The Rev. Christine Mendoza was installed Aug. 30 as the first female rector of Trinity Episcopal Church in The Woodlands.

Mendoza is the seventh rector to lead the parish, which was founded in 1976 and is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. The Rt. Rev. Jeff W. Fisher of the Episcopal Diocese of Texas presided over the installation at the church's campus on South Panther Creek Drive, Hello Woodlands reported.

The service drew parishioners, visiting clergy and guests. The Rev. Gavin Tomlin, associate rector of Saint Paul's Episcopal Church in Waco, delivered the sermon.

Mendoza officially began her duties on Aug. 2, following an 18-month national search. Trinity's Vestry, the parish governing board, unanimously affirmed the Search Committee's recommendation to call her as rector.

Senior Warden Sam Kneisley praised the choice when the church announced Mendoza's appointment in June. "She is highly qualified, passionate, energetic, strategic, and insightful," Kneisley said. "She brings a vision for building upon the vitality of our parish while honoring Trinity's identity and history."

She is a native Texan. Born in San Antonio, Mendoza returned to the state after nine years leading Church of the Good Shepherd in Burke, Virginia. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Comparative Religious Studies from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a Master of Divinity from Seminary of the Southwest in Austin. Before entering ordained ministry, she worked in software development as a project manager and business analyst.

Mendoza relocated to The Woodlands with her husband, Jonathan, and their daughter.

When she accepted the call in June, Mendoza said she felt blessed and was eager to serve alongside the congregation, describing Trinity as a faith community grounded in love and ready for a new chapter.

Trinity's roots stretch back to Thanksgiving 1976, when the congregation held its first service in Grogan's Mill. George Mitchell, who developed The Woodlands and was an Episcopalian, had encouraged the Diocese of Texas to plant a church in the young community. Early services took place at the Glass Menagerie Restaurant and a storefront next to a skating rink before the parish built its own worship space, according to the church's history page.

The parish has grown to occupy a campus at 3901 South Panther Creek Drive and operates Trinity Episcopal Day School alongside its worship and outreach ministries.

Trinity's next community event is a Blessing of the Animals on Oct. 4 at the South Panther Creek Drive campus.