ABOUT US
OUR STAFF
Pastor
The Rev. Kathryn Irwin
Missionary to ELCA Wittenberg Center - Germany
The Rev. Bridget Gautieri
Contact:
Learn more about Bridget's work at
www.elca.org/wittenberg
www.facebook.com/ELCAWittenbergCenter
https://www.instagram.com/elcawittenbergcenter/
Calvary Nursery School and
Child Care
Contact:
School Office: 908-272-3962
director@calvarycranfordnscc.com
or
officeadministrator@calvarycranfordnscc.com
our history
In the Fall of 1927, several Lutheran women came together with the sole purpose of starting a Lutheran church in Cranford, New Jersey. They called themselves “The Lutheran Women’s Club”. Many of the women were originally from Chicago, having been transferred here with their husbands by Western Electric.
The first service was held on July 22, 1928. They gathered in the upper floor of the old Masonic Temple located at Union Avenue and Alden Street. There were 25 people in attendance.
On September 16, 1928, this "club", with 49 charter members, held a meeting to formally organize as a church and adopt a constitution.
our beliefs
Calvary Lutheran Church is a member of the New Jersey Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America.
We believe in the teachings of German monk Martin Luther who declared that God’s mercy and grace is given not earned.
Luther wrote, “Faith is God’s work in us. It changes us and makes us to be born anew of God. This faith is a living, busy, active, mighty thing. It is impossible for it not to be doing good works incessantly. Faith is a living, daring confidence in God’s grace, so sure and certain that believers would stake their lives on it a thousand times.”
our mission
We are called to help all people of all ages grow spiritually through Word and Sacrament so that we may love and serve our church family, our community, and all of God’s people in Christ’s name.
our vision
We are a church family that encourages all people of all generations to share their gifts in a way that carries out God’s will.
To GROW in Christian faith, we will:
Pass on the faith to all ages through devotions, caring conversations, rituals, traditions, and service.
Support our youth with activities, resources, and mentors needed to nurture their faith journey.
Provide opportunities for spiritual renewal and biblical application.
To CONNECT with each other, we will:
Become the Body of Christ, warmly welcoming all who come as we continually build up one another with God’s love.
Inspire and encourage groups of people connected by similar passions or struggles to gather, support each other, and serve.
Develop new ways within the congregation of initiating, empowering, organizing, communicating, and leading that fit the demands of current lifestyles.
To SERVE others, we will:
Create experiences for individuals to joyfully discover how their passions intersect with God’s mission for the world.
Actively listen to the needs of those in our community and our world, and respond in ways that engage our congregation’s unique gifts.
Create in each of us a confidence to serve God's Word, emboldened by God's call, and assured by God's grace.
calvary's constitution
Calvary Lutheran Church is a member of both the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America (ELCA)
and the New Jersey Synod of the ELCA.
The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) is one of the largest Christian denominations in the United States, with about 4 million members in nearly 10,000 congregations across the United States, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
Lutheran Disaster Response shares God's hope, healing and renewal with people whose lives have been disrupted by disasters in the United States and around the world. We are committed to helping those in need long after the headlines fade.
To find out more and make a donation for go to
The New Jersey Synod is a geographical grouping of Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) congregations that share the mission and ministry of the Church on the New Jersey territory. It is one of 65 synods in the ELCA. The NJ Synod is comprised of 146
congregations, which include over 60,000 baptized members.
Core Values of the NJ Synod
Core values are guiding principles that are essential and enduring, and provide guidance for all aspects of this expression of the church. Core values express what the organization stands for and how it will conduct itself. The following core values describe what we are deeply passionate about as a Synod:
FAITHFULNESS
Rooted and nurtured in relationship with God through Word and Sacrament, we follow Jesus for the sake of the world. Daily prayerful discernment and striving for excellence in discipleship move us forward into God’s future.
RESPECT
This is about justice: justice for each child of God, honor especially for the least, and respect in all relationships so that they are life-giving, grace-filled, safe, and create peace, as the Creator intended.
DIVERSITY
All of God’s children together express the wonder and majesty of creation. Life in community, fully and richly inclusive and marked by unfailing hospitality, is a sign of God’s Kingdom.
GENEROSITY
To live is to give. Giving beyond expectation or reason can reflect the grace and compassion of the One in whose image we are made.
CHANGE
The Gospel is about transformation, stirred by the power of life over death. Hope-filled people can change; hopeless people cannot.
INTERDEPENDENCE
Synod literally means to walk together. Our journey together is experienced as accompaniment, committed to collaboration, marked by multiplication, and blessed with synergy as we engage in God’s mission.
