Calvary Church on East Beltline NE in Grand Rapids, Michigan, is a non-denominational Christian church known for a ministry life that extends well beyond Sunday worship. Five practices shape its identity: assembling, maturing, serving, caring and witnessing. The Sunday assembly gathers people from diverse backgrounds and cultures, while the rest of the week brings together children, students, adults, seniors, international neighbors, people seeking practical help, missionaries and leaders being equipped for ministry.
Two Sunday Gatherings on East Beltline
Calvary's two Sunday services begin at 9:00 a.m. and 10:45 a.m. at 707 East Beltline NE. Both are held in the main sanctuary, and every Sunday morning service is available through the Calvary livestream. The Sunday gathering is central to the church's identity: people from diverse backgrounds and cultures confess Jesus as Lord in worship, hear God's Word, and identify with Christ in communion and baptism. Preaching, Scripture reading, prayer and congregational worship shape the services.
- For children: Calvary Kids welcomes children from birth through fourth grade at both Sunday services. Families check in downstairs, and programming is held in the lower-level Calvary Kids area.
- For families watching the stream: The lower-level Family Room in the Calvary Kids area and Room 112 across from the choir room are available when children need to move while the service appears on a large screen.
- For Korean-speaking worshipers: Real-time Korean interpretation is provided at the 10:45 service. A receiver is available at the Welcome Desk, and the sermon is also translated into Korean.
- For people of different abilities: Worship is inclusive. Registration is not required for the main services, a seat can be reserved in advance, and a hearing T loop serves rows E through T on the main floor.
The church office is open Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. The Prayer Garden is open during morning services and weekdays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Previous messages can be searched, watched, listened to or downloaded in a sermon archive extending back to 2005.
Five Practices That Shape Calvary
Calvary describes its desired identity as Christ's church in this place, a living community of worship that is caring, serving, witnessing and maturing. It calls the church the only institution Christ himself promised to build and says that Christ forms a people for his own possession through communal life.
- A gathered assembly: The church assembles from diverse backgrounds and cultures to confess Jesus as Lord, hear God's Word and identify with Christ in communion and baptism. Sunday worship is central to everything the church does.
- A maturing body: Growth takes place in community through biblical wisdom, identification with Christ, endurance through suffering, godly examples, worship and smaller fellowships.
- A serving community: The Holy Spirit equips each person to contribute natural talents, material resources and spiritual gifts, creating mutual dependence that strengthens the whole church.
- A caring family: The church is characterized by relationships marked by commitment, affection and accountability. People rejoice and suffer together, seek to do good to everyone and especially bless those within the church family.
- A witnessing people: The Gospel is proclaimed through the church and through individual believers. Love expressed in Christian relationships also bears witness to the wisdom of God, who is bringing all things together in Christ.
Wednesday Evenings for Every Generation
Calvary Kids and Students is one ministry team serving people from birth through college-aged adulthood. Its recurring thread is that children and students should know they are loved, belong in the family of God, and grow in a relationship with Jesus.
Early Childhood and Elementary Age
Children from birth through fourth grade are welcome at both Sunday worship services. On Wednesdays during the school year, Kids-N-Action gathers children in kindergarten through fourth grade from 6:30 to 7:45 p.m. Bible stories, electives, small groups and hands-on activities are intended to help children understand what the Bible says and put faith into action. Li'l KNA serves babies through young fives during the same evening; children in pre-K participate when a parent is in a class or serving at Calvary. Registration is required for both Wednesday programs. Name-tag check-in and guardian release procedures help families know where children are and who may collect them.
Fifth Through Eighth Grade
56 Ministry welcomes fifth and sixth graders on Wednesday evenings for large-group worship, small-group discussion and free time. 78 Ministry meets seventh and eighth graders on Wednesday nights from 6:15 to 7:45 p.m. in Room 208, with an optional game time beginning at 5:30. Both groups describe their aim as a place where each student is known, loved, cared for and trained in truth. They also offer monthly activities and a parent-and-student Sunday class during the second worship service. In this class, parents and students study together while the primary expectation remains that students worship alongside their families.
High School, College and Young Adulthood
High School Ministry meets on Sunday nights from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. for games, worship, teaching and small groups, followed by Overtime social time until 9:30. The ministry aims to help students become rooted in a personal relationship with Jesus and live in love, truth and meaningful community wherever they go. The Young Adults gathering is for people ages 18 to 30 who are in college or beginning careers. Tuesdays begin with community time at 7:00 p.m., followed by worship and teaching, testimony and friendship in Room 208.
Calvary's broader Wednesday rhythm begins with a fellowship dinner from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. in the Gathering Place. Adult classes, children's programs, student ministries and prayer groups follow. The Worship and Production team also includes a praise band, choir and orchestra, with rehearsals on Wednesday evenings.
Adult Classes, Community Groups and Age-Specific Gatherings
Adult Ministries is guided by Ephesians 4:11-16 and seeks to equip people to use their gifts for the glory of God and the building of the church. Sunday classes emphasize biblical truth, prayer, care and community. Groups include Ambassadors for senior adults, Breathe for women, Faith Builders for couples and singles, Family Tree for multiple generations, Growing in Relationships, Horizons for singles and couples, Young Marrieds, Faith and Fellowship, Heirs Together, Journey, Koinonia, Legacy Builders and Sojourners. A separate class for people involved in choir, orchestra, praise band and worship production focuses on each week's sermon.
Calvary Equip classes give participants tools for spiritual formation and practical ministry. Subjects include freedom in Christ, prayer, marriage, biblical manhood and membership. Thriving Marriage is hosted by Tom and Jen Olsson, while membership classes explore what Calvary teaches and are open to anyone age 12 or older. Adult Bible study also meets on Monday evenings for men and women, Tuesday mornings for women and Wednesday evenings for women. The study follows one biblical book across the academic year.
Community groups contain three or more people in similar life stages who pursue faith, share life and serve their neighborhoods together. Their three rhythms are to gather for hospitality, fellowship and friendship; grow through Scripture, prayer and discovery of purpose; and go out as a gospel presence in the local community. Rooted is a 10- to 15-person experience for exploring the Bible, prayer, stories, service and spiritual practices.
Men's Ministry, directed by Joe Symonds, emphasizes worship, encouragement and helping men equip others. Gatherings include Bible studies, Monday basketball, breakfasts and retreats. Women's Ministry, led by Susan Sorensen, encourages women to know and follow Jesus, grow in discipleship and serve locally and globally. Tuesday Bible study, the first, third and fifth Thursday Embrace gathering for mothers of young children, monthly homeschool-moms meetings and a prayer-shawl ministry provide regular connection. Embrace includes childcare and combines mentoring, teaching, fellowship and breakfast. Senior Adult Ministry oversees Oasis, including an in-person and virtual Bible study, while Singles Connect supports adults in their 30s, 40s and 50s. The Widows Ministry provides a caring network and fellowship opportunities throughout the year.
Mercy at the Table: Benevolence, Food and Home Repair
Mercy and hospitality are described as fundamental to Calvary's identity. Its willingness to welcome strangers and people in need is grounded in Jesus' teaching about welcoming those who are poor, overlooked or marginalized. The First Impressions team focuses especially on helping newcomers feel known and connected, while other ministries direct attention toward international people, orphans, prisoners and refugees.
The Benevolence Fund assists people facing eviction or homelessness, utility shutoffs, dental needs, substance-use treatment, auto repairs, funeral expenses and mortgage or rent difficulties. A confidential intake process helps the ministry determine what support can be provided. The Food Pantry and Clothes Closet offer food and clothing to families and individuals and operate on an alternating Wednesday and Thursday schedule.
Calvary also uses CarePortal to connect vulnerable children and families with people who want to respond. Response teams can pray, follow up, donate items or money, shop, deliver necessities, prepare meals and offer relational support. Renew Crew organizes volunteers for practical home needs, including electrical work, flooring, drywall, painting, yard work, small repairs and moving. The team also serves people and organizations around the region through periodic service days.
Local ministry partners extend this work through Alpha Grand Rapids, Child Evangelism Fellowship, David's House, King's Table Ministry, Mel Trotter Ministries, Oasis of Hope Center, Safe Haven, Servants Center, Urban Family Ministries, West Michigan Friendship Center and West Michigan Youth for Christ. Their work includes support for unplanned pregnancy, child evangelism, foster homes, disability-related services, homelessness, addiction recovery, health care, domestic violence, street outreach, relationships with refugees and immigrants, and youth ministry. Twice each year, Calvary also participates with other churches and individuals in a peaceful prayer focus for the sanctity of life outside a local abortion provider facility.
International Neighbors, Refugees and Prison Ministry
International Community
International Ministry seeks to welcome people from every nation, tribe, people and language into the life of Calvary. Its ministries include international student groups, a monthly general fellowship lunch, a Korean fellowship lunch, video membership classes with Korean subtitles, Sunday worship interpretation and translated sermons. Drivers also provide transportation to international students attending the second worship service. The ministry's goal is both spiritual belonging and concrete expressions of Christian love across cultures.
Neighbors International
Neighbors International is a free friendship-family program for international college students. Participants are matched with local families according to hobbies, interests and location. Friendship families meet with their assigned students at least monthly and communicate at least weekly, offering meals, help with transportation or a driver's license, guidance about the city, holiday celebrations and prayer. The program also helps coordinate food, clothing, supplies and driver training.
Refugee and Orphan Care
The Refugee Ministry follows three verbs: respond, restore and redeem. It meets physical and emotional needs in partnership with Bethany Christian Services, Samaritas and refugee families connected to the church, helps newcomers integrate into society, and shares the freedom in Christ as a personal choice. Short-term teams also serve at a women and children's center on Lesvos, Greece, where they partner with All4Aid. Orphan Care walks alongside families caring for vulnerable children, encouraging adoption and foster care while providing practical help, babysitting, financial assistance, housecleaning and other support.
Prison Ministry
Minister and Director Ardo Draper leads a team that carries out worship services in local jails and prisons. Early-afternoon gatherings include prayer, worship, preaching, an invitation to salvation and one-to-one counseling or prayer. Volunteers serve as teachers, team leaders, musicians or pen pals, and the ministry works alongside New Creations Prison Ministries and Reach the Forgotten Jail Ministry.
Prayer, Care and Supportive Communities
Calvary Care offers spiritual care, hospital visitation, funeral and memorial support and connections with Christian professional counselors. The care team includes ministers, directors, facilitators and support staff. Its counseling work addresses situations involving depression, marriage difficulties, parenting challenges and other complex circumstances by connecting people with trained Christian counselors.
Prayer is woven throughout the church's regular schedule. Pre-Service Prayer gathers before the 9:00 service, and the Boiler Room remains open throughout Sunday morning worship. Intercessors meet Wednesday evenings, while the elders gather for prayer on the first Tuesday of each month. Grand Awakening brings West Michigan churches together for prayer on the first Thursday, and a missionary prayer gathering meets on the third Monday. Other recurring groups include high school parent prayer, a Saturday night prayer team, the Jerusalem Project prayer team and prayer teams for international students, the Renew Crew and widows.
Calvary also hosts several support communities. Alcoholics Anonymous meetings meet at midday Monday through Friday and on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday evenings. Al-Anon meetings meet Tuesday and Thursday evenings. Avenue is a private group for men seeking freedom from shame associated with pornography and sexual brokenness. DivorceCare and GriefShare offer structured support for people processing divorce and bereavement, while Hannah's Heart supports women, couples and families affected by miscarriage or infant loss. H.I.S. is a Bible study about emotional, physical and spiritual wounds. Other gatherings include a class for parents of children who identify as LGBTQ+, monthly mental-health support for caregivers, cancer encouragement and Veterans at Calvary.
Marriage and bereavement are also part of the church's care ministry. Premarital counseling consists of six hours over three months, with tailored counseling for couples preparing to remarry. Couples approved to marry at Calvary participate in this preparation, and the church offers biblical marriage counseling and a Thriving Marriage class. The funeral and memorial ministry helps families plan services and provides support, comfort and prayer during bereavement. Weddings and funeral services are among the church's available facilities.
From Grand Rapids to the World: Missions and Church Planting
Missions and Outreach is organized around global outreach, local outreach, evangelism and church planting. The church describes this work as both declaring God's glory among the nations and serving people in need around the world and in West Michigan. Ministry leaders offer cross-training for people considering full-time missions work, and the church maintains global and local ministry partnerships that are supported through prayer and giving.
Short-term missions have long been a central part of the strategy. Teams have traveled to Poland, Albania, Ukraine, Honduras, Mozambique and Tanzania. Each team is shaped around the vision of its hosts and combines service with relationship-building and ministry alongside national churches. Participation can include prayer, financial support, short-term service and the work of helping missionaries and national believers discover the needs of their communities.
Global partners include Bangla Ministries Worldwide, Deaf Opportunity OutReach, Development Associates International, Global Heart Ministries, Institute for Bible Translation, Mission India, Operation Mobilization, Partners in Evangelism, The Seed Company and Youth for Christ International. Their work ranges from Bible translation and leadership development to church planting, digital ministry among people in the Middle East and Central Asia, disability ministry and work among Bengali and Deaf communities.
The Jerusalem Project
Created in 2018, the Jerusalem Project has three connected branches. Partner works with established churches led by national pastors through relationships, pastoral support, leadership encouragement, project-based funding, training and prayer. Train provides theological education, spiritual formation and practical ministry preparation through a two-year pastoral residency, the Leadership Development Forum, the two-year Jerusalem Project Institute and a one-year ordination and commissioning cohort. Plant establishes new congregations locally and globally, serving as an incubator for church planters and supporting national church leaders with funding and prayer.
The project frames this work through love, mercy and the church as God's dwelling place. Its goal is to advance Christ's church by carrying the Gospel from Jerusalem to the ends of the earth through the work of local congregations.
What Calvary Believes
Calvary's beliefs are summarized in an extensive statement of faith grounded in Scripture. The Old and New Testaments are affirmed as authoritative, inerrant and final in faith and life. The church believes in one holy, sovereign and all-knowing God who exists eternally as Father, Son and Holy Spirit, and in creation as the work of the triune God.
Human beings are created in God's image but separated from him by sin. God became incarnate in Jesus Christ, who is fully God and fully man, died for sin, rose bodily over sin and death and now reigns and intercedes for his people. The Holy Spirit convicts the world, gives new life and indwells believers. Salvation comes through repentance and faith in Christ's finished work of atonement, redemption and resurrection.
The church is affirmed as the body and bride of Christ, made up of justified believers and manifested in local churches that worship, preach, pray, fellowship, practice spiritual gifts and observe baptism and the Lord's Supper. Calvary practices believer's baptism by immersion. Its statement also affirms angels and demons, the authority of Satan and his opposition to God's people, and the personal, bodily and premillennial return of Christ.
These convictions are expressed through a church that assembles for worship, forms disciples in community, serves neighbors, cares for vulnerable people, welcomes people from different nations, makes disciples and sends people into ministry at home and around the world.