Senior Pastor Jim Orate

Jim Orate, Pastor and Founder of Calvary Chapel of Rancho Cucamonga, was born on July 18, 1945 in Orange, California. He and his wife Janice have four children, Jim, Jeremy, Ray and Stephen. Pastor Jim is a Viet Nam veteran, having served with the 1/9 1st. Air Calvary Division as a reconnaissance infantryman.

Pastor Jim gave his life to Jesus Christ in December 1979. At that time, Jim was an elevator constructor and also heavily into the drug culture. Jim loves to share about how the Holy Spirit drew him to Jesus. From that moment to the present, Jim says that his life is always changing for the better. "There is nothing more exciting than being a Christian," remarks Pastor Jim.

Six months after his conversion, Jim actively began to serve the Lord in ministry. His first assignment was to teach the 3rd grade Sunday school class. Eventually he progressed to teaching high school aged kids and after marrying Janice, he began to teach a home bible study which has blossomed into Calvary Chapel of Rancho Cucamonga.