A Sunday at 517 W 32nd Street

Calvary Baptist Church meets at 517 W 32nd Street on the north side of Holland, Michigan, a low-rise building that doubles as the center for a full week of ministry to children, students, young adults, and seniors across Ottawa County. The Sunday rhythm begins at 9:15 a.m. with Sunday School classes for every age, then moves into the main worship gathering at 10:30 a.m. Visitors are told to expect a service lasting about seventy-five minutes, a warm environment where people come as they are, passionate worship music, a biblically based message, and an opportunity to receive prayer from a leader after the sermon.

For families, the children's side runs in parallel. Children are signed in at a check-in station next to the cafe, with nursery care for ages 0 to 2, preschool for ages 3 to 5, and children's church for kindergarten through fifth grade. Elementary children may stay with their parents for the whole service or be dismissed partway through to their own classroom in the Ministry Center. The service is also livestreamed at 10:30 a.m. for those who cannot be there in person.

Loving God, Loving the Truth, Loving the Neighbor

The congregation's stated purpose is summed up in a single line that opens the church's main pages: "We exist to love God, love the truth, and love our neighbor." Everything from preaching to small groups is shaped by that three-part calling, with a particular emphasis on the truth - meaning careful, expository preaching through books of the Bible.

Lead Pastor Ben Hernández, who joined the staff in 2019, is described by the church as passionate about expository preaching and helping others come to a deeper understanding of the Word. He holds a B.B.A. in Accounting from Dallas Baptist University, a Master of Divinity from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, and a PhD in Applied Theology and Preaching from Southeastern Seminary.

What Calvary Believes

The church's Statement of Faith is organized around the historic Christian doctrines and reads like a conservative Baptist confession. Calvary teaches that the Old and New Testaments in their original manuscripts are the breathed-out, authoritative, inerrant, and sufficient Word of God. There is one living and true God, eternally existing in three equal persons - Father, Son, and Holy Spirit - who is the Creator and Ruler of all things.

Jesus Christ is confessed as Lord and God's only Son, conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of a virgin, fully God and fully man, the only mediator between God and humanity. The Holy Spirit convicts of sin, regenerates, indwells, gifts, and guides believers. Humanity was created in God's image, but Adam's fall brought all people into sin and condemnation, from which only God's grace through Christ can rescue.

Salvation is by grace alone through faith in Jesus Christ, and true faith shows itself in a life of repentance and godliness. The church practices two ordinances: water baptism by immersion of a believer, and the Lord's Supper as a continuing picture of the gospel and a memorial of Christ's death. The statement also affirms the bodily resurrection of Christ, His ascension to the Father's right hand, the imminent personal return of Christ, the resurrection of the body, final judgment, and the eternal destiny of the wicked and the righteous. The church also teaches that God created humans as male and female and that marriage is a lifelong covenant between one man and one woman.

The Four Movements of Discipleship

Calvary organizes the life of a believer around a four-stage discipleship path that runs from the corporate gathering outward into everyday relationships.

The first stage is the Congregation: weekly worship where believers are equipped and edified through expository preaching. The second stage is Community, expressed through small groups of mixed-gender, ten to twenty people that meet in homes and at various times around Holland. These groups are designed for the study of the Word, prayer, fellowship, and serving, and they are the starting point for deeper friendships. The third stage is Core, where discipleship groups (called D-Groups) gather in same-sex groups of three to five people for twelve to eighteen months, committed to accountability, prayer, and the study of God's Word. Maturity in a D-Group is measured against a set of traits Calvary calls the M.A.R.C.S. The fourth stage is Crowd, the everyday world where a disciple engages non-believers through divine appointments and intentional relationships at work, in the neighborhood, and around town.

Children: Nursery, Children's Church, and Awana

Children's ministry at Calvary runs on two weekly tracks. On Sundays, age-appropriate classrooms run during the 9:15 a.m. Sunday School hour and during the 10:30 a.m. worship gathering. On Wednesdays from 6:15 to 8:00 p.m. during the school year, the church hosts Awana for ages 3 through sixth grade.

The Awana program is divided into four tracks. Cubbies (ages 3 to 5) is a two-year preschool curriculum built around games, storytelling, and biblical teaching. Sparks (grades K to 2) is a three-year early elementary curriculum that introduces the people and events of the Bible. Truth and Training, or T&T (grades 3 to 6), is a four-year upper elementary curriculum that focuses on the character of God, the identity of Christ, and the structure of Scripture. Awana runs September through April each year. Special annual events include a Vacation Bible School week in late June and a Christmas Program in mid-December.

Safety is taken seriously. Every volunteer fills out an application with references and a background check before working with children, and the church maintains a written child protection policy and a Sunday-morning safety team. Children's Ministry Director Elise Zantello oversees the program; she and her family have attended Calvary since 2012.

Students and Young Adults at the Student Building

Students meet in their own Student Building on the Calvary campus. Sunday mornings from 9:15 to 10:15 a.m. are reserved for student Sunday School, and Sunday nights from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. are set aside for Youth Group. Beaux Williams serves as Pastor of Students and Family Discipleship. He previously served as Spiritual Life Director at Calvary Schools of Holland before joining the church staff in April 2019.

For those who have graduated from high school through age 26, the Young Adults Ministry (Y.A.M.) meets every other Thursday from 6:30 to 8:00 p.m. in the same Student Ministry building. The format is a relaxed mix of fellowship, Bible study, singing, and snacks. Mike Wilkinson, Pastor of Congregational Care and Worship, oversees Y.A.M. alongside his shepherding, worship, and tech responsibilities.

Women's D-Groups and Bible Studies

Women's ministry at Calvary is built around two tracks: small D-Groups and seasonal Bible studies. D-Groups are intentional groups of four to five women committed to growing in their walks with Christ and becoming disciples who make disciples. Women also gather for larger Bible studies during the year, such as a Tuesday morning fall study on contentment in Christ, with childcare available for ages 0 to 4. Robin Thompson, Director of Finance and Office Support, is a certified Precept Bible Study leader and is described by the church as passionate about teaching and leading women's Bible studies and giving encouragement in biblical counseling.

Men's D-Groups, Prayer, and Quarterly Breakfasts

The men's side mirrors the women's with D-Groups of three to five men who meet weekly for accountability, prayer, and the study of God's Word. In addition, men gather for prayer every Saturday morning at 7:30 a.m., praying for their families, the church, their neighbors, and the nation. Once a quarter, the men hold a Saturday morning fellowship breakfast at 7:30 a.m. for fellowship around the Word. Shannon Overbeek leads a Precept Bible study on the kings and prophets of the Old Testament for both men and women on weeknights during the fall.

JOY Fellowship for Seniors

Seniors at Calvary are served through JOY Fellowship, or "Just Older Youth." The group meets every other week for prayer, hymn singing, and a lesson in spiritual growth, and monthly for fellowship activities. Dates and topics are listed in the church bulletin.

Care, Compassion, and Global Outreach

Calvary describes its Care Ministries as a way of expressing love for brothers and sisters facing hardship. The team works to give people access to teaching, training, and support for managing their personal resources as good stewards of what God has entrusted to them, handles resources within the church and the community to ensure the primary needs of every member are met, and seeks to be known as a discerning, compassionate, and responsive congregation both inside and outside its walls.

On the missions side, the Global Outreach ministry exists to glorify God by equipping and mobilizing believers to make disciples throughout the world. The church trains members locally, nurtures those called to long-term service, and partners with supported missionaries to fulfill the Great Commission.

Leadership and Governance

The pastoral staff is led by Ben Hernández as Lead Pastor, with Beaux Williams serving as Pastor of Students and Family Discipleship and Mike Wilkinson as Pastor of Congregational Care and Worship. Elise Zantello directs the children's ministry. Day-to-day operations are handled by Robin Thompson as Director of Finance and Office Support, Gary Molenaar as Director of Ministry Operations, and Joy Hemmes as Communications Assistant.

Spiritual oversight is shared with a group of elders: Brian Allen, Sam Harris, Ben Hernández, Shannon Overbeek, Ken Swinehart, Mike Wilkinson, and Beaux Williams. The congregation governs itself under an adopted constitution and uses Breeze church management software for its directory, small-group sign-ups, and child registration.

Staying Connected During the Week

The church maintains a robust digital footprint. Sunday messages are livestreamed and archived online, giving is available through the SubSplash app and the website, and a dedicated Calvary Holland app is available for both iOS and Android. The church also publishes a weekly email bulletin through Mailchimp and an events calendar that lists the next men's breakfast, Awana dates, women's Bible study sign-ups, and other activities. The church office is open Monday through Thursday from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., and the building sits between Holland's residential streets and its schools - an easy landmark for first-time visitors looking for a place to worship on a Sunday morning.