Calvary Chapel: Celebrating 40 Years of the Goodness of God
“For the Lord your God has blessed you in all the work of your hands. He knows your going through this great wilderness. These forty years the Lord your God has been with you. You have lacked nothing.” – Deuteronomy 2:7
This weekend as a church family we are celebrating our 40th Anniversary as a Church. As we look back, we are reminded that our LORD has been so very very good to us. Because of His goodness, we just can’t help but praise Him and dedicate ourselves to His Service.
King David in the Psalms challenges us to “taste and see that the LORD is good”. Over the last 40 years Calvary Chapel has time and time again tasted and seen that without a shadow of a doubt the LORD is good. This is true for us as a Church family and as individual members of that family.
Looking back, we see God’s goodness in leading our founders, Pastor Lewis and Leah Nelms to start Calvary in August of 1984. We see the goodness of God in providing a space to meet in the Dellwood Manor at the South Shore Country Club. We see His goodness in the church’s early success and in the providing of staff, at first Mark Sweet and later Lou Mancari. Miraculously, in just a short period of time Calvary Chapel was a fully functioning body of believers making a difference on Staten Island. Oh, the Goodness of God.
Shortly after its formation, Calvary Chapel began a second congregation on the North Shore on Sunday evening. In His goodness the LORD provided a place to meet (Filmore St.) and the multiplication of disciples. In wasn’t long before the two congregation were brought to together under one roof by God’s goodness, meeting at Wagner College. But the goodness of God didn’t stop there.
In His goodness the Lord shepherded a smooth transition from Pastor Lewis and Leah Nelms to Pastor Dave and Deb Watson in January of 1990. Not long after that the church was without a place to meet and the LORD in His goodness provided 1055 Richmond Road (St. Simon’s Episcopal Church). For five years. Calvary grew and thrived in that location through the Goodness of God.
Through the years Calvary prayed and prayed for its own facility. In the LORD’s perfect timing and of course in His goodness, after14 years of praying our Good God provided, miraculously, 30 Maple Parkway. It was exactly what we prayed for. Oh, the Goodness of God. God in His goodness provided the funds to pay off the mortgage on 30 Maple Parkway and to secure another piece of property, 26 Mape Parkway.
By the LORD’s goodness we have been so blessed. Looking back, He has allowed us to lead people to Christ, baptize them, disciple them and send them our for Him. As we look over these forty years, we have been privileged to minister and to do missions work here in NYC and to do missions work all over the world, including Cuba. Speaking of Cuba, who could’ve dreamed what God has let us be a part of there. Oh, the Goodness of God.
The goodness of God has allowed us to start a Bible Institute. His goodness has allowed us to reach out to our city via our live radio broadcast, “God in Our City” heard each Sunday. This same goodness from God has enabled us to start a pantry that ministers to our community twice a month, honor teachers, minister to cops and firefighters, provide school supplies, host immigrants, send gospel opportunities in the form of shoe boxes around the world, support missionaries, and do everything and anything we can to reach the world. Oh, the Goodness of God. Through this same goodness we have survived 9-11, pushed through the financial crisis of the late 2000’s and even thrived even through a pandemic.
We could go on and on recounting the LORD’s goodness toward us. But, in closing, here’s the incredible news. The LORD’s not done pouring out His goodness upon us. So, this weekend, as we look back, we also are looking forward to another 40 years of experiencing and celebrating the goodness of God. God, in His goodness, has so much yet for us. Oh, the Goodness of God.
Blessings, Pastor Dave Watson
nycshepherd.com 