A Generation Led to Jesus: Remembering Pastor Chuck, Part 12
Calvary Chapel pastors and leaders continued to be influenced and mentored by Pastor Chuck Smith in the 1980s. Read the stories of John Milhouse, David Rosales, Don and Jean McClure, and Jack Hibbs in this series honoring Chuck’s legacy. This story is reprinted from Issue 97 (Fall 2023) of the print magazine.
Pastor David Rosales and his wife, Marie, reaffirm their love for each other. “The first thing Chuck wanted us to understand was how good God is, what He can do, how He changes you,” David stated.
A Shepherd’s Heart
And I will give you shepherds according to My heart, who will feed you with knowledge and understanding.
Jeremiah 3:15
“Pastor Chuck would take us through 10 chapters a week; we had Bible studies almost every night,” recalled Pastor John Milhouse, who was saved at Calvary Chapel Costa Mesa as a young man in 1971. “That was our seminary.” Pastor John later planted Calvary Chapel Moreno Valley, CA, serving as senior pastor from 1982 to 2022.
“Pastor Chuck would tell us at conferences to teach the Word, and to make sure our people were the best loved congregation in our city, that people knew we loved them. That’s what we all endeavored to do. After I would preach, I would go out and greet people. I would take their calls, try to be available and accessible—as Pastor Chuck was.”
Pastor John Milhouse and his wife, Robin, years before starting CC Moreno Valley, CA. After serving as senior pastor for 40 years, John turned the church over to his son, Joel, in 2022.
Saved in 1970 at age 20, Pastor David Rosales of CC Chino Valley, CA, recalled, “Pastor Chuck proclaimed a message filled with the grace of God. He saw the need for that because of the wretched lives we lived. We needed to know that we could never be good enough on our own, and that we needed help. So instead of preaching to us to cut our hair, take a bath, and get a job—the first thing Chuck wanted us to understand was how good God is, what He can do, how He changes you.” David cited, For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God (Ephesians 2:8 KJV).
He remembered, “I didn’t need to clean myself up; I just needed to come to Him and ask Him to cleanse me.” In Luke Chapter 7, David explained, “Jesus said the one who is a great sinner will be forgiven much and will love Him much.” That kind of unlimited grace, he noted, “affected the rest of my life. Over the years, I have extended God’s grace to others because that’s what God extended to me and what Pastor Chuck modeled for us.”
A Time of Miracles
Jean McClure testified of Calvary’s early days: “There were miracles. Blind people were healed.” Her husband Don had been working on the new building when a tractor ran over and broke his foot. He limped around for a few days in a half-cast.
One night at Bible study at the Wades’ house, the group was praying. Someone began praying for his foot, and Don told the group, “I feel this tremendous heat going through my foot. I think the Lord is healing me.” His doctor, Dr. Henry Gainey, was there and removed the cast. He examined Don’s foot and told him to go ahead and try it out. Don sprang to his feet, jumping up and down. The group praised God. Don bolted, eager to share the miracle with Jean. “He came home, running through the house. I said, ‘Don, you’re not supposed to be on your foot!’ He said, ‘O ye of little faith! It’s perfectly well!’ It was amazing.”
Jean’s father, Dr. Phil Anderson, heard the stories of miracles and began to pray that God would let him see one. In 1973, a biopsy revealed a fast-growing cancerous tumor in his arm. The day before his surgery, Phil asked Pastor Chuck, Don, and another pastor to pray for his healing. Jean added, “When they removed the tumor, it was completely benign, with no trace of cancer. The surgeon was shocked. But my dad knew he had his miracle. Chuck had him come up and share with the whole church.”
Her dad went to the men’s prayer meeting on Saturday nights. “If you were sick or needed prayer, they would meet,” Jean recalled. “There was a young fellow there who was very quiet, whom my father was drawn to. My dad felt the Holy Spirit lead him to go tell the young man, ‘You’re going to be the pastor of a very large church one day.’ The guy thought, That’s not possible, because he had a terrible speech impediment.” Soon that young man was loosed from the bondage of severe stuttering. “That young man was Jack Hibbs.” He began a home Bible study and planted Calvary Chapel Chino Hills, CA, in 1990.
Pastor Jack Hibbs of CC Chino Hills, CA, reads God’s Word before a speaking event. Jack recently launched Real Life Network—a biblical worldview platform that includes Pastor Chuck’s teachings—battling the censorship of God’s Word.
Today, Pastor Jack’s teachings have gone around the world; he baptized over 3,000 on the beach during the pandemic, and his program, Real Life with Jack Hibbs, has more than 500,000 subscribers on YouTube. On the past Pentecost Sunday, May 28, Pastor Jack shared the launch of the Real Life Network (reallifenetwork.com). This new network is free to subscribers and features biblical worldview programming across the globe, including Pastor Chuck’s teachings, attempting to prevent God’s Word from being silenced by Big Tech or the government.
Look for our next installment, where we share the testimony of the impact evangelist Lonnie Frisbee had on Sandy Adams, senior pastor of CC Stone Mountain, GA.
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