Robert Fountain, Senior Pastor

In November of 1983 I made the best decision of my life to deny myself, take up my cross, and follow the Lord Jesus. Within two years He led me to sell everything I owned and move from Bonaire, Georgia to Miami, Florida and enroll in a Discipleship Training School with the worldwide organization, Youth With A Mission. What an amazing adventure that began, one that has not stopped! Stepping outside my comfort-zone, I thought I would be back in Georgia six months down the road, but I ended up serving Jesus on short-term missions trips all over Central America and elsewhere for the next several years.

I had only been in Miami about a year when Jesus spoke clearly to me that the area now known as South Beach (downtown Miami Beach) was to be a focus for me in ministry. I began to visit South Beach at every opportunity, bringing others from the YWAM base along just to walk and pray, and to look for opportunities to share with the folks who lived here.

Miami Beach was beginning to change, and what had been a retirement-home environment for many years (75% of residents in 1980 were over 75 years of age) was becoming a place to party for thousands of young tourists who were returning, and a place where hundreds of young models were being photographed constantly for international catalogs and magazines.

In 1990, in response to the Lord’s clear direction once again, I started leading an outreach to the many fashion industry professionals who were now coming to South Beach for work, and in 1993 the Lord made it clear that it was time to start a church here.

I promptly approached my Pastor, Bob Coy, informed him of God’s desire, and that somebody needed to plant a church in South Beach! His reply was frighteningly direct: “You’re there, Robert, start a church!” So in October of 1993 I was sent out from Calvary Chapel Ft. Lauderdale, and on Sunday November 7th, Calvary Chapel Miami Beach was born.

Since that time God has graciously allowed our church to grow in fellowship and discipleship, bless our community, and be a participant in the planting of churches in Lima & San Vicente de Canete (Peru), Aventura (Florida), Boston, MA, and soon in the area of Fortaleza, Brazil.

My wife Elisabet and I are still exited to be here as missionaries more than two decades later, she from Denmark and me from small-town Georgia, but we minister to the Lord Jesus in South Beach these days, and we look forward to what He intends to do here in the early part of the 21st century!