Calvary United Methodist Church

What Calvary United Methodist Church does

Calvary United Methodist Church is a 501(c)(3) religious congregation founded circa 1895 and located at 801 South 48th Street (at Baltimore Avenue) in the Cedar Park neighborhood of West/Southwest Philadelphia. Since 1985, it has operated as a Reconciling Congregation within the United Methodist Church, formally affirming the inclusion of LGBTQIA+ persons. The church's core offering is a weekly hybrid worship service held Sundays at 11 am, delivered both in-person at its chapel and virtually via Zoom and phone dial-in. It also runs structured programming for children and youth (nursery care, Calvary Kids, Calvary Youth), a music ministry led by Music Minister Norris Person and accompanist Olivia Backal-Balik, faith formation activities (Bible studies, book studies, yoga, Story Circles, retreats), and justice ministry teams covering racial-economic, immigrant, LGBTQIA+, climate, and fair-trade causes.

The organization has no proprietary technology. Its digital footprint consists of a content website (allmeansall.org), a weekly e-newsletter (Calvary Connections), social media accounts managed by an Outreach Team, an online donation platform (Tithe.ly), a sermon archive with PDF and audio recordings, and a member directory/portal. In 2000, the congregation created the Calvary Center for Culture and Community, a separate nonprofit entity that manages building use, maintenance, and community partnerships. The church partners with several regional coalitions including POWER Interfaith (as a founding member), PA Interfaith Power & Light, the New Sanctuary Movement of Philadelphia, and Reconciling United Methodists of Eastern Pennsylvania, and participates in the Equal Exchange Interfaith Program and the National Wildlife Federation Sacred Grounds Program.

The business model is that of a congregationally governed nonprofit supported by voluntary member donations and tithes (online via Tithe.ly, check, or planned giving including bequests and gifts of stock), with minor ancillary income from facility rental through the Calvary Center and fair-trade product sales. The church employs 1-10 staff and contractors, including Pastor Rev. Tim Emmett-Rardin (serving since 2021), Bookkeeper Milton D. Westray (over 30 years of nonprofit accounting experience), and a part-time Financial Administrator (advertised at $20/hour). No revenue, membership, or financial figures are publicly disclosed.

Name

Calvary United Methodist Church

Legal name

Calvary United Methodist Church

Website

https://allmeansall.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1895

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Calvary United Methodist Church is a 501(c)(3) progressive Reconciling Congregation in West/Southwest Philadelphia offering hybrid Sunday worship, youth and faith formation programs, and social justice ministry. It is funded primarily by member donations and tithes.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Religious Services

NAICS

Religious Organizations (8131), Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813)

akta.pro primary industry

Local Congregations & Worship Communities (Churches, Mosques, Temples, Synagogues) (BPAGAJAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Places of Worship & Religious Facilities Operations (Cemeteries, Retreat Centers, Pilgrimage Sites) (BPAGAJAL)

Keywords

• Religious worship services
• Faith community programs
• Children youth ministry
• Social justice ministry
• Progressive christian church

Headquarters

HQ city

Philadelphia

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Tithes: Calvary operates as an IRS-recognized 501(c)3 organization. The primary revenue comes from member donations and tithes, including online donations via Tithe.ly platform, check donations mailed or hand-delivered, and planned giving options including bequests and gifts of stock.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Calvary United Methodist Church provides regular hybrid worship services (in-person and via Zoom), along with structured programs in faith and spirituality, children and youth ministry, and love-and-justice (social-justice) advocacy, all offered to congregants and the broader San Francisco community. The church additionally operates the Calvary Center for Culture and Community, a nonprofit arts and cultural venue, and rents its physical facilities to external groups.

Product overview

Calvary United Methodist Church operates as a single unified organization offering religious worship and community services. The core offerings include hybrid worship services (in-person and via Zoom), with supporting programs such as a weekly e-newsletter (Calvary Connections), online donation capabilities via Tithe.ly, and a member portal. A separate nonprofit entity, the Calvary Center for Culture and Community, handles space rental and community partnerships. Additional programs encompass children and youth programming, faith and spirituality initiatives (prayer groups, Bible/book studies, retreats), and justice advocacy (racial, economic, immigrant, LGBTQIA+, environmental). The church also maintains an extensive sermon archive with recordings dating to 2020.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Hybrid Worship Services

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Calvary Center for Culture and CommunitycoreOthers · 1 January 2000A separate nonprofit organization created by Calvary's congregation in 2000 to manage church building use, maintenance, and fundraising. The Center provides space to and partners with a wide array of community organizations in service to surrounding neighborhoods.
• Reconciling United Methodists of Eastern Pennsylvania (RUM-EPA)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1985Sharing commitment to full acceptance and inclusion of LGBTQIA+ persons and their families in church life and beyond, with focus on witness within Eastern PA Conference of UMC.
• PA Interfaith Power & Light (PA-IPL)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStatewide community of congregations and faith-based organizations responding to climate change as a moral issue through advocacy, energy conservation, efficiency and renewable energy. Calvary is a member and participates through its Green Team.
• POWER InterfaithcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStatewide organization part of the international Faith in Action network that mobilizes local congregations to organize for social, economic and ecological justice. Calvary is a founding member. POWER's West-Southwest Cluster meets monthly.
• New Sanctuary Movement of Philadelphia (NSM)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAllied congregation supporting ongoing organizing for immigrant justice in Philadelphia and just/humane immigrant reform nationally. Calvary participates through its NSM Team coordinated by Pastor Tim.
• Equal Exchange Interfaith ProgramminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCalvary sells fair trade products (coffee, tea, chocolate) through Equal Exchange's Interfaith Program. Proceeds benefit both Calvary and United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) humanitarian relief work.
• National Wildlife Foundation Sacred Grounds ProgramminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGrant-funded program supporting the installation of a native plant pollinator garden at 48th and Baltimore. Provides funding for gloves, tools and refreshments for volunteer workdays.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• First United Methodist Church of Germantown: Philadelphia-area United Methodist congregation with longstanding community and justice programming in an urban neighborhood, serving a comparable progressive, racially diverse membership profile.
• Gloria Dei (Old Swedes') Lutheran Church: Long-tenured Philadelphia congregation emphasizing worship, music, community engagement, and facility rentals for arts/justice partners — operationally and structurally analogous to the Calvary/Calvary Center model.
• Arch Street United Methodist Church: Historic downtown Philadelphia UMC congregation with a progressive, social-justice-oriented identity and extensive community programming; operates in the same city and denomination as Calvary with a comparable ministry mix.
• Old First Reformed Church (Philadelphia): Center City Philadelphia historic progressive congregation affiliated with the UCC and known for justice and arts programming; mirrors Calvary's blend of historic urban presence and progressive social-justice identity.

Others

• POWER Interfaith: Statewide interfaith organizing network of which Calvary is a founding member; serves as a convener for many comparable urban congregations pursuing social, economic and ecological justice.
• PA Interfaith Power & Light: Faith-based climate advocacy network whose member congregations (including Calvary) organize around climate justice, energy efficiency, and renewable energy — a thematic and operational peer through Calvary's Green Team.
• Calvary Center for Culture and Community: Separate nonprofit spun off by Calvary's congregation in 2000 to manage building use, rentals and community partnerships — adjacent operating entity that executes Calvary's facility-based mission.

Broad incumbents

• Riverside Church (New York City): Large, historic, progressive urban congregation known for social-justice ministry, hybrid worship, and extensive community programming — a regional analogue of Calvary's inclusive, justice-oriented model at greater scale.
• Church of the Village (New York City): Progressive United Methodist congregation with a strong LGBTQIA+ affirming identity and urban community focus — shares Calvary's Reconciling-style DNA within the same denomination.

Regional players

• West Philadelphia Mennonite Fellowship: Progressive Anabaptist congregation located within the same West Philadelphia geography as Calvary, serving an overlapping inclusive, justice-oriented community with similar small-staff operations.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/calvaryumcphilly
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/calvary-allmeansall

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Calvary United Methodist Church