Calvary Church of Santa Ana

Calvary Church of Santa Ana was founded on October 25, 1931. The church has grown substantially in the past years.

Calvary Church of Santa Ana has two main services.

The Celebration service begins at 8:45am and which uses a dynamic blend of hymns and praise songs and offers a relevant Bible teaching from our senior Pastor, David Mitchell.

The Elevation service begins at 10:45am and features passionate music in a modern style with biblical teaching by a team of Pastors.

You are invited to experience each one yourself, and decide which of these worship styles fits your taste. There are One Service Sundays where we all gather at 9:30 AM on occasion - click here for the latest updates on Sundays at Calvary.

There are also worship services offered at 10:45 AM in Spanish and Mandarin.

Calvary Church also offers a wide variety of LifeGroups for children and adults of all ages.

Calvary's History & Heritage

In 1931, Rev. Charles E. Fuller was the pastor at Calvary Church of Placentia. Some people from different churches were Calvary Church of Santa Ana celebrated the 75th year of ministry in October, 2006. If you've "recently" joined Calvary Church, say in the last five or 10 years, it may be a surprise for you to learn how long Calvary Church has been around. But for some families who call Calvary their church home, several generations are now part of Calvary's history.

The years following the depression were years of change for American Protestantism. Many people were caught up in the spirit of "modernism," and they were leaving such fundamental beliefs as biblical inerrancy, the deity of Christ, and the virgIn birth. There seemed to be a lack of sound Bible teaching in central Orange County at this time, and many people hungered for a church that would remain faithful to the Scriptures. Thus, a group of believers from various churches began to meet in different homes for a Bible study on Wednesday nights. The study grew and grew until finally on September 14, 1931, a group of 65 people met with Rev. Charles E. Fuller for counsel in organizing a new church in the Santa Ana area.

Rev. Fuller was the pastor of Calvary Church of Placentia at this time. This church was well known for being a strong, fundamental, Bible preaching church. Rev. Fuller was glad to come and share his convictions about a Bible-centered ministry. With Rev. Fuller's guidance and inspiration, this faithful group of believers in Santa Ana decided to found a church. They chose to use the name "Calvary" since Rev. Fuller's church in Placentia was well known for its good Bible teaching. Despite borrowing the name, Calvary Church of Santa Ana maintained its status as an independent church. They desired to be self-governed, self-supporting, and self-propagating. These statements proved to be true and are still accurate today.

The church services began meeting in the Ebell club, in downtown Santa Ana, the following Sunday morning. Rev. Frank E. Lindgren preached the first sermon, and shortly after, he accepted the call as the first pastor of Calvary Church. It was formally organized on Oct. 25th, 1931 with 203 charter members. At this time the members agreed on a statement of doctrine which is still in effect today. They regarded themselves as:

"...a group of Bible believing Christians out of many denominations, united and incorporated as a non-denominational, independent, and fundamental church. Our purpose is to honor God, present and exalt Christ, further the missionary effort, and be of service to the people of our community."

A favorite verse of charter members was, "Be strong and of good courage, and do it...until thou hast finished all the work for the service of the house of the Lord." (1 Chronicles 28:20)

In 1939, after 8 years of faithful service, Rev. Lindgren resigned, and Rev. Lyman Wendt became Calvary's second pastor. He was a young man who had graduated recently from Biola College. Under his leadership the church continued to grow, and the Ebell Club felt like it was shrinking. They soon found that they had need for larger facilities. They began looking for a property of their own in the fall of 1940. The only property that met their price, location, and building code criteria consisted of three downtown lots on the same block as the Ebell club. The church bought these lots on French Street for $3700 in 1941. In fact, it is recorded that the building committee met on December 7, 1941 (the day of the attack on Pearl Harbor).

Architect Louis Gamble suggested that the old house on the new property could be remodeled, even though the original intent was to demolish it. How could people know then that this was an answer to prayer? Building permits were only being issued for remodeling now that the U.S. had entered World War II. Still, the cost of construction was a problem. The War Production Board set a $5,000 limit; Calvary's estimate was $10,000. With volunteer labor and donated materials, the job was finished for what the Board stipulated. Furnishings for the entire church were purchased from a lodge that was closing down.

Everything worked in the church building, a Godly provision since most items were unavailable in wartime. Even the building's exit signs were a miracle, since the church would not pass final inspection without them. In a box from the lodge, the necessary signs were found. Another hurdle was cleared when last-minute wiring changes were approved because the building permit was issued prior to July 1... on June 30, to be exact. Opening day of the new facility was October 18, 1942, with more than 300 people attending.

The growth of Calvary Church led to the building of a new auditorium in 1946, and the third pastor, Rev. Earl Morgan, joined Calvary in 1951 after Pastor Wendt resigned. When Pastor Morgan's health declined, he resigned, and Calvary welcomed Rev. Michael Samsvick as its fourth pastor in 1956. Under Samsvick's leadership, Calvary Church purchased part of the Tustin Avenue property in 1957 for $40,000. The administrative and educational buildings were built first, as well as the Fellowship Hall. The first service in Fellowship Hall was on April 29, 1962, with a dedication sermon by Dr. J. Vernon McGee. The sanctuary, now called Samsvick Chapel, was completed in 1967. In 1970, the congregation voted to purchase additional Tustin Avenue property, the south portion, for $350,000.

Under Samsvick's leadership, Calvary Church nearly quadrupled its membership, completed four major debt-free building projects, and started Calvary Christian School with six grades in 1975. The preschool began in 1976 with 56 children and eight staff members. Samsvick died in 1982 after a fruitful 26-year ministry.

After an interim ministry by Dr. Lehman Strauss, Dr. David Hocking answered the call to become Calvary's fifth pastor in 1982. The teacher of the Biola Hour radio ministry and senior pastor of Grace Brethren Church in Long Beach helped Calvary enter a dramatic stage of growth in the 1980s. With overflow attendance as a regular feature of Sunday mornings, Calvary began to build the Worship Center in 1988 and it was dedicated to God on November 24, 1991.

Calvary Church entered a difficult period of adjustment in 1992 when Pastor Hocking resigned on October 7. Dr. David Mitchell answered the call in 1995 to become Calvary's sixth pastor. He began his ministry with Calvary on November 19 of that year.

During 1997-98, Calvary's By-Laws were revised and ministry teams were established. Worship, Instruction, Service and Evangelism were developed as our philosophy of ministry and our purpose vision and values were established with the WISE acronym being introduced.

In the early 2000s, many of Calvary's buildings were remodeled and upgraded, and The Corner Bookstore & Cafe was opened full time in June 2003. Our ministries were expanded to include Freedom in Recovery and the Lighthouse small group ministries. The debt for the worship center was completely paid off by 2002, and in 2005, the church purchased the Heritage Medical Building on the Northside of campus with eye towards future expansion. In addition, the Worship Center underwent a major remodel in 2006.

Through the years, Calvary Church has touched many people's lives and changed them with the love of Jesus Christ. Calvary charter member Evelyn Grant said it for her fellow charter members, Bethel Blount, a retired Calvary missionary, and Paul Stuck, and many others in the congregation when she said, "Calvary Church has been a way of life for our family. I thank God for Calvary Church, the fellowship, teaching and staff that we have here."

Presently Calvary Church has about 2500 members and is still actively growing. Calvary Church has kept its heart for missions since its first missionaries were sent to Venezuela in 1932. Today, the annual missions budget currently stands at just over $1,000,000.

Calvary is continuing to enlarge its borders as it continues to proclaim God's Word. May God continue to glorify Himself through His people at Calvary Church.

Calvary's Doctrinal Statement

[1] We believe the sixty six books of the Bible, consisting of all the books of the Oldand New Testaments, are the written Word of God. They are a supernatural revelation from GodHimself. These books are inspired, inerrant and infallible, without error of any kind in every word and concept. They are the final authority on all matters they address, and all truth necessary for our salvation and spiritual life. (Psalm 19:7-11; John 14:26; John 16:12-15; I Corinthians 2:12-16; II Timothy 3:16-17; II Peter 1:16-21;I John 2:27)

[2] We believe in the Trinity. There is only one God and in the Trinity there are three eternal and coequal persons: God the Father; God the Son (Jesus Christ); and God the Holy Spirit. (Deuteronomy 6:4; Isaiah 46:9; Matthew 3:16-17; Matthew 28:19; II Corinthians 13:14; I John 5:1-8)

[3] We believe Jesus Christ is one Person with two complete natures, divine and human. He is true God and true man. Jesus is God incarnate, being born of a virgin and is completely sinless. He eternally exists as the Logos, God the Son, the second person of the Trinity. Jesus has all the attributes, characteristics, and works of God. And as such, He should be worshiped as God by men and angels. (Isaiah 7:14; John 1:1-14; John 10:30-33; Colossians 1:16-19; Colossians 2:9)

[4] We believe that all people are born with a sin nature and commit sins by falling short of God’s holiness and violating His commands. (Romans 3:23; Romans 6:23; I John 3:4)

[5] We believe that Jesus Christ died for all people, offering His life as a substitute to atone for all sins. The salvation of any person is the work of God alone, by faith alone in Christ. All people who trust in Him as their only means of forgiveness for their sins will inherit eternal life with God. (John 3:1-18; John 6:44-69; John 14:1-6; John 17:3; Hebrews 2:9; Titus 3:47)

[6] We believe in the physical resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ and that He ascended bodily into heaven. He is now at the right hand of God as mediator, priest, and advocate for each believer. (John 20; Acts 1:9-11; Acts 3:12-26; I Corinthians 15:12-28; Hebrews 7:25; Hebrews 9:24)

[7] We believe that Heaven is a real place of eternal blessedness in the presence of God and that Hell is a real place of eternal suffering and separation from God. (Matthew 25:46; II Corinthians 5:1-10; Revelation 20; Revelation 21; Revelation 22)

[8] We believe the Holy Spirit indwells every Christian and spiritually baptizes them, placing them into the body of Christ, His church, when they are saved. There is only one baptism but many fillings. Christians are commanded to be filled with the Holy Spirit for power to live a holy and obedient life for Jesus Christ. (Acts 2:38; Acts 13:52; Romans 8:14-27; Galatians 5:22-25; Ephesians 5:18)

[9] We believe in the Great Commission in our own community and around the world. Jesus commands all believers to go evangelize and make disciples of all nations. We are to baptize and teach each believer all that Jesus commands in His Word. (Matthew 28:19-20; Luke 24:47; Acts 1:8; II Timothy 3:16-17)

[10] We believe that all followers of the Lord Jesus are created in Him to glorify God by living holy lives and serving others in love with good works. These good works are evidence of a believer’s salvation and not a means to gain salvation or favor with God. (I Corinthians 13; Ephesians 2:8-10; Ephesians 4:1-32; Titus 2:15, 14; Titus 3:1-11; James 2:17)

[11] We believe Satan and his demons are real, personal beings who are fallen angels in opposition to Jesus Christ and His church. (Isaiah 14:12-17; Matthew 4:2-11; John 8:44; Revelation 12:9-10)

[12] We believe in the personal, premillenial second coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. He will come for His saints and then rule with them for a thousand years on this earth. He will then establish a new heaven and new earth for all believers to live eternally in the glory of God. (I Corinthians 15:50-55; I Thessalonians 4:13-18; Revelation 19:19-20; Revelation 20; Revelation 21; Revelation 22)

[13] We believe that biblical marriage consists only of the union of one biological man and one biological woman, and that biblical marriage is the only legitimate and acceptable context for a sexual relationship. (Genesis 2:24; Romans 1:26-27

Calvary's Purpose Statement

Calvary Church is a community where we CONNECT with God and others to GROW in our faith so we REACH Orange County and the world for Jesus Christ.

Calvary's Location

Calvary is located at the 5 and 55 in the heart of Orange County.

Calvary Church 1010 N. Tustin Ave Santa Ana, CA 92705

External links

• http://calvarylife.org (Calvary's home page)
• http://calvarylife.org/discover/history/ (History of Calvary)
• http://www.facebook.com/calvarylife (Calvary's Facebook page)
• Calvary Church of Santa Ana Official Webpage