A Brief History of LakeRidge United Methodist Church

On February 1, 1979, Bishop Alsie Carleton and the Cabinet of the Northwest Texas Annual Conference appointed Bill Couch to begin a new United Methodist Church in Lubbock. Bill moved from Plainview where he had served as associate pastor at First United Methodist Church for over four and a half years. The new church had already received from the Lubbock City Board of Missions a five-acre tract of land located at 82nd and Toledo. The City Board also selected a name for the new church which they thought would identify it with its location in the city: LakeRidge United Methodist Church.

Bill began knocking on doors in the community and located a nucleus of people who were excited about starting a new United Methodist Church. The first worship service was held at the Winfrey Private School on a cold, snowy Sunday, February 18, 1979. One hundred thirty-four persons overflowed the meeting room on that first Sunday. Forty-one of those persons became First Sunday Charter Members. The church adopted its mission statement which describes the purpose of our church. We seek to be an ACCEPTING, TRANSFORMING, EQUIPPING, and SENDING COMMUNITY.

On February 15, 1981, LakeRidge United Methodist Church broke ground for its first building. Exactly nine (9) months later on November 15, the first service was held in the new building with over 460 persons present. The first unit contained 8400 square feet and was built and furnished at a cost of $515,000.

In October of 1984, a second building was completed containing over 18,000 square feet of educational space. The new facility cost $900,000 and contained an original tapestry depicting the church mission statement in symbolic form. In the fall of 1986, the church began three Sunday morning worship services and two Sunday Schools to accommodate the growing congregation. LakeRidge United Methodist Church celebrated its 10th Anniversary in February of 1989.

By January of 1990, the membership had reached nearly 1500 members. Because of the increasing number of members, LakeRidge UMC began work on a new sanctuary in April of 1994. The $2.5 million project would provide 32,000 square feet of additional space. The first service was held in the new sanctuary on September 10, 1995. There are now two worship services and two Sunday Schools each Sunday, with a membership of approximately 3000.

In October, 1998, we purchased what was once the Winfrey Private School (it had since become a branch of Wayland Baptist University) for $750,000. The new building became our Family Ministry Center, which the Youth, Club 56, College Ministries, Creative Ministries, Women's Christians Aerobics, and many other groups now call home.

We are currently constructing a new education building which will add another 77,000 square feet of classroom and activity space. We will initially occupy about 29,000 square feet of this building and then finish out the remaining rooms as funds are available. It will include a north-south corridor to provide better pedestrian flow between our sanctuary and classrooms. A future chapel will provide space for small weddings and funerals.