About Us

OUR
MISSION
STATEMENT

At Calvary Chapel, the aim of our ministry is to equip, care for and serve, and to bring to maturity in Christ, those whom God has entrusted to us.

It is our desire to know Him and to make Him known. Our prayer is that men and women from all walks of life might see the Lord clearly and vividly in all we do, come to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ, and to learn the richness and joy of a life lived out by His grace and power through faith in Him.

Statement of Faith

What We Believe

We are a non-denominational church, believing in all the fundamental doctrines of Evangelical Christianity.
We believe that the only true basis of Christian fellowship is His (agape) love, which is greater than any differences we possess and without which we have no right to claim ourselves as Christians.
We believe the Bible to be the inspired, the only infallible and inerrant Word of God.
We believe in worshiping God in spirit and in truth. Therefore, we remain flexible and yielded to the leading of the Holy Spirit to direct our worship.
We believe in the deity of our Lord Jesus Christ, in His virgin birth, His sinless life, His vicarious and atoning death, His bodily resurrection, in His ascension to the right hand of the Father, and in His personal return in power and glory.
We believe in the gifts of the Holy Spirit and that they are valid for today, provided they are exercised in love to the edification of the church; according to the guidelines established by Scripture.
We believe there is one God eternally existent in three distinct persons, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
We believe in making no racial distinction concerning an individual’s race or ethnic background, acknowledging there is no preferential treatment with God.
We believe in the absolute necessity of regeneration by the Holy Spirit for salvation because of the exceeding sinfulness of human nature; that men are justified only by God’s grace received by faith through the shed blood of Christ.
Our supreme desire is to know Christ and to be conformed into His image by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Our Pastors

Michael Torres

Senior Pastor

Michael was born in Downey, California  and grew up in the Norwalk/Santa Fe Springs area. Though he was raised in the Catholic religion, at the age of 9, his mother was invited to Calvary Chapel Downey where he heard the Gospel for the first time.  Although they did not continue to attend the church, the seed that was planted  would one day bear fruit.
          With his father out of the picture for years at a time, Michael  "grew up fast", being the man of the house at a very young age.  In his effort to find fulfillment and direction in life, he did well in school  hoping one day to be successful in the secular world.  He also sought satisfaction in women, which led him to become a father at an early age.
        Despite some success on the job, his relationship with his son's mother broken and guilt over his past relationships eating away at him.  A friend invited him back to church where once again the Gospel was presented.  Remembering the things he once heard and recognizing his need for forgiveness, Michael cried out to God in repentance.
        It wasn't long after his conversion that he began serving in the church.  His commitment to read the New Testament in a year and faithfulness to attend church brought rapid growth to his spiritual life.  Soon he began teaching in the Children's Ministry, learning and running the sound board and even got involved in one of the church's worship teams.  Eventually, he began attending Calvary Chapel Bible College - Golden Springs where the Lord would continue the work He had begun.
        In His mercy, God restored the relationship Michael had broken with his son's mother whom he has now been married to for over 30 years.  Together, Michael and Novella have four children: Michael, Jonathon, Viyonna & Naelynn and six grandchildren: 4 granddaughters and two grandsons.

Lito Lucena

Assistant Pastor

Lito spent the early days of his childhood in the Philippines.  As part of the country’s culture he was raised going to Catholic Church and  Catholic school; being groomed to be an altar boy. Deep inside he  sensed that there was much more than just being part of a religious  system.  At the age of 13 Lito came to the United States, residing in  Cerritos, California.  The feeling of incompleteness intensely grew.
         Lito quickly adjusted to the fast pace California lifestyle. He soon found himself involved in wild parties, clubs & punk rock scenes; only a temporary satisfaction that didn’t last.   In the early 80’s his best  friend began to share with him about the love of God.  This “party” lifestyle continued for Lito through high school and well into college. Through it all, he could never shake what had been shared with him by his high school friend.  As the seed of God’s word grew in him, Lito came to a point in his life where he could no longer deny his empty existence.  He finally gave his life to Jesus on a park bench at Cerritos College.
        By God’s amazing grace Lito talents were quickly used in ministry.  As a self taught musician, Lito has used this God given talent to lead the body in worship.  Lito and his wife Melissa also head the college ministry, EXP.  He challenges these young adults to know the Word of God by taking them through in depth studies of the Bible. His prayer is that they will serve God with their lives and not stumble down the same road he did. 

Tony Alaniz

Spanish Pastor

Tony was born in Valparaiso, Zacatecas, México where from an  early age he was brought up in Catholicism and encouraged to hate  others beliefs that was not Catholicism. Near his house was a Christian church and when they were having their services Tony would throw  rocks to their roof to distract them from their service.
           At the age of 17, Tony immigrated to the United States where he  continued practicing this religion and praying the rosary every night. While working in construction, he met the woman who is now  his wife. She asked him if he believed in God, he announced that he  was Catholic and she told him she was a Christian. She invited him to church on Sunday, and he said yes, if you come with me to the Catholic Church next Sunday and she said yes.
        After a while they fell in love and got married. Once married, Tony told his wife that he was Catholic and Catholic he was going to die and announced they would only be going to the Catholic Church, but she used wisdom and asked to continue visiting both churches for a while longer. In the Catholic Church they would read the day's program. In the Christian Church they would read the Bible (Isaiah 55:10-11). She did not force Tony nor harassed him by telling him you have to accept Christ; instead she let the word of God do its job as it is written (1 Corinthians 7:13-14) In December 1988, Tony gave his life to Jesus Christ and invited him into his heart as his Lord and Savior. He served in a Baptist Church for 13 years and in April 2002 he and his family began attending Calvary Chapel. From 2006-2008 he attended the School of Ministry at Calvary Chapel Costa Mesa where God prepared him and he now pastors the Spanish Ministry at Calvary Chapel Into The Light. Tony and his wife have four daughters, Elizabeth, Verónica, Rebecca and Natalie.