OUR MISSION
At Calvary Baptist Church, we exist to glorify God and to grow as disciples who make disciples. We seek to fulfill our mission in our neighborhood and among all nations.
OUR COMMUNITY
Our community is from all walks and cultures of life, made of up of many nations for God's glory.
OUR STRATEGY
CALVARYS HISTORY
Calvary Baptist Church was established on September 10, 1958, with twenty-three charter members. For the first three years, the members met for worship at the Masonic Hall on Union Boulevard in Bay Shore for eighty dollars a month. The property at 1040 Union Boulevard was purchased on February 16, 1960, and on December 24, 1961, the first service was held in the new building. The building was dedicated at a special service on January 28, 1962.
In August 1970, the church purchased the parsonage in neighboring West Islip, NY. Plans for a new educational wing were drawn up in 1974, and the work was completed in 1977.
From 1958 to 2019, the Lord blessed Calvary Baptist Church with nine faithful pastors. On January 20, 2019, Pastor Nathan Creitz became the 10th pastor to serve. Nathan and his wife Kim moved their family from Queens to Bay Shore, and Nathan's first sermon as the new pastor was on February 3, 2019.
At the beginning of 2020, Pastor Angel Matute and his wife Susana led 11 other Spanish-speaking brothers and sisters and their children to begin meeting in the Fellowship Hall. It soon became obvious to all that the Lord was bringing both groups together. On April 15, 2020, they officially joined with the other members of Calvary Baptist Church to become one church speaking two languages. Since then, we have held a joint service on the first Sunday of the month and separate services on the remaining weeks. Many of our events and Bible studies are done jointly. And our youth and children meet together on Wednesday nights. On Sunday, September 5, 2021, Angel Matute was ordained and installed as the Associate Pastor at Calvary Baptist Church.
With Nathan and Angel sharing oversight, the church has seen many changes: from a solo elder model to a plurality of elders, from no deacons to five deacons, from one English service to two services in two languages (English and Spanish). In addition, the membership has grown, and many needed updates to the church building and to the parsonage have been taken care of. Recently, a new mission was adopted: Calvary Baptist Church exists to glorify God and to grow as disciples who make disciples.