How it all started...
Calvary Baptist Mission first met in the home of Clint and Lou Ella Shaw in August, 1961. The first officers were Sarah Poppell as Church Secretary/Treasurer and Lou Ella Shaw as Church Clerk. Interim trustees for the church were Clinton Shaw, Hansel Redd, Clayton Starks, Harold Shaw and Herbert Murphy. On September 20, 1961, these officers became permanent and Joe Engle was formally called as Calvary's first pastor.
Expanding the vision...
Calvary Mission adopted the rules and bylaws of the Taylor Baptist Association on October 4, 1961, and requested membership in the Southern Baptist Convention. As the church began to grow, meetings were first held in a fish market and then in the American Legion Hall on Center Street. In January of 1962, land was purchased on Sandra Street to be the site of the new Calvary Baptist Church. Groundbreaking for the church was on March 18, 1962, with occupation a few months later. The church continued to grow and prosper with a new sanctuary addition to the original building.
Continuing to grow...
In 1997, the church began to discuss relocation and the building of a new worship facility on land donated on Golf Course Road by the Irene Parker family. In January of 1998, the church began a Challenge to Build program which culminated on October 8, 2000, with the groundbreaking for our current facility on Golf Course Road. In April of 2016, Calvary broke ground on our new worship center, the need for which has been largely driven by the success of our AWANA program at reaching the young people of our community.
Where we are headed...
Today, the people of Calvary stand on the legacy of faith-filled saints of the past who loved, trusted, and served Christ through both blessing and adversity. We look forward to continuing that legacy for future generations by faithfully advancing the kingdom of Christ both locally and globally for the glory of God.