COME JUST AS YOU ARE
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Come Just as You Are

- Sundays: Worship Service 10:30am

*Sunday Prayer Time 10:00am

- Wednesdays: Prayer Meeting & Bible Study 6:30pm

About Us

But you, man of God,…pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness. I Timothy 6:11

Mission: To know Christ and make him known.

To be a church where people are maturing as men and women of God, lifting up the Cross of Jesus Christ through worship, discipleship, giving, and evangelism.

Our Core Values, Mission and Purpose will be accomplished by our focus on the four principles which are essential to becoming a Man of God:


1. Fleeing from the love of money and material things

2. Fighting the spiritual battle for the hearts and minds of those around us as we make Jesus Christ known

3. Taking hold of eternal life as we come to know Christ

4. Making our good confession of the truth in Jesus Christ’s gift of love and salvation through the Cross

Ministries

Welcome to our children's ministry! This is a place where children can come to learn, play, and grow in their faith. Our goal is to create a safe and welcoming environment where every child feels loved and valued. We believe that children are an important part of our church family and we are committed to providing them with opportunities to connect with God and each other. So whether you're a regular attendee or visiting for the first time, we want you to feel at home here. Thank you for being a part of our ministry, and we look forward to getting to know you better!

We are all about equipping students with everything they need to be a significant influence for Jesus. Students will experience passionate worship, relevant teachings, and make lasting friendships with other students. At CATCH, students have an incredible place for them to encounter God and make a difference in the world.

The Young Adult ministry at CATCH is comprised of ages from 18-35 years old. We are passionate about helping young adults find community in this integral season of life!

It's a pleasure to extend a warm welcome to those of you who are considering joining the ministry. Whether you are driven by your passion for serving others, your love for God, or both, the ministry can be a fulfilling and rewarding path that allows you to make a positive impact on the world around you.

The ministry is a unique calling that requires dedication, hard work, and a strong sense of purpose. As you embark on this journey, you'll be challenged to deepen your understanding of the Scriptures, build strong relationships with your congregation, and develop the skills needed to lead and inspire others.

But you won't be alone. The ministry is a supportive community that values mentorship, fellowship, and collaboration. You'll have the opportunity to work alongside experienced pastors, ministers, and church leaders who are committed to helping you grow and thrive in your ministry.

So, whether you're just starting to explore the idea of joining the ministry or you're already on your way, know that you are welcomed, valued, and appreciated. We look forward to seeing the ways in which you will impact the world for the better through CATCH ministry for young adults.

Welcome to the Men's Ministry! We are thrilled to have you as a part of our community. Our ministry is designed to provide a space where men can come together to grow in their faith, connect with other men, and support each other through life's challenges.

We understand that being a man in today's world can be tough, and we believe that it's important for us to come together to support and encourage one another. Our goal is to create an environment where men can feel comfortable sharing their struggles, asking for help, and finding the guidance they need to become the best versions of themselves.

Whether you're new to the faith or a long-time believer, we welcome you to join us on this journey of spiritual growth and community. We have a variety of events, groups, and activities that are designed to help you connect with other men and deepen your relationship with God.

Thank you for considering our Men's Ministry, and we look forward to getting to know you better. If you have any questions or would like more information, please don't hesitate to reach out to us.

Welcome to our women's ministry! Whether you are a first-time visitor or a long-time member, we are delighted to have you as a part of our community.

Our ministry is focused on empowering women to live their best lives through faith, fellowship, and service. We strive to create a safe and supportive environment where women can grow in their relationship with God and with each other.

Through our events, Bible studies, and outreach opportunities, we hope to provide you with the tools and resources you need to live a life filled with purpose and joy. We believe that together we can make a positive impact on our families, our communities, and our world.

So, whether you are seeking spiritual guidance, friendship, or simply a place to belong, we invite you to join us as we journey together in faith. We are excited to get to know you and to help you discover all that God has in store for your life.

We believe in the Holy Bible

Church at the Cross holds to the Bible, which is also called the Holy Scriptures and the written Word of God, as the foundation and sole spiritual source of all we believe. We further believe that the writings contained in the Holy Bible as it was canonized over 1600 years ago by the early church are the inspired and complete Word of God and are the only revelation to modern man of God’s true doctrine, admonition, instruction, and prophecy. Therefore, we are continually searching the Scripture to understand his truth and his purpose for our individual lives, and his direction and spiritual provisions for our corporate church body.

We believe that Jesus is the Son of God, the second person of the Trinity. We believe in his virgin birth; his death, burial and physical resurrection on the third day; his atoning work through his death on the cross as a complete propitiation for all the sins of mankind.

We believe that Jesus gave to all true believers, the Church Universal, the gift of his Holy Spirit (who is the third person of the Trinity) who indwells us and is the source of empowerment to live holy and extraordinary lives. We believe that this essential gift of the Holy Spirit began on the Day of Pentecost and continues to the present day. We believe that Jesus Christ’s ultimate return will happen in fulfillment of the prophecies given in the Bible.

We believe the Bible teaches that salvation leading to eternal life comes when an individual reaches a point of repentance from their personal sins, with an associated act of their will to receive Jesus Christ as their personal Savior through faith. We believe the Bible teaches that as true believers we are created for good works which God will perform in and through us as a natural by-product of our salvation, such as following Christ’s example of baptism by immersion. We also believe that eternal life in Christ is not a temporary or conditional state, but that the Bible teaches a true believer’s salvation is sealed with God’s promise and protection and will not be taken away – it is eternally secure. We are also pursuing “liberality” of giving and caring for people of all walks and circumstances of life. Church at the Cross welcomes all people with open arms based on Scriptural admonition that the Lord’s Church comprises people of all nations, races and ethnicity.

The History

The Church at the Cross was organized in 1940 by a small group of Christians who were committed to ministering to the new fledgling community of Bellaire, a rapidly expanding suburb of Houston, Texas. The new congregation chose to affiliate with the Southern Baptist Convention, a national denomination comprised of independent churches of like faith and practice. 

The church was first incorporated as a non-profit legal entity under the name of Bellaire Baptist Church. On February 11, 1940, thirty-four people met in Condit Elementary School in Bellaire to officially establish the church organization, and on October 7, 1940, the church was officially accepted as a member of Union Baptist Association, which is a local association of Southern Baptist churches in Houston. 

After a brief period of conducting its services in the school, the church moved to Bellaire City Hall, and then for a time to a one-room building at 4912 Locust Street. As the church grew in membership, the location was again changed in 1948 to a white frame church building at 4610 Bellaire Boulevard. This building and its contents were destroyed by fire on May 28, 1951, and the church established its operation in Horn Elementary School until a new church facility could be built. On December 21, 1952, the church moved into its new brick building at the site currently owned by Congregation Brith Shalom, a Jewish Synagogue. During that time the church began to experience significant growth, as Bellaire became a popular residential community on the outskirts of the rapidly expanding Houston. 

In 1959 the church congregation voted to change its name to First Baptist Church of Bellaire and the legal corporation was revised accordingly. At that time, the church also 
purchased new property across the street and there constructed a three story educational building and an associated gymnasium, moving into the building in November of 1960. This address at 4601 Bellaire Boulevard became the location for over forty years. A 550-seat sanctuary was added in 1975 after the congregation had faithfully worshiped for fifteen years seated on folding chairs in the gymnasium facility. 

These facilities remained substantially unchanged and the Sunday attendance remained stable (ranging between about 150 to 300 people) during the remaining decades of the 1970’s, 80’s, and 90’s. In 1984, the church opened a school that initially operated under the auspices of the church, then subsequently incorporated as a 501c3 nonprofit organization, controlled by the church, under the name of Bellaire Christian Academy. 

For over 65 years of the church’s existence, its ministry focused on the City of Bellaire with sixteen full-time pastors serving the congregation. These great men of God are worthy of ”double honor” as they each served as our “pastor and teacher” and “directed the affairs of the church well” (I Timothy 5:17).

 

The New Millennium

In 2005 the church called Dr. Johnny Teague as Pastor with the course already set to move our ministry away from the Bellaire area. The events leading to this decision took hold as the church focused on God’s direction for the new millennium in light of both its ministry opportunities and the condition of its facilities on Bellaire Boulevard. A dramatic new vision for the ministry of the church had begun to unfold under the ministry of Rev. Duane Miller. This new vision for ministry turned the church’s view from the neighborhoods which had formed the immediate surroundings in Bellaire and instead towards the entire Houston metropolitan area. A key part of the church’s new vision of ministry comes from the increasing ethnic diversity of the church membership, and the active involvement of people from throughout the metropolitan region in the ministries of the church. 

With the discovery in 2002 of major structural damage by termites to the gymnasium building, the decision was made to place the operation of the school in a hiatus at the end of the 2002-03 school year. This decision left the church free to determine whether to remain at the same location and rebuild the aging facilities, or instead, to move to another location from which the new vision would take root. On August 20, 2003 the church congregation voted to place the property at 4601 Bellaire Boulevard on the market. Through a series of events that were marked by God’s hand, the property in Bellaire was sold and nearby property at 4669 Southwest Freeway was bought at a value substantially below market price upon a decision by the the church congregation on July 18, 2004. Following this move, the 4601 Bellaire Blvd. property was occupied by Crosspoint Church, an extended campus ministry of West University Baptist Church. This continued use of the Bellaire property for the glory of God was a specific answer to the church’s prayers. 

Between September 1, 2004 and September 27, 2007 the church owned and operated the mid-rise commercial office building located on the south (inbound) service road of U.S. 59 Southwest Freeway, near the intersection of U. S. 59 and I-610 West Loop freeway. During this time the name of the church was carefully and prayerfully evaluated, since the church had relocated outside of the City of Bellaire. On January 6, 2005 the church voted to adopt a registered DBA of “The Church at the Cross” and to use this name as the publicly identified name of the organization. However, the legal name of the church corporation remained “First Baptist Church of Bellaire” for several more years. In line with the church’s vision for reaching the world for Christ, the multi-floor facility on the Southwest Freeway provided space for several large meeting rooms, allowing the church to provide space for several ethnic and foreign language congregations to meet. Of note was the wonderful fellowship enjoyed during this time with the Ethiopian congregation called “The Ethiopian Evangelical Church.” And to the delight of the church, a small Korean congregation under the leadership of Pastor James Kim became affiliated with Church at the Cross. Upon the sudden death of “Brother Kim” in May of 2006, shortly after Church at the Cross had ordained him to the ministry, the Korean membership chose to remain a part of Church at the Cross. With these wonderful experiences of diversity, the church’s understanding of God’s calling to reach all ethnic people and races of the world took a major step forward. During this time, the ministry to people in prison became an important part of the church focus under the leadership of Rev. Bill Hays, including the active involvement of past offenders into our church community. Reverend Hays would later become the Associate Pastor. 

On September 11, 2005, the church called as our Pastor the Rev. Johnny Teague – a man diverse in his life experiences, with a variety of business degrees, work experience, and even a time as professional football quarterback on his resume. The refreshing and challenging admonishment of “Brother Johnny” to live each day in holiness and righteousness brought the church to a new level of spiritual vitality and excitement. His winning smile and loving heart for all people, and in particular his own life example of godliness initiated a Holy Spirit empowered transformation of the church that continues to unfold. And to complete his preparation to serve as our Pastor, he was awarded the degree of Doctor of Ministries from Southwestern Theological Seminary in April of 2009 (this was the first graduating class requiring a full dissertation for completion of the Doctor of Ministries degree) 

With this new focus on eternal things above temporal things, the church began to realize the extent of resources and energy that were being invested in the “business” side of owning and operating a commercial office building. On July 9, 2006 the church congregation made the decision to sell the office building on Southwest Freeway and relocate the church to another part of Houston. Through a truly miraculous process, the building was sold in September of 2006 and the church moved forward in its vision to reach out to the entire Houston region with the message of Christ’s love and salvation.

A New Beginning

In April of 2007, Church at the Cross began its new ministry in West Houston by relocating to the Westchase District, one the fastest growing areas in the region and positioned on the edge of the “Energy Corridor”. Sunday worship services were initially conducted within the facilities of Westchase Tinseltown movie theater that was at the time located at Richmond/Westpark and Beltway 8/Sam Houston Tollway. When the theater site was sold for redevelopment for the property as a major office complex, the church temporarily relocated its Sunday worship services to the cafeteria of Alief Middle School at the end of 2008. 

During this time, the active membership began to see a dramatic shift to newer and younger people with a striking blend of ethnic backgrounds. Our new area of ministry in Alief/Westchase has diverse communities with the existing spectrum of ethnic, religious, and socio-economic demographics as or more diverse than any other location in the region. 

On the 30th of November, 2007 our commitment to a new beginning in Alief/Westchase/West Houston was solidified by the purchase of property at 3835 S. Dairy Ashford Street on the edge of the Shadow Lake residential development, directly adjacent to the Westpark Tollway. Construction of the new church facility at this location began in June of 2009 and was completed in April 2010. Services and ministry began at the new church facilities on Dairy Ashford Road at the Westpark Tollway beginning in May 2010, and a banner displaying the slogan “Come Just as You Are!” was hung on the front of the building. The people of the Alief/Westchase community immediate responded and the growth over the first year has increased the average attendance to over 300 people every Sunday morning. Church at the Cross has found its new home! 

As strong and consistent as our over 65 year history was in the Bellaire community, Church at the Cross has its eyes set on the future. We know that the blessing of the Lord Jesus Christ will be increasingly evident through our steps of faith. Our commitment is to see the vision fulfilled through a multi-ethnic ministry to the whole Houston metropolitan region, and even the whole world. We eagerly continue down the path God has placed before us, and we continually strive to glorify the Lord Jesus Christ in all that occurs within our ministry. One thing we are certain of is that The Church at the Cross will be known for believing God and his written Word, seeking to know and serve Jesus Christ, and living life in the power of the Holy Spirit.

Previous Pastors

1940 to 2005
Charles W. Orrick    1940-1942
Jesse D. Horton    1943
Frank Alvin Tippen    1944-1947
Howard O. Wynne    1949-1954
Coy John Key   1955-1957
Dr. Jimmy Hester    1959-1962
Rev. Arthur Travis    1963
Dr. Lee Porter    1964-1971
Dr. Joe Boles    1873-1977
Rev. Joe Stutts    1979-1980
Rev. Darrel Sealle    1981-1986
Dr. Phil Willams    1987-1988
Or. David Davis    1989-1991
Rev. Jack Schmidt    1992-1995
Rev. Frank Minton    1995-2001
Rev. Duane Miller    2001-2005

 

Our Pastors

Dr. Johnny Teague

Senior Pastor

Rev. Seye Omole

Associate Pastor

Office hours: Tue to Thurs 10AM - 3PM

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3835 S Dairy Ashford  Houston, TX 77082

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Southern Baptist Convention Affiliation
We are affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention, and as such we concur with the statement of faith of this voluntary association of independent churches, which was last published as the Baptist Faith and Message in 2000. Although our worship services and church organization are non-traditional, we are basically “conservative” in what we believe, including our belief in the Deity of Jesus Christ. 

© 2023 Church at the Cross. All Rights Reserved.

Easter Week Schedule:

Wednesday - Prayer at 6:30pm, Bible Study at 7:00pm
Friday - Good Friday Service at 12noon
Sunday Morning Services - 9am and 11:15am

Come Celebrate with us that Jesus, our Lord, is Risen!

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