Hi, my name is Chuck Fairbrother. I'm the preacher at the Christian Church of Santa Clara. If I have to have a title I prefer "preacher" instead of "Reverend" because, in the Bible only God is referred to with the title "Reverend" and (ask anyone who knows me) I haven't achieved that status yet. Some preachers prefer "Pastor" but this is a synonym for elder and we have four elected elders in this congregation. I am not one of the elders and we don't refer to them as pastor so and so, besides, we don't use titles for anyone but doctors and clergy any more. So, just call me Chuck that makes it a lot easier.
My wife Trudy, daughter Alicia, and I moved to this area from South Dakota in the spring of 2000. Talk about culture shock. There are more people in the city of San Jose than that whole state. I have been in the paid ministry since 1977 and have a Master's in ministry. I was raised as a missionary's child in India until I was thirteen. When we came back to the States my parents were professors at Dakota Bible College in Huron S.D. where I ended up getting my BA in Ministry and in Christian Education. I have served in three other congregations in Nebraska, South Dakota and Santa Maria California. Even the Central Coast is not like the Bay Area. This is indeed a most unique area; the available affluence and the time poverty make this an interesting place to work.
I believe that the Bible was designed by God to be understood by children according to Matthew 19:13 and 14 when Jesus followers tried to stop children from coming to see Him, He said that he didn't want children to be hindered in coming to Him. In the 18th chapter of Matthew verses 1-6, Jesus had already told them that all of us should become like children and if anyone does anything to make one child stumble they should have a millstone hung around their neck and be drowned in the depths of the sea. If this is so, it makes no sense for God to make His Word hard to understand. This, then, is my approach to preaching and teaching. What the Bible says is what it means. If you hear anyone say, "It says this but it means this" I'd be suspicious of his or her interpretation. If you have trouble understanding something, read it to your 8 year old and ask him/her to tell you what it says, you'll probably make it too complicated.
Well, you know a little about my philosophy and me. Come on over and meet my family, the Church and me and let us get to know you better. Our meeting times are 9:30am for Sunday School and 10:45am for Worship Service, each Sunday morning. We also meet in various homes throughout the week give us a call at (408) 241-2375 to find out about those meetings.