West Asheville, North Carolina
WHAT MAKES CALVARY UNIQUE
WE DON'T FIT THE LABELS: We are followers of Jesus. We don't want to be categorized as either "conservative" or "moderate" or "progressive" or "fundamental" or whatever other label churches use. We do not fit those molds because those labels tend to draw up sides. We strive to be objective followers of Jesus, unattached to labels and stereotypes. But that doesn't mean that we don't know who we are; we do. Read our Core Values below.
WE ARE A FIT FOR THOSE WHO HAVE NOT FOUND A FIT: At Calvary, it is our uniqueness that makes us the kind of church that many people who don't fit in other churches will find fits them. It is what we have in common as followers of Jesus that unites us around our points of diversity and differences. Maybe you are not yet a follower of Jesus because you have been turned off by churches who seem too rigid or, conversely, by churches who don't seem to stand for much at all. If you have questions about God, the Bible, Jesus, Church, truth, faith -- these are all welcomed questions at Calvary. We welcome your questions knowing that Jesus welcomes your questions too.
WE ARE A MATURE CONGREGATION WITH A YOUTHFUL SPIRIT: We are a mature church with many older members, but we are not "old" in our thinking. We are still alive, active, working, serving, loving, giving, going, growing. We are presently reinventing ourselves and are inviting others to come along for the ride.
OUR CORE VALUES / GUIDING MINISTRY PRINCIPLES
Jesus is the answer to our brokenness as individuals and as a society. Jesus transforms our lives and our world one person at a time. Through Jesus, God offers what the Bible calls "eternal life", which is life with God into all of time.
THE BIBLE IS TRUSTWORTHY TO TELL US ABOUT JESUS
God speaks to us through the Bible, which reveals to us who God is and what God has done through Jesus in the New Testament. The Bible is our sole authority for living as a follower of Jesus.
GOD HAS GIVEN US FREEDOM TO CHOOSE
We all sin because we all choose wrongly. If we choose to follow Jesus, we accept that through his death and resurrection, our sin and guilt no longer have sway over us.
Being part of a Christ-centered, others-focused church is essential for all who follow Jesus.
We believe that followers of Jesus should practice celibacy in singleness and faithfulness in marriage between a woman and a man. We embrace all persons regardless of sexual orientation while not embracing all lifestyles. We limit teaching and leadership roles to disciples of Jesus who live according to a traditional Christian marriage ethic.
CHURCH IS FOR EVERYONE, THAT'S EVERYONE!
Regardless of your background, beliefs, political persuasion, sexual orientation, ethnicity, you are welcome here to learn with us what it means to follow Jesus and worship Him.
It is up to God whom He calls to preach, teach, and lead in his church. God has, does, and will continue to call girls and boys, women and men, to Himself and to His service in His church and in His world.
SERVANT LEADERSHIP IS REAL LEADERSHIP
In the way we do church and the way we engage the world, we work to model leadership the way Jesus modeled leadership: serving others.
Absolute truth does exist and can only be known in the truth of God. God is love, and His love is without condition. Both of these things are true. As followers of Jesus, we strive to share the truth in love.
HONEST FAITH MEANS WE CAN SOMETIMES DOUBT, AND THAT IS OK
Honest faith has room for diversity of thinking, dialogue, wrestling with the Bible, being real, even having doubts and questions about God. We value honesty and transparency in our faith journey.
OUR HISTORY
Calvary Baptist Church of West Asheville, NC was organized on January 3, 1890 in the old Odd Fellows Hall which stood on the corner of Hanover Street and Haywood Road. There were sixty-eight charter members and The Reverend R.P. Walker was called to be the first pastor. The church was the outgrowth of a mission Sunday School sponsored by the West End Baptist Church. The first church building was located on the west side of Hanover Street in the block between Haywood Road and Pennsylvania Avenue. Calvary was one of the first churches in West Asheville. At the time of her founding, the only other church was Balm Grove Methodist, now Trinity Methodist Church. In 1916 the present lot was purchased and the sanctuary was completed in 1925. Each Sunday during the building campaign, a special collection was taken in an old iron pot, a symbol still used today for collecting special offerings.
Our church has been categorized by many as a church of “firsts.” Calvary was the first church to establish a Brotherhood organization in the Baptist State Convention of NC. We were the first to have a Vacation Bible School in Asheville, the first to have a graded choir program, the first to have a race relations program in West Asheville, thus placing us among one of the first progressive churches in the region seeking to promote justice. In June 2003, Calvary presented the Baptist Children’s Home of North Carolina $100,000 to be used for a new home to assist developmentally impaired young adults. The Bolick Home, as it was named in honor of Alverta Bolick who donated a large sum for the home, was opened in 2006 and is located on the lot adjacent to the rear campus. In addition to the support given to various mission organizations, our church has served in West Virginia, Kansas City, Oklahoma, Florida, Boston, Kentucky, New Hampshire, Mississippi, Connecticut, New York, Belgium,Poland, and Nicaragua.
Our Affirmation of Faith:
"For there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus,
who gave himself as a ransom for all people." - I Timothy 2:5-6