ABOUT OUR HISTORY In 1922, Reverend Jake Howard, Reverend R. Thomas and Reverend M. Boyd organized Pilgrim Rest Baptist Church in Somerton, Arizona, a little place called “No Man’s Land”. Shortly thereafter, Reverend Boyd sought to initiate an association of churches. Reverend Boyd’s vision became a reality when he and Reverend Jake Howard of Galilee Baptist Church established the first Zion Rest District Association. Following eight years in “No Man’s Land”, Moderator Boyd relocated Pilgrim Rest Missionary Baptist Church to Phoenix at 1417 East Madison Street. As the church began to grow, it started to adopt its own distinct identity through prayer and the direction of Pastor Boyd, who was also the district’s first moderator. Reverend Boyd, first pastor of Pilgrim Rest Missionary Baptist Church resigned and a second pastor, Reverend J.W. Williams began his Pastoral Leadership in 1936.

In 1937, Reverend J.W. Williams resigned. During an unstable leadership period, which lasted until 1950, the Pilgrim Rest Missionary Baptist Church had three other pastors: Reverend Moses Howard, Reverend Whatley and Reverend Carr.

The year 1950 marked the beginning of a new era for the Pilgrim Rest Missionary Baptist church under the guidance of Reverend H. Y. Stevenson, who became the church’s sixth pastor. Reverend Stevenson brought new life to Pilgrim Rest Missionary Baptist Church, resulting in a dramatic church membership increase, creating the need to erect a new edifice. By 1968, a new and greater sanctuary was built at its present day location of 1401 East Madison Street. Reverend Stevenson envisioned this beautiful structure soon would be paid for. Through sincere prayer and faith, the church was paid off within a three year period. The completion of the above task was another demonstration of Reverend Stevenson’s leadership abilities, style, and his strong desire to integrate the church into the community.

On May 20, 1997, Pastor Alexis Thomas unveiled "Vision 2000", a vision for a new Pilgrim Rest Baptist Church (PRBC) campus. History was made on April 16, 2000, when the Pilgrim people of God marched into a new 2500-seat, state-of-the-art Worship Center sanctuary. In the continuation of focusing on that vision and "to enhance the lives of all whom it (the church) touches", Pastor Thomas and the Pilgrim Rest family constructed the Word Center in 2003. The Word Center is an awe-inspiring educational facility, which in addition to classrooms, includes science and computer labs to develop members of our community.

In less than 10 years, God saw fit for Bishop Thomas and Pilgrim Rest to fulfill the vision of a campus that meets all of the needs of men, women, and families with the completion of the Wellness Center. The Pilgrim Rest family dedicated the 31,000 square foot Wellness Center, which features The Spa at Pilgrim and Cafe Eden, on May 2, 2007.

Within that same vision of meeting the needs of Christians, the PRBC Bookstore and E-Store provide a variety of resources to support Christ-centered living. We offer inspirational audio sermons, books, videos, CDs, DVDs, and more. We invite you to shop the PRBC E-Store or visit our onground store Life Source at Pilgrim Rest Baptist Church, 1401 E. Jefferson St., Phoenix, AZ  85034.