History of Calvary Baptist Church
In the beginning…
Calvary Baptist Church held its first services on Sunday, January 18, 1959. Pastor Emmit Duckett and the Fairfield Baptist Church commissioned the beginning of Calvary Baptist Church on February 1, 1959. On that day, the 20 charter members unanimously called Patrick Everitt as their pastor. The first meeting place was the Pythian Castle Hall at 2618 Sonoma Boulevard in Vallejo, California.
On February 8, 1960, the church voted 11 to 1 to extend a call to Norman W. Simpson to be their new pastor. On March 13 of 1960, he preached his first sermon as the pastor of Calvary Baptist Church. In 1967 the church purchased two acres of land and had finally put the pastor on full time. In August of 1967 construction on the original auditorium was begun and the first services were held in the auditorium on November 12, 1967. In 1972 a fellowship hall was added, and the church continued to grow and emerge as a lighthouse in Northern California. In 1975, Pastor Simpson led the church in its first Faith Promise Missions Conference. The church began supporting David and Uldine Steffy, veteran missionaries to the Philippines in 1960.
After 28 years, on Sunday, March 13, 1988 Pastor Simpson preached his last sermon as pastor and assumed the role of Pastor Emeritus. On that day, the church was supporting 23 foreign missionaries and 5 home missions projects. It was on that same day that Marshall P. Stevens became the third pastor of the church.
In 1992 the church built a new 250 seat auditorium, which includes a choir loft and baptistery. In 2006 the church purchased the adjoining 1.2 acres next to the existing campus.
In 2017 the church started the H.O.P.E. addictions recovery program as a direct ministry to Help Others Put off Entanglements.
Over the years, Calvary Baptist Church has seen many folks saved, families rescued, and innumerable blessings.
Today, after more than 64 years of faithfully serving The LORD in its ministry to American Canyon, Vallejo, and the surrounding community, Calvary Baptist Church continues as an independent, fundamental, Bible-believing, Baptist church. Its ministries have grown, and include the Calvary Baptist Christian Academy that was started in 1999, multiple Sunday school classes, a thriving youth ministry, organized soul-winning, the annual Church Planting & Home Missions Conference where church planters are helped “forward on their journey”, and many activities for all families throughout the year.
The church continues to faithfully, actively support missionaries in the Regions Beyond and in the Home Regions.
On February 3, 2019, Calvary Baptist Church celebrated the completion of 60 years of continuous independent, fundamental Baptist church ministry.