In 1951, a number of individuals left the American Baptist Association and were persuaded to start a Baptist church in Chillicothe, Illinois, whose beliefs, affiliations, and practices would be true to the Word of God. For a time, this small congregation met at Rome Grade School, but then in October 1951, this group of believers moved to its own building at 909 N. Fourth Street. Calvary Baptist Church called its first pastor, Rev. Denzel Neumann. At this time, Sunday school attendance was well over 100.
In 1955, the first Calvary Baptist Church parsonage was acquired at 817 N. Sixth Street for $11,500. This allowed Pastor Denzel Neumann to move out of the upstairs rooms at the Fourth Street location and provided more class space for Sunday school.
The growing church needed more space, so in 1957, they spent $15,000 remodeling and adding to the basement. When Pastor Neumann left in 1959, the congregation was over 200 and had almost paid off its entire debt.
In 1960, the church called Pastor George Abbas as pastor. The church was blessed with 200 in attendance under the ministry of Pastor Abbas. He left in 1963.
Pastor Arthur Olsen came to the church in 1964. In 1965, ground breaking for a new building took place at our current location, 1028 Cloverdale, with the land donated by Kenneth Koch. On January 16, 1966, the first service was held in these new facilities, though they were not complete. The dedication of the new property took place on May 15, 1966.