KCC Church History

About Kingwood Christian Church

Kingwood Christian Church is part of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), which began as a movement on the frontiers of Ohio and Kentucky at the turn of the 19th century. The Kingwood congregation was founded in May of 1987 when thirty two people from twelve families met for the first time in the living room of Frank and Joyce Coupal to share in their faith journeys.

Three weeks later, the congregation began meeting at what was then the Woodland Hills Community Room but quickly outgrew that space and began meeting at Woodland Hills Elementary Schoo; soon after that, our first Minister was called. With one hundred members in October 1988, the congregation acquired the land for the present building located at the corner of Lake Houston Parkway and Brookshadow Drive. Prior to the erection of that building, baptisms were held in a member's back yard pool!

Our first called Minister was Larry Tankersley, followed by Roger Sizemore, Todd Thompson and Steve Newman. This initial growth period also saw significant Interim Minister terms for Les Howard and Bob Bray. Renee Hoke became our Senior Minister in July 1997 and served the KCC congregation the longest until her departure in Spring 2010. Brian Coats and J. D. Rose served as our first full time Youth Pastors during that time. Dr. Bob Cueni is our current Interim Minister and he and his lovely wife Linda have quickly become much beloved KCC adopted family!

It is important to note that the church's first Board Officers from the earliest days are still active congregants and residents of the Kingwood Community. Del Head, Sandra Ingram, CJ Roberts and Al Bilderback all remain vital members of the KCC congregation. Our congregation is also blessed to have as members several licensed ministers of various faiths whose mentoring, sheparding and preaching strengths are often shared with us in a variety of ways.

With a current church membership of over three hundred individuals representing over one hundred and sixty three family units, KCC continues to grow as we live our lives vigorously to share our faith both inside and outside our building walls. In addition to numerous involvements in local and denominational ministries, we also offer our facilities for vocal and instrumental recitals, Boy and Girl Scout meetings, weddings and have even been a designated polling precinct location!

About the Disciples of Christ Denomination

The movement grew out of a desire to recapture the simplicity of the New Testament faith, a passion to unite Christians of all denominations and a belief that each individual Christian within the community has the ability, freedom and responsibility to interpret Scripture for him or herself.

Historically, people becoming a part of a Disciples of Christ congregation needed only to affirm a simple confession of faith: "Do you confess that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the Living God and Lord and Savior of the world?"

Some characteristics of Disciples of Christ congregations include:

Open Communion: The Lord's Supper (also known as Eucharist or Communion) is celebrated weekly in worship as a way of reaffirming our connection to Jesus Christ. It is open to all who believe in Jesus Christ and seek to follow his teaching. It normally consists of bread and grape juice but a World Communion Sunday at KCC will open your hearts and minds to a truly global communion experience.

Freedom of Belief: Disciples believe that all persons are free to follow their consciences guided by the Bible and that they are expected to extend that freedom gracefully to others. At the same time, we respect the Spirit's revelation given to "members of Christ's body" for the benefit of the common good. As such, our freedom comes with an accountability to share with and listen to others about what we understand God to be doing in Scripture and in our world today.

Baptism by Immersion: The water bath of baptism symbolizes our lives becoming connected to God through Jesus. Disciples practice baptism by fully immersing a person in water. Disciple tradition tends to not baptize small children but we honor other Christian baptism traditions. If an individual desires, we are also happy to celebrate a person's confirmation of his/her prior baptism.

The Ministry of All Followers: Both credentialed ministers and lay people lead in worship, service and spiritual growth. Disciples have a tradition of not being overly dependent on clergy members and in celebrating the ministry of all who choose this path. We are proud of this heritage and participate in the life of our General Church. The general church's ministries include, but are not limited to, starting new churches, training ministers, helping congregations call ministers, running youth camps and conferences, training and sending missionaries and offering national and world-wide relief for natural and human caused disasters.

To learn more about this wonderful community of faith and service, please visit www.disciples.org.