If you have been around Calvary Church, you have no doubt heard the name, Jim McCarty. Jim and his wife, Betsy, have been attending and serving at Calvary Church for over 30 years.

Jim was born in the Mid-West (shout-out to Arlington Heights, Illinois), but spent his formative years locally here in Orange County. This is where he both placed his faith in Jesus at the age of 13 at a Billy Graham Crusade and rode the giant waves of the Wedge in Newport Beach.

As an adult, Jim faithfully worked just down the street from Calvary Church at Ace Hardware on Tustin Avenue. While serving the Lord in the retail industry, Jim also served here at Calvary as a trained volunteer counselor and as an elder. It was during these years that Jim felt a call to go to Seminary, and enrolled at Talbot School of Theology in La Mirada. Jim’s schooling and experience in church ministry eventually led him to a career change, and he joined the staff here at Calvary Church as our Care Pastor in 2012.

Here are 5 things that I love about Jim:

1. Jim has been faithfully married to Betsy for 50 years in two weeks (September 16th!)  In a world where there are so many struggles and challenges in marriage, Jim and Betsy’s marriage is an inspiration and encouragement to us all. Jim leads our marriage ministry here at Calvary and is available to provide resources and encouragement for you in your marriage too. You can learn more about those by reaching out to  .

2. Jim is an excellent and engaging Bible Teacher and wonderfully leads the Focus LifeGroup.  If you are age 50+ and looking for a group to connect in, check out Jim’s Focus class! They meet in the worship center choir room each Sunday at 11:00am.

3. Jim leads our Celebrate Recovery ministry with a great group of volunteer leaders. Celebrate Recovery is a Christ-centered twelve-step program and a safe place where people who are hurting can experience hope and healing in a Christian community. Want more details? Go to calvarylife.org/recovery

4. Jim has kept his eyes on Jesus, even when facing tough health challenges. Last September, Jim had major heart surgery. It was a scary and big surgery, and Jim experienced the same nerves anyone would when facing such a procedure. But throughout the preparation and recovery, I watched firsthand as Jim kept his trust in the Lord.

5. Jim is a man of wisdom. This summer, we have been walking through the book of Proverbs in our summer sermon series, “The Way of Wisdom.” Jim is a person that I look up to as a wise person (and sometimes just a wise-guy, hahaha). Jim is slow to speak, humble, a good listener and offers Godly counsel. Is he perfect? Not a chance. But I see how the Lord has blessed Jim with the grace to grow in wisdom.

Do you want to be a person who is growing in wisdom too? Come this Sunday, to our final message in our Proverbs series, where we will close on Proverbs 31. I am praying it will be an encouragement as you pursue the One the Bible calls in 1 Corinthians 1:24, “…the power of God and the wisdom of God,” Jesus Christ.

Matt Doan
Reach Pastor