A Century on 20th Street in Santa Monica
Calvary Baptist Church has stood at the corner of 20th Street and Broadway in Santa Monica since 1947, but its roots in the city go back much further. Founded in the living room of Brother and Sister S.L. Nicholas on August 3, 1920, Calvary was organized as the first African American Baptist church in Santa Monica, and it remains a cornerstone of the Black faith community on the Westside of Los Angeles. A Spirit-led charter group of about a dozen believers walked into the sanctuary for their very first worship service one week after that founding meeting, on August 10, 1920, with Sister Dell Dansby becoming the first new member.
More than a century later, the congregation continues to gather at 1502 20th Street for Sunday School at 8:30 AM and Morning Worship at 10:30 AM, and to host the weddings, funerals, and community events that have defined its ministry for generations. The church's motto is a church home for love, encouragement, and spiritual growth.
From a Living Room to a Landmark Sanctuary
The early years of Calvary were marked by the same kind of determination that built so many Black churches in twentieth-century California. The 1920 Santa Monica congregation first worshipped at 1531 6th Street, paying off that property under its first pastor, the Reverend Frank James. After the 1933 Long Beach earthquake damaged facilities, the church rented a building at 20th Street and Olympic Boulevard, then moved to the old Humphrey Hall at 20th and Delaware, a three-lot property where the downstairs housed a grocery store and barbershop while the congregation worshipped upstairs.
Under the leadership of the Reverend Welford P. Carter, elected pastor in June 1939 and remembered as an adept financier, the church paid off the Delaware Avenue property in 1941 and purchased seven lots on the southwest corner of 20th and Broadway in 1942. By 1945 that land was paid in full, and the membership had grown to nearly 1,200. In 1947, the beautiful sanctuary at 20th and Broadway was erected and dedicated, the building that still serves as the church's home. The Christian Education Center, completed in 1955, was renamed the Welford P. Carter Education Center on May 15, 1960, in honor of the pastor whose stewardship had made it possible.
The Carter Education Center, today known as the Carter Center Fellowship Hall, continues to host receptions, repast meals, and smaller gatherings, with a capacity of 175 people alongside the main sanctuary's capacity of 600.
A Lineage of Pastors
Calvary's pastoral history reads like a roll call of significant Black church leaders in twentieth-century Los Angeles. After the founding pastor Frank James came Reverends Burbridge and McGriff, followed by the Reverend William Augustus Jones, who pastored the church twice, and the Reverend Leath. Pastor Carter led the flock from 1939 until his death.
After Carter's passing, the church was shepherded by the Reverend Dr. Henry H. Mitchell (1965 to 1969), the Reverend Dr. Clarence J. Davis (1969 to 1984), the Reverend Robert Lee DeFrance (1984 to 1994), the Reverend Joseph P. Metoyer (1994 to 1999), and the Reverend Herman Kemp (2003 to 2009). A pastoral vacancy was bridged by Interim Pastor the Reverend Robert L. Shipp, Sr., who served from 2013 to 2018.
On Sunday, November 4, 2018, the congregation installed the Reverend Lemuel "Mack" Mossett III as its current senior pastor. A native son and grandson of preachers, Mossett has spoken of learning to love and serve through the example of his parents, grandparents, and the elders who shaped him. His sermons are the centerpiece of the weekly livestream broadcast that reaches viewers well beyond Santa Monica.
Sunday Mornings at Calvary
The rhythm of the week at Calvary begins well before the morning worship hour. Sunday School convenes at 8:30 AM, with a downloadable weekly lesson available in advance so members can prepare. Morning Worship follows at 10:30 AM, the long-established time slot that the church has maintained for years. Services are held in English and are livestreamed on Vimeo, allowing members who are traveling, infirmed, or simply at home to participate in real time.
The 10:30 AM hour is structured as a full traditional Baptist worship service, drawing on the deep roots of the Black church tradition in music, prayer, preaching, and response. Recordings of recent sermons are archived by date, with separate collections for 2026, 2025, 2024, 2023, 2022 and 2021, and an historical archive going back to 2018, alongside a separate collection of funeral and memorial services that reflects how central life passage moments are to the life of the church.
Wednesday evenings at 6:00 PM bring the congregation together for Prayer and Bible Study, offered both in person and through Zoom. The Zoom connection details (Meeting ID 777 225 8279, with U.S. dial-in) make the midweek study accessible to those who cannot be physically present.
Weddings, Funerals, and the Carter Center
Calvary's 1947 sanctuary is a sought-after venue for weddings, and the church offers full-service support for engaged couples, including officiating by Pastor Mossett or a minister he approves, premarital counseling, music, and reception space in the Carter Center. The sanctuary rental includes four hours of use for the ceremony, while the Carter Center can be reserved for up to two hours of reception time. Decorative supplies and longer events are available for additional fees, and a cleaning and damage deposit applies to both spaces.
The same facilities serve the congregation's funeral and memorial ministry. The church's detailed funeral menu describes officiant and eulogy services, musician services, and audio-visual services through DVR Productions, the church's exclusive provider of livestream, video, photography, and digital slideshow work for life events. The sanctuary and Carter Center can be configured for services ranging from intimate family gatherings to events of more than 600 guests, with member pricing offered for funerals of active Calvary members and reduced rates extended to the funerals of members' young children.
The Carter Center Fellowship Hall and chapel rooms are also available for non-religious community events, with rental fees beginning at $700 depending on the size and scope of the gathering. Filming and television or movie location shoots are welcomed, with quotes tailored to the number of days, equipment, and staff needed. Throughout all rentals, the church maintains clear expectations about conduct: alcohol, illegal drugs, and smoking or vaping are prohibited anywhere on the property, only registered service animals are permitted inside, and all music and programming must reflect a Christian foundation and Biblical principles.
Music, Missions, and the Auxiliary Ministries
From its earliest days, Calvary organized a Missionary Society alongside its Deacon and Deaconess Boards, Ushers, Choir, Sunday School, and Baptist Training Union. The church choir remains central to worship, and the church also supports choirs, musicians, and soloists for weddings and funerals held in the sanctuary. Calvary's music program is closely tied to its wider ministry of fellowship, with members gathering not only for Sunday services but also for seasonal celebrations such as the annual Church Anniversary Fish Fry held each August and the Christmas musicals that appear in the church's recorded worship archive.
The church's missions-mindedness is visible in its prayer ministry, with a "May We Pray for You?" form inviting visitors and members alike to submit prayer requests. Visitors who want to go deeper can volunteer their time through the church's online form or sign up to become a prayer partner or Bible study host. Downloadable Bible Study lessons are available, and the Sunday School lessons from the previous several weeks are archived for individual study or small group use.
Connecting and Giving
Tithes and offerings can be shared online through PayPal at paypal.me/CalvarySM or through the church's Venmo handle, @CALVARY_SantaMonica. The church also accepts earmarked gifts through a dedicated PayPal link for church rental deposits and fees. Members and supporters who want to give directly to the pastor can do so through PayPal.Me/PastorMossett, Cash App at $MackMossett, or by mailing a check to the church office.
Visitors and members can stay in touch through the church's email list, with options for email or text updates, and through its social media presence on Facebook at calvarysantamonica, on X (formerly Twitter) at @CalvarySanta, and on Instagram. The church maintains a YouTube channel featuring recorded worship services and sermon highlights, while Vimeo hosts the live broadcast feed for Sunday morning worship and other special services such as the Beach Cities Revival.
What Visitors Should Know
Calvary's address is 1502 20th Street, Santa Monica, California 90404, between Broadway and Delaware Avenue, with phone 310.829.3291 and email CBCoffice1@calvarysantamonica.org for general inquiries and pastormossett@calvarysantamonica.org for reaching the senior pastor directly. Sunday School begins at 8:30 AM, Morning Worship at 10:30 AM, and Wednesday Prayer and Bible Study at 6:00 PM. Worship is in English and the music is rooted in the Black Baptist tradition. Parking is available on site, with overflow parking arrangements available for larger events. The sanctuary is fully historic and traditional in style, and modest, respectful attire is appropriate for worship. Members of the community are warmly welcomed for weddings, funerals, and other special events, and the church's rental team responds to inquiries within two business days. One Love, One Faith, One Family, One Calvary.