Olive Branch Calvary Chapel gathering to glorify God “...that in all things god may be glorified” - 1 Peter 4:11
 
As Pastor of Olive Branch Calvary Chapel I welcome you to our website. It is my desire that this brief bio will help you to know me a bit as I share a little about myself.    I was born in 1956 in East Los Angeles as the second of eight children to loving parents. I count it as a great blessing to have grown up in a large family of eight children. I was raised as a Catholic, knowing of God, Jesus Christ and the Holy Ghost, but it never led me to seek the Lord in a personal way.      During my teens my family moved to Whittier. It was at that time that I also met my wife Lorraine at a dance. We married in 1976 and it was not long before our family began to grow. We have six children and nine grandchildren. In 1987 we moved to our current home in La Mirada. We are blessed to have our children and grandchildren all living within a few minutes from us.    It was in 1979 that our lives changed forever and life took on a whole different meaning. My mom became a born again Christian and began to host Bible Studies in my parents’ home. She insisted that her children attend, and there was no way I would say NO to my mother, who we called “The General.” It was while attending those Bible Studies that Lorraine and I learned that we were sinners who were in need of a Savior, Jesus Christ. However, there was still that thought in my mind that I was a “good person” and by being a “good person” it would get me into heaven. Oh, how wrong I was!   I thought about this over and over until one night, while working graveyard for a trucking company that I gave my life to Jesus. It was one beautiful night, with clear sky stars twinkling in the crisp clean air. I was out in the yard moving equipment. I looked up and could not resist the Holy Spirit tugging at my heart. I dropped to my knees, confessed I was a sinner, repented of my sins, and turned toward Jesus asking Him to come into my heart. At that moment I experienced the cleansing and peace of God upon me that brought a huge smile to my face. When I walked back up on the loading dock some of my co-workers asked what happened to me, asking “Why are you so happy?” I let them know that I had just asked Jesus into my life.    As I continued attending those Bible Studies I began to grow in my understanding of God’s Word and began attending a Bible teaching church. In the years to follow I would find myself sometimes putting down my Bible, more concerned with the things of the world and that led me to turn away from the Lord, which was not a good place to be. I experienced ups and downs but the time had come for me to get serious with my commitment to Jesus. It was at a Men’s Retreat in 1989 that I rededicated my life to the Lord. It wasn’t long before I again began to soak up God’s Word that would also lead me to get more involved in church.    It was in 1996 while attending Olive Branch that the Lord began to move my heart to be more involved in church. I had previously enjoyed time serving in various ministries including Children’s Ministry and Marriage Ministry, but now the Lord was moving me to become a church elder, a spiritual leader in the church. As I continued to mature in the Lord it was in 1999 that I became the Assistant Pastor of Olive Branch that would eventually lead for me to become Senior Pastor in 2001.    Ministry certainly has its challenges but those are outweighed by the many blessings. It is my prayer that we all continue to grow in the knowledge and wisdom of our Lord Jesus Christ, and that we willingly surrender fully to the influence of the Holy Spirit in our lives. There is no other way for a Christian to live! Our desire at Olive Branch is “...that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ” (1 Peter 4:11).   May our Lord Jesus Christ bless you richly in all knowledge and wisdom. To God be the glory, Amen!     Blessings, Pastor Dicky & Lorraine