Church Leadership
Bob De Leon, Senior Pastor
Senior Pastor Bob De Leon has been attending Calvary Chapel Artesia (formerly Cerritos) since March of 1998. He is married to his wife Marnee and they have two adult children, Jessica and Joseph.
He was initially ordained as an Associate Pastor by Senior Pastor Dave Gonzales in July of 2001 and then his Assistant in June of 2007. Pastor Bob faithfully served at his side for 15 years.
He stepped in as the interim-Senior Pastor in May of 2016 after Pastor Dave fell ill and then was appointed Senior Pastor in October of that same year after Pastor Dave went home to be with the Lord.
Pastor Bob accepted Jesus as his Lord and Savior in March of 1986 after viewing Pastor Raul Ries’ personal story of salvation, “Fury to Freedom”. Shortly thereafter, he started attending Calvary Chapel Downey.
After a season away from the Lord, Pastor Bob rededicated his life to Christ in March of 1997 (at Pastor Raul’s church), attended Calvary Chapel Costa Mesa for a year, and then became a member of Calvary Chapel Cerritos in March of 1998, where he has been attending ever since.
Pastor Bob has always had a passion for teaching the Word and was given numerous opportunities to teach through several books of the Bible. He has also taught outside of the U.S. during various Mission trips to include Mexico, Russia, and the Cross to Light Bible Training Center in Port au Prince, Haiti.
Pastor Bob is the primary teacher on Sunday mornings and oversees the Worship, Children’s and Missions ministries.
Richard Cross, Assistant Pastor
Richard became a Christian 1981 after hearing the Gospel presented to him by his best friend as a teenager. He and his wife, Stephanie, have been married since 1989 and have been attending Calvary Chapel of Artesia (formerly Calvary Chapel of Cerritos) since 1998.
He began serving as an Elder of Calvary Chapel of Artesia in 2007, and was ordained as Assistant Pastor by Senior Pastor Bob De Leon in January 2017.
The heart of his ministry is teaching and exhorting people in the Word of God, praying for those who need healing, and tending to the pastoral needs of the flock.
He is the primary teacher of the mid-week Bible study and oversees the men’s discipleship ministry.
Neil Pacis, Elder
Neil began attending Calvary Chapel Artesia (formerly Calvary Chapel Cerritos) in 2005 and had the honor and privilege of sitting under the teaching of his first pastor, Dave Gonzales, who went home to be with the Lord in May of 2016. As he continued to serve his fellowship, under the guidance of now his current shepherd, Pastor Bob, he was appointed as an elder in January 2018.
He and his beautiful wife Mercedez have been married since 2006 and will be expecting their first child in June 2019. Together, they have been faithfully serving CC Artesia and have been an integral part of the Worship and Missions Ministries. Countries to which the Lord has taken them for ministry include Russia, Sri Lanka, Haiti, and Mexico.
On September 15, 2002, roughly two weeks after Mercedez gave her life to the Lord, Mercedez’ mother encouraged the two to watch a certain Christian movie, popular during that time. Of course, with the movie’s main message being the fact that belief in Jesus is the way to eternal life, it was later that evening that Neil surrendered and received Jesus into his heart.
Neil and Mercedez enjoy listening to and playing worship music, and sharing good food with good friends.
Joseph Torres, Elder
Joseph is one of the oldest of eight children in a family that practices Catholicism. After a troubled youth, he enlisted in the United States Military and served two tours in Iraq as a Military Police Officer. Joseph became a Christian in 2003 while being deployed in Iraq. He has been attending Calvary Chapel Artesia since August 2013. He is married to his wife Ruth and they have three children; Salvador, Michael, and Sevennah.
He was initially appointed as a Deacon in 2018 and appointed as an Elder in 2019 by Senior Pastor Bob DeLeon and Assistant Pastor Richard Cross.
Ruth is the youngest of four children in a family that practices a variety of spiritual faiths. She had a troubled youth and was in search of a church to call home. After visiting many churches, she had met Joseph in 2010 and they married in 2011. Ruth became Christian and has attended Calvary Chapel Artesia since August 2013. During a discussion in 2013, Joseph and Ruth were discussing the need to find a home church while at Joseph’s mother’s house. While showing his wife the website for Calvary Chapel Artesia, a knock at the door revealed an outreach team from Calvary Chapel Artesia. At that point, we knew that God had made the arrangements.
Elder Joseph is actively involved in the Marriage Ministry, Community Outreach Ministry, and the Security Ministry. He teaches at the Long Beach Rescue Mission and the Children’s Ministry at Calvary Chapel Artesia.
His wife Ruth is actively involved in the Children’s Ministry and the Hospitality Ministry. She enjoys bringing people together through arts and crafts, decorations, and health and wellness activities.
Joseph’s Favorite Verse: “What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the open country, and go after the one that is lost, until he finds it?” Luke 15:4
Ruth’s Favorite Verse: “Let all that you do be done in love.” 1 Corinthians 16:14
Derick Hieng, Elder
Derick has been attending Calvary Chapel of Artesia since September of 2017. He is married to his wife Abygail, and they have two young children, David and Daniel.
During his freshman year in college in 1992, Derick was invited to attend a passion play on campus about Jesus Christ who died for our sins; after the play, an invitation was given. He and many other students heard the call of Jesus and accepted Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior that day.
During the rest of Derick’s college years, his desire for the word of God increased. He started to attend in-depth Bibles studies with other college students and become more involve with InterVarsity Christian Fellowship (IVCF)—an on-campus student-body that ministers to students. Derick’s involvement with IVCF offered him the opportunity to serve the younger classmates through outreaches, Bible studies, fellowshipping, and prayers for the students, faculty, and the campus. During the summer months, he was given the opportunity to go on short term mission trips to another city to learn how to be a servant leader and to support the local church.
There were several years of falling way from the Lord, as Derick was not plugged into a church right away, after college. A few years later, the Lord stirred Derick to search for a home church. He started to attend his friend’s church in Gardena, but the Lord directed him to continue the search for a permanent home church where the Word of God is taught directly from the Bible, chapter-by-chapter and verse-by-verse. During several searching years, Derick met Abygail, who brought him to Calvary Chapel of Downey, where he received sound doctrines under Pastor Jeff Johnson. Derick and Abygail eventually got married there. They fellowshipped there for over 10 years, and David and Daniel were dedicated at Calvary Chapel Downey.
During these recent years, the Lord stirred Derick and Abygail to look for a fellowship closer to home where they can serve the body and the community. Derick and Abygail started attending Calvary Chapel of Artesia, and they look forward to serving the Lord and the community in whatever form the Lord call them to.
Derick and Abygail's Life Verse is: “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you." Mathew 6:33 (KJV)
Michael Peters, Elder
Michael was offered free martial arts lessons in 2004 if he stayed for a bible study after each practice. Michael took the offer to learn the art while enduring the bible study without intending to know anything of God. After a year of practice and bible studies, the LORD used the instructor to plant and soften their hearts to the words of Jesus Christ. Michael and his wife Lima gave their lives to Jesus in 2005.
After a few years, Michael and Lima found a new home church at a Calvary Chapel at Signal Hill, California, in 2007. For eleven years, Michael and his wife attended Calvary Chapel Signal Hill. During that time, Michael and his wife served in ministry most of their time at CC Signal Hill. The LORD used Michael's time at Signal Hill to prepare him for service through many ministries. For half of that time, Michael served as an associate pastor for the church.
After their season at CC Signal Hill ended, the LORD led Michael and Lima to Calvary Chapel Artesia in 2019. After sitting in for almost a year, they began serving in ministry in 2020.
Michael and Lima have been married for 23 years. They have one daughter, Krystal, who served in the military and is currently stationed with her husband, Maugasiva, who is currently active. They also have two grandchildren – Aleina and Asher, who are four and two years old.
You can catch Michael teaching with his current assignment on Sunday nights.