In 1965, Pastor Chuck Smith started his ministry at Calvary Chapel Costa Mesa. Beginning with a mere 25 people, he saw God bless his simple, yet consistent style of teaching straight through the Bible. With a genuine heart for the lost, Pastor Chuck made room in his ministry for a generation of hippies, surfers, and drug addicts. This generated a stirring of the Holy Spirit, which spread from the California coast to the Atlantic and beyond. This movement was instrumental in bringing thousands of young people to Jesus Christ during the 60s and 70s in what was known as the Jesus People Movement. Today, Calvary Chapel has grown to over 1,500 churches worldwide.
Calvary Chapel Gainesville was founded by Pastor Ted Meilleur in 1995. Sent out from Calvary Chapel Merritt Island, Pastor Ted with his wife Jane laid the foundations, principles, and vision of the fellowship faithfully ministering to the body and teaching them through the scriptures. Rob Sullivan and his wife Micheline Sullivan came alongside Ted and have been ministering in various roles at Calvary Chapel Gainesville since 2003. In 2011 Pastor Ted passed over the fellowship to Rob, then the Assistant Pastor, as Ted would continue to focus his ministry on world missions.
Pastor Rob currently serves as Senior Pastor continuing the work and vision of the Calvary Chapel Movement: Loving, serving, and teaching the church through the living and powerful word of God.
Calvary Chapel is a non-denominational church has been formed as a fellowship of believers in the Lordship of Jesus Christ. Our supreme desire is to know Christ and be conformed into His image by the power of the Holy Spirit.