In early 1982, Brazos Presbytery (now the Presbytery of New Covenant) contacted interested individuals in the Sugar Land and Missouri City area and arranged three home meetings to initiate the process for what would become Southminster Presbyterian Church. The Reverend Will Stambaugh was called by the presbytery to evangelize the area of east Fort Bend County, and the first office of this New Church Development was located at Stafford Office Park on Murphy Road. On April 26 of that same year a general meeting was held at Dulles High School where these home groups came together for the first time. Out of this gathering, a Steering Committee was established to guide the process of moving towards organizing this group of committed Christians into a new church.

 The first worship service was held in Quail Valley Elementary School on May 30^th (Pentecost Sunday) with a total of 63 persons in attendance. In October, the congregation moved to Lantern Lane Elementary School. In November, the name “Southminster Presbyterian Church” was approved by the Steering Committee.

In April of 1984, Reverend Stambaugh resigned his position as Organizing Pastor to begin work with the Seamen’s Center in Beaumont, Texas. In June, the Reverend John D. Craig, pastor emeritus of Central Presbyterian Church in Houston, came out of retirement to serve as Interim Organizing Pastor. It was during Rev. Craig’s ministry with this young and growing congregation that a unique agreement was worked out with the pastor of Kingsbrook Trinity Church for Southminster to share the facilities of this Assembly of God church.  Shortly thereafter Kingsbrook Trinity also began hosting Congregation Beth El, a local Jewish congregation, thereby providing space and facilities for three small but growing congregations to carry forth their own style of ministry. It was a wonderful experience for Southminster to have an actual church to worship in and to utilize the talents of Kay Fisher who played the organ for our choir rehearsals and worship services.

In the summer of 1985, a deal was consummated between Southminster, the Presbytery of New Covenant, and David Rolke, president of Brightwater Realty Corp, for the purchase of 4.6 acres of land in the Brightwater subdivision of Missouri City. In a symbolic gesture of transferring the property to the congregation, a “Livery of Seisin” ceremony was conducted on the property reflecting an old English custom of transferring possession from one owner to the next. It was during this summer, that 16 year old Rene Rutledge, daughter of Sandi and Robert Phillips, died following a long bout with leukemia. In tribute to her memory, Rene’s name was listed first on the Charter Member Roll, and the present fellowship room in the Christian Education building is named in her honor. At this point, there were over 150 people who had signed the charter roll. The actual chartering of the church as a congregation within the Presbyterian Church (U. S. A. ) occurred on October 6^th of 1985, a day also celebrated as World Wide Communion Sunday, with 143 persons received into membership by the organizing commission of the Presbytery of New Covenant. John Duncan, a patent attorney with Shell Oil and a tireless worker in these early years, was elected the first Clerk of Session.

In 1986, a Pastor Nominating Committee was formed to search for a full-time pastor. The continuing growth of the church meant that facilities beyond the capability of Kingsbrook Trinity were needed. So two temporary buildings were acquired and located on the property behind our host church. By the end of the summer of 1987, the Pastor Nominating Committee had completed its task and recommended to the congregation that the Rev. Dr. Gerald B. Hurst be called as Southminster’s first pastor effective the first Sunday of October, and the second anniversary of the church. Dr. Hurst, a graduate of St. Andrews Presbyterian College in North Carolina and of Union Theological Seminary in Virginia, had previously served churches in Arkansas and Florida. On September 30, John and Naomi Craig moved into another phase of retirement after an effective and productive ministry with the Southminster congregation.

With the installation of Dr. Hurst as pastor of this young and energetic congregation, the church had the leadership it needed to move forward. Dr. Hurst quickly began to establish his pastoral ministry, as he, his wife Pam, and children Nathan, Lara, Joel, and Melinda adapted to life in Texas and settled into their new home in Quail Valley

In 1988, a Planning Committee was established, under the leadership of Dallas Holmes, to start the process of building a permanent church home. The architectural firm of Starnes, Stovall and Daniels was retained to work with the Planning Committee and the congregation to design the new church. It was during this time of serious planning that the Kingsbrook Trinity church was sold to another Assembly of God association, and it brought an end to a wonderful era of worshipping in a church as we planned for our own. In late December of 1988, we moved the temporary buildings down Cartwright Road and set up the church office and meeting rooms on the Brightwater property. Prior to that, a relationship was worked out with Fort Bend Independent School District for the congregation to worship at Quail Valley Middle School until the new church facilities were completed. With plans in our hands and a dream in our heart, a financial campaign was initiated under the guidance of Will Hardee and the campaign was a rousing success. With matching money from the Treleaven Foundation and a $25,000 grant from First Presbyterian Church in Houston, the church proceeded with its plans for building in Brightwater.

On February 19, 1989, a Groundbreaking Ceremony was held at the property, with actual construction beginning on May 12, 1989. A transitional worship service was held on November 19^th as the church gathered for worship at Quail Valley Middle School, and then caravaned over to Brightwater for our first worship service in the new building. When we came together to dedicate this beautiful church on December 3, 1989, these words of historian Joanne Duncan were contained in the program:

“The move to the new Brightwater facilities took place on Sunday, November 19, 1989 . . . the realization of a 4½ year dream in the hearts of many who are still here, as well as the hard work and financial contributions of many who have had to leave the area. November 19, 1989, was also the beginning of new dreams – greater opportunity to reach out to more people and continue to grow and grow and grow . . . ”

In the new church, the leadership made sure that a worship atmosphere was created by the permanent chancel area and choir loft and the use of movable pews instead of folding chairs. We also made use of a pulpit provided to us by the congregation of Braeburn Presbyterian Church. The other chancel furniture was designed and built by a furniture craftsman living in Houston. The communion table was made longer than regular communion tables to facilitate the various ways we offer the Lord’s Supper to the congregation. Perhaps it should be added here that since the very earliest days of the chartering of this church, Mrs. Jean Benner has provided the fresh bread that we use each month in consecrating this sacrament for the people of God.

It wasn’t long after the new church facility opened that Susan Evans, a charter member of the church, approached the session with the idea of relocating a Mother’s Day Out program to Southminster. The session approved the idea and allocated space in both the remaining temporary building and in the new facility. It wasn’t long before the MDO program expanded into an Early Learning Center which quickly earned a respected reputation within the community. It also contributed to the need for the church to look to expanding its facilities to include a building to house the ELC and classrooms for Sunday School and Youth Fellowship. In early 1993, final plans were approved and construction got underway for a 10,000 square foot educational facility adjacent to the existing multi-purpose building. At this point, the membership of Southminster stood at 480 members. The stained glass window in this new facility was designed by Mr. Stephen Wilson of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, who had previously designed our other windows. It was provided primarily through a memorial gift from David and Colleen Wilson, and it is an on-going memorial for children who have died while active at the church or the school.  (go to page 2)