The first pastor was Jeff Richards from New Jersey who pastored for four months. During this time there were approximately 50 people in the congregation.  There was a board of elders with Harold Hansen acting as chairman.  The elders were Fran McCarran, Neel Linker, Art Thibeault and Eldon Loberger.  Bunny Linker served as deaconess and greeter.The Church wanted to be active in missions, so the first missionary couple the church supported was John and Rhonda Strawser with JAARS, who served in Indonesia. 

      Charles Warren from Michigan came in 1987 and stayed for one year.  After Charles Warren’s resignation in 1988, attendance dropped to about eight families. A congregational meeting was called to officially close the church.  Two young couples gave testimony at the meeting stating that the church meant a lot to them and how much they had been helped.  Seeing by their testimony that the Lord had been moving in spite of the small numbers, the leaders decided not to close the church.

      Bill Knudsen, a retired E. Free pastor from Charlotte, came to fill the pulpit. Sometimes he would be preaching to as few as eight people, but the church hung on.  Bill remained for 2 years as interim, and all the while encouraging the leaders to call a pastor.

    In 1991, the Lord brought Bobby Gandy to the church, and he answered the call to fill the pulpit as pastor.  Bobby was a vital stepping-stone to the life of the church as the Lord used him to move the body into a much needed larger facility (the Denver Equipment Company on Hwy 21 across from the Mooresville golf course), and to ready the church to begin moving independently.  He introduced longer services, instead of the traditional Sunday school, and a worship time of praise songs. At this time the church‘s name was changed to Calvary Community Church.  Bobby remained with Calvary until 1993, and the Lord moved him on.

     The leadership, which now included Chuck Moore, invited Byron Wicker, friend of Chuck’s, from their days living at the Lamb’s Chapel to fill the pulpit for 3 months.  Byron was co-pastoring, with Robin McMillan (who’s now at Morningstar), Cornerstone Church in Charlotte.  He answered the call and in 1994 became the pastor of Calvary.  A year later the church received its charter as an independent church.

     Jim Hill, a long-time friend, missionary to Paraguay, and the founder of His Heart Missions was asked to come on board as associate pastor.  He came in 1997 to fill that position.  Chuck and Janet Moore, Byron and Becky Wicker, and Jim and Cathy Hill were among many others at Calvary that had lived and worshiped together in a Christian community/church in the late 1970s and 80s in Charlotte.  This community was led by Harry Bizzell and occupied a site where the former Charlotte Coliseum was later constructed.  Arthur Burt, a Welsh itinerant minister with spiritual “roots” dating back to the Welsh Revival of 1904, spent much time ministering to the folks at the Lamb’s Chapel and is considered to be a “spiritual father/mentor” to many of those from the outpouring of God at the Chapel.  Today, many others from the Lamb’s Chapel, through their close, long-term relationships and shared experiences in a move of God, currently make-up a core part of our church.  Some others of these are Don and Linda Gheen, Charlie and LouAnn Wallace, Donna Culler, and many of their children and grandchildren.  For about 5 years, God poured out a significant measure of revival on these folks at the Lamb’s Chapel that still shape many of the visions and values we possess today.  

      Calvary Community Church acquired seven acres of land off Highway 21 or Old Charlotte Highway on which to build a church building.   In 1998, while the land was being cleared and the church was being built, the body moved into another rental facility, the former Four Square Church on Parker Ave.   While there, Janet Moore’s vision for a Christian school was realized as Mooresville Christian Academy began as a ministry of the church.  The Academy opened as a K-12 school with only 13 students (http://riverlifefellowship.com/schools/mca/).  

     Calvary grew to “bursting at the seams” while in the small building at Parker Avenue as God poured out His Spirit again, particularly on teenagers.  Matthew Bollinger, a teacher and soccer coach at Mooresville High School, came on board as youth pastor in 1999. 

     Finally, the new facility for Calvary Community Church was completed and the first service took place in February 2000.  There were approximately 200 people in the body.  To help move some of Mooresville Christian Academy to our new site, construction began on a building for the elementary school.  In 2002, the building for MCA’s elementary school, as well as a new home for a growing youth ministry, was opened for ministry.  

    By 2003, Associate Pastor Jim Hill’s mission organization, His Heart Missions (http://hisheartmissions.org/), had grown so fast that Jim resigned as associate pastor at Calvary in order to pursue expanding the ministry at HHM.  

    Calvary Community Church continued to grow and prosper.  In 2004, the Lord said to Byron, “The road for Calvary Community Church has ended.”  God proceeded to show him the biblical precedence for the Lord changing a person’s name.  The new name, River Life Fellowship, came from Psalm 46:4:  “There is a river whose streams make glad the city of our God, the holy place where the Most High dwells.”  The new name fits as the people in the body are as streams who come together and flow as a river in the power of the Holy Spirit.

     Church growth necessitated having more leaders over various areas of the church.  In 2005, Matthew Bollinger transitioned out of youth ministry into the role of associate pastor.  Marlin Mogusu took over as youth pastor, while Andy Squyres, a long-time worship leader in the church, was ordained as worship pastor.  Also, Tony Baker was officially ordained as children’s pastor.  

      In January 2006, River Life began holding two Sunday services at 9 and 11 am.  As growth continued, two services helped to facilitate this growth and added a new dynamic that has benefitted the church greatly.  

     October 2006, brought a major milestone in the history of our church which changed everything and continues to positively affect everything we do and everything the Lord has called us to pursue.  Our women’s ministry set out on their annual weekend fall mountain retreat.  As they pursued the presence of God, the river (see Rev. 22:1-2) of His Spirit completely overtook all 60+ women in attendance that weekend.  They spent a majority of the weekend on the floor of their meeting room weeping, laughing, shouting and being swept up in the presence of the King.  As word of this outpouring spread home to Byron and the church leaders, we began to proclaim, “Lord, let it come home with them and touch all of us this Sunday!”  Sure enough, that one Sunday in October was the day when everything changed, spiritually.  Many had visions of the literal spirit river flowing through our church, while others experienced an intense spiritual, physical and emotional encounter with the Holy Spirit.  In the weeks and months following, God began to perform amazing miracles and healings.  A prophetic stream of the river was also released as a part of this move of the Lord in our church.  

      At that time, when we gathered as a church, a breakthrough anointing operated so powerfully that we decided to begin holding a mid-week “breakthrough meeting” on Wednesdays.  We had never had a mid-week meeting before, but to this day it has consistently provided a weekly time of “soaking” in God’s presence which we’ve seen spill over into our Sunday services and other ministries of the church.  

       In January, 2007, Byron and Becky attended a pastor’s conference at Toronto Airport Christian Fellowship.  Byron had a major encounter with the Lord there in which he received a new vision for the future of our church – The Father’s House  (http://riverlifefellowship.com/fathers-house/). The Father’s House (see John 14:1) will house River Life Fellowship as the core of the ministry, but will also contain many other facets of ministry, including a K-12 school, ministry school, bungalows for missionaries or pastors, offices for like-minded ministries in the community, a possible home for children, athletic fields and sports ministry, and much more.  As the Lord continues to pour out his Glory in increased measure on the earth, we desire to build a home for His habitation where everyone is welcome to come encounter the all-powerful LOVE of their Father.