Calvary Church is a non-denominational evangelical church in Charlotte, North Carolina. Its senior pastor since 2006 is Dr. John H. Munro.
History
The church was founded in 1939 as Bible Presbyterian Church at Central High School. The first pastor was Rev. Edgar Archer Dillard, and one of the founding elders was Billy Graham's father Frank, whose participation was in part a response to Billy's conversion. The first building was completed in 1941 on Fourth Street and held 750. Under Rev. Ross Rhoads, who began his more than 20 years of service in 1973, Calvary increased membership from 400 to 2000 in three years, with the first building at a new location at Sardis and Randolph Roads. A 1500-seat sanctuary had its dedication in 1978. Groundbreaking for the current building took place in 1986.
The current (fifth) building is a Charlotte icon with its unique exterior and crown shape with the original design by Roe Messner, who only began construction. The church board fired Messner when he became embroiled in the PTL scandal, and J.N. Pease Associates Architects modified/completed the design. Metric Constructors, a Charlotte general contractor took the structure from less than 10% to completion. The main sanctuary seats more than 5,000. The 11,499 pipe organ is one of the twenty largest pipe organs in the world, and one of the top ten built all at once.
For further information:
External links
- The church's website
Although this church has the name "Calvary Church," it is not in the Calvary Chapel group of churches.
References
