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About Pilgrim Rest Baptist Church

ABOUT US
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A Church That Loves God And People
Founded In 1922

Our Vision

Pilgrim Rest is a Christ-centered ministry endeavoring, through the Holy Spirit, to be like a city that sits upon a hill; a beacon of hope for all. Habakkuk 2:2

Our Mission

Our mission is to bring souls to Jesus Christ by addressing the spiritual and natural needs of men, women and children through thought-provoking, spirit-filled and inspiring ministries that immediately impact the life of the whole person. With the guidance of the Holy Spirit, we will achieve this mission through a faithful, humble, servant-oriented, trained leadership staff sensitive to the concerns of the congregation and the community for the edifying of the Body of Christ.

Timeline Of Our History

Moving from one anniversary of Pilgrim Rest to the next, we always remember our vision to “be like a city that sits on a hill; a beacon of hope for all,” and remain steadfast in fulfilling the great commandment of Jesus found in St. Matthew 28:18-20, which beckons us “to teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Ghost.”

1922
Founded in “No Man's Land”
Rev. Jake Howard, Rev. R. Thomas, and Rev. M. Boyd founded the Pilgrim Rest Baptist Church in Somerton, AZ, then commonly known as “No Man’s Land.”
1930
Relocated to Phoenix
Under Pastor Boyd, the church relocated to 1417 E. Madison, Phoenix, AZ.
1936
Appointment of Rev. Williams
Rev. J. W. Williams took over the reins of the church.
1937-1950
Transitional Time
During this time of transition, the church was led by Rev. Moses Howard, Rev. Whatley, and Rev. Carr.
1950
Appointment of Rev. H. Y. Stevenson
The church appointed Rev. H. Y. Stevenson as its Pastor.
1968
New Sanctuary on Madison
Pastor Stevenson oversaw the building of a new sanctuary at 1401 E. Madison Street.
1973
Appointment of Rev. Wesley Jones
Upon the sad demise of Pastor Stevenson, the church appointed Rev. Wesley Jones as Pastor.
1979
Radio Broadcast
This Old Fashion Gospel Hour broadcast begins to reach a broader church audience.
1981
National Baptist Convention
The church served as the headquarters for 101st National Baptist Convention of America, a first for Arizona.
1984
Appointment of Rev. Alexis Thomas
Pastor Wesley Jones resigned, and Rev. Alexis Thomas’ subsequent appointment, at 16 years of age, made him the youngest Pastor in Arizona’s history.
1997
Vision 2000 Unveiled
Bishop Thomas unveiled his “Vision 2000” for a new Sanctuary, Word Center, and Wellness Center.
2000
New Sanctuary on Jefferson
Pilgrim Rest completes the construction of its new 2,600-seat sanctuary at 1401 E. Jefferson Street and the congregation holds its first service on Palm Sunday.
2003
Word Center Built
Construction of the PRBC Wellness Center is completed, offering 31,000 square feet of space with executive offices, classrooms, science lab, and computer lab.
2007
Wellness Center Dedication
The PRBC Wellness Center dedication features Cafe Eden and The Spa at Pilgrim.
2008
Teleos Preparatory Academy
Pilgrim Rest and Great Hearts Academies collaborate to open Teleos Preparatory Academy on the Pilgrim Rest campus.
2010
East Valley Service Expansion
The church established the East Valley service at Quartz Elementary and later moved to Campo Verde High School in Gilbert, AZ.
2011
PRBC Live Stream
The church’s online live-streaming service reached thousands of international, national, and local worshipers.
2013
PRBC Television Broadcast
PRBC’s television broadcast debut reached over 20,000 worshippers on AZTV.
2015
Prayer Garden Dedicated
The church dedicated a Prayer Garden between the Word Center and Sanctuary buildings.
2017
Solar Power for Campus
Through a partnership with Scout Energy Advisors, Pilgrim Rest transitioned to solar energy to power a majority of its campus.
2018
The Passing of Bishop Alexis A. Thomas
Thousands attended the Homegoing Service of Bishop Alexis A. Thomas at the Phoenix Convention Center in January.
2019
Pastor Terry E. Mackey Installed
On March 31, 2019, the church installed Pastor Terry E. Mackey as Senior Pastor.
Our Statement of Faith
Section 1. The Scriptures Inspired

The Bible is the inspired Word of God, a revelation from God to man, the infallible rule of faith and conduct, and is superior to conscience and reason, but not contrary to reason. (2 Timothy 3:15-17; 1 Peter 1:23-25; Hebrews 4:12)

Section 2. The One True Godhead

The triune Godhead is comprised of three (3) separate and distinct personalities, The Father, The Son, and the Holy Spirit, who are eternally self-existent, self-revealed and function as one entity. Jesus Christ, who is God manifested in the flesh, is the second member of the Godhead, co-equal and co-eternal with The Father and The Holy Spirit.

Section 3. Man, His Fall and Redemption

Man was created good and upright, for God said, “Let us make man in Our image, after Our likeness.” But, man, by voluntary transgression, fell and his only hope of redemption is in Jesus Christ the Son of God. (Genesis 1:26-31, 3:1-7; Romans 5:12-21)

Section 4. The Salvation of Man

A.        Man’s only hope of redemption is through the shed blood of Jesus Christ.  On the cross Jesus Christ became sin and sickness providing both salvation and divine healing for all mankind (Psalm 103:3), being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. For by grace, we are saved through faith. “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart- that is, the word of faith, which we are preaching, that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved; for with the heart man believes, resulting in salvation.” (Romans 3:24; Ephesians 2:8; Romans 10:8-10)

B.         The evidence of salvation. The inward evidence to the believer of his salvation is the direct witness of the Spirit (Romans 8:16).  The outward evidence to all men is a life of righteousness and true holiness. “And this is His commandment, that we believe in the name of His Son, Jesus Christ, and love one another, just as He commanded us” (1 John3:23).

C.         Faith and Works. Salvation is by faith in Jesus Christ and not by human works; however, our works will determine the rewards in eternity. (Romans 10:1-9; 2 Corinthians 5:10)

Section 5. Baptism in Water

The ordinance of baptism by a burial with Christ should be observed as commanded in the Scriptures by all who have really repented and in their hearts have truly believed on Christ as Savior and Lord. In so doing, they declare to the world that they have died with Jesus and that they have also been raised with Him to walk in newness of life. (Matthew 28:19; Acts 10:47-48; Romans 6:4)

Section 6. The Lord’s Supper

“And when He had given thanks, He broke it, and said, ‘This is my body, which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.’ In the same way also the cup, after supper, saying, ‘This cup is the new covenant in my blood, Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.’ Let a man examine himself, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup.”  (1 Corinthians 11:24-25, 28)

Section 7. The Promise of the Father

All believers are entitled to, and should ardently expect and earnestly seek, the promise of the Father, the Baptism in the Holy Ghost and Fire, according to the command of our Lord Jesus Christ. This was the normal experience of all in the early Christian church.  With it comes the endowment of power for life and service, the bestowment of the gifts and their uses in the work of the ministry. (Luke 24:49; Acts 1:4-8; 1 Corinthians 123: 1-31)
This wonderful experience is distinct from and subsequent to the experience of the new birth. (Acts 2:38; 10:44-46; 11:14-16; 15:7-9)

Section 8. The Church

The church is the body of Christ, the habitation of God through the Spirit, with divine appointments for the fulfillment of her great commission. Each believer, born of the Spirit, is an integral part of the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven. (Ephesians 1:22; 2:19-22; Hebrews 12:23)

Section 9. Blessed Hope

Jesus is coming again to gather all His Saints to heaven. (1 Corinthians 15:51-52; 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17; 2 Thessalonians 2:1)

Section 10. The Lake of Fire

Those who have not accepted the redemptive work of Jesus Christ will suffer eternal separation from the Godhead. The devil and his angels, the beast and the false prophet, and anyone whose name was not found written in the book of life, shall be consigned to everlasting punishment in the lake of fire, which burns with brimstone.  This is the second death, the lake of fire.  (Revelation 19:20; 20:10-15)

Section 11. The Millennial Reign of Jesus

The return of our Lord Jesus Christ with His Saints from heaven to rule and reign for one thousand years on earth as the Scriptures promised. (Romans 11:25, 27; 2 Thessalonians 1:7; Revelation 19:11-16; 20:1-7) After this, there shall be a new heaven and a new earth. (Revelation 21)