Calvary Presbyterian Church sits on Easton Road in Willow Grove, Pennsylvania, just north of Philadelphia, and has served the surrounding communities of Abington, Jenkintown, Hatboro, Horsham, Ambler, Fort Washington, and the city itself since 1936. The church is a member of the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA), a Reformed and evangelical denomination. Calvary's vision is to know and extend the transforming love of Jesus Christ, and its stated mission is to live in awe of that love by proclaiming his glory in worship, experiencing his love in community, and extending his compassionate lordship in themselves, their homes, the church body, the community, and the world.
A Church Plant of 1936
Calvary Presbyterian Church began in 1936, and through the decades God has been faithful to its members. Hundreds of people have come to faith in Christ at the church. Scores of missionaries and seminary students have worshiped there. Many sons and daughters have entered full-time Christian ministry, and many others have taken the truth and love of Christ into their vocations with great fruitfulness. The church traces a continuous line of expository preaching from its founding to the present day, and members look back on that history only to fuel gratitude while keeping their eyes fixed on Jesus, the author and perfecter of the faith.
Worship as a Dialogue Between God and His People
Worship at Calvary follows a structured order designed around a single idea: God speaks, and his people respond. Each service is divided into three movements that mark that flow.
- God Calls Us and Cleanses Us. God calls the congregation into his presence by his Word, and the people respond by singing praise, confessing their sins, and receiving the assurance of grace in Jesus Christ.
- We Respond with Thanks and Prayer. Having heard of the mercy received in Christ, the congregation gives thanks through song, confession of faith, the offering of requests, and the giving of tithes.
- God Strengthens Us by His Word and Table. The final movement centers on the preaching of the gospel and the celebration of the Lord's Supper, sending worshipers out as vessels of God's mercy to serve him and their neighbors.
The Morning Worship service begins at 10:30 am and ends around 11:45 am, followed by a fellowship time with coffee and snacks. An Evening Worship and Prayer Service meets at 4:00 pm. On many weeks the evening service has a special emphasis on prayer, and toward the end of the gathering members pray together. Both services are offered in English.
Blended Music with Orchestra, Organ, and Praise Team
Calvary describes its music style as blended, weaving sacred music from throughout the ages into a single congregational offering. On a rotating and combined schedule, the church's orchestra, the organ or piano, and the praise team provide accompaniment to the singing of the whole congregation. The music ministry includes small vocal ensembles, the praise team, the Sunday worship orchestra, a concert choir, and a concert orchestra. Some of these groups serve throughout the year, and others gather for special seasonal events. Middle school and high school students regularly use their musical gifts in Sunday worship, and new musicians from teens through adults are welcome to contact the music director about getting involved.
Peggy Yu Fang serves as Music Director. A native of Taiwan, she began piano at age five and violin at nine and started leading worship at twelve. She joined the Calvary staff in 2017. She holds a master's degree in Voice Performance from Temple University and sings actively in the greater Philadelphia area.
Sunday School for Every Age
From 9:15 to 10:15 am each Sunday morning, graded Sunday school classes meet in the Education Building on the right side of the driveway. Classes are offered for preschool and kindergarten in Room 108, elementary in Room 105, middle school in Room 206, and a combined adults and high school class in the Fellowship Hall. The hour before worship is treated as a central part of the church's discipleship life.
The Children's Ministry
The Children's Ministry is built around the conviction that children are a heritage from the Lord, drawn from Psalm 127:3. In addition to graded Sunday school, nursery care is provided for infants through age three during the worship service. Children age four through first grade are invited to an optional Children's Worship during the second half of the service. This is not child care or another Sunday school class. Instead, the elements and wonder of the worship service are presented in an age-appropriate way, using the curriculum Young Children and Worship by Sonja M. Stewart and Jerome W. Berryman, along with additional stories from Following Jesus and I Wonder. The goal is to teach and nurture young worshipers of Jesus Christ and prepare them for a lifetime of private and congregational worship. Summer camps each year focus on music, sports, and science, and the ministry operates under an extensive Safe Church policy with background clearances for staff and volunteers. Becky McKay serves as Children's Ministry Director and Office Manager.
Children of all ages are welcome in the worship service alongside their parents. A comfortable room adjacent to the Sanctuary has a monitor streaming the service for families whose little ones need more space. Coloring pages and worksheets tied to the sermon topic are available in colorful bags at the welcome center.
Youth Ministry, 6th Through 12th Grade
The Youth Ministry is committed to coming alongside parents to make disciples of Jesus Christ among students in sixth through twelfth grades and to integrate them into the full life of the church. Weekly programs include Sunday school at 9:15 am and Youth Group gatherings for games and discussion on Sundays from 5:00 to 7:00 pm. Throughout the year the youth also take part in outings, service projects, and retreats, and serve in the broader church through Music Ministry, Children's Ministry, the Stream Team, Fellowship, and Sunday Worship. Youth also serve at the Children's Ministry summer camps. Darren Bacon has worked in youth ministry since 2003 and has served with Calvary since 2006. He holds a Master of Divinity from Westminster Theological Seminary in Glenside, Pennsylvania, and works as a high school science and math teacher in the Souderton area.
Men's Ministry: Breakfasts, Bible Study, and Softball
Men's Ministry at Calvary takes several shapes. On Saturday mornings at 8:00 am, a Bible study led by David Solivan meets in the Education Building Atrium with coffee and donuts; the group is currently working through the book of Acts. On Wednesday mornings at 8:00 am, the men's breakfast fellowship gathers at Lancer's Diner at 858 Easton Road in Horsham for food and Christian encouragement. Mixed community groups also draw male participation, and a Wednesday Morning Maintenance Crew meets weekly to handle maintenance issues and larger facility projects, saving the church money and turning handiwork into friendship and mutual encouragement. From April through June, the men's softball team plays in a local church softball league, with most games at Mondauk Park in Ambler.
Women's Ministry and the Annual Women in the Word Workshop
The Thursday Women's Bible Study meets weekly from 10:00 to 11:30 am, beginning at 9:45 am with coffee and treats in the Fellowship Hall. A short large-group gathering opens the morning, and then participants break into smaller study groups for discussion, prayer, and shared study questions. The current study works through the second half of the Gospel of Luke. The group is coordinated by Susan Fitzwater and welcomes women who are not members of Calvary.
Each October, Calvary hosts the annual Women in the Word Workshop, a conference that draws women from individual churches and groups across the region. The Workshop is divided into three parts: pre-Workshop preparation, small groups for hands-on learning, and large groups for deeper insights. The goal is to strengthen women's Bible study skills and deepen love for the God revealed in Scripture. Each year, groups of women also attend Presbytery events such as the Eastern Pennsylvania Presbytery Women's Conference Encountering the King. Local events include the annual Women's Tea, held on a Saturday each autumn for fellowship, food, and sharing what God has been doing.
The Encouragers, a women's group that meets the second Wednesday of each month from 1:00 to 2:00 pm in Room 118, gathers to pray and put together gift bags that encourage people within the church and community.
Community Groups Across the Region
Community Groups are the church's primary expression of small-group life. These groups of members and other believers meet on a regular basis outside Sunday worship for discipleship, mutual encouragement, and shared life as the body of Christ.
- Barnes Community Group. Couples and singles meet in the Sanctuary Lounge on the first and third Mondays of the month from 7:15 to 9:00 pm, studying 1 Peter. Led by Ed Barnes.
- Tyson Community Group. Couples and singles meet in the Sanctuary Lounge on the second and fourth Mondays of the month from 7:15 to 9:00 pm. Led by Rick Tyson.
- Oliver Community Group. A family-friendly group of couples and singles meeting at the Oliver home in Abington on the second and fourth Tuesdays. On the second Tuesday the evening begins at 6:00 pm with a shared meal before Bible study at 7:00; on the fourth Tuesday the study begins at 7:00 pm. The current study runs through the Gospel of John. Led by Andy Oliver.
Questions about any of these groups can be directed to Becky in the church office.
The Grove: Art, Film, and Faith
The Grove exists to celebrate the arts by giving local artists a platform and creating a forum to examine the religious and philosophical implications of artistic work. Each year the Grove sponsors a free screening and discussion of one of the Oscar-nominated films of the year, with a focus on discerning the film's worldview from a Christian perspective. Past films have ranged from Inception and Gravity to Belfast, Top Gun: Maverick, Barbie, and Conclave, and conversations have been guided by theologians, philosophers, astronomers, historians, military veterans, and counselors. Admission is free, refreshments are served, and the discussion that follows is treated as part of the evening.
The Session, Deacons, and Pastoral Staff
Calvary's form of government is presbyterian, governed by elders. The word presbyterian comes from the Greek for elder, and the church follows the New Testament pattern of a plurality of biblically qualified men nominated, trained, examined, and ordained to oversee the affairs of the church. The Session currently includes Norm Campbell, Angel Gomez, Glenn McPherson, Andy Oliver, and Pete Tyson.
The Deacon Board consists of men called by the congregation and ordained to the office of Deacon, along with women commissioned to work alongside them. The deacons care for the needs of church members and oversee the physical property of the church. Deacons are Chris Cooter, Bob DeStefano, Mark Edgar, Dave Fish, Cresson Harris, and Ken Underwood. Deaconesses are Susan Fitzwater, Ellen Gustafson, and Dorrit Sterner.
Rev. Angel Gomez serves as Pastor of Congregational Life. A graduate of Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, Angel was installed as Associate Pastor at Calvary in the fall of 2018 and as Pastor of Congregational Life in January 2023. He and his wife Brittany, both originally from Miami, have been married since 2007 and have three children.
Becky McKay has been a member of Calvary since 1996 and has served in several children's ministry and church roles. She holds the office manager position since September 2017 and the children's ministry position since September 2018. She earned a Christian Education degree from Messiah College.
What the Church Believes
Calvary is a member congregation of the Presbyterian Church in America, an evangelical and Reformed denomination. The PCA describes itself as evangelical because it proclaims the gospel of salvation through faith in Jesus Christ, and as Reformed because it holds to the biblical truth recovered during the Protestant Reformation, summarized in the Westminster Confession of Faith and the Larger and Shorter Catechisms. The church is governed by elders elected by the congregation, with regional Presbyteries and a General Assembly.
Calvary's statement of faith affirms that the Bible is the inspired and inerrant Word of God and the only infallible rule of faith and practice; that there is one God, eternal and self-existing in three persons - Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; that all mankind participated in Adam's fall and is lost in sin; that the sovereign God chose lost sinners from every nation to be redeemed by the quickening power of the Holy Spirit and through the atoning death and resurrection of Jesus Christ; that those whom the Spirit quickens come to believe in Christ, are born again, become sons of God, and will persevere to the end; that justification is by faith and through it the undeserving sinner is clothed with the righteousness of Christ; that the goal of God's salvation is holiness, good works, and service for God's glory; that at death the Christian's soul passes immediately into God's presence while the unbeliever's soul is eternally separated from God; that baptism is a sign and seal of God's covenant and is properly administered to the infant children of believers as well as to adult believers; that Jesus Christ will return visibly and bodily at a time when he is not expected to consummate history and God's eternal plan; and that the gospel of God's salvation in Jesus Christ must be proclaimed to all the world before Christ returns.
A First-Time Visit
Visitors will find the church at 405 Easton Road, Willow Grove, PA 19090. Sunday mornings begin with Sunday school for all ages at 9:15 am. Morning Worship follows at 10:30 am, and after the service coffee, snacks, and conversation stretch from about 11:45 am into the early afternoon. Many visitors stay for an additional hour to meet people. An Evening Worship and Prayer Service is held at 4:00 pm, and the evening often closes with prayer partners praying together. The Sanctuary and the first floor of the Education Building are wheelchair accessible. Hearing assistance devices are available at the Welcome Desk. People dress across the spectrum, from casual clothes to suits and dresses. Giving can be made online through ACH bank draft, credit card, Apple Pay, Google Pay, PayPal, or Venmo, or placed in the offering plate on Sunday morning, or mailed to the church office. The morning service is livestreamed each Sunday on YouTube, and past sermons and sermon series are archived there as well.