Senior Pastor Isaac Bradford and his wife, Cassie, have 5 children - Ethan, Jadyn, Trinity, Joziah and Hallie. Former Senior Pastor Joe and Elyse Hittle are the parents of Isaac - he moved to Payson with his family from Winslow. Pastor Isaac has been at Calvary Chapel Payson since the beginning (2001) and served as Associate Pastor, Worship Leader and Song Writer, Youth Leader, Young Adult Fellowship Leader, among many other roles in the church. Cassie stays at home with their sweet children, leads the Women's Ministry, sings on the Worship Team, and as fulfills many duties in the church alongside her husband.
Administrative Pastor Richard & Judy Contratto
Pastor Richard Contratto and his wife, Judy, were born and raised in Southern California. They have 5 children - Tony, Adam, Jennifer, Lacie and Emma. They fellowshipped at Calvary Chapel of the High Desert in Hesperia, CA, from 1991 to 2015. In July of 2014 they decided to vacation in Payson, and they fell in love with it. For the next year they continued to pray and seek the Lord's will about moving. In April of 2015, after 37 years of employment with Verizon, Richard retired. And in June of 2015 they relocated to Payson. Richard has served at Calvary Chapel Payson in the sound booth, the childrens ministry, as an elder, and as the administrative pastor.
Former (Founders) Pastor Joe & Elyse Hittle
I received God’s grace in Jesus Christ in 1988 after living as an Americanized recreational drug addict and drug dealer for many years and suffering two divorces and great personal loss. I began serving the Lord almost immediately after my conversion, telling other druggies and any one who would listen about God’s grace, healing, forgiveness and love. I was a musician for many years and turned that area of my life over to Jesus in 1989 and began writing and playing Christian music.
In 1990, I met my wife, Elyse, and moved to Winslow, Arizona to marry her and raise her three children. I started serving the Lord as a husband, dad, worship leader and later was raised up by the Lord to be an elder and later an associate pastor at Calvary Chapel in Winslow. I worked as a Railroad engineer for many years while serving the Lord and studying to teach the Word of God. While working out of Winslow, I was involved in an “accident” in the year 2000. Lung burns and a spinal cord injury left me unable to work for the railroad any longer.
My wife and I sensed the Lord leading us to re-open Calvary Chapel Payson which had closed down here in this small Arizona mountain town. Our ministry began with a small Bible study in a nursing home and church services in a local school in 2001. In only a year, the Lord enabled us to buy a church building and we have watched the church grow steadily both spiritually and physically all to the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Together with my wife Elyse, we have a blended family with 5 wonderful, young adult children, and what an opportunity for love and patience we’ve had there! We are excited to see what the Lord will do through this little country church in the future, and we are totally blessed the Lord would allow us to serve Him in this way.