Anchor Church resumes Sunday morning services Jan. 9

MCKINNEY - Members of nondenominational Anchor Church are rejoicing in the new year. For the first time since COVID forced them to leave their Sunday-morning-service location at one school in McKinney, Anchor's members resume Sunday morning services Jan. 9. Service time is 10:30 a.m. at Cockrill Middle School, 1351 N. Hardin Blvd., in McKinney.

Jeff Jenkins, senior pastor, recently said Anchor has more than 1,000 members and started in 2015. Most members are from Collin County and the surrounding areas. Members began meeting at Hope Fellowship Church in McKinney since the pandemic hit and forced them to end services at Faubion Middle School in McKinney.

Separately, Anchor recently announced plans to build a new church home at the corner of Bloomdale Road and Community Avenue, part of an $11.5 million project in two phases. Work is expected to begin within days following an unexpected delay, church leaders said today.

Plans call for construction of a 26,200-square-foot church with 600 seats and capacity for 150 children to open sometime in late-2022 on land formerly owned by longtime Collin County residents Jim Jr. and Nedra Williams and A.J. and Gloria Reed. There also will be room for middle and high school students, college students and adults to meet in small groups and host events and for administrative offices and a media and production studio.

The second phase, which could begin in 2022, will expand the church to 55,000 square feet with room to host more than 1,300 adults and 400 children per service. It will include a preschool for 270-300 students and more space for media and production. Church leaders hope to have it completed in mid-2024.

Members donated money for the church to purchase 8.2 acres in July 2019 and the Williams and Reed families donated 2.5 acres. Jim Williams Jr. is chairman of Plano-based LandPlan Development Corp., a land development company. Jenkins said the families want to see the Bloomdale area grow and help position Anchor to grow its ministry.

Church-provided documents show 7,000-10,000 new homes are expected to be built within a 6-mile radius of the church property. Anchor is said to be the first construction project to activate the expansion of Bloomdale toward the future McKinney 380 Bypass.

“We are delighted that the people of Anchor Church chose the corner of Bloomdale and Community for the new facility,” Jim Williams Jr. said. “As this area grows, the church building will be at the center of Collin County in the midst of thousands of homes, retail, offices and apartments.”

Once the land was purchased, church members, who had been meeting at Faubion Middle School for several years until COVID restrictions forced them to stop, immediately began raising money for the building construction. More than $2.5 million was raised as of Dec. 7.