Staff

Lead Pastor Phil McKay

An Adventure of Faith

Pastor Phil was born in Las Vegas, Nevada, at Clark County Hospital. He was born again just four years later in Yerington, NV, when a traveling evangelist spoke at his family’s church. He knew that he needed Jesus as His Lord and Savior and didn’t want to be judged for all eternity in hell. At five years old he was baptized; then at just nine years old, he received a very distinct calling from the Lord to be a “preacher.” In fact, Pastor Phil preached his first sermon as a nine year old boy in a small church near Winnemucca, NV. Later, he attended Fernley High School and graduated with the class of ’96. Next, he joined the Marine Corps where he went on a West Pac tour throughout Asia and the Middle East. Although he was staged on the border of Iraq in 1998, he did not see any combat action during his four years with the Marines. During his third year in the Marines, Phil had a moment where God challenged him to “choose this day whom you will serve.” Because He couldn’t deny God’s love for him, he chose to stop playing games with his faith and to live for Christ. After he finished his tour of duty, he was offered a position on staff at Calvary Chapel Vista, in Vista, CA, working under Pastor Rob Salvato. It was during his time there that God brought him his best friend and beautiful bride, Rebecca. They were married on July 6, 2002, and then oversaw the College and Career group for the next four years. Phil and Rebecca both felt God calling them to plant a church in Costa Rica, and in 2006 they sold most of their belongings and moved to Tamarindo, Costa Rica. They planted Calvary Chapel Villarreal by God’s grace, and nine years later turned the church over to Pastor Jose Francisco Moreira (a Costa Rican), one of the men that God raised up there. Pastor Phil then served as the Senior Pastor for Calvary Chapel Paris, in Texas for five years. While in Texas, he was able to complete a two year online Bible College program under Pastor Scott Thom of Cross Christian Fellowship, of Albuquerque, New Mexico. He and Rebecca both are grateful for the time they had in Texas, where God taught them many lessons in ministry and brought many wonderful people into their lives. Now God has called the McKay family back to Nevada, where it all started! Phil and Rebecca have five children: Eden, Ezekiel, Elijah, Ezra Cyrus, and Joel.

Some Fun Facts:

A few favorite hobbies: College Football, Camping, Playing sports with my kids, and watching a good movie or going on a date with Rebecca

A few favorite books: The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien,The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis,Why Revival Tarries, by Leonard Ravenhill,Spiritual Leadership, by J. Oswald Sanders, Why Grace Changes Everything and Living Waters, by Chuck Smith, Fit for the Master’s Use, by F.B. Meyer,No Compromise, by Melody Green and David Hazard, Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy, by Eric Metaxas, to name a few!

A few favorite movies: I Still Believe, The Lord of The Rings, Same Kind of Different as Me, Remember the Titans, Big Country, The Man from Snowy River

Favorite food: Anything my wife makes! Seriously, she’s a great cook!

People who have influenced you the most in ministry: Jesus Christ, the Apostle Paul, and King David, but speaking on the personal level it would be Pastor Rob Salvato (CC Vista), Pastor Scott Thom (Cross Christian Fellowship), my Mom and Dad, and my wife, Rebecca.

You can contact Pastor Phil at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Pastor Juan Rodriguez

Meandering thru life with no purpose, Juan received Christ as Savior in 1987. After teaching elementary and middle school for 15 years Juan entered full time ministry at CCRS, serving under Pastor Tom Luitwieler, Pastor Emeritus of CCRS. At Calvary, Juan is the Administrative Pastor and teaches Highway 50. He is married to Julie and together have 5 boys: Christian, Luke, Nick, Kris and Anthony. A University of New Mexico graduate, Juan enjoys reading, movies, sports, photography, and cooking with green chile. Go Lobos!

You can contact Pastor Juan at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Pastor Leonard Sanchez

Leonard started attending Calvary Chapel Reno/Sparks the winter of 1995 and came on staff in 2007. He has been serving the Lord since 1989. He oversees Missions, High School youth group and a few other ministries. He and his wife Hoppy have been married since 1991. They have a daughter and a son-in-law, who have blessed them with a precious granddaughter.

Fun facts about Pastor Leonard: He enjoys drinking coffee with his wife, going on a bike ride and staying active. He also enjoys watching sports and a good movie. Spending time with his granddaughter has been one of his greatest joys.

You can contact Pastor Leonard at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Pastor Andrew Morales

Andrew came to faith in the Lord Jesus Christ in 2011. He’s a graduate of the University of Nevada, Reno and has been attending Calvary Chapel since the year 2013. He has been on staff since 2018. Andrew is married to Heidi and has two daughters and one son. In his spare time, Andrew enjoys hanging out with his family.

You can contact Pastor Andrew at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.