Calvary Southern Baptist Church saw its humble beginnings in 1956. From the first ground breaking to the recently installed state of the art solar panels on the church building, Calvary has been shepherded by 10 Pastors.

Virgil Reeves 1956-1959
James Jamieson 1960-1964
Hugh Hamilton 1964-1968
Jesse A. Allen 1969-1969
George Wells 1969-1971
Sherman Lawson 1971-1973
Robert Warren 1974-1975
Earl Hosea 1975-1981
Jaffus L. Haley Jr. 1981-2006
Lawrence E. Haley 2008-Present

“The Beginning”

Reverend Virgil Reeves was the first pastor of CSBC. As a recent graduate from Southwestern Seminary in Fort Worth Texas, Reverend Reeves saw the spiritual needs in Las Vegas and was led by the Lord to plant a church. The mission first group, spiritual guided by Virgil Reeves met in a garage located on North Las Vegas Boulevard. Twelve individuals attended the first service September 16, 1956. Reverend Reeves Spent Six months looking for a meeting place for the Mission First group. Reverend Reeves Mission First Group Paid $2100 cash for a building lot in rural Las Vegas. He then borrowed $3500 for a building project that was launch in 1958 that ultimately became Calvary Southern Baptist Church.

Jaffus L. Haley Jr

“A New Beginning”

Over the years CSBC remained a small church with fewer than 100 members. The demographics in the neighborhood where the church now resides was primarily European American. In and around the Late 1970s and early 80s the demographics began to shift from rural white Las Vegas to a more working middle class family oriented African American demographic. Before coming to Las Vegas in 1979 Jaffus L. Haley was licensed at Grace Temple Baptist Church in Los Angeles and was ordained at First Southern Baptist Church in Compton California. Pastor Haley came as a mission intern to work with Pastor Earl Hosea to minister to the racially changing community eventually becoming assistant Pastor. Due to the decline in membership, demographic changes, and the church’s inability to financially support multiple staff members, assistant Pastor Haley became the Pastor of CSBC in 1981. Jaffus L Haley has a Bachelor’s of Science degree in Business Administration from California State University a Master of Divinity degree from Melody Land School of Theology in Anaheim California and a Master’s of Arts degree from California Graduate School of Theology in Glendale California.

Growth is a catalyst to Change

Change is a catalyst to Growth…

From 1981 to 1990 CSBC gained 300 members. From 1991 to 2000 CSBC gained roughly 1000 members. During the 1990s Las Vegas saw an influx of new residents and was noted for a time as being the fastest growing city in the world. Calvary’s numbers began to grow exponentially adding roughly 100 members per year for over a decade resulting in a net membership of over 1300 in 2006. It was evident in the spirit that Jaffus L. Haley was called by the Lord to Calvary for a specific reason.

As the numbers of those attending Calvary Southern Baptist Church grew, Pastor Haley and staff saw the need to expand the general worship sanctuary of the church to accommodate them. In 2002 the process was started to fund design and ultimately build the new sanctuary. The new sanctuary was completed on 10/15/2005 and was dedicated on 10/30/2005. It was large enough to accommodate the increasing number of members at Calvary.

Stewardship of Change

Lawrence E. Haley

After the Home going of Pastor Jaffus Haley in 2006, Calvary conducted an exhaustive search for a new Pastor. In 2008 Pastor Lawrence E. Haley became the 10th Pastor of Calvary Southern Baptist Church. Since his arrival Lawrence Haley has endured the triumphs and struggles of Pastoring a church. One of his many triumphs included the sanctioning and building of solar panels effectively reducing the churches demand for energy (this much).