Our History
But do not let this one fact escape your notice, beloved, that with the Lord one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years like one day. The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some consider slowness, but is patient toward you, not willing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance.
2 Peter 3:8-9
The First Thirty Years
On June 24th, 1956, the Milford Baptist Mission held its first meeting in the home of Don Klavetter at 1455 Saturn Court in Milpitas. It was birthed out of the missional heart of Baptist Temple in San Jose, the first Southern Baptist Church in Santa Clara County. The group met weekly in this home until it purchased its first property in October 1956, located at 1640 South Main Street. On December 30, 1956, the members of the Milford Baptist Mission organized into a church and adopted the name Ford City Baptist Church. This was because the Ford Motor Company had just opened a new assembly plant in Milpitas, where The Great Mall of the Bay Area is now located.
However, by 1963, the building on Main Street was condemned, and the church had to scramble to find a new location. They found some property on a gravel road on what is now called South Park Victoria Drive. With a $12,000 loan from what is now called the North American Mission Board (NAMB), the church bought the property and began construction in 1964. During that time, the church changed its name to Park Victoria Baptist Church, wanting to represent its new location. The new church building was constructed primarily by dedicated church members. This building has now been reconfigured into our fellowship hall known as Patterson Hall.
The church then saw tremendous growth through 1965-1978. The church had to expand its facilities to include a two-story education building in 1968. Then, in 1978, the church built the current Worship Center and auditorium.
In 1980 the church called Dr. Levi Price Jr. as their senior pastor. Dr. Price had just returned from serving with what is now called the International Mission Board (IMB) in Mexico. With Dr. Price, the church began to focus more on church planting among the various ethnic groups found in Milpitas. Under his leadership, the church helped start the Southbay Chinese Baptist Church.
The Last Thirty Years
By 1990, however, the church was facing difficult times. The church was struggling financially and found itself without a senior pastor. But by November 1990, the church called Bill Patterson as their senior pastor. Rev. Patterson had been a former member of Park Victoria Baptist Church in the late ’60s and early ’70s. Under his leadership, the church began to make greater efforts in starting new churches. Through this initiative, the church saw a handful of churches begin. Following Rev. Patterson’s retirement in 2006, the church named their fellowship hall after him in honor of his faithful leadership both as a member and pastor.
With every church, there are some darker days, and PVBC faced some of those darker days between 2006-2011 due to some moral failures by its staff. In 2011 Pastor Steve Zahare was called to the church as its senior pastor and worked to rebuild the trust and unity within a grieving church. In early 2021 Pastor Steve announced his retirement.
In October 2021, the church called our current pastor David Rogers and his family. They moved from South Asia, where they served as missionaries with the IMB. With missions being a consistent thread in our church’s history, this is a great time to get ourselves back to our roots and move forward in the direction God has for Park Victoria Baptist Church. Despite many of the ups and downs found in our church’s history, God has always been faithful and good to us, and like an ever-rolling stream, we can rely on God and His Word to guide and guard us to what is best as we serve him in Milpitas, San Jose, and beyond.