HOUSTON, Texas – A new 450,000-square-foot Kingdom Builders' Center affiliated with the Windsor Village United Methodist Church led by Kirbyjon Caldwell, is now under construction. According to a news release, the new center–on 42 acres in southwest Houston–will include a family life center, a 7,000-seat sanctuary, and a host of retail and civic components intended to transform the under-served area.

"God is blessing our land with tremendous opportunities for jobs, new locally-owned businesses, empowering programs to help transform lives in southwest Houston," Caldwell said.

The 234-acre project will offer commercial, cultural, economic, educational, recreational, social, and spiritual benefits. More than 60 percent of the employment opportunities created by the Kingdom Builders' Center will be made available to underemployed low- to moderate-income residents from the surrounding communities.

Funding on the estimated $60 million project comes from a mix of private and public sources, including pledges from members of Windsor Village United Methodist Church and a $1.25 million grant from the U.S. Department of Commerce's Economic Development Administration.

The M.D. Anderson Foundation is funding a state-of-the-art Therapeutic Play & Learn Center, and a local bank consortium led by Amegy Bank will provide debt financing for the history-making Kingdom Builders' Center. According to a news release, the consortium includes: Whitney, JP Morgan Chase, Frost and Encore banks.

The Houston Zoo is sponsoring an aviary with Macaws and other birds, and there will be an aquarium, a carousel, a 2-story slide, coffee shop and bookstore.

The Kingdom Builders' Prayer Institute will feature a 900-seat chapel and a 24-hour prayer call center serving local and international needs. The sanctuary in the round features a 350-seat choir loft.

The multi-purpose family life center will play host to classes for children, youth and adults; computer training; fitness activities; athletic tournaments; and special events.

"The building and proposed programs and services have been planned carefully to connect families and people to each other in healthy ways," Caldwell said.

He asked the lead project architects, Morris Architects, to create a welcoming, approachable campus with intimate gathering spaces.

"In keeping with the vision, the new center truly will be a community," said Mark V. Martof, principal with Morris Architects. "With features such as outdoor cafes, basketball courts and a bookstore, the Kingdom Builders' Center creates a town to reflect the role of a healthy community."