Calvary Baptist Church in Little Egg Harbor is known for two Sunday morning worship gatherings, a wide range of ministries for children and teens, and food and meal outreach that welcome people inside and outside the church family. Located at 850 Railroad Drive, the church organizes life around a simple mission: Love God, Love Others, Make Disciples. That sequence shapes its worship, small groups, Awana clubs, youth service, food pantry, community meals and opportunities to serve.
Two Sunday Gatherings on Railroad Drive
Calvary's two Sunday morning services are identical and begin at 9:30 and 11:00 a.m. Guests can arrive a few minutes early, stop at the welcome center and then enter the auditorium. The atmosphere is relaxed, with no special dress code, so visitors are encouraged to come just as they are. Attendance does not carry a charge, and an offering plate is not passed. Guests may sit anywhere in the auditorium. Children in grades 3 through 6 stay with their adults until they are dismissed before the final song.
- Parking: Guests should use one of the paved lots closest to the church.
- Entry and elevator: There are three entrances. Visitors entering by the office or west entrance follow signs for the main lobby and welcome center. If other doors are locked during a service, the main entry is staffed. Elevator access is available from the main lobby.
- Food and conversation: Bagels and coffee are available in the lobby at 10:30 a.m., between the two services.
A Sunday gathering combines traditional and contemporary worship. The service includes praise songs and hymns, prayer, and a Bible message from one of the pastors. Musicians include singers, piano, guitars, drums and other instruments. The worship services are conducted in English, with the English Standard Version used most often; the NKJV, KJV and NASB are also used at times, and a free ESV Bible is available at the welcome center. The 11:00 a.m. service can be joined through the church livestream, which begins at 10:45 a.m. and allows viewers to start later or rewind to the beginning.
From a West Creek Chapel to Railroad Drive
Calvary's story begins in 1875, when Jonathan Shinn and Charles Pharo helped start a Baptist church on Thomas Avenue in West Creek. The cornerstone for its chapel was laid in June 1893, and the building was completed in March 1894. A children's Sunday School soon followed, while the Baptist Young People's Union was organized in 1941. Both Calvary Kidz and youth ministry continue in the life of the church, even as their methods have changed. As attendance and children's ministry grew, property was donated in 1958 at Railroad Avenue and Parkertown Drive, providing parking, a parsonage and room for expansion. In October 1962, the chapel was moved to its present location and the congregation's name became Calvary Baptist Church.
Growth continued through the late 1980s. Property purchased across Railroad Drive in 1987 and 1988 became overflow parking, and ground was broken for the auditorium on August 22, 1987. The new auditorium was dedicated on April 23, 1989. A plan approved in 2010 called for a multipurpose building with offices, classrooms, a gymnasium, commercial kitchen, nurseries and foyer. Groundbreaking followed in September 2012, and the expanded facility was dedicated on July 27, 2014. Those spaces support worship, teaching, hospitality, exercise and meals for the community.
Love God, Love Others, Make Disciples
Calvary defines its discipleship path through three connected practices. To Love God, people participate in worship. To Love Others, they participate in a Calvary Group where fellowship, accountability and discipleship can develop. To Make Disciples, they participate in an outreach ministry and encourage others to love God, multiplying disciples and helping them mature spiritually.
This is more than a slogan for the church. Sunday worship represents Love God, small groups represent Love Others, and the food pantry, community meals, children's ministry and other outreach opportunities represent Make Disciples. Adults are encouraged to join a group, while children and teens receive age-specific opportunities to learn and serve. Membership is not required to attend, and the church also offers a membership class for people who want to learn more about the congregation and its beliefs.
Bible-Centered Beliefs
Calvary affirms that the Old and New Testaments are verbally inspired by God, inerrant in the original manuscripts and the final authority in faith and life. It holds to the 66 books of the Bible and teaches that no new revelation is given during the present dispensation. The church confesses one God in three persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Jesus Christ is affirmed as fully human and fully divine, born of Mary through the Holy Spirit, the sufficient mediator between God and humanity, and the risen and ascended Savior. The Holy Spirit is God and is active in creation, salvation and sanctification.
Salvation is by faith in the shed blood of Jesus Christ. Calvary's beliefs hold together God's sovereignty and election with human freedom and responsibility, and teach the eternal security of the believer. A New Testament church is described as an organized, independent and self-governing body of baptized believers engaged in the Great Commission. Baptism is the single immersion of a believer in water and a prerequisite for membership, while the Lord's Supper commemorates Christ's death until he comes. Calvary distinguishes continuing spiritual gifts from the sign gifts associated with evangelism and testimony, which it says have ceased. Its beliefs also affirm biblical marriage, bodily resurrection, the reality of hell and the premillennial return of Christ.
Calvary Kids from Nursery Through Sixth Grade
Calvary Kids meets during both Sunday services so children can worship, learn and become disciples together. Third- through sixth-grade children remain for most of the music, then move to their classes before the final song. The 9:30 class emphasizes large-group teaching, while the 11:00 class reviews the lesson and adds small groups to build relationships. Calvary uses the brite curriculum, and all team members have completed child safety screening.
- Nursery and toddler care: For infants, toddlers and young three-year-olds, with check-in beginning 15 minutes before each service.
- Pre-K: For children who are three by October 1, with check-in at the children's counter.
- Kindergarten through second grade: Children are checked in at the counter and escorted to Room 201.
- Third through sixth grade: Children are checked in at the counter and dismissed to Room 201 during worship.
Child care is available during both Sunday services. For a first visit, families arrive 10 to 15 minutes early so staff can collect contact and allergy information. Children receive a label with a security code that must be shown when they are picked up. The children's ministry workers have been screened and have completed a child safety course.
Wednesday Awana and Youth Group
Awana meets on Wednesday evenings from 6:30 to 8:00 p.m. during the school year, from September through May. Its four clubs cover a wide range of children: Puggles for ages 2 and 3, Cubbies for preschoolers, Sparks for kindergarten through second grade, and Truth and Training for third through sixth grade. Puggles are for children whose parents attend a Wednesday Calvary Group or serve in Awana, Youth Group or the nursery. The program is free, and each child receives a first handbook and shirt. Meetings combine teamwork games, Bible memorization and small-group activities, followed by a Bible message and singing.
Youth Group welcomes students in grades 7 through 12 and meets on Wednesdays from 6:30 to 8:00 p.m. from September through June. Its emphasis is relevant biblical teaching, challenging ministry opportunities and an energetic environment, with no advance signup required. The youth ministry team is composed of local students committed to serving locally, nationally and internationally. Team members make commitments to attendance, abstinence, accountability and action, lead church events and have opportunities for mission trips locally or around the world.
Calvary Groups for Every Stage
Calvary Groups are small groups committed to loving one another through community, accountability and discipleship. Several groups meet in church, while others meet in homes. The schedule accommodates different ages and seasons of life:
- Young Adults: Ages 18 through 25 meet on Sunday evenings for Christian community and discipleship.
- Family Matters: Parents with children at home meet every other Sunday for dinner, family activities and Bible study, with childcare during the study.
- Gospel Centered Families: Another family gathering combines food, fellowship and study every other Sunday.
- Young Married: Couples meet on Sunday morning to consider marriage and family through the Bible.
- Any Age Adults: Several groups meet on Sunday morning or Wednesday evening for Bible study, food and prayer, including groups for people who are new to Christianity.
- Ladies and men: Women's groups meet on Monday, Wednesday and Thursday, while the men's group meets on Wednesday evening.
- Faithful Saints: People aged 55 and older meet on Sunday morning for weekly study and prayer.
- Prayer and Cornerstone: The Sunday prayer gathering begins at 8:30 a.m., and Cornerstone meets on the last Tuesday of each month for Bible study, snacks and prayer.
Food for Neighbors and the Calvary Kitchen
The food pantry is free and open to everyone on Tuesdays from 9:30 a.m. to noon. Church attendance is not required. Visitors provide basic information requested by the county, and food availability is not guaranteed. Typical items include canned food, soup, cereal, macaroni and cheese, peanut butter, jelly, fresh or frozen meat, milk, eggs and frozen foods. The pantry does not carry home necessities and does not deliver, but a person unable to attend may designate someone else to pick up the food.
Food comes from donations by church families and from FULFILL, the Food Bank of Monmouth and Ocean County. The pantry accepts food donations during its open hours, before or after services, or through the lobby and outdoor container. Clothing donations are collected in bins across the street from the Parkertown Firehouse. The pantry does not accept used toys, furniture or appliances.
The Calvary Kitchen extends that care into shared meals. Community Brunch is held on the first and third Tuesdays from 9:30 a.m. to noon, and Community Meal is held on the second Tuesday from 5:00 to 6:30 p.m. Both are open to the community, the church family and people beyond it, with a new menu each month and time for fellowship alongside the meal.
Serving Teams, Learning and Worship Resources
Ministry responsibilities are distributed across a large serving team. Pastor Mike leads hospitality and the Sunday prayer gathering, Pastor Kevin oversees youth and Calvary Groups, and Pastor Dave leads worship, children, music and audiovisual ministry as well as Vacation Bible School. Kathy Burd directs nursery ministry, Jacki Ferrara leads Pre-K, Robyn Wenal leads the K-6th ministry, Jennifer Oddo oversees child check-in and Chris Moore directs Awana. Eric and Regina White lead the food pantry, while Laura Golden and Anne Marie Jillson lead Calvary Kitchen community meals.
The church library is in Room 120 and opens one-half hour before and after Sunday services and during office hours. Materials can be reserved for Sunday pickup. The audio sermon archive makes messages available through SoundCloud, and the Bible.com app provides Pastor Mike's sermon notes. The church is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit, and online giving through Subsplash includes Apple Pay and Google Wallet options. The gym provides indoor walking Monday through Thursday from 9:00 to 11:00 a.m. and open gym hours Monday, Tuesday and Thursday from noon to 4:00 p.m. for people aged 16 and older.
At 850 Railroad Drive, Calvary Baptist Church's story links two Sunday services, multigenerational discipleship and practical care for neighbors. Its mission remains visible throughout the church: Love God in worship, Love Others in community and Make Disciples through service.