The Wire | Volume 1 - Issue 1

8/3/2019 The Wire | Volume 1 - Issue 1

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Gradual GrowthBy Jon Eshleman, College Pastor

Im glad that you have this new magazine in your hand. Our hope is that it will connect youmore and more with what is happening in Student Ministries. I have the privilege of writing

this article on Grow. As you know, the mission of Calvary Church is to Connect, Grow,

and Reach. This aspect of grow is perhaps one of the more difficult parts to measure.

Growth normally takes time and hard work. Ive been watching my daughter, Sophia, grow

over the past year. I am amazed at how much sleep she requires, but then I remember that

her body is so busy expanding and growing that it takes a great deal of energy out of her.

Her growth has happened in a healthy and noticeable way over the last year. I remember

vividly when she couldnt hold her own head up properly, and now she is crawling all over

the place and getting into everything. I think of the ways in which we grow spiritually, and

I believe they are not always that different from the ways we grow physically. Spiritual

growth takes time. As much as I might want Sophia to be out surfing with me right now, I

know that she is not at that stage in her growth yet. I sometimes get frustrated in my own

ability to live out the commands of Jesus with perfect execution, but I must remember

that my growth will be gradual at different points in my journey with Jesus. There will be

a day in Sophias life when shell start walking and shell leave behind the crawling. There

are days like that in our own spiritual journeys;

days when we decide that one bad habit or an

addiction no longer has hold over us and we

will not turn back to it. As pastors it is often

difficult to see the growth of our students over

a year or even two years, more likely it is 5 or

6 years later that we see how much they have grown, not only physically, but spiritually

as well. I urge you to continue setting a great example by the way you live your lives,

modeled after that of Christ Jesus. Although

you may not see the growth as quickly and

as noticeably as you would like, I am certain

that God is working if you are abiding in Him.

When you stay attached to Jesus, it is His

power that works through us to produce good

fruit and healthy growth! Stay attached to the

true vine and you will grow.

My Teen Seems On The FringeBy Josh Simpson, Jr. High/Student Ministries Pastor

Am I significant? Do others care about me? Does anyone even know Im here?Teenagers desperately want to connect! They are seeking a sense of belonging, but thesad reality is that even at church it can be easy to get lost or overlooked. As much as Iwish I was capable of personally caring for each student in the Student Ministriesit is just

not possible to give them the attention they all deserve. LifeGroups provide the personalattention that students need and dont always receive in a large group setting. Thesegroups allow students to be known and heard. We call them LifeGroups because they areall about doing life with others... If you feel like your student is still not connecting, MarkOestreicher (a youth ministries guru) gives these telltale signs to watch out for:

Distancing from childhood friends: This can be a healthy processso dont jump toconclusions. But be aware that this initiation of social shift can result in a move to the fringe.

Quantity time spent alone: This is especially common in young teen boys: theirsocial skills are often not developed, and its emotionally easier to be a loner than tobushwhack into new friendships.

Depression: Im not necessarily referring to the clinical types of depression. Andall young teen get moody and down at times. But take notice if this seems to be aregular mood.

Popularity Longings: Its certainly not uncommon for teens to want to be popular (itsnot uncommon for adults either!). But watch for regular verbalizations and attempts atbreaking into popular cliques.

If you sense that your teen is on the fringe, somewhat friendless, and defeatist about

building new friends, try some of these ideas:

Verbally encourage budding friendships: When you see your teen taking healthy stepstoward new friendships, affirm their efforts.

Facilitate friendships:Go to great lengths to create opportunities for healthy friendshipsto develop. Suggest creative and fun things to do, and provide transportation.

Keep lines of communication open: Talking about this stuff can be the most importantstep for lonely teens. Find safe and neutral places for your teen to share with you.Keep their LifeGroup leader in the loop too.

Encourage youth group participation: Its important that your teen have theopportunity to take part in a healthy church youth group.

Pray for your teen! Pray for healthy friendships that will meet the very real socialneeds of your teenager.

2008 Youth Specialties, Mark Oestreicher

Growth will be gradual

at different points inmy journey with Jesus.

Jon & Sophia Eshleman1 2


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By Melissa Brosch, High School Director

This is a chance for me tointroduce one of our amazingStudent Ministries staff members...Sandy Hemphill. Sandy has been

serving in high school ministry forthe past 3 years and is absolutelyfantastic. She is not only anamazing LifeGroup leader, butthe mom of two other amazingLifeGroup leaders, Jennifer andMatt. Sandy works at OrangeLutheran High School in the Development Department. She has a passionto see high school girls grow in their knowledge of God and experience thefullness of a life lived daily for Jesus. Sandy is gifted at helping high schoolgirls connect with each other and share openly and honestly. She is easy totalk to, a blast to hang out with and her wisdom is an asset to our high schoolministry. Sandy will be spending the next year helping her son Matt getready for his wedding! Matt will be marrying our very own Student Ministries

Administrative Assistant, Erin OBrien. We love Sandy and feel proud to haveher as a member of our High School Ministry Team.

Reaching Through RelationshipsBy Melissa Brosch, High School Director

One of my favorite memories of this past year was a Reach Wednesdaynight that was dedicated solely to a game called Wii: Just Dance. If youhave never heard of it, you are missing out on one of the finer things in life!Wii dance is a game that takes popular songs and adds choreographeddance moves to them. The goal is to dance the choreography better than

the person next to you. However, on this particular night, there was nocompetition, there was justdance. As a room full of 100 high schoolstudents stared at the video choreography on the screen and tried theirhardest to mimic the moves, I stood back and took it all in. I saw studentsI had never met before standing next to Calvary kids that I see every weekdancing their hearts out. The students were making each other laugh,helping each other with the dance moves, and flailing around without ahint of self-consciousness. We had created a safe environment where kidscould be themselves and connect with each other. They now had a commoninteraction, a funny story, an inside joke. They were bonding over the mostridiculous game ever invented. The night was clearly about so much morethan dancing. We wholeheartedly believe that these connections are thefirst step in sharing the gospel.

One of my favorite quotes is, Students dont care how much you knowunless they know how much you care. Relationships provide a foundation

for spiritual discussion. We make it a priority to plan crazy, fun, ridiculousevents that build community for the purpose of the gospel. After attendingan event like this, non-Christian students are much more likely to comeback and jump into the everyday life of our ministry. It is in the everydaylife of LifeGroups, Sunday/Wednesday messages, and Bible studies thatwe take students deeper.

The first Wednesday of every month is dedicated to REACH. We also plana large scale outreach such as Day Zero each semester. We want to seestudents come on our church campus, make friends, make memories andfeel safe to explore how God wants to love them and change their life. Weare so thankful to serve a God who can use Wii: Just Dance, dodgeball,disco roller skating and jumping on inflatables to spread the truth of hislove and salvation.

STEPS TO BECOMING A CALVARY VOLUNTEER:

Application(hard copy or online)

Background Check (for those working with minors, disabled or elderly)

References(we call two people who know you well)

Observation(you get to observe the ministry youre interested in)

Orientation(we tell you some of the specifics/policies of where you are serving)

To sign up today, visit: calvarylife.org/students

From left to right: Jenn, Blake, Sandy, Erin, Matt

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By Tony Jones, Student in the College Group

Youre only just beginning Those are thewords that have been constantly ringing in myears over the last few years of my life. Theyremind me of all the highs and lows of life that

Ive been though and to remember there isalways more to come. My name is Tony Jonesand I am a recent college graduate. In morerecent months I have had a lot of free timeto ponder what God has done in my life andwhat He is currently teaching me. The biggestchanges came through the course of my collegecareer, so that is where I will begin my story. I

first entered California State Polytechnic University of Pomona (Cal Poly)as a freshmen destined to follow in my fathers footsteps as an Urban

Planner. Choosing this path was sort of a desperation toss to Godfor what I should do with my life now that high school was done

and I had no idea what I was passionate about or wanted todo. After hearing my dad speak about his career and looking

into it, I decided that a Planner was what God wanted meto do since there was no other option, so there I went.

Finding community and comfort at that place wasdifficult for me, but fortunately, I found communityin my college group at Calvary Church of Santa

Ana, Foundation. Having a communitywhere I could connect with peers and learn

to follow Jesus together was exactlywhat I needed, especially during

the next period of my life. Aftergoing through a difficult broken

relationship and identitycrisis after my first year, I

entered a depression forseveral months and

didnt recover untiltransferring from

Cal Poly to Biola University. The one thing that remained constant throughthis rough transition was Foundation College Ministry. God showed me thestability and strength that I lack can be found only in Him and His presencewithin a community of His followers. As Jesus had his supporting cast, somust we in order to weather lifes obstacles. Every time I have thought thatI can do it on my own, Gods voice calls me back to himself and urges me toinvest in people. As my college pastor (Jon Eshleman) constantly remindsus: now that we have found God, our entire lives are dedicated first toloving God, but also learning to love others, and that is what it means tofollow Jesus. And at times we may think it impossible to force ourselvesto love others, but the only thing we can do to improve is simple, practice.Practicing patience helps develop patience, and practicing forgivenesshelps us to forgive. With this mindset, the next few years at Biola weresome of the best of my life. I graduated with the intent of pursuing full-time ministry; however, God still had more to teach me as I entered intothe life of a college grad. Ministry seemed like such a good fit for me, andhaving worked part-time in Calvarys Jr. High Ministry for the past few yearsI decided that was the path for me. Having gone through so many ups anddowns in college, I figured I was ready for anything that came my way. Butafter waiting 9 months for a decision on a possible position at a church,not only did I not get the job, but news of my rejection came the day afteranother difficult break-up with a girlfriend. There I was, left with debt, nomoney, no job, no direction in my life, and a deep feeling of loneliness.Naturally, my instinct was to panic and lose hope, and life once againbecame difficult. However, the extra time I obtained by losing thosethings allowed me to ponder and come to the conclusion that Iwill never be done learning from God. If my mindset is on whatIve lost or how Ive failed, those feelings of hopelessnessand doubt can consume me. However, if I enter life withthe mindset that youre only just beginning, a whole

new world opens up where God has a prosperousplan for us as he promises in Jeremiah 29.Through the support of a community, throughpracticing loving others, and through seeingGods faithfulness, there is nothing Iam unprepared for. Even though thefuture is completely uncertain to me,however hopeless and doubtfulmy life may appear to me, thewords that ring throughmy head have a happyending, Youre only just beginningandI will be with youthe whole way.

Tony Jones

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By Kristin McNamara, mother of a Jr. High, High School, and College Studentv

I remember the first time when I found out that my junior high youth group leaders werevolunteers. The youth pastor asked the volunteers to stand up and be acknowledged. Thatcant be! I thought. Why would they want to hang out with me for free? I recall lookingat these young adults a little bit differently that day, but I did not grasp the importanceof these individuals in my life yet. Later, when I began working with teenagers as a youngadult, I still had no appreciation for my presence in teenagers lives. Sure, I called them,

baked cookies with them, went to their plays and sporting events, and even developed abond with some of my girls, but my value in their lives still escaped me. It was not untilmy husband, John, and I were blessed to raise teenagers of our own, that I fully beganto grasp the significance of the youth staff in our kids lives. No matter how sound thefoundation we build at home, the faithful volunteers that have chosen to devote their

precious time to our children are crucial to our kidsspiritual development. John and I have been blessedwith four children: Delaney is 20 years old and involvedin the college group, Connor is a junior in high school,Sean is a seventh grader, and Brenna is in fourth grade.Being educated in the public schools, attendanceat church and various functions are paramount tothe raising of our own kids. Years of Bible memoryprograms supplemented our own Biblical teachings athome. However, a necessary piece to this puzzle is theconnection that they feel with the staff every time they

walk into their youth group, every time they get a note or a phone call from their leader,and greater still is their leaders presence at one of their games or performances! It is alsocomforting to know that, even after a hard week, my child can walk into Fellowship Hall or

Elevation and get a hug and a Good to see you! It warms my heart every Sunday to thisscene played out between Josh and others. Finally, our teenagers see a perfect model ofwhat it looks like to be a selfless giver. Like Christ, our youth leaders have compassionfor the lonely student sitting in the back. They also have their eye out for identifying ourteenagers strengths, encouraging them to use those gifts for Gods glory. They have aheart for the lost. They are the impartial ear to our kids burdens, as well as the fingerpointing them to the truth in Gods Word. Programs and short-term mission trips areimportant, but to see Christ modeled by volunteers who actually care about our kids iswhat ministry is all about. When I think of these faithful and devoted partners who comealongside us as parents, I cant help but echo Pauls thoughts in his letter to the Philippians:

Every time I think of you, I give thanks to my God. Whenever I pray, I make myrequests for all of you with joy, for you have been my partners in spreading the GoodNews about Christ from the time you first heard it until now. And I am certain thatGod, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finallyfinished on the day when Christ Jesus returns. So it is right that I should feel as I doabout all of you, for you have a special place in my heart. -- Philippians 1:3-7a

John & Kristin McNamara

JOSH SIMPSONJunior High Pastor /

Student Ministries Pastor

NIKKI SMALLEYJunior High

Associate Director

ROBERT CARTERJunior High Intern

TOBI PETERSJunior High

Worship Intern

MELISSA BROSCHHigh School Director

DOUG BROWNHigh School

Associate Director

KATIE MANSFIELDHigh School Intern

BEN HARRISHigh School

Worship Intern

JON ESHLEMANCollege Pastor

KRISTIN GACKLECollege Intern

VICTOR ESTRADACollege Worship Pastor

ERIN OBRIENStudent Ministries

Admin. Assitant 87


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JANUARY 4

JANUARY 27

FEBRUARY 12

FEBRUARY 17

FEBRUARY 23-26

MARCH 7

MARCH 16

APRIL 20-21

MAY 16

High School Holiday Skate Party

Jr. High OvernightScapades

Hume Lake Registration

Jr. High Sky High Event

College RIDE Ski Trip

Jr. High Missions Feast

High School Day Zero

Planet Wisdom Student Conference

Summer Preview Night

SUMMER CAMP DATES

July 1-7

July 7-14

July 15-21

Jr. High Hume

College Houseboat

High School Hume

For more information about any of our events, please contact Erin at:

714.550.2331 or [email protected]

new staff memberHi ya! My name is Nikki Smalley and I am so excited tobe the NEW Jr. High Associate Director. For the past twoyears I have been living in the western part of Ireland asa Calvary Missionary. Ireland is such a beautiful country,but traditional Catholicism has created darkness overthe country and there is so much hopelessness there. Iworked with the youth in the town of Westport, getting

to know the Irish students and found that teens all overthe world are going through very similar things.

I am truly excited to work with the Jr. High students atCalvary Church again because...lets be honest...Jr. High is the best! I sayagain because before I went to Ireland I worked in Calvarys Jr. High ministryfor four years.

When I was in Jr. High I rededicated my life to Christ because thats when Iunderstood that being a follower of Christ was to surrender your whole lifeto Him. Not just being a Sunday and Wednesday Christian, but to shine forHim every day of my life. I love this age group because it is a time of growthand learning more about who you are, and I want to be that person in yourstudents life who points them to Christ in finding their identity.

I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it isthat bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. --John 15:5

We are so thankful for those of you have made pledges and have giventowards Calvarys Restoration Project. The first phase of critical repairs wascompleted this past summer and we have submitted the plans to the city towork on the phase to remodel the Worship Center to include the nursery. Weare hoping to hear back from the city and work toward obtaining a buildingpermit this winter and Lord willing start construction in 2012. After the nurseryis complete we plan to start the process of turning our current nursery into the

Student Underground. We will keep you posted as the time line and next stepsare solidified. Keep this project inyour prayers and thanks for yourcontinued support of it.

Nikki Smalley

By Michael Welles, Executive Pastor of Administration

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The Wire | Volume 1 - Issue 1