Julie Arguinzoni’s Bio

FOUNDER OF VICTORY OUTREACH

Julie Arguinzoni grew up in East Los Angeles. When her brother became a hopeless drug addict, a Christian neighbor offered help. He took not only the brother but Julie’s entire family to the church where all 11 of them eventually accepted Christ as their savior.

Julie was just 17 at the time, but soon felt God’s call to full-time Christian service. To further prepare, she attended the Latin American Bible College in La Puente for three years where she studied to become a missionary.

There she met fellow student, Sonny Arguinzoni. Sonny was an ex-drug addict and gang member from New York. He was the first addict to come to the Lord in the Teen challenge outreach run by David Wilkerson and Nicky Cruz. Sonny and Julie were soon married. After graduating, together they felt a unique calling to reach out to drug addicts and gang members in east LA.

Victory Outreach was born.

Originally called “The Addict Church” Julie and Sonny started inviting drug addicts into their home to minister and rehabilitate them.

As men and women came to know Christ, kicked drugs and left gangs, many felt called to go back to those still lost in the inner cities. Victory Outreach began intensive programs to train pastors, counselors, and evangelists. They also duplicated their efforts, opening drug rehab centers all over the country.

Today Victory Outreach International has over 350 rehabilitation homes in the U.S. which treat 10,000 addicts each year. They also have helped start nearly 400 churches. Their original church has grown to over 3,000 members. In 1999, they turned the church over to their son, Sonny Jr., who now serves as Senior Pastor and is currently in the middle of a new building project on a sprawling property in Chino, California.

As Julie ministered to more and more women, she felt called to further undergird and encourage them. She started a program called United Women in Ministry. It’s purpose: to instill dignity, belonging and destiny. For women who have escaped drugs, gangs and prostitution this has given them renewed purpose and a fire for serving God.

But this is just the beginning. Julie has helped start children’s homes in other countries to help abandoned street kids. She also has joined with Sonny to expand Victory Outreach to the four corners of the globe. They have started drug treatment centers in 33 countries from Mexico to the Netherlands to the Philippines.

Julie’s greatest treasure continues to be her 5 children… and now her 16 grandchildren. All of her children are in full-time Christian service and head up various programs at Victory Outreach.