Keeping Jesus At The Center – Ray Ortlund

My wife Jani and I were at Calvary Chapel Costa Mesa on New Year’s Eve 1971, going into 1972. The service was held in the big tent, of course.

We arrived early enough to get seats in the center of the front row.

Love Song played. Chuck preached. And then we took Communion. It was wonderful.

But the most unforgettable moment for me occurred right after the service. Chuck was still standing just behind the Communion table. And one of the young people greeting him, giving him a big hug, accidentally knocked over a stack of Communion trays.

What struck me was how quickly and genuinely Chuck reassured him and set him at ease: “Oh, that’s okay! No problem at all.” I thought, “Chuck is a wise pastor.

Any non-churchy kid could come in here and be accepted. Jesus is the only issue here.”

That memory has helped me in my own pastoral ministry all these years.

Thank you, Chuck.

Even When The Crowd Is Quite Small – Nicky Gumbel

I first met Chuck Smith in around 1978. At that time, Calvary Chapel was already a huge church, yet he was willing to come and speak to about five of us at HTB (Holy Trinity Brompton in London).

I still remember the talk he gave on “Healthy Sheep Multiply.” I was struck by his sheer stamina! He spoke for about three hours with hardly a pause.

Later I had the privilege of visiting Calvary Chapel, in around 1985, and heard him preach—expounding the Bible with great authority and humour.

Chuck Smith has rightly been called “one of the most influential figures in modern American Christianity.”

Learning To Love God’s Word – Elaine O’Connor

God used Pastor Chuck to introduce me to the inexhaustible insights and wisdom His Word has to offer.

It all began with my noticing that Pastor Chuck saw the world and others differently.

He saw humanity as precious, created by God for a relationship with Himself. He saw events as under the watchful gaze of a loving God.

The second thing I noticed was that Pastor Chuck cherished God’s Word, every single bit of it. He would get excited to read and study the Bible. I had only seen that depth of excitement at bakeries or sporting events.

It seemed logical that the two were connected. Therefore, wanting that same loving kindness-fueled perspective myself, I also began to read and study the Bible.

Through the years, I have experienced both bitter and sweet times.

Difficult as the bitter times have been, I have known with absolute confidence that God loves me and sees what is happening. I have known with astounding certainty that I can trust Him. No one can purchase this knowledge, even with access to the finest of stores. It is a gift from God.

There is something about one’s roots growing deep into God’s love—via His Word—that enables even the frailest tree to stand … and offer shade to others. The words of Psalm 1 are perfect and true.

“Your words were found, and I ate them, and your words became to me a joy and the delight of my heart, for I am called by your name, O Lord, God of hosts,” writes the prophet Jeremiah. Pastor Chuck felt the same way.

God used Pastor Chuck to instill in me that same sense of appreciation for Him and His Word, and that has made all the difference.

A Humble, Simple Love For The Word – Daniel Hamlin

I first started attending Calvary Chapel in the mid 1990’s. What stood out to me the most and what kept me coming back was the priority given to the Word of God. Not long after high school I went off to Calvary Chapel Bible College in Murrieta, California. Pastor Chuck would periodically come out to the college to preach, and it was during one of these sermons I discovered something about him that left a profound impact on me.

He was teaching through the book of Ruth and asked us to follow along as he read. Everyone’s head was down as they read along with him, but I happened to look up for a moment. I glanced at Pastor Chuck and noticed he wasn’t looking at his Bible. He was reciting the text correctly, but his eyes were off to the side. I realized he was reciting it from memory. We read through multiple chapters of Ruth that day and Pastor Chuck seemed to recite it all from memory. He didn’t do it for show, he didn’t draw any attention to himself about it, he just quietly recited it as if he were reading it. Had I not happened to glance up at him, I wouldn’t have known.

It was then I realized what a tremendous love for God’s Word he had. It challenged my own devotion to reading Scripture and inspired me to continue in my pursuit of studying the Bible. In that moment I realized this wasn’t something he just picked up along the way by accident. It was the result of a lifetime devoted to studying and taking to heart God’s precious Word.

To me, Pastor Chuck is a reminder of what the Lord can do through someone with nothing more than a humble, simple love for the Word and the Spirit. I never met Pastor Chuck personally, but his impact on my life and ministry was profound.

From Bahrain With Gratitude – James Travis

I had never heard the name Chuck Smith until I moved to Bahrain in 2013. The pastor of the church we joined on arrival was (and is still very much) a Calvary Chapel guy and I remember him talking about Pastor Chuck a lot.

I got a brief history of the movement, his understanding of the motivation behind the movement, the philosophy of ministry which my mentor saw (and appreciated) in Pastor Chuck, and was finally presented with a copy of Calvary Chapel Distinctives where I could hear from the man himself. The book was
something I devoured as I learnt and trained for ministry, and was later a key text during at least one of my M.Div classes with Calvary Chapel University.

All of that to say, Chuck Smith has had a deep and meaningful impact on my life
and ministry despite the two of us having never met. I’ve learnt a great deal
from his own writings but perhaps more so from those who spent time with
him. Those men and women would be horrified to read their own names here in
what is a tribute to the vicarious legacy of Chuck but, in summary, I’m grateful
for Chuck Smith. I’m grateful for and to the people he impacted and their
continuing impact on the lives of others.

It is a testament to him that ten years on from his death, he is still ministering life and its Author to others, through others.

Editor’s note: This month CalvaryChapel.com is doing a series of articles reflecting on the amazing work that Jesus accomplished through the life and ministry of Pastor Chuck Smith.

The Joy Of Nonconformity – Dave Rolph

I have a million stories racing through my head right now about Chuck, but the one that stands out at this moment is one that, I think, gets to a part of his core.

One Sunday morning, I was with him in the office as we were picking which hymns to sing that week. I saw his mind kind of drift off for a second and he chuckled. I said, “What’s so funny?” He explained that his granddaughter Kristyn had spent the night. At one point she was frustrated with him for some reason, and she put her hands on her hips and with a scowl said, “You are noncapormous!”

He asked her what noncapormous meant and she said, “It means you don’t want to do what people want you to do.” As Chuck was telling me the story his face just beamed.

I said, “It made your day that your little granddaughter could see that you are a nonconformist right?” He said, “To me there is no higher compliment!” After that day, every time Chuck would take a minority opinion on something, or do something radical, I would say, “Chuck, you are noncapormous!” and he would flash that huge smile and say, “and don’t you ever forget it!” In a day where conformity rules the day, I really miss that spirit.

Love, Leadership, And Legacy – Sarah Yardley

Pastor Chuck made an indelible mark on my life.

In my younger years, he was iconic, almost like a character rather than a person. I still remember sitting on the steps outside the front office with two of his grandchildren. They both called out, “Hi, Grandpa!” and I shyly whispered, “Hi, Pastor Chuck.” He was unfailingly kind, always had a treat for the lost teeth, stood at the door to greet every person who wanted a handshake, taught us in that booming, rich voice that made you sit up and pay attention.

In my teenage years, he became my boss. I started working for Calvary Chapel at age sixteen. I worked at a secondary campus, and he was universally respected. I would now, less shyly, greet him with, “Hello, Pastor Chuck.” I worked for Calvary Chapel for ten years, ended up managing the department I started working for, and began to meet with him for monthly financial updates. He always knew my reports better than I knew them myself.

In my twenties, I left to travel and find new ways of being with Jesus. I sat in his office, and it was one of the few times I saw him cry, just for a moment, as I said, “Goodbye, Pastor Chuck.”

He told me I was always welcome to return, and I remembered that through thirty-four countries. We corresponded occasionally as I visited Calvary Chapels scattered throughout the world, living stones of his teaching legacy.

At the end, I had the honour of helping Chuck and Kay personally. I won’t say much about those moments; they are too sacred to share publicly. Even as his memory began to fail, he always spoke of his love for Kay, for his family, for the church. He was in pain, but never complained. I helped coordinate his memorial service—the Honda Center filled with the roar of his spiritual children and grandchildren saying, “We love you, Pastor Chuck.”

In my Bible, he wrote these words: “I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in truth.” (3 John 4).

So much of my life of living truth today springs from the way he taught, sang, and lived Scripture to us. Pastor Chuck was a vibrant, astounding, faithful, imperfect, and genuine leader.

So for now, until eternity, “See you later, Pastor Chuck.”

God Stories And Gum Wrappers – Kathy Gilbert

I kept offering Pastor Chuck gum while I worked on the church switchboard. It was always mellow on Saturdays in 1974. I finally got the clue not to bother; Pastor Chuck didn’t chew gum. Actually, he would grumble about those who left their gum behind for him to clean up!

Pastor Chuck was given a custom-made picker to use as he zoomed around the CCCM campus on a golf cart picking up cigarette butts.

In 1975, I was hired by Maranatha Evangelical Association to duplicate Chuck messages and mail the cassettes all over the world. Everybody loved Pastor Chuck’s teaching, and so did I—and I still do. I love hearing his excellent teaching on his Word for Today radio program.

One big benefit of being on staff at CCCM was learning to depend on Jesus for His calling and commendation, not on Pastor Chuck. Without words, he pointed us to Jesus, to do our work to please Him.

Nothing would bring a big smile on Pastor Chuck’s face faster than hearing God stories. He loved Jesus and would always stop to enjoy hearing what He was doing or had done.

It took 40+ years, but I finally passed the Jesus and Pastor Chuck servanthood test (“If you want to be great in God’s kingdom, you must be the servant of all.”) It happened while ushering during a recent CCCM Sunday service. It meant the mopping up of a really disgusting bathroom stall that would do Jesus, Pastor Chuck, and janitor/CC pastor Rich Chaffin proud!