“And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.” – 2 Corinthians 3:18

This fall on Pursuing Life will be all about stories of life-change, focusing on the ways that Jesus transforms the lives of people who decide to follow Him. We hope you’ll tune in starting next Monday, September 11, and find encouragement in the stories of others, as you consider your own pursuit of Jesus.

Michelle Kirby and Lydia Swarr both serve in Calvary Student Ministries – Lydia as a student group leader, and Michelle as a coach – and were connected with one another through a unique opportunity that arose for female leaders to be individually mentored by women in the church. Michelle had a burden to walk alongside younger women, while Lydia desired to be intentionally growing in her faith as she also walked alongside her group of high school girls. While some leaders only met with their mentors for a season, Michelle and Lydia chose to continue intentionally meeting together, and have both grown in their pursuit of life in Christ because of it. Today they are sharing with us why they feel that one-one-one discipleship is so important, and why it’s not as intimidating as they thought.

Check out Growing Together by Melissa Kruger (Gospel Coalition)

Over the last year, AJ & Lindsey Lafferty have been actively seeking to follow God’s call to make disciples. It hadn’t been a previously foreign concept to them, but after sitting through Calvary’s Ripple Effect sermon series, and attending the disciple-makers workshop that followed it, they really began to ask themselves if disciple-making was truly a reality in their lives. As they’ve processed together, God has taken them on a journey, both individually and as a couple, to be intentional in seeking out others for the purpose of gospel-centered growth.

Check out Warriors of the Word by Aaron & Emily House (founders of our partner organization, Piercing Word).

This summer is all about disciple-making on the Pursuing Life podcast. Tune in, starting June 26, to hear stories of people at Calvary who are taking seriously Jesus’ call to make disciples, and how it’s changing hearts and lives.

Ginny Rehnberg has held many different roles at Calvary over the years, but currently serves as a ministry assistant, working mainly with our benevolence ministry. Ginny came to know Jesus as a young girl living in foster care, and today she is sharing with us how knowing Him has changed her life, and how she sees her role at Calvary as a way to share the love of Christ with those in need. 

June is graduation season! Every year, we prayerfully send off dozens of high school seniors as they enter into a new season of life. It is our hope and prayer that each of them would go forward with Jesus as their foundation, looking to Him as their source of direction, wherever they go in life. This week on Pursuing Life, we talk with a few of our seniors about how God has been at work in their lives, where they sense Him leading in the future, and how they want to continue to grow in their pursuit of life in Him.

Mike Smucker serves as the president of Smucker’s Meats, which is a business that has been in his family for three generations. Mike and his family desire to share the love and character of Christ through their actions and use biblical principles to lead their employees. Today, Mike is sharing the ways in which he has seen God’s faithfulness in his work, how he has learned to trust God’s leading, and why he continues to be faithful to his calling, even when it’s hard.

Beth Gregory is one of the counselors on staff at Calvary Church. While she has not always worked in the counseling field, it has always been something that piqued her interest. After some circumstances later in life prompted Beth to seek out counseling for herself, she decided to go back to school to get her Master’s degree so that she could help others in their journeys as well. Today, she’s sharing how God not only used her experiences to lead her to the work she now does, but also how He has used it to impact her own walk with Him.

Cliff Hurter worked at Calvary Homes for over 40 years. For the majority of those years, he served as the Executive Director and, at the end of 2022, he stepped into retirement. Cliff really viewed his role at Calvary Homes as a ministry, and he sought to be intentional with the relationships he made with both the residents and staff that he worked with. Today, he is reflecting on his tenure at Calvary Homes, and speaking to what it looks like to transition well through life’s changes.

We are so excited for you to meet Juan and Rose, Calvary’s newest Global Partners! While they are new to Calvary Church, they are not new to global work, nor are they new to working with refugees, which is exactly what they do now in Lancaster City! Today, they are sharing how God has faithfully brought them full circle with the work that they are doing, and how He is actively at work among those who have sought refuge in our community. 

Do you want to partner with Juan and Rose, and the work that is happening at The Haven? Email [email protected], or contact Terri Sherman on our Global Ministry team at [email protected].