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Welcome to Memorial
Drive Presbyterian Church (MDPC), located on the west side of
Houston at the corner of Memorial Drive and Blalock. Our address is
11612 Memorial Drive, Houston, TX 77024, and our telephone number is
713-782-1710.
We are a
congregation of real live people who face real live problems with
hope and joy because of the powerful presence of Jesus Christ whose
loving Spirit we encounter each day. We have been drawn together
into a caring family, and out of gratitude for all that Christ is
doing for us, we seek to serve others.
This online
resource provides a brief sketch of the church's life. To get a full
picture, come join us as we share the wonder of living in Christ's
fellowship. We hope the navigation of our site is intuitive and that
you will find the information you are seeking as well as sense the
spirit of our congregation. A word that may be helpful in your tour:
the buttons across the top of our home page point to things you may
do, with a second line denoting demographics. Along the left side of
the home page, the buttons lead to more general information and
thoughts about the Christian faith. Let’s start with links to
information that tells you:
Who We Are:
Even as a large
church (4500 members), Memorial Drive Presbyterian Church is known
for its warmth, generosity, and dedication in seeking to continue
the ministry of Jesus Christ in the church, the community and the
world. MDPC is one of the ten largest congregations in the
Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.).
Presbyterians are distinctive in two major ways: they adhere to a
pattern of religious thought known as Reformed theology and a form
of government that stresses the active, representational leadership
of both ministers and church members. Presbyterians trace their
history to the 16th century and the Protestant Reformation. Our
heritage, and much of what we believe, began with the French lawyer
John Calvin (1509-1564), whose writings crystallized much of the
Reformed thinking that came before him. Some of the principles
articulated by John Calvin remain at the core of Presbyterian
beliefs. Among these beliefs are:
- the sovereignty of God
- the authority of the scripture
- justification by grace through
faith
- the priesthood of all believers
Our knowledge of
God and God's purpose for humanity comes from the Bible,
particularly what is revealed in the New Testament through the life
of Jesus Christ.
Our Founding
Principles:
Memorial Drive
Presbyterian Church was founded on two basic principles that we
still hold dear today.
- First, our house shall be
called a house of prayer. (Matthew 21:13) Prayer guides our major
policy decisions as well as our everyday lives. Our Partners in
Prayer commit to fulfilling our goal that every member be prayed
for every day.
- Second, in obedience to
Christ's teaching, we are committed to a Dollar-for-Dollar
benevolence program. Since our beginning in 1954 and continuing to
the present, we annually set a goal of matching the money spent in
the operation of the church and its programs with giving to those
in need in the community and the world.
Our History:
On Sunday, January
9, 1955, seventy persons gathered in the Memorial Drive Elementary
School, beyond the then western city limits of Houston, Texas, to
hold the first worship services of Memorial Drive Presbyterian
Church. From that modest beginning, the church grew rapidly, as the
surrounding area filled with new famlies. Membership rolls passed
500 in 1957; 1,000 in 1960; 2,000 in 1965; 3,000 in 1969. These
numbers reflected the community response to the new congregation,
led by Dr. Charles Shedd. The fourth anniversary of the church was
celebrated by 1,044 worshipers in a new Sanctuary/Fellowship Hall
built on six acres at the intersection of Memorial Drive and
Blalock. The present Sanctuary was built in 1972. New classrooms, a
chapel, parlor, kitchen, and fellowship hall were added in the early
1990s. A remodeling of the Sanctuary, a new Church Life Center, new
office space, and renovation of many classrooms were dedicated in
2002. The church celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2005 and
continues the historic challenge of high expectations of members to
continue their growth through study, prayer, stewardship, and
outreach.
Our Mission Statement and
Vision:
For several years,
MDPC’s mission has been “to continue the earthly ministry of Jesus
Christ by recruiting disciples for the kingdom of God, renewing
disciples in their faith commitments, and reaching out in love and
compassion to a world in need.”
In celebration of MDPC’s 50th anniversary in 2005 and in
anticipation of our next 50 years of ministry, we have adopted a new
vision based on Hebrews 12:15a: “See to it that no one fails to
obtain the grace of God”. We’ve been richly blessed by God in our
first 50 years and we feel called by Him to be even more intentional
about growing in grace and sharing that grace with others in the
years to come. To do so, we believe that God is challenging us to
cultivate 5 Growing EDGES:
- Evangelistic Growth
- Discipleship Passion
- Generous Lifestyle
- Empowered Relationships
- Students of Society
These 5 Growing
EDGES are focus areas for us to apply the vision in our individual
lives, on our campus, and throughout the world. We’ve realigned our
ministry areas and programs around our Growing in Grace vision and
we are excited to see what God will do next in and through MDPC.
Our
Beliefs:
Our identity is shaped by these beliefs:
- We continually seek the will of
God, believing that God is always offering people creative ways to
serve in the church and in the world. We believe we must take
risks as we respond to God's challenges.
- We believe worship is the
central act of the people of God. Worship is highly participatory
and is the hub from which prayer, study, service, stewardship,
care for one another, fellowship, evangelism, and servant
leadership emerge.
- Following the guidance of the
Westminster Confession, we affirm that the Holy Scriptures of the
Old and New Testaments are the Word of God, the only rule of faith
and obedience. We acknowledge that the Bible is a record of God's
continuing loving relationship with humanity, as well as a rich
source of guidance for our lives.
- We believe that prayer is a
dialogue with God that provides nourishment and strength for
living. As we respond to God's activity in the world and in our
lives, we bring to God our deepest concerns and submit them to
God's sovereign will.
- We feel we have an obligation
to provide a Christian education program through which every
child, youth, and adult can understand the basic doctrine of the
Christian faith, apply the teachings of the Bible to the practical
situations of our lives, and grow toward Christian maturity.
- We believe that every Christian
is called to worship God regularly, to discover God's love and
God's will, and to demonstrate God's love to others.
- We believe that the biblical
concept of percentage giving is a joyful response to God's grace
in Jesus Christ and an inestimable privilege. We challenge every
member to be intentional, not only about pledging but also about
moving systematically toward the tithe and beyond it to radical
generosity.
How to reach staff
members:
The following list is thus arranged: pastors’ names, titles, email
addresses, and phone numbers, followed by similar information for
the rest of the staff in alphabetical order. Staff contacts are also
listed in appropriate ministry sections. The Administration staff is
listed in
Contacts on the Home page.
COORDINATING TEAM
- DAVE PETERSON
- Senior Pastor
dpeterson@mdpc.org
713-953-2550, ext. 130
Direct number 713-953-2580
- DAVE STEANE -
Executive Pastor, Head of Staff
dsteane@mdpc.org
713-953-2550, ext. 198
Direct number 713-953-2551
- KRISTIN HUFFMAN
- Associate Pastor, Evangelism and Outreach
kristinh@mdpc.org
713-953-2550, ext. 160
Direct number 713-490-9559
- BRETT HURST -
Minister, Families and Relationships
bretth@mdpc.org
713-953-2553
Direct number 713-490-0930
- VICTORIA JONES
- Associate Pastor, Caring Ministries
vickyj@mdpc.org
713-953-2550, ext. 140
Direct number 713-490-9549
- RICK MYERS
-Associate Pastor, Caring Ministries
rickm@mdpc.org
713-953-2550, ext. 131
Direct number 713-490-9545
- RACHEL POYSKY
- Associate Pastor, Children and Youth
rachelp@mdpc.org
713-953-2550, ext. 117
Direct number 713-490-9269
- SCOTT THAYER -
Associate Pastor, Discipleship and Community Life
sthayer@mdpc.org
713-953-2550, ext. 115
Direct number 713-490-9569
- CINNAMON MCDADE
- Admin. Asst. to Dave Steane and Membership
cinnamonm@mdpc.org
713-953-2550, ext. 184
Direct number 713-953-2556
- BOB DYER -
Operations Manager
bobdyer@mdpc.org
713-953-2550, ext. 128
Direct number 713-953-2570
- KATHRYN SPARKS
- Director of Music/Organist
kathryns@mdpc.org
713-953-2550, ext. 138
Direct number 713-490-0943
CARTER BLISS - Director of Facilities
carterb@mdpc.org
713-953-2550, ext. 191
Direct number 713-490-2012
ANNE SELIN - Communications Director
annes@mdpc.org
713-953-2550, ext. 135
Direct number 713-953-2564
STAFF
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