Calvary Community Church
Established in 1982, Phoenix-based Calvary Community Church initially held meetings in the band room of a northwest Phoenix elementary school. The 11 original members of the non-denominational church included Pastor J. Mark Martin, who withdrew from another church in order to teach God's love and salvation by faith in Jesus, and following the teachings of the Bible, at Calvary Community Church. In 1984, Pastor Martin and the members of his small congregation joined the Calvary Chapel fellowship of churches, accepting an invitation extended by Pastor Chuck Smith of Calvary Chapel in Costa Mesa, California.
Senior Pastor Mark Martin and the Phoenix congregation had a vision to exalt Jesus Christ, equip His saints, and evangelize the Earth. Following this vision, Calvary Community Church has grown to a membership of 12,000. The size of the congregation requires holding services in two different Phoenix locations. The church service schedule includes Saturday evenings, Sunday mornings, Sunday evenings, and Wednesday nights. Realizing the importance of fellowship in the development of Christian life, the church provides numerous ministry opportunities for men, women, and children to congregate with their own gender and age groups.
Reaching youth and young adults is a vital part of the church mission, and to do this, Calvary Community Church has created specific groups to reach these target ages. The Transformed group reaches junior high school-age students, Generation One offers a youth group for high school students, and NEXT affords college-age young adults a source of empowerment as the next generation.
Calvary Community Church works to furnish fellowship opportunities to couples of all ages and supplies support groups for members going through divorce, grieving a loss, or needing help with drug and alcohol problems. The church also furnishes a Korean Ministry and outreach through radio programming and Internet broadcasts.
Calvary's website is www.calvaryphx.com.