Kroger Meyerland and St. John's Presbyterian: Two Community Anchors Serving Houston's 77035 Neighborhood

If you live in the Meyerland, Westbury, or Bellaire areas of Houston, you know the Kroger at West Bellfort and South Post Oak. It's the landmark that tells you you're almost home when you exit the 610 loop. It's where you grab groceries on Sunday afternoon, fill up your tank on the way to work, and run into neighbors in the produce section.

Right down the street at 5020 West Bellfort Avenue sits another neighborhood anchor: St. John's Presbyterian Church. We've been serving this community since 1956, and over the decades, I've noticed something interesting. The role Kroger Meyerland plays in meeting your physical needs mirrors what a healthy church should provide for your spiritual life.

That might sound like an odd comparison, but stay with me. Both institutions exist to nourish the community, just in different ways. And understanding how they complement each other might change how you think about what you really need each week.

Where Physical and Spiritual Nourishment Meet

Every week, you make time to shop for groceries. You plan your meals, check your pantry, make a list, and head to Kroger. You wouldn't dream of going weeks without food shopping. Your body needs consistent nourishment, and you prioritize getting it.

Your spirit needs the same consistency.

At St. John's, we gather every Sunday at 11:00 AM for worship, and we offer Bible study at 9:30 AM on Sunday mornings. We have Tuesday women's groups, Wednesday men's studies, and Sunday afternoon Zoom sessions. These aren't just programs filling our calendar. They're spiritual meals that feed your soul the same way those groceries from Kroger feed your body.

Jesus said something profound when he was tempted in the wilderness: "Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God." He wasn't dismissing the importance of physical bread. He was pointing out that we're more than just bodies. We're spiritual beings who need spiritual nourishment just as urgently as we need physical food.

The problem is that while we can feel physical hunger immediately, spiritual hunger often sneaks up on us. You miss a few weeks of worship, and you feel fine. You skip Bible study for a month, and your daily routine continues. But slowly, something in you starts running on empty. You feel it in your relationships, in how you handle stress, in the questions that keep you up at night.

That's when people often realize they've been feeding their bodies while starving their spirits.

Fueling Up for the Week Ahead

The Kroger Meyerland location has a fuel center right there at 4975 West Bellfort Avenue. It's convenient. You're already getting groceries, so you might as well fill your tank. You know you can't run your car on an empty tank, and you plan accordingly.

Your spirit needs fuel too.

Worship on Sunday morning isn't just a nice tradition or a weekly obligation. It's where we fill our spiritual tanks for the week ahead. When we sing together, when we pray together, when we hear Scripture preached and explained, when we share communion once a month, something real happens. We're drawing strength from a source bigger than ourselves.

I've been pastoring in Houston for years, and I can always tell when someone's been running on spiritual fumes. They're exhausted by things that shouldn't exhaust them. They're anxious about situations they can't control. They're feeling isolated even when they're surrounded by people. They've been trying to make it through their week on willpower alone, and they're discovering it's not enough.

The biblical word for this is "rest." Not lazy rest, but the kind of deep soul-rest that comes from connecting with God and his people. Jesus invited people who were "weary and heavy-laden" to come to him for rest. That invitation still stands every Sunday at St. John's.

At our church, you won't find entertainment-focused worship or programs designed to wow you. We offer traditional Presbyterian worship with excellent music, Scripture-centered preaching, and monthly communion. We're not trying to compete with Houston's megachurches. We're trying to create space where your spirit can actually breathe and refuel.

A Place to See Familiar Faces

Here's what I love about Kroger Meyerland: you run into people you know. You're picking out bananas, and you see your neighbor from down the street. You're waiting in the checkout line, and you chat with someone from your kid's school. The store becomes a community gathering place without even trying to be one.

St. John's works the same way, except it's intentional.

When you walk into our sanctuary on Sunday morning, people know your name. Not because we're small enough that everyone knows everyone, though our congregation of about 75 regular attendees on Sunday mornings does make that easier. But because we've made a commitment to actually see each other. To remember what you shared last week. To ask how that situation turned out. To notice when you're absent and follow up.

This is what we mean when we talk about authentic Christian community. You're not anonymous. You're known. You're needed for the contributions only you can make. You're missed when you're not there.

In Houston's megachurch culture, it's entirely possible to attend a church of 5,000 people for years and never have a single meaningful conversation. You can sit in the balcony, sing the songs, hear the sermon, and leave without anyone knowing you were there. For some people, that anonymity feels safe. For others, it feels lonely.

At St. John's, we believe Jesus didn't call us to anonymous attendance. He called us to actual relationship. The early church met in homes, shared meals together, knew each other's struggles, and carried each other's burdens. That's not possible in an auditorium with thousands of people. It requires the kind of intimate community that a church like ours can offer.

We're located at 5020 West Bellfort Avenue, less than a five-minute drive from Kroger Meyerland. When you're heading home after grocery shopping, you pass right by us. Next time you do, consider stopping in on a Sunday. See what it's like to worship in a place where you're not just a face in the crowd.

Different Needs, Different Provisions

Kroger Meyerland is open daily from 6:00 AM to 11:00 PM. They understand that people need groceries at different times and for different reasons. Someone's shopping for a week's worth of meals. Someone else just needs milk for tomorrow's coffee. The store meets you where you are.

St. John's approaches spiritual needs with the same flexibility.

We offer Sunday morning Bible study at 9:30 AM for people who want to dig deeper into Scripture before worship. Our Sunday afternoon Zoom sessions work for people with complicated schedules. Tuesday women's groups provide space for the specific questions and challenges women face. Wednesday men's intensive studies give men a place for honest conversation about faith and life.

Some people come to everything. Others come to Sunday worship and one Bible study. What matters isn't checking boxes on a church activity list. What matters is that you're consistently feeding your spirit, connecting with God's people, and growing in your faith.

The Apostle Paul wrote to the church in Corinth about how Christians are like different parts of one body. We each have different gifts, different needs, different ways of serving. But we all need the same basic spiritual nourishment: worship, Scripture, prayer, and fellowship with other believers.

At St. John's, we provide all four of those things every single week. Not because we're trying to keep people busy, but because we know what it takes to sustain a healthy spiritual life in a city that pulls you in a hundred directions.

Beyond Consumption to Contribution

Here's where the Kroger comparison breaks down a bit, and that's actually important.

At Kroger, you're primarily a consumer. You shop, you pay, you take your groceries home. The store exists to provide goods and services, and you exist to purchase them. That's a perfectly fine arrangement for grocery shopping.

But church doesn't work that way. Or at least, it shouldn't.

At St. John's, we're not consumers gathering to receive religious goods and services. We're a community of disciples learning to follow Jesus together and serve our neighbors in his name. Yes, we come to receive spiritual nourishment. But we also come to give, to serve, to use our gifts for something bigger than ourselves.

This is where our church's mission focus comes in. We partner with Presbyterian Children's Homes and Services to provide housing for single-parent families. We support Braes Interfaith Ministries food pantry. We maintain an 18-bed community garden that provides fresh produce for our neighborhood. We support an orphanage in Uganda. We minister to international seafarers through the Houston International Seafarers Center.

These aren't programs we run to make ourselves feel good. They're how we live out what Jesus actually taught: that faith without works is dead, that loving God means loving our neighbors, that the kingdom of God breaks into the world when his people get their hands dirty serving those in need.

When you become part of St. John's, you're not just signing up for weekly worship services. You're joining a community that's trying to make a real difference in Houston. You're using your gifts alongside other people's gifts to do things none of us could do alone.

The Practical Details

Let me give you the information you need if you're thinking about visiting.

Kroger Meyerland is located at 10306 South Post Oak Road, right at the corner of West Bellfort and Post Oak, just off the 610 loop near Rice Stadium. When you're coming from the north on 610, you'll exit at West Bellfort. When you see the Kroger, you know you're in the right neighborhood.

St. John's Presbyterian Church is at 5020 West Bellfort Avenue, less than a mile west of that Kroger. Same exit off 610, just keep going west on Bellfort. We've been right here since 1956, serving the Meyerland, Westbury, and surrounding communities.

Our Sunday worship service is at 11:00 AM. We practice traditional Presbyterian worship with hymns, Scripture readings, a sermon, and monthly communion. Our music ministry is excellent. Our preaching is Scripture-centered and practical. Our people are genuinely welcoming without being overwhelming.

If you want to try out a Bible study before committing to Sunday worship, our Sunday morning class at 9:30 AM is a great place to start. It's a mixed group of people studying Scripture together, asking honest questions, and learning from each other.

You can reach our church office at (713) 723-6262 or email us at office.sjpc@gmail.com. If you have questions about what to expect, what to wear, where to park, or anything else, just call. We're happy to help you feel comfortable visiting.

What Your Spirit Actually Needs

I started this article comparing Kroger to church, and I want to end by pushing back on that comparison just a bit.

Grocery shopping is important, but it's ultimately optional. You could order groceries online. You could eat at restaurants. You could meal prep once a week and never set foot in a grocery store. There are lots of ways to feed your body.

But there aren't shortcuts for feeding your spirit.

You can't download spiritual maturity. You can't binge-watch your way to faith. You can't subscribe to a service that will make you a disciple of Jesus. Spiritual growth requires what it's always required: regular worship, consistent time in Scripture, honest prayer, and real relationships with other believers who will challenge you, encourage you, and walk with you.

That's what we offer at St. John's Presbyterian Church. Not programs, not entertainment, not a spiritual version of consumer convenience. We offer authentic Christian community where you can grow in faith, serve in mission, and discover what it means to follow Jesus in 21st-century Houston.

Kroger Meyerland will take care of your groceries and gas. We'll take care of something deeper: your soul's hunger for purpose, community, and connection with God.

Both matter. Both serve essential needs in your life. And both are right here in your neighborhood, ready to serve you.

The question is: which need have you been neglecting?

If you've been feeding your body while starving your spirit, this Sunday at 11:00 AM would be a great time to change that. We'll be here at 5020 West Bellfort Avenue, right down the street from that Kroger you already know so well, ready to welcome you home.

Peace,

Pastor Jon Burnham

St. John's Presbyterian Church
5020 West Bellfort Avenue
Houston, TX 77035
(713) 723-6262
office.sjpc@gmail.com
Sunday Worship: 11:00 AM | Bible Study: 9:30 AM