Story of Calvary Bible Church
In the spring of 1990, 40 people met at Burton’s Shoe Store to discuss the possibility of starting a Biblically based, non-denominational church in Lodi. The name Calvary Bible Church was chosen because we wanted everyone to understand that our church was going to be based on biblical standards.
Within a month, three pastors were called. Randy Bowman, Senior Pastor; Chris Seibert, Worship Pastor; and Larry Sterlin, Associate Pastor. Our first meeting location was at Eagles Hall. We then moved to the Spanish Seventh Day Adventist Church on Central Avenue. Within a year we purchased the historic church on Hilborn and Garfield Street, now the Hispanic Calvary Bible Church.
We all worked together to remodel the church and make classrooms in the basement area. This building was our worship center for the next ten years. As we grew, we needed more classroom space, so we were able to rent Heritage School for our adult Sunday School classes and a space on East Pine Street for our High School and church offices.
The tremendous growth during that ten-year period created a need for more space than what the Hilborn property provided. After a great deal of prayer, a 32- acre piece of property along the Mokelumne River became available for purchase. With the generous giving of our people we were able to build a beautiful facility and move in December of 2000.
Because of God’s blessing, the Hispanic Calvary Bible Church was able to purchase the Hilborn property and now they are thriving and meeting the needs of the people in that community.
Today
Transition
The best way to describe Calvary Bible Church today is to describe us as a church on the go! The foundations laid by our previous pastor, staff and people have provided us with the traditions and memories of God’s faithfulness and guidance. From those foundations, we are moving with great intention to becoming a church that is uniquely different, creative and people focused. We don’t want to be just another church! Our dream is to be known as a community of people who reach outside our gates and serve the community, our region and our world through acts of kindness and share the hope we have in our faith and in the power and person of Christ. We want to be known as a band of brothers and sisters welded together by Christ’s unconditional love, kindness and compassion. We are a church with a cause greater than ourselves!!!!
In order to fulfill the causes we believe God is calling us to accomplish, we are transitioning parts of our ministry to be more in line with our missional emphasis. Worship is becoming more and more inspirational. Preaching is still Biblically based with a stronger emphasis on applying the principles discussed to everyday living. The goal is to mobilize people to live their lives with greater intention, meaning and fulfillment.
To help people find lasting friendships, we are now placing a greater importance on seeing people join a Life Group. In these small groups of 8-12 people, the best the church has to offer is experienced. We want to see people learning the Bible, growing spiritually and personally, serving others, making friends, and having fun in the context of our Life Groups.
We also place a high value on children and students in a fun, interactive setting that is age appropriate. We know our children are not only our future, they represent the present. So we invest in them through the personal involvement of our professional staff and volunteers who faithfully serve in the Children’s and Student’s ministries.
Our mission is to see God transform us into a community of mature missionaries who live on target in love! (See the Living on Target diagram on this web site for a fuller explanation)
Get in on the ground floor today of something that is taking shape with each passing week as each person who comes makes a difference with their unique personal presence and spiritual contribution.
Tomorrow
Creation
Our vision for the future of Calvary Bible Church is filled with an optimistic outlook for what is possible when people come together to accomplish a single cause. We dream of a people who live, love, lead, serve and share with each other and those God brings into our lives the love of Christ. We see a church that is so dynamic and helpful to all people that our facilities will have to be used multiple times during the week and on weekends. We pray that the next generation of people who are looking for more out of life hear about CBC and come to our campus, and literally experience the presence of Christ in such a tangible way that they will wholeheartedly want to follow Him. We envision a day when CBC will become such a part of our community and region that it would be hard to imagine what our area would be like without it.
We are intentionally moving forward in faith and creating a future that will inspire thousands to meet the person of Christ, and live with the freedom of heart and mind that comes from the forgiveness He offers to all those who come to Him by faith.
Our dream is to create a movement of faith so unique and powerful that Calvary Bible Church becomes the tip of the spear in leading the way for a spiritual revolution in our world.
Make your future significant and leave a lasting legacy of healing, hope and love for all those still to follow by becoming a part of our revolution today.