History

On May 1, 1940, a prayer meeting was held in the basement of Medary Avenue School in Columbus, Ohio. The meeting was led by William E. Ashbrook, the church's founding pastor, and was attended by seventy people. It was the desire of those present to form an independent church, and Calvary Bible Church proved to be the favorite name for the new work. The first Sunday services were held on May 5, 1940, with 152 in attendance at the morning worship service, and Calvary Bible Church was formally organized in September of 1940 with 117 charter members.

Several months later, the church purchased a lot on the west side of North High Street at the southeast corner of the Fuller Farm. The Farm was a well-known landmark to the residents of Clintonville in those days. The members intended to hold services at Medary Avenue School only for a few short months, just long enough to acquire property and build the first unit of a permanent structure. However, the Lord had other plans.

World War II intervened. No building permits were being issued due the shortage of building materials. Calvary Bible Church continued to meet at Medary Avenue School for ten more years.

Finally, in 1950, the church broke ground and began construction on the basement unit of the new building at 3865 North High Street. Later that same year the basement unit was completed, with a basement auditorium to accommodate 250 people. Finally, Calvary Bible Church was able to meet in its own building.

It was not long before the church became known as "the church which meets in its basement," and the members began to feel the need for more space. In the summer of 1954, the church began construction to provide additional classroom space, a baptistry, a 40-member choir loft and a new auditorium. The new building was dedicated on October 2, 1955.

Although some may have considered meeting at Medary Avenue School for ten years as a set back, the Lord blessed during those years, and used this time to prove that building a church is not the construction of a brick and mortar building; building a church is growth in the hearts and lives of people.