Calvary Chapel of San Antonio sits on Pat Booker Road in Universal City, the small suburb just northeast of San Antonio where Randolph Field and the old World War II training bases have given way to strip malls and church buildings. For more than three decades the same pastor has stood at the same table and opened the same book, working through it in the same way: one chapter, then the next, then the next. The phrase printed across the calendars and bulletin covers the church prints most weeks is "Just be with Jesus." The teaching is the church.
A Week of Verse by Verse
From Sunday morning through Saturday night, the building on Pat Booker Road is rarely quiet for long. Three Sunday services at 8:30, 10:15, and 11:59 AM give senior pastor Ron Arbaugh three chances in a row to walk through the book of Revelation, one or two chapters at a time. A Spanish service follows at 5:00 PM in the same sanctuary, taught verse by verse by Pastor Ed Rodriguez.
Monday at 7:00 PM splits the building three ways. Women gather for a study called Hidden Treasures - currently working through Hebrews under Paula Arbaugh. Men meet in the sanctuary for worship and then move into a classroom with Pastor Ken Cruzado for a verse-by-verse walk through Genesis. Junior high and high school students head off to the youth room with Pastors Chris Sanchez and Matthew Macasadia. Child care is provided for both adult classes.
Wednesday at 7:00 PM is the midweek Old Testament service, where Pastor Ron has been working steadily through the Psalms - one Psalm to a few at a time, depending on length. Friday at 7:00 PM runs two New Testament tracks in parallel: Pastor Ron in 1 Corinthians and Pastor Ken in the Gospel of John.
Saturdays are quieter but not empty. A men's Bible study taught by Pastor Alfredo Aguilar meets at 8:00 AM on the first and third Saturdays of each month. At 9:30 AM the corporate prayer meeting begins, led by Pastor Ron and Paula. Once a month on the final Saturday, Spanish prayer, worship, and fellowship gather at 5:30 PM under Pastor Ed and Tish Rodriguez. On many Saturdays, the Street Witnessing team meets at the church at 6:00 PM and walks to the Alamo for an evening of open-air gospel conversation.
Children's Church runs in step with every Sunday morning service and is open for any child under the age of 11. Parents are welcome to drop their child off or to sit together as a family in the back of the sanctuary.
The Man Who Waited Forty Years
Ron Arbaugh grew up in Southern California in the late 1960s and early 1970s, married his wife Paula in September of 1972, and spent the next twenty-one years selling cars and eventually becoming a partial owner of a Nissan dealership in Ontario. He did not come to faith easily. After his grandmother and mother - both believers - died in 1988, Ron's life imploded in stages. A gambling habit cost him his business. His family was evicted from their home during his youngest son's senior year of high school.
On February 17, 1991, on a public street in Upland, California, he fell to his knees. He describes it as the moment the power of the Holy Spirit simply dropped him, unwilling to walk even one more block from a home he had never been able to admit he needed. His wife, Paula, had been praying for him for thirteen years.
Three years later, on March 4, 1994, Ron says the Lord spoke to him and said, "Begin to pray for the people of San Antonio." The family had never been to Texas, never wanted to go to Texas, and knew no one there. After graduating from Calvary Chapel Bible College, Ron and Paula loaded up their fourteen-year-old dog, Moto, in a one-dollar truck and drove south. The first home Bible study happened on May 31, 1995. The rest is the slow growth of a South Texas congregation that, as Pastor Ron puts it, has "responded to simple, verse-by-verse Bible teaching by falling more in love with Jesus every day."
The Spanish Service on Sunday Evening
At 5:00 PM each Sunday the English services end and a Spanish one begins. The same verse-by-verse approach carries over: Pastor Ed Rodriguez works through a book of the Bible a passage at a time, and headsets are available at the sound booth for English speakers who want to follow the translation. For those who arrive earlier in the day, Spanish interpretation runs at the third English service and Mandarin interpretation runs at the first. Spanish audio from the 5:00 PM service is recorded and published online afterward. A monthly Spanish prayer meeting rounds out the Spanish ministry on the last Saturday of each month.
Calvary Chapel Christian Academy, K Through 12
Inside the same Universal City building that holds the church, a K-12 school has been running since the year 2000. Calvary Chapel Christian Academy - CCCA - is a ministry of the church and a private, non-profit, co-educational school that calls itself academically rigorous and evangelistic, with daily chapel and Bible taught as a separate course in every grade. The school does not seek outside accreditation by design, having chosen to remain open rather than narrow its student body.
The schedule is a full school day, beginning with chapel at 8:00 AM and rotating through eight forty-five-minute periods before dismissal. Graduation requires thirty-one and a half credits - four each in English, math, science, foreign language, and Bible, plus history, government, economics, physical education, and electives. The school's most recent graduating class included students headed to the University of Southern California, Texas A&M, Baylor, the University of Kansas, Southern Methodist, UT-San Antonio, St. Mary's, LeTourneau, Schreiner, Texas Lutheran, Wayland Baptist, Pensacola Christian, and Calvary Chapel Bible College.
The student body numbers about 131 across K-12, with seventy in the lower school, twenty-three in junior high grades 7 through 8, and thirty-eight in grades 9 through 12. Fourteen full-time teachers carry the load, and the principal today is Pastor Mathew Marquez. Many of the teachers are themselves products of either the school or the church, and many of their students have gone on to teach in or lead ministries back at CCSA. Pastor Alfredo Aguilar teaches junior high Bible and Latin. Sarah Doyle teaches Algebra 2. Mark Slagle has been the fourth grade teacher and vice principal since 2001.
Malta Medical: A Free Clinic in the Same Strip Mall
A few doors down from the church, in Suite 135 of the same Pat Booker Road address, the church runs a free primary-care medical clinic. Malta Medical was started in 2013 by Dr. Peter Paily, a physician who had moved to San Antonio in 2005 for residency training, and his wife Dr. Sheeba Paily, also a physician. Both are on staff at the clinic along with Bruce Sivil, Brandon Clark, and Maria Clark.
The clinic sees patients over the age of 16 who are uninsured or underinsured, at no cost. Hours are Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday from 9:00 AM to 2:00 PM, and Wednesday from 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM. Weekends are closed. The phone number is 210-775-0277. In keeping with the church's beliefs page, the clinic's own page names the motive as compassion - "moved with compassion," the way Jesus healed the man with leprosy in Mark 1 - and lists fitness, nutrition, and an exercise group that meets Saturday mornings at Universal City Park at 8:00 AM as part of the same ministry.
Manna House, Lilies of the Field, Martha's Kitchen
Around the church campus sits a quieter network of ministries for the people already inside the body. Manna House is a residential ministry for single mothers and other women who need a temporary place to live, a time of healing, and life-skills teaching that covers budgeting, cooking, nutrition, sewing, parenting, and exercise along with Bible study. The director is Misty Slagle.
Lilies of the Field focuses on single parents inside the church who need groceries, clothing, and other essentials, providing gift cards from H-E-B or Walmart. Martha's Kitchen brings meals to families inside the body when the mother has just had a baby, come home from surgery, or is going through another stretch of physical illness. Bezalel is the practical-skills wing of the same world, sending repair teams to the homes and cars of widows and single parents. Clothing Exchanges, held a couple of times a year, give the larger congregation a chance to pass on gently used clothing to anyone in the body who can use it, with leftover pieces donated to a charity in town.
Joy of Jesus at Travis Park
Once a year, on a Saturday in October, the church takes over Travis Park in downtown San Antonio for an outreach it calls Joy of Jesus. The event runs from 11 AM to 3 PM and gathers every available servant from the church body in one place.
The list of ministries inside the event reads like a small city. There is a Bicycle Ministry that collects donated bikes year-round and gives them away through a raffle on the day. A Clothing Ministry sorts and folds by age and size, with separate men's, women's, and children's sections. A Food Ministry grills hamburgers and hot dogs. A Hot Coffee Ministry keeps the volunteers upright. There is a Haircut Ministry, a Massage Ministry, a Chiropractic Ministry, a Makeover Ministry, a Nails Ministry, a Henna Tattoo Ministry, a Face Painting Ministry, and a Clown Ministry. A Drama Ministry performs throughout the day. A Children's Ministry supervises games and crafts. Spanish Bible Counseling, English Bible Counseling, Toiletries Distribution, Pet Supplies Distribution (called Pet Paws Paradise), Reading Glasses Distribution, a Blanket Ministry that also includes plastic-bag blankets made year-round by a sub-ministry called Love Covers, and a Mending Hearts sewing team that makes small handmade gifts.
The infrastructure behind all of that is its own ministry list: Setup and Tear-Down teams, a Canopy team, Security, Parking and Shuttle, Sound, Transportation, a Counting team for the day's offering, and a Relief team that swaps in so that the others can eat and rest. The single largest detail is a free shuttle that runs from 530 McCullough Avenue, the designated parking lot, to Travis Park and back throughout the day.
Men, Women, and the Annual Brisket
The men's side of the church centers on the Monday night Bible study taught by Pastor Ken, the Saturday morning study with Pastor Alfredo, and the annual Men's Retreat, held each fall in the Texas Hill Country at Camp Buckner outside Burnet. The retreat runs Thursday through Saturday, brings in a guest speaker each year - recently Pastor Mike Robertson of Calvary Chapel West Houston - and includes sermons, testimonies, a Bible Q&A with Pastor Ron, an "Afterglow" late-night session, optional sports, and a brisket dinner that has become one of the better-known traditions of the weekend. When the women hold their Spring Retreat, the men stay home and grill: that is the annual Meat & Greet at the park, an afternoon of meat, sides, kids, and fellowship. A separate group called Men at Worship rehearses on alternating Saturday mornings and leads worship at the Men's Retreat and other events.
The women's side has its own week. Hidden Treasures is the Monday night Bible study with Paula Arbaugh - currently through Hebrews - and includes childcare. The Ladies' Prayer Breakfast gathers on the first Monday of each month at 9:00 AM at Paula's house. A gathering called Single Pearls meets on the third Saturday at 7:00 PM for single women of the church. Secret Sister pairs women up for several weeks of small gifts and encouraging cards. The Fall Luncheon and the annual Women's Retreat round out the year, and during the summer the regular Monday Bible study takes a break so that a rotating slate of women from the church body can share a devotion or testimony in a series called Sweet Summer Devotions.
Junior High on Sunday Morning, High School on Friday Night
Junior high and high school students at Calvary Chapel have a schedule of their own that mirrors the adult one. On Sundays at 8:30, 10:15, and 11:59 AM, Pastor Chris Sanchez leads a Junior High Bible Study during the regular worship services. At 10:15 AM, Pastor Matthew Macasadia leads the High School Bible Study. Mondays at 7:00 PM both age groups meet together under the two pastors. Wednesdays at 7:00 PM Pastor Chris takes the Junior High group again, and on Fridays at 7:00 PM Pastor Matthew takes the High School group.
At the end of the summer the two groups leave the building for a long weekend at Camp Zephyr, west of San Antonio. Camp is open to seventh through twelfth graders, runs Wednesday through Saturday, and costs a hundred and twenty dollars per youth - though the church notes that no family should let finances keep a student from attending.
Worship, Prayer, and the Sunday Prayer Team
The worship team - led by Pastor Alain Macasadia and his wife Jocelyn, who also oversee the children's worship opportunities - leads music in the Sunday morning services, the 5:00 PM Spanish service, the midweek studies, the Friday studies, the men's and women's retreats, the Christmas Eve service, Easter, the summer baptism, and the Joy of Jesus Outreach.
Prayer is woven into the regular week. Saturday morning brings the 9:30 AM corporate prayer meeting with Pastor Ron and Paula. The last Saturday of the month brings Spanish prayer. Sundays gather the Prayer Team during the second service. A Prayer Blog on the church's own site accepts prayer requests and praise reports and lets visitors pray for one another in the open. A blue Prayer Request box sits in the foyer.
Word to Stand On, On the Air and Online
Pastor Ron's Bible teaching does not stay inside the building. Two radio programs run on AM radio in San Antonio and beyond, and every week of Bible teaching is published as audio and video for anyone who wants to follow along at home. "Word to Stand On for Life" is a live call-in show that airs weekdays from 4:00 to 5:00 PM on KSLR 630 AM in San Antonio; listeners can call 210-340-9585 or send questions to questions@calvarysa.com. "Word to Stand On" is the recorded teaching program, airing at 4:30 AM weekdays on KSLR 630 AM and at 5:30 AM and 9:30 PM on KDRY 1100 AM. Both programs are also archived and published on Apple Podcasts and Spotify, with auto-transcription in English and Spanish. The YouTube channel - "Calvary Chapel of San Antonio" - hosts the same teaching with auto-translated captions in Spanish, English, Chinese, Korean, and other languages. Vimeo hosts the full archive as well.
A weekly bulletin is published in print and online. A live stream of every Sunday service (8:30, 10:15, 11:59, and 5:00 PM Spanish) and every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday evening Bible study is available through the church's own live broadcast page, through YouTube, and through the CalvarySA app.
Hupomone Bible College
In the fall of 2026, the church launched Hupomone Bible College as a ministry of Calvary Chapel of San Antonio. Hupomone is a Greek word for endurance, and the program is described as church-centered, Bible-centered, Christ-centered, and ministry-focused. The course of study is a seventy-two-credit Diploma of Biblical Studies, covering Scripture, theology, spiritual formation, and practical Christian ministry, designed to equip students to know the Bible, love Christ, serve the church, defend the faith, and fulfill the ministry to which they have been called. The contact for the program is Pastor Chris Sanchez.
Restoring Hearts and a Theology of Adoption
Restoring Hearts is an adoption and foster care support ministry inside the church, led by Scott and Wanda Croft, who have hosted children through the program and are now sending their own daughter off to college. The ministry is open to anyone in the body who wants to assist foster and adoptive families - fellowship, prayer, information exchange, and direct help - whether or not they are parents themselves. A related ministry, called Growing in Servanthood, teaches children in first through twelfth grade how to serve inside the church body, with monthly meetings that rotate through different service projects.
The same theological lens shapes the church's other practical ministries. The text on the church's statement of beliefs points to worship as spiritual, inspirational, intelligent, and fruitful - meaning, as the elders describe it, that the music is to be led by the Holy Spirit, the place given to music is to be generous, the teaching of the Word is to be the central thing, and the love that flows out of both is the mark that the worship has been real.
Children From Birth Through Sixth Grade
Pastoral care for the youngest members of the church runs all the way from nursery through sixth grade. Children's Church runs in step with the Sunday morning services and most church events. Calvary Kids Bible School - the church's Vacation Bible School - gathers Pre-K through sixth graders for a week each summer, with a different theme each year. Children's Choir and the annual Children's Christmas Play both run through the fall in preparation for the Christmas season. Calvary Kids Camp gathers third through sixth graders at the H-E-B Campsite west of San Antonio for a summer camp of their own. A Children's Christmas Choir is open to children Pre-K through sixth grade, with weekly practices starting in early October.
Beliefs in Brief
Calvary Chapel of San Antonio is part of the Calvary Chapel family of churches and describes itself, in the words of the beliefs page, as "not a denominational church, nor ... opposed to denominations as such, only to their over-emphasis of the doctrinal differences that have led to the division of the Body of Christ." The church believes the Bible - Old and New Testaments - is the inspired, infallible Word of God. It believes that God exists eternally in three persons, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and that Jesus Christ is fully God and fully human, born of a virgin, lived a sinless life, died on the Cross for the sins of His people, was resurrected bodily by the Holy Spirit, and now lives at the right hand of the Father. The church holds to a pre-tribulation rapture of the church and a personal, pre-millennial, visible second coming of Christ. Adult baptism by immersion and Holy Communion are practiced as ordinances, and the entire ministry is committed to teaching the Word of God verse by verse in such a way that its message can be applied to the everyday life of every listener.
How to Stay Connected
For those who want to keep up between visits, the CalvarySA mobile app stores every Bible study and church event and makes the church bulletin, the prayer blog, and the church directory available in one place. Audio of every Bible study is also available on Apple Podcasts and Spotify, with searchable transcription. Video is published with auto-translated captions in several languages on YouTube and Vimeo. Teaching notes for every sermon are published on the church's commentary page - chapter by chapter, book by book - so a regular listener can follow along, look up a verse that came up in a study, or catch up on a Sunday missed while traveling. The app and the commentary archive together carry the church's whole teaching ministry past the walls of the building on Pat Booker Road.