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Meet Our Staff

Committed to Instilling Faith into All Congregants

Staff

Pastoral Staff

Rev. David Wakeland,
Senior Pastor

David Wakeland was born in Hattiesburg, MS. He attended the University of Southern Mississippi where he graduated with a degree in history. After graduating he moved to St. Louis to attend Covenant Theological Seminary. During his seminary studies David took a year off for an internship with Dr. Joseph Pipa at Covenant Presbyterian Church in Houston. After graduating from seminary David accepted a call to the First Presbyterian Church in Muscle Shoals, AL where he served as pastor from 1986-1992. David has been the pastor at Southwest since the spring of 1992. He is married to Melinda Montague and they have four sons.

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Charles Reed, Seminary Student-Intern

Charles Reed was born and raised in Houston Texas. He is a graduate of Rice University and a student of Reformed Theological Seminary. Prior to his current position at Southwest Presbyterian Church, he worked as the youth group leader. Charles is a 12th generation Presbyterian and is thankful to get to serve the church in ministry

Supporting Staff

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Scott
Holshouser,
Pianist

Scott has been a part of the Houston music scene for over 20 years.  When Scott is not playing piano at our Sunday services he can be found playing at the Houston Symphony.  Singing to God to the sound of Scott's masterful work is the best way to praise God on Sunday mornings.

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Jess Lee Wakeland, Office Director

As the office director, Jess is the "go-to" man at the church.  He oversees day-to-day operations, manages communications, and handles various administrative tasks.  Jess grew up in Houston and has a degree in Marketing from the University of Houston-Downtown.

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Church Officers

Our Elders

Winston Dollahon

Mark Elam (Elder Emeritus)

Dan Newcomb

Steve Thacker

David VanVoorhis

Our Deacons

 Tim Barta

Dan Dollahon

Chuck Holland

Charles Reed

Chris Turnbow

James Wakeland

If you would like to contact one of our elders or deacons please email the church at swpresbyterian@gmail.com

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Our Founders

"Faith of our fathers! living still in spite of dungeon, fire, and sword"

The History of Southwest Presbyterian Church

A home Bible study began in September 1988 for the specific purpose of planting a Presbyterian Church in America (PCA) church in the Texas Medical Center/Southwest Houston area. This Bible study, a church planting activity of Covenant Presbyterian Church in Houston, was led by Church Planting Pastor William Fitzhenry. The Bible study group was composed of twelve members of Covenant Presbyterian Church who expressed an interest in this endeavor.

 

Southwest Presbyterian Church celebrated its inaugural worship service in January 1989. This church gathered at the Sheltering Arms Day Center. Pastors Joseph Pipa, Thomas Hoolsema and Bill Fitzhenry participated in the service.

 

The Bible Study group was first called the Inner Loop Mission. The congregation chose the permanent name, Southwest Presbyterian Church (PCA), in August 1989 to denote a general location of present and future ministry in Houston.

 

Worship services were held on Sunday evenings from February through April 1989. Sunday morning worship services began in May 1989.

 

In October 1991, the mission church petitioned South Texas Presbytery to become a particular church. That petition was granted, and plans were made to organize, elect officers and call a full-time pastor. The church called Rev. David Wakeland, Muscle Shoals, AL, as Pastor; the church was formally organized; and Elders were elected in January 1992. The building in which we meet was purchased in 1994 and adjacent properties were acquired over the next several years. The church called Rev. Ken Thurman as Associate Pastor in July 2003 and he served until November 2020. The church recently began efforts toward building a new structure to house offices and classrooms.

 

The current membership is about 120.

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