Hundreds of thousands of vehicles on I-10 pass by The Loop Campus of Houston's First every day. Whether they're headed to work, running errands, or simply passing through town, these passersby will see a new landmark beginning in April 2014 that not only identifies our church, but also declares why we're here.

Houston's First is installing a new cross tower and water wall on the north side of our campus facing I-10 and replacing our current sign and tower.

The water wall reaches a height of 30 feet — equal to the roof of the 3-story building behind it. The cross rises another 30 feet beyond that. At 60 feet tall, the top of the cross will rise high above the church building immediately behind it. The structure was designed by Ken R. Harry Associates.

The wall will feature cascading water on both sides, and a circle of benches around the structure will invite people to pause and reflect. On the back, facing the north parking lot, the wall will feature John 7:38:

"This is a sign of declaration, not information," says Pastor Gregg Matte. "We want to declare the power of the Cross and the truth of John 7:38. Our prayer is this new landmark will do far more than let people know where our church is located. We want it to help people find Him, not us."

In keeping with Houston's First's passion for missions, we are partnering with Living Water International to bring attention to the work they're doing around the world. The new water wall will include a plaque noting our ongoing relationship with Living Water, and we have committed to providing funding for at least one new well a year going forward.

The idea for this new landmark began years ago. Funding was made available through donations from a couple of church members, the Be A Part Of The Story capital campaign (2007-2010) and the church's general cash supply. The design and funding were approved at the monthly church conference in November 2013. No donations to our MISSION 1:8 Budget will be used to make the water wall and cross tower a reality.

Demolition of the current tower is scheduled to begin the first week of December. The new water wall and cross tower will be completed in late April.

Photos

View construction photos in the album on our Facebook page.

Update: The Cross is Up!

On a beautiful day against a backdrop of a blue sky, the steel cross was put in place on Fri, Mar 7, 2014.

Weighing over 3 tons, the cross consists of a center beam that was welded to a support beam built into the foundation of the new landmark. The top of the cross reaches 60' tall, with the horizontal bar of the cross rising above the 3-story building behind it.

Pastor Gregg, Ken Harry (the architect), and staff members gathered in the west parking lot to witness this milestone in the construction process.