When Cody and Karen Moore moved to Bellaire in 2004, they were driving long distances to a church in First Colony. With their son approaching youth group age, they needed a local church where Sunday and Wednesday attendance would be sustainable. They visited our CityRise Bellaire campus once and never left.

The appeal was immediate and deeply relational. They kept running into neighbors from school and sports, which helped establish a powerful sense of local community. Their children loved coming to church and never had to be dragged into the building. Cody notes that the environment fostered a space where his family felt like they could plug in because it was full of neighbors and friends.

Challenged to Adopt, Empowered to Serve

The power of community extended into major life decisions. The Moores were challenged by other couples within the church to consider adoption. What started as contemplation became a work of God, resulting in an amazing blessing to their family. They credit the community for carrying them through the adoption journey, even providing a friend who was walking simultaneously through the same adoption process.

Cody’s commitment to giving back stems from a powerful mentorship legacy. He didn't grow up in the church, but neighbors brought him along, paid for camps, and ensured he participated in everything. He was struck by the generosity of those families, not just financially, but through their time and mentorship. Those experiences were his core motivators for service today—a way to repay the "aggressively kind" love shown to him as a young boy.

The Investment for a Thriving Church

Karen follows a similar legacy of service. She is inspired by her mother, who taught Sunday school for fifty years. Following in her mother’s footsteps, she has now taught children on Sundays here for almost twenty years and volunteered with VBS for fifteen, seeing the fruit of all that service in her life and in the lives of those she has taught.

For the Moores, financial giving is an act of faith in a faithful God. They believe the promise is true: "What we give comes back to us in droves.” They see the church's robust financial situation as a blessing that is not accidental. The purpose of this strength is to allow the church to be on the move—to invest in planting churches, supporting our community, and pouring into others who need it, filling the gaps where individual members might lack the bandwidth for time or hospitality. The Moores know that our church family has been positioned to achieve great things for the Kingdom, and they are honored to play a part in what God is doing next at CityRise.