An Interview with Pastor Jeff Smith
I had a pleasant interview with Jeff Smith, the pastor of Cottage Grove's Calvary Chapel Church, about the beginning of his career as a pastor, the evolution of the Calvary Chapel in Cottage Grove and about the construction project. He treated each question as an interesting topic for discussion, so he answered each of the questions very much like a story. I broke the interview into parts so that you can hear Pastor Jeff tell each individual story with your own ears.
Zero to Hero
Pastor Jeff starts the interview with how he first began to pursue his career of being a pastor. And he was able to do it without any formal training!
From Building to Building
In this story, Pastor Jeff explains how he initially got to Cottage Grove and the evolution of the Cottage Grove Calvary Chapel. He also tells the story of how he was able to acquire a new building for the church.
Here to Tell You Good News
When I first came to the Calvary Chapel, there weren't any folded programs to follow, we didn't have to stand up and sit down and read what the pages say. We weren't yelled at or condemned. The Calvary Chapel has a very unique format of services. The first thing we did was sing our praise (with contemporary music) and then read and interpret the very words from the Bible. Pastor Jeff explains where the format originated.
Come As You Are
Another thing I noticed when I was worshipping at the Calvary Chapel was that it is a very laid back environment and everyone seems to know everyone as if they grew up with each other. There was a strong sense of positive community and I didn't even feel like I had to arrive in my "Sunday best."
Mishaps and Blessings
Pastor Jeff goes over the minor mishaps and much needed blessings in regards to the construction project.
The Final Countdown
Down to the nitty-gritties...Jeff explains the last few installations to finish the new Calvary Chapel Church and how it has brought the community even closer with updates of the progress.