“Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other,
just as in Christ God forgave you.” – Ephesians 4:32 (NIV)
Who We Are
At Calvin, everyone is welcome! We are all here because we acknowledge that we are all thoroughly imperfect. We believe that church is meant to be a place of refuge, community, and education to discover and become our best selves through the love of God, and our community. Together, gifted by God with a multitude of talents, unique abilities, and interests, we have been given our purpose, through Him, to make a difference in our communities and the lives of others.
What We Believe
- Everyone is the handiwork of a loving and caring God, made special, for a purpose, and desiring the best for us,
- Everyone makes mistakes, and needs second chances. Sometimes there are things we know we shouldn’t do, but we do – this is what the Bible calls “Sin.” We all need God’s help, and forgiveness for these sins.
- God’s forgiveness comes free – this is called “Grace;” even though we can’t say we always deserve it, because God loves us.
- It is only through God that may overcome our weaknesses; through His guidance, grace, and forgiveness that we are set free. In order to do this, God came to us through His son Jesus, choosing to be like one of us so that we could be saved from the cost of our sins. This is called “Salvation.” For us, Christ died a criminal’s death.
- God has made himself known to us in Christ Jesus, and has given us the Bible and the Holy Spirit as pointers toward understanding His plans for us. We all have a place in His plan, without the need to be perfect.
- Christ calls us not only to be his disciples, but to look beyond ourselves and into the life circumstances of others. To faithfully follow Christ is to have our hearts open to love, and compassion. We are meant to reach out and be inspired to become more than ourselves.
- The Bible is a faithful record of various encounters with God, passed down and written over hundreds of years, so that through it we may be pointed to God, to follow Him and walk in His ways, as Jesus taught us to do, and did himself.
“For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus,” Romans 3:23-24 (NIV)
“And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” Matthew 28:18-20 (NIV)
What We Do
We know that none of us can do everything alone. As individuals coming together in a community, we need each other and the partnerships we make to serve God inside the church, outside of it, in our local communities, and beyond. Working together as a church gives us the opportunity to witness together, and enjoy shared prayer, study, and experiences. We strive to live by Christ’s example to love, encourage, and grow together as we all walk together in Christ’s footsteps.
“And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.” Hebrews 10:24-25 (NIV)
Our passion for the Word has brought us to host and participate in a variety of different local and international charitable programs. For more information, visit our Our Missions page.
Further information about our views as Presbyterians can be found in Living Faith.
