20 Year Celebration

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A CHAPTER ENDS In the summer of 1999, Bro. John Bisagno told the Houston’s

After three decades of faithful service and visionary

First family—his “dear people”—about his plans to

leadership, Bro. John deservedly became our

retire on the approaching 30th anniversary of when he

Pastor Emeritus in February 2000.

became our pastor in 1970.

Although we all knew that day would eventually come, He delivered his final sermon in November 1999, reminding

many wondered what God had in store for our church.

and encouraging us that God would lead our church

Who will lead us next? How long until we know

during the transition period to come—just as He had led

the answer?

the Israelites in the wilderness by a “pillar of cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night” (Exodus 13:22).

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THE SEARCH BEGINS The Houston’s First family was invited to submit names of

averaged about one month for each year of the

church members to take on the important task of finding

outgoing pastor’s tenure. That equated to a potential

our next pastor. On November 21, 1999, the 11 members

30-month process— or, two-and-a-half years — for our

of the Pastor Search Committee were introduced to the

church’s search for a new pastor.

church, prayed over, and commissioned to begin the process of discovering who God would bring to lead

The names of hundreds of recommended potential

our church.

pastors were submitted for consideration. Committee

Throughout that journey, our church was capably led

candidates, then divided and conquered as they visited

by Dr. David Self. At that time, he was our Minister of

churches across the country listening to preachers.

members prayerfully reviewed and researched possible

Education and Associate Pastor and later became our Executive Pastor. Within the Southern Baptist Convention, pastor searches at large churches

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A NEW CHAPTER BEGINS Finally, after a longer-than-expected search lasting over

The Lord had brought Gregg Matte to be our Pastor at

four years and four months, the Pastor Search Committee

Houston’s First Baptist Church.

announced that they had a candidate to present to our church—Gregg Matte, founder and director of Breakaway Ministries in College Station. A previous guest speaker at Houston’s First, Gregg preached “in view of a call” on Easter morning, Sunday, April 11, 2004. Church members cast their votes following the services, and then we gathered that evening to hear the results:

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“ Who cares about the possibility of a full pulpit when we’ve got an empty tomb?”

Gregg Matte Easter Sunday, April 11, 2004

2004

EASTER SUNDAY, APRIL 11, 2004 Gregg Matte affirmed as our new Pastor by a vote of the Houston’s First family JUNE 6, 2004 Pastor Gregg delivers his first message since being affirmed as our Pastor — “The Greatest Talk on Humility, Part 1” (John 13:1–4)

SEPTEMBER 18, 2004 Pastor Gregg begins a study of Colossians——his first series to walk through a book of the Bible from beginning to end.

NOVEMBER 2, 2004 President George W. Bush is re-elected

SUMMER 2004 Pastor Gregg continues to fulfill his prior commitments to speak at various camps throughout the summer AUGUST 13–19, 2004 Summer Olympics held in Athens, Greece AUGUST 15, 2004 Pastor Gregg’s official first day

2005

SPRING 2005 First “rookie” mission trip ministers to people in Guatemala With a passion for sharing God’s Word with His people around the world, Pastor Gregg initiated “rookie” mission trips to nearby locations to provide easier entry ramps for people to experience global missions for themselves.

AUGUST 29, 2005 Hurricane Katrina strikes New Orleans, Coastal Louisiana, and Mississippi

SEPTEMBER 24, 2005 Hurricane Rita strikes Texas/Louisiana border FALL 2005 Franklin Avenue Baptist Church from New Orleans begins meeting at The Loop Campus New Orleans residents fled the city in the devastating aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. Houston’s First opened our doors for Franklin Avenue leaders to have office space while they connected with their church members who had come to Houston. The Franklin Avenue family gathered for worship services on Sunday afternoons in our Worship Center, too.

OCTOBER 2005 Sunday evening worship service and Life Bible Studies begin at The Loop Campus To accommodate growing attendance on Sunday mornings, Houston’s First launched a worship service and Life Bible Studies on Sunday evenings.

Today, the service is known as The5 and continues to provide a different option for people seeking to gather for worship.

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2006

FEBRUARY 10–26, 2006 Winter Olympics held in Turin, Italy DECEMBER 10, 2006 Pastor Gregg baptizes Trish Matte, his mother

2007 AUGUST 2, 2007

AUGUST–SEPTEMBER 2007

Pastor Gregg & Kelly celebrate their 10th wedding anniversary

Pastor Gregg presents the church’s vision in the “Relevant Biblical Community” message series

AUGUST 2007

Greyson Matte begins Kindergarten at First Baptist Academy

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FALL 2007

Launch of Be A Part Of The Story capital campaign Our church’s first such campaign in more than 20 years, Be A Part Of The Story sought to raise $20,000,000 for the renovation of the Worship Center at The Loop Campus, to eliminate the church’s debt, and to support a variety of missional endeavors.

2008 FEBRUARY 15, 2008

Pastor Gregg & Kelly and big brother Greyson welcome Valerie Karis Matte

SEPTEMBER 7, 2008

The Worship Center at The Loop Campus reopens New seats, platform, lighting, audio, video, ceiling, carpet, and more——the Houston’s First family experienced the Worship Center for the first time after a nearly six-month renovation. We also unveiled our new logo to serve as a visual identity of our growing ministry.

MARCH–SEPTEMBER 2008

Renovation of the Worship Center at The Loop Campus For the first time since it opened in 1977, our primary gathering space underwent a major renovation from top to bottom beginning the Monday after Easter Sunday. The work was funded by the generosity of our church family through the Be A Part Of The Story capital campaign. Worship services were held on the gym floor in the Christian Life Center (now the Fitness & Recreation Center) throughout the nearly six-month project.

SEPTEMBER 11, 2008

Hurricane Ike makes landfall in Galveston Houston’s First partnered with Southern Baptist relief efforts as they used our parking lot at The Loop Campus as a food preparation and distribution center. Church members rallied to serve the needs of fellow members and our neighbors who were impacted by the storm.

NOVEMBER 4, 2008

Barack Obama elected as President NOVEMBER 2008

AUGUST 8–24, 2008

Summer Olympics held in Beijing, China AUGUST 24, 2008

Foundation of Prayer in the Worship Center at The Loop Campus Before the carpet was laid in the renovated Worship Center, church members wrote on the foundation thousands of names of people they were praying for to receive Jesus as their Savior. This beautiful Foundation of Prayer moment has taken place at our Cypress, Downtown, and Sienna Campuses and in other locations at The Loop.

Houston’s First launches official Twitter (now X) account (@HoustonsFirst) DECEMBER 2008

Celebration, our Christmas musical, premieres at The Loop Campus Houston’s First has a legacy of providing excellent musical presentations focused on sharing the Gospel.

Pageant had captivated audiences for many years during the Christmas season. In 2008, Celebration joined our long history of reaching our city with the Good News through the beauty and power of music.

AUGUST 30, 2008

Houston’s First launches official Facebook page (@HoustonsFirst) 7

2009

JANUARY 2009 Pastor Gregg takes his first trip to Israel with other Houston’s First members Inspired by this experience, Pastor Gregg put into motion having frequent trips to Israel so more people could walk where Jesus walked. Since then, Houston’s First has hosted nearly 20 trips to the Holy Land.

AUGUST 30, 2009 Houston’s First celebrates Pastor Gregg’s 5th anniversary as our pastor The Houston’s First family was invited to write letters of appreciation for us to present to Pastor Gregg, and CornerBooks——that opened that same day —— had CD gift sets featuring Pastor Gregg’s top five favorite messages from his first five years as our pastor.

AUGUST 2009 Pastor Gregg’s official Twitter (now X) account launches (@GreggMatte)

AUGUST 30, 2009 CornerBooks opens at The Loop Campus The library and the Garden Bookstore provided a wide variety of resources and gifts for our members and guests for years. The two combined to create CornerBooks to extend the message, ministry, and mission of Houston’s First. Over the years, CornerBooks has expanded to also serve as a missional marketplace featuring products offered by various ministry partners of the church.

AUGUST 2009 Faith Center–Spring Branch debuts at Long Point Baptist Church Houston’s First planted Long Point Baptist Church in the 1950s. When Hurricane Ike did significant damage to our Missions Training Center down the street, we relocated the ministry to the Long Point property and launched it as our Faith Center. Many years later, our KAINOS initiative would fund a major renovation of the facility to ensure it continues to meet the needs of people we serve for years to come.

2010

AUGUST 24, 2010

Pastor Gregg celebrates his 40th birthday

FEBRUARY 12–28, 2010

Winter Olympics held in Vancouver, Canada APRIL 18, 2010

Pastor Gregg baptizes Greyson, his son JULY 2010

Inaugural Rush Week takes place in Pensacola, FL The HUB Student ministry hosted camps and mission trips each summer.

While Pastor Gregg and Doug Bischoff from The HUB Student Ministry were having coffee, the idea for Rush Week was born—— combining these annual endeavors to provide students with a week featuring a camp feel with missions impact.

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NOVEMBER 2010

Pastor Gregg’s book Finding God’s Will is published

2011

JANUARY 23, 2011

Be A Part Of The Story capital campaign results revealed Initial pledges in 2007 totalled around $23,000,000 toward our goal of $20,000,000. However, over $26,600,000 was generously given by our church family——more than 30% beyond our goal. The additional funds enabled us to do more in His name than we had imagined.

OCTOBER 2, 2011

Our Downtown Campus launches Houston’s First moved out of Downtown in 1977 after gathering there since our founding in 1841.

We moved back 34 years later with the launch of our Downtown Campus in the pedestrian tunnels at 1010 Lamar——the same block of land where our church gathered for decades before moving to The Loop Campus on the Katy Freeway.

OCTOBER 13, 2011 EASTER SUNDAY, APRIL 24, 2011

Expanded Preschool and Children’s suite opens at The Loop This colorful three-story space was made possible by our church family giving beyond our goal for the Be A Part Of The Story capital campaign. God had worked in the hearts of our people to provide for our need for more space before we even realized the space was needed. Before construction was completed, we held a Foundation of Prayer gathering, too.

Pastor Gregg receives the Outstanding Alumni Award from Texas A&M University’s Mays Business School

OCTOBER 16, 2011

MAY 19, 2011

The Houston’s First family gives $180,000 for our Legacy 68:5 Adoption Assistance Fund In Sunday worship services, Pastor Gregg shared the vision of the Adoption Assistance Fund and invited our church to help increase its impact. By the end of 2011, $230,000 had been donated. That was a trajectory-changing moment for Legacy 68:5. To date, more than $1,015,000 has been given to families to assist them in their adoption journeys.

Pastor Gregg’s official Facebook page launches (@GreggMatte) JUNE 2011

FBA Warrior Field opens on site of former Missions Training Center Hurricane Ike did significant damage to our Missions Training Center at the corner of Silber and Long Point. The ministry’s subsequent move down the street provided the opportunity to build Warrior Field——an athletic facility used by First Baptist Academy and the church, including for outreach efforts in the surrounding community.

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2012

JULY 27–AUGUST 12, 2012 Summer Olympics hosted in London, England

APRIL 2, 2012 Pastor Gregg’s book I AM changes who i am is published

AUGUST 2, 2012 Pastor Gregg & Kelly celebrate their 15th wedding anniversary

APRIL 12, 2012 Inaugural Men:Serve work day serving widows of our church There were 51 men from The Loop Campus serving 12 widows of our church on this first Men:Serve work day. Now, men from across our church come together for several Men:Serve work days throughout the year as they bless these women through yard work, home maintenance, and other projects.

NOVEMBER 6, 2012 President Barack Obama is re-elected

2013

MARCH 24, 2013 Launch of MISSION 1:8 generosity initiative Inspired by Acts 1:8, MISSION 1:8 sought to provide resources for our annual Great Commission Fund (or operating budget) as well as additional missions projects in our city, our nation, and our world. Our goal was $60,000,000 with $45,000,000 to fund the budget for two years plus an additional $15,000,000 for missions. On March 24, Pastor Gregg shared that our Houston’s First family had embraced the vision and submitted more than $71,000,000 in initial commitments toward the goal!

JULY 2, 2012 Pastor Gregg’s book Birds and Bees: A Conversation about God, Sex, and Sexuality is published

EASTER SUNDAY, MARCH 31, 2013 Our Cypress and Sienna Campuses launch Joining our Downtown Campus in our vision to reach communities across Houston, our Cypress Campus opened its doors at Smith Middle School while our Sienna Campus welcomed neighbors to our space in a local retail center.

Both campuses were funded in part by contributions to MISSION 1:8 as we sought to reach our city with the Gospel.

JUNE 9–10, 2013 Pastor Gregg serves as President of 2013 Pastors’ Conference Pastor Gregg’s fellow pastors in the Southern Baptist Convention elected him to serve as President of the Pastors’ Conference that took place just before the 2013 SBC Annual Meeting at the George R. Brown Convention Center in Houston. Houston’s First staff members, worship leaders, and lay members played roles in making Pastor Gregg’s vision for the conference a reality.

AUGUST 2013 Valerie Matte begins Kindergarten at First Baptist Academy

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2014

FEBRUARY 7–23, 2014

Winter Olympics held in Sochi, Russia APRIL 18, 2014

Dedication of cross tower and water wall at The Loop Campus The widening of I-10 over the years made our original church sign at The Loop Campus smaller by comparison. This larger identifying marker is now seen by an average of more than 300,000 vehicles every day. A plaque captures “Our Declaration” that Jesus is the Living Water, and it references our commitment to supporting Living Water International. Inside the cross are panels featuring the signatures of thousands of church members.

SEPTEMBER 12, 2014

Houston’s First celebrates Pastor Gregg’s Pastor Gregg baptizes Valerie, 10th anniversary as our pastor his daughter To mark Pastor Gregg’s first decade with us, the Houston’s First family gathered for a special evening at The Loop featuring Sara Groves, one of his favorite Christian artists.

2015 MARCH 1, 2015 MAY 11, 2014

Dennis Perry, Pastor Gregg’s youth minister in high school, joins Houston’s First It was a “full circle” moment when Pastor Gregg became Dennis’ pastor. Dennis, while on staff at Wilcrest Baptist, counseled a teenage Gregg in 1986 and was honored to be there with Gregg when he asked Jesus to be his Savior. Dennis went home to the Lord in 2021.

JULY 2014

NOVEMBER 2, 2014

Celebration Sunday for our MISSION 1:8 generosity initiative MISSION 1:8 set out to raise $60,000,000 to provide for two years of operating budget plus funds for additional missions projects. Once again, God did more than we had imagined! He moved through the generosity of the Houston’s First family and provided over $75,000,000 — 25% beyond our original goal. This abundant giving enabled us to increase our missional impact for the Gospel in our city, our nation, and our world.

AUGUST 23, 2015

Pastor Gregg introduces the Difference Makers Declaration I was made for more than watching.

I have a history-changing, difference making, life-giving, Spirit-empowered legacy to leave.

Jesus, I ask You to work deeply in me and clearly through me as I pray, give, and go in Your love.

I am a Difference Maker.

In Jesus’ name, Amen!

NOVEMBER 3, 2015

Unstoppable Gospel by Pastor Gregg is published

Houston’s First launches our first Instagram account (@HoustonsFirst) AUGUST 24, 2014

Thru The Roof Special Needs Ministry opens new suite at The Loop Campus The generosity of the Houston’s First family enabled us to equip Thru The Roof with an expanded and custom-built suite to better minister to our friends with special needs and their families. The space features a variety of environments, play equipment, and other elements designed specifically for those we serve.

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2016 APRIL 10, 2016 Houston’s First celebrates our 175th anniversary Our church has grown exponentially since 1841, both in size and ministry impact. One way we celebrated our anniversary was by equipping each Life Bible Study to donate $1,000 to Difference Makers in their communities, such as fire stations, public schools, women’s shelters, and more.

MAY 2016 Faith Center-Harwin opens Our Faith Center ministry expanded its reach across our city with this location serving communities on the southwest side of Houston. A high concentration of immigrants and refugees in the area enables us to minister to people from around the world.

MAY 2016 Greyson Matte graduates from First Baptist Academy AUGUST 5–21, 2016 Summer Olympics held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil JULY 2016 Pastor Gregg’s official Instagram account launches (@PastorGregg) NOVEMBER 8, 2016 Donald Trump elected as President

2017 FEBRUARY 5, 2017 Houston hosts Super Bowl LI APRIL 2, 2017 Our Downtown Campus’ first Sunday in new home at 1730 Jefferson Houston’s First purchased a block of land in Downtown with an existing building that included office and classroom space, a room for large gatherings, and a parking lot. It was the perfect place for our Downtown Campus to call home, and the generosity of our Houston’s First family made it possible.

JUNE 11, 2017 Our Cypress Campus’ first Sunday in new facility in Bridgeland After four years of being a mobile church setting up and tearing down every Sunday at Smith Middle School, our Cypress Campus moved into a new facility next door to Bridgeland High School. Many of the roads were not completed yet, and there were few——if any——houses nearby. Today, the campus is surrounded by single-family homes, multifamily housing, three CFISD schools, and retail space.

JULY 2017 Mary Smith retires from Houston’s First Mary served as Pastor Gregg’s Executive Assistant since he began in 2004. Prior to that, she served for 22 years in other roles for a total of 35 years of ministry at Houston’s First.

AUGUST 2, 2017 Pastor Gregg & Kelly celebrate their 20th wedding anniversary AUGUST 25, 2017 Hurricane Harvey makes landfall in Rockport, devastating Houston with flood waters

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2018

FEBRUARY 9–25, 2018

Winter Olympics hosted by Pyeongchang, South Korea

AUGUST 19, 2018

Downtown Campus’ exterior renovations culminate with official cross lighting celebration

Bro. John Bisagno faithfully rose on Sunday mornings for decades to proclaim the Good News of Jesus Christ and Bro. John Bisagno worship our Savior in community with his church family. Early in the morning hours of Sunday, August 5, 2018, he came face-to-face with Jesus and began worshipping Him at His feet——side-by-side with his beloved Uldine. passes away AUGUST 5, 2018

AUGUST–OCTOBER 2017 Houston’s First launches LOVEFirst relief initiative in aftermath of Hurricane Harvey Houston had not experienced anything like Harvey before, but that didn’t limit Houston’s First’s response. As Pastor Gregg said, “When the rain falls, the church rises.” Staff members were reassigned to help coordinate relief efforts and members stepped up to serve on work crews throughout our community in the weeks that followed. Beyond that, more than $4,000,000 was given in benevolence to those impacted by the devastating storm.

SEPTEMBER 13, 2017 Uldine Bisagno, wife of Bro. John, passes away Bro. John Bisagno’s beloved wife of 63 years entered heaven following a graceful and courageous battle with cancer. Our church is immeasurably grateful for the numerous ways Uldine selflessly loved and served our church family, and for the countless lives she impacted by her faith, grace, and strength.

2019 JUNE 1, 2019

Pastor Gregg’s book Difference Makers is published SEPTEMBER 29, 2019 Houston’s First celebrates Pastor Gregg’s 15th anniversary as our pastor Houston’s First presented Pastor Gregg with a metal wall hanging inscribed with the Difference Makers Declaration.

That evening, Christian artists Shane & Shane were our OCTOBER 2019 musical guests at a special gathering at The Loop.

Pastor Gregg announced as new chair of Board of Trustees at Houston Baptist University (now Houston Christian University)

NOVEMBER 1, 2017 Houston Astros win the World Series Houston’s First was excited to be a part of the Astros’ historic season and first World Series title by having our name on a sign in right field. Like the rest of Houston, we were grateful for a reason to celebrate as a community in the wake of Hurricane Harvey.

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2020 MARCH 15, 2020 On-campus worship services suspended due to COVID-19 Recognizing concerns of many of our church members and honoring requests of local leaders, Houston’s First decides to stop gathering in person as the COVID-19 pandemic began to unfold. Worship services and Life Bible Studies pivoted to online gatherings to keep our church family connected.

MAY 2020 Greyson Matte graduates from Memorial High School MAY 30–31, 2020 On-campus worship services resume with “social distancing” measures in place “Reunion Weekend” saw the return of the Houston’s Family to each of our campuses after 11 weeks of gathering online due to COVID-19 quarantines.

During that time, we enhanced our online worship experience and expanded our reach with the Gospel around the world.

MAY 10, 2020 Houston’s First celebrates the giving of its 200th adoption assistance grant through Legacy 68:5

2021 JULY 1, 2021 Dr. Stephen Trammell joins Houston’s First staff as our Executive Pastor Dr. David Self announced his plans to retire at the end of 2021.

To ensure a smooth transition in the vital role of Executive Pastor, Pastor Gregg hired Dr. Stephen Trammell months in advance so he and Dr. Self could serve side-by-side and provide Dr. Trammell with a solid understanding of our church.

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AUGUST 24, 2020 Pastor Gregg celebrates his 50th birthday Staff members at The Loop Campus greet Pastor Gregg with a surprise parade and homemade signs to celebrate his 50th birthday.

NOVEMBER 3, 2020 Joseph Biden elected as President

JULY 23–AUGUST 8, 2021 Summer Olympics hosted by Tokyo, Japan (delayed from 2020 due to COVID-19) DECEMBER 1, 2021 Pastor Gregg’s devotional Capture The Moment is published

DECEMBER 5, 2021 Launch of KAINOS generosity initiative KAINOS, the largest generosity initiative in our church’s history, set out to raise $93,000,000 to fund endeavors related to our Commission, our Community, and our Compassion. On this Sunday, Pastor Gregg shared that our church family had risen to the challenge and made initial commitments of nearly $104,000,000!

DECEMBER 31, 2021 Dr. David Self retires as our Executive Pastor In the 1970s, a young David Self worked in the student ministry at Houston’s First. He returned as Dr. Self in 1995 to serve as our Minister of Education. He effectively led the church as Associate Pastor for more than four years while we searched for a new lead Pastor, and then served as our Executive Pastor with Pastor Gregg with wisdom, integrity, and faithfulness.

2022

AUGUST 7, 2022

Day of Baptism across all campuses with 360 baptisms

FEBRUARY 4–20, 2022 Winter Olympics hosted

by Beijing, China

Our church family was invited to sign up in advance if they wanted to publicly proclaim their faith on this special Day of Baptism.

The invitation was also extended that day for people to come forward in the moment to do the same. Staff and volunteers were on hand to assist those who were identifying with Christ through Believer’s Baptism.

MAY 2022 Valerie Matte graduates from First Baptist Academy AUGUST 2, 2022 Pastor Gregg & Kelly celebrate their 25th wedding anniversary

SEPTEMBER 2022

The Lawn at The Loop opens at The Loop Campus The Oasis Courtyard underwent a major transformation to provide our church and community with The Lawn at The Loop—— an outdoor space in the heart of the campus. The Lawn is now a go-to venue for worship services, weddings, banquets, movie nights, picnics, concerts, play dates, and more.

2023 EASTER WEEKEND, APRIL 2023

OCTOBER 17, 2023

Pastor Gregg’s Salvation Has Come Advent devotional is published

Outdoor Easter services held on The Lawn

DECEMBER 2023

In addition to worship services in the Worship Center, Easter services were held on The Lawn at The Loop——a moment Pastor Gregg looked forward to ever since The Lawn was first proposed.

Culmination of our KAINOS generosity initiative Like He did with Be A Part Of The Story and MISSION 1:8, God again did more than we had imagined through KAINOS! The Houston’s First family generously gave $113,478,418 toward this bold vision — or 22% above our initial goal of $93,000,000. The overwhelming response included 1,893 individuals and families who gave for the very first time.

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2024

MAY 9, 2024 Greyson graduates from Texas A&M University JULY 26–AUGUST 22, 2024 Summer Olympics hosted by Paris, France AUGUST 4, 2024 Special time of prayer affirming God’s faithfulness in our Spanish Ministry AUGUST 11, 2024 Our Sienna Campus’ first Sunday in new facility Our Sienna Campus began in just a portion of a retail center, acquiring more space over the years. Eventually, Houston’s First purchased the property and adjacent land, and later added a third worship service to accommodate the people God was bringing our way.

Through our church family’s generosity to KAINOS, this new facility positions our Sienna Campus to reach and serve even more individuals, couples, and families for generations to come.

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JULY 2024 The Story: Snow Globe receives Dove Award Nomination The Story, a theatrical musical performance created by Houston’s First and performed by Houston’s First Worship Choir and Orchestra, along with members of our church, debuted in 2021. Each year, guests from across our city are invited to The Loop Campus to experience an exciting new perspective celebrating the birth of Jesus. In 2024, The Story: Snowglobe received a Dove Award Nomination for Outstanding Musical/Choral Production, a first ever achievement for Houston’s First!

AUGUST 18, 2024 Houston’s First celebrates Pastor Gregg’s 20th anniversary as our Pastor

NEW LIFE AND NEW MEMBERS

LOCAL MISSIONS

In the last 20 years, Houston’s First has celebrated:

Our Faith Center has grown in size and impact since 2004. Here’s what God did through this life-changing ministry in 2023 as He moved among the Houston’s First family and others to share their time and resources to make it possible.

4,244 baptisms 16,356 new church members

GREAT COMMISSION FUND Our ministry and operating budget—made possible by the ongoing generosity of our Houston’s First family—has more than quadrupled in the last 20 years.

2004 – $10,183,20 2024 – $42,899,913

13,658 Gospel conversations 1,561 salvations 3,002,861 pounds of food distributed 48,271 impacted lives $922,655 distributed for benevolence Over the last 20 years, Houston’s First has sent:

GLOBAL IMPACT

Our Missions Team equips and deploys groups of people to make Christ known among the nations. While there is no date on record of when Houston’s First launched their first short-term mission trip, the interest in spreading the Gospel around the world continues to increase.

more than 5,000 people to more than 50 different countries on more than 370 short-term mission trips

OUR MISSION: Matthew 28:18–20 | OUR VISION: Relevant Biblical Community OUR STRATEGY: Gather Our Hearts, Grow Our Souls, Give Our Lives | OUR VALUES: Godly, Effective, Excellent 17

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PHOTO MONTAGE HERE? HoustonsFirst.org 20