Watermark Community Church started in 1999, so this year, we’re celebrating 25 years of the Lord’s faithfulness and goodness right here in Dallas. What started in a living room has grown to something only the Lord could build, transform, and continue.
This fall, we’re celebrating those 25 years with 25 stories in different ways—films, podcasts, stories of grace, and more. From the Watermark name and logo to the chuck wagon (IYKYK) and baptism celebrations at the park, we’re digging up the origin stories, unforgettable memories, and a few embarrassing old family photos. Think of it as a stroll down memory lane or a really fun history lesson. Follow along with all of 25 stories.
Watermark’s heart throughout the years has been to foster a place of authenticity. That’s continued through testimonies and stories of God’s grace. This week, Kirk and Cathy McJunkin—who were one of the founding families at Watermark—are sharing how the Lord has moved and transformed their lives.
Cathy: “At seven years old, through a Bible club, my heart was ready to understand Christ’s sacrifice and my need for Him to be my Savior. I prayed to receive Him and continued to grow up in a great, Bible-teaching church. But as I grew, I also carried deep pain with me. While my family and parents professed Christianity, my father was physically and sexually abusive, so home became a very confusing place for me. I kept my abuse buried and to myself because it was too painful to share. But Christ would carry me through my teenage years and into marriage with a strong foundation in His Word.”
Kirk: “From youth, my heart has had an incredible appetite for affirmation.
Achievement and performance in athletics were my means to receive affirmation. I was raised in church, but it wasn’t until a youth group ski trip in high school that the gospel was made clear and I learned that salvation did not come through my works but through a transfer of trust to the sacrificial work of Christ on the cross.
“However, my relationship with Christ wasn’t solidified until college. While playing football at the University of Texas, I needed surgery on my ankle, which left me unable to play, and off the depth charts. I remember feeling like a failure with no self-worth. I was depressed and completely lost. I called myself a Christian, but I felt no contentment or peace. My entire identity was tied up in football, a game, believing it was going to make me happy. The Lord used the void in my heart to help me see that recognition and worldly success, with any activity, are unstable and temporary at best. With my self-worth tied to circumstances, I knew it needed to be Christ.
“When we married in the fall of ’88, we immediately experienced many stressors. Career changes, moving, high-risk pregnancy, four kids in five years, and working in a complex family business. It was high tide. We were learning just how hard marriage really is. Thankfully, with our shared love for the Lord, foundation in His Word, and great friends, we realized that a great marriage wasn’t the absence of conflict but how we work through the conflict, letting it grow us and our dependence on the Lord.”
C: “Early in our marriage, I realized it was time to confront my father about my abuse as a child. I knew that I had to forgive my father because my good and perfect God had extended forgiveness to me through His life, death, and resurrection. Through ministries at Watermark like re:generation, formerly Celebrate Recovery, and Courageous Hope, formerly Shelter, the Lord brought me healing and helped me look at my own sin patterns. I had a new appreciation for 2 Corinthians 12:9, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore, I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.’”
K: “During the busyness of raising a young family, we joined a small group and experienced the benefit of living in authentic community, while also seeing the tragedy of people struggling alone in isolation. It was apparent we needed a safe place for strugglers to come, regardless of their sin and past choices. In 1999, nine families started praying and planning a new work, to encourage and help people experience Jesus, biblical community, and be discipled in a new way. You know that work as Watermark Community Church.
“Reflecting on my struggles, our marriage, family, and career, I’ve seen the beautiful story God writes through our trials.
“I often feel like I can only see the backside of a tapestry and the unrecognizable mess. We’ve walked through challenges, but God has been faithful to meet all our needs and restore contentment and occasionally, God lets me see the tapestry. He’s used me to encourage other men with their marriages and families. He’s used Cathy to lead and disciple countless women who’ve had similar experiences.”
C: “Scripture reminds us that He will never leave or forsake us, and in our lives, that is very real and very tangible. God is there, and He’s shown Himself in the smallest and biggest of ways. It’s amazing to watch His story unfold. Whether it's community, our kids, each other, God’s Word, or this church, we are reminded of His presence.”
K: “Since Watermark’s start 25 years ago, I am overwhelmed with opportunities to see God’s faithfulness. It’s present in my life, my family, and the many ministries on this campus. Often, I come to our campus and pause. Seeing the ministries restores waning hope as I’m encouraged by His faithfulness. We still can’t believe all God has done through you, the church, and allowed us to be a part.”