Who is Calvary Living Hope?
We are a Church that Simply Teaches the Bible
We are a Bible teaching church. This not meant as a slight to other churches. It also does not mean that we are the only church that teaches the Word. Rather, it means that our sermons are focused on going line by line through the Bible to equip us with God’s Word. We go through a book of the New Testament Sunday mornings starting at chapter one, verse one and study through that book each week until the end. We believe that:
Your word is a lamp to my feet
And a light to my path. Psalm 109:105
Yet, we don’t just take one verse on its own. It is also not just an intellectual exercise. We study the historical context of the Scriptures and get to know the people involved. We look at how God worked in the lives of the people of the Bible so we can learn from their victories and their mistakes. We seek to apply the verses and God’s message through the church to our lives.
The goal is not just to hear a sermon each week but to mature in our relationship with Jesus alongside others.
We seek to equip each believer with a love and knowledge of the wonderful Word of God so that we can experience the joy and peace of Jesus every day. As we grow in our faith, we then can also teach and lead others to a closer relationship with Jesus.
We rely upon the Holy Spirit to do His work in the hearts of each believer so that we are not just hearers of the Word but doers. We seek to be changed by our time together so we can go out and make disciples.
We Seek to Know Jesus
We are a non-denominational church that tries to keep things simple. This means that we work to keep our focus on the things that most matter in the Christian life. The main goal of our church is that each person would grow in their relationship with Jesus and be ready to share Him with others. Our desire is to know Jesus and to be conformed into His image by the power of the Holy Spirit.
This is accomplished through the study of the Word of God each week, verse-by-verse, prayer, fellowship and loving and serving Him and others. Our church seeks to follow the outline set for in Acts 2:42:
We are a Church Family
We become part of Jesus’ family when we are born again. This means that every believer is adopted by God the Father as His child at the moment of their salvation. The church, therefore, is made up of brothers and sisters in Jesus. We are the blessed family of God. As a result, we are called to love one another, encourage one another and live life together.
This familial bond is part of what makes us special in the world.
The church is the city on a hill described by Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount, the lights of the world gathered together to shine brighter. We take this directive from the Lord seriously at Calvary Living Hope. We are not a business, a fraternal organization, or a social club. We are the Body of Christ and seek to genuinely love and care for each other worthy of this calling. .
About Pastor Tom
Pastor Tom Neary, and his wife, Jennifer, were called to the work of the Lord originally through hearing the Word of God taught simply and clearly. At the time, they were regularly attending church and serving, but felt there was something missing. They just were not growing in the Lord. Upon hearing the Bible taught expositionally, it was like a light turned on. The simple study of God’s Word in context, the reliance on the Holy Spirit and the glorification of Jesus was exactly what was missing.
They served with their church family in many capacities before obeying the call to start a community Bible study in the Catonsville area in the fall of 2013. This grew into Calvary Living Hope starting in October of 2014.
Pastor Tom teaches to share with others the Word that transformed his life. Tom also mentors young people and teaches classes in apologetics, discipleship classes, and Life Skills for Young Men.
Tom and Jen both grew up on the East Coast. They met in college in 1992 and later married in 1999. Their marriage really came alive when Tom came to the Lord and they began to follow Jesus together.
Tom and Jen love helping others discover the greatness of Jesus. They love sharing the peace, joy and contentment of a Spirit filled life.
What to Expect
You can expect to be greeted by members of the church who are glad to see you. Come as you are or as you feel comfortable. We are a group that focuses on the person, not the outward appearances.
Feel free to ask any questions you have and get to know people. We are a very friendly group.
Tom is usually available to say “Hello” and to answer any questions. Grab some coffee and get comfortable with the church building.
We begin service with worship featuring contemporary Christian music with a projector illuminating the words so that you can sing along. After a break, this is followed by expository teaching through the Bible. Following the teaching, people usually stay around and get to know each other better and fellowship.
Come and join us as we study God’s Word together and encourage each other in the faith.
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