Home Church

Staying at home is what all the cool people are doing these days. Kids are being homeschooled, adults are working from home, and this Sunday we are having Home Church. 


This Sunday for Home Church, we encourage you to spend time centering on God’s presence through worship, learning from the scriptures, praying, and just spending time together. 


Currently, the state of Illinois is under a stay at home order. Following Paul's teachings in Romans 13:1-5, we want to respect our governing authorities, so we will not be having church as usual this week. But church is not cancelled, it will be held exclusively online. We know that social distancing is hard, because humans are made for interaction, connection, and relationship, but social distancing at this time is how we can love each other well.


Church is so much more than a service that we attend together. Church is a people that connect with each other as we worship God together. We encourage you to gather with your families this Sunday morning, maybe even join another family or two through FaceTime, Skype, or Zoom, and use this guide to engage with each other and God in a unique and personal way. 


Here are a couple things to keep in mind as you prepare for Home Church this Sunday:  

  • Spend time in prayer beforehand to bring “a song, or a word of instruction, a revelation” or some other encouragement “so that the church may be built up.” (1 Corinthians 14:26)

  • Because Home Church still involves a teaching, please make sure that you have access to some means of watching and listening to the teaching. (e.g. laptop, tv with internet access, etc.)

  • Note: Home Church should last approximately 60 minutes. 

Kids & Youth

Our kids usually have their own classes on Sunday. What about them?

Good news! Pastor Heather has prepared special resources for our kids that can be found here. 


And what about Sunday evening youth?

Pastor Chris has prepared special resources for our teens that can be found here. 

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Opening (2 Minutes)

Begin your time together by watching this introduction from Pastor Randal, then take a few moments to pray together. Invite the Holy Spirit to make himself known to you this morning, and pray that you would hear clearly from God during this season. 

LOADING PLAYER…

Worship Music (15 minutes)

Many of us think of worship as a time to sing with a band at church, but worship is so much more than that. To worship is to turn your attention and affection towards God in adoration and awe. Below are a few suggestions for Home Church worship this Sunday:


If someone in your home is able to lead worship through song, spend some time singing together. 


If you don’t have someone who can lead worship through song, here are a few other options:

  • Listen and sing along to a few songs from our Home Church playlist. The link below will take you to YouTube, or you can listen on Spotify by clicking here. 
  • Pick a few Psalms and read them out loud together. For this week we recommend Psalms 8, 9, and 67.
  • Spend a few minutes expressing gratitude out loud to God.
  • Consider ending your time by singing a few songs of worship a capella (without instruments). We recommend the Doxology.

Teaching (33 Minutes)

Watch this week's teaching below.


If you're new and would like to connect with us, please fill out our connect form by clicking here. 


Note that the video of Kayla Neetz was edited for brevity. You can view her full message to our church here. 

LOADING PLAYER…

Prayer (10 Minutes)

In response to the message, spend some time in prayer together. Begin with a few moments in silence, listening for what God might have to say to you or to those with you in this moment, then share what came to mind. After a few minutes of listening and sharing, spend time praying for:

  • Opportunities to do what Jesus did during these crazy days
  • God to continue to send his people to fulfill his mission
  • Eradication of COVID-19 and healing for those who are sick
  • Followers of Jesus to be a presence of peace and love in our community
  • Any needs in your home

If you would like to share any prayer requests with us, please fill out this form. We would love to hear your prayer needs and stories of answered prayer, and the pastoral team will pray over any needs we receive this week. 

Giving

Take a few minutes to practice generosity. You can give online. After giving, have somebody pray for generosity and provision at Calvary Church in this season. 

Discussion (later)

We've prepared a few discussion questions so you can take a few moments to reflect on the teaching with each other:

  • What stood out to you from this week's teaching? 
  • What can you do this year to support missions: financial commitment to missions, people to share with, opportunities to serve? 
  • How does thinking of yourself as a partner with God change your understanding of his expectations of you? 
  • Pastor Chris mentioned that we all have people who don't know Jesus in our influence. What creative ways can you share Jesus with them? 
  • In light of this teaching, how do you think Jesus is inviting you to live differently? 

Virtual Coffee Connection

Once you have finished your Home Church gathering, Pastor Chris will be going live on our facebook page at 11:00am to interact with you. Please join us, comment any questions from the message, reply to comments from each other, and use this as a way to virtually connect for a while just like we usually do during Coffee Connection at the end of our Sunday services together. 


You do not need a facebook account to view our page and watch the live video, but you do need an account to comment and interact with others. 

Wash your hands and have a great week!