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Written by Cyndy Snyder
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Every Friday @ 7:00 pm Do you or does someone you know battle with a stubborn habit or addiction? We can help! Great Teaching: Each RU meeting includes a 30 minute teaching lesson on how to overcome temptation using principles found in the Bible. Complete Curriculum: RU has prepared resource materials to help your recovery. We have Program Guides, Handbooks, Workbooks, Memory Books, Counsel Guides, Handbook Study Guides, and many audio tapes of previous lessons. Free Transportation: RU has free pick ups available to those who are unable to drive. We will also pick up people from other programs free of charge. Stories of Victory: RU gives volunteer students an opportunity to share how God has changed their lives. Our visitors love to hear stories of God's miraculous, saving grace. We hear of days, months, and years of victory and give awards for each. Free Personal Advising: RU breaks into advisory groups to share each of our burdens and blessings. Each group is led by a leader from the church. If anyone needs to speak to someone personally, that is available. Leadership Staff: RU has its very own leadership staff of volunteers who are trained to work with you one on one or in group counseling. How much for the class? No Charge! Call 639-4239. Reformers Website: www.reformu.com |
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Where Do We Stand on Music |
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Written by Frank Snyder
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Calvary Baptist Church and Christian Music “The music you use ‘positions’ your church in your community. It defines who you are. Once you have decided on the style of music you’re going to use in worship, you have set the direction of your church in far more ways than you realize. It will determine the kind of people you attract, the kind of people you keep, and the kind of people you lose.” 1 This quote from popular author and one of America’s most celebrated mega church pastors, Rick Warren, of the Saddleback Community Church in California is, sadly, an accurate assessment of how things are in American church life today. It is a fact that music is a key factor, if not, the key factor in why people choose churches today and why people leave churches. This has been increasingly the case over the last 25-30 years as the seeker sensitive / church growth movement has gained momentum. Music has been the primary method used in this movement to attract outsiders. Numbers minded pastors and laymen have implemented, among other things, pop music into the worship format. The result has been that multitudes of churches during the last two decades have divided over the music used in the services. Music is the bottom line in the so-called “worship wars” that simmer or rage in churches across the nation and around the world. Many churches try to avoid the division and collisions by having two, three or more services catering to the tastes, especially the musical tastes, of the various generations. Some churches have separate services for the Builders (WW II generation) the Baby Boomers (post WW II generation) the Generation Xer’s, and the Net-gen’rs (The Internet Generation)- all of whom have unique musical tastes and cannot seem to relate to or worship to the music of the other generations. Churches that have not gone to separate services have tried to have “blended” services that incorporate something for everyone musically. However, even in this blended worship atmosphere there is some sanctified “teeth grinding” going on. Some have come to believe that the music used is key to real worship taking place. The seeker sensitive church philosophy is very dependent upon the music used to get those worship feelings up and running on Sunday morning. Many worship “experts” freely admit this. They will advise up and coming worship leaders to use certain upbeat numbers to kick start the service and get the energy up. Then, to maintain that mood they advise them to use certain other pieces that have a certain tempo, volume and key. “Instruments, arrangements, chords and beat should be woven into a pattern that will bend and sway the feelings of the people to maximize their feelings of worship.”2 In this writer’s opinion, no single issue has polarized, divided and sometimes destroyed congregations more than the music used during worship services. We have determined that it will not happen here at Calvary Baptist for two reasons: |
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Written by Frank Snyder
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We at Calvary believe that a believer's tithe belongs to the local church of which they are members. We encourage visitors to our site to do that. However, we understand that, at times, there are exceptional circumstances where someone might find themselves without a church home and yet still wish to give. Perhaps the Lord has laid it on your heart to give an offering to CBC because the ministry has been a particular blessing to you. Perhaps you are one of Calvary's members who is away on vacation and want to support your church home. If you believe the Lord would have you give, please do so with joy (II Cor 9:7). |
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Written by Cyndy Snyder
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Pastor and Mrs. Frank Snyder have been in fulltime ministry for nearly 30 years. Pastor Frank is an ordained minister who has earned both BA and MA degrees in biblical studies and has taken graduate level course work at several educational institutions. Pastor Snyder has served as a youth pastor, minister of music, associate pastor, and has served as a senior pastor since 1979. In conjuction with his pastoral responsibilities, Pastor Snyder has served as a jail chaplain. He has also served as a reserve police officer and departmental chaplain for the Hazel Park, Michigan Police Department for three years and has served as a board member of a Baptist crisis pregnancy center for over 13 years. Cyndy Snyder has been an active pastor's wife, serving in many capacities in the local church ministry. She has taught on virtually every age level in childrens' ministry and taught and counseled in ladies' ministries as well. She has been active in the music ministry in accompanying, directing, and arranging music for worship. Cyndy has been the director of the Women & Teens Crisis Pregnancy Center of Pontiac, Michigan since 1997. Women & Teens is a Baptist agency supported through individuals and independent Baptist churches. The Snyders have been married since 1974 and have five adult children. The Lord called Pastor Snyder to Calvary Baptist Church where he has served as pastor since June of 2007. |
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What Do We Mean 'Independent'? |
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Written by Frank Snyder
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By independent, we mean that the group of believers known collectively as Calvary Baptist Church are unaffiliated with any hierarchical control from another organization such as a conference, convention, diocese, or denominational headquarters. We believe that was the pattern in the New Testament: |
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Written by Frank Snyder
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A church is not a building, a religious organization, or even just a group of believers in Jesus Christ. It is an organized group of baptized believers in Jesus Christ who meet regularly in some locale for fellowship, teaching, worship, and accountability, administrated and led by servant/leaders appointed by that congregation. (Acts 2:42; 20:7; I Corinthians 16:2; I Timothy 3:1-13; Hebrews 10:25; Revelation 1:10) Baptists differ widely from congregation to congregation. Yet all Baptists, including Calvary Baptist Church of Quincy, have a commitment to the following:
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