In Valley Center, Kansas, Calvary Baptist Church is a Southern Baptist congregation whose identity is Discover Life in Christ. Rooted in the truth and the relevance of the gospel, Calvary is known for a history that began at the Valley Center Library, ministries centered on the Bible from preschool through high school, and service that reaches beyond Sunday worship through meals, missions, prayer quilts, and support for people in need. The church gathers at 320 N Sheridan Avenue in Valley Center, and the church office answers 316-755-2343.
Sunday Worship at 9:30, 11:00, and 6:00
Sunday is structured around two worship services and a Bible-learning hour for the church family. Morning worship begins at 9:30 a.m., Sunday School begins at 11:00 a.m., and evening worship begins at 6:00 p.m. Calvary's aim in worship is to exalt Christ, equip the saints, and evangelize the lost, with families of every age included in that mission.
Visitors are met at the door by friendly greeters who are ready to answer questions and direct them. Guests do not need to stand or do anything that calls attention to themselves; the service gives them room to focus their minds and hearts on the Lord. A nursery is available for babies and toddlers during morning worship, where volunteers teach the children about Jesus while families worship.
- 9:30 a.m. Sunday: Morning worship at 320 N Sheridan Avenue.
- 11:00 a.m. Sunday: Sunday School, including separate youth classes.
- 6:00 p.m. Sunday: Evening worship at the church.
After the morning service, families are invited to stay for fellowship time before Sunday School. Coffee or water is available along with cookies, crackers, cheese, and other refreshments. Wednesdays are active as well: Family Meal begins at 5:15 p.m., AWANA and SPIRE both meet at 6:30 p.m., and Bible Study and Prayer begins at 6:45 p.m. Men meet for Bible study at 6:30 a.m. Tuesday at Main Street Coffee in Valley Center. People who cannot attend in person can watch the worship stream on YouTube, and sermon recordings are available in the church's YouTube playlist. Online giving supports one-time or recurring gifts.
From the Valley Center Library to a 440-Seat Sanctuary
Calvary began in 1956 as a mission of Allerton Baptist Church of Wichita and met in the Valley Center Library. In November 1959, the mission was organized into a New Testament Baptist Church with 36 charter members, and Rev. Pete Rose became its first pastor. Property in the 300 block of North West Street was purchased in 1960, and the first unit of a planned five-unit building was completed the following year. A brick house at Second and West Street became the parsonage in 1966. In 1968, a former one-room schoolhouse was moved onto the property to provide much needed Sunday School space.
The 440-seat sanctuary had its groundbreaking on August 19, 1979, and was dedicated on June 29, 1980. Groundbreaking for the Family Life Center and education wing came on April 16, 1989, and the facility was completed in 1990, ready for 14 weddings in 1991. The church's pastoral succession included Rev. Neal Alford, who assumed the pastorate in 1964; Rev. Harold Henderson, called in 1974; Rev. Don Lacy, who began in 1985 and served until retirement in 2000; and Rev. Michael Scott, called as senior pastor in 2001.
Calvary marked 50 years of ministry in Valley Center in November 2009. Beginning in 2002, the church staged six productions of Judgement House, each drawing at least 100 new brothers and sisters in Christ to the Kingdom of God. A bus ministry and Children's Church also began there in 1972.
SPIRE: Bible Depth for Students in Grades 7-12
SPIRE stands for Spiritually Pursuing In Redemptive Empowerment, the goal of the student ministry for seventh through twelfth graders. Students meet during Sunday School from 11:00 a.m. to noon in the youth room for fellowship, announcements, and a lesson suited to junior high and high school. Wednesday evenings from 6:30 to 8:00 p.m. bring games, worship, and more extensive teaching, usually through a book of the Bible. Parents and guardians remain the primary spiritual influence in a teenager's life, and Calvary treats youth ministry as an addition to family worship rather than a replacement for it.
Youth ministry became a vital part of Calvary in 1974 under Rev. Harold Henderson. Gary and Shirley Rundell served as its first directors, Carlton Cook later combined music and youth ministry, and Joe Stiles became the first full-time youth pastor. The succession continued with Doug Harris, Jay Lewis, Doug Irvin, Bill Tucker, Matt Maestes, and Jason Ramsey. Rev. Robert Chapman serves as youth pastor, and Michael Wearda is Associate Pastor of Students.
Trips have included camps and mission trips to places such as Pensacola, Florida, and the former Heart of Kansas Southern Baptist Association Shiloh Campground. Bill Tucker's mission trips featured backyard Bible studies and performances at vacation locations that were used to reach adults and children with the gospel.
AWANA, Sunday School, and Summer Bible Learning
Children's Sunday School is part of Calvary's life every Sunday. The Gospel Project curriculum guides children through the Bible on a three-year cycle, with classes for all ages taught by dedicated volunteers. AWANA meets Wednesdays from 6:30 to 8:00 p.m. and welcomes children from pre-K through sixth grade. Its three groups are Cubbies for pre-K and kindergarten, Sparks for first and second grade, and T and T for third through sixth grade. Activities include worship, games, Bible memory, Bible stories, and the chance to earn Awana Bucks for the Awana Store. The group's motto, Approved Workmen Are Not Ashamed, comes from 2 Timothy 2:15.
Two summer Wednesday gatherings give younger children additional Bible and mission formation. Summer Salt and Light serves children in first through fifth grade from 6:30 to 8:00 p.m., with Scripture memorization and missions lessons. Mission Friends welcomes children from two years old through kindergarten at the same time, introducing a specific international or domestic missionary each month through stories, activities, projects, or games. Vacation Bible School is for children who have completed kindergarten through sixth grade. Children spend a week from 9:00 a.m. to noon learning about Jesus, and Calvary schedules VBS for the last week of June each year. The annual children's Christmas program also brings volunteers and children together to point others to Christ.
Women on Mission and Men at First Light
Calvary's Women's Ministry is organized around helping women grow, serve, and follow Jesus. Its Bible studies run throughout the year with daytime and evening options, and opportunities to disciple and to be discipled are offered. Love in Action helps with baby and wedding showers, receptions, and banquets. The Prayer Quilt ministry creates lap quilts for people who need prayer; each quilt is brought before the church, where strings are tied with prayer before the quilt is delivered.
Women on Mission is for women 18 and older who want to pray, give, learn about missions, develop a missions lifestyle, and participate in the work of the church and the Southern Baptist Convention. The group meets at 10:00 a.m. on the second Tuesday of each month. Its service includes singing at Presbyterian Manor, providing clothing and food to Westside Good Neighbor Center, and supplying baked goods to Youth Horizons, along with other short-term projects. Ladies' Night Out is generally held on the first Monday of each month for food, fellowship, fun, and a devotional.
Men's Ministry includes a regular Tuesday morning Bible study from 6:30 to 7:30 a.m. at Main Street Coffee in Valley Center. The men also take part in the annual Man Up conference. These early and monthly rhythms give women and men distinct ways to study Scripture, serve, and stay connected with the life of the church.
Open Doors at the Weekly Family Meal
At 5:15 p.m. each Wednesday, Family Meal gathers people who want something to eat for $8 per person. The shared meal creates a regular setting for fellowship and community beyond the church's Sunday gatherings. The church's measurable goal is to reach 1,400 households with the honest truth of the gospel by 2030. The plan calls for groups of three families to reach and minister to at least one other family each year, both by answering questions about the hope they display and by showing the relevance of the gospel in everyday life.
That goal grows from four values. Biblical maturity is demonstrated through discipleship, a statement of faith, continual learning, communion with God, and a biblical worldview. Gospel passion appears in continual outreach and ministry to the community. Authentic community is marked by acceptance, love, care, harmony, and the use of spiritual gifts for one another. Robust faith trusts God, clings to His promises, and remains steadfast in biblical teaching and prayer.
What Calvary Holds as True
Calvary's beliefs center on the authority of Scripture, the person of God, salvation through Jesus Christ, and the life and work of the local church.
- The Scriptures: The Holy Bible is the inerrant and inspired Word of God and the final authority in faith and practice. All Scripture testifies to Jesus Christ.
- Sovereign God: There is one living and true God revealed as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, three Persons yet one God.
- God the Son: Jesus Christ is the eternal Son of God, fully God and fully man, without sin, and born of a virgin.
- Sin: When humanity sinned against God, all people were condemned, bringing physical death, spiritual death, and eternal separation from God.
- Salvation: God's love led Him to send His one and only Son to die for sin. Jesus was raised from the dead with a glorified body and ascended into heaven. Salvation is by God's grace through faith in Jesus as Lord and Savior.
- Service: The local church consists of followers of Jesus who serve one another, serve the community, and share the gospel until Jesus returns.
- The Second Coming: Jesus Christ will return for His church, and believers will spend eternity in the fullness of joy in heaven with the Lord.
As a member of the Southern Baptist Convention, Calvary holds to Southern Baptist beliefs articulated in the Baptist Faith and Message, revised in 2000.
A Church Family in Valley Center
Calvary's pattern is rooted in the gospel from the library where it began to the sanctuary where it gathers. Sunday worship, children's Bible learning, student discipleship, women's and men's ministries, a weekly family meal, missions service, and prayer quilts all serve the same aim: to exalt Christ, equip the saints, and evangelize the lost. At 320 N Sheridan Avenue in Valley Center, Calvary Baptist Church continues to center its life on Jesus Christ and the people he calls to serve.