“I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will[a] believe in Me through their word; 21 that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me. 22 And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one: 23 I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me. (John 17:20-23)
My wife and I are blessed to be the founders of Calvary Chapel San Clemente. We are even more blessed to be part of the Church in San Clemente.
In 2004, God called Roxie and I to join Pastor Skip Heitzig at Ocean Hills Church in San Juan Capistrano. Prior to that we were serving with Pastor Chuck Smith at Calvary Chapel Costa Mesa where I started the School of Worship and restarted the Worship Community and Calvary Chapel Music. We commuted from Costa Mesa to San Juan Capistrano for a year, but our DNA has always been to live in the area that we are pastoring. Through a series of miracles, we literally were given the house that we live in today. It was unmistakable that God intended for us to be in South Orange County. However, shortly after we arrived Skip returned to Albuquerque to resume his role as the Senior Pastor of Calvary Albuquerque because of a sudden crisis that the church he founded was facing. We continued to faithfully serve the community at Ocean Hills, but it was evident that the direction they were heading in was not consistent with the Calvary Chapel Distinctives and in November 2009 the Lord made it evident that it was time to resign from Ocean Hills to seek the Lord as to the next step. At this time we had a small Bible study going with some dear friends in San Clemente. We had no agenda, we were just hungry for the Word of God.
When we left Ocean Hills, we knew that God was speaking about launching a new Calvary Chapel in San Clemente. There had been a Calvary Chapel in San Clemente in years past, but it had closed it’s doors and for at least 5 years there was no Calvary Chapel presence in San Clemente. Pastor John Randall came into the area around 2006 or 2007 with an initial vision to go to San Clemente, but the Lord opened a door for him to go to San Juan Capistrano. It’s evident by the work at CCSJC that the Lord has called John and blessed him to minister to the city of San Juan Capistrano. Although we live in San Juan Capistrano and had friends there, we didn’t see the need for another church in San Juan Capistrano. We already had an open door in San Clemente, we had already invested our lives in the people there and so we decided to take a step of faith to formally start Calvary Chapel San Clemente. I met with Pastor Chuck Smith. We talked about the area and he agreed there wasn’t a Calvary Chapel in San Clemente. I said, I want to be Calvary Chapel San Clemente and he said… what else would you be? He prayed for us and gave me the classic… go for it! And we did. We started prayer meetings immediately afterwards and launched Valentine’s Day 2010 at Vista Del Mar School with over 250 people. We initially applied to be Calvary Chapel San Clemente, but the name wasn’t available at the time so we launched as Worship Life Calvary Chapel. After 3 years in the city we revisited our desire to be Calvary Chapel San Clemente. We applied for the dba, which we were granted and at that time formally changed our name. I also spoke to former pastor in the area and he gave me permission to use the name saying… no problem, we’re all the Body of Christ.
Our heart and vision has been to reach the city of San Clemente, but we quickly discovered that one church can’t reach an entire city. It takes a united Body of Christ. One of the unique qualities of the Church in San Clemente is the love between the pastors in the city. We meet twice a month for fellowship and prayer. We also do events together, such as Easter Together and Love San Clemente. Easter Together has been featured in national publications like Outreach Magazine as a model for other cities to follow. We’ve had as many as 3000 people from 7 churches gathered to worship the Lord in the city. Love San Clemente is fast becoming a model for cities who want to show the Love of God to their city in practical ways. We’ve seen as many as 225 volunteers from 10 churches unite to minister to the poor, the widows, the elderly, the military and so many more. It’s a true picture of the Church in San Clemente uniting for the cause of Christ. Some churches will describe their meetings as the Body of Christ gathered. However, in our fellowship as San Clemente churches, we’ve truly experienced the joy and unity of the Body of Christ being gathered across denominational lines, simply as brothers and sisters in Christ. This is what I love most about the San Clemente churches.
The greatest benefit I see is the impact it’s having on the unchurched population in our city. They’re not used to seeing the Church be the Body of Christ. Many are suspicious of church. But when they see Christian’s working together it resonates with them. Somehow they see that this is the way it’s supposed to be. Our unity is not perfect. It’s fragile. We do things unintentionally that offend each other. It happens when you have passionate people serving the Lord. But we work hard at it and we work harder at protecting it. Jesus was clear, the world will believe that Jesus was sent from the Father when they see that the Church is ONE. It’s heartbreaking to God and it quenches the work of the Spirit when one church heaps judgment or condemnation on another church. It doesn’t matter if it’s in the name of doctrinal purity or ministry integrity. It doesn’t matter if you’re trying to defend the truth of God (as if God needs defending) or if you’re saying you’re more authentic in your faith or your expression of faith than another. It doesn’t matter if you’re bigger or smaller. The world doesn’t care about our petty disagreements. The world desperately needs Jesus and they are looking for real followers of Jesus. I pray that you are one of them. How will they know? Because of the love you have for God and the love you have for all the brethren, including the ones that don’t go to your church.
For more information on church events in San Clemente CLICK HERE.