History of Calvary Church

 

On January 1, 1948 the concept for a church found expression in the hearts and minds of a small group of people meeting in the home of Mr. and Mrs. Lambert Smith. As they prayed and discussed God’s will, these people became the nucleus of the 60 charter members of the church which today bears the name, Calvary Church of Los Gatos, California. January 1, 1948 was a Thursday, and the decision was made the first service would be held the next Sunday morning. People worked many hours with little sleep, refurbishing the basement of the home where they met. Attendance in the Sunday school the first day was 100 and there were 125 in the morning service. Twelve Sunday school classes utilized every room in the house, as well as the two-room pump house.

Offerings were in excess of $1,000 the first month and encouraged the congregation to purchase an initial three acres on San Jose Avenue, now Los Gatos Boulevard. Supply preachers brought the Sunday messages until the arrival of Reverend Donald Brown in May 1948. He served only five Sundays when he became ill and in September 1948 was summoned to join the “church triumphant”.

With a slogan of “Launching Forth by July 4th”, groundbreaking ceremonies were held and construction began of the first building on the Calvary campus. The building, known as Brown Hall, was in use one year after the birth of the church. The $25,000 structure functioned as a place of meeting for this church on the move! In November 1948 the building was dedicated debt-free.

On October 1, 1949 Dr. Blaine Bishop of Fargo, North Dakota, became Senior Pastor and continued in that capacity until his retirement in 1978, serving twenty-nine years.

Since that time growth and building have been the continuing story at Calvary Church. In July 1955 a much-needed auditorium, now know as the Large Chapel, was completed. The need for more educational facilities became very apparent as attendance continued to rise and ministries expanded. An addition to the Brown Hall complex of three additional rooms on the main floor and a bus garage was completed in 1959. In 1963 a full second floor was added to Brown Hall. In 1974 additional refurbishing of the building equipped it for licensing as a day care center.

A need for adequate administrative space necessitated the construction of an office complex in 1964. Also in 1964 the building formerly known as Friesen Hall was constructed. This multi-purpose unit housed a gymnasium, kitchen and classrooms.

As the church continued its growth and improvements, additional properties were acquired, increasing the size of the campus to over eight acres. By 1973 it was evident the church needed a larger auditorium for worship. A new facility was designed to be contemporary in nature and to have flexibility in multiple use. The present auditorium with a present seating capacity of 1400 was dedicated in February 1975.

Dr. Fred Wilson of Burns, Oregon was installed as Senior Pastor in March of 1979 and continued in that role until his resignation in May of 2001. He served twenty-two years.

Desiring to see the ministries of Calvary Church expand beyond the borders of our church property through the use of sports, expanded youth programs, and other yet-to-be-discovered ministries, the field on the southeast corner of our property became an overflow parking lot and marked the beginning of a very large renovation-construction project in July of 1999.

In April 2000 the reconstruction of Friesen Hall began. This building, now known as the Education Building, was redesigned and reconfigured to better accommodate our children’s ministries, Kiddie Kampus, Western Theological Seminary, and various other ministries. It also contains a large kitchen facility, classrooms, a workshop receiving area for our Facilities Department and a large locker room/shower area to accommodate the Family Life Center. The reconstruction of the Education Building was completed in June of 2001.

In November of 2001 Dr. Sam J. Earp, from Crosswinds Church in Dublin, California, was called as Senior Executive Pastor of Calvary Church. On July 1, 2003 Reverend Robert L. Thomas, Jr., came to Calvary Church from Christ Church, Lake Forest, Illinois as our Senior Teaching Pastor. Together they will continue leading Calvary Church in a team oriented and gift based ministry.

Demolition of Brown Hall began on November 13, 2001 and the construction of the Family Life Center began. The FLC contains two regulation sized basketball courts, classrooms, a conference room and storage areas. Construction of the Family Life Center was completed in May 2003.

From 1949 to the present Calvary Church has been in fellowship with the Conservative Baptist Association of America and Northern California. By 1950 the church had launched its great missions program. Missions, both local and international, are still a major interest and concern of the people at Calvary Church.

Today, as in the beginning of its history, Calvary Church stresses the need of a personal saving faith in Jesus Christ and accepts all those who testify to a living faith in Christ as Savior and Lord. Today, as did the beginning church, Calvary Church considers itself commissioned to seek to win others to the allegiance of Christ, both at home and abroad.