HOUSTON CHRONICLE ARCHIVES 

Paper: Houston Chronicle
Date: THU 05/31/01
Section: HOUSTON
Page: 1
Edition: 2 STAR

Destiny's Child members give back to church

By MICHAEL D. CLARK, TARA DOOLEY
Staff

Correct: CORRECTION: The photo that accompanied this story was incorrectly credited to Knight-Ridder Tribune. Unpublished correction 6/1/01.

Destiny's Child may have sold 10 million albums on its way to international stardom, but the women of the R&B group haven't forgotten their roots.

Beyonce Knowles and Kelly Rowland, the remaining original members of the Houston-based group, recently gave $500,000 to their home church, St. John's Downtown.

"The church has always been there for us, and we just wanted to give back, both to it and the community," Destiny's Child manager Mathew Knowles said Wednesday, speaking on behalf of his daughter and Rowland. "For us it goes back to family unity. St. John's is part of our family."

The money was given to the church for general use but has been earmarked for a new all-purpose gymnasium. A name for the new facility hasn't been finalized, but one being considered is the Knowles and Rowland Center for Youth at St. John's Downtown.

Though hardly the average collection plate fare, the gift was not the largest single donation the church has received, said Rudy Rasmus , pastor of the United Methodist Church on Crawford Street.

But the bounty was no surprise, he said Wednesday.

"These folk, they were generous people long before they experienced this success, and their pattern for giving has been consistent over the nine years they have been part of the church," Rasmus said. "Because of their success and blessings they were just able to give more."

Rasmus has known the two women since they were children, arriving for services with their parents, he said. As adults, the singers still blend into the Sunday church crowd when they are in Houston, he said.

"When they come to church, they just come to church," the pastor said. "They grab a seat in the pew and worship God like the person sitting next to them. It is pretty cool."

Mathew Knowles said St. John's is one of the last places the Grammy winners can go without being mobbed by fans.

"The ladies make it a point, whenever possible, to catch a flight and be back for church at St. John's no matter where they are," he said. "It's a place they can go, praise God and cry. It's a safe haven."

Like Destiny's Child, St. John's Downtown has its own success story. When Rasmus and his wife, Juanita, arrived at the church in 1992, there were only nine members and a neighborhood inhabited mostly by homeless. Today, the church draws its 5,000 members from throughout the Houston area.

Mathew Knowles said his family, including wife Tina and younger daughter Solange, and Rowland were among the original families that helped revitalize the once struggling congregation nine years ago.

The 10,000-square-foot youth center will be built on church property on Crawford Street. Construction is expected to begin in about 30 days and be completed in five months, Rasmus said. The gym will feature basketball courts and a fitness center and will be open to the public.

"Our policy is barrier-free - if you show up, you can participate," Rasmus said.

St. John's Downtown    2019 Crawford    Houston, TX 77002    (713) 659-3237    (713) 659 2236 Fax