About Calvary Community Church
Our Mission
A church of disciples making disciples of Jesus.
At Calvary Community Church, we embrace the teaching of Jesus of Nazareth, the one who reconciles human beings to God, and find practical answers for the questions life hands us in our divided, distrusting world. These answers lead us to joy and peace. We welcome you here. We have a place for you. We hope you will find our approach to Jesus refreshing and useful for your life.
Our Story
For over 90 years, Calvary Community Church has been a dynamic member of the Greater Rochester community. People from many backgrounds call Calvary Community home. Together we learn to know Christ more fully and serve those who struggle in our community. You’re invited to connect with us, experience Christ’s community, and make a difference in our city.
Our Leadership
Our staff is a dynamic team that facilitates the ministries of Calvary Community Church.
Pastor Mark provides spiritual oversight for the church keeping us focused on making disciples of Jesus. His teaching makes Jesus’ way of living easy to understand and practical. His wife of 34 years passed away after a long struggle with cancer. He enjoys spending time with his 3 grandchildren and his two sons and their wives.
Pastor Emily oversees programming and ministry to infants, toddlers, preschoolers, and elementary-age children, while also providing support for families. She and her husband Robert have been married for 18 years and enjoy gardening, hiking, and camping with their three young children. In spare moments, Emily also enjoys good books and good friends.
As Worship Band Leader, Mark prepares the music for worship services and then helps lead the Praise Team on Sundays. Mark and his wife Robin have been married for over 36 years and love hanging out at a beach. Along with working full time for the University of Rochester, Mark is actively involved in local volleyball organizations.
Pastor Carey oversees the pre-teen through high school programming. She and her husband Tyler have three children who make sure there is never a dull moment. She can often be found with a cup of tea in hand and is perpetually reading more than one book at a time. She enjoys finding local diners and prefers her pizza with extra sauce and no cheese.
Pastor Janice is an Assistant Pastor at Calvary and her role includes pastoral care, teaching, preaching and oversight of our “Quarter Life” young adult ministries. She and her husband Alden have been married for over 20 years and have three children. Janice has little down time, as she homeschools all three children full time, but if she did you may find her camping, enjoying their 1800’s farmhouse or reading a book or two, curled up on the couch in front of a roaring fire.
David is the Director of Venture Compassionate Ministries, overseeing outreach efforts to meet the needs of families and neighbors in our community and world. David and his wife Alejandra have been married for 9 years and have one daughter. As a family, they enjoy exploring the outdoors by traveling throughout the U.S. and Central America. You will often find David enjoying a cup of Guatemalan coffee while tending to his vegetable and flower gardens.
Patty is the office assistant who keeps all of the ministries of the church running. In addition to her employment at the church, she is an active volunteer in the children and student ministries. She and her husband have three children and two grandchildren that she adores.
Our Beliefs
Our beliefs are the foundation of all we do.
- We believe in one God – the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
- We believe that the Bible is fully inspired by God and that all truth necessary for salvation and a faithful relationship with God is contained in them.
- We believe that human beings are born with a selfish nature and are, therefore, inclined to do what is evil.
- We believe that those who never turn from evil and believe in Jesus Christ are eternally lost.
- We believe that Jesus Christ died for all humanity, and that whoever repents and believes in the Lord Jesus Christ is delivered from sin and welcomed by God as His child.
- We believe that believers are to become fully devoted followers of Christ.
- We believe that the Holy Spirit assures us that we are children of God and that we are pleasing to Him.
- We believe that our Lord will return, the dead will be raised, and the final judgment will take place.
Affiliation
Calvary Community Church is a part of the Church of the Nazarene (CON). The Church of the Nazarene is a Protestant Christian church in the Wesleyan-Holiness tradition. Organized in 1908, the Church is now home to more than 2 million members worshiping in over 26,000 local congregations in 159 world areas. A full description of our what it means to be a Nazarene can be found here.