Calvary Presbyterian Church on Porter Street in Enumclaw is known for its 9:30 a.m. Sunday worship, which can be joined in the sanctuary or through Zoom, and for connecting worship with service through Calvary Community Center. Its story begins in 1887 with a Sunday school in the cabin of Mr. and Mrs. Frank Stevenson, while its present identity is grounded in Reformed worship, hospitality, and work with neighbors on the Enumclaw Plateau.
A Fourfold Sunday at 9:30
Sunday worship begins at 9:30 a.m. at 1725 Porter Street or online through Zoom. Ushers greet people arriving for worship, and visitors may sit wherever they like. Worship information and announcements appear on the projection screen. Early in the service, the congregation passes the peace of Christ and introduces itself.
Calvary intends worship to welcome people as they are and to create room for the Spirit to meet them with what they need: rest and reset, grace, comfort, inspiration, or challenge.
- Gathering includes praise, confession, and sharing the peace.
- The Word includes Scripture and a sermon.
- Thanksgiving includes Communion on the first Sunday of the month and prayers for the people.
- Sending carries what has been encountered into love and service to neighbors.
People are invited to join traditional and contemporary songs as they feel comfortable. Calvary indicates where standing may be appropriate but encourages sitting throughout the service. Written prayers can be named and held by the community. Communion is served on the first Sunday of each month; the bread passed through the congregation is gluten free, and the cup contains grape juice. God's table is open to all, and those worshipping by Zoom are invited to use whatever they have at home.
Afterward, weekly Coffee Fellowship takes place downstairs in the Fellowship Hall, with snacks, beverages, and opportunities to meet other worshippers.
Children, Study, and the Hour After Worship
Adult Sunday School follows worship from 10:45 to 11:30 a.m. in the Community Center. Several Bible studies also take place during the week, including an online study from 7:00 to 8:00 p.m. on Tuesdays.
Children's Church welcomes children from four years old through fifth grade. They gather for Bible stories, teaching, prayer, song, and play in an informal, inclusive setting. The children are dismissed partway through worship and return at its end. Parents may remain close to support their child or leave the child with teachers and return to worship.
Young worshippers may instead remain with their families. Children's Worship Bags contain drawing supplies, activity pages, and coloring tools and can be found in the lobby. On-call nursery care is provided for infants through age three in the Fellowship Hall by trained staff who sign children in and out.
Porter Street Entrances and a Two-Level Building
Two parking lots serve the church campus. One is reached through the alley from Marshall Avenue on the north or Myrtle Avenue on the south, while the lower lot is accessed from Wells Street on the east. Parking is also available along the west side of Porter Street and in the City Hall lot on Myrtle Avenue. The main wooden doors face Porter Street and are reached by stairs or a ramp.
Calvary has designated disabled parking spaces, two exterior ramps, and an elevator connecting the sanctuary and Fellowship Hall levels. Ushers can assist with hearing devices, additional pew cushions, large-print Bibles, bulletins, and hymnals. Bathrooms are located on both floors, with single-occupancy facilities upstairs.
From a Stevenson Cabin to a Community Center
Calvary began as a Sunday school in 1887 and moved into the Enumclaw Schoolhouse in 1889. On September 12, 1892, twenty-four men and women met there with Dr. John Thompson of the Presbytery of Olympia to organize the church. W. F. Bowler and Frank Marts became its first elders, while Mary Stevenson, A. L. Marks, and Cora Horn were its first deacons. The congregation initially had mission status, and its first missionary pastor was the Rev. E. M. Calvin.
The first church was built in 1894 on land donated by the Stevensons. The present brick church was erected in 1920, and the old church was moved to serve as the West Wing. A Christian Education building given by the Weyerhaeuser Company in 1964 was moved from the mill. In 2023 it became Calvary Community Center, with the Enumclaw Food Bank on the lower level. The upper level was remodeled in 2024 as the Rainier Respite Center.
A Church Rooted in Christ and the Spirit
Calvary's mission is to embrace Christian faith and encourage every generation into a life-changing relationship with Christ. It describes itself as a worshiping family centered in Christ, led by the Holy Spirit, rooted in God's Word, growing in love, and branching out in faith to serve God in the church, community, and world.
- Nurturing God's Spirit in and amongst us means supporting spiritual well-being through communal prayer, worship, the arts, spiritual practices, church traditions, and careful attention to vulnerability.
- Building belonging means making room for full participation, affirming each person's gifts, working together, and sharing food, music, art, and friendship.
- Loving neighbors and creation means responding to community needs and easing suffering where possible, with particular attention to people affected by memory issues, children, housing or food insecurity, and sustainable care of the land.
- Developing diversity, courage, and support means welcoming new people and experiences, listening deeply, protecting safety, encouraging one another, and making room for varied perspectives.
Calvary belongs to the Presbyterian Church (USA) and the Seattle Presbytery.
Food on the Plateau and Care for Memory Loss
The Enumclaw Food Bank and Blessing Box
The lower level of Calvary Community Center at 1728 Wells Street houses the Enumclaw Food Bank operated by Plateau Outreach Ministries. It is open Monday from noon to 3:00 p.m. and Tuesday and Wednesday from 9:00 a.m. to noon. A DoorDash option is available for people unable to attend in person, and anyone experiencing food insecurity can use the food bank.
Calvary also maintains the Blessing Box on Wells Street. Suggested single-serving contributions include easy-to-open tuna, applesauce, juice boxes, water bottles, and wrapped cheese-and-cracker packages.
Rainier Respite and Memory Cafes
Rainier Respite operates on the Community Center's upper level from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. on Tuesdays and Fridays. The three-hour sessions cost $30 and serve people living with memory loss, including Alzheimer's and dementia, along with their caregivers. Activities include seated exercise, music, crafts, games, mental stimulation, and fellowship in a setting supported by trained volunteers and professionals.
A monthly caregiver support group meets during a respite session, allowing a loved one with dementia to participate while a caregiver talks with others. The group is led by a licensed clinical social worker and is open to anyone providing or helping coordinate care. Memory Cafes offer a different setting for people living with cognitive change, those who love them, and curious neighbors to gather over coffee and snacks in an accepting space without a formal agenda.
Calvary works with the UW Memory Hub, Momentia, the Alzheimer's Association, Dementia Friends, Respite for All, and Old Friends Network in developing dementia-friendly support for Enumclaw and the Plateau.
Wood-Chip Paths at Osceola Gardens
Calvary partners with the Osceola community gardens around sustainability, shared questions, and food production. The church grows produce for the Enumclaw Food Bank, hosts a Music Camp for youth, and holds garden work parties. The recurring work gathering is held from 9:00 a.m. to noon on the third Saturday of each month, followed by a community potluck at 4:00 p.m. on the fourth Sunday.
Wood-chip paths wind among the vegetable beds and continue into the forest, where flowers change throughout the season. Picnic tables and chairs are placed near the entrance and among the trees, and a small wooden restroom stands near the container beds. The garden can be entered through the narrow Secret Gate between a large rock and a fence or through the larger metal gate. The chain is fastened after entry, and garden produce is not picked by visitors.
Laudate, Agape, and Friday Games
Music and the arts are woven into congregational life through the Lobby Art Gallery, the Laudate Choir, and the Agape Ringers handbell choir. Laudate rehearses every other week from September through May and sings music written for treble voices; no previous experience is required. Agape Ringers also rehearses every other week during the musical year, and all interested people are invited to learn handbells.
Game Night begins at 6:00 p.m. on Fridays in the Fellowship Hall. Participants play Pinochle, Dominoes, Kwirkle, and other games, with players willing to teach the rules. Calvary also hosts several community groups, including Alcoholics Anonymous groups, TOPS, Cascade Foothills Chorale practice, and P.E.O. meetings. Its Novel Insights Book Group gathers monthly for discussion of fiction and nonfiction.
Through the Rainier Foothills Wellness Foundation, local work includes healthcare access through a van, a school backpack program, senior hot meals, Full Bellies Thursday meals, a Healstrike running program, and a back-to-school supplies drive.
Bonbon, Baungon, and Mission Around the World
Calvary's global mission relationships include Corner of Love Relief Center in Costa Rica, Faith in Action in the Philippines, One Challenge ministries in South Africa and Colorado, Presbyterian Disaster Assistance, and Village Steps in Africa. The Faith in Action relationship grew from a house church started by Charles and Leah Quilo in Bonbon for people who wanted to attend church but could not afford to travel to the city. Their work grew into UCCP Bonbon Church.
Faith in Action also established a Christian Education Center in Baungon, a remote mountain area where more than forty children attend Bible study. The mission provides tables, benches, shelving, learning materials, supplies, and weekly snacks. A second project remodeled the Bonbon church kitchen and began a monthly feeding program called Full Belly.
One Church Across Generations
From twenty-four people gathering in an Enumclaw schoolhouse to a sanctuary, Community Center, food bank, respite program, community gardens, and worldwide mission relationships, Calvary's story continues through worship and service. Rooted in Christ, led by the Holy Spirit, and attentive to the Enumclaw Plateau, the church carries its history forward by nurturing God's Spirit, building belonging, loving neighbors and creation, and making room for diversity, courage, and support.