A new church that seats 275 people was consecrated September 29 at St. David of Wales in Denton, Texas, answering a need for more space that the congregation has been feeling for many decades.
“We want to be able to grow with Denton,” said the Rev. Paul Nesta, St. David’s rector since 2018. “We are located in one of the fastest-growing counties in America for the last 10 to 12 years.
“Our capacity to welcome new people has been limited for decades,” he said. Since the building opened in August, Nesta added, “We are already seeing a bump in attendance. There’s lots of curiosity, new people coming and sticking around.”
The Gothic-style building, designed by HH Architects of Richardson, Texas, cost $5 million, most of which has already been raised by two capital campaigns and a grant from the Diocese of Dallas.
Since construction began in June 2022, parishioners made additional gifts for pews, a lectern and pulpit, and other fittings for the new space. The woodwork, in a traditional style, was designed by John Gascho of The Bethany Group in Denton.
St. David’s former 1950s church building, which lacked side aisles and seated only about 100 people, remains in use for weekday services.
Founded in 1951, the congregation set up a long-range planning committee in 1959, which quickly determined that more space would be needed. For decades, the church has hovered around 200 in average Sunday attendance.
“We were never really able to grow,” Nesta said. “We were too large for the building we had and too small to adequately build a larger building.”
In the last several years of the tenure of Nesta’s predecessor, the Rev. H.W. (Sandy) Herrmann, St. David’s saw an influx of new families, and conversation began again about a new building. When Nesta arrived in 2018, a capital campaign was already being planned.
The initial campaign met its goal of $2.3 million, but tariff-escalated steel prices, followed by a steep rise in all construction costs after COVID, led to several plan revisions and a second appeal for funds. Altogether, the parish raised close to $4.5 million for the project.
“It wasn’t the best time for a construction project,” Nesta mused. “Things got pretty crazy for a while.” He said the congregation was very grateful for the flexibility and insight of RJM Contractors of Fort Worth, a business owned by R.J. Miller, a fellow Episcopalian.
The service of consecration was led by the Rt. Rev. George Sumner, Bishop of Dallas. It included an anthem commissioned from English composer Bob Chilcott, a setting of George Herbert’s “The Church-floore.”
In his sermon at the service, Nesta spoke of his gratitude for those who built up the congregation in past decades: “We are here by their labor, their generosity, and their faithfulness. We aren’t here today because a building was consecrated. We’re here because a people were consecrated and given good work to advance.”
“This is a chance for us to rise up and say, ‘Now it’s our turn, to serve people who will be here in 70 years’ time’” Nesta told TLC. “We’re excited about the people who will be worshiping Jesus in the Episcopal way 70 years from now because of our prayerful, humble, efforts today.”
