A Welcoming Episcopal Parish on Spring Cypress Road
Holy Comforter Episcopal Church sits on Spring Cypress Road just west of HEB in Spring, Texas, a northern Houston suburb in Harris County. The parish describes itself as a diverse community of believers, and the language of welcome runs through everything the congregation says about itself. "All races, ages, genders, ethnicities, and sexualities are welcome here," the parish states, framing that welcome as rooted in the canons of The Episcopal Church and in the example of a Jesus who loves everyone. The mission the church has chosen is short and easy to remember: "We worship God, love our neighbors, create community, follow Jesus, and steward our resources."
Holy Comforter belongs to the Diocese of Texas and shares in the wider Anglican Communion. The parish is led by The Rev. John Soard as rector and is supported by a curate, an assisting priest, a deacon, and lay staff. It also maintains a second worshiping community in nearby Montgomery. Sunday services, weekday prayer, formation for every age, a deep pastoral care network, and outreach partnerships across northwest Houston and Montgomery County together shape the life of this parish.
The Sunday Rhythm at Holy Comforter
Most Sundays at Holy Comforter follow a four-part rhythm that begins early, pauses in the middle, and stretches into late morning formation.
- 8:00 AM - Holy Eucharist (Rite I). A simple, traditional-language service with no music. The worship bulletin for this service is labeled Rite I and provides the prayers and rubrics in their older form.
- 8:45 AM - Community Table. A time in the parish hall for coffee, a bite to eat, and conversation with other parishioners. The nursery opens at this point for families who want to drop off children before the second service.
- 9:30 AM - Holy Eucharist (Rite II). The principal Sunday worship with contemporary language and music led by the choir. This service is livestreamed on YouTube and recorded for later viewing through the Church Center app.
- 10:45 AM - Discipleship Hour. Christian formation for children, teens, and adults, with classes that meet all the way through the end of the morning.
Both Eucharists are fully Episcopal celebrations using the 1979 Book of Common Prayer. Worship bulletins are posted in advance on the website and sent in the weekly newsletter so that anyone can follow along. All baptized Christians are welcome at the communion rail, regardless of denomination; the church teaches that the Eucharist does not belong to any one tradition.
Wednesday Morning Prayer and the Daily Office
Beyond Sunday, the parish keeps a small weekday discipline. On Wednesdays from 9:00 to 9:30 AM, a simple Morning Prayer service is held in person and simultaneously on the church's Facebook Page. The Book of Common Prayer places the Daily Office at the heart of Episcopal spirituality, and Holy Comforter points parishioners who want a deeper daily practice toward apps such as Venite and Day by Day, as well as toward Daily Morning Prayer at 7:30 AM and Daily Evening Prayer at 6:00 PM offered by Christ Church Cathedral in Houston over Zoom.
The Baptismal Covenant as the Backbone of the Parish
Holy Comforter has produced an extended, written reflection on the Baptismal Covenant - the question-and-answer rite used at every Episcopal baptism. The parish treats the Covenant as a kind of constitution for Christian life, and the church's own pages walk through each of its questions in turn. The first three questions, drawn from the Apostles' Creed, tell the story of God as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The next five are practical commitments that the parish calls Growth, Repentance, Evangelism, Love, and Mission.
In the church's own framing, Growth names four ongoing practices taken from Acts 2:42 - the apostles' teaching, fellowship, breaking of bread, and prayers. Repentance calls believers to persevere in resisting evil, to repent when they fall, and to return to the Lord. Evangelism asks members to proclaim the Good News both by word and by example. Love asks them to seek and serve Christ in all persons, including those whom society pushes to the margins. Mission asks them to strive for justice and peace among all people and to respect the dignity of every human being. Together these questions form the rhythm of discipleship that Holy Comforter offers to anyone preparing for baptism or reaffirming their faith.
Children, Youth, and the Discipleship Hour
The 10:45 AM Discipleship Hour is the main pathway for Christian formation at Holy Comforter. Two long-running programs anchor the children's and youth ministries.
Weaving God's Promises is the Sunday morning curriculum for children from age four through fifth grade. The class combines games, crafts, and Bible teaching as kids learn about God's love and what it means to follow Jesus.
Episcopal Youth Community (EYC) gathers sixth through twelfth graders under the leadership of Kim Faasse, the Director of Youth Ministry and the longest serving staff member at Holy Comforter. EYC focuses on formation, fellowship, and fun, and the youth take part in annual mission trips and summer retreats. Kim is also the contact for any family with questions about children's or youth programming.
Children are deeply welcome in the sanctuary itself. The church notes that kids can be noisy in worship and reassures parents that they need not feel embarrassed; a quiet Family Room is open at the back of the church for parents who would prefer a calmer space. The nursery, staffed by workers trained in Safeguarding God's Children, is open Sundays from 8:45 AM to 12:00 PM.
Pastoral Care, Prayer, and Grief Support
Pastoral care at Holy Comforter is a layered ministry. The team combines clergy and trained lay volunteers, with a single phone number for non-emergency clergy support (the church office at 281-288-8169) and a separate line for pastoral emergencies such as hospitalization, serious injury, or death.
Prayer is woven into the life of the parish in several ways. Trained Prayer Team members offer confidential prayer in the Chapel of the Great Commission during communion each Sunday. On the first Sunday of each month, Prayer for Healing is offered at the communion rail after the 8:00 AM service and during the 9:30 AM communion. Anyone can also submit prayer requests through the pew rack cards or an online form, choosing whether the request is private or included in the Prayers of the People.
Lay Eucharistic Visitors are licensed by the Diocese of Texas to bring previously blessed communion to those who cannot attend Sunday worship - whether recovering from surgery, homebound, or in extended care. Pastoral Visitors are lay people trained in Safeguarding God's People who provide a listening presence and connect parishioners to other ministries when life becomes hard.
Walking the Mourner's Path, a Christ-based and prayer-centered eight-week program for grief, is offered quarterly in small groups of about six to eight people with a workbook that guides prayer, reflection, and weekly exercises. For families navigating blended households, stepfamily life, dating with children, neurodivergent families, or LGBTQ+ families, parish members are available as a supportive presence. The Family Violence Center at Northwest Assistance Ministries is also listed as a 24/7 resource.
Outreach in Northwest Houston and Montgomery County
Outreach is described as "at the heart of who we are at Holy Comforter." The parish has built long-standing relationships with three partner organizations.
Hope Center Houston is a faith-based agency serving individuals experiencing homelessness in northwest Houston. It operates a day center, an emergency shelter, and transitional housing, and offers breakfast and lunch, laundry and showers, clothing, medical and dental care, computer access for job searches, social services, barbers, counseling, mentoring, and faith-based programs.
Tackle Life Ministries is a 501(c)(3) created by members of Holy Comforter. It focuses on helping dedicated students achieve their immediate academic goals through academic and financial resources, with the aim of instilling confidence, resiliency, and a sense of purpose that lasts beyond graduation.
Abundant Harvest Food Pantry, originally a community outreach connected to St. Isidore Church, grew into a dedicated pantry providing consistent food assistance for families facing food insecurity. Today it serves thousands of families each month through pantry services and community food distributions across Spring, Conroe, The Woodlands, New Caney, and surrounding areas of Montgomery County.
Creation Care, Recycling, and the Wider Watershed
Creation Care at Holy Comforter is run by a volunteer writer who contributes a regular column called The Blast and who has compiled an unusually practical library of resources for parishioners. The library covers composting at home, the new City of Houston and The Woodlands composting pilot, textile recycling, recycling rules, Houston-area planting calendars, native plants and xeriscaping through the Native Plant Society of Texas, ways to live alongside Spring Creek Greenway wildlife (tortoises, opossums, raccoons, javelinas, armadillos, and the occasional deer), and recipes for green cleaning. The page also links to Episcopal Creation Care nationally and the Anglican Communion Environmental Network, framing the local work within the wider Anglican response to environmental stewardship. The Creation Care team assists with recycling tasks, helps run the parish's seasonal sock collection in spring and a supply drive for a local wildlife center in fall.
Music, Choir, and Audio-Visual Ministry
Ashley Andreevska, a pianist and teacher on faculty at the International Music Academy, leads the music program. The choir leads worship at the 9:30 AM Rite II service, singing a range of music from contemporary to traditional and welcoming members of all ages. A separate Audio-Visual team, headed by Richard Coull, livestreams and records Sunday services and is exploring ways to expand what the parish can offer online. Worship bulletins are formatted in a phone-friendly version for members who prefer to follow along digitally.
Montgomery Episcopal Chapel: A Second Campus
Beyond its Spring campus, Holy Comforter supports Montgomery Episcopal Chapel, a worshiping community that grew out of the closure of St. Isidore's Episcopal Church. Montgomery Episcopal Chapel is spiritually and financially supported by the parish and shares the same mission, while continuing its own Sunday worship. It meets at 11:30 AM on Sundays at 21407 Chapel Road in Montgomery, normally celebrating Holy Eucharist followed by a shared lunch. The chapel brings a distinct identity and an additional community into the wider Holy Comforter family.
Clergy, Staff, and the Wider Leadership Team
The parish is led by The Rev. John Soard, rector, who has been ordained in the Episcopal Church since 2011 and previously served three other congregations in the Diocese of Texas. Curate The Rev. Kate Mumey, a graduate of Virginia Theological Seminary, began her ordained ministry in June 2026 after years of lay service at Christ Church Cathedral in Houston. Assisting Priest The Rev. Debbie Daigle brings decades of ministry in the diocese, including time in Madisonville, Kilgore, Tyler, and Navasota, mission work in Honduras, and work with the Daughters of the King in Malawi, where she developed a microloan curriculum that is still active today. Rev. Dr. Ebele Okonkwo Onuigbo serves as deacon; she was ordained in 2020 in the Diocese of Washington, D.C., came to Texas through St. Isidore Episcopal Church, and brings experience in education, healthcare administration, and nonprofit leadership along with three published books and an initiative called Volunteer Women Speakers.
Around the clergy, Kim Faasse directs youth ministry, Faith Almond serves as Newcomer Minister and is the dedicated contact for anyone visiting for the first time, Ashley Andreevska leads music, and Taylor Brittain compiles the weekly e-newsletter, designs graphics, manages social media, and oversees Sunday livestream production. The parish is governed by an elected Vestry that meets on the third Tuesday of each month at 6:30 PM, with Ed Ziegler serving as Senior Warden, Becky Palmer as Junior Warden, and Susan Davidson as Clerk. Don Esposito serves as Treasurer.
The Endowment and Long-Term Stewardship
The Holy Comforter Endowment provides long-term financial support to the parish and is invested with the Participating Investment Fund of the Diocese of Texas. It is divided into two sub-funds: an Outreach Fund to reach neighbors in need and a Property Fund to care for the church's buildings and grounds. The Vestry has set an initial goal of raising $250,000 before any disbursements are made, after which the Endowment Committee plans to withdraw between three and five percent of the fund each year. The committee accepts cash, securities, real estate, life insurance policies, tangible personal property, and deferred gifts. Parishioners can also remember Holy Comforter in their estate planning so that the gift continues in future generations.
What to Know Before a First Visit
Holy Comforter is located at 2322 Spring Cypress Road in Spring, Texas, with the church office open Tuesday through Thursday from 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM. The parking lot has plenty of open spaces and reserved accessible parking up front. Those coming from the west on Spring Cypress Road should turn left at the turn lane into the second entrance. There is no dress code; the parish has seen everything from jacket and tie to shorts and flip-flops. The 9:30 AM service is livestreamed on YouTube, and audio and video of recent sermons are available through the Church Center app, which also handles event registration, group sign-ups, online giving, and recurring donations.
Faith Almond, the Newcomer Minister, is the dedicated point of contact for first-time visitors and can answer questions about worship services, Christian formation, and membership. A Welcome Card is available online for anyone who wants to share their contact information in advance. The parish keeps a texting service on its main line at 281-288-8169; saving that number allows visitors to text questions directly to the church.
Becoming a member requires two things: a desire to belong, and baptism (with the church recognizing baptisms from other traditions and happily talking with anyone who wants to explore baptism for the first time). Members are expected to participate regularly in worship and events, share their time, talent, and treasure, support others in their faith, and grow in their discipleship to Jesus through the commitments of the Baptismal Covenant.