Left: Pastor Tom Zobrist preaches a live-streamed sermon. Top right: Pastor Charlie Paine holds a service through Facebook. Bottom right: another alum, Dustin Garrett, holds a worship service online.
Calvary grads finding creative ways to serve
In spite of stay-at-home orders across the country, Calvary alumni are continuing their ministries. In lieu of holding regular service, many pastors have turned to streaming services. Calvary alum and chairman of the board Tom Zobrist, who pastors Liberty Bible Church in Eureka, Illinois, said, “Liberty was already broadcasting services with high quality video equipment for quite some time,” so the transition was easier for them. Another alumnus, Pastor Charlie Paine of Blue River Bible Church said their services had transitioned online as well. “[We are] conducting a virtual Sunday School class through Zoom… and a feature called Friday Blessings, in which we use the church Facebook to share blessings and praises.”
Staying connected as a church during isolation can prove difficult. Zobrist said Liberty Bible Church has a team that comes in on Sundays to produce their broadcasts, and “I have also been set up to be able to livestream with my phone in our home so that I can broadcast Sunday night and Wednesday night Bible studies when scheduled.” Even some youth group and AWANA events have transitioned to online.
Zobrist said their AWANA leader “developed a virtual AWANA on Wednesday nights that broadcasts opening ceremonies and devotions on Facebook and then leaders contact individual clubbers by phone so that they can keep up with their sections… Our youth also have been having a game and devotion on Wednesday nights with our new youth pastor, Josh Tomlinson, a soon-to-be CU grad. Josh hasn’t even officially started his ministries here yet, but is already developing relationships with our kids.”
Kansas City’s CEF ministries have been adapting to pandemic conditions as well. Another alum, Christy Heath, works as CEF’s local director for the Greater Kansas City Area. Heath said, “When the public elementary schools in our local area abruptly closed in mid-March because of COVID-19, we immediately began to respond with creative ministry strategies and tools for continued Gospel outreach to our 2,000+ after-school Good News Club (Bible club) children, their families, and many others.” CEF’s resources include an online Good News Club on Good News TV (U-NITE YouTube channel), Good News Radio, and online activity books, and other tools available at cefonline.com/covid19.
As we live through these ever changing times, Pastor Zobrist said, “We look forward to the day we can be together physically again, but until then, we will make the most of the opportunities we are given. May we all stay faithful in these different days.”
