Pastor Roy Meadows of Westland Baptist Church on West Grand Parkway in Katy has some impressive numbers. Thirty-two years as pastor at Westland. Forty-four years as husband to Sharon. Four kids and thirteen grandchildren. And an 800- member church he serves faithfully.
When Meadows was asked to take on the role of pastor, Westland was a mission of its sponsoring church, First Baptist of Houston. That means it was staffed by First Baptist and housed in a Mexican restaurant. After four years, there were 30 members, and that’s when Meadows got the call to provide direction for the church.
“We began to focus on what Jesus called us to do, which is reach the lost with the good news that Jesus saves,” said Meadows. “That has always been our focus. It’s kept us grounded in exciting times and focused in challenging times. Through ups and downs in the oil fields, the tragedy of 9-11, and now through this pandemic, we stay focused and it keeps us going in excited and ambitious ways. We find a great challenge in accepting Jesus’ call, and a great comfort in mending the broken hearted.”
Meadows is proud of the church’s worship team and the children’s and family ministries. He said, “Our goal is to help families build their lives on eternal principles. We combine dynamic preaching with Bible Fellowships consisting of small groups of all ages for Christ-centered fellowship.”
The worship team leads three services (pre-pandemic): one traditional service at 8:30 am and two contemporary services at 9:45 and 11:00 am. The setting is informal. With Covid, the church has had to adapt, but still offers an on-campus service at 11:00, with all precautions taken to ensure the safety of attendees. They also offer an online experience through their Facebook page, and Meadows has been pleasantly surprised by the response.
“Amazing things have happened here. More people are viewing the entire service online than were in attendance pre-pandemic. God is drawing people to hear his word, and the social media team is doing a terrific job of representing what we are doing. The production, videography, and accessibility are pulling people in. During this time, people are hungry for the gospel and for an answer.”
One of the church’s missions is to present God’s word in a culturally relevant way “so people can get their minds around it.” Meadows said, “People are accepted here. Whatever stage of life, socioeconomic level, and race, you are loved here at Westland, by God and by his people.
“I love this church. It’s our desire to let everyone out there know that God loves them.”
