A Brief History of Providence Presbyterian Church

Providence Church grew out of a Wednesday evening Bible study that began in 1980.  Grace OPC in San Antonio was our mother church.  Its pastor, Rev. Jack Peterson, put a lot of miles on his car driving back and forth as he taught these week night Bible studies. When Sunday worship services, initially held in the afternoon, were started, he also drove here and led them.  Grace OPC brought us our own first pastor, Rev. Jerry Taylor, in 1982, by calling him as their associate pastor, but for the purpose of working in Austin with our group.  Fairly rapidly, we grew to the point of being able to become organized as a particular congregation. A special service of particularization was held by the presbytery for our church on April 29, 1984. At that point, Rev. Taylor became our regular pastor.  Articles of Incorporation were filed with the State of Texas the same year, and the congregation adopted bylaws in early 1985. During the first four years we received outside financial assistance from the denomination, from the presbytery, and also from Grace OPC, for which we are very thankful.

Our church was named “Providence” in 1984. A committee collected more than fifty suggestions for names, analyzed them, and finally recommended this particular name. The committee’s reasons were as follows: (1) The Westminster Standards highlight God’s providence as a cardinal teaching of scripture. (2) This name is God-centered and emphasizes the character of God, while also being warm and underscoring God’s loving care and concern for His people. (3) As a new church, we especially appreciate God’s providential dealings with us—His encouragement, His shepherding, His guidance—and we acknowledge that it is God who has built this church and brought us together. (4) Providence—the belief in God’s sovereignty—is a characteristic tenet of Reformed theology, and hence identifies the doctrinal stand of our church. (5) This name was unique, in that no other churches in Austin had this name.

The activities of our church in its early phase indicate that there was great responsiveness to sound biblical teaching and Reformed doctrine. A weekly Sunday evening study class on the Westminster Confession of faith evolved into an informal vesper service in 1986 and eventually into a regular Sunday evening worship service. Sunday School classes for children and adults were begun in February of 1983. The first Inquirers Class for new members occurred in 1984, and subsequent classes have been held through the years when needed. By the way, the original Bible study that gave birth to our church is still going on. The only difference is that the church now has several other Bible studies as well, at various locations in and around Austin. In addition, shorter-term evangelistic Bible studies have been held now and then.

Initially our church was in the Presbytery of the Dakotas, which at that time stretched north to south from the border of Canada to the border of Mexico. In January of 1986, for obvious geographical reasons, the southern half of this presbytery split off as the new Presbytery of the Southwest, encompassing the states of Texas, Oklahoma, and New Mexico. Our church has hosted in Austin two meetings of the presbytery.

For holding worship services, our church has met at a variety of places and locations around Austin, moving from the north to the south, then to the central area, and then to the north again.  Initially we met for worship (on Sunday afternoons) in the chapel of Hyde Park Christian Church (45th Street and Duval). Then we met in Luciano’s Italian Restaurant (Mopac Blvd. and Anderson Lane); at a LaPetite Academy preschool (William Cannon & S. First Street); at a Seventh Day Adventist church (near William Cannon and S. Congress); at Cunningham Elementary School (near Manchaca and William Cannon); at the American Legion Building (Mopac and 6th Street); at the Lions Club (in Pflugerville); and now finally in our own building.  It’s a bit like having wandered in the wilderness and now entered the Promised Land.

Our church had actually been planning for a building for over 15 years.  At the very first session meeting (in 1984), the session stated “that it is urgent for our church to begin to plan seriously for a purchase of property.”  In 1985 (at the height of the first economic boom in Austin) the church bought 1.3 acres in south Austin, with the help of a generous interest-free loan from Grace OPC church.  Four years later, in the middle of the great Texas oil depression, we bought the neighboring tract, of about the same size, but for a much lower price.  Eventually, however, we were convinced to look for other property, with better visibility.  In the early 1990’s, the Edwards Aquifer and other environmental restrictions were in full force, almost totally preventing development in the south and southwest parts of the city.  By the grace of God a splendid 3.5-acre piece of property on the corner of a significant intersection in Pflugerville was located, which we were able to purchase outright.  A few years later, when a new housing development went up on the north side of this property, we bought 1.5 acres more from the developer for a modest price and a little land swapping.

Then, things started rolling.  An architectural firm (Opus 3, of Round Rock) was engaged, and plans were drawn.  There was a groundbreaking ceremony in May of 2000.  A general contractor (C.E. Ward, subsequently renamed J.E. Dunn) oversaw the construction.  A ribbon-cutting ceremony was held on October 29, with the mayor of Pflugerville and the president of the Pflugerville Chamber of Commerce participating.  We started holding worship services in the building on November 5. A special service dedicating the building to the glory of God was held on November 18, 2000. At this service we were reminded of the verse from Psalm 127, “Unless the LORD builds the house, they labor in vain who build it.” The new building is evidence that indeed the LORD has built the house, and the builders have not labored in vain. Our church is extremely grateful to the talented and hard-working members of the Building Committee who shepherded this project to completion. In coming years, the Lord willing, we plan to move into a second phase of construction, for more classrooms, a sanctuary, and other space.

Our church owes a deep debt of gratitude to each of our three successive pastors. They have been a tremendous blessing to us over the years.

— Pastor Jerry Taylor, as our founding pastor, had a formative influence on our congregation, shepherding us out of infancy so that we could stand on our own feet.  His leadership was critical during the first phase of the building program when the church was still focused on south Austin as its home base. In 1992 he returned to his home state of Maryland, where he now pastors Trinity Reformed OPC church in Bowie, MD.

— Rev. James Hoekstra, our second pastor, was a dynamo in implementing the advice that our church should look for a better location.  He personally searched for and successfully found our current property.  He was instrumental in leading the planning committees that explored the future programmatic needs of the church and wrote a thorough vision statement document.  Through his contacts, generous gifts were received that underwrote the purchase of the property, as well as the concert grand piano. In 1998 he left our church and subsequently returned to Wisconsin, where he is now leading the planting of a new OPC church in a suburb of Milwaukee.

— Rev. Allan Story, our present pastor, whom we joyfully welcomed in September of 1999, hit the ground running and was very helpfully involved in the completion of the building project.  Through his previous connections, the office wing has evolved into the Covenant Hall study center.

Over the years, Providence Church has ordained eight ruling elders and eleven deacons, who have faithfully served the congregation in their various capacities. For several years we also had an associate pastor, Rev. Arthur Riffel, who was a great help; he retired from the ministry for the second (and final) time in 1995.

The members of Providence have always been actively involved in ministry activities of the church, such as Sunday School teaching, nursery supervision, hospitality events, outreach and evangelism, music ministry, financial records, and building design, construction, and maintenance. The Lord has abundantly blessed us with people who have amazing gifts for His service. Many are the deep and abiding friendships that have been made in the family of God at Providence Church as we encourage one another in the faith delivered to the saints.

By being a member congregation of the Orthodox Presbyterian Church, a denomination established in 1936 that is committed to the glory of God and faithful to the Bible and that speaks to the needs of our day, our church has been a “partner in the gospel” by supporting foreign missions activities in other countries, home missions church planting in North America, and the ministry of Christian education.

Our trust is in the LORD, who made heaven and earth. Our thanks are always to Him, who is Almighty God, our Father in Heaven, and to our precious Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who loved us and gave Himself for us. God will show us the path of life; in His presence is fullness of joy; at His right hand are pleasures forevermore. That is why we are glad and say, Let us go into the house of the LORD, that we may worship the Triune God in spirit and in truth.

We pray that the Lord would make Providence Church a blessing to the Springbrook neighborhood in which our church is located, and to the city and people of Pflugerville and Austin and surrounding communities—and even to the uttermost parts of the earth. To God be glory in the church through Jesus Christ to all generations, forever and ever, Amen.