Southwest Chinese Baptist Church gathers three congregations under a single roof on Sugar Ridge Boulevard in Stafford, Texas. In a single Sunday morning, English-, Mandarin-, and Cantonese-speaking worshippers move through the same 350-seat sanctuary and adjacent fellowship hall, drawn from a congregation whose roots go back to a Bible study started in 1981 by members of Houston's first Chinese church. Today SWCBC is a Baptist congregation organized around three language ministries, a children's wing in the Family Life Center, and a community outreach program that opens its campus to the wider Stafford neighborhood every Saturday.
From a Bible Study in 1981 to an 11.7-Acre Campus
SWCBC grew out of a Bible study group organized by members of Chinese Baptist Church who lived in Houston's southwest quadrant. In January 1981 the group became a formal mission, sponsored at first by both Chinese Baptist Church and Westbury Baptist Church and meeting at Westbury's campus. About 30 to 40 people gathered; Rev. John Fung served as the first pastor. In the spring of 1982, English translation was added to the Cantonese worship service. By 1990, with Sunday worship attendance between 120 and 130 and a growing Sunday school, the mission incorporated as a legal body in the State of Texas, adopted a constitution and bylaws, and formed committees for ministry expansion, personnel, and building. On April 22, 1990, with 131 charter members, SWCBC became an independent church.
The search for a permanent home took nearly a decade. In January 1993 the congregation purchased 11.7 acres in Stafford, and the Baptist General Convention of Texas's Building Planning Department drew up a three-phase master plan. Phase 1, a roughly 10,000-square-foot building that includes a 350-seat sanctuary and more than 10 multipurpose rooms, was completed in August 1996; the first worship service in the new sanctuary was held on September 1, 1996, with a dedication ceremony on October 12. In 1998 the Fellowship Hall, a 3,000-square-foot addition on the north wing, was completed, along with six new classrooms and a sitting area. The 15,000-square-foot Family Life Center, with a middle-school-size basketball court, 13 classrooms, a commercial-grade kitchen, and a stage, was dedicated on April 17, 2005. A 2022 remodel refreshed the FLC for family and children's ministries, and in 2025 a new indoor children's playground was installed.
Pastoral milestones followed the move into the new buildings. In 1992 separate English and Cantonese services began; Rev. Chris Forbes joined as Minister of English-Speaking Ministry in 1993 and was succeeded in 1998 by Brother Scott Lester, whose ordination on December 16, 2001 was the first in the church's history. Rev. Simon Chan joined in 2003 as Associate Minister focused on discipleship and family. After an Intentional Interim Ministry period that began in 2008, Rev. Edmond Cheung became Senior Pastor in June 2012. In September 2016 the congregation launched a Mandarin worship service. In June 2021 Rev. Henry Kwan arrived as interim pastor and later became Senior Pastor. Minister Robert Gardner joined the English Ministry in July 2022 and was ordained as Rev. Robert Gardner on January 10, 2026.
Three Languages on Sugar Ridge Boulevard
The Sunday morning schedule at SWCBC is built around three language-specific services.
- English Worship meets at 9:30 a.m. in the Sanctuary.
- Mandarin Worship meets at 9:30 a.m. in the Fellowship Hall.
- Cantonese Worship meets at 11:00 a.m. in the Sanctuary.
Each service follows a similar arc. A presider opens with a short call to worship, often a Bible reading, followed by corporate singing, the offering, special music or a Bible reading, the sermon, prayer, a response song, and a benediction. Visitors are not expected to give; passing the offering bag along is fine. Bulletins lay out the order of service. A typical dress code runs from casual to business casual, and jeans, suits, and cowboy boots all appear without comment. First-time visitors can park in reserved spots in the first row on the left as they drive into the parking lot, marked with signs.
Sunday school fills the gaps between services. Cantonese-speaking adults meet at 9:30 a.m. in rooms A2-3, 107, and the Evergreen room (111), with Evergreen reserved for senior adults. English and Mandarin adult classes meet at 11:00 a.m., with English-language offerings including "Explore the Bible" in M111 and "Bible Study for Life" in M107, and a Mandarin class in A2-3. Youth in grades 7 through 12 meet at 11:00 a.m. in G7 of the Family Life Center, using Great Commission Publications.
Live services and a full sermon archive are streamed on SWCBC's YouTube channel, where English, Mandarin, and Cantonese congregations each have their own livestream feed.
Children: AWANA, Junior Worship, and Sunday School
SWCBC Kids is built around the verse Proverbs 22:6 ("Train up a child in the way he should go"). Children's ministry welcomes children from age 2 through sixth grade. Children's Sunday School meets from 9:30 to 11:00 a.m. in the Family Life Center, with three classrooms by age: G11 for 2-year-olds through kindergarten, G9 for first through third grade, and G8 for fourth through sixth grade. Junior Worship, a separate time of praise, Bible story, and prayer for first through sixth grade, runs from 11:00 a.m. to noon in FLC room G2.
The flagship weekly children's program is AWANA, which runs Friday nights from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. in the Family Life Center throughout the academic year. AWANA welcomes children from preschool through sixth grade and combines Bible lessons, games, and activities. Each summer, Vacation Bible School offers a one-week camp with Bible study, crafts and science, games, music, and a closing-night performance, and the new indoor playground in the FLC adds a year-round option. Badminton classes for children ages 6 to 12 are offered on Saturdays through S.C.O.C.
Ministry to children is led by Ruthanne Mahone, Minister of Children Ministry, who focuses on helping both children and adults discover and develop the character qualities of God.
Youth and the Pulse Fellowship
Middle and high school students (grades 7 through 12) gather as the Pulse fellowship, meeting every Friday evening from 7:45 to 9:30 p.m. in the Family Life Center. The group watches Gospel videos, studies the Bible, plays games, and takes part in special activities such as volunteering, camping, skating, and lock-ins. SWCBC also runs an SAT preparation program for high school students, and youth worship together with the English congregation before breaking into age-graded classes.
Adult Fellowships in Three Tongues
Adult life at SWCBC is organized into a dozen language- and stage-of-life-specific fellowships that meet throughout the week.
In English, Kardia is a young adults fellowship built around love, community, growth, and friendship, led by Music Director Jonathan Chan. Lifestream, a fellowship for adults who are "not so young but still lots of fun," meets on the first Sunday of the month at 12:30 p.m. in the Fellowship Hall for a potluck lunch, and several LifeGroups meet during the week in homes.
The Cantonese fellowships include a cross-generational Friday evening fellowship (7:45 to 9:30 p.m.) known informally as "Happy Hour in Christ," focused on evangelism. Noah is for young couples and families with young children, meeting every fourth Saturday from 6:00 to 9:15 p.m. for Bible study, sharing, prayer, and dinner. Grace, for empty-nesters and soon-to-be empty-nesters, meets the fourth Saturday at 5:30 p.m. Enoch, a Cantonese couples fellowship, gathers on the third Saturday of each month, sometimes in person and sometimes via Zoom. Faith-Hope-Love ministers to Cantonese-speaking middle-aged couples and singles and meets in two groups, on the fourth Saturday at 6:00 p.m. or the fourth Sunday at 4:30 p.m., in homes or at the church. Zion meets the third Saturday from 6:00 to 9:30 p.m. for Bible study, sharing, prayer, and food.
In Mandarin, a Friday evening fellowship meets at 7:45 p.m. in room A1, welcoming all Mandarin-speaking brothers and sisters, seekers, SAT parents, and AWANA parents.
A separate Evergreen fellowship gathers senior adults age 65 and older, and a monthly luncheon brings the wider congregation together over a meal.
Stafford Community Outreach Center (S.C.O.C.)
The most visible bridge between SWCBC and the surrounding Stafford neighborhood is the Stafford Community Outreach Center, a Saturday program that opens the FLC and grounds to the public from 10:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Activities include badminton, table tennis, pickleball, and a badminton class for children ages 6 to 12; tai chi and Chinese chess; practical English classes for those navigating a new culture; and a safe indoor children's playground. Programs are open to English, Cantonese, and Mandarin speakers, and to anyone who simply wants to play. Community Outreach Ministry Director Lillian Chan Yip oversees the program.
Beyond S.C.O.C., SWCBC members volunteer at Second Mile Mission in Stafford, pack food for the Houston Food Bank, and minister to Bhutanese refugees in Houston's Chinatown. Short-term mission trips are organized periodically, and the church runs ThinkWell along with ESL and SAT classes for high school students. A library in room A5 of the Main Building offers Bible commentaries, Christian movies in English and Chinese, application commentaries, small-group studies, animated New Testament stories for children, and the Left Behind novels in Chinese and English.
Baptist Beliefs, Pastoral Team, and Disaster Readiness
SWCBC subscribes to the doctrinal statement of the Baptist Faith and Message as adopted by the Southern Baptist Convention in 2000, and links to the English, Simplified Chinese, and Traditional Chinese versions of that statement. The church's vision statement calls believers to be equipped, to build relationships in Christ locally and globally, to embrace multi-ethnic diversity, to strengthen families, and to empower the faith of the next generation. The mission is to train, disciple, and mentor through the three language ministries; to grow through fellowship, cell groups, conferences, and retreats; to encourage going into the community and the world to share the gospel and serve the needy; and to teach sacrificial giving.
The pastoral staff includes Rev. Henry Kwan (Senior Pastor), Rev. Robert Gardner (Pastor, English Ministry), Ruthanne Mahone (Minister, Children Ministry), Lillian Chan Yip (Community Outreach Ministry Director and Pastoral Intern), and Jonathan Chan (Music Director and Pastoral Intern). Seven deacons serve alongside the pastors and ministry directors: David Fung, Biu Leung, Robin Ngai, Edmund Lee, Jack Li, Pam Ng, and Dina Ng. Nine standing committees - Worship; Evangelism and Mission; Training Fellowship; Christian Education; Youth Ministry; Children Ministry; Finance; Personnel; and General Business - carry out the church's ministry. The church is currently seeking pastors for both its Cantonese and Mandarin ministries.
The congregation is also prepared for hard times. A Disaster Response Team made up of the senior pastor, the Church Council chairperson, the Deacons chairperson, and the Fellowship chairperson determines when the campus will open as a temporary shelter for the church family and how to communicate with members through a redundant call tree. Rooms and the campus are available for facility reservation, and a bilingual English and Chinese interface on the main site and a separate Chinese-language subdomain keep information current for every part of the church family.