We are a church for all people, whose heart is to see Lives Changed by Jesus.
We are one church in multiple locations. We are a vibrant congregation that cares about people. We are composed of people of every age and color.
The size of our church allows us to offer a wide variety of services to the community, but we’ve maintained a personal community atmosphere through our life groups. With need-meeting ministries, new church plants, and international work, our church has become a mainspring of citywide and worldwide impact. We are all about gathering together, growing in faith, and making a difference in our community and the world.
Our Pastors
David and Kathy Cannistraci are the Lead Pastors of Gateway City Church. For over 30 years, they have worked together in the growth and care of the church. By creating balanced, life-giving environments, they have built a church that honors God with a heart for seeing Lives Transformed by Jesus.
Our Mission
Our mission is to honor God by creating balanced, life giving environments seeings Lives Changed by Jesus
We exist to encourage men, women, and children to come to Jesus and grow stronger in faith. By meeting together regularly, we seek to exalt the Lord Jesus in worship, edify believers in fellowship and extend the Good News to a hurting and broken world.
Our History
The Beginning
Our journey began in Sunnyvale in 1970, when God called Pastors Emanuele and Shirley Cannistraci to lead our church - then known as Calvary Gospel Temple. We were a small group of 60 members at that time, but God had much bigger plans. Within a few short years, our membership swelled to over 150. Young people were being saved and joining the church during an era of revival now known as the Jesus Movement.
God provided a new location in Mountain View in 1976, and our church was renamed Church of the Crossroads. Three years later we sold this property and moved, completely debt-free, into our Willow Glen location. Our church was renamed Evangel Christian Fellowship in the Spring of 1980.
Throughout the 80's and 90’s, as our church continued to grow, families were sent out as local missionaries, staff and ministries were added, programs expanded, and churches were planted. We have been blessed by a clean record of financial integrity and moral living in our leadership team.
Gateway City Church
In September of 2000, Pastors David and Kathy Cannistraci were installed as the Lead Pastors of Evangel. Pastor David’s heart for further expansion, ministry development, and creating an outreach culture resulted in greater growth, and it soon became clear that our church facility was too small.
After a long property search and several attempts to relocate our growing ministry, our church purchased its present facility in South San Jose and became Gateway City Church.
Our name comes from Hosea 2:15: “a gateway of hope in the valley of trouble.”
Our Future
Over the past decade, Gateway has experienced continuous growth and health. In late 2014, we became a multi-site church and in 2016, we developed a vision to reach ten cities through this strategy.
The future of Gateway is as bright as the promises of God. Our hearts are filled with faith to fulfill the vision of see Lives Transformed by Jesus
Gateway City Church is pleased to belong to Ministers Fellowship International, a worldwide family of pastors and leaders who are building healthy churches by encouraging, equipping & empowering healthy leaders.