July 3, 2024

Lord God Almighty, you have made all the peoples of the earth for your glory, to serve you in freedom and in peace: Give to the people of our country a zeal for justice and the strength of forbearance, that we may use our liberty in accordance with your gracious will; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

-- BCP p. 258

A Message from the Rector

Dear Friends in Christ,

In the movie Calendar Girls before one of the main characters dies of cancer, he writes what he wants said at his funeral. He said, “I don’t think there’s anything on this planet that trumpets life more than the sunflower. During the course of the day, the head of the sunflower tracks the journey of the sun across the sky; a satellite dish for sunshine. Wherever light is, no matter how weak, these flowers will find it. And that’s such an admirable thing, and such a lesson in life.” It’s true. Sunflowers will find the light no matter how weak the light is.

Do you feel there’s little light in our world right now? The truth is there is light happening all around us all the time. It’s up to us to be like the sunflower, and turn and stretch to seek out the light wherever it may be in whatever form that light takes. We can then share that beautiful light with others. Like the old Sunday school song says, “This little light of mine. I’m going to let it shine!”

Father Robert Harvey

Art & History Tour This Weekend

As part of the Amherst/Williamsville Garden Walk on Saturday, July 6 Calvary will hold Art & History Tours between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. Prior to the pandemic, Calvary held these tours as well as offering a friendly place for garden walkers to rest and refresh. 

Organizers Joan Scalfani and Ellen Marshall are excited that David Miller, one of our own and the artist who produced so many of the wood carvings, assisted with the history and training of the Docents. 

There will be light refreshments and activities for children. Be sure to stop by!

July Fellowship Committee Meeting

The Fellowship Committee will meet Tuesday, July 9 from 5:00 - 6:30 p.m. This is a hybrid meeting, but light snacks will be provided for those attending in person. Use this link to join by Zoom, or call 646-558-8656 and use Meeting ID 881-0659 2156 and Passcode 899175.

The main focus for our July meeting will to finalize plans for the July 23 “Evening in France” fellowship event and to continue planning the Welcome Back activities for September 15. If you have not attended a Fellowship meeting in the past, but would like to help out with one or both of these events, please know that you are most welcome to attend. It’s a great way to get to meet people and get involved. If you have questions or suggestions please contact lorriearchdeacon@gmail.com

Revision to Calvary's Bylaws

At its June 18 meeting, the Vestry voted to revise two sections of the Calvary Parish Bylaws (a copy of the Bylaws can be found on the Calvary website, under “About Us” in the section entitled “Leadership.”). Both sections relate to elections for Vestrypersons and Wardens.  The first revision represents a change in current practice. The second revision is a rewording and does not change current practice.

The first revision affects Article VI, Section 4c. Currently, Vestrypersons are not eligible to run for reelection immediately after their term expires. The revision allows a Vestryperson to run for re-election one time.

The current version of this section is:

Each Vestryperson shall be elected to serve for a term of three (3) years and shall not be eligible to succeed himself or herself. [The remainder of the section would remain unchanged.]

The revised portion reads:

Each Vestryperson shall be elected to serve for a term of three (3) years and shall be eligible to succeed himself or herself for one additional term of three (3) years.

The second revision is to Article VI, Section 4b. The current provision states:

Each Warden shall be elected to serve for a term of two (2) years and shall not be eligible to succeed himself or herself. [sic] only once in succession provided that such Warden is re-elected by the members of the Parish to continue to serve as Warden after the initial two (2) year term of such Warden. [The remainder of the section would remain unchanged.]

The revised portion reads:

Each Warden shall be elected to serve for a term of two (2) years, and shall be eligible to succeed himself or herself for one additional term of two (2) years.

Another vote on these revisions will be taken at the July 16 Vestry meeting. In the interim, the Vestry would like parishioners to consider these changes to the Bylaws and if anyone has a comment regarding the revisions, please communicate your comment to Father Robert, one of the Wardens or any Vestryperson. The communication can be written or oral.

Calvary has supported FONP for many years providing volunteers to serve meals and donating clothing and other items needed by FONP. Our next date to volunteer is July 18. Sign up in the Reception Room to help and meet us at Calvary's parking lot at 4 pm that day to carpool.

If you have any questions or would like to volunteer, contact Ro Cherpak at 718 863 4267 or Chris Coburn Miller at 716 597 5263.

Evening in France - Tuesday, July 23 from 5:30-8:00 p.m.

We know how busy the weekends get during the summer months. Last year we held a weeknight Italian themed dinner that was enjoyed by over 50 people. This year we are building on that success and offering an “Evening in France” as our special weekday summer fellowship event. It will be held in Hughson Hall. 

The appetizers will include a charcuterie board of cheeses, meats, olives, as well as baguettes and gougeres. The dinner will consist of chicken l'orange, ratatouille, and potatoes pave. We will cap off the meal with cherry clafouti for dessert. Beverages and wine will also be available. This special Evening in France is presented as a "free will offering" event. Guests are welcome. Please sign up to attend using either the printed form in the reception room or online here.

Save the Dates!

The Summer Carillon Concert series is back! Concerts will begin at 7 p.m. Bring your lawn chair.

• July 24 - Carillonneur Kevin Durkin. Part two will be Music from the Great American Songbook, with Julia Cordani, Emily Sellitto, Ky Verhoef, Jeremiah Lohnes and Robert Gerst, featuring songs of some of the great American song writers throughout the twentieth century.
• July 31 - Carillonneur Gordon Slater. Part two, Life is a Cabaret, will feature Tiffany DuMouchelle and Roland Martin providing an evening of songs made for cabaret entertainment.
• August 7 - Carillonneur Gordon Slater. Williamsville High School students will perform the second portion of the evening. This program highlights some amazing talent in our own backyard, and the future of American music.
• August 14 - Carillonneur Carson Landry. Part two features Kindred, the duo of David and Felicia Meyer performing music from Ireland and other songs with an Irish flavor. 

Summer Coffee Hour Hosts Needed!

We will continue to offer coffee hour following the Sunday 10am service. Our coffee hours allow us to enjoy casual fellowship together and offer welcoming hospitality to newcomers and visitors to Calvary. Summer is the season when many people move into a new community and begin searching for a church to attend. 

Summer coffee hours generally offer a little lighter fare and are easy for a family or 2 or 3 friends to host together. Some donut holes or other baked goods of your choice, fresh fruit and perhaps cheese and crackers are sufficient. You can sign up to host a coffee hour on the board just outside the reception room. There are instructions there as well that you can take to help you. 

Thank You

When a storm blew a weakened door off Calvary's sign, Larry Bernhard stepped up to repair the hinge. One thing led to another, and the entire sign received a major make-over. Thanks to Larry and helpers for the work in repairing and sprucing up Calvary's sign. It looks so much better!

Strawberry Sunday Coffee Hour

Thank you to Fellowship for a delicious Strawberry Sunday!

Matthew 25/Circle of Care

On Sunday, June 30, Circle of Care volunteers Guy Whalen, Emily Sityar and Patty Rooss accompanied twelve members of the extended Pay Say family (refugees from Myanmar) to Goat Island in Niagara Falls State Park. We shared a picnic of traditional Burmese foods and viewed the Horseshoe, Bridal Veil and American Falls. We all had a great time and plenty of laughs. It is heartwarming to see the confidence and English-speaking skills they have developed in just one year! Many thanks to Circle of Care volunteers Susan Graham, Natalie Grosner, Emily Sityar, Robert Firestine, Guy Whalen and Lorrie Archdeacon who helped plan and organize this educational activity.

Healing Ministry

Healing prayers are offered after the Sunday services each week. Anyone wishing to receive healing prayers should go to the chapel after the dismissal at the 8 a.m. service or during the postlude at the 10 a.m. service.

Diocesan Partnership and Church News

• Sign up for Diocesan Partnership newsletters and/or read recent editions here.
• A report on the Partnership offers updates on the work of our two dioceses.
• For more news about the Dioceses of WNY and NWPA and to sign up for emailed newsletters, go here.
• The Episcopal Church website offers resources for individuals, congregations, and various ministries. 

Worship at Calvary

In-person worship

• Sunday 8 a.m. Holy Communion
• Sunday 10 a.m. Holy Communion. This worship service is also live streamed.
• Saturday, 4 p.m. Holy Communion
• Wednesday, 7 a.m. Holy Communion

Online worship

• Sunday 10 a.m. Holy Communion, which is an in-person service, is also live streamed. The link to Calvary's 10 a.m. service can be found on the Calvary website or streamed on Facebook and YouTube. All three places will have the recording to watch later.

Vestry Liaisons

Each area of ministry at Calvary is assigned a Vestry member liaison. The liaison serves as an intermediary between the committee and the whole Vestry. These are the liaison assignments for 2024:

• Worship & Music - Fr. Robert & Nancy Bolton
• Christian Formation - Kelly Blackey
• Gathering Socially - Lorrie Archdeacon & Laurie Kaiser
• Reaching In - Ted Andrews
• Reaching Out - Larry Bernhard & Sandra Handy
• Spreading the Word - Howard Craig
• Property - Michael Bommer
• Giving / Development - Dennis McCoy
• Church Finances - Guy Whalen

Attendance

Almighty God our heavenly Father, guide the nations of the world into the way of justice and truth, and establish among them that peace which is the fruit of righteousness, that they may become the kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

-- BCP p. 816