History of San Antonio Southeast church of Christ
Southeast originated back in the early 1950s as an outreach initiative of the Harlandale church of Christ. Property was purchased at the corner of Burkedale Boulevard and Meeks Avenue in the Highland Hills subdivision of San Antonio. This new congregation assumed the name of Highland Hills church of Christ. The first worship assembly met on July 1, 1951 with an attendance around 100 people and a collected contribution of $192.32. Highland Hills continued truthfully and faithfully and our Lord continued to bless their efforts. As a result of bearing good fruit they were able to generate a construction project in February 1952 which blessed them with 5 additional classrooms and a baptistry.
Progressively, because of their dedicated efforts and God giving the increase, the congregation continued to grow and more space was needed. In 1956, the auditorium was enlarged and more classrooms were constructed stimulating even more growth which spearheaded the construction of a new Bible School Annex just 3 years later. Blessings and growth continued to flow leading to a move to a new facility at 422 Pennystone Avenue that was completed in 1966. Each time, construction created more space that sparked more growth, and in 1972, another 3,000 square feet of classroom space was added.
Consequently, due to changes in the demographics and expansion in the city over time, the Highland Hills church of Christ and Houston Terrace church of Christ merged. As a result of the merger, Southeast church of Christ was established and the first assembly was on May 4, 1986. Southeast continued to meet at the Pennystone Avenue location until February 5, 2003, which marked the beginning of our joint assemblies with Harlandale church of Christ that lasted until September 11, 2005.
Moreover, after careful discussion, consideration, and a corporate meeting with the congregation, Southeast decided to make plans to locate new property and build a new facility. However, construction of the new facility had not begun when an offer to sell the Pennystone Avenue facility was presented by a prospective buyer, and as a result, the facility was sold. Southeast then moved in with the Harlandale congregation until our new building was completed and consequently the two congregations met together for the next 31 months.
Construction was now completed and it was time to move to our new facility at 5860 US Highway 87 East, however, it was a time of mixed emotions. One of joy and excitement because of the opportunity to start fresh in a new facility, but also one of sadness with having to leave our Harlendale brethren. The impact left Harlandale with too few in their membership to financially continue on. They decided to close their doors as we opened ours at our current facility and some of their members chose to move and become a part of Southeast. The first worship assembly on September 11, 2005, had an attendance of 173, a contribution of $3,399.00 and members listened to the first sermon titled “Are You Really Ready?” from Luke 22:31-33.
San Antonio Southeast church of Christ has a blessed and rich history built on faith and the actions of many christians who have laid the groundwork through dedication and sacrifice. This has given us the impetus to continue to walk in the light on God’s path of righteousness endeavoring to seek and save the lost and keep our saved members saved to God’s honor and glory.