How it all started...
In 1981, Bob and a neighbor friend were both reading the book "The Late Great Planet Earth" and felt like they needed to do something. They started listening to tapes from a local Seventh Day Adventist church, and soon eight people were meeting at Bob's house listening to the tapes.
A female friend invited Mike Warren (Current Pastor of Calvary Chapel Gold Country) who was an Assistant Pastor of Live Oak Assembly of God at the time, to come and teach a Bible study. At the first Bible study, Mike led all eight of them to the Lord in Bob’s house.
Bob and Nancy started attending Maranatha, a Calvary Chapel church in Yuba City, pastored by Bob Fromm and met Brad and Angela Roberts who were attending Maranotha at the time. Bob started borrowing Chuck Smith’s tapes from Maranatha and listened to them at their home Bible study. Bob visited Calvary Chapel in Paradise and Dave Sweet sent a person to help lead the Bible studies. Brad and Angela Roberts heard that a Calvary Chapel might be starting in the Gridley area and started attending the Bible study at Bob’s house.
The small group rented the local Women’s Club and opened the doors to whomever would like to join them. Unsure who would pastor the church, Sam Allen, the youth pastor at Maranatha (Current Pastor of Calvary Chapel of Chico) told us that he had a friend, Leo Giovinetti, (Current Pastor of Mission Valley Christian Fellowship) who was visiting in Brooking and would call and have him give the message on the Sunday. Leo came down in the winter of 1981.
Leo and his family quickly moved down and helped with the church becoming incorporated. On July 20, 1982 Calvary Chapel of Gridley, CCG, received its franchise tax board corporation identification and on July 26, 1982 became incorporated with the state of California. Leo Giovinetti served as Senior Pastor for five years, from 1981 to July, 1986.
A female friend invited Mike Warren (Current Pastor of Calvary Chapel Gold Country) who was an Assistant Pastor of Live Oak Assembly of God at the time, to come and teach a Bible study. At the first Bible study, Mike led all eight of them to the Lord in Bob’s house.
Bob and Nancy started attending Maranatha, a Calvary Chapel church in Yuba City, pastored by Bob Fromm and met Brad and Angela Roberts who were attending Maranotha at the time. Bob started borrowing Chuck Smith’s tapes from Maranatha and listened to them at their home Bible study. Bob visited Calvary Chapel in Paradise and Dave Sweet sent a person to help lead the Bible studies. Brad and Angela Roberts heard that a Calvary Chapel might be starting in the Gridley area and started attending the Bible study at Bob’s house.
The small group rented the local Women’s Club and opened the doors to whomever would like to join them. Unsure who would pastor the church, Sam Allen, the youth pastor at Maranatha (Current Pastor of Calvary Chapel of Chico) told us that he had a friend, Leo Giovinetti, (Current Pastor of Mission Valley Christian Fellowship) who was visiting in Brooking and would call and have him give the message on the Sunday. Leo came down in the winter of 1981.
Leo and his family quickly moved down and helped with the church becoming incorporated. On July 20, 1982 Calvary Chapel of Gridley, CCG, received its franchise tax board corporation identification and on July 26, 1982 became incorporated with the state of California. Leo Giovinetti served as Senior Pastor for five years, from 1981 to July, 1986.
Expanding the vision...
Bob continued to grow in the Lord and retired at fifty years old from Pacific Telesis/ATT on July 15, 1984. Robert Henderson was ordained on July 23, 1986 and started pastoring CCG in August 1986. On November 18, 1989 Brad Roberts was ordained and oversaw the youth ministries.
Bob Henderson was pastor of CCG while it met in the Woman’s Hall from 1986 to 1990. On July 1, 1990 CCG purchased 210 Park Avenue for a permanent church building. In July of 2016 Bob had been the Senior Pastor of CCG for thirty years. Bob faithfully taught that CCG was the Lord's church. In May 2017, after thirty-one years of faithful service as Senior Pastor of CCG, Bob went home to be with the Lord.
Bob Henderson was pastor of CCG while it met in the Woman’s Hall from 1986 to 1990. On July 1, 1990 CCG purchased 210 Park Avenue for a permanent church building. In July of 2016 Bob had been the Senior Pastor of CCG for thirty years. Bob faithfully taught that CCG was the Lord's church. In May 2017, after thirty-one years of faithful service as Senior Pastor of CCG, Bob went home to be with the Lord.
Where We are now...
In May of 2017, Brad Roberts became Senior Pastor. In September of 2016, Bill Gallagher was ordained as assistant pastor, and in February of 2018, Paul Widener was ordained as assistant pastor.
We continue the focus of building and equipping the saints, through the teaching of God's Word. By the power of the Holy Spirit, we accomplish this through:
We are part of the great commission to: "Go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that Christ has commanded."
God is the One who will add to the church. It is by His work of the Spirit, and not by our efforts. We faithfully follow the teaching of Acts 2:42, "And they continued steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in the breaking of bread, and in prayers." To God be the glory!
We continue the focus of building and equipping the saints, through the teaching of God's Word. By the power of the Holy Spirit, we accomplish this through:
- Weekly church teachings
- Home Bible studies
- Church-wide and home prayer groups
- Multiple fellowship opportunities
We are part of the great commission to: "Go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that Christ has commanded."
God is the One who will add to the church. It is by His work of the Spirit, and not by our efforts. We faithfully follow the teaching of Acts 2:42, "And they continued steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in the breaking of bread, and in prayers." To God be the glory!
