Churches add worshipers, expand buildings
A rising population in the Cy-Fair area has translated to fuller church pews, and a number of houses of worship are expanding programs and building larger facilities.
First Baptist
On April 10, Houston’s First Baptist Church conducted a groundbreaking ceremony for a local campus in Bridgeland. That was seven days after the church, which has multiple campuses in Houston’s suburbs, marked its 175th anniversary.
“We were around when it was still the Republic of Texas,” pastor Jason Swiggart said. “And as the city continued to sprawl, we really felt a need to continue to impact and inspire.”
The Cypress campus was launched in 2013 and at first, services were held in Smith Middle School.
But early on, church leaders wanted to establish a more permanent home base in the area and eventually purchased the Bridgeland property.
The plans call for a 100,000-square-foot worship center and community gathering space that will feature rooms for children’s preschool and student and adult groups.
“This is just Phase I,” Swiggart said. “The need is everywhere with people coming out here. There are enough people for a lot of churches.”
“We’ve been growing steadily,” Swiggart said. “We have 600 to 700 people on a typical Sunday.”
He expects construction to be completed by late spring 2017.
Christ Family Church
Christ Family Church has been in Cypress for 10 years and hosted services in area schools before renting a space.
“It’s just a small place and we’re packed to capacity,” lead pastor Paul Russell said.
That is about to change. The church is building a facility at 22722 Schiel Road that will provide worship seating for 475, a kitchen, playground, outdoor baptism fountain, nursery for children and ministry offices.
“Getting our own building does provide a sense of stability, permanence and longevity in the community,” Russell said. “We will have a lot more liberty to do what we do.”
The building will have a Hill Country design complete with a fireplace in the lobby and a front porch.
The church has 21 acres for further development. A second phase of construction would add a larger sanctuary containing 1,200 seats.
The church also plans to eventually add a sports field, picnic area, wedding pavilion and nature trails, Russell said.
He said crews are adding the roof to the new facility.
“We hope to be in by September,” he said.
Good Shepherd UM
Good Shepherd United Methodist Church added a new 1,200-seat worship center in October.
Senior pastor Bill Haygood explained that extra seating was needed for the expanding congregation, which he helped found in 1992.
Haygood said the church’s first official worship ceremony was held in the recreation center in Fairfield.
“It was kind of a slow start out here,” he said. “The neighborhood grew slowly, but we’ve been going steadily ever since. We haven’t had any years of decline.”
Normally membership increases between 3 percent to 5 percent but last year it climbed by 14 percent.
“That’s a good jump,” he said. “Having the new building helps. It’s more visible.”
Haygood added that the new center at 29155 Cypresswood Drive provides room for additional programs.
“It gives us a lot more flexibility so we can do more,” he said. “We have more space, more infrastructure and more technology.”
The church plans to add video podcasting and eventually live streaming of services.
Toward the end of the year, Good Shepherd will begin construction of a youth facility.
“We did a preliminary design of the building,” Haygood said. “We have a good bit of planning done, and we will start our capital development soon.”
Second Baptist
Construction is also underway at the newest campus for Second Baptist, which is at the intersection of U.S. 290 and the Grand Parkway.
The church has six campuses to the west, north and south of Houston, stretching out from the main location on Woodway, pastor John Card said.
Second Baptist’s local campus will include 159,000 square feet for worship and educational space, as well as an outdoor baptistry, playground and courtyard. Also planned is a bookstore, café and parking spaces for 1,200 cars.
Card said that the church first started serving worshippers in the area in 2006 out of a movie theater in Willowbrook Mall, then moved into the Berry Center in 2007 before renting 78 acres for its own campus.
The numbers attending Sunday services has grown from 249 to 2,000.
Card said the population growth in Cypress made it a logical next location for the congregation.
“We look at all the demographics, and we thought there was a huge need,” he said.
“We’re building to meet the needs of all ages,” he said. “We’ll have a fullblown youth ministry and adult Bible study.”
Construction is slated for completion this year, Card said.