Leadership & Staff

Email: rob@ccturlock.org

Rob Monroe was raised in the little town of Winton, California by two dedicated Christian parents. After sensing a strong conviction of the Lord, Rob made a decision for Christ as a boy and was discipled by the teaching and example of his parents. When he was about eleven years old his dad became an interim pastor for a small church in Snelling, California. “I never dreamed of going into the ministry personally," Rob said, "but I look back now and realize that God was using those years to prepare me for the pastorate.”
Rob swam, wrestled, and played water polo for Atwater high school, and then played varsity water polo for the United States Naval Academy. He was commissioned in the Marine Corps and flew F-18s for nine years.  During that time, he married Tamara, and they now have four grown children who are all serving the Lord faithfully. After the Marine Corps, Rob flew for United Airlines 26 years and then retired to go full-time into the ministry.
“As newlyweds in Southern California, my wife and I found the ministry of Calvary Chapel Costa Mesa. We attended that church for two years and we grew to love the line by line and verse by verse teaching of Chuck Smith. We landed at Calvary Chapel Modesto for several years where I was equipped and sent by them in 2008 to become the pastor of Calvary Chapel Turlock. My wife and I love Central California, and we have a heart for the people here. We love seeing new people coming to Christ and growing in the Lord at Calvary Chapel Turlock.”

Dennis Ulrich grew up most of his life here in Turlock, CA. Dennis was raised through his teen years attending Good Shepherd Lutheran Church. He was active in sports playing football, basketball and baseball through high school and football at Modesto Junior College. Dennis met Judy Presley and they married in 1976. They have since had two boys, Mark and Troy. The family attended The Evangelical Free Church for many years but ended up searching for a new church home and in early 2013 attended a service at Calvary Chapel Turlock. “From the first time we heard Pastor Rob preach, we knew this was the church for us.” Dennis & Judy have five grandchildren, all local, that love and serve the Lord, as do the grandchildren’s parents. “We are so blessed. We serve an awesome God”.

Paul was born and raised in the small town of Ripon, California to two loving Christian parents. He was raised in the church and gave his life to the Lord as a teen.  As a young adult he became a youth leader in his church discipling boys and teens through their scouting program.
Paul met his wonderful wife Jennifer while in college and the two were married in 2002.  They have three children Alex, Luke, and Liz, all who attend Calvary Chapel Turlock. Paul runs his family retail business in Ripon, California.
When Paul and Jennifer married, they made the decision to find a church in which to raise their family. After much searching, they settled in at Calvary Chapel Modesto.  As newlyweds they joined the Young Marrieds Bible Study where they met the leaders Rob and Tamara Monroe. Through this Bible Study, Paul and Jen saw their faith grow through the teaching and fellowship within the group. They became leaders inside the group and formed deep lifelong friendships and connections.
In 2012, Paul and Jen felt the call to join with their former Bible Study leader once more and made the switch to Calvary Chapel Turlock where they have been blessed with many years of great fellowship. They are truly grateful to be a part of this wonderful church family.

Rod Smith grew up on a farm in Eureka, Nevada until the age of 13 when his family moved to Turlock, California. Rod was raised in a Christian home by two loving parents, along with two older sisters.  The family never missed church, even when they had to drive 111 miles one way to be there, while living in Nevada. Rod sought a relationship with the Lord at a young age.
He enjoyed growing up on a farm, even though most of what they did centered around work. They worked hard together as a family, instilling in Rod a strong work ethic and determination to finish what you start.
Rod went to Turlock Christian High School and joined the family business along the way.  He met Paula and they were married in 1986. A few years later, they struck out in business for themselves. After selling that business, Rod became very interested in the investment world and pursued a career as an investment advisor.  “37 years later, we look back on the blessings the Lord has poured into our lives.  We are grateful to have discovered Calvary Chapel Turlock, to serve here and to be under the teaching of Pastor Rob Monroe. We thoroughly love the line-by-line and verse-by-verse teaching as well as the commitment to teach the truth of God’s word, even when it’s not popular”.

Tom was born in 1946 in Merced, California and grew up with his parents, and three brothers.  His father was a farmer who mainly grew sweet potatoes. Tom was drafted into the Army as a young man and served for almost 11 months as an airplane mechanic in Viet Nam. After he served his stint, he returned home, where he met his future wife, Jennifer Emmert.
He married his beautiful bride, Jenny, on Feb 15, 1970.   They have two children (Noah and Sarah), and four grandchildren (Daniel, Heidi, Benjamin and Vera). 
Tom was born again on October 7, 1980 (six weeks after his wife was saved), and they have been walking with the Lord ever since.  The Lord has made a monumental difference in their lives, they truly repented and changed direction from the way they were going. 
After college, Tom worked as a Vineyard Manager for 27 years in Sonoma County, and then in 2001, he went on staff at Calvary Chapel Petaluma from January 2001 until January 31, 2019. Over the years, he served as an Assistant Pastor there and the highlight for him was directing the Missions Program.  He, and sometimes Jenny as well, did many mission trips to various countries: Sudan, Kenya, Afghanistan, Dominican Republic, China, Brazil, and Mexico. Often, they would take teams to Kenya and Mexico.  This was truly a blessed time!
Tom, along with his wife, moved to Turlock in February 2019, to care for his wife’s mother, who has since graduated to glory.
“We began attending Calvary Chapel Turlock in February 2019 and are very blessed to be part of the church body here!”

Tamara was born and raised in the beautiful metropolis of Winton, California. A farmer’s daughter, she grew up in the midst of almond and peach orchards, driving tractors, riding horses, and spending summers playing in the pool.
After graduating from Fresno State, she married Pastor Rob, moved to Hawaii and enjoyed her first year of marriage teaching 1st graders during the week and spending time at the beach on weekends. Rob’s transition from military to civilian aviation brought her back to the Central Valley where she faithfully home schooled her four children and assisted Rob as he developed a Young Marrieds Ministry at Calvary Chapel Modesto. It was an exciting day when the Lord called them into the ministry.
The year 2008 was pivotal for the Monroe family, as they whole-heartedly jumped into God’s work at Calvary Chapel Turlock. Rob was called into the pastorate, Tamara to Women’s and Children’s Ministry, and the kids into being active servants in both the worship ministry and children’s ministry. In 2019, she was called into full-time ministry as church administrator, and in 2023 was able to refocus her time exclusively on Women’s and Children’s ministries.
Through the consistent influence of her grandmother, Tamara came to Christ at a youth camp when she was 10 years old. But it wasn’t until her young adult years that her knowledge of Christ transformed into a meaningful and fruitful relationship. Proverbs 3:5-6 has been a guiding portion of scripture her entire adult life.
She gains great satisfaction watching the Lord open hearts and change lives as the women and children she interacts with are introduced to the Truth, both written and living!
Tamara’s greatest joy has been to serve the Lord, her wonderful husband, and her family…including her precious granddaughters, Ruth and Helen. She considers herself most blessed among women, in every respect.

Email: tamara@ccturlock.org

Violet was born in Modesto, California, and raised by two godly, loving parents. She has two sisters and one brother. When she was 6, Violet found a gospel tract in her room and prayed to accept Jesus Christ as her Lord and Savior. She has been growing in her faith and pursuing the Lord ever since.
When Violet was about 10 years old, her parents obeyed the call they felt God place on their hearts and moved to Calvary Chapel Turlock. Violet grew up in the church before heading to Indiana to pursue a degree in Professional Writing. After graduating from Taylor University in 2024, Violet returned to California.
Before working at Calvary Chapel Turlock, Violet led a small group for new students at school and worked in maintenance for a Christian summer camp. She loves serving the Body of Christ and is always excited to see how God will use her in any situation. She works at Calvary Chapel Turlock as the administrative assistant, handling church communications and event media.

Ben was born in Indianapolis to a family of 7 boys and two faithful Christian parents. In 2010, his family moved to Turlock, CA to take care of his grandfather, who has since gone to be with the Lord. He has attended Calvary Chapel Turlock ever since the move.
While a young teen, Ben accepted Christ into his life as Lord and Savior and made up his mind to serve Him unreservedly all the days of his life. In his senior year of high school, he sensed God’s call to ministry at a missions conference and made plans to attend the School of Mission at Calvary Chapel Bible College Europe in Budapest, Hungary.
He graduated the school of mission in 2019 and returned to Turlock, where he came on staff at Calvary Chapel Turlock as the facilities manager. He met Hailee Baldwin in 2020, and together, they began planning events and Bible studies for the Young Adults fellowship. They were married in the summer of 2022.
Ben now leads the Young Adults ministry and maintains our website and app.
“My desire is for God’s people to be edified, and for His name to be glorified. I love leading the Young Adults ministry here, because to me there is nothing more satisfying than when people are stirred up to adoration and praise of the Lord and strengthened in their walk with Him.”

Email: ben@ccturlock.org

Conner Skiles was raised in a Christian home on Sonoma Mountain where he was taught to love and seek the Lord. When he was young, he made the decision for himself that he was going to put his faith and trust in Jesus and accept the wonderous gift of salvation.
After high school Conner stayed in Northern California working full-time as an assistant manager at America’s Tire Company. He met his wife Katerina attending the Young Adults group there and they were married two years later. After the wedding, Conner transferred with America’s tire and Katerina was accepted into the nursing program at Stanislaus State to land them here in the central valley.
Conner left America’s Tire to come on staff at Calvary Chapel and he enjoys being a faithful steward of what the Lord has given.