How It All Began

When veteran news photographer Tom Price visited Russia on assignment in the late 1990s, he witnessed the power of God through Calvary Chapel missionaries serving in Eastern Europe. Tom was moved by what he experienced—a world-wide movement of the Holy Spirit transforming lives. He knew that these miraculous testimonies needed to be shared. In time, he sensed the Lord directing him to start a publication that would document these stories, through words and photographs. Believing that he needed to obey this call, Tom stepped out in faith. 

With a rough, ink-jet prototype of the magazine, Tom went to the East Coast Pastors Conference in 1999. When he was introduced to Pastor Chuck Smith, the founder of Calvary Chapel, Tom presented his idea. The next morning, Pastor Chuck said that he heartily approved of the magazine, and asked when the first issue would be printed. He shook Tom's hand, told him to keep him informed, and walked away.

An associate pastor from Rochester, NY, overheard the conversation, and introduced himself to Tom. It turned out that he was also a vice president of a printing company. Pastor Joe Focht, of Calvary Chapel Philadelphia, helped raise seed money for the initial printing. Calvary Chapel Magazine was born.

Originally focused almost entirely on missions, the scope of the magazine has grown over the years—covering many other aspects of what God is doing through the Calvary Chapel family. Still, the core vision remains the same: showing readers around the world that God is transforming lives today.