The past year has been unusually busy for many people involved with Calvary Lutheran Church and the Fellowship Committee is no exception. There are numerous happenings and events that fall under that umbrella

The Men’s Group is an integral part of the church community, under the leadership of Brent Anderson and Mike Bro. The group meets at 7:30am the first Saturday of each month for breakfast, Bible study and fellowship. Generally, there are about 12-15 men that participate. They had a Men’s Retreat in April with Intern Thomas Johnston at the Fort Worth Nature Center concluding with a Bible study at Boss’s Pizza. Their “Smoking Events” were excellent this year with spring and fall sales of smoked chickens and yams. A smoked rib event was also a success.

The Men’s Group smoked and served brisket for Western Worship. But their most memorable effort was smoking meat for Pastor Phil’s retirement; 18 pork butts one day, followed by 15 briskets the next. It was delicious by all reports. 33 The Men’s Group also repaired the wind damaged fence of one of our senior members.

After Hurricane Helene, the Men’s Group donated money from their fall chicken event together with donations from the congregation and a match from Thrivent ($1 for every $2 donated), the total donation resulting in over $700 going towards Lutheran Disaster Response. Prior to the Christmas Holidays, the Men’s Group donated 20 hams and 20 frozen turkeys to NEED West. Calvary Café has been under the leadership and guidance of Pastor Phil for many years. With his retirement a dedicated team of volunteers has stepped up to continue this ministry.

The café continues to receive rave reviews, generally serving approximately 60 people each Wednesday evening. Over 80 were served on Halloween with Kudos to Café workers Anna Trimm, Beverly Johnson, Bob Van Geem, Cathy Allen, Cat Andejeski, Sharon Morris, Karen Jones, Kathy Humen, Seth Barrera and Melody Kuhns and Allen Kuhns. The Café team has enjoyed preparing and serving the Calvary Staff’s favorite meals the first Wednesday each month. We appreciate the diners who also surprise us with a “sweet treat” donation each week. The Café menus continue to evolve, and we are always open to ideas and suggestions.

Pastor Phil and the Fellowship Committee prepared and served soup to the members attending the Annual Meeting. The Church Council provided an array of sandwiches for that event. Western Worship, held the Sunday after Easter sold over 200 tickets and the weather was superb that day. The smoked brisket, courtesy of the Men’s Group and the delicious side dishes and desserts, courtesy of the congregation, made for a memorable event! It could not happen without the many people involved in setup, serving, and clean up. Thanks to all.

Fellowship Committee was part of the New Member Luncheons that took place in January and October this past year. It is always a pleasure to meet and get acquainted with the folks that have decided to make Calvary their church home. The committee also helped facilitate the numerous receptions that take place throughout the year, honoring our graduating Seniors, Confirmands, and concluding the year with Advent Vespers.

In closing, Fellowship is a friendly association with people who share interests. That is the heart and soul of Calvary members. It is easily seen week in and week out with the coffee service on Sunday morning. Kudos to those that brew coffee and have it ready to enjoy; also, to those who take responsibility for cleaning up and rinsing the coffee pots. It is appreciated.

The Fellowship Committee is always open to suggestions or requests for organizing new social events. Please do not hesitate to reach out.

Jason Rasmussen, Committee Chair