In September 1970,
3 couples from the Concord Evangelical Free Church, located in Concord, NE, felt God’s call to start the Evangelical Free Church of Wayne, NE.
Officially organized in the fall of 1972, the group first met in a home, then in the Wayne National Guard Armory. The first pastor was called in January, 1973 and served for 16 years.
Calvary’s First Building
Pastor Larry Ostercamp was hired in 1973 at Calvary. In 1979, the congregation erected a new church building just outside of the Wayne city limits. Most of the labor to construct the church building was provided by church attendees.
AWANA
In March of 1985, Calvary Bible started an AWANA program, which ran for over 20 years. AWANA met in the Wayne National Guard Armory after outgrowing the space at the church.
1995 Purchase
In 1994, Redeemer Lutheran Church suffered significant damage from a fire started by a lightning strike. This church merged with St. Paul Lutheran as a result of the loss of the building. Calvary Bible leaders purchased the damaged building for one dollar and began a massive renovation project. A vast majority of the work was done by church goers including regional E Free churches.
Within 9 months, the renovation was completed and the first service in the new building was held in October, 1995. God provided the funds to pay off the mortgage on the building in 1998.
