I am pleased to announce that on April 4th, the congregation voted overwhelmingly to call Pastor Eric Sipe as our Sr. Pastor.

He has accepted the call and has begun the transition from Heritage Bible Church to CBC. We are hoping that Eric and Cindy will be here in place by the end of June.

Below is the text of the acceptance letter we received fromPastor Sipe:

My dear friends at Calvary,

Psalm 34:8 says, “Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good. Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him.” What a wonderful God we serve! Paul writes in Romans 11:33, “Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways!”  Truly God has been good to us!

Cindy and I want to thank every one of you for the kindness you have shown us in allowing us the privilege to minister the grace of God at Calvary Bible Church.  I gladly accept the call that you have extended to me. I am humbled that God has saved me and I stand in awe that He would count me worthy to fill the role of under-shepherd to you, His people.

It is our sincerest prayer that over the weeks ahead we all will submit ourselves to the Holy Spirit as He continues to change us and mold us into amore accurate picture of our Savior.  There is much work to do and God seeks to use people who are humble, and submissive to the Word.  There are many around us who need to know our Christ. He has given us the delightful opportunity and responsibility to be the proclaimers of the good news - that there is salvation in Christ alone! Let our lives and our lips speak these truths with grace.

Please pray for us as we begin the transition from our work here at Heritage Bible Church, that we will be faithful to do all that He has called us to do and to finish well.  Pray that our house will sell quickly and then in God’s perfect time, we will be able to begin our ministry there at Calvary. We look forward to working together for His glory.

Grace to you all,

Eric and Cindy Sipe

The CBC family had a wonderful weekend getting to know Eric and Cindy Sipe.  They are loving, godly people with a heart to disciple and shepherd. We are thankful for the opportunity we have had to get to know them and have them minister to us.

On Sunday evening, April 4th, following the evening service, the congregation will vote on a motion to call Pastor Sipe to be our new Sr.Pastor.

Pray that the Lord will continue to open doors and lead us. Pray that our congregation will rely on the Lord and go forward with confidence and not fear or worry.

II Timothy 1:7 – “For God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but of power and love and discipline.”

Your brother,

Jeff Peterson

Elder, Calvary Bible Church

Thank you for your patience and your continued prayers! The elders and pulpit committee are glad to present the man we have invited to candidate for the Sr. Pastor position.

His name is Eric Sipe. Pastor Sipe is the pastor of evangelism at Heritage Bible Church in Greenville, SC. His wife’s name is Cindy and they have 3 children: Carissa, Quentin and Hunter. Carissa is married to Pastor Todd Davis. Todd and Carissa have two boys. They recently started a church in Brighton, CO. Quentin is a graduate student at Northland and is recently engaged.  Hunter is in seminary at Bob Jones andis married to Nikki Gershman. They live in Greenville, SC.

Pastor Sipe is a former missionary in Germany, a church planter and an accomplished pianist. He and Cindy have ministered at Heritage for the last 8 years. Pastor and Mrs. Sipe are both graduates of Bob Jones University. Pastor Sipe has an MA degree from Pensacola Christian College in church music and a Master of Arts in Pastoral Theology from BJU.

In his current role Pastor Sipe serves as the Director of the church planting efforts of Heritage Bible Church and leads their intern training and assessing program. Pastor Sipe’s passion, following the apostle Paul, is to commit the message of the gospel to faithful men and watch them grow into a more accurate picture of the character and essence of Christ.

Men who know Pastor Sipe well describe him as a great example of a shepherd. Many have expressed admiration at his love for people and for discipling them.

In my personal interaction with him, he has demonstrated a faithful reliance and love for the Word of God. I am glad to introduce our ministry to him.

Their candidating visit will begin this Wednesday, 3/24 and continue thru Sunday, 3/28. Below is a list of scheduled activities:

Wednesday, 3/24, 7:00 pm – Church-wide special Service, Pastor Sipe to preach

Thursday, 3/25, 9:00 am - NCS High School chapel, Pastor Sipe to speak

Thursday, 3/25, 7:00 pm  - Church-wide special Service, Pastor Sipe to preach

• Berean Sunday School class meet and greet following service - dessert fellowship

Friday, 3/26, 9:00 am – Advancers Sunday School Class Fellowship

• Doughnuts and Coffee with Pastor and Mrs. Sipe

Friday, 3/26, 6:30 pm – Young Couples / College and Career class fellowship dinner

• At home of Jeff and Jennifer Mclravy – RSVP to Jennifer on Facebook or email.

Saturday, 3/27, 5:00 pm – Church wide fellowship Dinner and Q&A session

Sunday, 3/28 – Pastor Sipe will teach a combined SS class and preach in both services

Sunday, 4/4 – Congregational meeting after evening service To consider calling Pastor Sipe as Sr. Pastor

Please take time this week to pray for the Sipes and the membership of Calvary as weall seek the Lord’s will on this matter. God has shown himself faithful all along the path of this process. He continued to open doors and lead. Please pray that he continues to make his will known.

Yourbrother,

Jeff Peterson

Elder,Calvary Bible Church

It has been over a month since the last update on this site. That does not mean that there has not been activity in the search process. God has been working.

Recently, we were blessed to have our potential candidate and his wife visit our ministry.

A key objective of the weekend visit was to allow the potential candidate a chance to see the ministry first hand and get to know our leadership face to face. He let us know how much they enjoyed the visit andthat they are enthusiastically interested in continuing the process with us.

The visit was another step in the process that began 6 months ago and continued this week as we had additional conversations with him via video conference on issues related to doctrine, our constitution, ministry philosophy, missions and Northside. In addition, we will be talking to men who know the pastor and his ministry.

Based on the Lord’s leading of both the elders and the potential candidate, the next step would be an official candidating trip. The trip would likely be 5-7 days and include a number of opportunities for individuals to get to know him and his wife better. It will also include additional opportunities for preaching and teaching and a congregational Q&A. As we move thru the next week, we will provide more details on the progress.

Pray for guidance. This is God’s church. He loves it more than we do. He wants what is best for it more than we do. Praise the Lord!

Your brother,

Jeff

Elder, Calvary Bible Church

The elders and the pulpit committee continue to prepare plans to visit the man we are considering in his current ministry. We are also making plans for a visit for the pastor to see our ministry in action. These visits will likely occur over the next 5-6 weeks.

We will continue to keep things discrete and anonymous until we have completed the investigation process in order to protect the ministries and individuals involved.

All of the decisions, logistics, questions and processes must be saturated in prayer if we are to find God’s man for CBC. The man under consideration and his wife need prayer if they are to make wise decision about this process and their place of service. The leaders of CBC need prayer if we are to make a wise recommendation to the congregation.

Fortunately, the Lord is good and He hears our prayers. He has blessed CBC in many areas. We must continue to humbly yield to His guidance and trust that He will provide all we need.

Your brother,

Jeff Peterson

Elder, Clavary Bible Church

The elders and members of the pulpit committee are of one mind that we pursue one man as we move into the next phase of our search.  With likely visits by church leaders to a candidate’s current ministry and eventual visits by the candidate to CBC, all agree that focusing on one individual at a time is now appropriate.

Therefore, we have worked these last few weeks to narrow our focus to only one of the men we have been seriously considering. After careful consideration, evaluation and prayer, the elders have chosen one man to take further in the process.

He is an experienced pastor and leader. The pulpit committee has greatly appreciated our time with this man and the experience of hearing him articulate his ministry philosophy. He has reflected a reliance on scripture and a shepherd’s heart.

We will now move into a phase where the elders and pulpit committee will get to know him better and he will have the chance to learn more about CBC, NCS and the ministry of Calvary.

Please continue to pray for the Lord’s leading in the minds and hearts of the elders and for His guidance of the man under consideration.

Your brother,

Jeff Peterson, Elder

Calvary Bible Church

Merry Christmas!

The Christmas season is such a busy time. But, even in the midst of the many holiday activities, the pulpit search process is moving forward. 

The pulpit committee and elders enjoyed a combined meeting on Sunday, 12/13 to discuss the two potential candidates for our position. Our intention is to gain a consensus on moving forward with one person as we begin 2010.

Each pulpit committee member gave their thoughts and impressions of each man to the whole group. There was good discussion about characteristics we should be looking for in a potential candidate and the attributes of the two men.

The elders have been asked to consider the materials compiled on each man, recorded sermons preached and perspective of the pulpit committee and come back with an opinion of whom we should pursue further. The decision about which man we will continue to pursue will likely come around the beginning of the New Year.

Continue to pray for the church leaders and the men we are pursuing. There is much to consider. We can only make the right choice with the Lord’s leading. I am so thankful we are able to rely on His direction and not our own wisdom.

Your brother,

Jeff Peterson, Elder

Calvary Bible Church

Tuesday evening, I was able to deliver to the CBC elders packets of information that the pulpit committee has compiled on the men we are considering. This material will give the elders introductory information about the men, their experience, andtheir current ministries.  I asked that the elders review the materials and also make time to take in some of thesermons that we have compiled from each man.

On Sunday night following the evening service, we will have a combined meeting ofthe elders and the pulpit committee. The members of the pulpit committee will present to the elders their impressions and thoughts on the two men that we arecurrently pursuing.

Pray that He will guide the conversations. Pray that the right questions will beasked. Pray that the men under consideration will have clear direction and be able to discern the Lord’s will for them.

Your brother,

Jeff Peterson, Elder

Calvary Bible Church

This has been an interesting week for the pulpit committee.  The two men under consideration have both been busy in ministry that involved significant travel. Last weekend, we were able to communicate with both men on the phone. They had many questions, concerns and thoughts to share.  Both men are happy in their current ministries and testify of the Lord working through them in their respective roles. At the same time, they are willing to consider our ministry and the opportunities it presents. It is clear that each is seeking the Lord’s leading as we continue to pursue them.

The pulpit committee is preparing to compile dossiers on each pastor for consideration and review by the board of elders.  The dossiers will include the resumes and biographical info submitted by the men, their personal doctrinal statements, answers they submitted to our questionnaire and a summary of our impressions of each man from our interviews and reference checks. We will also recommend sermons by each pastor for the elders to consider and evaluate.

Incidentally, I asked each man about their availability if they were called to our ministry. Both men indicated that a move to our ministry would be a major transition. Given our planned next steps in the process and their need to address all of the details of a move of this nature, it is clear that it will be at least 4-6 months until either candidate could be in place. Obviously, this assumes, these candidates continue to allow us to consider them and our elders and congregation approve of the pulpit committee’s recommendations.

God continues to work in our search. He is in control and He makes it clear in each step of our process. I look forward to being able to share all the ways that the Lord has led in our search and testify of the lessons we have learned.

Your brother,

Jeff Peterson, Elder

Calvary Bible Church

The pulpit committee met last evening. We reviewed the feedback received from references supplied by the candidates. Men who had contacted these references summarized the conversations they had with each individual. It made for an encouraging meeting.

The men contacted as references passed along their admiration for the men we are considering. It was good to hear. One individual commented that he had hoped that the gentleman we are considering would take his place in his ministry. Another man commented that he was very glad that the candidate he was asked about was his children’s pastor when they were teenagers. I believe both comments are examples that demonstrated great respect for the men.

At this point, we have generated additional questions for the candidates. After contacting them on these matters, we will likely recommend them to the elder board for their approval and our mutual selection of one candidate for additional consideration. This additional consideration includes a visit to the candidate’s current ministry and an eventual visit by the candidate to CBC.

Obviously, there is still much to be done in this process. Please continue to pray that God will lead our paths. Praise the Lord for His encouragement all along the way.

Your brother,

Jeff Peterson, Elder

Calvary Bible Church