There are two religious associations in Fountain Hills and its surrounding areas: the Fountain Hills Christian Ministerial Association (FHCMA), which encompasses 11 local Christian churches from Fountain Hills to Rio Verde, and the Fountain Hills Interfaith Alliance (FHIA), which includes 13 religious organizations across the Valley. Both associations filled their 2022 with events and look forward to many more in 2023.

FHCMA

JOY Christian Community Church Pastor Clayton Wilfer is the current chair of FHCMA, who says last year’s banner project came in the form of a food closet.

Housed at Cornerstone Family Church, small and large boxes of food are assembled for families in need throughout the community. Each FHCMA member church is assigned a list of items to collect and deliver to Cornerstone, where they are packed and distributed.

“We are called to love God and love our neighbor, and this is one way we love our neighbor,” Wilfer said, describing the ongoing project which has seen success since its start last summer. “We're not a long-term solution. We're just a stopgap measure. There have been a number of families that we've been able to help who have gone through really hard times.”

In concert with the food closet is the Good Samaritan Fund in which FHCMA provides financial aid to families facing hardships in life.

After a longstanding FHCMA member, Harvest Bible Chapel, closed its doors last year, FHCMA added Scottsdale Bible Church and Reigning Grace Chapel to its roster.

As the FHCMA torch is handed off to a new leader every year, Pastor Wilfer will give the reins to Pastor Keith Pavia of Christ’s Church of Fountain Hills for 2023.

“It has been so instrumental to me, to my faith and my ability to lead,” Wilfer said of his time in leadership. “It has been phenomenal. A true godsend having this ministerial.”

Apart from their annual observances including Thanksgiving, Easter Sunrise and National Day of Prayer, FHCMA has a few plans in the works that are yet to be disclosed.

“There are some other projects in the works that I can’t mention yet, but if they come to fruition, it would be very exciting for the town,” Wilfer said.

As FHCMA enters the new year, Wilfer said the main goal for the organization and its endeavors is to help spread the gospel throughout the town and its surrounding area.

“It is unique, the unity of the ministerial,” Wilfer said. “We stand together for the sake of Jesus Christ and his gospel.”

FHIA

In 2022, Fountain Hills Interfaith Alliance took time to provide its members with more opportunities to learn about each other’s faith traditions.

“This year, it’s become all the more evident that it’s important for people of all faiths to gather together in ways that celebrate what it means to live in a country like the United States that welcomes all people of every race and creed,” said FHIA Coordinator and The Fountains Pastor David Felten.

One such opportunity included a partnership with Northeast Valley Consortium in October to host “Hope in a Troubled World,” an online prayer gathering that featured stories on the war in Ukraine, the world hunger crisis and finding faith in troubled times.

In November, FHIA celebrated its 14th Annual Interfaith Thanksgiving where neighboring religious groups including Jews, Muslims, Catholics, Protestants, Latter Day Saints, Buddhists, Baha’i, Religious Science and other faiths living in and around Fountain Hills gathered to reflect and stand up to a rise of antisemitism and Christian nationalism.

“The rise of Christian nationalism over the course of the last year is a threat to the very core of what it means to be an American,” Felten said. “It becomes all the more important for those of us who are committed to an inclusive, pluralistic society to come together in ways that celebrate how we are a unique country in the world.”

Next month, FHIA will continue its tradition of observing Four Chaplains Day, which commemorates the story of four WWII chaplains who sacrificed their lives to rescue civilians and military personnel from a sinking ship.

“These four chaplains of different faiths took off their life vests, gave them to soldiers, and the last thing anybody saw of them was them holding hands, praying together as their ship went down,” Felten said. “Their witness has become a tribute to how the United States is not a Christian-only country. It’s a country that welcomes people of all faiths and makes space for all beliefs or no belief.”

This year, FHIA is planning field trips to local synagogues and mosques along with a continued tradition of hosting Buddhist meditation classes.

“We're going to continue to offer opportunities for people from different faith traditions to learn about one another and gain an appreciation for the gifts that every religion brings to our collective community,” Felten said.