Two Sunday Services, One Church Family in the Galleria
Westminster United Methodist Church sits at 5801 San Felipe Street, right where San Felipe meets Bering Drive in Houston's busy Galleria/Uptown area. The church describes its setting as "one of the busiest places on earth," and frames itself as "a haven of peace, purpose, and community in Jesus" in the middle of it. The motto that runs through the congregation's life is simple: Love God. Make Friends. Serve Others.
On any given Sunday morning, two very different worship services share the same sanctuary. The first, called Encounter, begins at 9:05 a.m. and has the feel of a living room with a stage. The second, the Traditional Service, begins at 11:05 a.m. and lifts the room with hymns, liturgy, and stained glass. Both services livestream on YouTube and air on the church's online platform, so anyone who cannot be there in person can still gather with the congregation.
A History That Began with Eleven People
Westminster's story starts on January 13, 1952, when the founding members met at the Henry W. Grady School. Eleven people gathered with little more than hope for the future and a shared commitment to stewardship in God's Kingdom. Out of that small beginning grew the campus that now hosts the sanctuary, classrooms, offices, and the Weekday School. Today the congregation belongs to the Texas Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church, a connection that has shaped its worship, theology, and outreach for decades.
What to Expect on a Sunday Morning
The Encounter service at 9:05 a.m. is informal and contemporary. Worshipers wear jeans, teenagers eat donuts in the back, and an energetic band leads music that draws a few toddlers out into the aisles. Many in the congregation describe it as "the most upbeat, joyful hour of my week." About ten to fifteen minutes into the service, all children are called forward for a children's message, after which kids second grade and younger can return to their parents or head to an age-appropriate lesson and play time with the church's childcare workers.
The Traditional Service at 11:05 a.m. is reverent and joyful in a different key. Hymns, liturgy, quiet, and a classic stained-glass sanctuary help the room settle. The congregation's own words for it are "the church I grew up with." Children are always welcome, and the same children's message pattern repeats here. Families are welcome to keep their children with them through the whole service.
First-time visitors will find parking in the lot off Bering Drive or in either of the two lots on the north side of the church. From there it is a short walk down the covered walkway to the open doors at the back of the sanctuary. Dress ranges from jeans to suits, so visitors should wear whatever makes them comfortable. The worship center is the building with double white doors facing Bering.
Faith, Beliefs, and the Means of Grace
Westminster states its identity plainly: "At Westminster, we profess the historic Christian faith in God, incarnate in Jesus Christ for our salvation and ever at work in human history in the Holy Spirit. Living in a covenant of grace under the Lordship of Jesus Christ, we participate in the first fruits of God's coming reign and pray in hope for its full realization on earth as in heaven." The church teaches that salvation comes through humility, seeking God, repentance, restitution, and a lifelong trust in God's grace, lived out through what the church calls the means of grace: worship, Bible study, prayer, community, service, giving, Communion, and Baptism.
The pastoral team frames the Christian life as a journey rather than a single decision. Baptism or a reaffirmation of baptism often marks the moment of commitment, and the congregation welcomes questions, doubts, and faith at every stage.
Kids, Youth, and the Weekday School
Children are a centerpiece of life at Westminster. Millie Eads leads the Westminster Kids Ministry. The 3rd through 5th grade Sunday School class meets in the library by the office entrance and walks a two-year curriculum that begins in the Old Testament and continues through the life, ministry, death, and resurrection of Jesus, helping preteens see how individual Bible stories connect into larger themes that span the whole Bible. Children three years old through 7th grade have staff and volunteers who teach them during the services.
Westminster Youth is open to students in 6th through 12th grade. The youth Sunday School class gathers at 10:05 a.m. in the upstairs youth area every Sunday, focusing on Christ, culture, and a Christian response to what is happening in the country, the world, and students' own lives. Monthly fellowship activities and a summer mission trip round out the calendar, and bringing a friend is always welcome.
Sharing the campus with the church is the Westminster Weekday School, a weekday program for young children directed by Talisha Fitzgerald. Ruthie Holguin serves as Assistant Director, with Anna M. Smith handling business administration, Deborah Fry coordinating child development, Erin Lanier managing registration and events, and Courtney Prentice supporting curriculum and the classroom. Claudia Mouer serves as the Weekday School Chaplain, connecting the school to the life of the church. The Day School operates its own site at westminsterdayschool.com.
Bible Study, Small Groups, and Prayer
Between the two Sunday services sits an hour of formation. The Way Sunday School class meets in the conference room in the church office at about 10:20 a.m. for in-depth Bible study and fellowship, with a Zoom link available for anyone who wants to join remotely. The church also offers fall Bible studies and Sunday Small Group classes, and members are invited to use RightNow Media and Amplify Media for at-home study. RightNow Media, available to anyone in the congregation, includes custom Westminster channels with studies for kids, youth, adults, marriages, and short devotionals for families.
On Mondays, the congregation gathers online for the Monday Prayer meeting on Zoom. Members can also subscribe to the Westminster Weekly News e-newsletter or the weekly Prayer and Bible Study email to keep up with studies and prayer prompts throughout the week.
Serving in the Church and Across Houston
Westminster organizes its life around a wide roster of ministry teams. Sunday morning teams include the Greeter team (ushers, greeters, and parking lot attendants), the Audio team, the Hospitality team, the Video team, and the Sanctuary team, which handles paraments, candles, communion, and seasonal decorating. Weekday and weekend teams include Buildings and Grounds and Office Volunteers. Ministry Teams include the Care Team, which sends cards, meals, and outreach to members who are sick, bereaved, or welcoming new babies; the Mission Team, which organizes church-wide mission events; the Discipleship Team, which explores Bible study and spiritual growth; and the Events Team, which creates fellowship and outreach events for children and adults.
Outside the walls, Westminster partners with several Houston organizations. Members regularly serve with the Coalition for Community Schools and Children's Services (CCSC), SOH Mission, Lord of the Streets (LOTS Houston), and Elijah Rising, a ministry that fights human trafficking. The Pastor's Discretionary Fund supports this work, and the church publishes an annual Impact Review so the congregation can see how those dollars are put to work.
Weddings, Safe Sanctuary, and Facility Use
Westminster hosts weddings in its sanctuary, and hundreds of marriages have been held there over the years. A wedding application and a separate wedding policy document guide couples through the process, and each couple is paired with a wedding coordinator once a date is reserved. Funerals and other life events are part of the same ministry of the building.
The campus is also available for community use. Groups and individuals can submit a Facility Request, and the Board of Trustees reviews all outside requests. Outside groups must carry their own event liability insurance and provide a certificate to the church. The campus closes on New Year's Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day, the day after Thanksgiving, and Christmas Eve. Most activities wrap up by 10 p.m., and alcohol, tobacco, controlled substances, and firearms are prohibited on church property.
Children's safety is governed by the church's Safe Sanctuary policy. Anyone working with minors completes a PowerPoint training, a background check, and a permission form before serving.
Giving and Generosity
Westminster teaches that giving is a spiritual discipline. Members can give online through Realm, by texting the keyword "Westminster" to 73256, by check in person at either Sunday service, or by mail. Recurring gifts can be set up through a Realm account, and the annual Estimate of Giving card invites members to commit their prayers, presence, gifts, service, and witness to the work of the church for the coming year. Online giving is available through the church's giving page.
The Staff and Leadership
Senior Pastor Rev. Meredith Mills joined Westminster on May 1, 2019, after serving as an associate pastor at FUMC Nacogdoches and senior pastor of FUMC Wharton. She earned her BA at UT Austin and her MDiv at Duke Divinity School, and she founded gastrochurch, a nontraditional ministry built around spiritual conversations over food. She and her husband Jordan have a daughter and two sons.
Kaisi Cunningham serves as Director of Program Ministries and is the main point of contact for Amplify Media and RightNow Media. Treson Allen directs contemporary worship, and Gustavo Andres serves as Organist. Millie Eads leads the children's ministry, supported by her education background and years of staff experience with children, youth, and adult ministries.
The church office is open Monday through Thursday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and on Fridays from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Visitors and members can also reach the church by phone at 713-782-7750 or by fax at 713-977-0340. The church's main campus is at 5801 San Felipe Street, Houston, TX 77057, with parking accessed from both Bering Drive and San Felipe.