From the Allendale Firehouse to West Crescent Avenue
Calvary Lutheran Church has served Allendale and the surrounding communities since 1957. The congregation first gathered at the Allendale Firehouse before expanding into its current home on the corner of West Crescent Avenue and Ivers Road. The building is now a familiar landmark in the Borough of Allendale, and many locals point to it as the church across from Savini Restaurant.
As a member congregation of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), Calvary follows the teachings of Martin Luther, the sixteenth-century reformer. Its mission is simple and outward-facing: "To teach and display the love of Christ by connecting with people of all walks of life through worship, discipleship and outreach to our community."
Sunday Worship at 10:30 a.m.
Calvary Lutheran Church gathers for in-person worship every Sunday at 10:30 a.m., and the service is also live-streamed on the church's Facebook page. Visitors are encouraged to come as they are. The congregation describes its worship as joyful, casual, and liturgical: relaxed in demeanor and openness, but ordered in its pattern and flow.
Each service moves through four movements the church names Gathering, Word, Meal, and Sending. The Holy Spirit calls the people of God together, God speaks through scripture, preaching, and song, the congregation is fed with the presence of Jesus Christ, and the people are blessed and sent in mission to the world.
On the first Sunday of every month, the church celebrates an Open Table Communion followed by a coffee hour. Communion is open to everyone regardless of denomination. The final Sunday of the month is set aside as "Informal Worship," a more laid-back variation of the regular pattern. Visitors and long-time members are equally welcome, including those who have been away from church for a while, those who are not Lutheran, and those who are still figuring out what they believe.
Pastor Kara Song
Kara Song is the congregation's pastor. She was born in South Korea and immigrated to the United States as a toddler in the early 1970s, growing up in Georgia where her father planted two Korean Presbyterian churches. She holds a BA in Sociology and Music from Emory University, a Master of Public Administration from Georgia State University, a Master of Divinity from Drew Theological Seminary (2022), and completed the United Lutheran Seminary in May 2024. She was ordained with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America in August 2024.
Before arriving at Calvary, Pastor Kara served in a variety of ministry positions in Asian-American congregations in Atlanta, San Jose, Los Angeles, Portland (OR), Springfield (MA), Wayne, and Woodland Park. She also attended Grace United Methodist Church in Wyckoff, where she served as a Lay Delegate to the Greater NJ UMC Annual Conference and was a member of the contemporary Praise Band and Handbells Choir. She has worked in social service, nonprofit, governmental, and educational positions in Georgia, Oregon, California, Connecticut, and New York, and spent ten years with the State of New Jersey.
Monday is Pastor Kara's designated day off, though she remains available for pastoral emergencies. She lives with her family in the area and can be reached at pkara.calvary@gmail.com.
Children and Families in Worship
Calvary welcomes children with their wiggles and giggles, and parents are encouraged to bring them into worship. Families often sit closer to the front of the sanctuary so children can see what happens during the service. If a child needs a break, there is a playroom off the hall where families can step out.
Sunday School runs at 10:30 a.m. for children from age four through fifth grade on most Sundays during the school year. The schedule is posted on the home page calendar.
Bible Study, Choir, and a Bagpipe Band
Ministry at Calvary is varied. Bible Study meets at 2:00 p.m. on alternating Tuesdays, beginning in mid-September and running through the program year. The Vocal Choir rehearses on Wednesday evenings from 7:30 to 8:30 p.m. from September through May. Members are not required to read music, but they are expected to sing on pitch and commit to weekly rehearsals. The choir sings classical and contemporary sacred music.
A newer addition is the contemporary Praise Band and Chimes and Bells Choir, both open to anyone who would like to play, with no music-reading required.
One of the more unexpected ministries at Calvary is Clan na Vale, a bagpipe band whose students practice at the church every Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. and whose band rehearses at 7:30 p.m. All are welcome.
Youth and Young Adults
The Youth and Young Adults Ministry meets monthly, with activities that have included a cultural food outing and a soccer game, and plans for a retreat. Specific dates appear on the home page calendar, and Pastor Kara can be reached for details.
Music Director Elise Carter
L. Elise Carter has served as Calvary's music director since 2014. She is an organist, a professional flutist, and a published composer. She has accompanied performances in Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall and made her own Carnegie Hall debut as a flutist in 2005. She has studied organ with Craig Williams of West Point Academy and Dr. Ann Matlock of Grace Church in Madison, New Jersey, and she performs chamber music with the Uptown Flutes, a flute octet whose four CDs feature her playing.
Ms. Carter has written and published two flute solos, including Dream Seeking, a piece inspired by Native American flute sounds that she played at Calvary's Palm Sunday service. She was also commissioned to write a flute choir piece for the National High School Flute Choir, premiered in New York City at the 2009 National Flute Convention. She is co-founder and former President of the New Jersey Flute Society, an adjunct professor of flute at Drew University, and a former visiting professor at William Paterson University.
She is also a co-founder of the Carter-Glennon Arts Center and Nature Preserve, whose mission is to promote, create, inspire, and support those who seek and live out a life of beauty through art, music, dance, and theatre in communion with nature. The church hosts a benefit concert for the Carter-Glennon Center each fall.
Reaching the Wider Community
Calvary's outreach efforts include ongoing donations to the Center for Food Action, where the need for personal hygiene supplies such as soap, shampoo, toothpaste, and toothbrushes is regularly noted in church communications. The building also hosts community groups, including the Boy Scouts of America, and Calvary supports Camp Koinonia, a Lutheran Church camp located in New York's Delaware River Highlands. The building is open for rent by non-profit community groups.
Finding Calvary
The church is located in the Borough of Allendale in northern Bergen County, about thirty miles from New York City, at 165 W. Crescent Avenue. The sanctuary is fully wheelchair accessible through the front door near the offices and throughout the building. The phone number is 201-327-4786 and the general email is calvaryallendale@gmail.com. Online giving is available through Square Space, online bill pay, and PayPal. A monthly newsletter is published online, and worship services are live-streamed on Facebook.