About Us on Calvary Lutheran Church :: Oshkosh, WI

Frequently Asked Questions

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Q: I’m not a Lutheran. Can I still worship at Calvary?

Absolutely! Everyone is welcome at Calvary, even if you have never attended church. Guests from all backgrounds are invited to participate in church life as often and for as long as they wish. If you choose to make things official, a New Member orientation will be held to acquaint you with the ELCA church-wide, with the congregation, and with each other. We confess one baptism for the forgiveness of sins and do not re-baptize children or adults. So no matter where you came from, we are happy to have you!

Our History

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Calvary began its journey in 1968.

Pastor Alan Madson

The area to the west of U.S,. Highway 41 was growing and presented an opportunity to form a mission church to serve that new growing community. Pastor Alan Madson arrived at Calvary in January of 1969 to serve the fledgling church. The first church service was performed March 2, 1969. The church dedication took place June 22, 1969 with 65 families in attendance.

Our Mission

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Nurturing Disciples to Serve Our Community³ with GOD’s Love and Forgiveness

(What’s up with the “Community” cubed (“3”), you might ask? This represents our service to three communities: 1) the local community of Calvary Lutheran Church, 2) the larger community of Oshkosh, and 3) the massive community of our World.)

You can see our mission statement above. It’s how we do ministry here at Calvary Lutheran Church. Are we perfect at keeping it? No, we’re only human after all. But we do strive to empower God’s people to do God’s work in homes, classrooms, workplaces, and even (egad!) the church building itself.

Our Pastor

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Calvary called Pastor Jennifer Czarnota to lead our congregation in January 2025.

Pastor Jennifer Czarnota

Pastor Jen has been serving as a pastor in the ELCA and UCC for over 24 years. She feels deeply called to the ministry of inclusion, focusing her work and preaching on communicating that every person is God’s beloved, and is welcome to be a full, equal participant in God’s family.

People

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Calvary Staff

Jennifer Czarnota

Pastor

Jacquie Reeves

Administrative Assistant

Andy Moscinski

Faith & Education Coordinator

Kathy Kraemer

Financial Secretary

Lee Karlgaard

Housekeeping

Caitlyn Wetter

Choir Director

Carol Murphy

Chimes Director

Calvary Council

John Murphy

president

Tracy Handy

vice president

Tim Asuma

treasurer

Jeremy Volkening

secretary

Kirt Grams

Kiersten Karlsen

Chris Navis

Tim Phillipon

Jacque Thiemke

What to Expect

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Calvary is here for you! We are a service-focused community and encourage you to visit and see what’s happening. If you’d like to get a better feel for what to expect at Calvary before visiting, read on…

(Also check out our Frequently Asked Questions)

At Calvary, you can expect to find:

A warm welcome for all, with no pressure to join our church. Relax and focus on experiencing worship.
Music to express our love for God – some may be new to you, some you may recognize; in any case hymnals are available.
Our pastor will share a relevant Bible-based message, often combined with thought-provoking stories, to enable you to discover new truths that help you see life from God’s point of view.
You will also see Christian sacraments such as baptism or communion and we’ll be sure to explain what they mean so you won’t feel left out.
After-service fellowship (and coffee/snacks on many Sundays) in the narthex.

At Calvary, you will meet people just like you: people going through life situations leaning on Jesus or celebrating a victory in God’s name. It is our hope that by coming to Calvary, God will free you to live a life that has greater meaning to you.

What We Believe

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BIBLE and SALVATION — THE BIBLE: We accept the canonical Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments as the inspired Word of God speaking through their authors revealing life centered in Jesus Christ. SALVATION: We believe that by our own reason or strength we cannot believe in Jesus Christ our Lord or come to him. In other words, we are saved by Grace alone.

GOD, THE TRIUNE — God is one and is the only one God. Within the unified essence of the FATHER, there are three distinct persons who are coeternal, coequal, and cosubstantial. JESUS CHRIST: The Son of God became man in the divine-human person of Jesus Christ. HOLY SPIRIT: We believe that Jesus meets us here as the Holy Spirit by whose indwelling the Christian is enabled to live life freely and live life pleasing to God.