About Us

At Calvary Community Church, we exist: Because the world needs Jesus

God sent Jesus into the chaos and darkness to be the Savior of the world—because the world needs him. He truly is our only hope. He entrusts us with this message of hope. It is the message of the gospel. The world is lost in sin and Jesus came to save. This is our why. It is why we do what we do and why we choose to live the way we live.

We come together to know Christ so we can go and make him known.

We seek to know Christ—not just know about him. We seek to know and grasp his love that surpasses knowledge in all its height, depth, breadth, and length. We long to consider everything a loss compared to knowing Christ Jesus our Lord. It is why we come together. We do this so that we are prepared and ready to go and make him known to a world that is lost without him. We are the ambassadors of his truth and his love, and we know that he makes his appeal through us.

Meet Our Staff & Elders

Our Core Values Are:

Belong

We deliberately welcome people to find their place in biblical community as we live life together in meaningful relationships. 

The Holy Spirit makes biblical community possible. We belong together with other followers of Jesus in a way that reflects the love of God to a watching world (John 13:34-35). As we live together in the type of biblical community for which we have been designed we can be ready to invite others to experience a community where they can belong as well (Acts 2:42-47).

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Grow

We intentionally seek discipleship relationships that result in spiritual growth in our relationship with Jesus. 

Our relationship with Jesus stirs in our hearts a desire and longing to grow in our faith and our knowledge of him. It’s a desire to not just know about him, but to truly know him. 
 
Genuine growth and spiritual transformation happen best in discipleship relationships
Discipleship relationships are those which are intentionally focused on spiritual growth and spiritual transformation which thereby makes Christ known in the world. Discipleship relationships come in different shapes, sizes, and forms.
               
Intentional discipleship relationships include all five of the following aspects:
 
Bible—the Bible is our authority, and our source of the truth God has for us. We grow as disciples as we meditate on his word, allowing it to transform our hearts and minds. 
 
Prayer—prayer is our lifeline of communication with God. It is in prayer that our hearts align with his and the way in which we participate with the work of God in our world. Great power and growth come as we learn to pray with others praising, confessing, interceding and expressing our thankfulness. 
 
Life-on-life—fellowship and living life together. We have been designed to be with other believers in transparent relationships. It is as we live life together that we can help each other in the journey of growth. 
 
Mission—we are commanded to go into all the world. An intentional discipleship relationship is one that involves not only self-growth but also is looking intentionally for ways to live on mission—not only knowing Christ but making him known as well.
 
Accountability—Walking alongside someone in transparency which allows for mutual encouragement and exhortation.  
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Serve

We excitedly volunteer to serve using our passions and our gifts in the church and in the community. 

Serving is essential for followers of Jesus. He made it clear that just as he had come to serve, so should we (Matthew 20:25-28). It is in selfless, passionate serving with a heart of compassion that we follow the example of Jesus and make him known. This comes as a proper response to an awareness of the depth of his love for us. We seek to serve because we have been and are being served.  We seek to use our time, gifts, passions, talents, and abilities to build up the church and to make an impact in the communities in which we live.

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Testify

We consistently and boldly share the truth and love of Jesus across the street and around the world so that many may come to know Christ as Savior.

Jesus came to be the Savior of the world. We who know him are to testify to that amazing truth. We are to be his witnesses (Acts 1:8). He has given each of us a story that declares his glory. We seek to make his glory known.

We build relationships with people so that we can share the hope we have found in Jesus. We pray to be used by God to impact the lostness of the world.  

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Celebrate icon

Celebrate

We worship God and glorify him by regularly and visibly celebrating him and his work, recognizing his hand in the circumstances of our lives.  

Celebrating requires a pause to look back and to look around. It stops to see where God has been working and takes the time to worship and praise him for his faithfulness, goodness, and love. It places his work and plans ahead of ours. It takes us to a place of expectancy. Celebration reminds us that it is he who is to be praised and that he will not share his glory with another.

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We Believe

We believe in one God who is the Creator of all things, holy, infinitely perfect, and eternally existing in a loving unity of three equally divine Persons–the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Having limitless knowledge and sovereign power, God has graciously purposed from eternity to redeem a people for Himself and to make all things new for His own glory.

We believe that God has spoken in the Scriptures, both Old and New Testaments, through the words of human authors. As the verbally inspired Word of God, the Bible is without error in the original writings, the complete revelation of His will for salvation, and the ultimate authority by which every realm of human knowledge and endeavor should be judged. Therefore, it is to be believed in all that it teaches, obeyed in all that it requires, and trusted in all that it promises.

We believe that God created Adam and Eve in His image, but they sinned when tempted by Satan. In union with Adam, human beings are sinners by nature and by choice, alienated from God, and under His wrath. Only through God’s saving work in Jesus Christ can we be rescued, reconciled, and renewed.

We believe that Jesus Christ is God incarnate, fully God and fully man, one Person in two natures. Jesus – Israel’s promised Messiah – was conceived through the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary. He lived a sinless life, was crucified under Pontius Pilate, arose bodily from the dead, ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of God the Father as our High Priest and Advocate.

We believe that Jesus Christ, as our representative and substitute, shed His blood on the cross as the perfect, all-sufficient sacrifice for our sins. His atoning death and victorious resurrection constitute the only ground for salvation.

We believe that the Holy Spirit, in all that He does, glorifies the Lord Jesus Christ. He convicts the world of its guilt. He regenerates sinners, and in Him they are baptized into union with Christ and adopted as heirs in the family of God. He also indwells, illuminates, guides, equips, and empowers believers for Christ-like living and service.

We believe that the true church comprises all who have been justified by God’s grace through faith alone in Christ alone. They are united by the Holy Spirit in the body of Christ, of which He is the Head. The true church is manifest in local churches, whose membership should be composed only of believers. The Lord Jesus mandated two ordinances, baptism and the Lord’s Supper, which visibly and tangibly express the gospel. Though they are not the means of salvation, when celebrated by the church in genuine faith, these ordinances confirm and nourish the believer.

We believe that God’s justifying grace must not be separated from His sanctifying power and purpose. God commands us to love Him supremely and others sacrificially, and to live out our faith with care for one another, compassion toward the poor and justice for the oppressed. With God’s Word, the Spirit’s power, and fervent prayer in Christ’s name, we are to combat the spiritual forces of evil. In obedience to Christ’s commission, we are to make disciples among all people, always bearing witness to the gospel in word and deed.

We believe in the personal, bodily, and pre-millennial return of our Lord Jesus Christ. The coming of Christ, at a time known only to God, demands constant expectancy and, as our blessed hope, motivates the believer to godly living, sacrificial service, and energetic mission.

We believe that God commands everyone everywhere to believe the gospel by turning to Him in repentance and receiving the Lord Jesus Christ. We believe that God will raise the dead bodily and judge the world, assigning the unbeliever to condemnation and eternal conscious punishment and the believer to eternal blessedness and joy with the Lord in the new heaven and the new earth, to the praise of His glorious grace. Amen.

We define marriage in the following way: “Marriage is the original and foundational institution of human society, established by God as a one-flesh, covenantal union between a man and a woman that is life-long (until separated by death), exclusive (monogamous and faithful), and generative in nature (designed for bearing and rearing children), and it is to reflect the relationship between Christ and the Church.”

A Member of the Evangelical Free Church

Calvary Community Church is a member of the Evangelical Free Church of America, which is an association of autonomous churches united around the same theological convictions. The EFCA is committed to Jesus Christ, to the gospel, and to one another. Learn more about the EFCA by clicking here.

Our Story

In a small village on the shores of Williams Bay, a group of people have gathered for the past 100 years for one purpose: to know Christ and make Him known. July of 1921 marked a new beginning for believers in this modest community as they put their passion to work, renovating their small church building and transitioning away from services conducted in Swedish so they could reach their English-speaking neighbors.

Thus the Williams Bay Free Mission Church was born, which ultimately became known as Calvary Community Church.

Our congregation has seen many faces, held many names, and weathered many seasons, but the Spirit of God has preserved our passion through it all. 100 years later, we still want to know Christ and make Him known.

Historical Highlights

1891

The church began as the Free Evangelical Lutheran Church on the corner of Geneva and Williams Streets in Williams Bay, with services conducted in Swedish.

1891

1921

The church reorganized as the Williams Bay Free Mission Church. The building was enlarged and dedicated in July – we number our years from this event.

1921

1922

The name of the church was changed to Gospel Tabernacle. Soon, services would be conducted in English, with Swedish services held only on Sunday afternoons.

1922

1961

The church name was changed to Calvary Community Church.

1961

1971

The church voted to relocate to a larger site, selecting a five-acre tract of land at the corner of Highway 50 and Harris Road, a generous gift from Mr. Paul Brandel.

1971

1973

With great procession, the church relocated to the new site in July.

1973

1985

Ground was broken for a 25,000 sq. ft., 2-story education and gym addition.

1985

2015

A major renovation of the now more than 40-year-old structure was completed.

2015

2021

Centennial of Calvary Community Church!

2021

Faqs

  • Children ages 4 – 4th grade are released to Children’s Church following the worship time during both the 8:00 AM and 10:45 AM services.
  • Nursery is open but unstaffed during the 8:00 AM service. It is staffed during the 9:30 Equipping Hour and the 10:45 service.
  • The equipping hour is a designated hour on a Sunday morning for the very purpose expressed in its title, to equip the church family in smaller settings with the teaching of God’s word and in finding biblical community. It happens every Sunday from 9:30-10:30. There are opportunities for all age groups during this time.
  • There are classes for the kids and youth as well as three Adult classes we call ABFs.
  • ABF stands for Adult Bible Fellowship and it is an intentional time to grow in the teaching of God’s word as well as time for fellowship with other believers.
  • There are three different ABF classes during that hour:
    • Cornerstone
    • Living Faithfully
    • Practical Theology
  • We invite you to check out any of the classes. The teachings will change throughout the year, but this is a great chance to get to know other people at Calvary.

We’re an intergenerational community of Christ followers located in the heart of Williams Bay, Wisconsin. Because of our high value on serving the whole family, we have a space dedicated to every age. Everyone is truly welcome here. During our weekend services, greeters are available to help you get where you need to be. Our Welcome Center team is also equipped to answer your questions, give you directions, and make you feel at home with a gift for first-time guests. We offer separate programming for kids and students. Our self-service kiosks make it easy for you to get your child safely checked into their classroom where they will engage age-appropriate biblical truths alongside their friends. Our weekend service offers a blend of traditional and contemporary worship music followed by a message designed to equip you for the coming week. Church is more than just an hour on Sunday; we are a community that takes the gospel with us as we work in the world, witness in relationships, and worship with our lives.

This is Calvary. Welcome Home.