About Us
Who We are
The Journey of Grace (Mesa First) Church of the Nazarene was first organized on February 27, 1948 after several years of a small group of families praying for and asking to begin their own Nazarene church in Mesa. The church began with a small group of dedicated families and has stayed in the same neighborhood for over 60 years now. Through seasons of faith, prayer, and sacrificial giving, the church has grown and expanded its East University property.
We desire to be a neighborhood church that reaches out and impacts the community for the Kingdom of God. We exist to serve everyone created in God’s image, and to invite all to become disciples of Jesus. The church of the Nazarene has always desired to serve the marginalized, those on the outside, and those that are wondering about who God is. We desire to love like Jesus, grow closer to God and to each other, and to serve those who aren’t yet a part of our church family.
In 2021 our church board, along with our congregation, moved together to change the name of our church to Journey of Grace Church of the Nazarene to better reflect who we are as a congregation and our desire to invite those who are not here yet to allow us to journey along side them in their walk, extending the grace we all need.
We’d love to meet you, please feel free to check out more information about visiting our church or getting connected through our ministries.
What We Believe
We are a member of the Church of the Nazarene, a global protestant denomination that is Wesleyan in its theology and came out of the American Holiness movement at the turn of the 20th century. The mission of the Church of the Nazarene is to, “Make Christlike Disciples in the Nations.”
We Believe in God.
We Believe in the inspiration and authority of scripture.
We Believe in the Uniqueness of Jesus Christ.
We Believe in Entire Sanctification.
We Believe in the Church.
If you’d like to learn more about these beliefs, feel free to visit our denominational page to read more in depth.
Our Staff
Lead Pastor: Kurtis Strunk
Kurtis served as youth pastor of Journey of Grace (formerly Mesa First) from 2003-2013. He, his wife Emily and son Malachi, then moved to Ecuador and helped plant a church with Ardeo Global. In 2016 the Strunk family returned to the States and served on the pastoral team at City First Church of The Nazarene in Eugene, Oregon.
Feeling God was calling them to a time of waiting in the desert, the Strunks moved back to Arizona where they enjoyed the fellowship of other believers in a house church for two years. During this time they added Vivienne to their family and felt God preparing them for their next adventure.
“We never imagined the next great adventure would be returning to where we started. We have a deep love for these people and a fire in our hearts for God’s kingdom to come and will to be done in this city.” -Kurtis
Worship Pastor:
Wilf Meeds
Wilf & his family moved to Arizona from Canada via California in 1988. In 2010 God moved the Meeds family from Sedona to Mesa for Wilf to attend medical school. The warm welcome they received on their first visit to Mesa Naz made it clear that this was where God wanted them to worship and serve.
After medical school God opened the door for Wilf to serve here as the Worship Pastor. They continue to serve as missionaries with Global Training Network, equipping and encouraging pastors and leaders in majority world countries. Wilf has served as Worship Pastor in a variety of churches for most of his life. He has a Bachelor of Education from the University of British Columbia, a Masters in Conducting from Azusa Pacific University, a Doctorate of Philosophy from Claremont Graduate University, and a Doctorate of Naturopathic Medicine from Southwest College of Naturopathic Medicine.
At Mesa Naz our times of worship encourage the body of Christ to connect with God and one another. When we reach for Him, He is faithful to reach back to us. We are drawn into His presence and changed by His grace.
Wilf & Arlene count five as their children: Nathan & Sarah (married), Aaron, Crystal, and Jasmine. They are proud grandparents of Hunter, Miles, and Cruz. Spending time with family is one of their greatest joys.
office manager:
Sharon plamann
Sharon is second-generation born and raised in Mesa, Arizona. She believes that the best training for her position as church secretary came from time working at a bank and being a yearbook editor in high school. Sharon came to Journey of Grace by the way of friendships with those who were already attending, primarily her future mother-in-law.
Sharon loves the sense of community within our Journey of Grace family. This is where her faith became real and made commitments to salvation and sanctification through the Lord. Sharon’s been married to her husband, Guy, for over 40 years, they have two sons, Greg and Daniel, and six grandchildren.