Our History
Calvary Baptist Church opened its doors as Central Baptist Church in April 1947, meeting in Pembroke’s I.O.O.F. Hall. Seeking a more permanent home of their own, three years later the church purchased the residence of late senator Peter White, located on Catherine Street, in 1951. The relocation offered the congregation an auditorium with a seating capacity of 125, ample space for Sunday School classes, along with living quarters for the pastor and his family.
The church carried the name of Central Baptist Church until 1966. It then merged with Bethel Baptist Church, Petawawa, and became known as Calvary Bible Church. In 1969, the church’s name was changed to what it is today – Calvary Baptist Church.
Steady growth encouraged the church community to begin planning for another relocation which would serve to provide more adequate facilities for their growing ministries. Renovating or adding onto the existing property did not seem feasible, and in June of 1976, the decision was made to sell the Catherine Street property. Following the sale of the building, within a matter of days, arrangements were made to purchase five acres of land located at the back of the former “O’Brien Gardens” in Pembroke’s east end, and the present building was completed shortly after that.
In November 2015 we commissioned and planted our first daughter work, Trailhead Baptist Church, into the community of Petawawa.
We are excited for the decades ahead, praying that God will continue to bless our efforts in sharing the good news of Jesus Christ with the world, in generations to come.
Our identity and mission
We are a ‘Church with heart in the Heart of the Valley’ – a community devoted to following the teachings of Jesus Christ. Together we seek to welcome people of all faith backgrounds, along with those who possess no previous faith experience at all to our church family. Our desire is to genuinely reflect the love of Jesus, helping people to enter into a meaningful relationship and become passionate followers of Him. That relationship begins with understanding the central message of the Bible: Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life, and no one comes to the Father but by Him (John 14:6). Our church exists to proclaim that simple, but life-changing message in the Ottawa Valley and across the globe. This is with the ultimate goal of enjoying and experiencing life as it was originally intended … fully and with real purpose.
We believe and teach that the Bible is God’s truth, not just for the past, but more importantly, for this age as well. It has no ‘sell-by’ date! The Word of God acts as our only reliable guidebook for faith and living. We are a family-oriented church that is taking steps towards a more comprehensive and contemporary ministry of faith and worship. Our desire is to reach out in culturally sensitive ways to all the families of Pembroke and its surrounding communities. We believe that the good news of God’s love is worth sharing with a world that is constantly searching for a deeper spiritual meaning and purpose.
Our Core Values
- Praise and Worship – We believe in celebrating the worth and work of God in fresh and meaningful ways. We strive for a balance of mind and emotion in worship using a blend of contemporary and traditional forms.
- Bible-Centred Preaching and Teaching – We believe the Bible is God’s Word for all times. It must be heard through clear exposition and relevant application. In teaching for life change, we depend on the power of God to change lives.
- Prayer – We believe that prayer is vital to a growing relationship with God. In all our planning and ministry pursuits, we rely on prayer that God may be glorified.
- Biblical Community – We believe that God wants His family to enjoy loving relationships marked by genuine caring and sharing. Small groups are one effective means of building such relationships and stimulating spiritual growth.
- Worldwide Mission – We believe that God loves lost people and wants us to share the good news of salvation in Jesus Christ. Our mission is to show and tell of God’s love in gracious ways at home, in our community and around the world. Giving and going are necessary to fulfilling our mission.
- Excellence – We believe that a God of excellence deserves our very best. In all we do, we seek to maintain a high standard for His glory.
- Teamwork – We believe that working together in unity, using our diversity of gifts, enables all of God’s people to joyfully contribute to the ministry and accomplish great things for His glory.
- Innovation – We believe that growth requires change. As growing followers of Jesus Christ we want to be flexible and creative, responding to changing conditions with new forms and methods necessary to maintain ministry effectiveness.
Our affiliations
We are a part of the FEB Central region of the Fellowship of Evangelical Baptist Churches of Canada, a family of close to 500 churches stretching across Canada.
We are also pleased to partner with our association’s school, Heritage College and Seminary. Heritage is focused on training men and women for practical ministry, leadership, and service in the world today. Heritage offers a 1-year certificate, 4-year professional degrees, and Masters level education, both on campus, and from a distance.
What we Believe
The Bible: We believe the Bible to be the verbally inspired Word of God, without error in the original manuscripts, and the sufficient and final authority for all matters of faith, practice, and life. (II Timothy 3:16)
God: We believe God is triune, being three in person and one in essence. The Father, Son, and Spirit are equally God, but are three in person. This God is the centre of our worship. (Matthew 28:19-20)
The Father: We believe in the sovereign rule of the Father who assumes headship of all that He created and continues to care and sustain in providence all that exists. (Isaiah 40)
Jesus: We believe that the eternal Son took on human flesh, being born of a virgin, and that Jesus Christ is truly God and truly man, the only mediator between God and man. (Matthew 1:23-25, I Timothy 2:5, Philippians 2:5-7)
The Holy Spirit: We believe in the absolute and essential deity and personality of the Holy Spirit, who convinces of sin, of righteousness and of judgment; Who regenerates, sanctifies, illuminates and comforts those who believe in Jesus Christ.
Sin: We believe that all have sinned and are under the condemnation of death. (Romans 3:23 and 6:23)
Atonement: We believe that Jesus, according to the will of God the Father, offered Himself as a substitutionary sacrifice and that all who believe in Him have eternal life. On the cross, Jesus defeated evil, sin and death. He shed His blood so that those who repent and believe will have life in Him as their Lord and Savior. (John 3:1, Romans 10:9-10)
Salvation: We believe that salvation is by grace through faith, and that true faith in the gospel will be made evident by a life of godliness, which is only possible by walking with the Holy Spirit, and by participation with the community of the saints. (Acts 2:42, Ephesians 2:10, Philippians 2:12, Hebrews 10:25)
Resurrection: We believe in the bodily resurrection of Jesus as the first fruits of our resurrection and His ascension into heaven to the right hand of the Father. We look forward in hope to His second coming in glory. (I Corinthians 15:3-8, II Peter 3)
Ordinances: We believe that baptism is a faithful response to God’s grace, signifying one’s identification with Christ and His church and the church’s privilege is to commune with the triune God and His people in celebrating the Lord’s Supper. (Acts 2:3)
The Church: We believe that the church is the pillar and foundation of the truth, sharing in God’s redemptive mission through proclamation of the gospel by word and deed, resulting in transformed lives committed to God’s glory. The church is the community where the people of God share their lives in fellowship with God and each other. (I Timothy 3:15, Matthew 28:19-20)
Eternity: We believe in a coming Great Day where all people — the living and the dead — will stand before God in order to hear His verdict concerning their eternal destiny, either heaven or hell. (Revelation 20:11-15, I Corinthians 3:12-15)