Handout

When I was 17 years old and a senior in high school, I heard for the first time that Jesus loved me, died for me and if I would receive Him, He would give me everlasting life. I said yes, and Jesus changed my life. A few years later I was given an opportunity to teach the Bible for the first time, and from that day, I knew what God had called me to do: teach others the simple truths about Jesus. When I was 23, I was hired as an assisting pastor at Calvary Chapel Costa Mesa where I served in youth ministry until 1998.

I have been pastoring Calvary Chapel Vero Beach since 1998. My heart’s desire for God’s people can be summed up in Paul’s words to the Ephesians: “‘Til we come to the unity of the faith and the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.” I believe that the desire of God and the purpose of the Church is to be a place where we can grow in our relationship with Christ through the study of His Word.

I grew up spiritually apathetic and culturally Catholic. Because of faithful people sharing with me the truth about who Jesus is, I came to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ in 1998 while I was in my last year at Rutgers University in New Brunswick, NJ. After spending a few years touring as a professional upright and electric bass player, I felt called to pastoral ministry. My spiritual leaders confirmed this call, and I was taken on staff at Calvary Chapel Marin under the direction of Pastor John Henry Corcoran in January of 2000.

After being ordained in 2002, I was sent back to the East Coast to plant Calvary Chapel New Brunswick. In November of 2006, I turned over the church to a pastor who I had helped raise up, so I could move back to the San Francisco Bay area and plant more churches.

While I was there, I planted Calvary North Bay in Mill Valley, CA and in 2010 while continuing to pastor Calvary North Bay, I planted Calvary San Francisco. Both churches grew and I helped raise up leadership teams in each of them. I founded the Calvary Church Planting Network, which helps facilitate and support church planters.

In 2012, God blew my mind when he led me to turn over both of those churches and move to the beautiful Pacific Northwest, where I became the Lead Pastor of Crossroads Community Church, which has campuses in Vancouver, WA and Portland, OR. Crossroads was one of the first mega-churches in the Northwest, founded in 1976, and God is still doing an amazing work in Vancouver/Portland area through the Crossroads family of faith.

Dr. Sean McDowell is a gifted communicator with a passion for equipping the church, and in particular young people, to make the case for the Christian faith. He connects with audiences in a tangible way through humor and stories while imparting hard evidence and logical support for viewing all areas of life through a Biblical worldview. Sean is an Associate Professor in the Christian Apologetics program at Talbot School of Theology, Biola University.

Sean still teaches one high school Bible class, which helps give him exceptional insight into the prevailing culture so he can impart his observations poignantly to fellow educators, pastors, and parents alike. In 2008 he received the Educator of the Year award for San Juan Capistrano, California. The Association of Christian Schools International awarded Exemplary Status to his apologetics training. Sean is listed among the top 100 apologists. He graduated summa cum laude from Talbot Theological Seminary with a double master’s degree in Theology and Philosophy. He earned a Ph.D. in Apologetics and Worldview Studies from Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in 2014.

Traveling throughout the United States and abroad, Sean speaks at camps, churches, schools, universities, and conferences. He has spoken for organizations including Focus on the Family, the Chuck Colson Center for Christian Worldview, Cru, Youth Specialties, Hume Lake Christian Camps, Fellowship of Christian Athletes and the Association of Christian Schools International. Sean is the co-host for the Think Biblically podcast, which is one of the most popular podcasts on faith and cultural engagement. Sean's YouTube channel (Dr. Sean McDowell) is one of the top apologetics channels.

Sean is the author, co-author, or editor of over twenty books including Chasing Love, The Fate of the Apostles, So The Next Generation Will Know (with J. Warner Wallace), Evidence that Demands a Verdict (with Josh McDowell), Same-Sex Marriage: A Thoughtful Approach to God’s Design for Marriage (with John Stonestreet), Is God Just a Human Invention? (with Jonathan Morrow) and Understanding Intelligent Design (with William A. Dembski). Sean is the General Editor for A New Kind of Apologist, Apologetics for a New Generation, Sharing the Good News with Mormons, and The Apologetics Study Bible for Students. Sean has one of the leading apologetics blogs, which can be read at seanmcdowell.org.

In April 2000, Sean married his high school sweetheart, Stephanie. They have three children and live in San Juan Capistrano, California. Sean played college basketball at Biola University and was the captain his senior year on a team that went 30-7.

Pastor Gary Hamrick has been in full-time ministry since 1987 when he first served as a youth pastor to high school teens. Then in 1991, he began pastoring Cornerstone Chapel in Leesburg, VA when all 18 charter members asked him to become the first pastor of this new, start-up church. Today, Cornerstone is the church home to several thousand weekly worshipers, and it is Pastor Gary’s desire to equip them through the teaching of God’s Word, relating the truth of the Bible to everyday life in practical, relevant, and often humorous ways.

Gary received Christ as his personal Lord and Savior when he was in high school and soon thereafter wrestled with a “call” into the ministry. He initially denied that calling and instead pursued a communications degree at American University with aspirations of becoming a broadcast journalist. However, after his sophomore year in college, he surrendered to that calling on his life, changed schools, completed a Bachelor of Biblical Studies, and was ordained by Pastor Chuck Smith and the Calvary Chapel Association.

Pastor Gary has been married to Terri since 1987 and they have three grown children (who also serve in ministry) and six grandchildren, with a seventh on the way. Terri volunteers as the Director of Women’s Ministry leading weekly Bible studies and prayer meetings with the women of Cornerstone.

Pastoring in the shadow of the Nation’s Capital has allowed Pastor Gary on different occasions to meet and pray with Cabinet Secretaries, Supreme Court Justices, members of Congress, and the Israeli Ambassador. Pastor Gary is on the Advisory Board for The Museum of the Bible in Washington D.C. He also serves as the Chief Chaplain for the Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office (the largest Sheriff’s Office in Virginia with 600 sworn deputies and 200 civilian personnel). His radio broadcast “Cornerstone Connection” can be heard weekdays across the country in 27 states and the District of Columbia.

Pastor Gary is an avid news “junkie” and enjoys fishing, camping, playing sports, woodworking, umpiring high school baseball, and especially spending time with his family.

Dr. Sean McDowell is a gifted communicator with a passion for equipping the church, and in particular young people, to make the case for the Christian faith. He connects with audiences in a tangible way through humor and stories while imparting hard evidence and logical support for viewing all areas of life through a Biblical worldview. Sean is an Associate Professor in the Christian Apologetics program at Talbot School of Theology, Biola University.

Sean still teaches one high school Bible class, which helps give him exceptional insight into the prevailing culture so he can impart his observations poignantly to fellow educators, pastors, and parents alike. In 2008 he received the Educator of the Year award for San Juan Capistrano, California. The Association of Christian Schools International awarded Exemplary Status to his apologetics training. Sean is listed among the top 100 apologists. He graduated summa cum laude from Talbot Theological Seminary with a double master’s degree in Theology and Philosophy. He earned a Ph.D. in Apologetics and Worldview Studies from Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in 2014.

Traveling throughout the United States and abroad, Sean speaks at camps, churches, schools, universities, and conferences. He has spoken for organizations including Focus on the Family, the Chuck Colson Center for Christian Worldview, Cru, Youth Specialties, Hume Lake Christian Camps, Fellowship of Christian Athletes and the Association of Christian Schools International. Sean is the co-host for the Think Biblically podcast, which is one of the most popular podcasts on faith and cultural engagement. Sean's YouTube channel (Dr. Sean McDowell) is one of the top apologetics channels.

Sean is the author, co-author, or editor of over twenty books including Chasing Love, The Fate of the Apostles, So The Next Generation Will Know (with J. Warner Wallace), Evidence that Demands a Verdict (with Josh McDowell), Same-Sex Marriage: A Thoughtful Approach to God’s Design for Marriage (with John Stonestreet), Is God Just a Human Invention? (with Jonathan Morrow) and Understanding Intelligent Design (with William A. Dembski). Sean is the General Editor for A New Kind of Apologist, Apologetics for a New Generation, Sharing the Good News with Mormons, and The Apologetics Study Bible for Students. Sean has one of the leading apologetics blogs, which can be read at seanmcdowell.org.

In April 2000, Sean married his high school sweetheart, Stephanie. They have three children and live in San Juan Capistrano, California. Sean played college basketball at Biola University and was the captain his senior year on a team that went 30-7.

Dr. Sean McDowell is a gifted communicator with a passion for equipping the church, and in particular young people, to make the case for the Christian faith. He connects with audiences in a tangible way through humor and stories while imparting hard evidence and logical support for viewing all areas of life through a Biblical worldview. Sean is an Associate Professor in the Christian Apologetics program at Talbot School of Theology, Biola University.

Sean still teaches one high school Bible class, which helps give him exceptional insight into the prevailing culture so he can impart his observations poignantly to fellow educators, pastors, and parents alike. In 2008 he received the Educator of the Year award for San Juan Capistrano, California. The Association of Christian Schools International awarded Exemplary Status to his apologetics training. Sean is listed among the top 100 apologists. He graduated summa cum laude from Talbot Theological Seminary with a double master’s degree in Theology and Philosophy. He earned a Ph.D. in Apologetics and Worldview Studies from Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in 2014.

Traveling throughout the United States and abroad, Sean speaks at camps, churches, schools, universities, and conferences. He has spoken for organizations including Focus on the Family, the Chuck Colson Center for Christian Worldview, Cru, Youth Specialties, Hume Lake Christian Camps, Fellowship of Christian Athletes and the Association of Christian Schools International. Sean is the co-host for the Think Biblically podcast, which is one of the most popular podcasts on faith and cultural engagement. Sean's YouTube channel (Dr. Sean McDowell) is one of the top apologetics channels.

Sean is the author, co-author, or editor of over twenty books including Chasing Love, The Fate of the Apostles, So The Next Generation Will Know (with J. Warner Wallace), Evidence that Demands a Verdict (with Josh McDowell), Same-Sex Marriage: A Thoughtful Approach to God’s Design for Marriage (with John Stonestreet), Is God Just a Human Invention? (with Jonathan Morrow) and Understanding Intelligent Design (with William A. Dembski). Sean is the General Editor for A New Kind of Apologist, Apologetics for a New Generation, Sharing the Good News with Mormons, and The Apologetics Study Bible for Students. Sean has one of the leading apologetics blogs, which can be read at seanmcdowell.org.

In April 2000, Sean married his high school sweetheart, Stephanie. They have three children and live in San Juan Capistrano, California. Sean played college basketball at Biola University and was the captain his senior year on a team that went 30-7.

Robert is committed to the study of the Word and maintaining a close walk with God as he serves and shepherds the Calvary Tucson church. In early childhood, Robert had aspirations to become a pastor. This desire was either the product of his love for God or his perception that pastors worked only one day a week (he was to be in for somewhat of a rude awakening!).

When a youth leader challenged his faith in Christ, Robert received Jesus and became born again. Near the end of High School, Robert’s faith was shaken when his pastor and his long-time mentor were both caught in adulterous affairs.

After a year of trying to live his own way, he returned to the church and recommitted his life to Christ. It was after this recommitment that a vibrant, passionate new believer named Lisa caught his eye. They were soon married. Together they attended Calvary Albuquerque, where Robert began to serve as a youth pastor.

In 1985 Robert and Lisa moved with their young daughter to Tucson, Arizona, to teach a small Bible study. The church immediately began to thrive, and Calvary Tucson continues to grow today. Lisa Furrow was a driving force behind many ministries at Calvary Tucson. In addition to leading the Women’s Ministry, she and Robert together cast the vision for the Practical Christian Living Foundation raising thousands to build wells for fresh water in Asia, aiding an orphanage in Mexico, and helping the chronically ill in Tucson, etc.

After almost 30 years of marriage and a 1-year battle with stage 4 lung cancer, Robert said goodbye as Lisa left this world and entered into heaven on December 15, 2012. Her ministries continue today, and Lisa’s Blog continues to encourage and inspire more people.

After this dark time in his life, Robert was blessed to find a light in Kathy, and they married in the spring of 2015. Robert and Kathy could not be happier with the life God has given them, enjoying a new and fruitful season with hopes to reach the city of Tucson more than ever before.