Our Story

In July of 1978, Pastor Bob Grenier, and his wife Gayle moved to Visalia, and Calvary Chapel Visalia was started. 

We had talked and prayed with Pastor Chuck Smith of Calvary Chapel Costa Mesa, and together with his blessing, Gayle and I moved from Eugene Oregon, where I had been pastoring the Shiloh Fellowship, and Calvary Chapel of Visalia held it's first services, at 1:30 on Sunday afternoons, in a community room of a local store called Gottshalks.

We also began Calvary Chapel Visalia with a couple of home fellowships that met during the week. These were very exciting times and very challenging, and very rewarding. As Calvary Chapel Visalia began to grow, we were able to move our services to the local YMCA, and spent the next 16 1/2 years there.

Calvary Chapel Visalia slowly, but surely began to become established in the community and we grew as a body, not just numerically, but in our love for Jesus Christ, and for one another and for the city of Visalia, and the world we live in.

Around the late 80's the Lord provided Calvary Chapel Visalia with with 12.7 acres, on which we built our church offices.

In 1994 we were able to move from the YMCA, as we completed the first building project, which included a sanctuary and children's classrooms, and nursery. Throughout the 1990's, Calvary Chapel Visalia, continued to grow as more individuals and families came to the Lord and began attending the church. To accommodate this continuing growth, Calvary Chapel Visalia, recently expanded the original sanctuary, more then doubling it's capacity, and added a number of new classrooms for the children's ministry. We also expanded and remodeled our Nursery, added a Nursing Mother's Room. Additionally, we expanded our Bookstore, and Cafe. We have expanded our parking lots three different times, added a Youth Chapel, and a beautiful Outdoor Pavilion that seats up to 125. Our vision for ministry, is to Exalt the Lord, Equip the Saints, and Evangelize the lost. On a practical level, we like to say, that we "Simply teach the Word Simply" We enjoy the systematic verse by verse expository method of teaching God's Word. We are indebted to the Lord, who through Pastor Chuck Smith from Calvary Chapel Costa Mesa has provided us such a great model and example of God's love and ministry.

So, from myself personally, and the body here at Calvary Chapel Visalia, we pray for God's richest blessings in your life, and relationship with Jesus Christ.