Finally complete, the roughly 10-story cross at Concordia Lutheran Church adds a highly visible landmark to the corner of Huebner Road and Loop 1604.  Standing 123 feet tall, the white, concrete marker is part of an ongoing expansion project, which also includes a new, 1,700-seat sanctuary still under construction.
 
The church hopes to finish their new place of worship in time for Christmas services.  When complete, the sanctuary will include balcony seating, 16 stained-glass windows, enclosed narthex and sloped flooring.  In the future, the sanctuary can be expanded to house 3,000 people, doubling Concordia’s current seating capacity.   The already highly visible cross will be internally lit to shine throughout the night sky. 
 
According to FisherHeck, the project’s architecture firm, the project also includes construction of a small chapel and 15,000-square-foot multipurpose building, which is expected to house a nursery, bookstore and meeting rooms.  The budget for construction is listed by FisherHeck as $11.5 million.  Messages left with Concordia were not returned.  The master plan and image of the completed sanctuary can be viewed at www.fisherheck.com/concordia.html.
 
Further down Loop 1604, another large church is anticipating a future expansion as well.  In March, shortly after announcing the Cornerstone Church was now completely debt-free, Pastor John Hagee wrote in the parish newsletter, “We are praying for God to help us to ‘enlarge our territory’ beginning with an educational building for our children from the ages of birth to age 6.  We needed this building yesterday.  When we have the cash in hands we will begin.”
 
Founded in 1975, Cornerstone has grown to more than 17,000 members.  The property at the corner of Loop 1604 and Stone Oak Parkway already houses two educational buildings, a 5,000-seat sanctuary and administrative offices.