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Meet Living Waters Fellowship Pastor Gary Boggs

Pastor Gary Boggs of Living Waters Fellowship has been apart of the Coronado church community for many years. In his own words, “I was born and raised in a small town east of Los Angeles, Azusa, California in 1948. When I was fifteen, my folks moved the family to Escondido. I graduated from Escondido High School in 1966.”

Even though he is working in the church now, he says, “Growing up, I never had any idea that I would ever become a Pastor! In fact I was forty-eight years old when, after twenty-five years in the construction business, I heard the call from the Lord and began to attend Bible College at Calvary Chapel Bible College in Murrieta, California. Even going to Bible school I didn't realize that I would one day actually become a Pastor. My wife Penny and I thought we were simply going to go do missionary work in Mexico so I should probably have some proper training before heading to the field. I was ordained on May 7, 2000 before I graduated from school, which took place a year later in May of 2001. I had continued to work my construction business the whole time while going to school at night.”

Pastor Boggs in front of Living Waters Fellowship, located on 1224 10th Street

Pastor Boggs’s Coronado history began sixteen years ago. He says, “Penny and I came to Coronado in 1996 and began to attend Living Waters Calvary Chapel thinking we would only be here for a short time until we left for the mission field. The rest, as they say is history, and we never left. I took over as the senior Pastor here in Nov. 2002 when our founding Pastor Leon Shearer and his wife Teresa returned to their first love, the mission field. I had no clue that things would turn out that way. I guess you could say that I didn't make the decision to become a pastor, God made it for me. I just followed His lead.”

Although Coronado is a small community, Pastor Boggs keeps a busy schedule. He says, “Six days a week I'm at the church for at least part of the day. I still maintain my California Contractor's License and work doing home improvement projects and referral work. I teach three different Bible studies during the week and preach on Sundays. Our Church is a part of the Calvary Chapel outreach fellowship that has probably 2,000 churches, large and small all over the world. Our church consists of 60-70 adults and a double handful of kids from babies to teens. We have men’s, women's and combined group studies. We have a home group that meets in a private home in Strand Navy housing. We have youth and children’s church as well as nursery and child care on Sundays. Our church is not the ‘average’ kind of church. Calvary Chapel is a Non-Denominational church that emphasizes teaching and preaching the Bible plainly and simply. We are housed in the El Dorado office building at 1224 10th St. where we have been for ten years now. The church has actually been incorporated for almost twenty-five years here in Coronado.

“Coronado is an interesting place to minister in, partly because of the Navy population. Only about ten to twelve percent of the civilian population is spread between every major Denomination within God's Church here in our town. In a day and age when so many people don't pay much attention to a relationship with the Lord, the immediate spiritual need is for people to turn back to the principles that our great nation was founded on, principles that come from an honest relation to our Creator God.”

Concerning his favorite Bible passage, Pastor Boggs says, “It’s hard to choose, but my favorite passage from the Bible is Timothy 3:16-17 ‘All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.’ God's Word is so important for our lives if we honestly would live it out we would have far fewer problems today.”

Pastor Boggs also says his favorite part about being a Pastor is, “seeing the Lord touch people's hearts and truly change their lives, and conforming them into images of His Son Jesus Christ!”

In his spare time, Pastor Boggs can be found on his boat Oh! Penelope II, which, as he says, is a “genuine term of endearment for my wonderful wife!” He also enjoys, “seeing our children and grandchildren being on and near the water and spending time with our two year old English Springer Spaniel, Lucee!”