You Shall Be My Witnesses (Acts 1:8)
Every member needs to remember our purpose is to know Christ and to make Him known.
During the first years of Calvary Pastor Kern rang over 5000 doorbells seeking the unchurched. At times he was assisted by seminary graduates and students assigned to help him as a learning experience. Before the first service a group of high school youth from Resurrection Lutheran Church in Garden City distributed flyers inviting people to the first service and Sunday School. These efforts built up a sizable mailing list. Frequent mailings were sent to the unchurched in East Meadow, Levittown, and vicinity inviting people to our services. Members often met at the parsonage to help with these mailings. Since a postal card cost only one cent in those days, it was a wise way to get out the word.
Some of the organized evangelistic activities in the early years were:
| 1954 | Members make calls on unchurched parents of confirmation and training class pupils |
| 2/1956 | "Sharing Christ" Lenten visits by 14 captains and 50 callers (all men) |
| 5/1957 | Twelve men and women once a month call on parents of Sunday School children and church visitors |
| 1960 | Lutheran Open House -- five evening services in one week -- members go out to invite people to come with them to church that night or the next |
| 2/1962 | "Sharing Christ" Lenten outreach. Sunday School children have contest to bring new children to Sunday School |
| 2/1964 | Almost 100 members visit homes in the community to share their faith 2-67 "Sharing Christ" -- 62 calls made by members |
| 2/1969 | Youth distribute tracts in Mitchel Housing Development |
| 1971 | 150 phone calls made to invite people to Holy Week services |
| 1972 | 28 adults and young people make evangelistic phone calls and visits |
| 1973 | Nation-wide Key '73 program -- Concordia College, Bronxville students join 50 of our members in making calls in the community |
The Kennedy Evangelism Program was the major emphasis in the 1970s. Pastor Kern spent a week learning this method in Fort Lauderdale, FL. He trained two members in this method of telling people how to get right with God. Those who were trained next trained others to explain the way of salvation and ask people to commit or recommit their lives to Jesus.
Over 60 men and women of Calvary became Kennedy evangelists. They visited the homes of about 350 member families and others. Many of our evangelists testified that their faith had been strengthened by taking the opportunity to be a blessing to others. A group of our evangelists went to a few other churches and accompanied their members on home visits to demonstrate the approach we used.
Kevin Cook, our Minister of Christian Education and Youth, had gone along with Pastor Kern to the Ft. Lauderdale, FL clinic. They trained a number of our young people who made calls on their peers in the congregation.
In the years that followed Pastor Chris Nilges organized groups of callers. 5000 door knob hangers inviting people to our Christmas services were distributed in 1988 and 1989. A seven-week course on "Sharing Christ with a Friend" was taught in September 1989. A few dozen people of Calvary were trained as counselors for the Billy Graham Crusade at the Nassau Coliseum in September 1990. In December 1990 and 1991 "Jesus' Fleet of Flying Feet" (about 30 adults and youth) distributed daily Bible reading schedules together with flyers advertising our services and Nursery School.
Some of our elders and others have continued to make calls on inactive members, parents of Sunday School children, and the sick at home and in hospitals. For many years Helga Schaffner, our church secretary, assigned names to phone callers and visitors. These calls showed not only Calvary's concern for the sick and absentees but also our love by remembering parishioners' birthdays and anniversaries. Last fall saw the formation of a group called the St. Andrew Society (named after Andrew who brought his brother Peter to Jesus). These callers are headed by veteran evangelist, Dick Willemann. One Sunday a month, after having lunch together at church, they make calls on visitors, inactive members, and others.
Besides these organized efforts some members have been witnessing all along to family members, friends, neighbors, and other people.
Come and hear, all you who fear God, and I will tell you what He has done for me.
(Psalm 66:16)