Tony grew up in the steel mill town of Gary, Indiana.
From the time he was a child until he became a young
adult, Tony made weekly pilgrimages to Sunday morning
church service. It was during this time that the “seeds”
of the Gospel of Jesus Christ were planted in his heart.
Though these “seeds” were planted, it would be
several years before they'd begin to take root and mature.In
high school, Tony excelled both academically and
athletically. After graduation, he was offered an
academic scholarship to Indiana State University and a
baseball scholarship to Southern Louisiana State. Because
he wanted to be near his high school sweetheart, Tony
chose the academic scholarship to Indiana State. His goal
was to earn a degree in electronics. Although Tony made
plans for adulthood, the Lord had something else in mind.
Through a series of events, Tony decided to forfeit his
scholarship to join the United States Marine Corps. After
completing boot camp, Tony and his high school sweetheart
Jenise exchanged wedding vows.
Three months after getting married, Tony received orders
to Okinawa, Japan to serve a one year, unaccompanied tour.
Almost immediately, the Lord would radically change his
life. After being in Japan three days, a buddy invited
Tony to church. At that church service, Tony committed
his life to Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior.
After completing his tour in Japan, Tony was stationed at
Camp Pendleton in Oceanside, California. In time, Tony
would be led to Calvary Chapel of Vista. After observing
Tony’s faithfulness and desire to teach God's Word,
Pastor Brian Broderson gave him the opportunity to join
the staff of CC Vista. Tony would gain experience working
with the College & Career Group, in the Children’s
Ministry and
as the High School Pastor.
After serving at CC Vista for three years, Tony’s
heart began to stir in the area of pastoring a church.
But were would the church be? After considering various
possibilities, Tony accepted an invitation to visit the
state of Virginia. Within four months of his initial
visit, Tony, Jenise and their three children, Erin, Tony
Jr. & Eric would relocate to start Calvary Chapel of
Newport News.
Tony’s heart’s desire has been to spread the
gospel of Jesus Christ. He longs to see people have a
fruitful walk with the Lord. It's not simply about
knowing about Jesus, but people having a committed
relationship with Him. The Lord has done a tremendous
work in this fellowship. Tony continues to stress the
importance of diving into the Word and prayer, all for
the purpose of knowing Jesus better today than you did
yesterday!
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