Katy Jehovah's Witnesses construct facility

Members of several Katy-area Jehovah's Witnesses congregations have invested more than just bricks and mortar into their new worship building.

They have contributed time, sweat and, in some cases, aches and pains, to build the 10,000-square-foot Katy Kingdom Hall.

"The whole construction project was done by volunteers from the site work up to the painting on the walls," said Harold Braucht, a member of the Central Katy Congregation and chairman of the building committee. "I've never seen so many sweaty smiling faces, all happy to be digging in the mud."

After nine months of devoting weekends to constructing the facility, more than 600 members of the North, South and Central congregations and the Katy Spanish Congregation recently moved into the new building at 1831 Westborough Drive, which is north of Park Row and west of Fry Road.

The one-story facility has two auditoriums that each, along with overflow space, have a capacity for up to 335 people, Braucht said. The congregations, which have about 150 members each, share the auditoriums and have services at varying times.

Features added to the building include an insulated yet suspended ceiling that re-circulates air and energy-efficient walls, Braucht said. The building has room for expansion.

Jehovah's Witnesses from the Houston area worked alongside the Katy worshippers who volunteered their time to excavate the ground, install Sheetrock and pour concrete, he said.

As families tirelessly worked together to complete the project, Braucht said each member from the youngest to the oldest had a significant role. For example, members prepared meals at a kitchen off-site and brought them to the workers. Some of the members who were not experienced in construction work also helped clean up and assist with smaller tasks. During some weekends, he said up to 700 workers could be found toiling at the construction site.

"Anytime you undertake anything based on the principle of love, because you want to not because you have to, the dynamics change," he said, adding that a building dedication ceremony is planned for September.

The Katy building and property cost $1.1 million and funding was provided by voluntary contributions from members, Braucht said. The congregations saved more than $1.5 million by using volunteer labor to construct the hall, he said.

The construction project was coordinated through the Jehovah's Witnesses regional building committee made up of members from the Houston area, he said.

Jehovah's Witnesses congregations have no paid clergy and only volunteer elders who govern the church. Members also share building maintenance duties to reduce financial costs.

As the Katy congregations continue to grow, Braucht said the new building will help the Jehovah's Witnesses expand to establish two more congregations within a year.

While the property for the new building was purchased four years ago, Braucht said the congregations just started building last year. Members had focused their efforts on helping rebuild homes for Hurricane Katrina and Rita victims, he said.

"We put our project on hold because there were more pressing needs," he said. "We could've had a hall, but they didn't have a home. You have to help your friends get back on their feet."

Mike Drexler, an elder and longtime member of the Central Congregation, said seeing the building finally completed has been exciting.

He remembers when the congregation started with only 45 members who used to meet at Katy Elementary School and has now grown well into the hundreds.

"I moved to Katy in 1977 and didn't have a Jehovah's Witnesses congregation at the time," Drexler said. "It's been very exhilarating seeing the growth."

Once the congregation began to grow, members moved from the elementary school to a new building they constructed on U.S. 90 in Katy.

However, Drexler said that building did not allow for expansion and needed frequent renovations, so the congregations decided to purchase property at the current location.

The U.S. 90 building was sold in 2002 to a local CPA and now is being used as a dance studio. The congregations had been meeting in leased space until the new building was completed.

Now that the congregations are settled in their new building, Drexler said members are ready to return to their primary work of sharing God's message with their neighbors.

"It was a time-intensive project and it's been fun, but we're glad to be done," he said.