Courtesy Howard Hughes Corporation Houston's First Baptist Church will start construction on a Cypress campus in Bridgeland in January.[/caption]

After operating for two-and-a-half years in the Cypress area at a temporary campus at Smith Middle School, Houston’s First Baptist Church has plans to build its own campus in the Bridgeland master-planned community.

Church officials announced Oct. 9 they purchased 32.4 acres for their new home near the Grand Parkway and Bridgeland Creek Parkway, where the future site of a Cy-Fair ISD’s multischool campus is being planned.

“The temporary venue at [Smith Middle School] has been great, but we look forward to expanding out ministry and our presence in this community,” said Steven Murray, director of communications for Houston’s First.

Construction is expected to start on the first phase of the campus in January. The 100,000-square-foot facility will include a 1,300-seat worship center and an education center for life Bible study and other classroom space for infants through adults.

“How we use the rest of the space in later phases hasn’t been laid out yet, but the worship center will be expandable, allowing us to add more seats in the future,” Murray said.

Residents interested in learning more about Houston’s First can attend weekly worship services or life Bible studies at Smith Middle School, 10300 Warner Smith Blvd., on Sundays at 9:30 a.m. and 11:00 a.m.

The first phase of construction is expected to be completed and open to the public in February 2017. The design and architecture of the building will be complementary to the aesthetics of the Katy Prairie, officials said.

“We are excited to welcome Houston’s First Baptist Church to Bridgeland as our second place of worship, paving the way for more congregations,” said Peter Houghton, vice president of master-planned communities for Bridgeland.