Churches Arizona

Pilgrims Rest

1401 E Jefferson St, Phoenix, AZ 85034, USA

Group of people wearing white robes with shaved heads standing close together beside a pool, hands clasped in front of them.

Group of formally dressed adults on a stage, some singing into microphones, colorful abstract backdrop behind them.

A man in a suit speaks into a microphone on a stage as a diverse group of people clap and smile behind him, colorful abstract backdrop in the background

Three smiling adults posing together at a formal event; the man in the middle wears a navy suit and tie, flanked by an older woman in black and a woman in a wide-brim hat and pearl necklace on the right.

Man in a blue suit shakes hands with a attendee in a gray shirt on a stage as a crowd looks on, with microphones and speakers nearby.

Overview
Gallery
Location
Add Review

Pilgrim Rest Baptist Church began in 1922 in Somerton, Arizona, when Reverends Jake Howard, R. Thomas, and M. Boyd organized the congregation in an area known as “No Man’s Land.” Reverend Boyd later helped establish the Zion Rest District Association and moved Pilgrim Rest to Phoenix, where it settled on East Madison Street. After a period of leadership changes between 1936 and 1950, Reverend H. Y. Stevenson became pastor and revitalized the church, dramatically increasing membership and overseeing construction of a larger sanctuary in 1968. Following Stevenson’s death in 1973, Reverend Wesley Jones expanded the church’s ministries, introduced its Bus Ministry and “Old Fashion Gospel Hour” radio broadcast, and helped Pilgrim Rest host the National Baptist Convention of America when it came to Arizona for the first time in 1981.

In 1984, Reverend Alexis A. Thomas became Pilgrim Rest’s eighth pastor at just 16 years old, making history as the youngest minister to pastor a church in Arizona. Under his leadership, the church expanded its educational programs, ministries, facilities, and community outreach. His “Vision 2000” initiative led to the opening of a new 2,600-seat sanctuary in 2000, followed by the Word Center in 2003 and a 31,000-square-foot Wellness Center in 2007. Pilgrim Rest later established a satellite campus in Gilbert, expanded its reach through livestreaming and television broadcasts, and developed an international audience. After Bishop Thomas died unexpectedly in 2018, the church continued its mission under Senior Pastor Terry E. Mackey, remaining committed to serving as a “beacon of hope for all” and continuing its legacy of faith, education, community service, and growth.