Mission Statement: To know Him and make Him known

Vision: By the grace of God, Calvary Bible Church aspires to be a people who…

…make the CROSS central to all we do.

God’s majesty, holiness, wrath and justice meet His grace, love, mercy and forgiveness at the cross. It is the power of God to those being saved (I Cor. 1:18). Through the cross, Jesus reconciled all things to Himself (Col 1:20). It is the reason we daily die to sin and live to righteousness (1 Peter 2:24). Without the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, all our efforts are meaningless (I Cor. 15:13-19).
Therefore, we want the Person and work of Jesus Christ to be at the center of our thinking, the center of our ministry, the center of our very lives.

…celebrate the BIBLE, diligently studying and applying it to everyday life.

The Bible is more than a book, it is the very words of God (2 Tim 3:16, 2 Peter 1:20-21). It is to be celebrated and magnified (Psalm 119:161b) and studied with reverence and care. The Bible is true and it gives us everything we need for life and godliness (2 Peter 1:3). It tells us the only way to know God and live for Him.
Therefore, we want to delight in the Bible, magnify and study it, meditate on it, obey it’s commands and apply its principles to everyday life. We want to do this both as individuals and together as a church. God’s goal for us is not simply knowledge but continual and sustained life change by His grace (Rom 12:1-2) and through the power of the Holy Spirit working on our hearts and lives (e.g. Romans 8:1-11).

…are a united BODY of believers in which each person is growing in Christlikeness together.

Unity among of a local body of believers is vital to spiritual growth (e.g. Eph. 4, John 17:20-23, Phil 1:27). The church is not free from problems but rather a family committed to handling problems God’s way. This is why the Bible contains so many one another commands and so much teaching on relationships. The spiritual growth of each person is both his own responsibility as well as the responsibility of the body as a whole.
Therefore, we desire to be a body of believers where each person is committed to loving one another in the fullest sense of that term. We want to weep and rejoice with one another, encourage and admonish one another, serve, build up and pray for one another so that together we may grow to be more like Jesus Himself (Eph. 4:15-16).

…are concerned for the spiritual and physical welfare of our NEIGHBORS.

We believe that everyone is our neighbor – those who live in Hanover, PA and those who live on the other side of the world. When Jesus was asked “Who is my neighbor?”, His answer was a stranger from another country who met someone’s needs (Luke 10:25-37). Throughout scripture, God continually demonstrates His concern for all people as His image bearers. Jesus gave us the command to ‘go and make disciples’ locally and globally (Mat 28:19).
Therefore, we want to be a people where everyone is prayerfully looking for opportunities to serve our neighbors in any way we can and bring the wonderful good news of Jesus Christ to them (Rom. 10:15). Likewise, we want to partner with our missionary family to accomplish this around the world.

…adopt a lifestyle of WORSHIP as a grateful response to all God is and does in our lives.

Human language falls short in every description of the glory of God and struggles to communicate the majesty of His presence. His full glory is so consuming that no man can see Him and live (Exodus 33:20) because we are part of this fallen world and He is so utterly holy. Even so, because of the finished work of Jesus Christ, He bids us to draw near to Him (James 4:8) and one day we will be like Him, see Him as He is (1 John 3:2, 1 Cor 13:12) and enjoy His presence forever!
Therefore, we want our lives to flow from a heart that worships Him alone in spirit and in truth (John 4:24). We want to be continually awestruck by His greatness and adore Him. We want to honor and glorify Him in sincere worship not only when we gather together but also in our daily lives and activities (Col 3:17).