leadership
senior pastor
REv.Dr. Tom Martinez
Rev. Dr. Tom Martinez is the Senior Minister here at Desert Palm. Prior to transitioning into the ministry he worked in a variety of mental health settings in the Pacific Northwest. His lifelong academic passion is the interface of depth psychology and religion, ecotheology and the relationship between spirituality and social action. Pastor Tom recently earned his Ph. D. in depth psychology through Pacifica Graduate Institute (with an emphasis in Community Psychology, Liberation Psychology, Indigenous Psychology and Ecopsychology, Pacifica's CLIE track). He has served churches in New Jersey, Brooklyn (NY), and is now here with us in Arizona.
director of music
marc gaston
church administrator
maria deleon
accompanist
claudia bloom
CHRISTIAN EDUCATION & SOCIAL MEDIA COORDINATOR
Sonja Haller
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Youth Coordinator for Middle and High School
Donavan Bailey
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our story
IN THE BEGINNING there were the Reverend Donald Arey and Lois Arey. Our church, then known as the United Church of South Tempe, held its first service in the choir room of Marcos De Niza High School on October 15, 1978. Later, we adopted our current name, Desert Palm United Church of Christ, and the Rev. Arey conducted the charter service on June 3, 1979.The initial congregation numbered 74, but under the guidance of the Areys and other church leaders, steadily grew to include hundreds more. By 1982, the construction of the first building was complete. Sunday School classes, the musical program, and fellowship groups coalesced and flourished. Under our next minister, the Rev. John Herman, our church attained a new level of social justice activism, weathered financial challenges, and paid off the mortgage.
The core missions of Desert Palm have been present since its inception: feeding the homeless and hungry, celebrating foster children, and supporting veterans and the LGBTQIA community. In recognition of our longstanding commitments to these communities, the City of Tempe awarded Desert Palm its MLK Diversity Award for a Community Group in 2010. The following is a snapshot of our ministries in a recent year:
- Preparing and serving 1,000 guest meals and providing 1,000 nights of slumber through the I-HELP ministry to the homeless
- Donating 310 pounds of food to the United Food Bank for 238 meals and providing 1,500 bottles of water
- Sharing 100 Halloween cakes and purchasing 100 Christmas gifts for foster children
- Providing worship space for start-up congregations
- Furnishing classroom space to a Girl Scout Troop and three Al-Anon groups
- Knitting nearly 100 lap afghans for children and veterans and donating goods to Victory Place
- Sharing food, toys, and money with five animal welfare agencies
- Funding 100 pairs of shoes for LGBTQIA homeless youth in the Phoenix area
- Making six 340-mile round trips to deliver water to desert stations
- Marching by more than 25 Desert Palm members in the Phoenix Pride parade, walking for the hungry, and demonstrating for immigrant rights
Today, Desert Palm is embarking on a new chapter with the Rev. Thomas Martinez, music director Marc Gaston. We hope you will join us on our faith journey.
PURPOSE:
To love God with all our heart, mind, soul, and strength and our neighbor as ourselves (Mt. 22)
VISION:
United in Christ’s love, a just world for all.
MISSION:
United in Spirit and inspired by God’s grace, we welcome all, love all, and seek justice for all.