Christian Church

The History of The Church at Litchfield Park

Litchfield Park started in 1916 when Goodyear Tire and Rubber bought farm land to grow Egyptian long-staple cotton to use in tire cords. This project was developed by Paul W. Litchfield, who would do for rubber what Thomas Edison did for electricity. His beneficence, vision, and wide-ranging talents created a beautiful oasis in the sweltering desert.  He was a financial angel who provided the amenities for the community, sometimes out of his own pocket.

 

John Padgett was the engineer assigned to direct operations and get the ranch going. John and his wife Mabel were devout Methodists.  In late 1917 Mabel organized the first religious services in the community, starting with what was called the Agua Fria (Later Litchfield Park) Union Sunday School.  They met in the company cook shack that sat where The Church at Litchfield Park sits today.  In 1921, the tire company built the first church, the old Catholic Church (still standing on Wigwam Boulevard at Neolin) to serve the needs of the Mexican and Indian ranch hands.  For eighteen years the Padgett Sunday School provided the only permanent center for Protestant worship and thinking.

 

The company town was given Paul Litchfield’s name in 1926. Litchfield Park was headquarters for Goodyear Farms, which had thousands of acres under cultivation. From 1931 to 1944, it was also the test site for Goodyear auto, truck and tractor tires.

  

On March 27, 1938, a group of devout people from more than a dozen different affiliations established an interdenominational community church, “a house of prayer for all people.”  They named it The Church at Litchfield Park. So they had a church but no building.  Chairman Raymond Zieske took his building problem to Mr. Litchfield, where he found a sympathetic ear and a deep personal interest in the project.  The Wigwam Resort, developed by Mr. Litchfield as a retreat for company executives, had opened to the public, but lacked a bar and lounge, which Mr. Litchfield adamantly opposed.   The hotel continued to press for policy changes, and here, then, was the opportunity for a horse trade.   It has been said that Mr. Litchfield struck a deal in which Goodyear executives agreed to support development of a church in return for permission to sell liquor.

 

Ground was broken on September 10, 1939.  Within a year, a sanctuary and bell tower had been erected, conceived by Mr. Litchfield and built by the cotton company’s engineering crew.  In 1946 a colonnade was built to provide classrooms and a kitchen, and five years later the south wing of the church, containing Zieske Hall, the pastor’s office, and additional Sunday school classrooms, was completed.

 

On October 27, 1971, the Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company, which had built, maintained, and owned the church for nearly a third of a century, deeded the building and 1-1/2 acres of land to the membership at a cost of one dollar.  Many changes, along with steady growth, have characterized the last 30 years.  A new and enlarged sanctuary was so carefully accomplished that few could now determine where the classic adobe ends and the new nave and chancel begin.  The additional space gave the church fourteen more pews, facilities for choir practice, and a sacristy.  At the same time, it was decided to prepare a Garden of Memories.  With low stucco walls, graceful wrought-iron gates, a fountain, and tree-shaded, flower-bordered paths, it is a place where members who so wish may have their ashes laid to rest.

 

In September of 1991, the Watt House, which previously served as the parsonage, was enlarged so that the Thrift Shop would have a permanent home.  The rest of the house was remodeled and dedicated to serve the youth of the church and community.  A year later, a nursery and five large classrooms with built-in cabinets, work areas, wash basins, and restroom facilities were completed.  An enclosed yard with play structures came just as a wave of young families with small children joined the church.  The completion of additional parking and a paved street around the new facilities marked the end of the second building stage.

           

Souers Hall, with a stage and a commercial kitchen, was the final addition to the church campus.  On March 31, 1996, after 13 years of planning and hard work by the faithful members and dedicated friends of the Church, the hall was dedicated and named after Pastor Emeritus Rev. Judson Souers.  In 1998, the Church decided to begin a contemporary worship service, which is held in Souers Hall.