How Can I Serve at Calvary? - Calvary Baptist Church of Tupelo, MS

Do you love to get sweet, sticky finger hugs from little ones? We have a place for you! Our desire is to have our little ones see familiar faces each time they enter the nursery area. If you feel led to serve on a regular basis with young children, we would love to have you serve in this ministry.

** Indicates service with minors (birth - 18). All volunteers must attend a Safe and Secure training session and be approved prior to serving.

Preschool Sunday School 3yrs-K5 **

These great groups of children also love to see familiar faces. Each week they enjoy singing, playing, and learning about the Bible through an interactive time with great adults like you! Their hearts are full of joy and are receptive to the love we have to show them.

Elementary Sunday School Gr 1-6 **

Want to make a huge impact? Working with this age group is extremely rewarding. They are receptive to the Gospel and are beginning to understand what they have been taught from a very young age about the love of our Savior. Leaders in this group have the opportunity to be intentional with children with hopes of building the Kingdom.

AWANA stands for �Approved Workmen are Not Ashamed.� During this discipleship time we seek to instill the Word of God in our students� hearts. This is done through a variety of methods. We use recreation, crafts, Bible Study, snack, and other methods to communicate the truth of God�s Word. Join us in our efforts to raise a generation firmly rooted in God�s Word.

Our weekday education program meets five mornings a week from 8:00-11:30 for children ages 3 through K5. This is a fee based program. Volunteers are always welcome to help with special events or to read at story time. Donations are also accepted to help with scholarships to the program. For more information, please contact Anne Worthen at 662-842-3338.

Mother�s Day Out meets from 9-4 on Thursdays. Children 6 weeks to 5 years of age are eligible to participate. For more information about this ministry, contact Gail Chisholm at 662-842-3338.

Each year Calvary hosts a community wide Vacation Bible School. This is a morning program that runs Monday through Friday. Volunteers are needed for preschool through 6^th grade to participate in a variety of activities that are centered around one theme. Crafts, recreation, music, missions, and Bible study are all a part of the week. Throughout the week the children will be presented with the gospel. Volunteers have a great opportunity to reach both Calvary�s children and community children for Christ through this event.

We always love to have adults accompany us on trips. Several trips are taken throughout the year with children including a week long summer camp. If you are interested in going great places with a great group of kids, let us know.

Don�t want to commit to every week, or even every other week? This is the place for you. During the course of a year teachers will need to be absent. Will you be available to step in once or twice a year? If so, let us know and we�ll add you to our substitute teacher list for any of the above mentioned ministries in which you feel called to serve.

Adult (age 21+) drivers are needed for various ministries and activities throughout the year. Drivers must submit a copy of their valid Mississippi driver�s license and attend an orientation class. All drivers must be pre-approved by the Transportation Committee before serving.

Sunday School Teacher/Director

Sunday School teachers and directors are needed as we continue to expand our small group Bible teaching ministry. Various training opportunities are offered throughout the year for leaders and potential leaders in preschool, children, youth and adult Sunday School.

Calvary performs much of its administrative service work through committees, assisting the church in handling matters such as finance, facilities, and personnel. All church committee members shall be members of this church (Const. and Bylaws, Article IV, Section 3). Committee members shall serve three years and then are rotated from that committee for at least a year (Section 4).

We need smilers and handshakers to help welcome the church family and our guests as they arrive for Sunday School and other events/activities. Our Welcome Station is manned by at least two persons who will assist in receiving and registering guests and helping them get to a Sunday School class or other group.

Can you assist as a volunteer in the church office from time to time? (answer the telephone, help with mail outs and photocopying, etc.)

We need several people (couples?) to serve as parking lot greeters on Sunday mornings, assisting the elderly and young mothers with children as they arrive. Guests can be directed to the Welcome Center in the Atrium area near the sanctuary. This additional �presence� in the parking areas will also serve to increase the security aspect of our welcome process.

As our congregation continues to grow, the need for ushers at worship services grows as well. With at least 8 entrances to the sanctuary, we need lots of volunteers!

Frontline Prayer group meets every Sunday at 5:00 p.m. to pray for specific needs both inside and outside the church family. Specific prayer requests can be relayed to the Frontline Prayer team through the church office and by way of cards in the sanctuary pews.

Calvary�s Sanctuary Choir is comprised of adult singers who serve as worship leaders in Calvary�s morning services. Choir members view their ministry as a calling by God, rather than a volunteer service. Sanctuary Choir rehearses on Wednesday evenings from 7:05 � 8:05 p.m. in the Choir Room. Guests are welcome.

Student Choir is for youth in Grades 7-12. Sundays at 5:00 p.m. Seasonally, as announced.

The Calvary Orchestra is for High School students and adults who desire to use their instrumental abilities to serve the Lord. The Orchestra plays weekly in the morning worship services, often accompanies the Sanctuary Choir, and plays in seasonal events like Easter and Christmas productions. The Orchestra rehearses on Wednesday evenings from 6:00 � 7:00 p.m. in the Orchestra Room (above the Choir Room). We would love for you to visit a rehearsal. Please see Doug so that we can have practice music prepared for you.

There are two adult Handbell Choirs at Calvary. Sanctuary Bells meets on Mondays from 4:30 � 5:30 p.m. and Southern Bells meets on Tuesdays from noon until 1:00 p.m. Spots do open up occasionally, so please see Doug if you are interested in playing. You may also like to be placed on the sub list so that we may call on you when a regular ringer will have to miss rehearsal.

Known at Calvary as WorshipQuest, Calvary�s fully graded Preschool and Children�s Choirs exist to grow our children ages 4 through grade 6 in the knowledge and appreciation of music as a gift from God that we can use to communicate with Him as we worship Him. Preschool Choir (Music Time), Music Makers I (Grade 1), Music Makers II (Grades 2-3), and Young Musicians (Grades 4-6) all meet on Wednesday evenings from 6:00 � 7:00 p.m. in the Children�s Building. We�d love for every child at Calvary to be involved, and any adults who are interested in serving in this ministry, please see Doug.

In this technological age, it is a must that we have men and women who can serve in capacities to meet audio/visual needs in worship and other gatherings. We are always on the lookout for adults who are willing to be trained to serve at the soundboard, with projection media, and in the Television ministry. Technical experience is not necessary. What we need are willing, servant-hearted men and women who understand that these are vital ministry spots at Calvary and are willing to develop their skills and serve faithfully. If interested, please see Doug, Bob Chisholm (Director of TV Ministry), or Tracey Morton (Audio/Visual Coordinator).

When Calvary undertakes a musical presentation (adults, youth, children), we don�t keep it in house for our own enjoyment � we ask the Lord to use it to minister to our whole community. Ministry events of this scale require far more personnel than choir and orchestra members. It becomes necessary to involve as many members as possible in an unending array of tasks . . . sewing, set design, set construction, acting, drama coaching, stage crew, Prayer teams, event publicity, and on and on. Never hesitate to let Doug know if you�d like to help in any way. We will always find a place for you to serve.

Calvary participates in the local Meals On Wheels ministry to deliver meals to the elderly and shut-ins in our community. Men and women have found this ministry to be an unexpected blessing. It is a way to serve as God's hands and feet! All it takes is a willing and caring spirit, a car, and a smile.

CWJC seeks to equip women with life skills and job skills in a Christian environment where women reach out to women. Every participant takes part in a Bible study, and every participant works with a mentor. CWJC offers a variety of classes and tries to create an environment where the love of God is lived out and applied to each woman. This kind of love comes from the women who volunteer their time and skills to minister to those seeking help. CWJC cannot succeed without volunteers and those willing to donate supplies to the ministry.

English As a Second Language is offered through the CWJC (see above) and we need volunteers to train as mentors, instructors, and to help provide refreshments for the class groups from time to time.

World Changers is a dynamic week long experience for Christian youth and adults to meet physical and spiritual needs of others through practical experience that teaches servanthood and personal commitment to missions. Our church is involved by providing the noon meal for 20-30 workers the week they serve in Tupelo, which is usually in July.

We have a number of older members and friends of Calvary who can no longer attend services and need a special touch from the church family. Our homebound ministry offers the opportunity to be blessed by the wisdom and heritage of our shut-in and infirm members. This can be a family project. Monthly visits and special recognition (birthdays, holidays, etc.) are the key elements to this ministry.

Each Monday morning at 8:30 a small group of Calvary women take the flowers which have been used on Sunday and remember someone who needs a gift of love. We invite more ladies (and men!) to join us either to arrange or deliver (deliveries may be made later in the day on Monday).

Loving Hands is a church wide ladies ministry that coordinates meals to Calvary members who have lost loved ones. This ministry can be a tremendous blessing to you as well as the family you serve. There are many ways to serve as a member of this team. We have monthly coordinators, cooks, setup and servers, clean up crews, paper goods providers, and flower arrangers.

Men from Calvary go to the Lee County Jail every week to help lead Bible study and worship, distribute literature and just listen as the men there share their many needs. Our church time is 11:00AM to 12:00AM at the LCJ Adult Center on Sunday and 7:00PM to 8:00PM at the Juvenile Detention Center on Thursday night.

Ladies from our church have partnered with ladies from Mount Sinai Baptist Church to go in pairs to the Juvenile Detention Center each Thursday night to have Bible lessons with the young female inmates. We go into the area where the girls are housed and share with them God�s forgiveness, his love, and the plan of salvation. As the opportunity arises, we pray and share with parents who are waiting to pick up or visit their children.

The purpose of the apartment ministry is to encourage the group of young people who now come to us from the Ida Street area as well as the area surrounding CBC. Our main goal is to teach them of the Good News of God�s love for them and help them to develop a relationship with Jesus. We also have an opportunity to teach them practical life skills. We believe that this is obtainable with God�s help. We have a need for many people to be involved in order to be successful in getting to know the students and helping to meet their spiritual, emotional and physical needs.

Serving the Saints is a ministry to homebound members of Calvary. Approximately 20 church members serve our �Saints� by delivering our Wednesday evening meal to their homes. Currently we are divided into three routes based on neighborhoods. Each person or couple delivers no more than once a month.

The kitchen prepares the meals and at 4:30 volunteers box them with names, addresses and phone numbers. Pick-up time for those making the deliveries begins at 4:45 pm. Those unable to pick up meals for delivery until after work should still be back well before the Wednesday evening service and activities begin.

This is a new ministry which is being developed as of April 2010. Watch and listen for details.

Parkgate Pregnancy Clinic

Calvary participates with several other churches and individuals to support the Parkgate Pregnancy Clinic (formerly known as Save-A-Life) here in Tupelo. They will train you to serve as a volunteer mentor/counselor, or you can help answer phones and perform other office duties. The Baby Boutique offers 1^st time moms an opportunity to �shop� for items for the newborn (diapers, diaper bags, bottles, clothing, etc.), all of which is donated by friends of the ministry. One of the best ways to help is to join their email prayer group. Contact Tricia Robbins at 841.1517 to volunteer.

Helping Hands is a food bank and clothing ministry developed by First United Methodist Church in Tupelo. They need volunteers to assist with distribution on Saturdays from 9:00 until noon, and on Tuesday or Thursday mornings to help with receiving and sorting clothes and household items for the ministry.