Simply teaching the Bible simply. That is - in its most basic form - the doctrine of Calvary Chapel, a fellowship of believers that was started in California in 1965 by the Rev. Chuck Smith and has grown to more than 1,500 churches worldwide.

"We teach the Bible, chapter by chapter and verse by verse," said the Rev. Robert Nettles, pastor of Calvary Chapel Racine, 9410 Durand Ave., Sturtevant.

It is a style of worship that may not be typical in American churches today, yet it is one that Rosemarie Romano and her husband, Joe, say fits them well.

"I like the fact that the preaching is right from the Bible," said Rosemarie, who has been attending services at Calvary Chapel Racine since it was first established here almost six years ago. "We use the New Testament on Sundays, and on Thursdays we use the Old Testament. My husband says he's never been to a church where he's learned so much."

Calvary Chapel Racine is also a very caring, friendly fellowship that makes you feel good, Rosemarie said.

"It always has been, right from the beginning," she said.

Western rootsThe beginning, for Calvary Chapel Racine, was in 2004 when the Rev. Jay Stapleton came here from California to "plant" a church. Stapleton, who attended and worked with Calvary Chapel Costa Mesa, Calif., (Smith's home church) from 1981-1995, established Calvary Chapel Racine in a vacant store in the Westgate Mall in April of that year. When he and his family felt called to return to California a few months later, Stapleton asked Nettles, who was working in Kenosha at the time, if he'd be interested in taking over the pastor position at the Racine church, Nettles said.

Nettles, who is also from California, has been leading the Sturtevant-based fellowship - which includes worshippers from Milwaukee and Kenosha counties, as well as Racine - ever since. After a year and half in the shopping mall space, he and the rest of the fellowship moved to the historic church building in Sturtevant, which was originally the home of St. Sebastian Parish and housed an antiques business in its basement in more recent years.

"It is inspiring how God worked everything out," said Nettles, who also served as assistant pastor at Calvary Chapel Milwaukee before coming to Racine. "The way things unfolded was really incredible."

Compared to Calvary Chapel Costa Mesa, which today boasts about 30,000 followers, Calvary Chapel Racine is a small fellowship of about 40 people, plus children, "on a good Sunday," according to Nettles.

"We are not a large church, but we are strong and growing stronger," he said. "Our emphasis is not on the building we are in or on a certain program, but on teaching God's word and seeing people grow in God's grace."

Unity among people

There is no such thing as membership at Calvary Chapel Racine. Those who want to come learn and worship are welcome to do so, explained Jim Rinner, a Raymond resident who co-leads the men's Bible study group at the Sturtevant church.

"It is the love of Christ that binds us all together," Rinner said.

Calvary Chapel is a non-demoninational church, Nettles explained. All Calvary Chapel churches are independent of one another, and there is no heirarchy that determines what each church does, he said. "We are our own entity."

At the same time, Calvary Chapel is not opposed to other denominations, the pastor said.

"It is not our purpose to cause division or discord in the Body of Christ; conversely, we long for unity among God's people of all persuasions, and we allow for a great deal of flexibility even within our own ranks," reads an explanation on Calvary Chapel Racine's Web site.

In the four years the church has been in Sturtevant, it has gradually gained acceptance in the surrounding community, Rinner said.

"People want to know you are going to be around for a while and that they can trust you," he said. "And that feeling is finally starting to come around."

A big part of such establishment has been the presence of Pastor Robert, as he is affectionately called by the fellowship, said Rosemarie Romano. "I am so grateful for our pastor. He really lives what he preaches," she said.

"Pastor Robert has such a heart," added Rinner. "He bends over backward for people, and he's a good teacher, too. It is just a blessing to be able to work beside him."

Nettles' vision for the future of Calvary Chapel Racine is to see the church grow, "not only numerically, but spiritually in our relationship with God." He'd also like to see the church extend its community outreach (they already have food and clothing pantries), and he would like to meet and pray with pastors from other area churches.

"I don't think we should get caught up in the denominational differences," he said. "There is room for all of our churches."

About Calvary Chapel Racine

"We believe the true basis of Christian fellowship is God's love, which is greater than our differences. Without His love, we have no right to say we are Christians." - Calvary Chapel Racine

Worship times at Calvary Chapel Racine are at 10 a.m. Sunday and 7 p.m. Thursday. For more information, go to http://www.ccracine.com

For more about the larger network of Calvary Chapels, go to http://www.calvarychapel.com