Gone Golfin'

After nearly a year, Pastor Kevin and I were finally free to cash in on the round of golf that the members of Calvary gave us for Pastor Appreciation Month, 2010.  We had a great time together around the links. We played 18 holes of golf at Brown's Run Country Club in Middletown, OH. Brown's Run is a private club, but allowed us to play after some badgering from one of our church members. Thank you Jan Hyde!!!


The course was in great shape, but unfortunately, we weren't And neither was the golf cart. The battery died after about 15 holes. We managed to play the rest of the round on sheer excitement. In the end, Pastor Kevin won by only 1 stroke. Of course, as always, the winner has to buy lunch... which he willingly did. Thanks Kevin! (Sucker!)

Tuesdays are usually designated for our "Mentor Day". This was a nice break from the norm, and allowed us some great fellowship away from the office. Pastor Kevin and I extend a great big thank you for the wonderful gift. We are blessed to have each one of you as members of Calvary Missionary Baptist Church.


Pastor Mike

Connecting Again!

As many know, Pastor Kevin and I meet every Tuesday for our weekly mentor session. We are doing a book study by John Maxwell called "Everyone Communicates, Few Connect."  This week's focus was on knowing our limitations when communicating... whether one on one or in the pulpit.


Knowing your audience helps tremendously when preaching the Word or communicating the Word to individuals. However, knowing yourself is a must as well. It's easy for a preacher to mimic another preacher or be pretentious when communicating. While there is nothing new under the sun... and borrowing points and illustrations is perfectly legit, being comfortable in your own skin will go a long ways.


We took time to evaluate what may be both our pros and cons of sermonizing. This helps us to determine what may need to be worked on. The hope is to make connections while preaching the Gospel of our Lord.  We both agreed that "relationships" are our strongest points. Knowing the people we are preaching to is highly important. It's impossible to smell like sheep if we aren't personally building relationships with those sheep.


Pray for us as we continue to grow together over the next years. Huge strides are being taken as Pastor Kevin prepares for God's next step in his ministry.


Pastor Mike Carmody

A little humor is good for ministry!

It's difficult to believe that ministry can take sooo much time and exhaust those who have dedicated their life to full time ministry. Sometimes, it's good to just add a little humor to what is often expected to be the most serious job on the planet.  This is where a good prank can come into play.


When Pastor Kevin first came on board, he and the teens decided to decorate my office in toilet paper. I came into my office, early one Sunday morning, to find every square inch covered in white. I chose to never mention it... but just clean it up, piece by piece. 


After hearing Pastor Kevin say repeatedly, "Church, we need to take ministry outside the walls of the church building", I decided to heed his ministerial plea.  So, I moved his ministry outside the walls of the church.  Just as I chose to be silent and clean up the toilet paper in my office, I suspect he will do the same with his mobile ministry. Or, at least I hope he does!


Pastor Mike Carmody

Connecting Goes Beyond Words

This week as we continued our study through the book Everyone Communicates Few Connect we were looking at the chapter about connecting through our words.  You would think that would be the main component of connecting right? I think that our actions speak louder than our words.  I am all about application and this is HUGE!!! There are major implications for those of us in Christ, We are Christ to the lost world around us, I have heard it said "We are the only bible many will ever read."  We all desire to have that connection with everyone we come into contact with, if we don't we have lost focus on what Christ has for us.  So we gotta be willing to make that connection to others around us, after all connecting is all about others.

We need to focus on body language and attitude when we are attempting to meet someone at there level.  It is completely obvious if we don't want to be doing something, so focus on having a positive attitude and showing interest in the other person.

I want to share with you a checklist from the book, it really impacted the way that I try to communicate to others.

1. Integrity- Did I do my best?

2. Expectation- Did I please my sponsor? (Jesus)

3. Relevance- Did I relate to the person/ audience? 

4. Value- Did I add value to the people?

5. Application- Did I leave them with a game plan?

6. Change- Did I make a difference?

That is a good way to gauge your communication skills.  These are the components of communication we should be striving for.

"People may hear your words, but they feel your attitude."  Let us be the Salt and Light Christ called us to be.

- Pastor Kevin

From stepping to leaping!

From time to time a Pastor has to get away and just be with his family. When this happens, finding a suitable replacement for the Sunday pulpit isn't always easy. I'm blessed to have several men whom I never hesitate to call upon when I'm away. For this I am grateful.


As part of our mentoring program, having Pastor Kevin in the pulpit is a must. I don't know where I would be if local Pastors had not loaned me their platform on occasion. This was the case most recently when I traveled with my family to visit with family and friends. Pastor Kevin jumped at the chance to preach in my stead.


What most would not consider is the hectic life that Pastor Kevin is currently living. Working a secular job, getting settled into a new home, Kelli being VERY pregnant and all that his ministry calls him to. All these things combined make for weak sermons.


However, this was not the case. I took time to listen to Pastor Kevin's sermon online this morning and was greatly blessed. It seems that he has went from stepping forward in his preaching to leaping forward. Much of the content of his sermon caused my heart to ponder and placed me under great conviction about many things.  It's obvious that Pastor Kevin is growing in the Lord and in his desire for God's people.


I ask you to pray for Pastor Kevin and Kelli. The goal is to some day send them out as church planting missionaries. While the vision is for many years to come, at this rate, it may be sooner than we had planned. May God guide this ministry as we follow His plan.


Pastor Mike

A Pastor On the Move

An opportunity opened for Pastor Kevin and his family to move a little closer to the church. His opportunity for relocation became the opportunity for several of the men and women from Calvary to open their hearts and arms to help.  It's difficult to explain how something so laborious can become something so fun and entertaining.  We laughed and laughed all afternoon while helping Kevin and Kelli get situated into their new home.


As a Christian, and even more-so as a church member, it's difficult to miss the "community" aspect of our relationship with Christ. When joining a church, you are literally joining a community of laborers for both Christ and yourself.  It seems that help is always just a phone call away. Whether it's for a car repair, a baby sitter or... to help haul a few boxes, God's people (in particular our fellow church members) never seem to fail.


May I encourage you to take advantage of the community we call "Calvary". It's more than a place to worship... it's our family!

Pastors on Visitation

Few things suffice for comfort like the sight of a friendly face. Pastors hope to offer this comfort through visitation. Whether in a hospital, prison or a home, getting to know people is essential to ministry. As part of our "mentor" program, Pastor Kevin and I spend much time and put many miles on the car for visitation purposes. 


Today, he and I were able to visit the family of a child who was to undergo major surgery in the Cincinnati Children's Hospital.  Praying with this family prior to and immediately after the surgery was a great comfort to the family of this very ill little girl.  The hours spent in the waiting room was not only hospitable, but also a needed distraction from the natural worry that comes with such a time.  I'm thankful that Pastor Kevin has a heart for all people.


Pray for your Pastors as they minister to the flock by way of visitation. As time and resources allow, we hope to make visitation a mainstay for the ministry of Calvary Missionary Baptist Church.  As I have said many times before, "A good shepherd smells like sheep."