Last updated on May 16, 2025
Rockwall, TX – May 15, 2025 – Redeemer Rockwall, a Presbyterian church located right off the square, has begun extensive renovations to its building, the site of worship in downtown for more than 100 years.
The work is being done in two phases, and the first has already started, including the construction of new restrooms and plans for a foyer and a fellowship hall called The Commons. The second phase, scheduled to be completed in February 2026, will remodel the sanctuary itself.
“Where we worship matters – it’s where heaven and earth meet,” Senior Pastor Zach Pummill said.
The renovation has three key objectives:
• Extend hospitality. Hospitality, in a biblical sense, is more than southern friendliness – it’s a Gospel-driven openness to outsiders. By expanding and reconfiguring the cramped interior, the church will provide a more welcoming environment.
• Grow in worship. Not only does the church want to enlarge the sanctuary and enhance its beauty, it also wants to eventually offer more services during the week.
• Invest in mission. Redeemer partners with churches in India and Malawi and supports the Genesis Child Development Center in Rowlett. Redeemer leaders decided not to pursue a new campus, which would cost millions, so the church could continue funding missions even as it makes room for more people.
The goal is to prepare the historic building for the future while honoring its past. First Baptist Church of Rockwall built the sanctuary at the corner of Rusk and San Augustine streets in 1908 and worshipped there until 1970. Our Lady of the Lake Catholic Church and then Lakeshore, a nondenominational church, occupied the building for many years.
Redeemer, then called Trinity Harbor Church, moved into its current home in 2004. After changing its name to Rockwall Presbyterian Church, it merged with Christ Covenant Church of Mesquite in 2019 to form Redeemer Rockwall, a Presbyterian Church in America congregation.
Growth accelerated after the merger, mirroring the growth of Rockwall County. Today, Redeemer has more than 400 members, about triple its size a few years ago. It draws families from not only Rockwall but also Fate, Royse City, Lavon, Wylie, Greenville, Forney, Rowlett and beyond to its 9:30 and 11 a.m. Sunday services.
When church leaders decided to begin renovations and launch a fundraising drive, they decided to call it the “HOME” campaign. The name carries a dual significance, emphasizing both the church building and the church family.
“God has given us a church home – this building in the heart of our community – and a home in each other,” Pummill said.
The first phase has already been funded at a cost of $380,000, including upgrades to electrical and heating/ventilation/air conditioning systems. The church has begun raising funds for the estimated $750,000 cost of the second phase.
Plans call for the first phase to be completed and the second to begin this August, with the grand opening in February 2026. In the interim, church services will be held at nearby Dobbs Elementary School.
This second phase focuses on the sanctuary. Redeemer is working with Jon Buell, a designer of church interiors and a long-time Presbyterian elder, to ensure that the changes are aesthetically pleasing and conducive to worship.
The plan is to remove the rear wall and absorb the current quiet room and conference room at the back into the worship hall. The fixed wooden pews will be replaced by individual attached chairs or new pews that are sectioned, enabling the church to increase its seating capacity by roughly 40 percent, to 299, in a cost-efficient way while conforming to fire codes.
Other planned improvements to the sanctuary include:
• Removing the ceiling tiles to reveal the wood-slat ceiling.
• Replacing the carpeting with hardwood floors.
• Installing new lighting to honor the period architecture while improving illumination.
• Reconfiguring the stage to improve sightlines and function.
“The plan is a sanctuary that feels simultaneously hospitable and awe-inspiring – a fitting place to encounter the living God each week,” Executive Pastor Ricky Allegretto, chairman of the HOME campaign, said.
Submitted by Julie Meyer, Redeemer Rockwall
