Calvary's Leaders
Victor Estrada
What do you do at Calvary?
Elevation Worship Pastor and College Worship Leader
How did you come to Calvary and how long have you been here?
Way back in 2001 I was cruising in my 91’ Ford “Tempo of Doom” when I got a phone call from a friend here at Calvary informing me that the worship leader in the High School group at the time was leaving because they were getting married and asked me to come and check it out. So, a few days later I met with Jeff Biddle, Matt Doan, and Tim Nellis about helping out there in the High School group until they found someone and I’ve been lurking the halls ever since.
What is your educational background and training?
Back in High school I worked for the City of Anaheim for a little while and they had me take a safety defensive driving course. Problem was that I didn’t even have my license yet. So I took it and passed and they paid me an extra 25 cents an hour. Also I have learned a ton from my time here at Calvary, for example, when Wakeling says to hold still so we can get a picture of me fake punching you in the face… it’s not going to be fake. Oh and I have a Bachelors in Psychology from Vanguard University
Where were you born and raised?
I have lived in here in the OC all my life. Most of that time was spent in Anaheim (aka Disney-heim). We moved around a ton when I was little.
Tell us about your family...
I have been married to my wife Kimberly, who just so happens to be the most beautiful woman in the whole entire world, since June 21, 2004 (See, I remember). Together we have three amazing-crazy-wonderful kids; Matthew (2006), Rachel (2007), and Emily (2008). Oh and we have an insane little Shitzu named Wally too and he’s just as nuts as his name would suggest.
Tell us how you "popped the question.”
Goodness, alright, I had been giving Kim veiled hints that ‘the question” was coming for weeks but totally psyching out with all these crazy situations where it was possible so she knew something was coming but didn’t know when. So finally on November 11, 2003 I sprung my plan into action. I got together with a couple of moms here at Calvary and brought along a box of a bunch of pictures, memories, and other weird stuff and we spent the whole day making a scrapbook. My plan was to pick up Kim, grab some dinner somewhere, then head over to the beach and spend some time worshiping and reading the bible together then pull out the scrapbook and get down on a knee… well, that didn’t exactly happen because when I finished the scrapbook I called Kim and she had been trying to get a hold of me all day and was worried because she didn’t know where I was all day. And to top make matters worse, she had been sick all day with some weird bug and lets just say that she wasn’t doing so well. So, I hopped into my 95’ Ford Lone Ranger and hightailed it to get Kim and put my modified scheme into action. So in the end I got to do most of it except you have to exchange a nice dinner with Take Out Claim Jumper Soup in my truck, a blanket on the beach for a little outdoor amphitheatre at Huntington Central park, and worship with throwing up and you pretty much nailed it. But ya know what? She said YES!
What is your favorite memory from your time at Calvary Church?
I’d have to say that I have 3 favorite memories of my time here at Calvary.
1) I remember standing on stage during a single service Sunday when our whole church had gathered together and looking out during a song and saw our worship center filled with people and all those people, every single one I saw, were lifting up their voices together and singing praises to our Savior. It gave me a glimpse of what Heaven is going to be like one day when I get to worship with you all before the throne of Jesus… how awesome is that going to be?
2) I remember being in the choir room a few weeks after I had started working here at Calvary and it was right before our Wednesday night High School program was about to start. I was sitting on the floor looking toward the door and all of a sudden I remember seeing the most beautiful girl walk in the door and telling myself that I have to find out her name and see if she’s a staff member…. which leads to memory number
3) when a few seconds later Matt Doan was pointing out highlights in students lives in our group that week and after a few people pointed to this girl that had just walked in the door and shouted out that her name was Kimberly Hickman, a senior at Huntington Beach HS and she just had her birthday. So I quickly forgot about that... Darn, but hey, the next year she decided to come to OCC where I was at and the rest is history.
Who have been the biggest spiritual influencers in your life?
I have a long list of people that have influenced me and my spiritual life, some of them I know and some I don’t. Here’s a list of first names in alphabetical order and you can try and guess who it is. Andy, Barb, Bryce, Caleb, Chris, Daniel, David, Eric, Francis, Fred, Jeff, Ken, Kim, Lois, Marian, Mark, Mary, Matt, Paul, Rich, Sean, Sid, Tim
Favorite place you’ve been in the world and where do you want to go next?
My favorite place I’ve ever been is Vienna, Austria. On the way back from a mission’s trip to Albania we stopped by there for a night and we hit the town. A small group of us got together and took a horse drawn carriage ride around the city and it was one of the most amazing things I’ve ever done. As for where I would want to go, I would love to go see Africa or Australia
When I can't be found at Calvary, I can be found...
Home. I have an amazing family and I love hanging out and spending time with my wife and kids. My wife would say that Guitar Center is a close second but come on… a guy can only hear Stairway To Heaven so many times.
Hidden Talent?
If you’re ever driving with me ask me to play Slug-bug with you… I have this uncanny sixth sense for them and where they are… It’s my spiritual gift
What do you count as the greatest invention of the last 100 years?
The automobile, The Post-it note, the Slinky, the chili-dog, the refrigerator, the radio, the electric guitar… none of those even hold a candle to the original Super Mario Brothers on the NES…. Oh and the hoverboard.
On what reality show would you most want to be a contestant?
There’s a few that are on my list 1) The Mole 2)Wipeout 3)American Gladiators 4) American Idol. But I guess if it really came down to it I would most have liked to be on Where in the World Is Carmen Sandiego which was on PBS years ago… yeah it was a kids game show but it was like reality to me.