History

Started in a private home in 1985, the original nucleus of the church was a small group called Our Father's House Fellowship. In 1987 the group affiliated with the Vineyard Christian Fellowship and in that same year grew enough to rent space in a retail strip center; six years later, forced again by growth, the church moved to another commercial center. The church moved to its present 35-acre facility in Glendale (in the northwest Valley) in 2002. The expansion of the church matches the population growth of the communities bordering northwestern Phoenix, one of the most rapidly-growing areas in the Valley. It is an example of what some have described as a "mega-church," referring to the development of a new type of large-scale churches located predominantly in rapidly growing urban and suburban areas.

Activities and Schedule

The church sponsors a wide array of study groups and classes, supporting activities such as Bible Study, classes in personal finance management, addiction recovery, food and clothing bank collections, sign language instruction, guitar lessons, cardio-kickboxing lessons, ministries aimed at youth (broken down by ages), individual counseling, singles groups and others. These are listed and updated at a well-maintained website. There is a strong emphasis placed on pre-school and Daycare education. Members are served by a monthly newsletter (Vineyard Focus). For a full list of service and meeting times, please refer to the website.

Description

The site (described as a campus) covers 35 acres in the northwestern Valley in a largely suburban neighborhood. Besides a sanctuary and church offices and meeting rooms, the facilities include a bookstore, a coffee bar, a food and clothing bank collection center, day care classrooms and two large auditoriums.