While Sunday worship is a vital part of our ministry at Calvary, we emphasize the need for each individual to be plugged into a ministry group and small group. It is our prayer that within these small groups one develops lifelong friends that pushes each other beyond the comfort zone of our otherwise relaxed Christian lives and encourages one another in times of need.

At Calvary there are the following Ministry Groups to fit your particular need:

Small Groups

Within the Ministry Groups, Small Groups are based according to the following life stages:

  • College & Singles (during the school year college students are integrated into the Singles small groups) – Bible Studies are inductive studies on selected books of the Bible.
  • Married without children – Bible Studies are based on either pulpit preaching or Marriage Bible Studies.
  • Families (married with children) – Bible Studies are usually based on pulpit preaching.

Not only do we value studying the Word together and keeping each other accountable, but we believe small groups of the same life stage are vital to do life together with, fostering communities that understand where one another are at in their specific stage of life.

If you are interested in joining a Ministry Group and/or Small Group please email Pastor Mark Lim at mlim(at)calvaryec.net.

Noah’s Ark

Welcome to Noah’s Ark, a ministry where children (1 year old – 5th grade) are nurtured and taught each Sunday in a safe, fun, and spiritual environment! We aim to help CEC families and their young children, through the gospel of God’s grace, know God and help others know him. Sundays

Each weekend, elementary school children participate in both grade-divided classes and larger-group worship services. Lower elementary children (K-2nd grade) begin with the small group classes and then participate together in a worship service. Upper elementary children (3rd-5th grade) begin together in worship, then move to the smaller classes. Our hope is to lead them in a genuine, comprehensible experience of God and a growing knowledge of the gospel, the good news of what God has done through Jesus.

Preschoolers (2–5 yrs) start in a smaller classroom setting where teachers introduce the week’s Bible lesson. This small group time offers younger children a more intimate and personal environment to ask questions, engage in fun and lesson-oriented activities, creative crafts and prayer. Your preschooler will then come together for a large group worship time where we worship together through songs and reinforcement of the week’s Bible lesson.

Your toddlers are also welcome in our P1 toddler class (1 year old by September 1) where they learn simple Bible songs, interact with a Bible story, and engage in group play. We have a separate room for nursing mothers and another room for infants/crawlers. Both rooms require a parent or caregiver to remain in the room with his/her child. Adults who remain in the nurseries can still participate in the adult worship service via a monitor.

Our Vision

Our vision is to partner with parents to raise our children in Christ. It takes a village–which we try to be, from our youngest to our oldest at CEC–to raise children, and we know too the unique and often difficult responsibilities parents have in raising children. Noah’s Ark is a ministry not only to children but to their families, to help them raise their children in Christ.

Sunday Schedule

Pre-School (Two Years Old – Pre-K)

Time Activity
9:30–10:15am Bible Study Class Time
10:15–10:50am Praise Time and Worship
10:50am Parent Pick-up

Lower Elementary (K – 2nd Grade)

Time Activity
9:30–10:15am Bible Study Class Time
10:15–10:50am Praise Time and Worship
10:50am Dismissal

Upper Elementary (3rd – 5th Grade)

Time Activity
9:30–10:15am Praise Time and Worship
10:15–11:00am Bible Study Class Time
10:50am Dismissal

Infants and their caretakers have a monitor in a separate room to allow adults who care for their children time to worship alongside us via TV monitors.

Youth Group

Calvary’s Youth Group Ministry consists of students ranging from 6th grade to 12th grade. While the Junior High and High School worship together, each group is led by an overseeing pastor along with separate teachers to meet the spiritual needs of each particular group.

Calvary places a strong emphasis on instilling Biblical principles and teaching of the Word to our youth through Bible Studies on Friday and Sunday. Through these groups, we hope to glorify God by training up disciples of Jesus Christ starting from a young age.

Our students are also taught to pray for both oneself and others, to see God’s Word as intensely practical for their lives, and to grow in community through deeper relationships with one another even as they together grow closer to God. In community the students are taught of God’s amazing grace and mercy, as well as the overwhelming love He has for them, all of which we pray will show through as they live out their daily lives.

College Group

The College Group includes all those currently enrolled in undergraduate studies at various universities and colleges all over the U.S. While many are involved in their schools’ campus ministries, College Group provides these students with a familiar fellowship to come home to, a place where everybody knows their name. The College Group while school is in session is made up of students attending local schools in the Chicagoland area. During the summer, those who are back home, join in.

College Group meets on Friday evenings and Sunday afternoons for Bible study, and also meets for other various activities.

Singles Ministry

Calvary ’s adult ministry is divided into Couples’ Small Groups and Singles’ Ministry. Each group is led by an overseeing pastor along with group leaders and is designed to meet the spiritual needs of a person in a particular life stage. Through these groups, we hope to glorify God by making disciples of Jesus Christ.

Calvary also offers multiple-week courses throughout the year that provide a more in-depth study of the Bible.

Calvary Singles Ministry

Calvary Singles Ministry (CSM) developed out of a necessity to minister to post-college aged single adults within CEC who have entered the workplace and/or graduate school. CSM meets weekly for Friday small group Bible study (except the last Friday of the month) and meets monthly for a fellowship and/or outreach activity. The purpose of CSM is to ground single adults in sound biblical doctrine and provide a grace-based community for those in a similar life stage in the hopes of developing mature disciples of Christ who are able to navigate through the challenges of life and apply a biblical worldview in every area of life. For any questions concerning CSM please contact Pastor Joe.

Couples Ministry

What does it mean to be a follower of Jesus Christ in a life stage of marriage, sleepless nights with a newborn, ministering to young children, discussing life issues with teenagers and understanding the Biblical role of husband and wife? Couples’ Small Groups are designed to be a time for support, encouragement and fellowship. More importantly, it is a place of studying God’s Word and praying for each other—understanding God’s calling as a husband, a wife, a parent and disciples of Jesus Christ.

Couples’ Small Groups meet the first and third weeks of the month and are delineated by geography. For any questions regarding Couples’ Small Groups, please contact Pastor Michael.