FORT BEND COUNTY, Texas – For more than 100 years, Wilderness Branch Baptist Church has been a part of the community in Fort Bend County.
The church, which started as a white building in 1902, has been home to generations of families throughout the Houston area.
But with time comes age, and the church that the community knew needed complete repairs, according to pastor Bobby Lockridge.
Lockridge said when he became pastor of the historic Black church, he knew he wanted to leave the generation behind him with a new foundation that was completely debt-free.
“It’s been a long journey, but God answers prayers because, so far, we have not had to get credit from anyone. It’s pay as you go, that’s our motto,” Lockridge said.
The pastor, along with his church members, raised more than $150,000 from fundraisers, gifts and other sources.
But, the road to rebuilding has not been easy for Wilderness Branch BC, Pastor Lockridge said they have lost about $50,000 through contractors who did not finish the job or simply did not start.
He said the first person the church hired was a woman who was supposed to create a blueprint for their new building. Lockridge said they paid the woman $12,000 to create the blueprint, but she never started the job. The church took the woman to court and a judge ordered her to pay $8,000 of the $12,000 back, but Lockridge said the church has yet to see any of those funds.
The second incident was a contractor the church hired to complete the new building. Lockridge said the church also paid this contractor upfront money. In the end, Lockridge said the church was left with loose bolts on the steel and wrong door frames. Eventually, the church had to hire someone new to make the repairs.
The third incident was with a contractor hired for the framing of the building. Lockridge said the contractor started great but never returned to complete the job. He said the church hired someone else who asked for an upfront payment, which was given, but then asked for more money before completing the job. The church eventually moved on from both contractors.
Lockridge said the church lost about 40 to $50,000 through bad contractors and business.
“The fault was theirs for not being true to their words, but it’s also because we’ve never built a church before, you know. We were just raw dogs trusting the Lord, and trusting people, and we found out that you got to be business (minded) regardless. So, we learned our lesson,” Lockridge said.
Despite the hardships, Lockridge said he’s proud of the long way the church has come.
“The more that people get over on us, the more God blesses us. We have to stay encouraged and keep the goal in mind that we are trying to build this and leave somebody in better shape than we started,” Lockridge said.
The church has invested about $500,000 into its new building but still needs another $300,000 to complete the project.
Lockridge said the building still needs plumbing, doors, carpet and the parking lot to be completed before they can hold services inside the building.
Anyone wishing to help can make donations to the church’s cash app: $WBBC1902