April 2010 Update

Dear Family and Friends,

I hope you are doing great and that you had a blessed time celebrating the death, burial, and resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ on Easter weekend. What an exciting time we had at our services! Over the past month, we have seen the Lord do some amazing things in the life of our church. The momentum is awesome and we have grown at least 30%.

The people that have been coming and joining Calvary are seeking a church that teaches the Word.   Time and time again we have heard them say how fed up they are of attending churches that do not teach the bible. Once they attend one of our services, you can literally see their countenance change and their excitement and joy that they have found a church that goes through God’s Word.  It is so cool to watch this happen.

As I have mentioned in the past, the last Saturday of each month we have a men’s’ fellowship and barbeque. At our last bbq, we had 24 guys show up, which has been the most we have had in attendance so far. Next month, we are going to intentionally add more of an outreach feel to it. We have been teaching through the book of Nehemiah, a chapter per session / month. This month we will be in chapter four. It is always a blast to hang out and to get to know these guys and to see what the Lord is doing in their lives.  Please keep praying for the fellowship time with these guys.

Easter Services

This year was the first time we were able to have a Good Friday service (which we had over 50 in attendance) since moving here to Melbourne.

It’s been on my heart to hold this service each year, but the timing, lack of help, among many other things has hindered it. We have such a phenomenal team that the Lord has raised up, and I felt that it was time for us to step out and go for it.  Then on Sunday we had our Easter service and a big fellowship luncheon afterwards.  These luncheons are awesome; delicious food, great opportunity for fellowship, and just a heap of fun.  We’re looking forward to next year, and what the Lord will bring if the rapture hasn’t already happened.

Status on Visa

Your browser may not support display of this image. By the time you get this we will be half way through the visa process. We will be doing the medical testing next week, which is the last big thing we need to complete before we are able to lodge the paperwork. The next step in the process is the remainder of the finances to be provided, which is close to $3000. We know the Lord is in control and that He will provide as He always has.

Upcoming Church Camp

This September (19-22) we have planned our first Church Family camp. We have done in the past both men and women retreats, but this is the first for the whole church. We are thrilled to see the response of the congregation.  It would be great to have a team come out to help, and assist with the running of the camp. If you are interested, please let me know as soon as possible so we can point you in the right direction and get the process started.

Prayer request

Please pray for wisdom, discernment, protection, provision.

Please pray for our permanent visa – wisdom, favor with the immigration, quick process, finances

Pray for a revival in the church

Pray for the Lord to bless Calvary Chapel

Please pray for our family – Niki, Joshua, Christian, Andrew.

Please pray for us to have the right balance with family time, homeschooling, ministry, and all the other areas of life.

Thank you for your prayers and support. You are truly making a difference in the kingdom.

Until next time……

Pastor Andrew Russell
Andrew, Niki, Joshua, & Christian