Pastor Drew Segawa
Pastor Drew was born and raised in southern California and grew up in Orange County, California. His parents divorced when he was young and he was raised by his Mother. Growing up in a single parent home his Father wasn’t present in his life and so he had no Father figure to look up to and learn from. He experienced a negative childhood due to little to no parental supervision or guidance.
When he was a teenager he received salvation through Jesus Christ. It was also around this time that he grew interested in becoming a DJ. While he had a strong desire to want to know God and to understand the Bible, he had no spiritual growth or maturity. This was due to a lack of spiritual mentorship and discipleship. Without this type of guidance he was unable to fully understand the Bible.
Shortly after he graduated from high school his Mother died of cancer, Drew was seventeen years old at the time. This threw him into depression. He used drugs, alcohol and bad relationships to try to numb the pain, he didn’t want to feel, he didn’t even want to be awake but it only caused his life to spiral out of control.
He became a well-known and successful DJ in Orange County and L.A. He entered and won a Battle of the DJs contest which gained him more popularity and threw him right into the thick of the club scene. This only made his situation worse. Surrounded by the party scene and working in night clubs he felt the lifestyle slowly killing him. He remembers it made him feel sick with the darkness, the lies and the false promises.
Then one day, the Lord did a radical work and cleaned up his life. Others began to teach him about the Bible, men discipled him and poured into his life which helped to mold and shape him. He began to see God as his Heavenly Father, greater and more fulfilling than any Earthly Father.
He saw the promise of Psalm 68:5 before him:
“A Father of the fatherless, a defender of widows, Is God in His holy habitation.”
God was truly a Father of the fatherless to Drew, He healed Drew’s heart and mind and set him free from the bondage his lifestyle had fostered. Even though he seemed to have some damage due to drug usage God renewed and restored his mind giving him abundant clarity.
God led him eventually to enroll full time at Calvary Chapel Bible College. After he graduated he was invited to be on staff as a full time teacher.
When the 9/11 attacks happened, God called him to move to New York City as a missionary and to eventually plant and pastor a church. The church was birthed as good fruit out of the ashes of 9/11. He felt God wanted to comfort and heal the brokenhearted and give the people beauty for ashes as it says in Isaiah 61:1-3:
“The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon Me,
Because the LORD has anointed Me
To preach good tidings to the poor;
He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted,
To proclaim liberty to the captives,
And the opening of the prison to those who are bound;
To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD,
And the day of vengeance of our God;
To comfort all who mourn,
To console those who mourn in Zion,
To give them beauty for ashes,
The oil of joy for mourning,
The garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness;
That they may be called trees of righteousness,
The planting of the LORD, that He may be glorified.”
Today, Drew is the founding pastor of Calvary Chapel At The Cross in Central Queens, NYC. He is married to his wife Susan and they have two children: Joshua and Christina.
(written by Julie Hansen)
LISTEN TO DREW’S BIBLE STUDIES AND TEACHINGS HERE