Our History

Cortaro Vista's History

“Churches are people coming together to worship, to witness, to fellowship, and to serve their God.  We are building Cortaro Vista Community Church with people who are living their faith and who are sharing their journey. You are invited to be a part of building this community.”

So stated the first advertisement to appear in a Tucson, Arizona newspaper announcing the beginning of Cortaro Vista Community Church in 1983.  It was a daughter church plant out of Tucson Reformed Church that had been ministering in Tucson since the 1950’s.  That statement of sharing the journey has been key to the spiritual and physical growth of Cortaro Vista.

Ten years later, after our current Pastor re-started CVCC in 1989, a radio spot with KIIM FM in Tucson declared:

"Hello … I’m Pastor Ted from Cortaro Vista Community Church on Tucson’s Northwest side. The past few days I’ve looked into the starry eyes of a couple who will be married soon, and I’ve held the hand of an elderly 92-year-old woman with Parkinson’s. I’ve had children throw water soaked sponges at me at our annual Fall Festival, and I’ve hugged and cried with a mother and father who had just lost their 22-year-old son.

Cortaro Vista Community Church is about people. People who care for each other, people who support one another, people who understand what it’s like to live life, and people who just plain have fun in their faith. We intentionally live out our Mission Statement: 'Loving God .. Loving Others'.

Life beats us up enough from Monday to Saturday and we don’t need to get beaten up on Sunday again. If you’re looking for an intergenerational, down-to-earth, practical church where the Bible is our foundation and people are important, then come visit us at Cortaro Vista Community Church, where we talk about things like that!”

Over the years we have stayed faithful to our first goal and our Mission Statement. We have consistently tried to help people discover a whole new world where they are loved, cared for, and valued for who they are.

A World Of Real People

Don’t you enjoy being somewhere you can just be yourself?  Somewhere you don’t have to act like somebody you aren’t?  It requires being accepted by others who love you in spite of your flaws.  That’s what God’s love is like and that is the atmosphere we have strived to maintain through our history.  One of the reasons people attend CVCC is because they feel accepted unconditionally. Many over the years were bearing scars and bruises from where life had “beat them up”.  Here they found love and healing and were able to re-enter their own journey.  Our family has fluctuated over the years as those who needed healing entered and then rejoined the mission and life God had called them to.  One of the CVCC family said, “For three years I’ve been looking for a church to call home.  Cortaro Vista feels like home to me, and has ever since the first Sunday. I have met some wonderful spiritual friends that had been missing from my life”.

A World Of Encouragement

Encouragement .. it’s just like a glass of cold water on a steamy, hot Tucson summer day. But sometimes, it seems as rare as the proverbial desert oasis. At Cortaro Vista we have always attempted to offer that glass of cold water to those who were feeling thirsty for some real encouragement. Our history has proved that we believe that God’s Word is an ever-flowing spring of cool water. Home bible studies began early and strong application-based Biblical preaching/teaching helped pave the way for the spiritual growth of CVCC.  The emphasis on encouragement in the midst of the diversity of God’s people and the diversity of life’s journey has been the foundation for our worship gatherings, Bible studies, and family life activities.  CVCC has truly taken on the moniker of an ever-growing family.  From the half-dozen who remained faithful and restarted the church right down to the present gathering of “family” for fellowship or worship, our connectedness has been an important factor in our growth and our outreach.  This testimony came from one of our members, “Cortaro Vista offers a Christ-centered environment where: a variety of needs can be met; friends can be made; a Worship Celebration experience can be challenging, exciting and stimulating; and ministry is genuine.”

A World Of Hope

It doesn’t take long to learn that one of the greatest joys in life comes when we invest our lives in others.  After meeting for a few years at DeGrazia Elementary School it was time for us to be in our own building.  With funding through the Reformed Church’s Partnership In Mission Program, and a comprehensive cross-country fundraising campaign, we were able to build our current building debt free and pay off our land.  Once we had a firm foundation, it was time for us to cease “being the mission” and start supporting missions.  Our intentional mission-oriented outreach provided growth for the congregation and funding for several missions.  Currently around 30% of our giving goes to missions at home and around the globe.   One of our Elders said it best, “Cortaro Vista offers us the opportunity to make a difference in people’s lives; to show by our words and actions that God loves the world, loves them and that we matter to Him.” 

There you have it, a small glimpse into the history of what makes Cortaro Vista Community Church such a great place to worship, fellowship, grow spiritually and reach out to others.  We truly believe that the foundation God has allowed us to lay will be the catalyst to move us forward into the future.