The people behind the work.

Pastor Max came to Victory Outreach as a young married man losing everything to alcohol and drugs — nearly including his wife and child. One Christmas season, at a Tuesday night service, a message touched his heart and became his turning point. Bible school followed, and then a calling he’s never put down: spending his life building people and transforming lives.

Today, he and Linda pour into the next generation of leaders — training and raising up the men and women who will carry Victory Outreach Portland forward. What he wants you to know before you ever meet him: you’ll be accepted here, no matter who you are or what you’ve been through.

Married to Pastor Max for 47 years, she is — in his words — his back-to-back partner. She oversees classes, teachers, children’s ministry, and the women’s ministry, and mentors leaders across the church. Ask anyone here: she’s the counselor, the encourager, and the one who goes beyond the call of duty. In the Garza family, she’s the foundation of the home.