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Then and now: Custer Road UMC celebrates 30 years
By Kim Nguyen, knguyen@acnpapers.com
In the 30 years since Custer Road United Methodist Church was founded, the church has gone from 77 to 7,000 members; what started in an elementary school is now a bustling campus.
As the city of Plano has grown, so have the church, its outreach and the faith of its members. As they celebrate the church's anniversary, founding members reflected on the journey.
Humble beginnings
"Back then, Plano was a very small community on the verge of tremendous growth," she said. "Mark went knocking on doors to create interest in joining his startup church."
The first service of Custer Road UMC was on Feb. 10, 1980 at Thomas Elementary School.
"It was a cold and snowy day," said Phyllis Clark, charter member. "The weather was so bad that we were wondering if anyone would even come out."
Two hundred and forty-six people attended the opening service and 77 joined the church that day.
Within a year, the church quickly grew to 850 members, and the school was too small for a growing church.
"We outgrew Thomas pretty quickly," Clark said. "It wasn't too soon before we picked up and moved to Carpenter (Middle School)."
Building on a solid foundation
By 1983, the church was more than 1,000 members strong. The first building phase of the existing church was underway.
"The church was so young and everybody knew each other," said Fred Clark, Phyllis Clark's husband. "There was no major source of money, but our senior minister was very frugal. Everyone pitched in to help, and that created a tight-knit group among the congregation."
Custer Road UMC held its first worship on March 27, 1983 at the present location. The original multi-purpose building included a fellowship hall, kitchen, classrooms and church office.
Charter member Rodd King served on the building committee three times during the many phases of growth. He said a significant milestone in the church's history was the first successful building campaign that raised enough funds to build a worship hall that would seat 600 people.
"The general consensus of the committee members was a desire for a traditional church with a colonial look," he said. "The building committee members were good stewards of the people's finances and we were able to plan very good buildings without extra financial costs. Now the church is in good financial standing and does not have much debt because of that planning."
The church has since undergone eight additional building phases to construct additional classrooms, a sanctuary, chapel, library, education annex, equipment rooms and alternate worship areas. The most recent phase, sanctuary renovation and the addition of a Schantz pipe organ, was completed in early 2006, when the sanctuary was renovated and a pipe organ was added.
Custer Road UMC, as it currently stands, is a 138,396-square foot building and has more than 7,000 members.
"In numbers, the church has grown in leaps and bounds," King said. "We went from 77 people to 7,000. The growth of Plano was moving toward the church and it met the needs of the new people coming to Plano. Throughout the years, the church has continued to maintain its vitality and service to the community."
Celebrating 30 years
"When we started building on this site, (developers) kept telling us to purchase the land all the way to Legacy Drive," Sparks said. "But being a small church at the time, we didn't have the funds."
As Custer Road UMC developed, it eventually acquired 17 acres on the southwest corner of Custer Road at Legacy Drive. The land is currently being used for overflow parking, but the church staff has bigger dreams for the space.
Sparks said that at some point in the future, the land will likely be developed into another meeting space and/or a multi-purpose facility for expanding ministries.
"That space will be used to fulfill God's purpose for Custer Road UMC," she said.
In the meantime, Sparks said the number of church programs and ministries offered to the community continue to grow. The church has numerous ministries for all facets of life - from Christian Day School to childrens', young adult, adult, senior adult and grief and care ministries.
In its 30 years, the church has seen three senior pastors: the Rev. Mark Craig, the Rev. Paul Goodrich and Dr. Ron Henderson. Associate ministers have come and gone, retired and unretired and found their place in the Custer Road UMC family. Members of the congregation have gone into ministry and been ordained, and this year Custer Road UMC sends two missionaries out into the world. Over the years, new families joined, some members have passed away, babies were born and youth were confirmed into the membership of the church.
It's not the journey, it's the destination
Over 30 years, everything about Custer Road UMC has grown exponentially. The church has established itself as a key figure in the Plano community with its flagship youth ministry and youth choirs, Friday N.I.T.E Friends respite program, music ministry, missions and care ministries.
The celebrations of this 30th anniversary milestone are too momentous to be kept to a single fete. Throughout the year, commemorative programs are scheduled monthly to celebrate the church's 30th anniversary. (For details of the scheduled events, ministries and programs, visit www.crumc.org.)
"We are so thankful to be celebrating 30 years; we have been blessed beyond measure," Sparks said. "At the same time, we are looking into the future Our communities are growing and changing, with new areas and new challenges beckoning. People need hope and help. Our intent is to be available and responsive with our ministries and programs, meeting human and spiritual needs, offering hope and transforming lives. The world can be a harsh place. Custer Road UMC has been and will continue to be a 'lighthouse' of welcome, encouragement and acceptance. We will always be looking outward for opportunities to serve and bless others in new and different ways."
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