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Services offer spiritual, cultural connection for suburban black families
11:25 AM CDT on Wednesday, June 29, 2005
When the Oz family discovered North Dallas Community Bible Fellowship in
Richardson, it knew it had found a church home.
"It was a very warm and accepting environment," said Mondrell Oz, a west
Plano mother of three whose husband, Dr. Orhan K. Oz, is a radiologist
on the faculty at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at
Dallas. "That's what we were looking for, something that felt like a
very loving extended family."
With a predominantly black membership, North Dallas Community is a
spiritual and cultural haven for people like the Oz family who live in
predominantly white suburbs.
"I'd be remiss living anywhere if I didn't make sure that my kids were
exposed to people like me as well," said Ms. Oz, an Atlanta native. "I
would love it if the church was more diverse. ... But people just go
where more people are like themselves."
Founded in 1989 with 30 families, North Dallas Community got its name
because North Dallas is where church leaders intended the church to be
before they found the Richardson site.
More than 1,600 families now worship there. Many of the adults are
white-collar professionals from Plano, Frisco, Allen and McKinney.
The Rev. Leslie Smith, 57, who earned his doctorate from Dallas
Theological Seminary, has led North Dallas Community since its beginning.
Ms. Oz credits God and the senior pastor for the church's success. She
said Dr. Smith has a "unique ability to speak to the hearts of people in
a way that is engaging, biblically sound and pertinent to today's issues
affecting the family."
His sermons are "never off the cuff," Ms. Oz said. Church services –
which begin on time – last no more than 90 minutes. Members are sent
quarterly giving statements, the church's books are audited annually,
and members who ask can review the church's financial records.
That businesslike approach appeals to many of the time-pressed doctors,
lawyers and managers in North Dallas Community's pews.
Dr. Smith, who came late to the ministry after 25 years as a software
developer and manager, said layoffs in the high-tech sector and other
challenges have prompted more soul-searching and a return to the church
by many professionals.
"People aren't as sure about the American dream anymore," he said,
adding that those with children also are seeking something more
substantial for their offspring. "Our vision is to be a spiritual oasis
for a thirsty world."
Space at North Dallas Community's three Sunday services often is tight.
The church's main sanctuary seats about 600.
To relieve overcrowding, the church plans to build an $11 million
facility in 2006 on a 12-acre site in Richardson. Dr. Smith is confident
that members have the financial means to make that happen.
"We're not a church that pledges," he said. "We simply identify the
need, and people give."
In April, about 100 North Dallas Community members were sent north to
Collin County to start a church in a far east Plano storefront –
Northeast Bible Church. It draws residents from Wylie, Sachse, Murphy
and the broader Plano area.
"We can't build enough to accommodate what we anticipate in growth," Dr.
Smith said.
E-mail lsball@dallasnews.com
