Who Are We?
We are a loving church family of all generations that’s been worshipping in the heart of Springfield since 1845.
Our mission is to labor alongside our Father as he draws people to Jesus & grows them as disciples.
We value:
everyday conversations & historic confessions
serving others & campus hospitality
the life of the mind & the beauty of the arts
What’s in a Name?
In June of 1930, facing the sobering beginnings of the Great Depression, two congregations founded in the 1840’s (First Presbyterian and Calvary Presbyterian) prayerfully and bravely decided “to unite their forces, social, moral, spiritual and financial” to make a “mighty impact” for God in Springfield.
As this new congregation was being birthed, it was christened with a name that would forever celebrate their beautiful union
that, by God’s grace, was greater than the sum of its parts. The new name:
First & Calvary Presbyterian Church.
To this day, First & Calvary continues to be marked by the beauty of the and:
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We are a congregation of the young and the old
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Our mission involves evangelism and discipleship
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Our values invite us to live in the beautiful tension between the everyday and the historic, serving Springfield and MSU, emphasizing the mind and the arts.
This is why we embrace our (admittedly somewhat long) name and have chosen the ampersand (&) as a visual moniker for the identity, mission, and values of our congregation.
(Notice that the panes of color in our ampersand are taken from actual panes in our sanctuary’s stained glass!)
First & Calvary Values
Our values are shared convictions that guide our decisions and reveal our strengths as a church. Here at First & Calvary…
We value everyday conversations & historic confessions.
Solomon wrote in the book of Proverbs, “Wisdom is found in counsel.” (Proverbs 13:10). We believe that we have better clarity on God’s Word and our lives and our world when we are in conversation with Christians in our everyday lives and from throughout church history.
This is why we value everyday conversations – purposefully incorporating spiritual conversations into our discipleship life as a congregation.
And this is why we value historic confessions – purposefully allowing the historic documents in ECO’s Book of Confessions to color our theological convictions and reading of the Bible.
We value serving others & campus hospitality.
Paul wrote in Philippians, “Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.” (Philippians 2:4) We believe that our lives are more abundant and beautiful and fruitful when we serve our Springfield neighbors who are struggling and our campus neighbors who are navigating a crucial season of life.
This is why we value serving others – generously supporting local mercy ministries with both financial gifts and volunteered hours.
And this is why we value campus hospitality – generously building bridges of blessing, opening our doors, and creating programs for students, faculty, and staff at MSU.
We value the life of the mind & the beauty of the arts.
Paul wrote in Romans, “Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them.” (Romans 12:6). We believe that God has entrusted all humans with various gifts - including important intellectual and creative gifts - and that we are called by God to use those gifts for the common good of our communities and the beauty of the church.
This is why we value the life of the mind – actively celebrating curiosity and thoughtful discourse and investing in lifelong learning.
And this is why we value the beauty of the arts – actively celebrating the arts and investing in musicians, authors, composers, artists, actors, and other creatives.