2009 - Celebration of 500th anniversary of the birth of John Calvin!!!

Books:

Media:

Reformation Overview - A complete VHS video curriculum

• 6 half-hour video programs with full curriculum for 6 - 13 sessions - including Wycliffe, Hus, Luther, Zwingli, Calvin, Anabaptists, and Tyndale
• The VHS videos will be replaced in 2009 with DVDs
• We also have the full length video on Hus in VHS.

Just Arrived:

• "John Calvin: His Life and Legacy" - a 60 minute documentary DVD

Six Ways to Celebrate CALVIN'S BIRTHDAY

From Ideas! for Church Leaders Spring 2009 - by Christina Berry

Want to celebrate Calvin's 500th birthday? Invite 500 people to a party with a cake with 500 candles and 500 balloons! Not practical? Not very pious, either. Here are some ideas for celebrations that even Calvin might approve.

1.Collect 500....

• Coins: In your church or Sunday school class, ask everyone to help collect 500 coins in honor of John Calvin. Paste a picture of Calvin on a jar or can to collect the money. When you've reached your goal, celebrate with birthday cake and give the money to a mission partner your congregation supports.
• Greeting cards: Ask members to bring 500 birthday cards to church over the next year. Use the cards to set up a "Calvin's Card Table" at your church where people can pick up cards to send to mission personnel, to one another, and to friends and family.
• Dollars: Ask your session to form a Calvin's Birthday Task Force and collect $500 for a commemoration of Calvin. This might be a lecture, a community outreach effort, or a mission project. Invite 500 people!
• Books: Gather 500 gently used children's books and donate them to your local library, Head Start, or early childhood education program, to give to children to keep for their very own.

2. Read 500 pages.

• Since Calvin was scholar who was devoted to Bible study, commit to daily devotional reading. Read the entire Bible (give yourself 500 days) by computing how many pages you need to read each day, and setting aside time for daily reading. Read from The Book of Confessions  for 5 minutes a day...You may find that once you get started, you'll want more than just 5 minutes.

3. See 500 pictures.

• Visit Switzerland: Calvin spent most of his life in Geneva except for a brief period of exile. Take a virtual tour of Switzerland by using Google Images to see visual highlights and by using Google Earth to see satellite images of Geneva today. Be sure to look for the Reformation Wall and St. Peter's Cathedral (Cathedrale St-Pierre). Search terms that might help include European Reformation, Geneva, and Calvin. You'll find thousands of images, both amateur and professional, and enough views of Geneva from atop St. Peter's to make you feel that you've actually been there.

4. Write 500 letters.

• Well, maybe write 5 letters. Or one letter. Much of what we know of Calvin's life, especially his personal life and feelings (including losing his temper at a church meeting), comes from his letters. In celebration of Calvin's 500th birthday, take the time to write an actual letter. Write to a former pastor, thanking her or him for spiritual leadership, or write a letter toa  church leader acknowledging his or her faith commitment. (Or, maybe ask forgiveness of someone with whom you've lost your temper in a church meeting!)

5. Celebrate friendships.

• Calvin relied heavily on the wisdom and support of his closest friends. He spent time with them, wrote to them, and sought their advice and guidance. When he was ready to marry, Calvin relied on his two closest friends to help him find a wife. They obliged. The woman he married, Idelette de Bure, may be one of the unsung heroes of the Reformation. So make a little time with friends to celebrate. Take a dear friend to coffee or lunch. Invite friends over for cake or for supper. Eat French food! Or Swill food.

6. Buy a Calvin DVD, John Calvin: His Life & Legacy, and watch it with friends.

• Purchase the new DVD from the Presbyteran Church (U.S.A.) and show it at a fun church gathering.

John Calvin was more than a theologian and more than just "the guy who wrote the Institutes." He was a model for Christian discipleship, ministry, and friendship. Maybe you can't throw a gala party in honor of Calvin's birthday. Maybe collecting 500 cards or dollars is beyond your ability. On July 10, 2009, pause for 5 minutes and give thanks to God for the gifts of John Calvin, theologian, preacher, pastor, loving husband, and faithful friend