Grace Community Church (Texas)
Encyclopedia
Grace Community Church is a non-denominational
Non-denominational Christianity
In Christianity, nondenominational institutions or churches are those not formally aligned with an established denomination, or that remain otherwise officially autonomous. This, however, does not preclude an identifiable standard among such congregations...

 megachurch
Megachurch
A megachurch is a church having 2,000 or more in average weekend attendance. The Hartford Institute's database lists more than 1,300 such Protestant churches in the United States. According to that data, approximately 50 churches on the list have attendance ranging from 10,000 to 47,000...

 located in Houston, Texas
Houston, Texas
Houston is the fourth-largest city in the United States, and the largest city in the state of Texas. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 2.1 million people within an area of . Houston is the seat of Harris County and the economic center of , which is the ...

.

The church currently has three services on Sunday at their main facility (referred to as the South Campus): two English-speaking and one Spanish-speaking.

The church currently televises tape-delayed sermons and special music on Sunday morning in Houston: on Houston's 14 and 47.

History

  • August 1983 - Founding Pastor Steve Riggle
    Steve Riggle
    Steve Riggle is the founding pastor and current Senior Pastor of Grace Community Church, a megachurch in Houston, Texas. He is also the President of Grace International which was formerly known as Christian Evangelistic Assemblies. Mr...

    , sent on a church-planting mission by the Christian Evangelistic Assemblies
    Christian Evangelistic Assemblies
    The Christian Evangelistic Assemblies is an umbrella organization for non-denominational Christianity.- History :* 1933 - Oscar C. Harms founded what would later become Colonial Tabernacle....

    , held the first service. Twelve people met in the Clear Lake Intermediate School auditorium.
  • Late 1983 - Relocation to an existing church building in Webster
    Webster, Texas
    Webster is a city in the U.S. state of Texas within the Houston–Sugar Land–Baytown metropolitan area. The population was 9,083 at the 2000 census.-History:...

    . By that time, the congregation had grown to 98.
  • 1984 - Relocation to an existing church building in League City
    League City, Texas
    League City is a city in Galveston County and Harris County in the U.S. state of Texas, within the metropolitan area. As of the 2000 U.S. Census, the city population was 45,444; in the 2006 census estimate, the population was listed as 67,200. The 2010 Census places the population of League City...

    . By that time, the congregation had grown to 400.
  • 1988 - Even with three services, the League City location was at capacity. Eventually, services had to be held at Clear Brook High School
    Clear Brook High School
    Clear Brook High School is a secondary school located in unincorporated Harris County, Texas, United States, adjacent to the city of Friendswood....

     in Friendswood
    Friendswood, Texas
    Friendswood is a city in the U.S. state of Texas within the Houston–Sugar Land–Baytown metropolitan area. The city lies in Galveston and Harris counties. As of the 2000 U.S...

    .
  • 1990 - Relocation to a new facility in Clear Lake City
    Clear Lake City, Houston, Texas
    Clear Lake City is a master-planned community located in southeast Harris County, Texas, within the Bay Area of Greater Houston. It is the second-largest master-planned community in Houston — behind Kingwood...

    .
  • 2003 - In the aftermath of the Space Shuttle Columbia disaster
    Space Shuttle Columbia disaster
    The Space Shuttle Columbia disaster occurred on February 1, 2003, when shortly before it was scheduled to conclude its 28th mission, STS-107, the Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrated over Texas and Louisiana during re-entry into the Earth's atmosphere, resulting in the death of all seven crew members...

    , Pastor Riggle was interviewed numerous times by both secular and religiously oriented media. Commander Rick Husband
    Richard Douglas Husband
    Rick Douglas Husband was a United States Air Force Colonel, an astronaut, and the space shuttle commander of STS-107 who was killed when the craft disintegrated after reentry into the Earth's atmosphere. Husband is a recipient of the Congressional Space Medal of Honor.-Background:Husband was born...

     and Payload Commander Mike Anderson
    Michael Phillip Anderson
    Michael Philip Anderson was a United States Lieutenant Colonel and NASA astronaut, who was killed in the Space Shuttle Columbia disaster when the craft disintegrated after reentry into the Earth's atmosphere....

     were members.
  • 2004 - Relocation to a new facility (the South Campus) on 86 acres (348,030 m²) adjacent to the Gulf Freeway
    Interstate 45
    Interstate 45 is an intrastate Interstate Highway located entirely within the U.S. state of Texas. It connects the cities of Dallas and Houston, continuing southeast from Houston to Galveston over the Galveston Causeway to the Gulf of Mexico...

    .
  • 2006 - Groundbreaking for a North Campus in The Woodlands
    The Woodlands, Texas
    The Woodlands is a master-planned community and a Census-designated place in the U.S. state of Texas within the metropolitan area. The population of the CDP was 55,649 at the 2000 census—a 90 percent increase over its 1990 population. According to the 2010 census, The Woodlands' population rose...

    .
  • 2006 - The interim worship center at the South Campus (1900 seats) reaches capacity in the late service.
  • 2006 - Dedication of a new South Campus worship center that will hold over 10,000 with a full seat loading (expected in 2007).

External links

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