121 Community Church plans Grapevine church

In the fall of 1999, pastor Ross Sawyers and his fledgling congregation of 23 held their first worship service in a Colleyville member’s home “after much prayer and conversation.”

The lead pastor said they firmly believed that “this was God’s idea, and boldly acted upon that belief.”

Six months later, they leased a facility on William D. Tate Avenue. In 2006, the growing congregation moved into a facility on Mustang Drive.

On Aug. 9, 121 Community Church members held a groundbreaking ceremony at 2701 Ira E. Woods Ave. for a church that will serve nearly 2,000 people.

“The past few years, we’ve been looking for a more permanent site to do the things that we believe God would like us to do,” Sawyers told the City Council on April 21 in their zoning application request that was unanimously approved. “We want to be a part of both individual and community transformations.”

The church recently purchased 6.5 acres of land on Ira E. Woods between Mustang Drive and Highway 114, and is beginning construction on a 50,000-square-foot facility. The worship space will seat around 800 people.

“We are very excited to begin construction on this new location and begin the next chapter of our history of serving Grapevine and the surrounding community,” Sawyers said. “The future building is to serve a dual purpose of fulfilling specific unmet needs in the surrounding community while also providing a gathering place on weekends for the church body. God has called us to partner with our city and community leaders in the effort.”

He said that after years of prayer, “God led us to this strategic location and provided the means for us to pursue this vision.”

The pastor said that locating the new building near Highway 26 and Mustang Drive meets two goals.

“First, city, school and community leaders told us the families along Mustang Drive have critical needs that can only be met by being embedded in the community,” Sawyers said. “We believe God is calling our body to engage the community by meeting some of these needs while sharing the life transforming message of Jesus.

“Second, the visibility along Highway 26 draws attention to the work that God is doing in and through the body at 121. The land is centrally located, just a short distance from two high school stadiums.”

The nondenominational church currently meets at 840 Mustang Drive in Grapevine and hosts three weekend worship services.

At the City Council meeting, LeMoine Wright spoke of why he, his wife and other family members are proud of their church.

“What I’ve enjoyed about them is their heart and their outreach,” he said.

This story was originally published August 18, 2015 at 11:23 AM with the headline "121 Community Church plans Grapevine church."