National Day of Prayer 2011

National Day of Prayer 2011

May 5th, 2011 - 12pm to 1pm

Houston City Hall, 900 Bagby Street

Join us for one hour of worship and focused prayer our Nation.

Faithwalking in the Baptist University of the Americas

I am grateful to God for Faithwalking. My experience as a Christian spans four decades, which includes fifteen years as a pastor, nine years as a Practical Theology professor, and earning advanced theological degrees. Yet the spiritual and relational impact that Faithwalking has had on me rivals anything I’ve encountered up to this time. Because of Faithwalking 101 and 201, I was able to understand why I keep on repeating the same destructive behavioral patterns that undermine my relationships with God, family, friends, and peers. I was able to see why I stopped myself from progressing spiritually and professionally. Any program or ministry is only as good as the people who do it. I am grateful for the guidance of people like Jim Herrington, Randy Schroeder, Todd and Denise McCombs, Steve Capper and Trisha Taylor. They showed me that to be transparent, to be vulnerable, and to admit one’s weaknesses and sinfulness empowers others to be open to the Spirit of God to bring about healing. I was encouraged by their example to do the same.

Through Faithwalking I became aware that my woundedness as a child led me to three vows that made survival possible but undermined my calling as a Christian. I made a vow to be a coward, to be a bully and to be self-righteous (Pharisee). I know that this sounds contradictory, but if we were able to sit down and I could explain in more detail, it would make complete sense. As a result of Faithwalking I was able to turn to God and my fellow Christians for help. I was able to strengthen my relationships with my wife, my three grown sons, and move in areas in my professional life that I would not have previously pursued.

Through Faithwalking I became aware that too many of us Christian leaders are pursuing the American dream rather than the Kingdom of God. A quote from Faithwalking 201 says, “It is the fundamental assertion of Faithwalking that the Christian community in our culture has replaced Jesus’ vision for humanity with a dummied down vision of what it means to be human – a western, materialistic, capitalistic, vision that is driven by fear, ease, and convenience. It is a vision that has its roots in democracy and 51% majorities rather than in a Kingdom where salt and light transform.”

I believe this is one of the major reasons we don’t see the kind of results we would like to see in the church today. Faithwalking is a call to return to the truth of what it means to be a disciple of Jesus Christ. It provides a format that incorporates the vital aspects of following Jesus: obedience to Jesus Christ as Lord, commitment to a missional community, and fostering a reflective lifestyle.

I got involved with Faithwalking through my brother, Andy Ramos. Andy is a good friend of Todd McCombs, one of the board members of Mission Houston who helped begin this ministry. It made such a difference in Andy’s life that he recommended it to me. I went and haven’t been the same.

Beginning this fall of 2011, we will be offering Faithwalking as course at the Baptist University of the Americas, San Antonio, Texas. Most of our students are preparing for the “ministry.” I became interested in teaching Faithwalking as a course because of what happened to one of our alumnus. The pressures and the anxieties of being a pastor can be overwhelming. The young graduate took a pastorate after graduation. Four years later he had quit the pastorate and moved out of his house, leaving his wife and three children behind. He eventually divorced his wife. This is someone I personally knew and mentored while he was attending our school. No one anticipated this happening, even his wife. Apparently, there were a number of serious issues that he never talked to me about. I felt badly about graduating a student for the ministry without adequate preparation. My prayer is that Faithwalking will enable ministry students to be healthier people, have a better self-understanding, be more grounded in their relationship with our Lord and their significant others, and be part of a missional community so that, when the stresses and the responsibilities of the ministry come upon them, they will have the resources not only to manage their lives well but also to use those challenges as stepping stones to greater spiritual growth.

I am excited about offering Faithwalking this coming semester and am eager to see what our Lord will do through this wonderful program.


Dr. Mario A. Ramos
Associate Professor
Director of the Christian Service Program
Baptist University of the Americas
San Antonio, TX

Week of Prayer and Service for Our Children and Youth

Save-The-Date

The annual Week of Prayer and Service for Houston's Children and Youth begins with a Faith Community Summit on August 11! The Faith Community Summit is a gathering of leaders who meet in solidarity around our commitment to the well-being of the children of the greater Houston area. In this Summit you will get the most current information available from Dr. Bob Sanborn and CHILDREN AT RISK* on the challenges and needs of children and youth growing up in the Houston area. You will connect to others who have passion, empathy and a desire for justice for our children and youth.  And you will have time to pray, and to consider ways God may have for you and those you lead to become a practical source of Life in the lives of children and youth.

Faith Community Summit
Date: August 11th, 2011
Place: St. Martin’s Episcopal Church
717 Sage Road, Houston, TX 77056-2111
Click here to register for the Summit.
11am-1pm - Summit

Week of Prayer and Service for Our Children and Youth: August 14-20, 2011
The leadership team of the Faith Initiative for Children and Youth, working with local intercessory prayer leaders and utilizing the research provided by CHILDREN AT RISK*, produce a Prayer Guide for the Body of Christ to be assisted in 7 days of informed and united prayer each year during the week prior to the beginning of the public school academic year.  This prayer guide is available online and by email. Click here to download this year's prayer guide.

In addition to praying, this year we are asking Individuals, congregations and ministries, and those whose daily work takes them to private sector businesses and organizations to engage in acts of service on behalf and children and youth during the dates August 12-21.  There are a number of ways you can do this.  For instance, contact the Principal of a local public school in May and ask if you and a group might serve the Administration, Faculty and/or students in a practical way in mid-August by

• having a campus improvement workday project right before school starts, or
• provide a meal during that in-service week for teachers, or
• purchase and distribute gift cards to the teachers that provide teacher supplies from local stores to purchase additional classroom teaching aids.

In addition, you can make a contribution through existing efforts such as

• participating in one of the many back-to-school supply drives (like that sponsored by the YMCA and KSBJ), or
• participating in the efforts of the Houston Food Bank to provide additional food in the neighborhoods with the largest numbers of families lacking adequate nutrition.

These are just a few of the possibilities available for adding to our prayers demonstrations of God's love and of our commitment during the Week of Prayer and Service for Houston's Children and Youth.  It is our hope that many will choose to engage in long term serving, as well, by volunteering during the school year at local schools and in after-school programs near where you work and/or live. 

About The Faith Initiative:

The Faith Initiative is an association of pastors and leaders from congregations and organizations across the Greater Houston Area. You are invited to become a part of this initiative.

Established in February 2008, members of the Faith Initiative and CHILDREN AT RISK* meet to discuss children’s issues, inform one another of local efforts, and explore opportunities for collaboration in prayer, advocacy and service. Striving to build a greater awareness within the faith community and to bring about positive systemic change, the Week of Prayer and Service for Our Children and Youth is a city-wide movement to educate and mobilize individuals across the greater Houston area on behalf of the needs of our children. The Faith Initiative believes that this week of purposeful prayer and service will truly make an impact in the on-going, unfolding process that is needed to help all of our children. The 3rd annual Week of Prayer and Service for Our Children and Youth, in coordination with the Faith Summit, strives to educate and inspire participants to donate their time, resources, or talents to positively impact our youth directly or through advocacy. It also seeks to link up needs with assets that already exist in the community.

* CHILDREN AT RISK is a non-partisan research and advocacy organization dedicated to addressing the root causes of poor public policies affecting children. The organization began in 1989 and has evolved from an organization researching the multitude of obstacles our children face, to one that also drives macro-level change to better the future of our city and state through community education, collaborative action, evidence-based public policy, and advocating for youth at the local and state level.

To learn more about the Faith Initiative or how to join, please email Jim Herrington at jthhou@gmail.com or Laura Nelson at lnelson@childrenatrisk.org.