Thank You for My Church, by Cindy Pierce

In 1945, my mother and father-in-law, Betty R. Pierce (96) and the late George F. Pierce, Jr. were a young married couple in their twenties with a child and one on the way.  George’s uncle, Bishop A. Frank Smith, invited them to the organizational meetings for a “new church in the west of Houston.” George said, “He wanted me to be involved in the beginning stages of this new church that he knew was going to be an important one.”  They felt this was a great opportunity and honor while feeling the responsibility for the formation of this church.

George, an architect, was involved from the beginning with needs assessments, master plans, design details, coordination and oversight always considering “where you are going and making room for what might happen in the future.”  Betty was very involved in Sunday school from the beginning. “We organized a Sunday school class as soon as 25 people had joined the church.  The beginnings, moving in and out of Lamar High School every Sunday, were a little crazy. But the people were always the most important thing.”

Did they and the other founders imagine that their vision, work, faith and love, which helped build St. Luke’s, would shape the lives of their children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren?  Sunday school, baptisms, weddings, Boy Scouts, ministry, Vacation Bible School, singing, summer camp and overall growth in faith were all part of the St. Luke’s experience.

That vision has surely been a core foundation to the past, present and future lives of so many people.  Thank you for our church.

Potions of this story  were excerpted  from interviews with founding members during St. Luke’s 50th anniversary.