Who we are & What we believe

meet our church

Calvary Chapel of Blythe began in the summer of 1994 as a small home fellowship of eight people as an outreach of Calvary Chapel of Indio. Pastor Mick Catron, the Assistant Pastor at Indio, along with his wife Jan, commuted to Blythe for weekly Bible studies. Over the summer, the group outgrew the home and moved to a local optometrist’s office to accommodate more people. A children’s ministry soon began in nearby homes.

 

The Catrons moved to Blythe in September and Sunday services began in October, 1994, at the Blythe Seventh-day Adventist facility. A mid-week study started shortly thereafter. To accommodate families who worked Sunday mornings, a Sunday evening study was also added.  As the church became established and continued to grow, we started looking for a place to call “home.”  After a few months, God led us to a 3500 sq. ft. vacant warehouse, and a major demolition and remodeling project was begun in the summer of 1995.  On Nov. 5, 1995, almost five months later, we moved into the facility on Hobsonway and First Street that became “home” for almost 19 years. 


In late 2012 we were approached about the downtown campus of Palo Verde College that had been closed. That began a season of prayer, investigative study, meetings with PVC leadership, and finally a public auction that resulted in our purchasing of the building at 145 N. Spring Street in April 2013. Four months later our team of volunteer labor commenced internal demo which essentially cleared the 9000 sq. ft. building to its four walls.

 

Internal reconstruction of the building began July 10, 2014. Our design professional was David Bayles from our local Ace Hardware. David did a fabulous job taking our vision and sketches and turning them into working plans. Dan Berkey of Berkey Construction from Quartzsite, AZ likewise did a great job as our General Contractor. The facility, which includes offices, sanctuary seating about 160, children’s and youth ministry rooms, kitchen, and coffee shop area, was completed just in time for our Christmas Eve service, 2014. Our official move in was January 4, 2015.

 

Since the beginning, Calvary Chapel has maintained the vision that the church is here to love and accept those God brings our way, and to equip and inspire them to do ministry and service in and out of the church.  To that end, we have sought to emphasize a clear understanding of God’s Word through practical Bible teaching, and the beauty of expressing our love to God in simple and honest worship, fellowship together, and to pray with and for others.  Calvary Chapel of Blythe’s history continues to be written in the lives of the congregation as we grow and share in the love of Jesus, and in ministry to one another and to the community.

Following is a summary overview of our FOUNDATIONAL THEOLOGICAL BELIEFS to provide a quick look at what we believe about essential issues.  For a more detailed look at our Doctrinal Statement, including other things we do, and don't believe, please read our full "Statement of Faith” accessed by the tab above.

 

We believe …

 

All of the books of the Bible were given by divine inspiration and constitute the written Word of God, the infallible and final authority of our faith and practice. They are to be interpreted according to their context and purpose, in reverent obedience to the Lord who speaks through them.

 

God has revealed Himself to be the only living and true God, perfect in love and in all His ways. He is one in essence, existing eternally in the three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

 

God created the world out of nothing, by His word and for His glory. He made man in His own image that he might live in fellowship with his Creator. Tempted by Satan, however, man voluntarily chose to rebel against God. Being thus estranged from his Maker by sin, and both responsible to God as well as inwardly depraved, he became subject to God’s divine wrath and judgment, incapable of returning to God except by God’s grace.

 

Jesus Christ, God’s eternal Son, is the only mediator between God and man.  Conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary, He fully shared our humanity in a life of perfect obedience to God the Father. By His suffering and death on the cross, He took upon Himself the punishment and guilt due us and provided the only way to accomplish man’s reconciliation to God. The third day He bodily arose from the grave, victorious over death. He later ascended into heaven where, at God’s right hand, He intercedes for His people and rules as Lord over all.

 

The Holy Spirit renews our hearts and, through the declaration of the Gospel, persuades us to repent of our sins and surrender to Jesus and proclaim Him as Lord of our life. As we are led by the Holy Spirit, we grow in our knowledge of our Lord, freely keeping His commandments and desiring to become all that God desires us to be.

 

All the gifts of the Holy Spirit mentioned in the New Testament are valid for the Church today and are to be exercised in accordance with the Scriptural guidelines governing their use.The gifts are given by the Holy Spirit as He wills, in the order and proportion that they prove most edifying to the church. It is a growing manifestation of the fruit of the Spirit (love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control) – rather than the exercise of any particular gift – that gives evidence of the “Spirit-filled” life.

 

The “Baptism in the Holy Spirit” is an occurrence distinct from salvation. It may occur at the same time a person turns to Christ or sometime thereafter. This newness of relationship with the Holy Spirit is designed for, and available to all believers. It results in a supernatural empowerment to give bold witness of our risen Lord Jesus, to love others unconditionally, and experience a special closeness in one’s relationship with God. The Baptism in the Holy Spirit may also be accompanied by the expression of one or more spiritual gifts. We believe it is the empowering to be a bold witness, rather than any particular gift, that is the true sign of the Baptism in the Spirit.

 

God’s redemptive purpose will be consummated by the physical return of the glorified Lord Jesus Christ to establish His kingdom forever. Those who reject Christ shall be separated from God’s presence in eternal punishment, but the redeemed, in glorified bodies will live and reign with Him forever.

What is a Statement of Faith?

A “Statement of Faith” is a systematic statement of what we believe - also called “our doctrine”.  “What we believe” is the foundation on which all of our ministries are built.  It is the basis for what we do, and why we do it.


Firstly, we list our “foundational” statement - an affirmation of nine key statements that make up our core beliefs on foundational issues.  We believe these basic beliefs are essential enough to ‘contend for’ (i.e., Jude 3) and that they form the only solid basis for true unity and Biblical fellowship with other believers.


Secondly, we include a section about  things which are readily taught in some circles that we DO NOT believe are supported by Scripture, although they may be held by other true believers with whom we may fellowship.  


Finally, the last section specifies our position on other important, yet non-foundational-to-salvation doctrines which we also hold.  



Our Foundational Statement of Faith

1.  We believe the Bible to be the only inspired, infallible, and authoritative Word of God, and without error in the original writings.


2.  We believe that there is one God, eternally existent in three persons, Father, Son and Holy Spirit.


3.  We believe in the deity of our Lord Jesus Christ, in His virgin birth, in His sinless life, in His miracles, in His substitutionary and atoning death in our place, in His bodily resurrection, in His ascension to the right hand of the Father and in His personal return one day in power and in glory.


4.  We believe that by nature man is sinful, lost and must be saved, and that man’s only hope of redemption is through placing his faith in Christ, whose death and resurrection alone provide atonement for sins and eternal life.


5.  We believe in the present ministry of the Holy Spirit by whose indwelling the Christian is enabled to live a Godly life.  We also believe and in His bestowing of spiritual gifts to the body of believers in the proportion and order that He sovereignly chooses.


6.  We believe in the resurrection of both the saved and the lost;  they that are saved are raised unto eternal life, and they that are lost unto eternal damnation and separation from God.


7.  We believe in the spiritual unity of all true believers in our Lord Jesus Christ.


8.  We believe the ordinances of Water Baptism and Communion are to be observed in obedience to our Lord Jesus Christ, as acts of love and devotion, In and of themselves they are not considered to be necessary for our salvation, but rather a joyful reflection of salvation.


9.  We believe, regarding marriage and human sexuality, that marriage has been ordained and established by God, and that it is ideally intended to be a lifelong commitment.  We recognize marriage as exclusively the legal union of one man and one woman, and that legitimate sexual relations are designed to be exercised solely within the bounds of marriage.  We believe any other arrangement to be incompatible with Biblical teaching and that of the Church, as well as a deterrent to true Biblical witness.  


Some Things We DO NOT Believe

1.  We DO NOT believe that one must “speak in tongues” to be saved, or that it is the only validating sign of the Baptism in the Holy Spirit.


We do believe speaking in tongues is a valid and awesome gift of the Spirit.  It’s primarily use is to assist in ones prayer & praise.  We believe the real “sign” of the Baptism in the Holy Spirit is the power to be a bold witness for Jesus (Acts 1:8)


2.  We DO NOT believe that Christians can be demon-possessed.


Annoyed, oppressed, tempted . . . yes;   But not possessed.  Our bodies have been bought by Jesus and indwelt by the Holy Spirit.  We don’t believe He allows demonic squatters!


3.  We DO NOT believe that a Christian can lose his salvation by backsliding.


Scripture indicates at least a hypothetically possibility for a Christian to “fall away” resulting in an impossibility of ever renewing them to repentance (Heb. 6:2-6).  But the greek word used (‘parapipto’) doesn’t imply slipping to sin, but rather a willful and directive choice to cease believing - i.e., to knowingly abandon the faith.


Thus, though it might be possible to “abandon” one’s salvation, it cannot be “lost” by falling to a sin.  Since God alone knows if true “abandonment” has happened, we will continue to offer hope to all who will repent and follow Christ.  If one genuinely turns to Him, it’s obvious that the Spirit is working in his heart, and he hadn’t crossed that “point of no return”.


4.  We DO NOT believe that a person who has recited a “sinners prayer” is necessarily saved.


The Biblical call is to “repent and believe”, not to pray a formula prayer.  Though a “sinner’s prayer” can be helpful in one opening his life to Christ, true spiritual birth will bring a desire to follow Jesus.  Thus, for one who's “prayed the prayer” in the past but now has no real interest in following the Lord, we can’t offer him security when the Scripture gives instead a warning and a call to return again to the Lord.


5.  We DO NOT believe that Christ died only for a select few (i.e., “Hyper-Calvinism”).


We believe Jesus died for all and offers salvation to all who will trust in Him.  We believe it is God’s desire that all come to repentance, however, as the Word indicates, many will resist and reject His invitation and never turn to Him.


6.  We DO NOT believe in the “positive confession” or the “health/wealth” doctrines prevalent in the Faith Movement today.


This teaching essentially says that as God has power to create by His words [which is true], this privilege has also been given to Christians as a divine right [which is NOT true].  We reject the belief that our words, and our faith in them, will create a reality thru our confession, be it prosperity, wealth, advancement, etc.  


We also reject the notion that a person living in sickness or poverty is necessarily settling for less than his full inheritance in Christ.


A Few More Things We Also Believe

1.  We believe that the Baptism in the Holy Spirit is a work distinct from salvation. It is an experience that God desires that all Christians have to empower them for ministry & service.


2.  We believe that the “Spirit-led” or “Spirit-filled” life will be one that displays the “fruit” of the Spirit. Though “gifts” are essential for effective ministry, it is the “fruit of the Spirit” that gives evidence of true spiritual maturity, especially His love working through us.


3.  We believe that all the Spiritual Gifts mentioned in the New Testament are valid for the church today and are to be exercised in accordance with their clear Scriptural guidelines. They are given by sovereign choice of the Holy Spirit in the order and proportion that best edifies the church. We don’t believe that any one will have all the gifts, nor that all believers will have any one particular gift. Though the gifts are all valid and good, it is a growing ‘AGAPE’ love that is more important than any gift.


4.  We believe that the physical return of Jesus will be “pre-millenial”, that is, His return with His saints will precede the establishment of His 1,000 yr. reign (millenium) on the earth. We look for a literal, normal fulfillment to the physical promises given to the nation of Israel and don’t see them as having been transferred spiritually to the (largely) Gentile church.


5.  We believe in, and look for, the “Rapture” of the church. The primary purpose of the Rapture is to deliver the living generation of believers out of the world before God pours out His wrath upon a world who has rejected Him. Though subject to Satan-inspired persecution since it’s inception, and at times God's discipline, the church will never be subject to the full & final outpouring of God’s Wrath on those who've rejected Him.


6.  We believe in a literal seven-year period often referred to as “The Tribulation Period” or “The 70th Week Of Daniel”, in which a literal ruler known biblically as “AntiChrist” will emerge, dominate the world scene, eventually declaring himself to be God, demanding worship , and leading Satan’s final unsuccessful charge to eradicate all surviving Jews and Christians., and those who refuse to worship him.

Our Early Years

When we first started Calvary Blythe in 1994, we rented the facilities of a local Seventh-day Adventist church on Sundays.  Halfway through our first year, we found a vacant former tire shop, pet shop, and produce sales building on Hobsonway and First Street.  We entered a lease agreement and, after a fully volunteer demo and complete internal renovation, we moved into our first facility, a 3500 Sq. ft. building which was our leased home for our next 18 years.  Within a few years, we also rented almost half of the Century 21 Building across the alley from our building for additional classrooms and offices.  We continued to lease those facilities until the end of 2014.


A New Home For Our 20th Anniversary

We finally moved into our own Spring Street home at the end of 2014.  The construction was completed the week before Christmas and our Certificate of Occupancy permit was issued just in time for our Christmas Eve service 2014.  The building is apx. 9000 sq. ft, and includes Sanctuary, Offices, Kid's Chapel, Toddler Room, Nursery, Kitchen, Manna Cabana (large fellowship / coffee shop type area), Koinonia Lounge Conference Room, and of course storage.  Our Sanctuary comfortably seats 150.  Plenty of parking is found on the Main Street side of the building, behind Garcia's Restaurant.  Our main entrance is also on that side of the building.  The office entrance is on Spring Street.  Click here to see a floor plan of our church home.  

 

Here’s a summary of how we got here …

 

In 2007 we purchased outright a 34-acre parcel of farmland on Ehlers Blvd. which we fully had intended to build upon.  Working drawings were completed and we were gearing up for a major construction project.  However, the 2008 recession hit, and with it an overall national economic decline that made it financially impossible to move ahead at that time.  Though we had fully anticipated building on that property, God provided a new direction that was much more affordable.

 

In 2012, we were contacted by a representative from Palo Verde College, Blythe's local community college, to inquire about our interest in their 9,000 sq. ft. downtown campus that they were closing due to economic factors and would be making available through public auction.  It was virtually the same size building as what we’d projected building on Ehlers.  Initially, Pastor Mick responded with “thanks … but no thanks.”

 

After initial hesitancy, lots of prayerful consideration, and some initial feasibility evaluation, Pastor and the Elders decided to pursue it as a cost saving option for a home that was virtually the same size that we had designed for the Ehlers property.  In 2013 we placed a bid to purchase the property at a closed-bid public auction and were selected as the winning bidder.  After escrow closed, we began what turned into a long process of submitting the plans to the city building dept., making revisions and resubmitting, making more revisions and resubmitting, and so on.  Also during this approval process, we were saddened by the sudden passing of Gary Covell, our construction manager who had become a dear friend as well.

 

After evaluating several new construction companies, we contracted with Berkey Construction to pick up the process and run with the project.  During this time, we demo-ed the entire inside of the building, including every wall, flooring, ceiling, electrical, plumbing – in effect everything but the four walls and roof.  This demo was done almost exclusively with lots and lots of volunteer labor over the hot summer and fall of 2013.  Then came the final Building Dept. approval of the plans, and permits were issued in the spring of 2014.  Berkey Construction immediately began the process of constructing a new building inside of the building shell that remained.

 

During the construction time, we were able to sell 20 acres of our 34 acre Ehlers property – with which we were able to cover close to 2/3 of the construction remodel costs.  We kept and still have the remaining 14 acres of the Ehlers property.  It is presently rented to a local farmer.  God is so good!

 

With the construction completed, we moved in just in time for our Christmas Eve service 2014.  In the end, the final purchase and construction costs for the Spring Street Project ended up totaling about half of what we had projected to pay to build from the ground up on the Ehlers property.  With the sale of the 20 acres and our previously set aside building project funds, we were able to pay the entire costs of construction remodel, as well as a full 20% down on the property purchase.  The final result was that we moved into the completed building with only a mortgage on the property and no other debt.  The mortgage payment is virtually the same amount that we were paying to lease the nearly 4,500 sq. ft. facilities that we had been renting the first 19 years of our church life in Blythe.  God’s timing, providence, and loving provision is amazing.

 

SERVICE TIMES

9:45am

our location

145 North Spring Street, Blythe, CA 92225

Mail to: PO Box 1102, Blythe, CA 92226

T. 760-922-9675