncheon is $6.00. Thursday April 14, 2011, the Presbyterian Women of the Presbytery of Riverside and the Feminist Agenda Network will host Meagan Manas of New York. Tour-ing our Synod the week of April 10th, Meagan will be talking with multi-generational groups of women on a wide range of issues. Dinner will be included at a cost of $8.00. Women 14 years old and up are encouraged to attend. The event will be held in Calvary's Fellowship Hall from 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. Monday April 25, 2011 from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., Calvary's new Presbyterian Women in the PM will begin meeting in the Christian Education Building; Rm 2 for worship, Bible study and fellowship. Please join us; it is open to all women 14 years old and up. Childcare is available. ~Reba Woller, Moderator Presbyterian Women of Calvary Friendship Circle with Sandie Kokjer will meet in the Christian Education Building Room 2 on Wednesday April 20, 2011 at 12:30 p.m. Our lesson will be Lesson Seven: Rapture, Violence and Exodus; Revelation 13, 15-16 and 19. For information on these activities, please contact Reba Woller: (951) 522-4533 or email [email protected]. ~Reba Woller, Moderator Presbyterian Women of Calvary

Presbyterian Women in the Presbytery of Riverside

will host

Meagan Manas

“…making all things new.” Revelation 21:5

Meagan Manas is a staff member for the Women’s Ministries of the National Council of Churches of Christ, U.S.A. (NCCC) and for the Presbyterian Women’s Churchwide Coordinating Team for Justice and Peace. Touring our Synod the week of April 10-15, 2011, Meagan will meet with multi-generational groups to discuss women’s issues and encourage women of all ages to share in the Presbyterian Women experience. Bring your daughters and friends!

When: Thursday April 14, 2011 6:00-9:00 p.m.

Where: Calvary Presbyterian Church

4495 Magnolia Avenue Riverside, CA 92501-4198

For: Women; ages 14+

RSVP: By April 1, 2011 To: Reba Woller, PWC Moderator / Calvary (951) 522-4533 Email: [email protected]

Registration/ payment: (on arrival) Cost: $8.00 (includes dinner)


Every spring, Calvary members either walk or spon-

sor walkers for the all-city RIVERSIDE CROP WALK.

This year the walk was March 6, 2011.


~Photos from Jeff Heath, Sam and Linda Namminga, and

Amanda Cullen

You are Invited to PRIMETIME

(Seniors/Retirees)

Program and Fellowship Wednesday

(third Wednesday) 9:45 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.

In Fellowship Hall

Wednesday April 20, 2011

Program: The History of the

Riverside Community Players Presented by Kathryn Gage,

Executive Director Riverside Community Players

Catered Lunch by An Affair to Remember $7.00

It is very important to let us know that you will attend. We need a count for lunch! Call the church or Debbie Keller for reservations by Monday, April 28, 2011.

Our goal is to bring Prime Time (Seniors/Retirees) together for Spiri-tual Nurture, Fellowship, Enrichment, Information and Entertainment.

Debbie Keller

Director of Senior Ministries Calvary Presbyterian Church


Deacons' Picnic in the Park

Spring is here....flowers are in bloom, and the days are warming up and getting longer. Calvary's Board of Deacons invites you to a picnic in the park right at Calvary on the back patio. April 10, 2011 is the date, and a delicious lunch will be served right after the 10:30 a.m. worship service. This is a time to relax and enjoy the lovely weather and fellowship that River-side and particularly Calvary are known for. We will be eating at tables and chairs under shade so everyone will be comfortable. Children are welcome and can even play on the playground right next to the lunch area. Please join us on April 10, 2011. (In the unlikely event that the weather is bad, we'll have an indoor "picnic") See you soon, ~Robyne Williams, Moderator of Deacons

NOTICE TO ALL CRUISERS

NO CRUISERS IN APRIL

PLEASE JOIN EVERYONE FOR THE LENTEN SOUP SUPPERS, 6:00 p.m. and

LENTEN VESPERS in the

TRANSEPT CHANCEL, 7:00 p.m.

CRUISERS WILL BE BACK AGAIN WEDNESDAY, MAY 4, 2011, 6:00 p.m.

April 23, 2011 8:30 – 11:00 a.m.

Join us for fun and fellowship. This year, Christian Education will have an egg hunt, puppet show and crafts. We will need volunteers to assist with this event and will welcome candy dona-tions. Candy needs to be individually wrapped and dropped off in the church office. Invite your friends and family. For more information, please contact Linda Craig, Christian Education Chair (951) 681-5413


~Faces of Hot Meals Continued from Page 6 You even had water chestnuts in it.” There was a young man who brought his crippled mother to Hot Meals in a grocery cart. Hot Meals volunteers fixed up a wheel-chair and gave it to them. In gratitude, the young man donated all that he had in his pockets to the Hot Meals Program, a grand total of twenty three cents! Guests were given Christmas decorations from the Harris Department Store and many Calvary mem-bers baked cookies. Volunteers made Easter crosses edged in lace. Calvary’s choir director, Helge, played the piano to entertain guests while they ate. The program grew from serving 60 at the beginning to an average of 100 per Monday as the years passed. As a final comment, Win said, “Those people were getting a lot of love that they hadn’t had in a long, long time.” It is an honor for those of us who make up the 2011 volunteer team for Hot Meals to follow in the footsteps of those who came before us. May we con-tinue to reach out to our homeless guests with the same kind of love! By Sonja Almgren, Member, Mission Commission

SCHOLARSHIP APPPLICATIONS Applications are available in the church office start-ing March 27, 2011. They must be returned by 12:00 p.m. April 28, 2011. Members of Calvary Presbyterian Church are eligible to apply. Active participants (frequent attenders) in Calvary Presby-terian Church groups or programs such as Youth Groups, Young Adult Ministries, Calvary Women, etc., are also eligible to apply. Any questions contact John Hoyer at 686-7761 or e-mail [email protected].

On May 1, 2011, members of Calvary will have the opportunity to participate in an art exhibit to be held in Fellowship Hall. This event has been held once before and was extremely suc-cessful. All of the following media will be eligible: sculpture, painting (watercolor, oil, sketch-ing, ink drawings, etc.), photography, collage/multimedia works, cartoons (the artist's own, of course), embroidery, quilting, etc. If you have any questions, please contact Jeanella Vennekotter @ 951-684-2239 or [email protected]. Your work need not be extremely recent but, perhaps, just representative of artistic work(s) that you would like to share with others. Please bring your own easels if you need them to display your pieces. Place labels in front of your work. The labels should include your name, the medium/media in which it was or they were created, and any provenance (or background story/information) that you think the viewer would enjoy knowing about. Notices will be in the Sunday morning bulletins for more information about setting up. Works should be in the Fellowship Hall before the first service begins and removed after the exhibit is over.


~Pastor Erin’s Housewarming Party Continued from Page 1

Back garden

Bird house, back fence

Many happy Calvary friends joined in a fun afternoon


“THE BRIDGE”“THE BRIDGE”“THE BRIDGE”“THE BRIDGE”

Calvary Presbyterian Church Young Adult Group News

Feb/Mar 2011 April - Beginning April 3, 2011, during the Lenten sea-son we will be viewing videos that explore the life of our Lord Jesus Christ and his journey to Jerusalem and the cross, and then have discussions sessions. If you would like to join us for these videos and discus-sions please call Jeff Heath at 951-660-6282.

May - The Bridge has been enjoying a video study entitled “The Bible according to Bonanza”. We have been visiting the legendary Ponderosa Ranch home of Ben Cartwright and his three sons; Adam, Hoss, and Little Joe. The video series uses scenes from the televi-sion show that explore such themes as Transforma-tion, Calling, Judgment, Redemption, Justice, Greed, Fear, Compassion, Fathers, Jealousy, Kindness, and Revenge. The study then references passages in the Bible and offers questions for discussion. We will con-tinue this study after the Lent study in April. The Bridge is not just Bible study we are a fellowship group as well. The group brainstormed some events that they would like to do during 2011. Mission: Crop Walk, Habitat for Humanity, Calvary Hot Meal, Second Harvest Food Bank. Fun stuff: Disneyland, beach trip, bowling, K1 go-cart racing, movies, movie/game night at church, camping, roller skating, snow skiing/snow boarding, Griffith Observatory, Norton Simon Museum, Wiesenthal Holocaust mu-seum.

Scheduled events: April 16 – Griffith Park Observatory May 21 – Disneyland If you are interested in joining us please contact Jeff Heath at 951-660-6282. For up-to-date information on “The Bridge” schedule of studies and activities please visit the Calvary web site at www.calvarypresch.org ————————————————————— The Bridge – Young Adult Group meets Sunday evenings from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. If you are interested in learning more about The Bridge please contact Jeff Heath at 951-660-6282 or Pastor Erin in the church office.

BLESSINGS ON YOUR HOME, PASTOR ERIN


Junior Camp

July 10-16 Students entering 4th-6th grades

High School Camp

Session 1 July 10-16 Session 2 July 17-23

Jr. High Camp

July 17-23 Students entering 7th-8th grades

If your child or someone you know would like to attend camp this summer, please contact Linda Craig (951) 681-5413 for registration and scholarship information. Discounts for early registration, so call today!

Two More Lenten Soup Suppers...don’t miss out on the delicious food and great fellowship...then move on to the Lenten Vesper service.

Wednesday, April 6, 2011 and April 13, 2011 Join us for soup and fellowship. The Lenten soup suppers begin at 6:oo p.m. and end just in time for you to attend the Vesper Service. Please bring a bread or dessert to share. We are still in need of a few soup makers. If you would like to bring a pot of soup please call Linda Craig, Christian Education Chair (951) 681-5413


Ages: Kindergarten - 6th Grade ~ Cost: FREE!!!!

Calvary Presbyterian Church 4495 Magnolia Ave, Riverside, CA 92501 ~ 951-686-0761

Space is limited to 70 Children - so register early.

To register on-line go to:

http://www.cokesburyvbs.com/shake-it-up-café/

calvarypresvbs

Shake it Up Café VBS

June 20-24, 2011 Spread the News!!! 5:30 - 8:30 p.m.

Upcoming Workdays and Staff Training

April 30 - VBS Workday: 10am-noon. Staff Training 10:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m.

May 21 - VBS Workday: 10am-noon. Staff Training: 10:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m.

June 11 - VBS Set-up Rooms and Hall 10:00 a.m.- ?

June 18 - VBS Set-Up Conference Room, Reg Table and Stage 10:00 a.m.-?

June 19 - VBS Set-up Fellowship Hall 11:45 a.m.- ?


E-mail: [email protected] Phone: 951-686-0761

Pastor Dr. W. Dean Kokjer

Associate Pastor Rev. Erin Thomas

Seniors Ministry Debbie Keller

Business Admin. Debbie Neal

Secretary Lisa York

Choir Director Jonathan Osbrink

Wedding Coordina-tors

Debbie Neal Lisa York

Organist Dr. Beverly Howard

Pianist—choir Barbara Mease

Pianist—OURSPACE Ronda Dyer

Hand Bells Director Jonathan Osbrink

Children’s Choir Marsha Taylor

Morning Custodian Melissia Larsen

Afternoon Custodian Larry Statti

Child Care Johannah Schoebel Lynn Schoebel

Mid-day Custodian Ken Koogle

Calvary Call is an instrument which draws all its members closer together, keeping us aware of the needs of each other and the needs of our community.

Original drawings by

Send articles for the Calvary Call to: [email protected]

Deadline: 3rd Monday of each month

Lectionary Texts For April

3 1 Sam. 16:1-13; Ps. 23 Eph. 5:8-14; John 9:1-41

10 Ezek. 37:1-14; Ps. 1:30 Rom. 8:6-11; John 11:1-45

17 Palms: Matt. 21:1-11; Ps. 118:1-2, 19-29 Passion: Isa. 50:4-9a; Ps. 31:9-16 Phil. 2:5-11; Matt. 26:14-27:66 or Matt. 27:11-54

24 Easter: Acts 10:34-43 or Jer. 31:1-6 Ps. 118:1-2, 14-24; Col. 3:1-4 or Acts 10:34-43 John 20:1-18 or Matt. 28:1-10 Isa. 25:6-9; Ps. 114: 1 Cor. 5:6b-8 Luke 24:13-49

Liturgists For April

3 Christine Ward

10 Jon Ward

17 Scott Lesch

24 Tyler Huntley

Greeters For April

Debbie and Edythe Holcomb Mary Rines

The 90’s Club Birthdays

Mary Cecil April 1 Eva Schroeder April 8 Mildred McClay April 16 Evelyn Gragg April 21

For April

address change mar. 2010 vol. xli issue...

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