About AFC

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Apostolic Faith Center(AFC) is a 501(c)(3) organization located in Youngtown, Arizona which is a suburb of the Phoenix metropolitan area. Originally located in Peoria, Arizona, AFC opened its doors in January of 2001 after a prompting by the Holy Spirit in the heart of co-founding Pastors Frank Hernandez and Daniel Duarte. Both men were products of the ministry of Lifeline Outreach, a ministry began in Whittier, California and established by the late Pastor David Hernandez. At the time of its inaugural service, the congregation consisted of approximately 10 families and utilized one another’s homes for meetings. 

Shortly thereafter, AFC began renting a building in the Peoria area and God began to multiply the membership. By fall of 2001 the church had grown to about double its size. 

That same year the leadership felt led of God to open a chapter of Lifeline Outreach, a men’s residential drug rehabilitation program, in order to reach the need of church members, their families and the surrounding community. 

Lifeline Outreach began its inaugural year with two residents. Today Lifeline Outreach Arizona has graduated multiple men who have gone on to become productive members of society and many have remained as members of the church family as well as have become members of the ministerial body. Currently 75% of our church members are Lifeline Graduates/Alumni, so we know that Lifeline Outreach has a great return rate.

Shortly after the opening of Lifeline Outreach, the leadership once again felt led of God to establish Apostolic Faith Center Christian Academy, a private parochial educational center where students in grades K-12 could come to learn in a God-centered environment. 

As an active church organization, AFC is open seven days a week. AFC is not a church that is only open on days of church service. 

Within the Youngtown community, AFC is known for its community outreach events held in spring and fall sponsored by the AFC Children’s Ministry. At these events church members work together to create a night filled with games, food, live music and fellowship that is provided to all visitors at absolutely no cost. The event is publicized in the area newspaper and invitations are hand delivered to residents immediately surrounding the church. Each season the spring and fall festivals bring new opportunities for the church to reach out to the community and publicize the available resources that the church has to offer.

Every year AFC participates in Prison Fellowship Ministry’s Angel Tree Program. In this program, Angel Tree sponsors children of inmates with a gift of one clothing item and one fun item as well as a note to the child from his or her incarcerated parent to remind them that their parent is thinking about them and to let them know they are not forgotten. As a participant in this ministry, AFC takes the program a step further to work with connections in surrounding food banks and sponsoring businesses to secure Christmas day meals for each family, a food box with staple food items, additional gifts for each child, gift cards for each family to supplement household needs and a holiday party complete with Santa, Mrs. Claus, elves, carolers and a Christmas meal. While at this event, children engage in games, crafts and door prize raffles all centered on their unique needs. During dinner, each caregiver is treated to pleasant adult conversation while the children are entertained by volunteers so that the caregiver is given much-needed encouragement and assurance. Angel Tree ministry is an event that AFC prepares for all year long and is the culmination of the Christmas season.

We want to help change lives one day at a time!