Calvary UMC 100th Anniversary Celebration
Calvary United Methodist Church
Birthdate: November 9, 1912
Mission Statement:
"God calls us to reach out to the spiritually and physically hungry."
The Calvary United Methodist Church will complete her year-long celebration of 100 years of mission and ministry in the name and for the sake of Jesus Christ at a special banquet, program, worship service and potluck dinner to be held on the evening of Saturday, November 10 and the morning of Sunday, November 11.
The Saturday evening banquet and program will begin at 6:00 PM and will feature a catered meal, remarks from former pastors, a power point presentation and the singing of the "Ambassadors." The "Ambassadors" will be coming to Calvary and Lakewood from Detroit. In addition to sharing the love of Jesus through song, the "Ambassadors," a group of men who have overcome great challenges in life, will praise God through personal faith testimonies. They are and they will be an inspiration to all who see, hear and interact with them. The following morning, at our 11:00 AM worship service, their pastor, the Rev. Dr. Faith Fowler, will deliver our morning message. Rev. Fowler, who is the executive director of Cass Community Social Services in Detroit, is the senior pastor of the Cass United Methodist Church and is a preacher in great demand.
Calvary, which was chartered as a United Brethren in Christ Church, has a local history that dates back to November 9, 1912. Her earliest services were held on Sunday afternoons at the corner of Andrews and Detroit at the Swederborgian Church of the Redeemer.
Calvary's early years were during a time of tremendous change and rapid growth, both for Lakewood and Calvary. As a result, the young church, which was bursting at the seams, broke ground on a new building and the Calvary church moved to her present location, the corner of Northland and Hilliard in Lakewood. Although services began at this location in late 1923, construction was not completed until the early part of 1926.
In its history the people of Calvary have experienced two great mergers. In 1946, Calvary became an Evangelical United Brethren Church when the Evangelical Association and the United Brethren in Christ Church joined forces. Then in 1968 Calvary became what it is today - a United Methodist Church. This denomination came into being and was the result of the merger that took place between the Methodist Episcopal and the Evangelical United Brethren Church. At that time, Calvary became part of the East Ohio Conference of the United Methodist Church.
The Calvary Church, which lived through a great depression and has survived two fires, is known for being an active mission station in the name of Jesus. Throughout its history, members and friends of Calvary have shared the love of Jesus, even in Nicaragua, Guatemala, South Carolina, Michigan, Cleveland and Lakewood; they have demonstrated a great love of children at their own local school and have cared for the infants of teen-age moms, enabling the mothers to go back to high school and graduate; they have invited the surrounding community to celebrate God's grace through Sunday morning and Wednesday evening worship services, conducting annual carnivals, organizing special retreats, and serving monthly meals, even on Christmas Day, to the needy of the Lakewod area. It is estimated that throughout the course of history, the people of Calvary have served some 20,000 meals to folks outside of Calvary.
Yes, the Calvary United Methodist seeks to faithfully serve God. She does so in part by reaching out to those who are spiritually and physically hungry.
If you are looking for a church and if you would like to find a church home which focuses on the worship of Christ Jesus our Lord and the service of God's children throughout the world, please consider giving Calvary a try. She is located at 16305 Hilliard Blvd. Her phone number is 221-4324.