The Church of the Holy Blimp ...
Our 30th Anniversary Celebration as a Mission Church
A letter addressed to Mr. Dennis Higgins, Senior Warden, follows.
Episcopal Diocese of Texas
February 1, 1972
Dear Dennis,
It was with much pleasure that I received from you and the Reverend Archie Andrus on February 1, 1972, the petition requesting the organization of a Mission Congregation in Spring, Texas under the name of the Church of the Holy Comforter. The petition is approved.
A copy of this letter will be sent to the Chairman of the 123rd Council’s committee on New Missions and will serve as the Certificate of Approval required under Canon 12.
Bishop Bailey joins with me in sending our heartiest congratulations and best wishes to you and the people of the Church of the Holy Comforter.
Cordially yours,
J. Milton Richardson, Bishop of Texas
In the 1970’s, one of the Goodyear Blimps was housed in a hanger so close to Holy Comforter that it was frequently associated with the area as a marker. She could be seen flying over HCEC quite frequently. So it was a natural emblem when Holy Comforter was to be admitted to the Diocese of Texas as a mission that the contingent from HCEC would joyously parade up and down the aisles with a blimp balloon when so admitted at the 123rd Diocesan Council in 1972.
Bertha Whaley, a member of the vestry and a Lay Eucharistic Visitor at HCEC, recently visited Gwen Bounds at home on a Sunday. She relates this story from Gwen about how Holy Comforter got its name.
Gwen is a founding member of HCEC The Bishop had offered to the newly formed congregation two names, St. Andrew’s and Holy Comforter, as the choices he approved for the name of the new congregation. Gwen had thought about the choices, and after several days, she cast her vote, the deciding one at that, for Holy Comforter. You see she had survived a serious illness and God Himself had provided much comfort to her in her recovery. Could the name of this place be anything else? Could this church be anything other than a place of healing?
Such a joyous time we had on February 10, 2002 as we celebrated our 30th anniversary as a mission. Our thanks go to Beverly Wise for spearheading this celebration, to Steven Lightfoot and Dawn Bentley for making up the brochures on our history, the Pastoral Care Committee and everyone else who participated in the preparation for that day.
