A. FOUNDING PERIOD (2004-2011)
Houston Vietnamese Christian Church was founded on October 3rd, 2004, marking a turning point in the history of faith of the Vietnamese community in Houston, Texas. Over 20 years, the church experienced many ups and downs as well as challenges, but it has always stood firm in its mission of spreading the Gospel and building a community of love.
The first steps:
· October 3rd, 2004: The first service was held at Spring Branch Community Church with 83 attendees. Pastor Hien Duong shared God’s word from Joshua 21:45, sparking the hope of a thriving church in the future.
· December 12th, 2004: Due to a change in ownership of the Spring Branch Community Church, our church had to move to West Oaks Fellowship. Services were held Sunday mornings at 6am, proving the determination and unity of the children of God.
· January 2nd, 2005: By God’s lead, our church found a temporary worship location at Houston Christian High School. This was an important turning point, opening the door for the church to develop.
The development process:
· October 2nd, 2005: The first anniversary was held with 126 in attendance.
· 2006: Pastor Ned Derrickson joined and shepherded the Youth & English Ministry.
· October 2nd, 2006: The second anniversary had 178 members, showing the rapid growth of the church.
· 2007: The Christmas service attracted more than 421 attendees, demonstrating the spread of the Gospel within the community.
· 2009: Pastor Tue Nguyen, pastor Peter Duong, un-ordained pastor Liem Phan, and pastor Young Le came and served with us in building our ministries.
· April 23rd, 2011: The Appointment Ceremony was held for pastors Tue Nguyen, An Duong, and Liem Phan.
New facility and further steps:
· The need to expand: As activities expanded, the church needed a larger facility. The Facility team, Governing Board, and the church members all joined in an effort to pray and search.
· New facility at 3134 Frick Road: After years of searching, the Church was able to find a new 22,000- square-foot facility (about 2040 m2) located on a 5.2-acre land (~21000 m2). The new facility includes a worship sanctuary, chapel, classrooms, office, kitchen, gym, and living quarters for the pastor.
· Reasonable price: The original asking price was $1,250,000 USD, beyond the church’s ability to afford. However, with God’s leading and the believers’ united heart, the church was able to purchase the new property for only $675000 USD.
· The first service at the new location: On November 21st, 2010, Thanksgiving service was held at the new facility with 223 attendees. This was an important milestone in our church development.
· Church Dedication Ceremony: On April 23rd, 2011, the Church Dedication Ceremony was solemnly held, officiated by the District Superintendent pastor Tai Nguyen.
· September 25th, 2011: The church sent off pastor Hien Duong and his family to his new appointed church, in reminiscence and appreciation of their sacrifices and contributions to the church since its beginning. Pastor Hien Duong has left the church with a precious legacy of love, passion, and unending sacrifice.
B. TRANSITION PERIOD (9/25/2011 – 1/3/2012)
Before and after Pastor and Mrs. Hien Duong left, many Church activities were met with multiple challenges. Under the guidance and leadership of the District and relying on God’s grace, the Governing Board invited guest speakers and maintained weekly services. The Praise Team and the Choir faithfully gathered to prepare and practice on Friday nights at Mr. and Mrs. Khai Nguyen’s house. The Church, leaning on God’s grace, prayed and walked by faith, looking for a pastor to come and take care of the Church. And God responded…
C. CONSOLIDATION PERIOD (2012 – 2021)
1. New beginning and laying the foundation:
· Four months after Pastor Hien Duong left, Pastor Thuan Le came and received appointment as senior pastor of the Houston Vietnamese Christian Church in the beginning of 2012.
· Along with the Governing Board, he proposed the vision and mission of the church, developed unified working guidelines, and established the church bylaws based on those of the Vietnamese District of the CMA.
2. Core Ministries:
a) Worship Ministry:
· The Worship Ministry has been present throughout the last 20 years, even during the transition period without a senior pastor or the Covid pandemic. Mr. Khai Nguyen has led the Worship Ministry for many years. The Nguyen residence is a welcoming home for the Worship team to fellowship and practice on Friday nights.
· Pastor Thuan Le’s wife guided the Choir with many special Hymns and songs during holiday events each year. The Choir has participated in the Grand Easter Event, Houston inter-church Christmas Service, televised events, as well as the District’s 46th Annual Conference.
· In 2012, the church organized a Seminar Course on Worship with participation from churches from the Houston, Dallas, and Austin areas.
b) Pastoral staff:
· The pastoral staff includes the ordained pastors, un-ordained pastors, and Christian workers who participated in fellowship and teaching in the church. In the last ten years, these included: Pastors Thuan Le, Tue Nguyen, Trung Nguyen, Peter Duong, Nathan Bui, and Un-ordained Pastors Milton Le, Hung Cao, and Sang Tran.
· In 2013, the church was able to invite Pastor Nathan Bui and his family to join as associate pastor. Pastor Nathan Bui led the Visitation Ministry and also participated in teaching, worship, and other ministries within the church.
c) Outreach and Evangelism Ministry:
· In the beginning of 2013, the Outreach Ministry was formed. Aside from weekly outreach programs at the supermarkets in the summer, the group also did house visits before Easter and Christmas each year in the subdivisions around the church area.
· At the end of each year, a Missionary Conference is held to remind God’s people of the Great Commission and raise funds for missionary works.
d) Bible Study groups:
· In 2012, the Bible study groups were formed in turns: the Southwest group, the Copperfield group, the Tomball North Houston group, and the Church area group.
· The groups met regularly each week on different days. In 2020, due to Covid, they had to move to online meetings every Thursday night. Now, the Bible study groups have been reestablished and are working again.
e) Men’s and Women’s Ministries:
· In 2012 these ministries were reestablished. The Men’s Ministry was headed by Mr. Toan Nguyen, and the Women’s Ministry was headed by Mrs. Linh Phan. These ministries have been growing with many interesting and creative activities, such as the July 4th retreat at Dickinson, TX (Jul 3-6, 2013), lock-in at church, make-up tutorial sessions, flower arrangement, cooking, etc.
· The leaders of the Men’s Ministry over the past ten years were Mr. Toan Nguyen, Pastor Nathan Bui, Mr. Thach Le, Mr. Hung Phan.
· The leaders of the Women’s Ministry over the past tes years were: Mrs. Linh Phan, Mrs. Hanh Dang, Mrs. Dalena Nguyen, Mrs Ngoc Nguyen, and Mrs. Hang Pham.
· Unordained pastor Hung Cao and pastor Nathan Bui have also taken turns serving as Commissioners of the Southwest Regional Men’s Ministry.
· Pastor Thuan Le’s wife, who was advisor for the Women’s Ministry, has also served as a Commissioner of the Southwest Regional Women’s Ministry for many years.
f) Young Couples’ Ministry:
· The Young Couples’ Ministry was formed in 2015, led by deacon Trong Huynh.
· The Young Couples’ Ministry met monthly, rotating through the members’ homes.
g) Youth Ministry:
· In 2010, Pastor and Mrs. An Duong led the Youth Ministry and trained core members such as Max Han, Vu Ta, Hien Lai, Mi Lai, and Andrew Nguyen.
· In 2013, Unordained Pastor and Mrs. Milton Le continued to build the foundation of faith for YEM (Youth & English Ministry). A member of this group, Andrew Nguyen, has started seminary school. Each year, Pastor Milton Le’s wife and the YEM organized Vacation Bible School for the children.
· Houston Vietnamese Christian Church always prioritizes cultivating the young generation, creating an environment for developing the youth through the following 3 pillars:
1) Creating opportunities for the adults and youths to connect: Joint worship every first Sunday of the month where the youth group leads worship. YEM also joins in all major holiday services.
2) Financial support: The church covers 50% of camp and retreat fees. In 2023, the church budgeted $27,000 for YEM activities.
3) Promoting leadership and participation in the Board of Deacons: Since 2022, YEM has representatives among the Board of Deacons and Governing Board, with a ratio 1:3.
· In 2018, Unordained Pastor Sang Tran was invited by Pastor Thuan Le to become an Assistant to the Pastor, taking care of YEM. He and his wife have poured their heart into building YEMLife (Youth & English Ministry: Living in Fellowship Every day), which is an environment for the young generation to connect, share, and grow together.
h) Children’s Ministry:
· Leaders of the Children’s Ministry over the years were Pastor Tue Nguyen’s wife, Pastor Milton Le’s wife, Mrs. Linh Phan, Pastor Nathan Bui’s wife, Mrs. Hien Lai, Ms. Mi Lai. Each year, the Children’s Ministry organized events like Vacation Bible School (VBS) or other retreats such as Gospel Lakes Ranch, the Zoo, swim parties, Fall Festival. At the end of each year, there’s a Bible memorization contest around Christmas time.
i) Christian Education and Training:
· In 2012, the church organized a Seminar Course on Worship that was held on October 26th & 27th, taught by pastor Tri Dang and was attended by members from nine churches in the Houston, Dallas, and Austin areas.
· Also in 2012, the Evangelism Explosion (EE) International Seminar was held over 1 week from December 25th-29th, organized by Dr. Thomas Stebbins and the EE Ministry. Attendees joined from the US, Canada, and Vietnam. At the end of the seminar was a sermon that was very well-attended. This seminar was held for 3 consecutive years in 2012, 2013, and 2014.
· Reviving Sunday school: Since 2014 there are four Sunday school classes for the Men, Women, YEM, Children, and a baptism doctrine class.
· In 2016, Houston Vietnamese Christian Church proposed to organize an annual Deacons’ seminar and conference for the churches in the Southwest region, and hosted for many years until the Southwest Church and the Austin Church had their own facilities.
j) Building Ministry:
· Mr. Quan Pham took the lead in maintaining and managing the property for many years. Beside him were also Mr. Ngoc Tran, Mr. Kiet Ly, Mr. Thanh Nguyen, Mr. Khai Nguyen, Mr. Quy Ho, Mr. Vinh Nguyen. The senior pastor and the Men’s Ministry has organized monthly maintenance events. In 2015, Mr. Thi Nguyen and Mr. Tram Nguyen build the fence at the front of the church.
· In 2018, Mr. Thi Nguyen, Mr. Thanh Nguyen, Mr. Quy Ho replaced the floors in the hallway and the office areas that were rotted.
· In 2022, Ms. Nancy Nguyen took over property management and facility sharing. The monthly sharing contribution is added to the general fund, sometimes as much as $5000. In 2022, the church hired a service to replace all of the roofing for the living quarters, the chapel, and the studies.
It is impossible to list all the works, the hearts, the love for God, and the contribution in serving God from all of His children, in the major works that are well-known, to all the hidden, quiet things that are often forgotten or not mentioned. But God knows all of it, and hard work in God is never wasted, but is very valuable for the Church and His kingdom.
3. Overcoming Challenges:
· Twice the church has been flooded, once in 2016 and once during the Harvey hurricane in 2017. The maintenance team and many of God’s children spent days and nights to mitigate the consequences. Not one Sunday service was missed. Many other churches, both within and outside the District, have contributed a total of $20,947 to help our church fix the damages.
· The COVID-19 pandemic (2020): During the isolation and limited gathering period, the church switched to online worship. The praise team and the women’s ministry still faithfully came to church each Sunday morning to livestream, with the technical assistance from Benjamin Bui-Dang. The Media Team, which was started by Mr. David Bui, has been growing ever since. God has protected the church from having any closure due to Covid. All of the local meetings were also brought online via Zoom each Thursday night and are still continuing to this day.
4. Special Activities:
a) THE 46TH DISTRICT CONFERENCE (2021)
While other states were still requiring isolation, Texas allowed gathering again. Pastor Thuan Le was tasked by the District to be the head of the Organizing Committee for the 46th District Conference that was held July 2nd-4th, 2021. Pastor Nathan Bui was the assistant lead. The church Praise Team and Choir were in charge of the Sunday service. God has blessed the conference and allowed many of his children to join from all over the country. Some sessions had over 1000 attendees. It was a joyous, peaceful, hopeful, and blessed conference, leaving deep memories and emotions within the heart of the believers in Houston and in all of the Vietnamese District.
b) Paying off the mortgage loan (2022)
In the beginning of 2012, the total mortgage loan amount was $475,000. In 2020, after 10 years, the church has paid it off, marking an important milestone in the history of the church. From here, the church continued to move forward, with a strong financial foundation.
D. GROWTH PERIOD (2022 – 04/29/2023)
The year 2022 marks a strong recovery for the church after a long period of being affected by the Covid-19 pandemic. The Media ministry developed rapidly, bringing images and information about the Church to the wider community. The website provides many updated news about the Church’s activities. YouTube live streams weekly meetings, helping to connect believers wherever they are. Facebook shares photos of activities, spreading the Church’s message to everyone.
Besides, immigration from Vietnam and other states has brought new human resources to the Church. Many families who had served God for many years in Vietnam or abroad have come and contributed to enriching the development of the Houston Vietnamese Christian Church. In 2023, the Church added 21 new families, bringing the total number to 176 members, demonstrating the strong growth of the Church during this period. This is considered the largest growth in membership that the Church has seen since its early days
The year 2023 also marks an important milestone: On April 29, 2023, the Handover Ceremony of the Senior Pastor position took place and was officiated by Pastor Hung Pham, acting District Superintendent.
The Appreciation Ceremony for Pastor and Mrs. Thuan Le along with the Appointment Ceremony of New Senior Pastor Huyen Pham were sources of encouragement for the Houston Vietnamese Christian Church to continue moving forward on the road ahead.
The welcoming of Pastor and Mrs. Huyen Pham promises new growth and guidance for the Church in looking toward the future.
E. THE PERIOD SINCE 04/29/2023 UNTIL NOW
Since before Covid-19, the church has had plans to find a new pastor to carry on God’s work. Thank God that after over 3 years of seeking His will, He has sent pastor Huyen Pham and his family to Houston Vietnamese Christian Church in August 2021. After almost 2 years of completing the necessary paperwork and requirements, on 04/29/2023, the CMA Vietnamese District officially appointed pastor Huyen Pham as the senior pastor of Houston Vietnamese Christian Church.
God’s church was glad to collaborate with pastor Pham in learning God’s word as well as evangelizing in order to bring lost souls back to our Lord Jesus. To return to the foundation and the original meaning of its name (literal Vietnamese name means Church of the Word of God), the church has restarted weekly Bible study groups and daily morning prayers on Mondays through Saturdays. God has and is reviving His church through these Bible studies and prayer times.
On Father’s day 6/16/2024, the church also held an appreciation event for unordained pastor Hung Jimmy Cao. He served God from 2016 until 2024, and has requested to resign due to health reasons.
Looking back on the past twenty years, we exclaim the highest praises to our mighty and faithful God for always accompanying, blessing, and providing for His church. He has walked with His children every step of the way thus, forming the foundations for this church, developing it and continually molding it to what it is today. Out of their love for God, many of His children here have been giving their very best to take care of His work.
On the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the founding of the church, we lift up our praises and thankgivings to God for His mercy upon His Church. As it is written in II Corinthians 9:15: ”Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!”, and Psalms 100:4-5: “Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, And into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him, and bless His name. For the Lord is good; His mercy is everlasting, And His truth endures to all generations.”
CONCLUSION
Looking back on the past twenty years, our hearts are filled with joy and deep gratitude for God the Powerful and Faithful, who has walked with, blessed, and helped His Church, leading His children through highs and lows, bringing the Church to its strong development and existence as we see today.
Out of their reverence for God, many of His children have and are giving their utmost to serve Him generously, whether prominently or discreetly. Owing to the unity and effort of the deacon board, the governing board, all the ministries, and all of God’s children, Houston Vietnamese Christian Church has obtained many remarkable achievements, contributing to the light that brings the Gospel to many.
On the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the Church, let us praise the Lord with one heart as the Psalmist has written: “I will worship toward Your holy temple, And praise Your name. For Your lovingkindness and Your truth; For You have magnified Your word above all Your name.” (Psalm 138:2)
Pray that the Lord will continue to bless His Church abundantly, and help us grow stronger in faith day by day, more united in love, and more enthusiastic in spreading the Good News. Pray that the Church always remains a lighthouse that lights the way for the lost souls, leading them to the saving light of the Lord our God.
Amen!