My Visit to Calvary

It is a beautiful morning in Tuscaloosa. I take a short drive dressed in my Sunday best, and arrive at the corner of Bryant Drive and 12th Avenue. This is a familiar corner for me because it is the site of Calvary Baptist Church, my church home in Tuscaloosa. I arrive, a little late as always, for the 9:45 service and walk in with a few stragglers like myself, mostly young couples. As I head for the side door I can hear the band playing worship music inside. It is a sound I love to hear on Sunday morning because it invites me in to take part in the service. As I walk up the stairs, I am greeted by an older gentleman who gives me a smile and an order of service. I take one last flight of stairs to the balcony to find my friends and begin to prepare myself for worship.
Today is like any ordinary Sunday, except for one thing. I am watching, with a slightly more observant eye, the goings-on at “the 9:45”. As we are seated for the sermon, given by our brand new senior pastor, Tim Lovett, I begin to watch the congregation. This service hour is just one of three held in the sanctuary on Sunday mornings. It is the more contemporary service, so the room is filled with mostly college and high-school students. The first three to four pews in the front of the sanctuary are filled with middle and high-school students. I zone in on them first.
Everyone has packed into these pews and there is very little space between each kid. I see some whispering and fidgeting, but for the most part, the kids seem well-behaved, which may be a result of their close proximity to the preacher. It seems pretty strange to me that students at this age would want to sit in such a highly visible section of our sanctuary. After-all, it is a large space and can hold close to 1,000 bodies. So why the very front, I wonder? These students may have something to prove. While students generally have more of a reputation for acting up at church, or simply being forced to come by their parents, it seems odd that so many of them would choose to sit front and center. My best guess would be that these kids want to take initiative and set an example to their peers, maybe even their parents. By sitting here they are almost forced to control themselves and listen to the sermon. It is an interesting arrangement.
Focusing on other groups of people, I notice that college students are scattered all around the sanctuary. There are small pods of college students spread among other church-goers. These other church-goers are adults within the congregation. Though they are fewer in number for this service, they are still participating along with everyone else. The 9:45 service is generally thought of as a “younger” service because it is more contemporary in nature, so it is refreshing to see adults worshipping alongside younger members of the church. This service offers a small window into the unity found among members of Calvary. I think it is also a big indication of why so many college students are drawn to this church. Here there is a church family made up of more than just college students like what is found in campus ministries that are unattached to a local church.
Attentiveness is not surprising here, especially with a new pastor at the front of the church. A new pastor in a church that has seen many successful years of service and growth in this community will naturally be watched with careful observation. He was officially hired several weeks ago by a congregational vote. Each member of the church is entitled to one vote in the matter of hiring a new pastor. The process is an interesting one in which what is called a church business meeting is called, the prospective pastor is introduced for recommendation by a member of a search committee, and the members are invited to stand and fill out a ballot. This meeting was the first I had ever had the honor to participate in and it was a very interesting process for me. It is great to know that as a member of a body I am able to participate in such important matters as the hiring of a senior pastor. College members are offered the same opportunity as me as long as they have committed to a college membership. This feeling of belonging draws college students in.
After the sermon, the congregation stands to sing a couple more songs led by the band and then we are dismissed to go to Sunday school. As we walk out the doors of the church it is easy to see that this is a great time to mingle and fellowship with other members. People are standing in small groups all around the front yard of the church, catching up on the past week’s events, laughing and joking around, and sharing hugs as they pass to go to their classrooms. Naturally, I go to the college Sunday school which meets behind the church in trailer classrooms. Before we head to our classes, the large group meets briefly in the gymnasium to gather together for fellowship. The smell of coffee fills the room, and a faithful Sunday school teacher stands by the refreshment table on the other end of the gym to welcome us and hand out cookies, doughnuts, coffee and soft drinks. All around the room are students wearing nametags, and when I look closely I can tell that many of them are personalized with something funny shared between the nametag maker and themselves. As I look around I do not see one single student standing alone, which makes me feel as though most people feel very welcomed here, at least that has always been my experience. There are a large number of college students, so the fact that we split off into smaller groups gives the ministry an even more welcoming and intimate atmosphere. Alan Henderson, one of the college ministers, comes up to the front to give a few brief announcements and dismiss us into classes.
I catch up with some familiar faces and go into one of the classrooms. The format of splitting into classes goes as follows: pick up list of bible studies, find one that interests you, go to assigned room, enjoy the learning experience. Each class that is offered is geared toward the utmost spiritual development as well as creating a community for college students to feel welcome and involved. Some classes are offered to only guys, others to only girls, but the majority are offered in a co-ed format. This particular Sunday I go into a co-ed classroom where they are studying other world religions. It seems to be an interesting and in-depth study on the religious beliefs of others, which I find refreshing in a Baptist church. The class is taught by a very sweet, young couple who seem interested, not only in the subject of the class but in teaching college students. The relational aspect of the class shows me just how much people care here, which to an out-of-towner college student is nice to find in a church. I believe this is the secret, if there is one, to the success of this church, which was started many years ago as a mission to college students. Though Calvary is very much a family church with members ranging in age from 1 to 92, it is clear that college students are loved and belong at this church.
After about an hour, Sunday school ends, and I walk out with the rest of my class to more groups forming around the ping-pong and pool tables. This time, people are coming together to make the lunch plans. It is a time for debating and deciding, and the best choice will always win, usually the restaurant that can accommodate the most people. In true Baptist form, the parking lot usually clears out in about 10 minutes. We get pretty serious about our lunch.
Calvary is much more than its Sunday morning activities. Throughout the week the church is alive with people walking through its hallways and interacting in its classrooms. Wednesday is known for being another big night at Calvary. Like Sunday, there is something for most everyone to participate in. The largest events seem to be youth activities and the Well, the Wednesday night worship service for the college ministry. The Well is a contemporary service that starts at eight every Wednesday night during the school year and carries on, on a slightly smaller scale, during the summer. There is a segment dedicated to singing, led by The Well Band, then there is a speaker followed by more songs. All Wednesday activities are beneficial to the life of the church, and they serve the community in many ways. With all of these ministries and services, I felt it was necessary to go to the source to see where all of the planning takes place.
The church office was my destination. I knew there I would be able to see the true inner-workings of the church and observe just how all of the activities happen. The office is easily accessible and sits right behind the sanctuary. Walking in, I am immediately greeted by the secretary at the front desk and do not have too much further before I walk into the college office, which I am familiar with. This office has an open-door policy. I have never been stopped or asked to wait to come in. This policy of welcoming makes the college ministry and staff seem very accessible. When any student walks in they can expect to be greeted warmly by the entire staff, which is my exact experience today. Alan Henderson and Lindsey Lee, two of the college ministers, say hello to me and invite me to come in and sit down. While I spend time talking and enjoying their company, many students pop their heads in the door to say hello. Many jokes are passed between the staff and the students which make it great to just be a part of the atmosphere.
The other administrative staff of the church has offices down the halls. When I walk by, many of them know me, mainly for my involvement in the church, but they are all interested in what I am doing and seem ready to help me in any way. Just sitting for a while in the waiting room I can tell that the staff relies on one another to get things done. There is a good bit of interaction between all ministries, and this shows me that unity is a strong-point for this church. Many times the college ministry is called on to serve the youth and children’s ministries. On the other hand, adult ministries often serve the college ministry by offering free meals. There is even an “adopt-a-student” program for families to take in a college student who is away from home to serve them meals, or simply allow them a place to do their laundry. It seems like a very cool idea.
Overall, what I have found in doing close observation of Calvary is that it is a church with a strong foundation. For it to be as flourishing as it is and for as many people to come as do, there is only one explanation. The roots of this church run deep and the staff and members seem to hold true to the same principles and ideals they were founded on. College students are a priority here; that is certainly clear. The rest of the members, however, are not forgotten. It is a community church attended by people from all over the city of Tuscaloosa, but more importantly, it is a church that serves the community it is in. As Shane Claiborne says in his book Irresistible Revolution, “What the world needs is people who believe so much in another world that they cannot help but begin enacting it now” (Claiborne). I have found this spirit in so many of the members of Calvary. These members, some who are my closest friends, are not serving the name or idea of a church. The clear goal of Calvary is to serve, welcome, and love, and I see that in so many of its members. To step inside of Calvary is to step into a history of service and a community set on continuing that legacy. The next question that needs asking is what that history is. To know the future of anything, we must first examine the past.