At the corner of Brook and Kell in Wichita Falls, Wichita Falls First Church of the Nazarene and ¡Cristo Vive! are known for sharing one building and one pastor across English- and Spanish-speaking congregations. The English church officially organized in 1915, and the church has occupied its Kell Boulevard home since 1961. Their shared mission is direct: “Love God with all our hearts, and love our neighbors as ourselves.”
A Wichita Falls History in Two Languages
Serving Wichita Falls since 1915, First Church's story eventually expanded to include a second congregation. In 2008, the church planted a Parent Affiliated Congregation known as Centro De Compañerismo, or Center of Fellowship. Rev. Allen Hughes Jr. became its pastor in April 2014. On Easter Sunday that year, the congregation marked the end of Centro and the birth of ¡Cristo Vive!, meaning Christ Lives. The Spanish congregation was fully organized in 2017 by the West Texas District Church of the Nazarene.
Wichita Falls First Church of the Nazarene is the English-speaking congregation, while Iglesia del Nazareno ¡Cristo Vive! is its Spanish-speaking counterpart. They share 1667 Kell Boulevard and the same pastor. Their history has given them a common vocabulary: they worship by language but gather in one building, under one pastoral team, and pursue the same mission of loving God and loving their neighbors.
The bilingual partnership is part of a longer story of local service. The English congregation's organized history reaches back to 1915, while its presence at the corner of Brook and Kell dates to 1961. What began as one local church has developed into two fully organized congregations whose worship, discipleship and service meet within a shared church life.
Sunday Worship, School and an Evening Gathering
English morning worship begins at 9:30 a.m. on Sunday. The service has a traditional character, and the Lord's Supper stands at its center. The church also holds a Spanish-language worship gathering on Sunday morning. Sunday School runs from 11:00 a.m. to noon, and Sunday evening worship begins at 5:00 p.m.
Visitors do not need to choose between gathering in person and joining remotely. Sunday worship is available every Sunday morning in person and online. The online gathering is carried on Facebook and YouTube. Messages from Senior Pastor Allen Hughes and Prayer and Outreach Minister Paul Sunderman are also available through the church's message archive.
There is plenty of parking in front of the church building at 1667 Kell Boulevard in Wichita Falls. Families can also plan a visit. Visit hosts provide information about the service, answer questions, help families pre-register children, and provide a gift for participating families.
Sunday morning includes children's church and Bible Quizzing, while recurring groups meet at the church during the week. The result is a rhythm that includes corporate worship, classes for children, conversation and Bible study for adults, and an online gathering for those who cannot be present in person.
Children Begin with a Welcoming Check-In
First Church Naz Kids serves children from kindergarten through sixth grade. Its two components are children's church and Bible Quizzing. Children receive age-appropriate lessons about God and His love, who Jesus is, and how Jesus can make a difference in their lives. The teaching is interactive and uses multiple approaches for different learning styles, with an emphasis on both understanding and enjoyment.
A family arriving for the first time will meet a friendly VIP host. The host shows parents where children's check-in is located, checks each child into class, and answers questions about the program. Pre-registration is available for families that want to prepare before their first Sunday.
Safety is built into the children's ministry. All church leaders are screened and must participate in Ministry Safe training, with particular attention to those who minister to children. The church describes this work as raising up a new generation to love God and His house, helping young people understand who Jesus is in a way that can shape their lives.
Groups Carry Faith Through the Week
Three named gatherings give the church a regular weekday rhythm. Tuesday Chat meets from 10:00 a.m. to noon in the Church Library. Thursday Ladies Bible Study meets in the same room during those hours. Wednesday Evening Bible Study in Spanish runs from 7:30 to 8:30 p.m.
The broader small-group life includes men's, women's, parents', ministry, young-adult and youth groups. Adult interests include fellowship, education, prayer, worship, community and outreach, while singles and veterans also appear among the church's group areas. These groups support the church's emphasis on assembling and worshiping together as a family and on finding a community where everyone is seen and heard.
Child-care arrangements vary among the groups. Some welcome children, some specify that child care is available, and others do not offer it. The named Bible studies and conversation groups provide regular points of connection during the week, while the wider group structure gives families, adults and young people options for fellowship and study.
Pastor BIG AL and a Ministry of Prayer and Outreach
Rev. Allen Hughes Jr., whom the church calls Pastor BIG AL, has served as senior pastor of Wichita Falls First Church for more than 20 years. He leads both the English and Spanish congregations that share the Kell Boulevard building. Hughes describes his desire to lead the people God has entrusted to him into a deeper relationship with Him.
Pastor Paul Sunderman serves as Prayer and Outreach Minister, giving those two areas a named place in the pastoral team. He also preaches and appears in the message archive alongside Hughes. Their distinct roles connect Sunday worship with the church's wider emphasis on prayer, outreach, discipleship and service.
Evangelism, Sanctification, Discipleship and Compassion
First Church is a Great Commission church with a mission to take the Good News of life in Jesus Christ to people everywhere and spread the message of scriptural holiness. It understands the Church of the Nazarene as a global community that binds together people who have made Jesus Christ Lord of their lives, shares Christian fellowship, strengthens faith through worship, preaching, training and service, and expresses the compassion of Jesus Christ.
The church's beliefs cover the Trinity, Scripture, human sinfulness, eternity, salvation, sanctification, the Holy Spirit and Christ's return:
- Trinity: One God exists as Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
- Scripture: The Old and New Testaments, given by plenary inspiration, contain all truth necessary for faith and Christian living.
- Sinful nature: Human beings are born with a fallen nature and are continually inclined to evil.
- Eternity: The finally impenitent are hopelessly and eternally lost.
- Salvation: The atonement through Jesus Christ is for the whole human race, and those who repent and believe in the Lord Jesus Christ are justified, regenerated and saved from the dominion of sin.
- Sanctification: Believers are to be sanctified wholly after regeneration through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.
- The Holy Spirit: The Holy Spirit bears witness to the new birth and to the entire sanctification of believers.
- Christ's return: The Lord will return, the dead will be raised, and the final judgment will take place.
A Christian People
As members of the Church Universal, the congregation joins with all true believers in proclaiming the lordship of Jesus Christ and affirms the historic Trinitarian creeds. Its Wesleyan-Holiness heritage provides a way of understanding the faith that is true to Scripture, reason, tradition and experience. Scripture is the primary authority for spiritual truth, while divine love offers forgiveness and restored relationship. The church seeks reconciliation with God and with one another, forgiveness for those who have been forgiven, and the unity of Christ's Church under one Lord, one faith and one baptism.
A Holiness People
Holiness is understood as Christlikeness. The church teaches that the Holy Spirit brings a second work of grace, described in various ways as entire sanctification or baptism with the Holy Spirit. This work cleanses believers from sin, renews them in the image of God, and empowers them to love God with their whole heart, soul, mind and strength and to love their neighbors as themselves. The church also describes sanctification as a second crisis experience and emphasizes the Holy Spirit's day-by-day transformation into a people of love, spiritual discipline, ethical and moral purity, compassion and justice.
A Missional People
Mission shapes the church's identity as much as worship does. Describing itself as a sent people, the congregation responds to the call of Christ and is empowered by the Holy Spirit to witness to Christ's lordship and participate in God's mission. Its mission begins in worship, ministers to the world through evangelism and compassion, encourages Christian maturity through discipleship, and prepares women and men for Christian service through Christian higher education.
The Great Commission identity is expressed at Kell Boulevard through two languages and two congregations. English and Spanish worship, children and adult formation, prayer and outreach, and support for mission work around the world all belong to the same outward-looking purpose.
Giving for the Building and the World
Giving is an act of faith and good stewardship for the church. Online giving supports church staff, the local congregations, love of neighbors and mission projects around the world. The church teaches that people should give cheerfully and calls tithes and offerings vital to the health of the church and its ministries.
First Church distinguishes between tithes, described as 10 percent of what God gives, and offerings given above a tithe. A Building Fund is among the designated giving funds, while a separate World Missions emphasis supports the congregation's involvement with mission groups around the world. The two areas connect the stewardship of the Kell Boulevard property with the church's wider commitment to spreading scriptural holiness.
One Shared Home at Kell Boulevard
At 1667 Kell Boulevard, First Church and ¡Cristo Vive! continue a shared story that includes an English congregation, a Spanish congregation, traditional worship, children's formation, weekday groups, prayer, outreach and mission. Their common life is centered on one mission: loving God with all their hearts and loving their neighbors as themselves.