History

In August, 1979, a group of twelve men and women met at Frisbee Park in Rialto for a prayer meeting. They met there for a few months when the weather was nice. Gillett Doggett was among these people. After a few weeks of taking turns with the teaching, Gillett was given the responsibility of being the leader.

The small group moved to the YMCA on Riverside Avenue in Rialto for a few months. The group, now numbering about seventy, moved to the Seventh Day Adventist Church on Lilac Avenue. The group was there for five months. Their next move took them to the First Christian Church on Willow and Walnut Avenues. After three months, they moved to Mary B. Lewis Elementary School in Bloomington.

In May of 1981 during their stay at Mary B. Lewis, the group was incorporated by the State of California and was sanctioned by Calvary Chapel of Costa Mesa. Gillett was ordained as Pastor by Pastor R. Denny of Calvary Chapel Chino. Calvary Chapel of Rialto was an official church!

The church was at Mary B. Lewis for four years and grew in size to 125 adults and their children. In October 1985, the church opened an office at the Kramer Center on Foothill and Juniper in Fontana. The church’s next move was in 1986 to the Fontana Performing Arts Center where they adopted Fontana to their title. The church remained in this location for about one year while the building located at our present site began construction. In August of 1987, permission to occupy the building was finally given.

In June of 1990, Gillett was called to plant a church in northern California and Terry Hlebo took the reins of the growing church.

Numerous changes and additions have been made to the building and site since 1990. Parking lots were added in 1993 and 1997. The balcony and classrooms were completed in December 1995. Calvary Cafe has been enjoyed by all since December of 1996. In 2001, we purchased the empty land north of our present site and in 2002, the small house on the northwest corner of our site. We plan to renovate the house to serve as the Youth Center, and ground was broken on May 1, 2004 for our new Sanctuary that will seat 1,500 people for each service. A master plan for our site has been developed that will add additional facilities including a school and recreational building. In May of 2004, we went back to the title of Calvary Chapel Rialto. The New Sanctuary was completed in early 2005 and the Youth Center in November of the same year.

Our church is truly blessed by the Lord. It continues to grow and change. Our prayer is that we remain sensitive to His guiding as He prepares us for the future here at Calvary Chapel Rialto.