All About Avilla Calvary UMC
Our Mission & Vision Statement
“Caring for our Community by Sharing God’s Love.”
Our Church History
Avilla Calvary United Methodist Church began on April 1, 1962 with the merger of the Avilla Methodist Church, Swan Methodist Church, and Calvary Evangelical United Brethren Church. This formation of the “Calvary Methodist Church of Avilla” was one of the first such mergers in the nation, preceding the denominational union of The Methodist Church and Evangelical United Brethren Church by almost four years.
The congregation broke ground for the new building on September 11, 1966 and on April 30th 1967, the cornerstone was set in place. The congregation moved into the new facility at 101 S. Cherry Street on October 8th, 1967, moving in procession from the two church buildings on Van Scoyoc Street to the current church.
Following the denominational merger, the name of the church was officially changed to “Calvary United Methodist Church” on May 20, 1973. The addition containing Sunday School classrooms, fellowship hall, and gym were added in 1992.
Since its inception, the Avilla Calvary United Methodist Church has been served by the following ministers, listed by year of appointment:
1962 Robert Wright
1965 James Lantz
1971 Daniel Stone
1978 Emmett Anderson
1980 Robert Carmin
1986 Ronald Storms
1994 Frank Messinger
1996 Curt Austin
1999 Leonard King
2002 Barbara Cross (Associate Pastor)
2014 Shalimar Holderly
2023 Chris Nelson
Historical Photos:
For Our Visitors
Frequently Asked Questions
What do United Methodists believe?
As a part of the worldwide United Methodist Church family, we follow a set of Bible-based, God inspired beliefs set forth by our denomination. To learn more about our beliefs, CLICK HERE.
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Who We Are
Meet Our Pastor
Rev. Chris Nelson
Pastor
Hello and greetings in the name of Jesus Christ! My name is Chris Nelson and I am the Pastor of Avilla Calvary UMC and Garrett UMC as of July 1, 2023. My wife Julie and I are looking forward to becoming a part of the communities of Avilla and Garrett.
I previously served as Pastor of Parker City United Methodist Church, which is east of Muncie and in the East District. I served in Parker City since 2015 and have been in ministry for more than 30 years. Ten of those years were in Youth/Student ministry, the rest have been as a Pastor.
My wife and I were born into the United Methodist Church. It was through the ministries of the United Methodist Church and our home congregations that we were introduced to this man named Jesus and chose to follow him and profess him as Lord. Following Jesus has led me on a journey of faith that now brings me to serve with each of you as we seek to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.
I look forward to seeing the ways God will use us together to proclaim the Good News in Avilla, in Garrett and beyond. I am excited to partner together to share God’s love in our communities.
Pastor Chris Nelson