New Sermon Series on the Book of Ruth

Beginning this Sunday I will be preaching a series entitled Divine Faithfulness: The Book of Ruth. I can't wait, as Ruth is one of my favorite books of the Bible. As Sinclair Ferguson writes,

The book of Ruth is not a work of deep theological reasoning like Paul's epistle to the Romans, yet it is full of theology. It is not a magnificent symphony on the work of Christ like the Gospel of John, yet it ultimately points to the coming of Christ. It is not full of vivid apocalyptic imagery like the book of Revelation, yet it traces the details of God's working in the unfolding of the events of history. It is not basic instruction about the kingdom of God like the Sermon on the Mount, yet it contains important lessons about life in the kingdom.

If you live in the Flint area, we'd love to have you join us at 10:00 a.m. on Sunday mornings this fall as we examine this Old Testament treasure of a book. Audio of sermons in the series will be posted on our website as well.

Refuge Amidst Storms of Destruction

In the daily Bible reading plan our church is working through, chapters 57-59 of the Book of Psalms was on the schedule for yesterday. As I opened my Bible, it struck me that the reading began with these words:

"Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful to me, for in you my soul takes refuge; in the shadow of your wings I will take refuge, till the storms of destruction pass by." (Psalm 57:1)

The phrase "storms of destruction" provided an especially vivid illustration in the aftermath of the tornadoes that ripped through Oklahoma in recent days. At times, our sin and life's trials truly wreak havoc in our lives in such a way that they could be labeled "storms of destruction." And then other times, those storms are less metaphorical. In both cases, the Body of Christ is called on to come alongside those who are suffering and to show them the love of Christ.

That is why I was so pleased when the deacons at our church met this week and agreed to collect donations through Sunday, June 2 to assist the relief effort in Oklahoma. HERE IS THE GREAT PART: They have decided to match every dollar given to this effort (up to $5000), and then will send the total amount to our friends at City Presbyterian Church in Oklahoma City for them to oversee allocation of the funds in the relief effort.

City Pres is a gospel-loving church with a real heart for Oklahoma City and the surrounding area, and they are deeply involved with the relief effort. Click here to read Pastor Doug Serven's reflections on his day yesterday, which was spent in part cleaning up a cemetery and praying with those impacted by this storm of destruction.

If you would like to be a part of this effort, a collection box will be made available the next two Sundays at Calvary. Or, if you can't join us but would still like to play a part, feel free to send a check to Calvary Presbyterian Church at 6100 Richfield Rd., Flint, MI 48506 with "OKC" written in the memo section.

Mid-Michigan Reformation Conference...Save the Date

On Saturday, October 26th our church will be hosting the Mid-Michigan Reformation Conference. This will be our tenth year hosting the conference and we are very excited about it!

This year's theme will be "The Glory of Christ" and as has become our custom, we will once again have four gifted pastors from our region coming to speak to us. Our guest speakers will be:

• David Crabb of First Baptist Church in Lapeer
• Jason Helopoulos of University Reformed Church in East Lansing
• Chuck Jacob of Knox Presbyterian Church in Ann Arbor
• Don Galardi of Community EPC in Owosso

One big change that we hope you will be excited about is the fact that THIS YEAR'S CONFERENCE WILL BE ABSOLUTELY FREE! We will gladly accept donations to help support the conference and enable us to continue to provide it, but we wanted to remove the possible obstacle of cost so that as many people as possible could be a part of this thoroughly enjoyable and edifying experience. 

So make sure you mark October 26th on your calendars now. In the meantime, feel free to email any questions to me at Pete@CalvaryFlint.com, and keep your eyes open for further information.

Hope to see you there!

The Road to Calvary

I'm looking forward to a new sermon series that I'll be preaching during Lent. Check out the video preview below and, if you're in the neighborhood on a Sunday morning, stop by Calvary Presbyterian Church for corporate worship at 10 o'clock. We'd love to worship with you!