In one way, of course, this statement summarizes the mission of almost any church. Congregations don’t exist for the sake of themselves but in order to expand God’s glory by living for His purposes as they’ve been revealed through Jesus Christ. That’s why we engage in missions and ministry: telling the story of who God is and what God has done for us – and living that story by meeting needs and serving others just like Jesus did. That’s why we engage in worship: celebrating the things that God has done, is doing, and has promised He will do; listening to God as the message of the Bible speaks to us today; and responding to God by offering our lives to Him. That’s why we engage in discipleship: learning about the life God has called us to lead and encouraging one another as we seek to submit to God’s Spirit so that He can help us live that life.

But while all these things are true not only of Calvary but also of almost any church, we like to think that one of the things that sets us apart is our level of caring. Of course, we know that lots of other congregations are caring, too. But we take very seriously the idea of being a “Christ-centered, caring church.” Christ-centered caring, we believe, compels us not only to love each other deeply within the fellowship of the church, but also to love others deeply beyond the fellowship of the church. In Christ, God “expanded the circle” of who gets in on His love. So we, too, seek to expand that circle through small but meaningful acts of caring. As our pastor is fond of saying: “Small things done with great love will change the world.”