Yesterday afternoon the Winnebago County Health Department finally released their guidelines for Rockford worship gatherings in June. If you wish to do so, you can check them for yourself at www.mystateline.com/news/winnebago-county-health-department-details-guideline.
In summary, the restrictions are so severe that, should we decide to meet, we would not be able to do many of the things that we have come to associate with Calvary Worship services: no singing, no passing of the offering plate, no bulletins, no pens, no pew Bibles, no baptism, no communion and, in our space, only about 30 worshippers sitting six feet apart and making no physical contact.
It is my (David’s) opinion that we would be better off continuing to perfect our live stream worship under Pastor Ed’s gifted leadership as we wait patiently for at least stage four of the governor’s plan for reopening the state. The Elder Board will meet for their regular monthly assembly on June 14 at noon to further discuss our next steps.

Until then, your support will be extremely critical. Please plan to connect with us online for Sunday worship each week at 10:30 AM and to send in your tithes and share your prayer requests at our website:
www.calvarymemorialchurch.com
or to mail them to us at
Calvary Memorial Church
2715 North Alpine Road
Rockford, IL ~ 61114.

Our pastors remain available for counsel and encouragement at their individual telephone numbers: David – 815-985-9729/Ed – 815-540-4824/Dave - 815-668-3815. Be assured that we greatly appreciate your prayers for us as we lead our church family through this difficult time. Thank you.
Be blessed,

Pastor David Petty ~ Pastor Ed Tinsley ~ Pastor Dave Symonds ~ Calvary Board of Elders

What’s that? Could it be a light at the end of the tunnel? Rockford’s Mayor McNamara has announced that, with Covid-19 numbers beginning to decline and if Governor Pritzker does not extend the “Stay At Home” order beyond May 31, churches will again be allowed to meet in June.

If this indeed does unfold accordingly, we will plan to resume worship gatherings on June 7. The nature of such services, however, we will not know until May 26 when the guidelines will be issued by our Health Department. When we send out our next update letter on May 29, we should be able to include the details along with information on other church meetings as well.

Until then, we will continue to live stream Sunday worship each week at 10:30 AM and you can send in your tithes and share your prayer requests at our website: www.calvarymemorialchurch.com or mail them to us at

Calvary Memorial Church
2715 North Alpine Road ! Rockford, IL. 61114

Please know how very thankful we have been for your faithfulness in supporting our ongoing work at Calvary during this difficult time. We look forward to a marvelous day of rejoicing when, at last, our fellowship is again united.

Sincerely yours,                              

Pastor David Petty (815-985-9729) 
Pastor Ed Tinsley (540-4824)
Pastor Dave Symonds (815-668-3815)

It has now been eight Sundays since we were last able to gather as a congregation and it is likely that we will not be able to meet the conditions for meeting until sometime later in June.  Please be assured that your leaders are working just as hard as ever to be sure that we are ready to resume as soon as possible. Special thanks, in particular, are due to Pastor Ed who has invested countless hours into perfecting our Live Stream broadcasts each Sunday.
We are in stage two of the Illinois plan and should be moving to stage three by the end of this month. It is not, however, until stage four that gatherings larger than ten will be permitted. When that day arrives, we will almost certainly only be able to meet in groups of 50 or less, practicing social distancing of six feet and with worshipers wearing masks. We have set up the worship center to accommodate this arrangement with 41 seats for participants plus two sound board technicians and up to seven worship leaders. To make this possible we will have to offer three services of one hour in length: 8:00-9:00 AM, 9:30-10:30 AM & 11:00 AM-12:00 PM. I am letting you know this in advance so that, when the time comes, you can make the best decision for you and your family.
Until then you will want to check in at www.CalvaryMemorialChurch.com regularly for the latest news. I will also continue to update all those for whom I have email addresses with a weekly letter on Fridays and our pastors can be reached as needed at their individual telephone numbers - David Petty: 815-985-9729, Ed Tinsley: 815-540-4824, Dave Symonds: 815-668-3815. Much needed donations can be made online or mailed to 2715 North Alpine Road ~ Rockford, IL ~ 61114.

On behalf of the entire Calvary Ministry Team,
Pastor David Petty                                                                                                                                                                                                      Philippians 1:3-6

As we prepare to celebrate Mother’s Day 2020 disconnected from our church family, we want to challenge you to not let the restrictions keep you from expressing your love and appreciation  to the women God has used in your life to bless you through the years. Be creative and God can use this  situation to make the holiday even more meaningful.
Also, please plan to stay informed about Calvary’s ongoing ministries by planning to familiarize yourself with the many services available on our website at www.CalvaryMemorialChurch.com. There you can watch the livestream broadcast of our regular Sunday morning worship at 10:30, catch up on past services that you might have missed,  give an offering and share your prayer requests.
You can also help us out by sharing this letter with any members for whom we do not have email addresses and encouraging them to stay in touch with us regarding their needs. Our pastors can be reached as needed at their individual telephone numbers - David Petty: 815-985-9729, Ed Tinsley: 815-540-4824, Dave Symonds: 815-668-3815. In addition, you can feel free to mail donations or other correspondence to us at 2715 North Alpine Road ~ Rockford, IL ~ 61114.
It appears as if we may possibly be able to gather again in June and we are praying to that end. When we do, it will likely include some adjustments so that we can respect the boundaries that are set for us. We will be holding an Elder Board meeting on May 17 to discuss and prepare for this, I (David) will be preaching a series of lessons online (“Better Together”) to aid us in anticipating what lies ahead, and we will inform you as soon as anything changes in anyway.
In closing, some of you  may be having a hard time with what to do in the meantime. Our pastors would like to direct your attention to two important passages: ROMANS 13:1-5 (“Submit . . . to the governing authorities for there is no authority except that  which God has established.”) and I TIMOTHY 2:1-4 (“I urge you that . . . prayers . . . be  made for . . . all those in authority.”). In other words, be thankful that the difficult decisions of state leadership are not yours to make and ask God to bless those who carry this burden as we wait for Him to move.

On behalf of the entire Calvary Ministry Team,
Pastor David Petty
Philippians 1:3-6