About Our Church

Below are a few of our main values and beliefs. For more, you can download our Welcome Handbook, which covers all the details of our philosophy and ministry.

Meet our leaders Download the handbook

Who we are

Calvary Chapel of

Eastern Connecticut

Calvary Chapel has been formed as a fellowship of believers in the Lordship of Jesus Christ. Our supreme desire is to know Christ and be conformed to his image by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Our Affiliation

We are affiliated with the Calvary Chapel network of churches. Therefore, there are certain distinctions that we hold as we seek to be a witness in the community and equip believers to become disciples.

1) We teach systematically through the whole Bible.

2) We put greater emphasis on what God has done for us than what we can do for him.

3) We believe all the gifts of the Holy Spirit are for today, and are to be used according to the directives of scripture.

Our Beliefs & Values

The Bible

The Bible is the inspired, inerrant, and authoritative Word of God and is the primary means of spiritual growth. There is no substitute for the constant, regular reading, preaching, and teaching of the word of God. It is the final authority in every area that it addresses for the individual believer, as well as for the church collectively.

Church should equip, train, and teach people to live like Christ through all of life’s seasons and transitions. The church is a hospital, a family, a seminary, a temple, and an army.

The Church

Worship

Worship should be spiritual; we remain flexible and yielded to the Holy Spirit to direct our worship. It should be inspirational; we use music regularly in our worship. It should be intelligent; our services put high emphasis on teaching the Word of God so that we may learn how to worship him. It is fruitful; we look for God’s love flowing out of us as evidence that we truly worship him.

Conflict with one another is a normal part of life and the Christian experience. Conflict within a fellowship is used by God to develop many important, positive qualities within Christians that are difficult to learn without conflict.

Conflict

Love

The only basis of true Christian fellowship is God’s (agápē) love, which is greater than any differences we may have with one another. Without love, we have no right to claim to be Christians.

Concern for the poor, sinners, widows, and orphans grows as the Christian grows in the love of God.

Compassion

Generosity

It is normal for every Christian to give and serve. Just as individuals are required to give in order to grow and be obedient, so the local church is obligated to give in order to grow, be fruitful, and obedient. Without consistent generosity with time, energy, and money, both individuals and the church become stagnant.

Suffering is part of every life and God can use it to grow and mature us in our walk with Christ.

Suffering

Holy Spirit

The Holy Spirit is willing and able to break in and carry on his work in non-spectacular, non-manipulative, and surprising ways.

Where God guides, he provides.

Provision

Friendship

People who want friends should show themselves friendly.

Leadership in the church means service, and it is functional. It has nothing to do with title, power, or position.

Leadership

Ministry

The primary source of the ability to minister comes from prayer and personal devotion to God.

Our Goal In Eastern CT

We want to change Eastern Connecticut from one of the least churched and under-evangelized regions in the US to being vibrant and spiritually alive.

We want in every town and on every school campus to be the best taught, most loved, most outreach-focused church possible.

We accomplish this together by making Christ known through prayer, corporate worship, personal invitations, generous giving, sacrificial service, life-changing teaching, and in face-to-face small group relationships.

We cooperate with what God is doing. We believe the church is bigger than any one particular movement, denomination or church.

We welcome and pursue collaborative ministry partnerships with like-minded movements, denominations, churches, seminaries and other Christian ministries, for the sake of the Gospel.