"That they may know that this is Your hand - that You, LORD, have done it!"
Psalm 109:27
For Everything there is a Time - The 1980's
A Time to Laugh, A Time to Cry, A Time to Build
Ecclesiastes 3
The 1980’s became known as the Me! Me! Me! generation of status seekers. ‘If you’ve got it, flaunt it,’ and ‘you can have it all!’ were watchwords. Binge buying and credit became a way of life. Labels were everything, even (or especially) for our children. Baby Boomers were dubbed the “splurge generation”. Video games, aerobics, minivans, camcorders, and talk shows became part of our lives. The 80’s began with double digit inflation, Reagan declared a war on drugs, the U.S. Constitution had its 200th birthday, Sandra Day O’Connor became the first woman Supreme Court Justice, ET phoned home, and the Berlin Wall was removed.
Average salary in the 80’s was $15,757; the minimum wage, $3.10. You could purchase a new BMW for $12,000 and a Mercedes 280E was a whopping $14,800.
It was during this decade that the American family changed drastically. The church would struggle to find new ways to address these ever changing and socially accepted standards so contrary to Scripture and the basic family traditions held for so many years. Focus on the Family became the leading ministry to address these issues that, today, have gone far beyond what could have been imagined in the 80’s.
The words of Ecclesiastes 3 seem to describe the seasons in the life
of Calvary Church during the decade of the 1980’s.
A Time to Laugh - The Year of Jubilee
The decade began with excitement and great expectation as preparations got underway for the 50th year Jubilee celebration. Pastor Samsvick began the preparations for the October celebration with a letter to the congregation in May of 1980, presenting the need to replace the organ and sound system and his desire to have them both in place and dedicated in concert with the beginning of the year-long Jubilee Celebration. The $100,000 organ-audio fund project was presented to the congregation and the effort continued through October at which time the organ was installed. The new sound system was installed just a few weeks later with the aid of many volunteer hours provided by the soundmen of Calvary. This was a huge effort and a cause for great rejoicing.
The Truth at Work
“In this Jubilee Year we celebrate and praise God for the privilege of being about the
business of truth for fifty years. What greater meaning and fulfillment is there in life than being occupied with the Living Truth and the Written Truth. Our prayer is that God will not only be pleased with our anniversary efforts, but that He will also motivate and inspire our new generation by them to go on and do the same for the next fifty years.
As we now enter the second unit of fifty years, let us go forth with the same faith and perseverance that characterized the past fifty years. The potential is unlimited as we go forth together, young and old, in the task of preserving and proclaiming truth. We go with every confidence and assurance that the truth will be at work in the next sequence of our church life and history.”
Pastor Michael Samsvick
An original anthem, written by Nancy Stuck, was performed by the choir as a prelude
to the morning services throughout the year. The title...Jubilee! Bookmarks (pictured left) were also printed with the distinctives upheld by Calvary Church.
The celebrating continued with the Annual Church Picnic which was moved from September to Saturday, October 25 (1980), the exact day the church began in 1931. This was the kick-off for the year-long celebration. The charter members were invited and honored. On Sunday, the following day, the dedication of the new Rodgers-Ruffatti organ took place with a concert by renowned organist, Joanne Rodgers, who demonstrated the many features of the impressive new organ. This was followed by the evening service which featured Cameron Townsend, charter member and founder of Wycliffe Bible Translators. Calvary’s first missionary, Dauphine Tuggy, was honored at the end of the service.
A New Year’s Eve Jubilee program was held at the Ebell Club, the original meeting place of Calvary Church. A slide presentation by Bill Rowley, The House That God Built, and stories of the past 50 years with Jim Carlson as narrator made for quite a memorable evening. The night closed back at the church with refreshments and fellowship, a time of praise and thanksgiving for the past 50 years followed by a candlelight communion service and prayer for the New Year…1981.
The Final Jubilee Celebrations
The year of celebration came to a close with a picnic held at Hart Park on Saturday, October 24, 1981. Balloons imprinted with ‘Calvary’ and ‘50 years’, a picnic lunch, popcorn, ice cream sundaes, volleyball, softball, horseshoes, nail driving, numerous booth attractions, pony rides for the kids, and George Isaac’s train rides were all highlights of the afternoon. George reported making over 50 trips with 25 kids – grandparents per trip. The hosts, hostesses and booth attendants all dressed in 1930’s attire added to the celebrative atmosphere. Charter members were acknowledged and honored. A country music concert and other entertainment were held in the early evening. The entire church family embraced this special event and it was described as an awesome time of celebration, a time of praise and thanksgiving to the Lord celebrating His faithfulness to the people of Calvary Church for 50 years. It was a “sweet” time of laughing and playing together as a family that would long be remembered and cherished. An estimated 1,000 attended.
The next morning, Dr. J. Vernon McGee, who had spoken at all of the dedication services at the Tustin Avenue location, brought the morning message of thanksgiving and recollections and the choir presented a Jubilee cantata, The Church Alive during the evening service.
Gold and Silver Anniversaries
1981 marked the Golden Anniversary of Calvary Church and the Silver Anniversary for Pastor Samsvick. On May 1, the date of his 25th year as Pastor of Calvary Church, the congregation presented him with the keys to a 1981 Oldsmobile as a token of their deep love and appreciation for him and his faithfulness to the church family.
A Time to Cry
Pastor Samsvick is Called “Home” April 19, 1982
The mood and tone of Calvary family changed abruptly from laughter and celebration to mourning and tears as the word was received that, while working in his rose garden, Pastor Samsvick had suffered a massive heart attack and went home to be with the Lord. Often, on his day off, Pastor Samsvick could be found working in one of his favorite spots, his beloved rose garden. Roses had become his hobby and over the years he often used them in his sermon illustrations. While the church family rejoiced for him, the feeling of grief and loss was great. For 26 years he had been their wise, faithful and dedicated leader. He was described as “the ultimate shepherd”. “He was involved in the social life of the church family; performing marriages, conducting memorial services, visiting at the birth of our children, laughing and weeping with us for 26 years.
His ministry was one of tenderly caring for the flock and leading them in continued growth. He had a deep love for God, his family and the people of Calvary Church. He saw Calvary through four major debt free building projects, the start of a Christian school, and watched the membership grow from 350 to 1,400. The growth was seen not only in the numbers, but was also seen in an increasing interest in missions and in meeting the needs of the community.”
The Samsvicks
A tribute to Pastor Samsvick was also
a tribute to Jennie, Joan and Dean who graciously shared their husband and father with the Calvary Church family.
The Fiftieth Annual Report was dedicated to Pastor Samsvick and included the article he submitted only two days before his death. The title was Rejoice in the Lord always, Again I will say, Rejoice!
During the difficult days that followed, Pastors Al Fox, Sam Talbert and Fred Morse filled the pulpit and took care of the numerous day-to-day duties.
The cover of the 1981 Annual Report
A Time to Heal
Dr. Lehman Strauss Becomes Interim Pastor
Lehman Strauss taught Old Testament history for eight years at Philadelphia Bible Institute and served as pastor of Calvary Baptist Church, Bristol, PA from 1939 to 1957.
He was pastor of Highland Park Baptist Church in Michigan until the end of 1963 when he resigned to devote full time to an itinerant Bible conference and evangelistic ministry both in the States and abroad. Dr. Strauss was residing in Florida and writing his 19th book at age 86 when the Lord called him home in June 1997.
His son, Dr. Richard Strauss, was the pastor of Emmanuel Faith Community Church in Escondido, CA for 21 years until his death in 1997.
The people of Calvary Church could not have asked for a better interim pastor than the one they received in Dr. Lehman Strauss. His preaching, over his short four month stay, brought healing and comfort for both the congregation and for himself. He also was experiencing a time of grief over the increased illness of his wife. Dr. Strauss’ wife had just suffered a stroke, and he had canceled his next five years schedule in order to take care of her. His loving, compassionate words prepared the people and paved the way for the ministry of our next pastor.
A Time to Mend
Dr. David L. Hocking Becomes Calvary’s Fifth Pastor
In July of 1982 the pulpit committee contacted David Hocking regarding his
interest in Calvary Church. He had enjoyed 14 years of ministry at Grace
Brethren Church in Long Beach, but felt although it would be difficult to leave
this ministry and the people with whom he had built relationships over those
years, it was time for him to make a change. Making it especially difficult was the fact that he had grown up in that church.
David was well known to the Calvary congregation through his Sounds of Grace radio ministry and several books
that he had authored that were in our church library. In fact, his book Love and Marriage was featured in the Library Corner of the May 2, 1982 bulletin.
David earned a Bachelor’s Degree from Bob Jones University; Master of Divinity, Grace Theological Seminary; Doctor of Ministry from California Graduate School of Theology; and Doctorate, Grace Graduate School.
David came to Calvary with his wife Carole, and their three children; Brent, Brenda and Matthew. He becameCalvary’s fifth pastor in the fall of 1982.
A Time to Build
Expansion of the Auditorium, Construction of Education Building “C”, and New Auditorium were approved by Executive Board, November 13, 1983.
Auditorium Expansion
David Hocking’s enthusiasm for Bible teaching and evangelism, coupled with a continued strong emphasis on missions, as well as a radio ministry, contributed to rapid growth. Sunday mornings grew to four worship services. By 1983 it had become evident that it was again time to build. Rapid growth had taxed the facilities to the limit. The first phase of building would be the expansion of the auditorium (Samsvick Chapel). 
The north and south sides were extended to provide an additional 400 seats totaling 1,200. This helped the immediate need until the building program could get underway. (It has since been reconfigured to its original size.) This project was completed (and paid for) and dedicated on September 9, 1984. Dr. Al Sanders, radio and TV host was the guest speaker.
Brochure cover from first building phase.
“C” Building
The Education building known as the “C” Building was the next project in the building plan. Building for God’s Glory was chosen as the theme for the remaining building projects.
Phase I
In November of 1984 the Thanksgiving Celebration Banquet served as the kick-off for the Education Building fund raising. Dr. John MacArthur was the speaker for the evening and music was provided by Norman Nelson, one of the finest tenors in the Christian world at that time.
The funds committed through this program and the willingness of Union Bank made it possible to begin construction on the Education Building, known as the “C” Building. Ground breaking took place in 1985 and construction began. This new building provided an awesome nursery facility on the lower level, children’s classrooms and resource center on the ground level, and adult and children’s classes on the second level.
The construction was completed in February of 1987 and was completely paid for in 1988. The completion of this building was a great day of celebration for our children’s ministries. Children’s Sunday School classes had been held in the kitchen, hallways, library, and had even considered using the baptistery. Preschool classes divided the children into two groups as the numbers were too large to fit in any room at one time. Half of the children played outside while the other half had the Bible lesson inside, and at the given signal, they switched places.
Phase II
With four services on Sunday mornings, and the plan to have two services on Sunday evenings, the need for the new auditorium became clear. The congregation approved the construction to be financed by the sale of in-house debentures. Construction of the new Auditorium began with the groundbreaking in 1989.
1989 came to a close with extremely crowded conditions and much inconvenience as the construction
continued on the new auditorium. However; with the end in sight the mood was one of excitement,
anticipation, great expectation and much praise to God.
The foundation is secured
The bricks were layed
The front walls are up
The steps onto the stage
The lobby begins to take form
For Everything There is a Time The 1980's - Part II
A Time to Plant - Planting Locally and Around the World
Teams headed by Claude Rumfield reached out into our community to share the love of Christ with those in need around us. Teams went to the Honor Farm in El Toro, Beacon Light Mission (led by Cliff Lionbarger for many years), Convalescent Homes, Town and Country Manor, Joplin Boys Ranch and Juvenile Hall. Child Evangelism Good News Clubs were held in members’ homes.
Later, as Boards were established, Steve Garrison became Chairman of the Evangelism/Discipleship Board directing this ministry throughout the 80’s. Claude Rumfield faithfully served in this ministry for more than 40years, including after service counseling.
Steve Garrison
Jail Ministry Begins
Bible studies were held at both the women’s jail and the men’s correctional center in Chino. The Calvary Choir performed a Christmas Cantata at Terminal Island Prison resulting in 70 men requesting Bible studies. A Women’s Outreach Choir was formed and the Mercy Express Prison Ministry began. Through the vehicle of drama, the gospel was proclaimed in prisons locally, and as far as Tucson, AZ. Using sports, Bible studies, preaching, pen pals and correspondence Bible study courses, men and women behind bars invited Christ into their lives; over 80 in 1988 alone. Others were strengthened and challenged to take the gospel of Christ to those who we could not directly reach. Hundreds of gifts for the children of incarcerated parents were provided through the Little Lambs Christmas Project. As the prison ministry continued to grow, Tim Jalowiec joined the pastoral staff to oversee and coordinate the ministry.
Tim Jalowiec
Other Outreach Ministries of the 80's
Outreach and Street Evangelism ministries were developed and reached out into our community during this decade.
Outreach by the Youth continued with Mexico and Arizona Outreach ministries held during Christmas and Easter school vacations. The Door (the high school after football game program) reached an all-time high attendance in 1984 with 6,800 students attending and 72 students praying to invite Jesus Christ into their lives.
The ministry to International Students in Orange County grew as many Calvary families joined in developing relationships with students from all over the world who were attending our local colleges.
Practical Missionary Training (PMT) for young people interested in pursuing a career in missions also grew during this decade with over 100 in training and in the monthly fellowship meetings.
Missionary Support Groups
By 1980 the number of Missionary Support Groups had grown to five: The Sunshine Guild, Morning Missionary Guild, Daytime Circle, Missionettes and Mary Goodner Circle. These groups met monthly to hear reports from returning missionaries, to faithfully pray for our missionaries and to assist
in meeting their practical needs. They were coordinated by four women in the 80’s: Lavon Stuck, Zelma Yapp, Betty Eumurian and Pat Geis. Communication to the congregation was also a part of their job. (Women With A Mission, a combined group, began in the late 80’s.)
Missionary Encourager Prayer Support Teams
Teams were formed to assure that each of our missionaries had a group of people faithfully praying for them and communicating with them on a regular basis. The number of people involved in these teams grew to 638 by 1989.
Missions and Evangelism Training Classes
227 people enrolled in the Perspectives missions course and more than 500 attended the discipleship training classes on How to Share Your Faith.
Billy Graham Comes to Anaheim Stadium
1,000+ of our church family attended the Christian Life and Witness classes preparing for the Billy Graham Crusade of 1985. These classes also prepared many of our congregation to gain confidence in sharing Christ with their friends and neighbors. Calvary Church members served in the Crusade each night as counselors and choir members. The results of the Crusade brought more than 300 new members to Calvary and 500 attended a special Post-Crusade Banquet held at Calvary.
Hispanic Ministry Begins
Ray and Carol Zuercher served as 
Calvary missionaries in Colombia for 33 years before being assigned to start an Hispanic ministry in Southern California. A Bible study that began in their home resulted in the birth of a church in South Santa Ana.
Carolyn Eumurian helped with this ministry for some time before
she became a Calvary missionary, serving in Ecuador.
In October 1992 a second Hispanic group of 100, with a vision to reach other un-reached Hispanics in the Orange County area, began meeting at Calvary Church.
Guest Helpers
The Door Opens for Lay Workers to Serve Calvary Missionaries Around the World
With missions interest high at Calvary Church and a number of people already taking short ministry trips to serve as teachers, medical assistants, etc., a meeting was set up with Wycliffe Associates to consider sending a work team with them in 1982. A team of 12 adults signed up and were off to serve Gospel Missionary Union (now Avant) in Ecuador. Part of the project included visiting Calvary missionaries in Ecuador and Peru, which would become an important aspect of all future trips.
Guest Helpers Then - 1982 and Now - 2006
Eventually this program would be called Guest Helpers, signifying the fact that a team would be invited to participate in a specific work project that would be a "help" to the missionary involved. With "helping hands and willing hearts" as many as 100 lay people a year have used their practical skills to serve in meaningful ministries, enjoyed a "hands on" mission experience, offered valuable assistance in presenting the gospel message around the world and encouraged a world vision for missions in the Calvary family.
Front: Dennis Wolf, Chetto Salterelli, Chuck Vaught, Clare Schrader.
Rear: Roger & Pat Harvey, Jim Welker, Lois & Bill Rowley, Barbara & Travis Jones, Audrey Peterson, Evelyn Schrader
Left to right: Bob & Ava VanderWall,
Martha Pontier, Betty & Bob Korthuis,
Beth & Bob Davidson
Guest Helper Leadership
Bill and Lois Rowley have been key leaders of the Guest Helper ministry since its inception in 1982. They have served with Guest Helpers in South and Central America, Philippines, Australia, England, Austria, Germany, Ukraine, Africa, Belarus and more. They have also served in many places in Mexico and
the United States.They would be the first to tell you that interacting with missionaries and the people of a country are always the highlight of any Guest Helper project.
Around the World
Harvest Evangelism Team Goes to Argentina
The year was 1986 when Calvary Church received an invitation from Edgardo Silvoso of Harvest Evangelism in Argentina inviting Calvary to participate in an evangelistic project there. Tim Celek, Singles Pastor, organized a team, primarily from the Singles ministry, and they went to Argentina for two weeks. Pastor Celek described this as an awesome opportunity for ministry, changing the lives of many in Argentina as well as the team themselves. The following year, 1987, Calvary sent another team to Argentina, also headed by Tim Celek.
There was an interesting story that Tim tells of the 1986 trip. “It seems a flier was distributed before the team arrived stating that we would participate in a volleyball tournament. The only problem was that we were billed as a professional team. The flier read: ‘A great exhibition of a professional volleyball team from the United States will play against the Argentine Military Volleyball Team.’ These handbills were distributed throughout the whole city, advertising us as this type of team. We definitely were not a professional volleyball team. The radio and television stations came out to film and the paper came and took pictures of our team for the morning edition. How humbling! Before the game I went over to the coach of the military team and told him. I had to tell him because he would find out soon enough that were not professionals!” Aside from this small 
misunderstanding, the trip went very well. Team member Tom Nunziato later became one of Calvary’s missionaries serving in Venezuela, and Martin Eaton, also on the team, would later become one of Calvary’s Pastors. Team member Jade Fong became Mrs. Martin Eaton.
In August of 1988 a team of 17 singles from the 20+ class went on an eight day work trip to Guatemala. The purpose of the project was to establish a relationship with the Indians in the Exil language group. The task of this trip was to build homes for the guerrilla-torn town of Chajul, Guatemala.
As the decade came to a close, the enthusiasm for missions had never been greater at Calvary Church. The Faith Promise, which in 1980 was at $325,000, now totaled $1,250,000.
The missions family continued to grow and enlarge its borders with new missionaries being sent around the world as well as expanding local ministries at home.
Gladys Welch was the sister of Ray Welch who was introduced in the 1940’s segment of the Calvary Church History. The Welch family home was located at 146 N. Shaffer, Orange and was listed in the historical registry of Orange County. The home was sold making it possible to purchase two missions homes to be used for missionary families on furlough. They are located at 1001 North Wright Street and 1206 Lyon Street, both in Santa Ana.
At the heart of any successful school is its faculty. Calvary Christian School is blessed with a group of experienced, committed, degreed, credentialed and highly competent Christian teachers. Their love for the students and ability to lead young people to constantly strive for academic excellence, as well as to teach from the perspective of a Christian world view, is what makes our school unique."
Children’s Missions Conferences Continue Throughout the 80’s
The Children’s Missions Conferences for preschool and elementary age children, held concurrently with the Adult Conferences, grew to become one of the highlights of the year. The attendances reached all-time highs with award trips to Wycliffe Bible Translators, Missionary Aviation Fellowship, Far Eastern Broadcasting and the World Center for Missions. Costume night is always a favorite where kids dress in costumes from countries all over the world representing the need to take the Gospel to kids in lands where they have never heard of Jesus.
Above: Jim Reece and children on Costume Night at the Children’s Missions Conference.
Above: Brooke Bauer, Nancy Stuck and Cindy Stuck
Below: Can you guess what country these children are representing?
Community Outreach
Unhalloween Party
What began in 1984 as an event to provide a safe alternative to the usual night of “trick or treating” has become one of Calvary’s largest outreach efforts into our community. Expecting an attendance of maybe 150 or 200, the Children’s Ministries staff was overwhelmed with more than 1,000 in attendance on that first night. This event has grown over the years with estimates of attendance as high as 8,000. Hundreds of people from the community have been introduced to our Calvary family during this event. Although it is directed by the Children’s Ministries staff, it is a church-wide event with every ministry of Calvary Church taking part.
The Unhalloween name chosen during the ‘un-cola’ days of the 80’s was changed to Light the Night in 2004.
Blake and Lauren Schwendimann making banners.
Vacation Bible School
Vacation Bible School which had its beginning in the 30’s continued throughout the 1980’s and reached its highest ever attendance in 1988. For the next three years Backyard Clubs were held as the Worship Center construction prohibited the traditional VBS to be held at the church.
Ten Great Nights Begin
Ten great Nights, a program presenting outstanding Bible preachers on Wednesday nights during the summer was initiated in 1986.
More Ministries of the 80s
Calvary Church Newport Mesa
It had been the desire of Calvary for some time to plant a church in South Orange County. When Central Bible Church of Costa Mesa approached Calvary about planting a satellite church in their facility, the congregation responded with an overwhelming YES and set a date to begin services there on September 11, 1988.
Pastor Tim CelekTim Celek, Singles Pastor at Calvary since 1984, was appointed as pastor. Jim Hoover, elder at Calvary, along with 80 members made a commitment to serve at the church plant for a period of one year. The church began with an attendance of 400 and has continued to grow every year since. Calvary gave financial support to help get it started, but Calvary Church Newport Mesa became financially solvent and completely independent within a very short period of time.
From the beginning this church has been committed to using contemporary, creative and relational means to communicate the message of the Bible.
In 2006, after 18 years, the church has grown to five services each weekend, has a large multiple staff, has changed its name to The Crossing but has kept its original commitment to be “a safe place where people can investigate Christianity and where people can grow spiritually at their own pace with unconditional love, support and acceptance during their journey”.
C.A.S.A. is Founded in 1980’s as Seniors Gain in Numbers
Christian Association of Senior Adults was formed by Calvary Church, First Evangelical Free Church of Fullerton and Emmanuel Faith Community Church of Escondido. This group was formed to encourage and support leaders who minister to senior adults. By the close of the decade it had grown to include almost 300 churches and expanded throughout many other states.
Men’s Ministry Expanded
The Men’s Ministry expanded by providing opportunities for fellowship, service and evangelistic outreach for men of all age groups. New events introduced included: A Men’s Retreat, Father-Son Car Show, Men’s Breakfasts, The Annual Sweetheart Banquet and Breakfast with the Staff.
Church Leadership Changes
A new constitution was approved in 1984 increasing the number of elected leaders serving, and the number of Boards to handle the increasing needs and responsibilities of our church and its various ministries. The former Deacon Board was changed to become the Elder Board while Trustees remained the same. New Ministry Boards were established as follows: Schools, Trustees, Pastoral Care, Missions, Evangelism/Discipleship, Music/Worship, Adults, Students, and Children. An Elder and Staff Representative would serve on each Board.
Calvary Celebrates Sanctity of Human Life Sunday
The Celebration of Sanctity of Human Life Sunday began in 1987 and was held on the Sunday following the Roe v Wade anniversary. This has become an annual celebration each year for our Children’s through Adult ministries as well as our Worship Service.
Charter Member Mabel Osborn Honored
At the 1988 Annual Meeting Mabel Osborn was introduced and honored. Mabel had never missed a single Annual Meeting since our beginning in 1931. She had been in attendance for 57 years.
Calvary Enters the Computer Age
By the mid 80’s Calvary entered the computer age with its new Alpha Micro system. This was an exciting new adventure with few staff trained in this area. One staff member asked Business Administrator, Bill Bucher, for a new IBM Selectric typewriter to which he responded that he wasn’t going to purchase any new typewriters as soon everyone would have his very own computer on his desk. Most everyone laughed at this, “He just doesn’t want to spend the money on a new typewriter.” Well, Bill had the last laugh! However, with all these new tech changes, our telephone number has remained the same since the 1970’s.
Heritage Building Parking
Reciprocal parking agreement between Calvary Church and Mr. Colombo, owner of the Heritage Building, was signed in 1988. This agreement would prove to be invaluable to Calvary in the years to come.
Food Services Ministry Begins
The need for a food service coordinator began with the serving of lunches for the preschool and the growing number of ministries using the kitchens for special events. Linda Smith was asked to supervise all kitchen usages and coordinate all food services. She organized the contents, established the procedures and the guidelines for the use of the facilities. Linda paved the way for Charlie Fitch, Calvary’s first full-time chef. Charlie and his family joined Calvary Church and wanted to find an area of ministry where they could serve. With his experience as a chef, and Calvary’s need in the area of food services, Charlie joined the staff as Director of Food Services in 1989. He cooked for staff lunches, Adult Bible Fellowship Class parties, wedding receptions, many banquets and special events throughout the year.
The Tape Ministry
The Tape Ministry, under the direction of Paul Stuck and his large staff, produced and sold cassette and video tapes of the worship services weekly. They also recorded the special services and events held at the church throughout the week: Christmas and Easter concerts, Children’s programs, Calvary School programs, Ten great Nights, weekend conferences and many more. These tapes were sent to our missionaries and taken to shut-ins and visitors, as well as mail orders and purchases from the “tape window” on Sundays.
During this time who could have imagined that in the not too distant future such things as DVD’s and Calvarylife.org and “on-line” would make the tape ministry a thing of the past.
Calvary’s First Family Camp at Forest Home
Calvary’s first family camp was held at Forest Home in April of 1986. With gifted family speakers, evening social times, great meals and special programs and activities for the children, there was something for the whole family. Our teens took care of the nursery and preschool age children in the evenings. Highlights of the weekend included an organ concert by Gene Roberson, which ended with a rendition of the theme from Disney’s Electrical Parade that thrilled young and old alike.
Another evening featured a concert by the African Children’s Choir. The weekend concluded on Sunday with a communion service and a time of worship for the entire family. Families left saying, “When can we do this again?”
Calvary Christian School Becomes Accredited
Calvary Christian School was accredited in 1985 by ACSI (Association of Christian Schools International) and WASC (Western Association of Schools and Colleges). The new school colors red, gold and white; the new mascot, the golden eagle; and the school verse, Isaiah 40:31 “They shall mount up with wings like eagles” were initiated in 1985.
Calvary Christian School continued to grow each year since its beginning in 1975, adding additional classes until there were three classes for each grade, K-6. Computers and a computer lab was added as well as new playground equipment.
From the 1985 Annual Report: The Elder Board made a recommendation to the School board on September 5, 1985 that corporal punishment not be applied by school staff but rather by the parents of the child.
Music and Worship Ministries in the 80’s
Our Youth Choir toured the Grand Canyon area, where they sang at campgrounds and in churches at Flagstaff, Arizona.
The Drama ministry, directed by Pat Marshall and called Master’s Repertory Company, began its ministry at Calvary and soon began presenting productions to outside venues. Coming Home, one of its first productions with music, lyrics and production all by Calvary Church members, was presented at several prisons. This moving story was used of the Lord to bring many prisoners to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ.
The Calvary Singers ministered at the Disneyland Hotel, and the Calvary Symphonic Orchestra expanded with talented and gifted directors, Bob Feller and Jack Wheaton. The children’s choirs presented Down by the Creek Bank, and Bullfrogs and Butterflies. Summer Choir Camps were held for the children.
Many new groups were formed including: Voices of Calvary, a sixteen voice mixed ensemble, The Swordsmen Quartet, Priority Quartet, Hearts of Praise, Sunday Night Singers and Calvary Singers. The popular Take Joy Christmas dinner theater directed by Carol West, was presented eight consecutive nights with 180 attending each production. New choir robes and hymnals were purchased and the seats were removed from the choir loft to make more room for the expanding choir.
Easter Morning Worship Services Outside
For several years during the 1980’s the Easter Resurrection Services were held outside on the lawn with chairs set up to accommodate everyone at one service. (There was a lawn prior to the building of the Worship Center)
Family Fun, 80’s Style
The church family gathered together for many social times during the 80’s. Highlights were the Annual Church Picnic held at Hart Park, and the Country Fairs held at the church campus. These were enjoyed by the Calvary family of all ages.
