HISTORY

In 1919 some of the local churches saw the need for a Christian outreach center in Phoenix. The poor farm workers were severely neglected. The ministers, preachers, pastors and church folk pooled their resources and distributed assistance from a community center. Eventually recognized as the “Phoenix Christian Center,” this first community effort reached out to ease the physical, social, and emotional burdens crushing the early Latino community. The social programs included citizenship classes, sewing, cooking, and English language instruction among other necessities for survival. The Phoenix Christian Center was located at the intersection of Washington & 10th Streets. During the 1930’s and 1940’s, following the depression and WWII, the Phoenix Christian Center responded to the growing issue of juvenile delinquency, as well as other social problems exacerbated by post war economics and politics. We created an environment that developed positive group experiences, and creating a family-type environment so desperately needed at the time. The youth focus materialized in youth clubs, special interest groups, sports teams, hobby groups, and summer camping programs. We reached out to the poor, the lonely and the needy regardless of national origin or race more than two decades before the national U.S. civil rights movement.

The Alzona Park Christian Center came to be in the early 1950’s, expanding our service area to meet the desperate demand of the community. Primarily established to serve people who lived in a large government housing project, the Phoenix Christian Center eased the economic burdens of people with traditional social services. Emphasizing club activities, camping and home visitation, we fought the increase in crime that sprung out of the federal government’s 3,000 apartment units crammed into 90 acres. The Alzona Park Baptist Church shared the facilities as part of an early partnership we shared with community leaders and business.

By 1961 it became difficult to provide services at three locations in the not-so-metropolitan small town of Phoenix. With resources spread too thin, Valley Christian Center had no choice but to close the Alzona Park facility, focusing resources and energy on the remaining two facilities with the assistance of Mt. Calvary Baptist Church. We bought the current location at 1326 W. Hadley through help of local churches in 1964. The building was completed in June 1967. The Southwest Unit of Valley Christian Centers, Inc. eventually came to be the sole location, as it is today. The Valley Christian Centers, Inc took its name in 1977. Struggling to remain true to the core mission we consolidated all resources to one location in the early 1990’s. That location is the current location from which we operate. Following the death of Lorenzo Alexander, we created Lorenzo’s Garden in 2002. In 2008 after several years of hard work and prayer, nearly 70 businesses, the NFL Superbowl XLII and hundreds of volunteers provided over $500,000 of materials and labor to rehabilitate our 41 year old building.

The community is rapidly growing around us. We are expanding facilities and resources in order to provide for all of those needs.