We are a church intentionally rooted in the deepest and richest beliefs, practices, and traditions of the ancient Christian faith. We believe the Scriptures speak directly to our modern age, and every age, because they remain God’s Word. We embrace reverent, joyful worship, knowing that we meet in the presence of a holy and good God. We are comfortable with our other-worldly strangeness, because our hope is not found in this world. We love our neighbors and neighborhoods, wanting all to know the love of God. We are a humble people, sinners saved by grace, confident in the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ to make all things new.

Our People

People come to Calvin PCA from all walks of life. We are a body of believers gladly dependent upon the grace of God and our greatest desire is to know and glorify Him. We seek to build a community fellowship in the richest and fullest sense of the term: worshiping, loving, feasting, rejoicing, mourning, praying, and growing together in Christ. We believe Christian formation happens best in community. We are friends in Christ, brothers and sisters joined by our common faith.

Our Worship

We gladly believe that man’s chief end is “to glorify God and enjoy him forever” (WSC 1). To that end we strive to make our worship joyful, reverent and God-centered.

Joyful: Psalm 37:4 commands, “Delight yourself in the Lord,” a command we take quite seriously! God himself is our chief joy and delight. In our worship we delight ourselves in the Lord through “psalms and hymns and spiritual songs” (Colossians 3:16), and we delight ourselves in his Word as we hear Scripture read and preached. Our joy is also fed by the truths of the Gospel, the “good news of great joy” (Luke 2:10) that declares salvation is through Christ.

Reverent: Hebrews 12:28-29 states, “Let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire.” When we enter into God’s presence to worship, the majesty and holiness of God is ever before us. Because God is God, and there is no other like him, we stand before him in reverence and awe.

God-Centered: The triune God is the singular focus of our worship. While we are indeed nourished and challenged to grow during the worship service, our ultimate goal is to honor God by glorifying him.

Our Faith

Our beliefs are summarized by the historic Westminster Confession of Faith, and its Larger and Shorter catechisms. A summary belief statement of the Presbyterian Church in America is below.

  • We believe the Bible is the written word of God, inspired by the Holy Spirit and without error in the original manuscripts. The Bible is the revelation of God’s truth and is infallible and authoritative in all matters of faith and practice.

  • We believe in the Holy Trinity. There is one God, who exists eternally in three persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

  • We believe that all are sinners and totally unable to save themselves from God’s displeasure, except by His mercy.

  • We believe that salvation is by God alone as He sovereignly chooses those He will save. We believe His choice is based on His grace, not on any human individual merit, or foreseen faith.

  • We believe that Jesus Christ is the eternal Son of God, who through His perfect life and sacrificial death atoned for the sins of all who will trust in Him, alone, for salvation.

  • We believe that God is gracious and faithful to His people not simply as individuals but as families in successive generations according to His Covenant promises.

  • We believe that the Holy Spirit indwells God’s people and gives them the strength and wisdom to trust Christ and follow Him.

  • We believe that Jesus will return, bodily and visibly, to judge all mankind and to receive His people to Himself.

  • We believe that all aspects of our lives are to be lived to the glory of God under the Lordship of Jesus Christ.

Our History

In 1956, about 85 people, under the ministry of Rev. William D. Johnson, began worshiping in family homes. Their desire was to start a new Presbyterian church that believes the Bible is God's perfect word to us, where Jesus Christ is exalted as Savior and Lord, and where salvation through faith in Christ alone are emphasized. In 1959 the congregation built its first building. In 1982 the church joined the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA). And in 1992 the congregation purchased the historic Long Run Presbyterian Church building, where we currently meet.

Rev. Johnson pastored Calvin until 1958. After him, Calvin was pastored by Rev. Robert Milliken (1959-1964), Rev. Samuel Ward (1964-1982), Rev. Robert Weeber (1983-2006), and Rev. Aaron Garber (2006-present).

From its beginning Calvin has worshiped morning and evening on the Lord's Day.

For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, or powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Romans 8:38-39