Westlake Hills Presbyterian Church sits along Bee Cave Road in the rolling hills west of central Austin, where it has served the surrounding neighborhoods since 1874. The congregation that began as a two-room school and church house now draws a wide cross-section of Austin: life-long locals and transplants, families with young children, empty nesters, retirees, business owners, and neighbors who rely on the church's food truck and meal programs. Two Sunday worship services, a long-running preschool, a library with more than eleven thousand books, and one of Austin's most established church-based memory care programs share a single campus shaded by live oaks and bordered by a memorial garden and a walking labyrinth.
Sunday Mornings: Blended Worship in the Sanctuary
Worship at WHPC is intentionally woven together from two musical traditions. Both the 9 and 11 am services in the Sanctuary include confession, passing of the peace, prayers of the people, a Bible-based sermon, and Communion on the first Sunday of each month. The 9 am service carries a quieter feel, while the 11 am service adds the Chancel Choir, faith sharing with children, and the praise band, and is the service that is livestreamed on YouTube each week. An ASL interpreter is part of the 11 am service and its livestream.
Children of all ages are welcome in the pews. Worship Bags for fidgety hands sit in the Narthex, and after the children's moment at 11 am, pre-K through third graders can head downstairs with Director of Sunday Morning Children's Ministry Tate Morris for Club 19:14 Kids Club while parents remain in worship. Childcare for infants through pre-K is offered during every worship service and Sunday school with no registration required. A prayer team is available for individual prayer after each service, and the congregation typically gathers for fellowship and refreshments afterward.
A Study Hour for all ages runs at 9:45 am between the two services. Children's Sunday school meets in age-level classrooms, middle and high schoolers gather in the Youth Room, and adults choose from a slate of classes that rotate by semester. Recent offerings include a survey of Old Testament prophets with Rev. Chris Knepp, a "Happy to Be Presbyterian" conversation with Dr. Al Krummenacher, a parenting class led by counselor Ellen Johnson, and a Prayer Path class held in the Chapel.
The Music Ministry: An Organ, a Choir, and a Worship Band
Music has anchored worship at WHPC for decades. Emily Craven has served on staff since 1989 and directs the Music Ministry, which supports and enhances worship through choral, congregational, handbell, orchestral, and contemporary music. A Casavant Frères pipe organ fills the Sanctuary, and Organist Sheryl Sebo, who holds a Doctor of Musical Arts from Rutgers and the Associate AGO certification, accompanies services along with the Chancel Choir, the Worship Band, and the All-Church Orchestra. A Lenten Organ Recital Series brings guest organists from across Central Texas to the Sanctuary each spring and is open to the public in person and on the livestream.
Singing and ringing opportunities span every age. The Chancel Choir rehearses on Wednesday evenings and is open to anyone who loves to sing, no audition required. Adult Handbells meet on Mondays, Youth Ringers (first grade and up) rehearse on Wednesdays, and an All-Church Orchestra open to sixth graders and beyond gathers on Sunday afternoons. Children's Music during Sunday school combines singing and movement for K through fifth graders, and a Youth Christmas Chorus prepares 2nd through 8th graders to sing at the 11 am service each Advent. A short-term Christmas Choir invites adults to add their voices to the Sundays of Advent and Christmas Eve.
Westlake Hills Presbyterian Preschool: A Ministry That Began in 1978
On the same Bee Cave Road campus, Westlake Hills Presbyterian Preschool has welcomed children since 1978. The preschool serves children ages 17 months through five years in small classes led by a dedicated lead teacher and assistant teacher, with a curriculum built on developmentally appropriate activities that inspire curiosity, creativity, and a love of learning. Preschool Director Charlotte Johnson and Assistant Director Angie Rhem lead a staff that joyfully embraces families of all races, faiths, nationalities, and backgrounds, weaving activities that share the love of Jesus Christ into each day. The school day runs from 9 am to 1 pm, with extended stay care available until 2:30 pm Monday through Thursday. A separate Parent's Day Out program for infants 3 to 16 months meets Tuesdays and Thursdays during the school year. Preschool Sunday, held each fall at the 11 am worship service, recognizes three to five year olds with a bible, a special ceremony, and a family luncheon.
Twenty-Five Years of Memory Care
In September 2000, WHPC quietly launched what has become one of the most distinctive ministries in the congregation. Twenty-five years later, the church's Memory Care Programs serve Austin-area families at no cost through three weekly offerings coordinated by Director of Memory Care Programs Hilary Files.
The Gathering meets on Wednesdays from 9:30 am to 1:30 pm and is a volunteer-run respite program for adults living with early to moderate memory loss. While care partners take a morning off, participants enjoy music, games, exercise, art, and reminiscence, and finish the day with a homemade lunch and bingo. Memory Matters, run in partnership with AGE of Central Texas, meets Fridays from 9:30 am to 12:30 pm and focuses on individuals living with early memory loss through reminiscence therapy, cognitive stimulation, and support group discussions. A Memory Loss Caregiver Support program offers a Lunch and Learn on the first Wednesday of each month and a Support Group on the third Wednesday, both at 11:30 am, led by a professional facilitator. A parish nurse, Diana Stoller, supports the broader Caring Ministry that surrounds the memory care work.
WHPC also maintains a Dementia Live training partnership with the Memory Caregiver Academy of Austin, founded by church member Debbie Wilder, which trains high school students to become dementia caregivers. The congregation's Grief Support Group, an eight-week class led by a bereavement coordinator from Hospice Austin, meets each fall. DivorceCare, a thirteen-week seminar and support program for adults and children ages six to twelve, gathers on Tuesday evenings during the school year.
Children, Students, and the Rhythm of the Week
Children's Ministry Director Tate Morris oversees Sunday school for children ages three through fifth grade, a Parent's Day Out for infants, the Club 19:14 Kids Club during the 11 am service, and a full calendar of seasonal events. Vacation Bible School takes over the campus for a week each June with a different theme (most recently Rainforest Falls), followed by Pop Up Sunday promotions, Trunk or Treat in October, and Cupid's Cuties in February. Jingle Bell Rock, the Rising Children's Event, and Thrilling Thursdays fill the summers.
Student Ministry, led by Emily Kidd with the support of Youth Ministry Fellow Alex Peña and Director of Faith Formation Kory Tomlinson, walks with middle and high schoolers through Sunday morning Sunday school in the Youth Room and Sunday evening gatherings that alternate between fellowship nights, retreats, lock-ins, and service projects. Confirmation classes for eighth and ninth graders meet Sunday mornings during the Study Hour. Summer mission trips take students to San Antonio with Blueprint Ministries and to international destinations, while fall brings the high school retreat at T Bar M and an annual Family Mission Trip. A weekly parent email and dedicated Instagram accounts keep families in the loop.
A Library with a Mission of Its Own
Open five days a week, the WHPC Library holds more than eleven thousand books, plus DVDs, CDs, audiobooks, studies, and commentaries for children and adults. Librarian Peggy Greenawalt has tended the collection for twenty-five years, with Library Assistants Pat Johnson, Barb Martinson, and Vicki Jessich supporting her work. The library is open to the church and the community and is also accessible through an online catalog and mobile-friendly version. Sundays from 9:30 am to 12:30 pm and Monday through Thursday from noon to 3:30 pm are the standard hours, with closures for Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year's, MLK Day, Memorial Day, Labor Day, and the Easter Triduum.
Two long-running book clubs call the Parlor home. The Evening Women's Book Club gathers on the second Thursday of the month at 6:30 pm; the Daytime Women's Book Club meets on the third Thursday at 11 am in person with a Zoom option. Recent selections have included Tayari Jones's Kin, Niall Williams's Time of the Child, Libby Page's This Book Made Me Think of You, and Sadeqa Johnson's Keeper of Lost Children. Special author events and a Good Books page offer curated recommendations across genres.
Adults in Conversation: Studies, Classes, and Weekday Rhythms
Beyond Sunday morning classes, a steady cadence of weekday studies serves the adult community. The Westbank Women Bible Study meets Wednesdays at 10 am in the Parlor; Momma's Bible Study, led by Pastor Emily and Amanda Wallace, gathers Thursday mornings for mothers with childcare provided; and a Thursday Women's Bible Study led by Pastor Emily opens each fall with a ten-week walk through a book of the Bible. Two men's groups anchor Tuesday mornings: an in-person gathering in the Parlor at 7 am and a Zoom Bible study at 8 am. A Prayer Path class in the Chapel on Sunday mornings invites participants into contemplative spiritual practice.
Specialty gatherings include a 1st Thursday Women's Luncheon each month in the Dining Hall with a guest speaker and childcare available, Mahjong for Women on Tuesday afternoons, and Bridge groups that meet on second and fourth Mondays and on the fourth Friday. A Grief Support Group and DivorceCare meet seasonally, and lunchtime Lunch and Learn sessions explore topics from long-distance caregiving to peacemaking.
Caring Ministry: Meal Trains, Prayer Shawls, and Pastoral Care
The Caring Ministry at WHPC walks alongside members through seasons of joy and sorrow. Deacon-led meal trains provide food for sick or recovering members and snacks for funeral receptions. A Prayer Shawl Ministry gathers on the second and fourth Tuesdays of the month to knit and pray. The Board of Deacons visits hospitals, care facilities, and homes, delivers meals, and serves as greeters, ushers, prayer partners, and worship assistants on Sunday mornings. A weekly prayer list, distributed by Director of Congregational Care Mel Murray, lifts up the congregation's needs in prayer. Anyone can request prayer or pastoral care by emailing the pastoral staff or calling the church office.
Mission and Outreach: Three Pillars Across Austin and Beyond
Mission work at WHPC rests on three pillars: education, dignity, and discipleship, aimed at partnering with others for the flourishing of all people. Locally, the church supports Mobile Loaves and Fishes, where volunteers run make-ready and truck shifts on the first and second Sundays of every month to deliver food, clothing, hygiene products, and other essentials to neighbors experiencing homelessness. A monthly gathering at the King Park area of Community First! Village brings a small group of WHPC folks out to cook, set tables, decorate around a theme, and share a meal with neighbors. Manos de Cristo receives quarterly Blue Bag food donations and ongoing financial support for its food pantry, clothing closet, dental care, and ESL, computer, and citizenship classes. Foundation for the Homeless, including its Peace Family Housing partnership with Peace Lutheran Church, addresses family homelessness, and Chariot volunteer drivers provide door-to-door rides for seniors to medical appointments and errands.
The congregation walks alongside six Afghan refugee families, now totaling about fifty people, helping them learn English, navigate daily life, and grow in independence. Presbyterian Children's Homes and Services receives regular support as a long-standing children's and family ministry partner. Austin Young Lives and East Austin Young Life engage pregnant and parenting teens and middle and high school students respectively, and the Fellowship of Christian Athletes reaches area schools. Memory Caregiver Academy of Austin, God of Hope prison ministries, and the Austin Samaritans round out local partnerships.
Globally, WHPC supports ministries in Liberia, Zambia, Mexico, Nicaragua, France, Kazakhstan, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, and Afghanistan. Presbyterian Disaster Assistance is the primary conduit for long-term disaster relief, including a recent Central Texas Flood Relief Offering that directed seventy-five percent to PDA and twenty-five percent to local projects, with hands-on flood recovery trips to Kerrville supplementing the funds. Mission trips for youth and adults have recently included Puerto Rico, Belize, Jamaica, and San Antonio. Mission updates throughout the year share partner news, from Christmas Eve offerings funding Afghan refugee ESL classes to ongoing financial support of Colegio Cristiano Presbiteriano in Nicaragua.
The Campus: Sanctuary, Memorial Garden, and Labyrinth
The Bee Cave Road campus has grown with the congregation. The Sanctuary houses the Casavant organ and accommodates the 9 and 11 am services and the Chancel Choir. A separate Chapel hosts smaller contemplative gatherings, including the Prayer Path class and Healing and Wholeness services. Adjacent to the Sanctuary, the WHPC Memorial Garden provides a master-planned space for inurnment with a covered columbarium, in-ground interment beds along a meandering walkway, wheelchair access throughout, and shaded seating under the existing tree cover. Pricing for niches, garden spots, and memorial plaques is available, and applications can be submitted through the church office.
Lower on the campus, a Chartres-inspired labyrinth was created as a Girl Scout Silver Award project by Lorena Chiles and completed with help from her family, scouts, and church volunteers. The labyrinth is open to anyone at any time for walking meditation. A Library, Dining Hall, Rec Center, gym, and dedicated Children's Ministry spaces round out the buildings, and the Memorial Garden Reception each spring invites the community to learn more about the garden and its ministry.
Music and Liturgical Calendar
The liturgical year shapes the rhythm of the church. Ash Wednesday offers a drive-through imposition of ashes in the lower parking lot alongside noon and evening worship with a shared meal. Maundy Thursday begins with an all-church spaghetti dinner in the Dining Hall and continues with a Tenebrae service in the Sanctuary that is livestreamed. Good Friday and Easter Sunday bring additional services, including a sunrise Easter service at the WHPC Plaza and Easter worship with brass, choir, and worship band. All Saints Sunday lifts prayers with white roses for members who have died. Advent brings weekly Sunday evening programming, a Christmas Music Sunday, Lessons and Carols services on Christmas Eve at 4 and 6 pm, an 8 pm Communion service, and a 2 pm Children's Pageant with costumes for any child who wants to participate. The annual Christmas Eve Offering has recently supported the Afghan Refugee Ministry and the Memory Care Academy of Austin.
Realm, Giving, and Staying Connected
Realm, the church's online ministry tool, keeps members connected for registrations, giving, group communication, and directory information. Online giving is available for tithes, offerings, special offerings, memorial gifts through the Forever Faithful Fund, and pledges during the annual Gratitude Project stewardship campaign. Podcasts of recent sermons are available on Apple Podcasts and Soundcloud, and the church's YouTube channel carries the weekly 11 am livestream and a growing archive of services and mission videos. A weekly email newsletter, mailed every Thursday, keeps the wider community informed.
Humans of WHPC
Inspired by Brandon Stanton's Humans of New York, the Humans of WHPC series shares the stories of the people who make up the congregation. Recent profiles have featured a high school senior who helped design accessible gardens at Community First! Village, a longtime bass player who became a dog walker during the pandemic, a mother of two children on the autism spectrum who found a church home through a neighbor's persistent invitation, a heart and kidney transplant recipient, and a music pastor who walked through professional burnout and emerged with a formula for seasons of discouragement.
Getting Connected
Teresa Ward, Director of Engagement, is the first point of contact for newcomers. A Connect form available through the church reaches her directly, and a casual Membership Lunch held after Sunday worship throughout the year offers a low-pressure way to learn about WHPC and meet others. Childcare is provided with a reservation for the luncheon, and a brief Called Session meeting follows for anyone ready to join. The church office is open Monday through Friday from 8:30 am to 5 pm, and the main phone line is 512-327-1116. The preschool office can be reached at 512-327-1315 during school hours, and the library at 512-215-5116 during library hours.