Calvary Chapel Surprise began in October 2005. Before the start of the church, my wife Julie and I were both on staff at Calvary Chapel East Anaheim, located in Anaheim, California. I was an Assistant Pastor and Julie was the Children’s Ministry Director. It was a blessing and privilege to be a part of that body for over 13 years and to be able to serve the Lord with such wonderful people.
Prior to being a Pastor, I was a Chiropractor for 12 years. The Lord made it clear that He was calling me out of that profession. Shortly thereafter, the Lord put on my heart to “Get Ready” but for what I was not sure. I then attended the Calvary Chapel Costa Mesa School of Ministry and was blessed to be taught by teachers such as Chuck Smith, Jon Courson, Brian Brodersen, and Carl Westerlund.
After graduating from the School of Ministry, God put on my heart “Get Set.” But I still did not know for what. I do know that God had given me a strong desire to teach His word. This was new and strange to me because the truth is, I was scared to death to be in front of people. However, I never felt more fulfilled than when I was sharing God’s Word.
My wife, Julie, said to me one day. if God calls us to go start a church, I will go. For her to say this was absolutely amazing – you see, she was a California girl and NEVER wanted to move out of state.
We started to pray for God to show us where He wanted us and we asked Him to make it really clear. Soon after, we were asked by a friend to pray about moving to Surprise, Arizona to start a Calvary Chapel. As we were praying, God put on my heart “Go”. First “Get Ready” then “Get Set” and now “Go”. Surprise was where God was calling us to plant His church.
We prayed! God answered! He clearly lead us every step of the way! What a good and faithful God we serve! He opened doors that no man could have opened.
Calvary Chapel Surprise began in our home with 25 people (13 people who came with us from California and 12 people who sought us out before we even moved to Arizona). The Lord brought so many godly people to help start Calvary Chapel Surprise – people that have a heart to serve God and to serve others. After one month in our home, we moved into the school. And the rest is history.
We are very excited that God has called us to Surprise! It is our prayer that Calvary Chapel Surprise would be a church filled will people desiring to worship God, study His Word and passionately serve Him.
We want to personally welcome you and invite you to join us as we grow together in the knowledge and grace of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ!
May God Bless You and Grow You,
Pastor Todd
