Dedication Service of Calvary Baptist Church’s New Sanctuary by Dr. C. E. Jensen

What did a Farmer, Teacher, Painter, and Physician have in common? They were all Baptists in a town without a church of their denomination. These four, with their families, were the core members of Calvary Baptist Church of Denton at its inception in 1974. Meeting first in a private home, then in the Woman’s Club, the congregation quickly grew and purchased a site on Market Street, Denton from the late Cannon Wright.

The first Church Sanctuary was constructed with considerable volunteer labor and materials, under the direction of Calvin C. Jones, President of the Deacon Board, and completed in 1976. Growth continued with the addition of a Fellowship Hall and Sunday School rooms during the 1970’s and 1980’s. By 2015, the attendance and membership required the building of a new Sanctuary, completed in 2016, and physically connected to the previous complex. That new Sanctuary will be dedicated October 30, 2016. The Building Committee was the Board of Deacons, who placed Ellery Adams in charge of the coordination of the project.

Calvary Baptist Church has over 50 active Ministry programs, including services at multiple Nursing Homes and Assisted Living Facilities, the County Detention Center, Food Pantry, annual Vacation Bible School, Sunday School Classes from Nursery to Senior Adults and Crane Baptist Camp (a church owned 38-acre Youth Facility and Worship Center near Williston). Calvary also contributes to the support of multiple missionaries on several continents and is, in many other ways, deeply involved in presenting the Good News of Jesus Christ to our community and the world.

Calvary’s Pastor since 1976 has been Rev. Donald Reynolds, a graduate of Lynchburg College and Liberty Theological Seminary. His career has also been marked by decades of service with the Chaplains Corps of the MDARNG, in which capacity he served on active duty during the 9/11 Crisis, at Guantanamo Bay, and in Iraq. Calvary is very proud of LTC Reynolds, who has served his Country, Church, and Lord with the fullest measure of spiritual devotion for 40 years. Four young men of our church have been ordained to the ministry during his Pastorate, two of whom are his sons.

Calvary Church recognizes that its sole reason for existence is the declaration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The Congregation is united in its intention to spread the love of God abroad in the Mid Shore and to remain faithful to the Faith of our Fathers as found in the Holy Bible. Calvary Church welcomes visitors, seekers, and all with spiritual needs. The public is invited to the Dedication Service of the new Church on Sanctuary Sunday, October 30, 2016 at 10:30 AM.