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2021 Year in Review


Message from our Pastor


Dear Calvary Family,

As I pause and reflect, it’s been another wild year in the life of our church and our world. Obviously it’s been almost two years of having our lives turned upside down in so many ways and I don’t think any of us would have thought we’d still be dealing with it today. Through it all, there is still much to celebrate and thank God for. I encourage you to read through the 2021 Year in Review below and praise God for what He has done.

I love that as we entered our 90th year in 2021, Calvary Church has continued to respond in reaching out to a hurting world that needs Jesus both for eternity and their daily life. We have continued the Pop Up Pantry serving those in need in our community. We have started a new ESL program that is building momentum to help provide greater opportunities for many near our church. While we wholeheartedly believe that gathering in-person will have the greatest impact, we still know that a diversity of ways to connect is helpful - podcast, online bible studies, livestream worship services, etc.

We have also had a heart to return to the basics of our faith. We have been so distracted in our world with busy schedules, politics, social media, and endless news cycles. This affects our life in the church, too. This is part of why we created and preached through our 12 Core Values for Calvary Church in 2021. We want to look more at how we can return to our first love and ground ourselves in the essentials of faith - prayer, scripture, service, and worship.

Therefore, we are turning our full attention as a church in this next season to our values of dependence and oneness. Dependence is all about prayer - listening prayer, activating prayer, declarative prayer and honest, intimate prayer with our God. Oneness is all about unity in Christ. We are all so different from one another in age, ethnicity, preferences, politics, etc. That’s why we must unite around our oneness in Jesus and the mission He has called us to as a church.

I look forward to all that God will do in 2022.

May the Lord bless you and keep you,

Eric Wakeling

Financials CREATIVE ADULTS Family CCs Care & ENF Reach

 



We are celebrating 90 years of God at work locally and globally through the ministries of Calvary Church of Santa Ana! Even as we look back and rejoice over God’s blessings and His faithfulness in all that has happened since 1931, we look ahead to pursue a renewed calling of 12 core values for our church family. Learn more by watching the "We Value" Message Series or follow along with the conversations on Season 4 of the Calvary Life Podcast.
 

OUR VISION

Who We Will Be On The Road Ahead

Calvary seeks to be a church family that is better together, being changed by the Gospel to love like Jesus across all cultures and generations.
 

OUR PURPOSE

What We Do Together Along The Way

Calvary Church is a community where we CONNECT with God and others to GROW in our faith so we REACH Orange County and the world for Jesus Christ.

 
OUR VALUES

·  authentic to who we are   ·  aspirational to who we want to be   ·  inspirational to who we want to develop
 

TRUTH - We think biblically about everything and humbly about ourselves

2 Timothy 3:14-17 • Ephesians 4:11-16 •Psalm 119:160 • John 4, 14:15-27, 17:17 • Hebrews 4:12 • 1 Peter 1:22, 3:15 • James 1:22-27

We are led by the Spirit in truth and taught by the Word, valuing Scripture’s timeless truth and its unchanging relevance to changing culture. We believe that biblical teaching is the catalyst for transformation in people’s lives. Scripture is inspired by God and is our accurate authority regarding Christian beliefs and the guide for Christian living. When life cuts us, we want to bleed God’s Word. In gentleness and respect, we defend biblical truth and the reason for our hope in Christ. We seek to have teachable and humble hearts, holding firmly to core truths and living faithfully with integrity. We want to wrestle genuinely with our doubts, seeking to deepen our understanding of who we are and whose we are. Our earnest desire is to be found by the Father as worshipers, lifting up Jesus in Spirit and truth. We are truth protectors and grace reflectors, who desire to dig deep wells of truth and let people freely drink from living water.

GRACE - The good news is never old news

Colossians 1:6 • Luke 4:17-21 • John 1:16-17 • Ephesians 2:8-9 • 2 Peter 3:18 • Romans 11:5-6 • 1 Corinthians 15:10 • 2 Corinthians 9:8, 12:9 • Titus 2:11-14 • 1 Peter 4:10 • Hebrews 4:16

Grace is what makes the good news so good. Grace is the invaluable gift of God’s undeserved favor. We are saved by God’s grace through faith in Jesus. And, we can live by God’s grace with a Spirit-enabled capacity to grow in obedience and abound in good works. Grace is not just the diving board of the Christian life, it is the entire pool. It is not just the starting line, it is the entire race. So, we strive forward toward the finish line knowing God’s grace is sufficient each step of the way. We draw near to God’s throne of grace with confidence, to receive mercy and help in time of need. Just as we have received grace from God, we seek to extend grace toward others - reaching out with love, generosity and compassion to share the good news with our neighbors and the nations.

PASSION - We dig holes in roofs

Mark 2:4 • Matthew 18:11-13 • Acts 5:42, 20:24  • Romans 10:15 • Colossians 3:17, 23

We dig holes in roofs, going to great lengths to help our friends meet Jesus. We are willing to courageously risk it all for the sake of the gospel, to leave the 99 in order to reach the one who is lost and needs to be found. People are worth the work and the cost. Lack of creativity and excellence is really just a lack of effort. So, we pursue God with whole-hearted passion and open-handed sacrifice of our own convenience and comfort for the sake of those who need to hear the good news! It is never just another Sunday. Each worship gathering, each event, and each conversation is an opportunity for the gospel to be heard, for a soul to be saved, for a life to be forever changed. We are called to be fishers of men and want to keep putting hooks in the water. And in all we do, whether in word or deed, we desire to do it with all our heart and all in Jesus’ name.

PEOPLE - People are the mission

Matthew 22:37-39 • John 13:35 • Galatians 6:2, 9-10 • James 1:27 • 1 John 3:17-18

People are the point! We don’t invest in programs or projects as an end, they are always means in order for us to minister to people. Everyone matters to God and ought to matter to us. A mark of maturity is to consider the needs of others above our own as servant-hearted followers of Jesus. So, we look for ways to love our neighbor well -- caring for the needs we find in our community and showing mercy to the least of these. We believe warmth is the new cool, seeking ways to practice generous hospitality; turning strangers into friends and friends into family as we care for each other with Christ’s love and grace. We always have room at the table for more, so we reach out and invite others to take part in life at Calvary. And, we all must be apprenticed by another person that’s a little farther along in the journey than we are and we must seek that out personally and passionately.

TEAM - We are more than an audience

Ephesians 4:11-16 • 1 Peter 4:11 • 1 Timothy 4:8 • 2 Timothy 2:2 • Psalm 133

We do not see the church as a consumer driven, consumer oriented enterprise. We are a farmer’s market, partnering together to form a community of transforming grace. Everyone contributes and everyone receives. We don’t go it alone or assume someone else will take care of it. No church can ever hire enough people to meet all the needs. But, we have the best resources in the world - our members. We believe that enabling people to discover and develop their gifts is God’s Plan A for changing the world! So, we develop every member as ever-maturing leaders to carry out God’s unique purpose for His church. We judge our success by sending capacity, not seating capacity. We value equipping the saints, not just gathering them. Our goal is to turn the audience into an army. We want to get people from being in the crowd to be in the cause. So we recruit, train, and build up teams to serve together and do the work of ministry. We believe in collaborative leadership that depends on God’s power, not our own.

JOY - We Choose joy!

Nehemiah 8:10 • Psalm 33, 47, 100 • Luke 15 • Romans 12:12; 15:13 • James 1:2-3 • 1 Peter 1:8-9 • Philippians 1:4-6 • Philemon 1:7 • 1 Thessalonians 3:9

Being miserable is not a fruit of the Spirit. We value having serious joy-filled fun together as a family-- celebrating God’s presence in our gatherings, rejoicing over our salvation, and even finding joy through our trials. Our steadfast joy is found in knowing Jesus, and counting Him as our greatest treasure. We make Christ’s joy complete through new and transformed lives marked by unity, love, humility, generosity and compassion. The full life Jesus offers is meant to be enjoyed, not just endured. The next generation needs to see Christians who are vibrant, inspirational, confident and joyful. Let’s strip away our cynicism and have some fun. The joy of the Lord is our strength!

DEPENDENCE - We pray like it depends on God and work like it depends on us

Zechariah 4:6 • John 14:26 • Romans 8 • Ephesians 3:20 • Matthew 6:9-13 • James 5:16

We depend on the work of the Spirit, as we bear His fruit in our lives. It is not in our hustle and striving to do good that we become more like Jesus, for that is the way of the Pharisees. Rather, our yieldedness to the Holy Spirit begins to shape our character as evidence of our conforming to the image of Jesus Christ. It continues as the Spirit teaches us to discern how the Father speaks so we can recognize His promptings and join Him where He leads us, whether into more deeply connected intimacy or Spirit-enabled action. We actively listen for the Lord’s leading. We want to live and serve with God-sized faith with whom all things are possible. Being right doesn’t make us righteous. We don’t just want to believe the right thing, we earnestly desire to do the right thing and push past fear to take courageous action and follow where the Spirit is leading. We are Spirit-empowered, faith-filled, future-focused risk takers. We want to be more than “minimum” people, thinking small and asking what’s required of us to get by. So, we pray continually for God to do the things only God can do through our commitment to live out His calling in our families, our church, our neighborhoods and our world.

ONENESS - We are a diverse family

Galatians 3:28 • Ephesians 2:22 • Colossians 3:15 • Acts 4:32 • John 17:23 • Revelation 7:9

We celebrate the diversity of God-given gifts, talents, culture, ethnicity and calling of each person as we are becoming a divinely unified church family. All people are created in the image of God. All people matter to Him. The church should reflect the diversity of its community and proclaim the diversity of the kingdom. Through Christ, we are many members of one body, and each part is needed for the good of the whole. God is building us into a spiritual house with Jesus as the chief cornerstone. We believe a unified church can be a source of healing for the divisions in our world. Racism, discrimination, injustice and division break God’s heart. The Bible declares diversity is a picture of eternity with every tribe and tongue worshiping Christ in the end. We are doing something here on earth today that is in anticipation of what is to come. So, we live united as one with a shared citizenship, participating in God’s kingdom work and longing together for our King’s return.

GENERATIONS - Together is Better

Psalm 78:6-7 • Proverbs 22:6 • Deuteronomy 6:6-7 • Joel 2:28 • Ephesians 6:1-4 • 1 Timothy 4:12 2 • Timothy 2:1-2 • 2 Timothy 3:14-15

We want every generation to experience God’s love and grace in Christ. One of the greatest responsibilities we have as a church family is to pass on the torch of a vibrant faith in Jesus Christ from one generation to the next. Our Family Ministries seek to inspire, equip, and support parents and guardians as they spiritually lead their children. We are committed to keeping parents primary, creating safe and sacred space for God to move. We believe children and teenagers should be given high priority of our resources as a church and are worth investing in. We’re committed to making Calvary a center for reaching, encouraging, and developing the youth of our area. We also believe that we are better together. The young need the wisdom, experience, and love of the old. The old need the energy, perspective, and curiosity of the young. There is no retirement in the kingdom of God - we need all ages expressing their gifts in our body and in our community. So, we invest in and value each generation, because no one is too young or too old to receive the good news of Jesus and pursue an ongoing journey of following His ways.

GENEROSITY - Live sufficiently, give extravagantly

1 Chronicles 29:9 • Proverbs 11:25 • Leviticus 27:30 • Malachi 3:10 • Luke 12:34 • Acts 2:42-47 • Romans 12:8 2 • Corinthians 9:6-15 • 1 Timothy 6:17-19 • Titus 3:5-7

We give cheerfully as a whole-hearted response of worship, seeking ways to invest our time, talent and treasure in kingdom-growing opportunities through God’s provision. It is an act of gratitude, trust, and dependence upon Him. It is not a casual or “when we happen to remember” thing. Historically, giving begins with a tithe, or 10%, as the first fruits of all we bring in, building our trust as we learn to count on God to meet every need we will ever have. We want to be part of something bigger by giving above and beyond to the opportunities the Lord invites us into. Giving also strengthens our devotion to Christ and frees us to live open-handedly with the gifts God gives us. This goes further than giving in church, we generously share with all those God brings into our lives. We are blessed and in return we seek to be a blessing to our neighbors and to the nations.

HEALTH - Rest up so you don’t get messed up

Matthew 11:28-30 • Psalm 62:1 • Jeremiah 6:16 • Hebrews 4:9-10 • Deuteronomy 5:12-14 • John 15:5

The closer you get to the core of a church, the healthier it should be. So, we strive after a God-enabled health in our own walk with Him and our relationships with others. We don’t want to grow our church, if it means we aren’t first growing in our faith toward maturity as followers of Jesus. We strive to live with integrity, authenticity and intentionality by asking God to help us know our own hearts and experience true transformation of our brokenness toward healing and wholeness. We are committed to healthy rhythms for life through the pursuit of spiritual disciplines and cooperation with the work of the Spirit. These include Sabbath rest, daily time in the Bible and in prayer, experience with God in worship, and living with accountable and supportive relationships in community with other believers. Rest is doing something. So above all, we find healthy balance by ceasing from doing the heavy lifting on our own and go to Jesus, where He gives rest for our souls.

FLEXIBILITY - Open to change for the better

2 Peter 3:18 • Ephesians 4:13-16 • Matthew 15:1-9 • John 15:5 • Proverbs 1:5 • Isaiah 43:19, 64:8

Blessed are the flexible, for they will not be broken. We embrace change that leads toward our righteousness and God’s glory. We hold firmly to essential biblical truth while holding loosely to non-essential practices. Traditions are great and worth keeping, if they are still producing fruit. Like clay in the hand of the Master, we want to remain open to God’s molding of the patterns we follow and the preferences we desire as He shapes our hearts and minds toward Christlikeness. Staying stuck in our ways can lead to being stuck in our faith. Any good growth requires change, both in our personal lives and in our church. If a better idea or better way of doing something comes along that is in line with the Scriptures and will lead to greater impact for God’s Kingdom, we will be open to change for the better.

FINANCIALS

Your investment of time, talent and treasure is making a difference in people's lives locally and globally. Thank You!

FISCAL 2021 OVERVIEW

 


July 2020 - June 2021

Thank you for generously supporting the resources and staff that make these ministries possible. We ended the fiscal year with the General Fund having an additional $186,719 which was put into reserves for future use. Our Reach Fund fell short by $135,223 which reduced our capacity for furthering some partnership projects, but we were still able to support all of our global field workers.


July 2021 - December 2021

For the first half of the current fiscal year (July - December 2021), we are just slightly behind our budget goal for General and ahead for Reach. We appreciate your continued support and prayers for Calvary Church, for wisdom as we strive to strategically use the gifts you give and for provision as we pursue ministry into the second half of 2022 together. 

GIVE ONLINE HERE

 

Heritage Building


All operational expenses and loan payments for our Heritage Medical Building are covered by rental income.

Ministry Partnerships


Over half the suites are now being used for ministry partnerships impacting our community – OC Rescue Mission, Safe Families, Hurtt Family Health Clinic, and more.

 

CONTACT US

If you would like additional information about how your giving to Calvary is used for ministry purposes (including a copy of our audited financial statements), please contact our Executive Pastor, Michael Welles, at  714.550.2313 or

CREATIVE MINISTRIES

 

Worship | Communication | Connections

 

 

WORSHIP GATHERINGS

Our goal is to remember and celebrate the greatness of God and the good news of the Gospel, to realign our hearts to God's heart through the truth of the Word and the work of the Spirit, and to respond with lives marked by steadfast trust, courageous hope, and sacrificial love.

1,908

Average weekly participation (on campus & online)

3,071

Easter Sunday participation (on campus & online)

 

 Join us Sunday Connect with Creative Ministries

 

ONLINE VIDEO STATS

 


2021 SERMON SERIES


 

VIEW SUNDAY SERMONS WATCH  ON YOUTUBE

 

ORIGINAL ONLINE-ONLY CONTENT

A NEW LOOK

The reveal of our new brand mark was the most-liked Instagram post of 2021 with details about the story and symbolism - see it here. Find the new collection of Calvary merch by visiting our Corner Books & Coffee.

CONNECTIONS

31 New Church Members
62 Connections Ministry Team Members serving on Sundays
Discover how you can join Connections or any of the other volunteers teams at Calvary Church - START HERE

 

ADULT MINISTRIES

 
 Our vision at Calvary is to be a church family, being changed by the gospel to love like Jesus across cultures and generations. This change is a lifelong growth that we experience best in community.


FINDING FAMILY

MARY JANE’S STORY OF CONNECTION

Read Story Here

GOING FROM DARKNESS TO LIFE

Q & A WITH JAIME AND ELENA SANCHEZ

Read Story Here 

 

 

2021 Beach Baptisms

Celebrating new life in Christ with a public proclamation of faith

 LEARN MORE ABOUT BAPTISM

FAMILY MINISTRIES

 

One of the greatest responsibilities we have as a church family is to pass on the torch of a vibrant faith in Jesus Christ to the next generation. Thank you for contributing to make these life-shaping ministries happen!

 


A LEGENDARY WEEK OF ADVENTURE AND FAITH

Sunday Closing Celebration from VBS 2021

Calvary's Legend VBS (Vacation Bible School) is our annual week-long program filled with amazing experiences that help kids have fun as they learn from God's Word about the good news of Jesus! 

Watch Videos   View Photos

CALVARY CHRISTIAN SCHOOLS


CCS provides the opportunity for students to participate in challenging academics and diverse enrichments rooted in Christian values. The schools' budgets, which are separate from Calvary Church, are funded by student tuition and donations provided by generous supporters. We are blessed to see the impact CCS is making in children’s lives!

Discover more about CCSHelp support CCS

 

PRESCHOOL

2 1/2 Years Old - Transitional Kindergarten


We are at capacity with the classrooms we have open. We have hired 4 new teachers this school year! God has truly blessed us and has helped us through this pandemic.

Visit the Calvary Preschool Website

SCHOOL

Kindergarten - 8th Grade


2021 was another year of positive growth as we continue to pursue our mission of sharpening minds and transforming hearts through a Christ-centered education.

Visit the Calvary School Website

CARE & ENF

 

CARE MINISTRIES

We help people facing challenging seasons in life with biblically-based, Christ-centered resources .

Even though our Care Pastor was on medical leave for three months this year, our leaders provided great care all year long! We are blessed with amazing volunteers who come alongside and help people grow in their faith. At least two people came to Christ and many lives were significantly impacted by the Lord caring for His flock through these ministers of the Gospel.

 Connect with Care Ministries

 


 

EMERGENCY NEEDS FUND

ENF is a separate fund helping those in our church family primarily with food, shelter and clothing related needs.

301

needs were met with $92,736.00 in Financial Assistance that helped:

 Donate to Emergency Needs Fund

REACH MINISTRIES


In 2021 we explored the biblical call to be Vessels—formed, filled, and poured out for the cause of Christ and the glory of God. Thank you to all who responded with such great generosity! Nearly one-third of our entire church budget goes out beyond our walls to bless our neighbors and the nations, extend compassion to those in need, and share the good news of the Gospel.


LOCAL: REACHING OUR NEIGHBORHOODS

CHRISTMAS NEWSPAPER 

For Christmas this year, we produced a newspaper in English and Spanish to share with our neighbors and friends. The good news of Jesus is still making a difference today—as seen in the real-life stories from people who are part of the church family at Calvary. Read Newspaper Here (PDF)

HOSPITAL PARTNERSHIP

We started a formal partnership with Orange County Global Medical Center - the church across the street from Calvary. Please join us in praying for God's blessing and direction in 2022 for ways to build a bridge of hope and love for patients and their families, as well as the hospital staff.

  

GLOBAL: REACHING THE NATIONS

David Platt

Our 2021 Reach Week featured a message for Calvary from special guest speaker David Platt, the author of Radical and Something Needs to Change  - Watch Here

LLOYD & NANCY PECKHAM

Our Fall Reach Weekend highlighted the ministry of the Peckhams and their 40 years of translation work with Wycliffe in Indonesia and the Philippines - Watch Here

 

 


"O LORD, you are our Father. We are the clay, and You are the potter. We all are formed by Your hand.” Isaiah 64:8

 

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