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We are convinced that Jesus meant for us to make children just as much a priority as he did. He loved them with words of affirmation and with arms open to embrace them. He warned us about putting obstacles in their way that might cause them to miss out on God’s invitation to experience Life in His fullness.
That is why we launched the Whole & Healthy Children Initiative five years ago. That is why we partnered with Children at Risk and several other ministries to launch an annual Week of Prayer for Houston’s Children and Youth four years ago. And that is why we are currently engaged in building a collaborative to mobilize 250,000 who annually volunteer their time and talents For Houston’s Kids.
Today we are asking you to expand your efforts on behalf of the kids of Houston, and to help expand the efforts of those folks with whom you share your life and your faith, by participating in what is now the “extended Week” of Prayer and Service for Houston’s kids from August 11 through August 21, and enlisting others to join you. Here are some things you can do:
1. Have the leaders of your congregation, and of ministries to children and youth, attend the Children’s Summit on Thursday, August 11 from 11am to 1pm at St. Martin’s Episcopal Church on Woodway at Sage just west of the 610 West Loop. You’ll get an update by Dr. Bob Sanborn and Children at Risk on seven crucial areas that are needed by all children in order to be whole and healthy. You’ll also hear inspirational stories of changed lives, and of creative ways others are making an impact in kids today. And we’ll have time for prayer. To get more info and to register for the Children’s Summit, Click here.
2. Engage with friends, co-workers, or your congregation 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 this week 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
- providing a meal during that in-service week for teachers, or
- purchasing and distributing gift cards to teachers for teacher supplies and additional classroom teaching aids that usually come out of their own pockets.
In addition, you can make contributions through existing efforts such as
- participating in one of the many back-to-school supply drives (like the YMCA’s “Operation Backpack,” Katy Christian Ministries’ “Red Apple Program,” Feed the Children’s “Backpacks to Homeless Children,” or those in your neighborhood or workplace; 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.
3. Pray, and get your congregation to pray, in unity with thousands of others for 7 days during the week just before the beginning of the public school’s academic year! A Prayer Guide is available online and by email for you. Click here to download this year's prayer guide.
Let’s make sure the kids and their families see the Light that has shone in our lives, and let’s make sure the Lord hears our cry on behalf of those He holds in His heart and His arms.
“And the King will say, inasmuch as you did it for the least of these, you did it for Me. Come, enter into the joy of your Master!”
Matthew 25:40
Many of you have heard of the invitation for Christians to gather in Houston on August 6 for what is being called “a solemn assembly” – a day of worship, prayer and fasting on behalf of our nation. Some of you know that our staff and Board have had more than a bit of concern about whether to participate in or endorse this gathering. We are writing to tell you that we are going to attend and participate in The Response, with some reservations, and we are inviting you to do the same.
We want to be clear. We believe that it is legitimate (and important!) that those who believe in Jesus Christ choose to convene and pray to God in His name and on the basis of hope in Him. And we certainly see that the Scriptures (and history) tell of times when civic/political leaders initiated requests for people of faith to intercede on behalf of an empire, a nation, a region, a community.
Our concerns about this particular gathering were primarily threefold:
1. Is this call to prayer primarily a political ploy by one or more prominent elected officials to curry the favors and subsequent votes of the nation’s Christ followers?
2. Is this really intended to be a non-partisan gathering of the Christian community for prayer, or is this really intended for those Christians whose views largely coincide with only one political party and will result in more rhetoric than repentance?
3. Maybe most crucial to us: is this a gathering where we Christians will repent of those things we have done, and those things we have failed to do, which have resulted in the brokenness and injustices that exist within our nation, or will we be led to engage in pointing out and denouncing the sins and failures of others?
This is what we have done, and what we have concluded.
We have engaged in several lengthy conversations with other leaders in Houston with whom we have partnered through the years, and whose hearts we trust. We have expressed as clearly as possible our concerns, and we have been transparent about the level of cynicism we have based on some prior events that were supposed to be focused on united prayer and repentance. We have also listened, and discovered that many of the other leaders in Houston share at least some of our concerns … and some have taken actions to try to insure that The Response is non-political, non-partisan, and without finger-pointing to those outside the Body of Christ.
While we do not have a level of trust in Governor Perry nor the sponsors of the The Response (none of whom we know personally), we do trust these leaders in the city … not all of whom we agree with on everything, but with whom we gladly stand in hopes of the transformation of our city through “the whole church taking the whole gospel to the whole city.” These leaders, ranging in ethnicity from African to Asian to native American to Euro-caucasian, and ranging in political alliance from Democrat to Libertarian to independent to Republican, are choosing to participate in The Response. And because one of our own core values and core convictions is the relational and functional unity of the Body of Christ, we are going to participate as well.
We have urged the organizers, and Gov. Perry’s office, to not have the Governor speak at The Response, nor to be on the platform, in order to avoid any suspicion of duplicity or mixed motives because of the swirl of speculation about his possible candidacy to be a nominee for President of the United States. We cannot guarantee this will happen. But we have been assured that if he does speak (and he did extend the call to gather) he will not state anything on that day other than his conviction that our hope as a nation is for the intervention of God.
Further, our good friend Doug Stringer has been invited to be one of the two emcee “managers” of the event. Doug cannot guarantee that nothing will be said or prayed that isn’t laced with some level of partisan politics nor some level of judgment. But he has assured us that if any speaker or prayer leader ventures into those areas he intends to humbly, and as graciously as he knows how, step forward and redirect what is being said and restore our focus to prayer and to repentance for the failures of those of us who claim to follow Christ Jesus and say we want His Kingdom of love to come and His will of shalom for all to be done on earth as it is in heaven.
We hope you will join us. And we urge you, whether you choose to come and participate or not, to please join us in praying for Doug and the other leaders of The Response, that this event will indeed be one of united prayer and praise and repentance, and will bring amendment of life within the Body of Christ and within our nation.
For more information about The Response, click here.
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