We are excited to announce that GoodTree Christian Fellowship and Crescent Heights Baptist Church are joining forces under the name of GoodTree Church! At the end of November 2023, each church voted overwhelmingly to merge believing that we can engage in the mission of God better together than apart. There are still many practical and logistical questions to be answered, but guided by the Holy Spirit, we are figuring it out together. For now, here’s who we used to be - stayed tuned to find out who we are becoming!

 
 

CRESCENT HEIGHTS BAPTIST CHURCH HISTORY

CHBC has been a gathering place for worship in the Crescent Heights community for over a century and is home to all generations. Throughout the years, the gospel message has been central to everything we do. We are a “loving, serving, family of God”, continually exploring ways to transform lives by connecting people to Jesus Christ and one another. This is how it began…

By 1884 the NWMP post at Fort Calgary had attracted enough settlers to be incorporated as a town in the North-West Territory. Four years later the Baptists among them were numerous enough to meet and incorporate as First Baptist Church and a year later open a church on 6th Avenue in the town’s burgeoning downtown. They were added to the churches across the country who had created the Baptist Union conferences as the Baptist Union of Western Canada. At the turn of the century, First Baptist began its mission to plant sister Baptist churches throughout Calgary which had by then become a city. Among these church plants, and with the encouragement of businessman and former mayor Thomas Underwood, A. J. McArthur, also a First Baptist Deacon, led the move to evangelize the land owners in his new Crescent Heights subdivision. With an enthusiastic young pastor, Archie Gorden, McArthur opened his Crescent Heights real estate office to a new Sunday School mission in 1907. Within a few short years, the Sunday School would reach 300 attendees. Their success led McArthur to dedicate land to the building of a small wooden church which opened as the newly incorporated Crescent Heights Baptist Church in 1909. Three years after this, along with McArthur’s financial backing, the church opened the doors of a brand new red brick church which still stands, incorporated into the improvements the church chose to make in the late fifties. Unfortunately, McArthur who had joined Premier Rutherford’s Liberal government in the Alberta Legislature, had been thrown from his horse and mortally injured the year before the new church building opened. Of the many church plants made by First Baptist in the early 1900s, Crescent Heights is the sole survivor. It is 110 years old this year.

GOODTREE CHRISTIAN FELLOWSHIP HISTORY

GCF was planted as an independent church in 2007, but their roots began to form earlier than that…

It all began as the English Ministry of Calgary Korean Baptist Church (CKBC), a member of the Canadian Baptists of Western Canada, was looking to expand into a new area of ministry. Since its inception, the English Ministry had seen a number of changes, not only in people but also in structure. The congregation consisted mainly of second generation Koreans but there was growing number of people from other cultures participating in the ministry. After much prayer, the leadership team was convicted and challenged to meet the needs of this multicultural group of people. In October 2006 the leadership team from the English ministry made a proposal to CKBC to start a new church focused on ministering to this developing group. This proposal was approved and blessed by Calgary Korean Baptist Church and the Canadian Baptists of Western Canada and GoodTree Christian Fellowship was planted in 2007.

 
 

STATEMENT OF FAITH

1. THE WORD OF GOD

We believe that the Bible is the Word of God, fully inspired and without error in the original manuscripts, written under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, and that it has supreme authority in all matters of faith and conduct.

2. THE TRINITY

We believe that there is one living and true God, eternally existing in three persons: that God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit are equal in every divine perfection and execute a distinct but harmonious office in the work of creation, providence and redemption.

3. GOD THE FATHER

We believe in God the Father, an infinite personal spirit, perfect in holiness, wisdom, power and love. We believe that He concerns Himself mercifully in the affairs of men, that He hears and answers prayer and that He saves from sin and death all who come to Him through Jesus Christ.

4. JESUS CHRIST

We believe in Jesus Christ, God’s only begotten Son, conceived by the Holy Spirit. We believe in His virgin birth, sinless life, miracles and teachings. We believe in His substitutionary atoning death, bodily resurrection, ascension into heaven, perpetual intercession for His people and personal and visible return to earth.

5. THE HOLY SPIRIT

We believe in the Holy Spirit Who came forth from the Father and Son to convict the world of sin, righteousness and judgement, and to regenerate, sanctify and empower all who believe in Jesus Christ. We believe that the Holy Spirit indwells every believer in Jesus Christ and He is an abiding comforter, teacher and guide.

6. REGENERATION

We believe that all men are sinners by nature and by choice and are, therefore, under condemnation. We believe that those who repent of their sins and trust in Jesus Christ as Saviour are regenerated by the Holy Spirit.

7. THE CHURCH

We believe in the universal church, a living spiritual body of which Christ is the head and all regenerated persons are members. We believe in the local church, consisting of a company of believers in Jesus Christ, baptized on a credible profession of faith and associated for worship, work and fellowship. We believe that God has laid upon the members of the local church the primary task of giving the Gospel of Jesus Christ to a lost world.

8. CHRISTIAN CONDUCT

We believe that a Christian should live for the glory of God and the well being of his fellow men; that his conduct should be blameless before the world; that he should be a faithful steward of his possessions; and that he should seek to realize for himself and others the full stature of maturity in Christ.

9. THE ORDINANCES

We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ has committed two ordinances to the local church, baptism and the Lord’s Supper. We believe that Christian baptism is the immersion of the believer in water into the name of the triune God. We believe that the Lord’s Supper was instituted by Christ for commemoration of His death. We believe that these two ordinances should be observed and administered until the return of the Lord Jesus Christ.

10. RELIGIOUS LIBERTY

We believe that every human being can have direct relations with God, and is responsible to God alone in all matters of faith; that each church is independent and must be free from interference by any ecclesiastical or political authority.

11. THE LAST THINGS

We believe in the resurrection of the dead, the righteous to everlasting life and the wicked to everlasting punishment.