Cowboy Church of Collin County took the first step toward having a new home.

Church officials broke ground on a new facility Sunday, Feb. 9. Construc­tion will begin April 6 and is expected to be complete by Oct. 1.

The new building will seat 572 at­tendees and include new preschool rooms, changing rooms, a cry room,

offices, a general store and a coffee and donut bar.

A new playground is also in the works, as is a sign that will read “Come as You Are.”

James Barley, Pastor Wes Brown, Ken Carpenter, Kev­in Grover, Shelton McGill and Associate Pastor Cliff Hibbitts all participated in the groundbreaking ceremo­ny.

According to Brown, the current building, which is 6,600 square feet, will be­come a multi-purpose facil­ity for children and youth. In comparison, the new church will be 10,000 square feet. Planning for it has been in the works for about two years.

“The church is grateful for all the new growth and the added space is much need­ed,” he said. “Our new build­ing is going to give us the space we need to grow. There are 41 zip codes represented where our members live. We have a pretty large territory to cover.”

Service times are 8:30 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. each Sunday, and home Bible studies are starting up as well. Cowboy Church of Collin County is located at 2800 FM 3364.

For more stories like this, see the Feb. 20 issue or subscribe online.

Morgan Howard • [email protected]