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© 2007 Clear Lake Presbyterian Church
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Investing in the Heart of Clear LakeOn February 21, 1969, 101 visionary Christians signed a charter to form Clear Lake Presbyterian Church . Today over 1200 members serve the Clear Lake community from the current location at 1511 El Dorado Blvd. Every member is a minister at CLPC, under the encouragement and guidance of a dedicated staff of equipping pastors.
A Brief History of Clear Lake Presbyterian Church CLPC Church campus today About the same time bulldozers had finished clearing the
pasture land to start building NASA's Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center, a
small group of Presbyterian Christians began to hold meetings in the
home of local physician, Dr. Gaston. The home was on Clear Lake, near
where Christus
St. John's hospital is located today. Very quickly, a larger group
secured a meeting place in the basement of the First
City Bank on Bay Area Blvd. and called their first pastor, John B.
Elder. A
building program was initiated and on February 21, 1965, Clear Lake
Presbyterian Church was Chartered by the Presbytery of Brazos. Pastor
Elder served until 1970, when James (Jim) E. Simmons, Jr. came to lead
this small flock of believers. An informal style of worship including
guitar music was established and is known today as the Contemporary
Service. A new sanctuary and educational facility soon followed and was
dedicated at 1511 El Dorado Blvd in 1968.  Original CLPC Sanctuary and Educational Wing The congregation's rapid growth soon necessitated the addition of a second educational wing. After a building shell was provided by a contractor, members performed much of the interior finish work to complete the building. In 1974, George J. Holler was called as Associate Pastor. During these years, music was for the most part,led by lay persons such as Mark Henry, John Haw Jr., and others. Several years later, Sandra Strickhouser became the first Director of Music on staff. Bryan J. (BJ) Cannon, who is now Pastor Emeritus, was called as senior pastor in 1976 and was welcomed to Texas from Pennsylvania with an outdoor BBQ in the middle of a hot Houston summer. Robb B. Schultz was called as Associate Pastor in 1977. In 1981 David Allan Reither replaced Mr. Schultz as Associate Pastor. In 1982 a new, larger sanctuary was dedicated. In 1983, Barbara W. Carmichael, with fresh training from the Institute of Religion in the Houston Medical Center, arrived as Assistant Pastor and in 1984 became a second Associate Pastor. In 1987, David Reiter was called to another church and Charles O. Ayars, Jr. was added as another Associate Pastor with an emphasis on Youth Ministries. In 1990 Reginald Brown was called as Director of Music and Arts and continues to maintain outstanding multi-dimensional programs for choirs, drama, and worship music. Alice Geils was named as Director of Youth from 1990 to 1995.  New CLPC Sanctuary Under BJ's leadership, the team of Carmichael, Brown, Geils and Ayars ministered until BJ's retirement in 1992. Many new initiatives were seen during this era including: formation of a Clown ministry led by Barbara Carmichael, laying the foundation for the Samaritan Counseling Center, construction of a new sanctuary, establishment of a community Joy of Sharing Christmas program, groundbreaking for a Church Life Center, the start of a healing ministry, support of Habitat for Humanity, church retreats at Mo Ranch near Kerrville, Texas, a prison ministry, key support for establishment of Bay Area Interfaith Caring Ministries, and a growth in membership. The Church Life Center, including Celebration Hall gymnatorium, was dedicated in April, 1993. Connie Nyquist served as Director of Christian Education from 1986 to 1998. Ann Wallin was called as Director of Christian Education in 1998 and served until 2005.  CLPC Life Center Alvin F. Desterhaft was called as Interim Pastor in 1992 and served until 1994. In 1994, John "Jack" H. Haberer was called as Senior Pastor and was welcomed from Florida with a traditional CLPC Texas BBQ. In September 1995, the Shalom Ministries for Healing and Wholeness was dedicated and Barbara Carmichael was named as Director. In 1997 Craig L. Goodwin was called as Associate Pastor for Youth and Young Adults and is presently serving as Associate Pastor for Outreach and Discipleship. In 1999 James H. Elder was called as Interim Associate pastor when Barbara Carmichael was called away to serve as senior pastor at First Presbyterian church in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin. Dr. Sharon Jenkins was named Director of the Shalom Ministries for Healing and Wholeness. In 2000, Nancy J. Goodwin
was called as Associate Pastor for Congregational Life and, with her
husband Craig, established a precedent as CLPC's first clergy couple.  Staff 2003 In early 2002, during a remodeling of the sanctuary project, it was discovered that mold was present. Subsequent tests in the old Christian Education building revealed that it too had toxic mold. Committees were formed to decide what to do. As an expression of hope, the decision process was named "Project Lemonade!" Worship services were relocated to the Christian Life Center. Many months were spent discussing whether to repair or replace the old Christian Education building. Recommendations were made by the Building and Grounds committee and a Visioning Committee was charged with reexamining the church's mission and outreach to the local community. Manyadditional months were expended in negotiating a settlement with the church's insurance provider. Finally, in a congregational meeting March 2, 2003 it was decided to proceed with having an architectual firm develop plans for a new C.E. building, complete the build out of the existing Life Center, and put in additional parking and landscaping. A capital campaign was developed which culminated in a church-wide meeting at South Shore Harbor Conference Center on May 18, 2003. On June 22, 2003 the congregation unanimously approved buildout of the second floor of Church Life Center for Youth and demolition of the old CE Building, clearing the way for a new CE Building. By the end of June 2003, 314 families had pledged $2.09M towards the new project.
In 2004, Associate Pastors Craig and Nancy Goodwin moved to Spokane Washington to Pastor the Millwood Community Presbyterian Church. Dr. Alan Landes became the Interim Associate Pastor for a year until the arrival in 2005 of Rev. Katie Cummings, Associate Pastor for Discipleship, and Rev. Tim Galligan, Associate Pastor for Outreach and Evangelism. In December 2005, Pastor Jack and Barbie Haberer moved to Richmond Virginia to become the Editor and Chief of the Presbyterian Outlook. Dr. Sam Henderson became Interim Senior Pastor for a year. In March 2008, Rev. Steve Oglesbee was called to become our Senior Pastor and Head of Staff. In April 2008, Rev. Katie Cummings moved to Grace Presbyterian in Houston as the Associate Pastor for Adult Education. We will be looking for an Interim Associate Pastor for Discipleship and Congregational Care until that position can be filled. From the beginning, CLPC has been noted for its diversity and leadership roles not only in the local Presbytery, but in the national Presbyterian community as well. Contemporary and Traditional worship services have been maintained. In 1998 a Saturday evening, casual, contemporary worship service was started and in 1999 a Children's worship services was begun. In several areas of ministry, CLPC has taken the initiative by establishing institutions to serve the local community, such as Clear Lake Chapter of Habitat for Humanity and Bay Area Turning Point. CLPC's newest outreach, targeting elementary school children with after-school tutoring and educational enrichment is V.I.S.I.O.N.S. (Volunteers Insuring Success In Our Neighborhood Students). Missionaries have been sent to Mexico, the Middle East, Africa, and Asia, as well as a Houston inner-city ministry. As we look to the future, CLPC will continue to creatively minister to our members, our community, and the world. This vision is documented in our Mission Statement. A brief
history of the Presbyterian Church What We Believe A Brief Statement of Faith of the Presbyterian Church
(U.S.A.) In life and in death we belong to God. We trust in Jesus Christ, We trust in God, In everlasting love, We trust in God the Holy Spirit, With believers in every time and place, Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. Amen. The Brief Statement of Faith is the
official confession of the Presbyterian Chruch (U.S.A.) Links to other Presbyterian Sites
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1511 El Dorado Blvd, Houston, TX 77062
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