In 1965 Pastor Chuck Smith started his ministry at Calvary Chapel Costa Mesa. Beginning with a mere 25 people, he saw God bless his simple, yet consistent style of teaching straight through the Bible.

Today Calvary Chapel draws over 10,000 attendees weekly. With a genuine heart for the lost, Pastor Chuck made room in his ministry for a generation of hippies, surfers, and drug addicts. This generated a stirring of the Holy Spirit, which spread from the California coast to the Atlantic and beyond. This movement was instrumental in bringing thousands of young people to Jesus Christ during the 60s and 70s in what was known as the Jesus People Movement.