About Pastor Charlie
Pastor Charlie Restivo was born in the Bronx, NY, and is the youngest of three children. He grew up with his two sisters, loving parents and his maternal grand-parents who immigrated to the United States from Hungary. Charlie began working for the telephone company (now known as Verizon) straight out of High School, and it was at this time that his quest for peace and fulfillment began. During this quest, he tried to find satisfaction in alcohol and drugs. He also read books that he thought could lead him to the answers, exploring such topics as Dianetics and the Hari Krishna movement. None of these brought him the satisfaction that he yearned for.
Charlie was married and divorced by the time he was 25, and just as God would have it, extraordinary things began to happen on an ordinary day! One day in 1988, during a difficult time in his life, Charlie met his wife Dawn on a subway platform. They were married in October 1990, at which time a dear friend of his met Jesus. Dawn was convinced that she and Charlie were happy as a married couple, but at the same time, she had the distinct impression that "something" was missing from their life. Dawn received the Lord into her heart at the end of 1992, and soon after that, early in 1993, Charlie attended a church function with her where he found what he had been searching for all those years: a relationship with the TRUE and LIVING GOD.
Charlie started attending Calvary Chapel of Westchester with his wife Dawn and immediately began serving the Lord there. Whether it was moving chairs, cleaning bathrooms, handing out the elements or organizing church functions and outings, his desire was to serve God and he had a great love for God's people. Charlie began teaching a home bible study and during this time, he and Dawn became the proud parents of their son Matthew, who was born in 1995.
Charlie knew that he was being called into the ministry, but it was not until 1998 that he realized he was being called to pastor the very church that God had used to reach him. Charlie has always believed that the church is a hospital where people come for healing. He loves seeing new faces come through the doors and he is always amazed to think that God has chosen him to be used to reach lives. His greatest desire is that people will find the love of Jesus when they walk through our doors. That is when he knows that he is doing what God has called him to do.