Now:
Pray–We need to hear God clearly and be empowered to overcome fear.
Listen–Outside of pros and cons God will speak to us.
Discern–Distinguish between the flesh and the Spirit and submit to the Spirit.
Pursue the Voice of the LORD
Why Would We Go?
Dear Church,
Recently I have put a lot of energy into looking at the time God told Moses to take the Israelites into the Promised Land compared to when God told Joshua the same thing. Both heard from God. Both sent spies. Both received promising reports of what was in the land. However, only the group with Moses allowed fear to come between them and the fulfillment of the promises God had for them.
I have often wondered why the spies were sent at all. Did Moses and Joshua doubt what God had said? I don’t think so. I think they knew exactly what God had told them to do each time. So why send the spies? Maybe they were looking for a military advantage or just to learn the geography they didn’t know yet. Maybe they just had some questions about what this was going to look like and they wanted to bring any possible clarity to the situation.
Church, we find ourselves now at the edge of a “Promised Land.” ...
From the Staff and Elders,
After the potential buyer reached out to Pastor Tim a meeting was scheduled with the Council of Elders and the staff on Friday, February 27th. That meeting was simply designed to have Pastor Tim share the information and enter into a time of prayer, fasting and discernment. The staff and elders met again on Monday, March 9th to discuss how God was speaking. The favorable unity of that meeting could not be dismissed. Those around the table said things like, “I have peace about this” and “this is the time” and “Yes, Lord.”
We recognize the difficulties held within this possibility. We have wrestled with this in our meetings. We recognize the incredible faithfulness that God has shown this church while being in this building. Many of our own steps of faith have memories in the rooms of this building. Yet at the same time, we also see the time, attention and financial resources it is taking to maintain it.
There is no doubt that the leadership of HFC, both current and throughout the last 50 years, have been outstanding stewards of this building...
Why would we leave this building?
There are many items that have been repaired or replaced and items that need to be.
1. Sanctuary front AC repaired, needs replaced
2. Sanctuary duct work repaired
3. Sanctuary roof drains
4. Lobby AC repaired, needs replaced
5. Front glass doors (locking mechanisms need replaced)
6. Walls need painted
7. LED lights (green and need replaced)
8. Cross light (replaced light sensor and baluster)
9. Lobby carpet needs repaired
10. Lobby Electrical plugs repaired
To see the full list (40+ items) and graphics, click the link below.
Why would we go somewhere else?
This opportunity could allow us to…
1. Share the gospel with people who wouldn’t worship with us now.
2. Share the culture of HFC with more people.
3. Minister to people in developing areas that don’t have churches.
4. Have more conversations about the church and Jesus creating relational environments for discipleship.
5. Save money by reducing costs for building maintenance.
6. Increase funding for ministry.
7. Help learn practical skills for what it takes to start a new church in a new location.
8. Set up a church plant team to send out after we are established in our new location.
HFC Vision: Multiply
To be a church that plants new churches
HFC Mission: Be disciples that make disciples
Everyone gets to be on mission
Our Story
-There was a famous lawyer and politician whose wife had a black woman that worked for her. This black woman didn’t have the finances to start a church or get a building but she was on mission to be a disciple that makes disciples and the Church of God was born in Houston, TX.
-Throughout the years the church grew and found itself in the Heights on West 11th St. Dr. Max Gaulke would become the pastor and start a Bible training school to raise up disciple makers. His vision was that every year he would send out students from this school to plant new churches in Texas.
-With the growth of the school and the church Pastor Leroy Oesch led the church to relocate in an undeveloped area of northwest Houston. There were no other buildings or even a freeway but there was a church ready to receive those who would soon be there. Much was left behind but great potential awaited them as well.
-For the last 50 years this church has led thousands of people into the presence of God and served the community through schools, ministries and outreach opportunities. Countless people are Jesus followers today because this church was ministering through this building to proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ to those far from God.
NEXT STEPS: Now Through May 3rd
Pray
Listen
Discern
Process
This
Together
Register
To
Vote
Attend
Special Called
Business Meeting
Next 2 weeks: Over the next two weeks you will have a chance to process this in a number of ways:
Community Groups - Pastor Tim will be visiting each Community Group over the next two weeks.
Men's Group April 22nd, 6 pm
Youth Group - April 22nd, 7:30 pm
Worship Team - April 25th, 11:30 am
Sunday After Worship - Open to anyone - April 26th (Register)
Wednesday Night Bible Study - Open to anyone - April 29th, 7 pm (Register)
Parent Discipleship Meeting April 29th, 7:30 pm
Register to attend a time to process.
By April 29th: Register to vote
In order to vote at the special called business meeting, you will need to be registered to vote. If you already registered in the fall of 2025 for the Annual Business Meeting, you do NOT need to register again. If you are not sure if you registered, please email us at info@hfcog.org and we can check. You MUST be registered in order to vote. Register by Wednesday April 29th.
May 3rd: Special Called Business Meeting
Attend the Special Called Business Meeting on Sunday May 3rd, following worship service.
In order to vote, you MUST be registered. Register to vote here.
You must be registered by Wednesday April 29th.
Where Could We Go?
Possible Option 1:
Purchase an established building.
Potential Pros:
Short transition–may be able to go from our current building to this one.
Potential Cons:
Established buildings are older and may require a similar amount of maintenance.
The history of the previous congregation may influence how people see us.
Possible Option 2:
Purchase land that we would build on.
Potential Pros:
It will be a new building with limited need for maintenance.
We would be in a developing area.
Potential Cons:
It will take time to design, build and move into.
Transitional Facility:
No matter what we do, we may need a transitional facility:
This would be a rented space for a limited amount of time.
Our preference would be for a dedicated space but may require set up and tear down.
Possible Areas:
South of 290 between Fry and Grand Parkway is a church desert.
Between 249 and 290 north of Cypress is also developing.
FAQs
What was the offer that was made on the contract?
The selling price would be 3.1 million dollars. From that we would need to pay 3% for the buyer’s realtor ($93,000), 2% for our realtor ($62,000), title policy (approx. $18,000), any legal fees incurred (approx. $500) and a 50% share of escrow costs.
How soon would we need to be out of the building?
There is a feasibility period of 120 days (in which the buyer could back out) and up to 60 days for closing after that. That would put us closing by the end of September with up to 3 weeks to move to our next location.
Where will we go?
As presented above, there are several options that the elders will be considering and our real estate agent is working diligently to help us secure that location.
Who is our real estate agent?
Her name is Dayna Sullivan. Pastor Tim has been connected to her through the school his kids go to. She works for Berkshire Hathaway Home Services.
What do the bylaws say about selling property?
It is very clear that no property of the church may be sold without a formal vote of the voting membership of the church.
What if the congregation votes “No”?
Depending on how conversations go we could set up another special business meeting two weeks following. This would allow more time to process and discern the voice of the Lord, if necessary. However, if ultimately, the congregation votes “no” then we simply contact the potential buyer and nothing moves forward.
How much would the new place cost?
There is no way to know that now, however, we do not plan to incur debt in the purchase of our new building space.
Will we receive updates about progress?
Yes. Monthly in worship services we will share an update with the congregation and we will keep a section in the weekly newsletter for our recent updates.
What about Iglesia and ACC?
We are in communication with both congregations and are open to continuing our partnerships in new locations if it works out.
What if I have ideas or suggestions for where to go?
To best keep track of and organize ideas please email suggestions you might have to PastorTim@hfcog.org.