JESSE DAVIS / BUILDING COMMITTEE CHAIR / ST. DAVID OF WALES EPISCOPAL CHURCH / DENTON, TX
WHERE TRADITION MEETS TOMORROW
Guided by congregational memory and a call to welcome more worshipers, St. David of Wales brought a new sacred space to life without leaving its past behind.
By RaeAnn Slaybaugh
As you step onto the campus of St. David of Wales Episcopal Church in Denton, Texas, you’ ll find two similar buildings: an elegant, traditional-looking church and an equally sophisticated chapel. Though connected by a sidewalk, they’ re not the same: one is 70 years newer than the other.
If you can’ t tell the difference, that’ s by design.
Aesthetic cohesiveness was a guiding principle for the building team at St. David of Wales. Specifically, leaders aimed to ensure visual connectivity between the original sanctuary and the new one. For an architect, it’ s no small feat to effectively incorporate the appeal and design elements of a historic building with an adjacent new-build. As St. David’ s demonstrates, it takes several key elements: a churchwide shared vision for the ministries-to-be, a high level of congregational buyin and involvement, and just the right architect to bring it all together.
Called home to lead Building Committee Chair Jesse Davis had a front-row seat for the entire journey. His connection to St. David’ s began in the 1990s, when his mother worked as the church secreta ry for more than a decade. Although Davis
10 CHURCH EXECUTIVE | JAN / FEB 2026