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About Us

  • Doctrinal Statement

    Doctrinal Statement of Calvary Baptist Church
    1. THE HOLY SCRIPTURE
    We believe the Holy Scriptures, consisting of the Old and New Testaments only, to be the plenarily, verbally inspired Word of God, inerrant in the original manuscripts, authoritative, infallible and God-breathed; and that they are the only supreme and ultimate authority for faith and practice.  (2 Timothy 3:16-17; 2 Peter 1:20-21; Matthew 5:18; 1 Corinthians 2:10-13)
    1. THE GODHEAD
    We believe in one triune God, existing in three persons; Father, Son and Holy Spirit (Ghost); eternal in being, identical in essence, equal in power and glory and having the same divine attributes and perfections, yet exercising them in varied offices.  (Deuteronomy 6:4; Matthew 28:19; John 14:7-12; John 16:7; 2 Corinthians 13:14)
    1. THE PERSON AND WORK OF JESUS CHRIST
    We believe that the LORD Jesus Christ, the eternal Son of God, became man, without ceasing to be God, having been conceived of the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary, in order that He might reveal God and redeem sinful man.  (Matthew 1:18-20; John 1:1-2, 14, 18; Luke 1:35) We believe the LORD Jesus Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, as a substitutionary sacrifice, and that all who receive Him are justified on the ground of His shed blood.  (Romans 3:24-26, 4:25; 1 Corinthians 15:3-4; 2 Corinthians 5:21) We believe in the resurrection of the crucified body of our LORD Jesus Christ and that our redemption and salvation is guaranteed us by His literal, physical resurrection from the dead; in His bodily ascension into heaven; and in His present life there for us as High Priest and Intercessor.  (Matthew 28:5-6; 1 Corinthians 15:12-19; Acts 1:9; Hebrews 4:14-16, 7:23-25, 9:24; 1 John 2:1-2) We believe in “that blessed hope” which is the personal, visible, pre-tribulational, pre-millennial and imminent return of our LORD and Savior, Jesus Christ.  (1 Corinthians 15:51- 53; 1 Thessalonians 4:14-17; Titus 2:13; 1 John 3:2-3)
    1. THE SECOND COMING OF CHRIST
    We believe in the personal, pre-tribulational, imminent coming of the LORD Jesus Christ for His own, the church, and His subsequent, personal, pre-millenial return visibly to the earth to establish His kingdom and to reign for a millennium (1000 years) over the entire earth from the throne of King David.  (2 Samuel 7:12-16; Zechariah 14:4-11; Luke 1:30-33; Acts 15:14-18; 1 Thessalonians 4:14-17; Titus 2:13; 1 John 3:2-3)
    1. THE PERSONALITY OF THE HOLY SPIRIT
    We believe that the Holy Spirit is a Divine Person, equal with the Father and the Son and of the same substance and nature; that He convicts the world of sin, righteousness and judgment; bears witness to the truth; is the agent of the new birth; and that He seals, endues, guides, teaches, witnesses to, sanctifies and helps the believer; that He baptizes them into the body of Christ, indwells them permanently, seals them unto the day of redemption, bestows spiritual gifts upon each one, and fills for service those yielded to Him.  We believe that certain of the spiritual gifts of the Holy Spirit needed only in the infancy of the church are not to be expected today.  We believe the Holy Spirit testifies concerning Jesus Christ and never leads any person, at any time, contrary to the teaching of the Bible.  (John 3:8, 14:16, 15:26-27, 16:7-15; Acts 5:1-4; 1 Corinthians 12:4-13, 13:8-11; Ephesians 4:40, 5:18)
    1. CREATION
    We believe in the Genesis account of Creation of all things and that it is to be accepted literally and not figuratively; that the six days of creation in Genesis chapter one were solar, that is, literal twenty-four hour days; that all animal and vegetable life was made directly and God’s established law is that they bring forth only “after their kind”; that man was created directly in God’s own image and after His own likeness and did not evolve from any lower form of life; and that all men are descended from the historical Adam and Eve, first parents of the entire human race.  (Genesis 1:1-2:25; Genesis 1:11-12, 31, 24-26; Exodus 20:11, 31:17; Nehemiah 9:6; Psalms 33:6-9; Colossians 1:16-17; Hebrews 11:3; Revelation 4:11)
    1. ANGELS
    We believe that God created a great host of spiritual beings called angels who were sinless, immortal and have personality, but do not procreate.  We believe that Lucifer is the originator of sin; that he led a great number of angels to follow him in his sin; that those angels who followed Satan were confirmed in unrighteousness and are now designated evil angels (demons); that those angels which kept their first estate are confirmed in holiness.  (Isaiah 14:12; Ezekiel 28:13, 17; Luke 24:37; Colossians 1:16; 1 Timothy 5:21; II Peter 2:4; Revelation 12:9, 12)
    1. TOTAL DEPRAVITY OF MAN
    We believe that man was created in the image and after the likeness of God; that God gave him dominion over the other creatures; that he should serve, honor, glorify, and be obedient unto God. We believe that man, because he was created in the image of God, was created in innocence, under the law of his Maker, but by voluntary transgression fell from his sinless and happy state, in consequence of which all mankind are now sinners, not only by nature, but by choice, and being by nature utterly void of that holiness required by the law of God is therefore under just condemnation without defense or excuse.  (Genesis 1:26-27, 3:1-6; Romans 5:12, 3:23)
    1. SALVATION, REGENERATION, ETERNAL SECURITY
    We believe that salvation is a gift of God brought to men by grace and received by personal faith in the LORD Jesus Christ, whose blood was shed on Calvary for the forgiveness of sins. Salvation is solely through faith in the LORD Jesus Christ who shed His blood for the forgiveness of our sins and, being a gift, is not earned by any good works whatsoever.  All those who receive Jesus Christ as LORD and Savior are regenerated and become sons of God.  (Ephesians 1:7, 2:8-9; John 1:2, 3:5-7) We believe that the Scriptures teach that regeneration, or the new birth, is that change in the soul by the Holy Spirit by which a new nature and spiritual life, not before possessed, are imparted and the person becomes a new creation in Christ Jesus as LORD and without it salvation is impossible.  (John 3:3-6; 2 Corinthians 5:17; 1 Peter 1:23; Titus 3:5) We believe that the salvation of every believer is secure for all eternity from the moment of regeneration.  This security is guaranteed to each believer by the fact that the life received is eternal life by the keeping power of God, by the sealing ministry of the Holy Spirit, and by the interceding ministry of Christ.  (John 5:24, 10:27-30; Romans 8:1, 29-30, 38-39; Ephesians 4:30; Hebrews 7:25)
    1. SANCTIFICATION
    Definition:  To sanctify means to separate or set apart for God.  Sanctification is the process of setting apart or the state of being set apart for God. We believe that sanctification is the process by which, according to the will of God, we are made partakers of His holiness; that it is a progressive work that is begun in regeneration, that is carried on in the heart of believers by the presence and power of the Holy Spirit in the faithful use of the appointed means - especially the Word of God, prayer, self-examination, self-denial, watchfulness and in the practice of all Godly exercises and duties. We are already sanctified.  (Hebrews 10:10, 14) We are progressively being sanctified. (1 Cor. 6:19-20; II Peter 3:18)  We will be completely sanctified.  (1 Thessalonians 5:23)
    1. THE LOCAL CHURCH
    We believe that a local church is a congregation of immersed believers associated together for worship and work of a covenant of faith and fellowship of the Gospel, observing the ordinances of Christ, governed by His laws, and exercising the gifts, rights and privileges invested in them by His Word; that its mission is to witness and to preach the gospel of Christ to all nations persuading the lost to accept Christ Jesus as Savior and to enthrone Him as their LORD and Master; that its officers are pastor(s) and deacon(s) whose qualifications, claims and duties are clearly defined in the Scriptures; that the local church has absolute right of self-government, free from the interference of any ecclesiastical or political hierarchy of individuals or organizations; that the church and state must be kept separate as having different functions; that the one and only superintendent is Christ, through the Holy Spirit; that it is scriptural for true churches to cooperate with each other in contending for the faith and for the furtherance of the Gospel; that each church is the sole judge of the measure and method of its cooperation; that on all matters of membership, of government, of discipline, of benevolence, the will of the local church is final.  (Acts 2:41-42, 46-47, 14:27, 20:17, 28-32; Ephesians 1:22-23, 4:11-13; Colossians 1:18)
    1. ORDINANCES
    Baptism We believe that Christian baptism is the immersion of a believer in water to show forth in a solemn and beautiful emblem our faith in the crucified, buried and risen Savior, with its effect in our death to sin and resurrection to a new life that is prerequisite to the privileges of a church relationship. We believe that infant baptism is not taught in the Bible, nor is there any allusion, precept or example of such a practice anywhere in the Scriptures.  (Acts 8:35-39; Romans 6:3-5; Matthew 28:18-20) The LORD’s Supper We believe that the LORD’s Supper is the commemoration of His death until He comes and should be preceded always by solemn self-examination.  (Matthew 26:26-28; I Corinthians 11:23-34)
    1. THE ETERNAL STATE
    We believe in the bodily resurrection of all men, the saved to eternal life and the unsaved to judgment and everlasting punishment.  (Matthew 25:46; John 5:28-29, 11:25-26; Revelation 20:5-6, 12-13) We believe that the souls of the redeemed are, at death, absent from the body and present with the LORD where in conscious bliss they await the first resurrection when spirit, soul and body are reunited to be glorified forever with the LORD.  (Luke 23:43; 2 Corinthians 5:8; Philippians 1:23; I Thessalonians 4:16-17) We believe that the souls of unbelievers remain, after death, in conscious misery until the second resurrection when, with the soul and body reunited, they shall be cast into the Lake of Fire, not to be annihilated, but to suffer everlasting, conscious punishment.  (Luke 16:19-26; Matthew 25:41, 46)
    1. CIVIL GOVERNMENT
    We believe that civil government is of divine appointment for the interests and good order of human society; that magistrates are to be prayed for, conscientiously honored and obeyed, except in things opposed to the will of our LORD Jesus Christ, who is the only LORD of the conscience and the coming Prince of the kings of the earth.  (Romans 13:1-7; Acts 4:19-20)

  • A Brief History of Calvary Baptist Church

    In the fall of 1949 a few families began meeting for a weekly home Bible study conducted by Rev. Peter Wiens, pastor of the First Baptist Church of Sibley. As interest grew, they soon moved to the Memorial Room of the Sheldon Community Building. Nearly seven years later several of the people were convinced that it was time to organize into a Baptist church. Beginning in August of 1956, two Sunday services and a mid-week prayer meeting were held. Brother Loren Gerber, a church-planting missionary, moved his trailer home and family to Sheldon and began the work of organizing a Baptist church. Some of the charter members were Bernie and Agatha Boone, Dorothy Dykhuizen and Fred and Rose Van Loh. During the winter of 1956, a tragic automobile accident claimed the lives of Brother Gerber's wife and two of his three children. A short while later Brother Gerber was called to organize another church and moved on to a new community. ( He was at Calvary Baptist Church approximately five months.) In July of 1957, Rev. Don Howard became the first pastor of Calvary. During his tenure the church purchased the former Lutheran church building along with its parsonage. The first service in the purchased building was held on April 23, 1961, and the following Sunday, April 30, the building was formally dedicated. The mortgage was burned in August of 1962. Pastor Howard and wife Marianna remained at Calvary until September of 1962. (Five years, one month.) In January of 1963, L.E. Thomas became the pastor and ministered at Calvary Baptist until July 1967. (Four years, six months.) Paul Campbell followed Pastor Thomas, coming in 1968 and leaving in 1970. (One year, six months.) In August of 1970, Duayne Clapp, wife Roberta and family arrived in Sheldon to minister in Calvary Baptist Church. Believing that the Lord was calling them into missions work, Pastor Clapp resigned in December of 1972 and soon left for Uruguay. (Two years, four months.) LaVern Gaylord assumed the pastorate from 1973 to 1974, (One year four months.) followed by Tunis Schuurman from July of 1975 through December of 1978. (Three years, four months.) At this time Pastor Ron Hanson was called to serve Calvary Baptist Church. He arrived in June of 1979 and ministered in Sheldon until April of 1983. (Three years, ten months.) Pastor Lyonel M. Watkins was invited to minister in Sheldon. He and his wife Peggy served Calvary Baptist from November 1983 until October of 1990, becoming the longest ministry to date in the history of Calvary Baptist, having ministered in Sheldon for just over seven years. (Seven years, one month.) Pastor Marcus B. Moffitt was then given a unanimous call to be the under-shepherd of Calvary Baptist. He along with his wife Jeanne and their family arrived in Sheldon in July of 1991 until 2016. In June of 2017, Pastor Zac Patke was called to be the Pastor and is currently there at the present time.

  • Our Ministry Purpose

    • - To submit ourselves to the authority of God’s Word. - To see lost souls come to Christ as their Savior and Lord. - To see each believer mature in Bible knowledge and the application of God’s Word. - To provide opportunities for worship, spiritual growth, fellowship and encouragement.
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