About us
In The Beginning
Calvary Downtown Outreach began March 17th, 2001 after many years of patience, persistence, and prayer.
Growing up in the Calvary Chapel movement, as a new Christian, I always related with the compassion that Pastor Chuck Smith had for the hippies back in the “Jesus Movement”, in the late sixties and early seventies. There had always been a hand full of us that I knew of in Las Vegas who had a heart for the outcasts of our generation, The Homeless Population of America. So, most of us just did what we could, as we could, to reach as many people as possible as time and resources permitted.
After years of street witnessing and patiently waiting for someone else to start some kind of solid inner city ministry that we could be a part of, one day God made it clear that it was time for us to start a work ourselves. I (Mike Baumgart) and a good brother in the Lord, Timothy Heaney, stepped out in faith on March 17th, 2001 and decided to cook some hot dogs and have a Bible study in the parking lot of Tim’s carpet store on the corner of Main St. and Washington, in downtown Las Vegas.
It was a total blessing. We fed about 30 people the first night and had about 8-10 people stayed for a simple salvation message after we ate. These are the pictures from that day.
Little did we know what we were in for. The ride of a lifetime. The kind of stuff you read about in books on revival but only hope to be a part of in some small way in a life time.
As you enjoy reading about the of history Calvary Downtown Outreach I hope you will feel the same way that many of us do about the work that God is doing both in our hearts and in the hearts of thousands who have visited and still attend our various events. Feelings of compassion for the poor and oppressed right in our midst, and a genuine passion for reaching lost people who God desperately loves and desires to draw to Himself through the work that He is doing in and through this ministry.
Welcome
Welcome to Calvary Downtown Outreach! Within our website we have endeavored to give to you the tools and information to enable you to better know a little about Who we are, What the vision and goals of the ministry are, and How you can join together with us through your prayers, contributions, and participation in the weekly outreach and other weekly events.
We would also encourage you to sign up for our free monthly newsletter where we can keep you updated on the latest blessings and breakthroughs of the ministry.
If you are unable to find an answer to any question you may have, or desire to speak to the Executive Director, Theresa Hicks , please view our contact page for e-mail addresses and phone numbers.
Enjoy your visit here at Calvary Downtown Outreach and may God Bless you as you continue to seek to serve Him.
Theresa Hicks
Executive Director
OUR VISION: Purpose
"They desired only that we should remember the poor, the very thing which I also was eager to do".
The Apostle Paul (Gal. 2:9-10)
The vision for Calvary Downtown Outreach is to be obedient to the Biblical mandate given to us by our Lord in Matthew 28:19-20, to go therefore and make disciples, and baptize them and teach them all things He commanded, and send them to go and make disciples as well.
Our purpose in the inner city is three fold. First, to point people to a personal relationship with Jesus Christ by the preaching of a clear evangelistic Gospel message in a weekly crusade type outreach. Second, to take those who God adds to the "Church" daily and raise them up through daily prayer and Bible reading, and radical discipleship training. Third, to provide environments where all who are in the inner city area can come worship the Lord, decently and in order, and receive solid, Biblical discipleship. In this fulfilling the purpose of the Church here on earth of evangelism and edification.
OUR VISION: Focus
"This is where we can truly focus on 'equipping of the saints for the work of ministry".
The Apostle Paul (Eph. 4:12)
Jesus said "But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. (Matt 6:33 NKJV). Our focus is primarily on Jesus, not on physical needs. However, many of the people in the inner city are homeless or have very little. So part of the ministry is to provide relief for physical needs. The Saturday outreach, with food, music and evangelistic teaching, provides an opportunity to minister to the spiritual needs of those who know and those who need to know Jesus Christ.
The scriptures say; "If a brother or sister is naked and destitute of daily food, and one of you says to them, 'Depart in peace, be warmed and filled,' but you do not give them the things which are needed for the body, what does it profit?" (James 2:15-16).We are currently working closely with existing shelter facilities in the inner city who do focus primarily on physical needs, and by utilizing these resources we are able to focus more on preaching, teaching and discipleship, which is the primary function of our ministry. We offer our services free of charge, providing various bible studies, chapel services, and one on one discipleship/case management. In the future we hope to see discipleship house ministries, a discipleship ranch and an inner city missions training center. This is where we can truly focus on "the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry" (Eph 4:12). Our calling, we believe, is to recruit people for "The Army of God". We believe if we keep this kind of proper focus God will meet the needs as we help people grow in His plan for their lives.
OUR VISION: Need
"There is a tremendous unmet need for good solid verse by verse Bible teaching".
Although "Calvary Downtown Outreach" is evangelistic in nature, we are also providing environments where people can worship the Lord, decently and in order, and get equipped to share their faith with a lost and dying world. There is a tremendous unmet need for good, solid verse by verse Bible teaching in the inner cities of America. This, we believe, is due to the obvious financial and spiritual difficulties associated with starting and maintaining an inner city ministry. In these last days, God has established in many communities good suburban churches, unfortunately often there is very little being done in the inner cities of those communities. Well by the Grace of God, in conjunction with participating church we have launched an inner city missions outreach program called "Calvary Downtown Outreach". By spreading the physical, spiritual & financial challenge among many members of the body of Christ and several local churches, an inner city missions work has been made a reality.
OUR VISION: Future
"In the future we want to help equip others who have the same vision."
As God continues to lead and provide, in the future we want to help equip others who have the same vision, and launch ministries like this all over the United States. Please pray for the work that God is doing now in this "Last Days" harvest and join us as we seek to serve together and do our part to carry out " The Great Commission" in the local mission field.
How You Can Participate
Calvary Downtown Outreach is an inner city outreach ministry. The ministry is funded completely by donations and monthly support commitments from individuals and churches who have a heart for the poor and oppressed and have a desire to reach the inner cities of America for Jesus sake. If you or someone you know would like to participate in the ministry physically or financially please contact us
