About

Meet Our Pastor

Then He said to His disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore pray earnestly to the LORD of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.”

– Matthew 9:37-38

Pastor Rick Ponzo

Pastor Rick Ponzo was born in Queens, New York, and lived on Long Island until 1975 when his parents bought some land in Fountain Hills, and they moved to Tempe, Arizona. After high school, Rick spent a couple of years traveling the United States. One year before joining the US Navy, a friend shared the Gospel with Rick and led him to the Lord. Little did Rick know that God had big plans for him during his service in the military. Nine years later Rick was deployed during Gulf War as a Hovercraft Navigator. Rick asked the ship’s captain if there was a place to hold a nightly Bible study, and the captain allowed him to use the ship’s library every night for ten months. It was during this time that God prepared Rick for what He had in store for him years down the road.

In 1996, Rick met Cheryl while attending a church in San Diego, California. They married the next year and started attending Maranatha Chapel in Rancho Bernardo, where Cheryl was on staff. The Lord stirred Rick’s heart again, calling him to be a leader of a men’s Bible study group.

In 2004, Rick and Cheryl relocated to Queen Creek, Arizona. While Rick worked from home, his wife joined the staff of a new church plant—Calvary Queen Creek. It was during this time that the Lord moved in Rick’s heart to lead a variety of ministries, including the young marrieds’ ministry, the usher and greeter ministry, the finance ministry and the men’s ministry.

In 2007, God put it on the hearts of Rick and Cheryl to plant a new Calvary Chapel. Over the next 4 years, they prayed fervently for God’s directions and the means to move forward. With the blessing of Pastor Jim Remington—the senior pastor of Calvary Queen Creek—Pastor Rick and his wife Cheryl established Calvary Chapel Fountain Hills in 2011 and services began meeting in a local elementary school.

In early 2017, God opened the door to move Calvary Chapel Fountain Hills into its current location on the corner of Parkview and Verde River Drive, just one block west of Fountain Park.

Pastor Rick and his wife Cheryl are excited and blessed to be serving the Lord in the Town of Fountain Hills. It is their heart’s desire to spread the Gospel throughout Fountain Hills and the surrounding areas…as well as to the farthest reaches of the world.

Just as with Pastor Chuck Smith—who at the direction of the Lord founded Calvary Chapel in Costa Mesa, California … and lovingly reached those God put in his path with the Truth as written in the Bible—Pastor Rick continues to teach the message of Christ Jesus to all who have ears to hear what the Lord wants to say.

We hope you will join us at our 10am service on Sundays at Calvary Chapel Fountain Hills. Whether you are single, married and/or have children in tow, we have a place for you. We look forward to meeting you!