Mission Houston News and Media

2011 Year-End Letter

2011-12-14T22:39:00.002-06:00

In 2011 we celebrated the anniversary of Martin Luther King’s “I have a dream …“ speech, one of the most inspiring events in U.S. history. Walt Disney knew something about having and following dreams. He counseled, “All our dreams can come true … if we have the courage to pursue them.” And Ben Franklin was convinced that the hopeful future a person can “see” is likely to unfold when “your dreams put on work clothes.”

Mission Houston was birthed in 1997 by dreamers. They believed that the One who taught us to pray “Your Kingdom come and Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven,” and who Himself prayed “Father, I ask that they would be one, even as You and I are one” would answer those prayers. And so they dreamed of the day when …

the members of the Body of Christ in Houston would be united, in spite of and across racial and cultural differences and theological distinctives

our city would experience widespread spiritual and social and economic vitality because the healing, liberating presence and power of God they were asking for in prayer would be intertwined with the selfless and sustained works of Christ-followers on behalf of Houston and its residents.

And ever since then, Mission Houston team members have put on work clothes to pursue these dreams.

LaShondra is a third grader living with her great aunt. She’s never known her mother or father, and has only distant memories of a grandmother who was a crack addict before she died. LaShondra revealed recently that she has become a dreamer – not of becoming the next Beyonce or J Lo, but of becoming a teacher, and a youth league basketball coach. She has the courage to dream, she said, because “my mentor told me she would be there at my high school and college graduation.”

Five years ago the Mission Houston staff and Board spoke of a dream we sensed originated in the heart of God, where every neighborhood, school and community of greater Houston was producing whole and healthy children. In 2006 we gave our word, in launching the Whole & Healthy Children Initiative, that we would put on work clothes in order to follow and cooperate with Him in making that dream come true. We invited fellow dreamers to join us as volunteers in the public schools – specifically as mentors and tutors, as work crews providing campus revitalizations, and as friends of local schools where our love for the staff and hopes for the students would compel us to fervent prayer on their behalf.

Today in 8 public school districts there are multiple congregations collaborating in mentoring and tutoring investments in schools and in kids like LaShondra. There are also multiple congregations sharing in after-school efforts in 6 neighborhoods, and in 7 schools. These are simply the collaborative ministries with kids and schools. In addition, there are dozens of congregations who though not yet partnering with other congregations caught the vision and have adopted local schools. Just this year, in June we helped birth a brand new expression of our “work clothes on” commitment. For Houston’s Kids is a growing collaborative network of organizations (including Mission Houston) and individuals who already provide much needed services to kids from age 0 to 19. The goals include fostering a movement that greatly multiplies the number of volunteers who are changing the trajectory of the lives of at-risk kids. For Houston’s Kids is almost ready to launch a website that provides a one-stop location for volunteers all over the city to find serving opportunities that fit their passion and schedule, and will enrich the lives of kids in desperately needed ways.

Four years ago we had a dream of hundreds of teams in neighborhoods and workplaces at work to restore shalom to every segment of our city. The dream led the Mission Houston staff to launch Faithwalking in October 2007. Faithwalking is a multi-tiered process for creating disciples of Jesus who effectively connect Christ-followers to be on mission together in neighborhoods and workplaces. From 13 participants at the initial Faithwalking 101 retreat, there are now 341 persons who have completed Faithwalking 101, and 155 who have completed Faithwalking 201, and 43 who have completed Faithwalking 301, and 13 will complete our first Faithwalking 401 seminar series in December. Of these “graduates,” over 40 have made commitments to help birth “missional communities.” And there are now over 25 missional community teams that include over 100 others who have engaged the Faithwalking process that are in various stages of development and are making a difference serving in and through schools and neighborhoods and corporate offices.

Your prayers, encouragement, and financial support have made possible this verifiable evidence of changed lives, of a Church moving towards unity, and of a city experiencing Life. Thank you for standing with us in the past. And thank you, on behalf of myself and our staff and Board, for prayerfully and financially standing with us in 2012 and into a future filled with hope.

Willing to dream God’s dreams for His Church and our city,

Steve Capper
Managing Director
Mission Houston

Appalachian Dawn - Fri, Sep 9: see the latest "transformation" video from George Otis

2011-09-02T11:07:00.000-05:00

In the late 1990's George Otis, Jr. began filming stories of communities and cities that seemed to be experiencing both societal and spiritual revitalization. The latest in his chronicles of hope will be shown on Friday evening, September 9, 7pm at Grace Community Church on I-45 South. For more information, click here: Appalachian Dawn invite & info

View the preview trailer here

Grads Within Reach Walk, Sep 10, 2011

2011-08-31T15:07:00.002-05:00

Every child who drops out of school before completing high school costs society on average 2 million dollars over their life time! Will you help stop the bleeding?!?!

The Week of Prayer and Service for Houston's Kids was a great start to a sustained investment that results in whole and healthy kids in every neighborhood and school and community of greater Houston. Still, we've got to put hands and feet into action as supplements to our prayers, and there are multiple ways we can pray and work so that it makes a Life-giving impact in every child and youth. One opportunity to make a difference occurs on Saturday, September 10: join HISD school Board members, teachers, and other compassionately concerned citizens for the Grads Within Reach walk in helping get drop-outs back in to school, and in to the path to self-esteem and lifetime productivity. For more information, and to register to participate, follow this link: Grads Within Reach Walk, Sep 10, 2011

If you absolutely cannot walk with us, please pray for the thousands of kids across the city who have given up on school. And if you live or work in another school district's boundaries, please contact the closest districts's offices to see how you can help reach dropouts in that district, or to find out where you can volunteer in ways that help change the lives of kids in a school near where you live or work!

Helping the Kids of Houston see they are loved and can have a future with hope!

2011-07-29T20:02:00.002-05:00

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

Make your reservations … Come with reservations … to The Response

2011-07-15T14:26:00.002-05:00

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.

Global Day of Prayer 2011

2011-05-27T17:00:00.001-05:00

For more than 20 years millions of followers of Christ have gathered in one spirit on the Global Day of prayer, connecting locally with a global vision to pray strategically. Mission Houston will join in this united, worldwide prayer and wants to inform and encourage those with whom we are connected to join in as well. Here is a summary of the information for the 2011 Global Day of Prayer:

The Global Day of Prayer Strategy includes three parts:

Ten Days of Constant Prayer: June 2 – 11, 2011 Beginning on Ascension Day, June 2, individual and groups of Christians will pray night and day throughout the ten days leading to Pentecost.

The Global Day of Prayer: June 12, 2011 On Pentecost Sunday, Christians in many countries will assemble to pray. Some will not only pray together in their congregational services but will gather with others from multiple denominations and congregations in order to be united in prayer. Where this is scheduled, we strongly urge you to join!

Ninety Days of Blessing: June 13 - September 10, 2011 As in the first Pentecost, transformed Christians transform their communities as they offer themselves to God as instruments through which their prayers can be answered. For those of us in Houston, we are fortunate to have the Week of Prayer and Service for Houston's Children occur during these 90 days when Christians globally are investing in active service to bless and improve the lives of others. You can find more information about ways your congregation or small group can bless kids and their families and local schools here: Week of Prayer and Service for Houston's Children.

As the time approaches we encourage you to join the Global Day of Prayer by:
Praying the Lord’s Prayer. To help us pray with united hearts and minds during the ten days before Pentecost, we’ll follow the prayer that our Lord taught us to pray.

Praying great things. We’re gathering to pray for God to fulfil the great things that He has promised: His transforming blessing in every people, and the life-giving glory of Christ’s Lordship in every community.

Concerning deepest needs. As we stretch our hearts in hope for what God has purposed, He will help us pray with confident clarity for the urgent needs of our families, cities and nations.
You can find the 10 Day Prayer Guide in different formats HERE. You are welcome to adapt the contents to suit your community’s/city’s/nation’s needs.

Youth and Children need to be encouraged to participate and therefore a Youth- and Children’s Guide is also made available.

You will find prayer points for the different nations on the Global Day or Prayer website.

For more information go to www.globaldayofprayer.com.

National Day of Prayer 2011

2011-04-25T15:19:00.000-05:00

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

2011-04-19T18:10:00.002-05:00

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

2011-04-18T18:02:00.005-05:00

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.

Soulcheck 2011

2011-03-30T13:56:00.003-05:00

Mission Houston believes that a purposefully unified Body of Christ, engaged in united prayer for our city and service to our city, is vital to the transformation of greater Houston. We celebrate the multiple cultures in our city and the Church, and relish those times when a gathering of believers for acts of worship or works actually looks like the diverse peoples in our communities and the community of faith. One such event, which has the expressed purpose of asking God to move in powerful ways to heal our city, will take place at Reliant Arena on Friday April 8 and 9, 2011, and you are invited to play a part!

Soulcheck --a FREE all-night multicultural Christian worship and prayer event, starting at 7pm and going until 7am-- takes its name based on Malachi 1:11. At this all-night event there will be no merchandise sold and no offering taken. For more information, check out the website: www.soulcheck.org.

Our city is in urgent need of a praying, obeying, united and loving Church!

2011-03-15T17:50:00.000-05:00

One of Mission Houston’s core values for the transformation of our city is united prayer. We believe that a persevering and focused prayer movement is imperative for every spiritual revival and visible Kingdom advance. As stated in II Chronicles 7:14, “If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves and pray, and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven, forgive their sin and heal their land.” We join local congregations and ministries throughout the Greater Houston area in extending the following invitation for “Houston Code Blue for Christ”:

Dear Pastors, Ministry Leaders and Praying Friends

Over the past several weeks a united community prayer walk has been considered for Houston’s historic Sunnyside community. When the word began to spread about a Sunnyside Easter Eve Community Prayer Walk, several other pastors and leaders began to inquire about planning a united prayer walk in their own communities. Thus far we have commitments from leaders in Sunnyside, Third Ward, Fourth Ward, Fifth Ward, Alief, Cypress/Copperfield, Kashmere Gardens, McGregor Palm, Clear Lake, South Park and Channel View, to call praying Christians together. Many more pastors and communities have expressed interest, so on Saturday, April 23rd pastors and ministry leaders from across Greater Houston are calling Christians to gather at various locations (to be determined) to unite, repent of our sins, and pray for the brokenness that plagues our communities.

United prayer topics will include such areas as: children and families in poverty; abortion and human trafficking; the needs of Houston’s at-risk children; the call of the Church to serve and heal our communities; the needs of the elderly; prayer for Houston area law enforcement officers; prayer for local government officials and educators. Each community under the leadership of local pastors will be responsible to determine timely, relevant prayer targets for their community.

Our city is in urgent need of a praying, obeying, united and loving Church! Let’s help lead and call together massive groups of people to pray and care for communities across our city on the Easter Sunday Eve – April 23rd!

All Houston Code Blue for Christ prayer partners will be asked to bring non-perishable food items to their community prayer staging area on April 23rd to help support local food banks or food pantries.

You are invited to join us. Thank you for praying, caring, uniting and believing! May this Easter and resurrection weekend be a time that impacts our lives, the church and our communities with healing, hope and transformation, through the power of our risen savior – Jesus Christ!

On behalf of the Houston Code Blue for Christ Steering Committee,

Brian Gowan

Grace Community Church

713-363-2585

For more information about this event, visit houstoncodeblueforchrist.org.

Why Are We Giving This Away For Free?

2011-03-09T13:49:00.002-06:00

I’ve been asked why the Mission Houston Board and Staff decided to offer all of the Faithwalking services for free. The short answer is that it has been a deep work of God in our individual and collective hearts. There is a story behind how that occurred.

Faithwalking was launched in 2007. It is not uncommon in today’s environment for individuals with gifts (like talented musicians) or skills (like gifted preachers) to offer those gifts and skills to people beyond a local church. It is also not uncommon for those individuals to place a value on those gifts and skills and then sell them to the public. Whether it’s in a record album or in a collection of sermons that are placed in a book and sold in the market place, this is a common practice.

So when we launched Faithwalking we stepped into that common practice. We developed a retreat and then a small group follow up experience. We placed a value on it, and we sold it to anyone who would buy.

Along the way two things happened. First, virtually everyone who fully completed the Faithwalking course gave testimony to the deep impact that the experience had in their lives.

Second, a large number of people indicated that they could not participate because the cost was prohibitive. Though we were sympathetic to that, we also needed money to pay the salaries of the people (including me) who led Faithwalking, so we just kept charging a fee.

Then on Saturday morning of our December 2010 Board/Staff retreat we had one of the most courageous, authentic conversations about money . . . about our view of money . . . about our practices of stewardship . . . about our willingness to trust the Lord to provide if we would simply obey Him in every area of our life - especially, in the context of this conversation - regarding our money. Though we didn’t make any decisions that day about the fee for Faithwalking, we looked back at that conversation as one of the most powerful conversations about money in which any of us had participated.

Two weeks later - a week before Christmas - we met for another half day to finish up the planning that we needed to do for the 2011 ministry plan. In an unscripted moment of discussion about the budget, someone, I don’t even remember who, said, “How much income did we get from Faithwalking in 2010?”

Someone else said, “I think it was about $50,000 last year.”

Someone else said, “I think God is calling us to give this stuff away, and I believe we can trust the Lord to provide the income that is lost from charging a fee.”

A flurry of conversation occurred in the next seven to ten minutes and the decision was made. We looked at each other in a kind of stunned silence. What this really what God was calling us to do? It was our unanimous sense that He was.

Then someone realized that one of the Board members had left the meeting about an hour earlier. He was the Chair of the Faithwalking Task Force. We couldn’t make this decision without him. So we called and asked him to step out of a meeting he was in. We told him what had just transpired. He said, “Something in my spirit just thinks this is right.” And the decision was final.

So there is a real sense in which we are giving Faithwalking away as an act of obedience to God’s leading.

Faithwalking is a spiritual formation process that God uses to produces personal transformation in the lives of people who love Him and are eager to be on mission with Him. It is now our privilege to offer all the services of this ministry free of charge. If He is stirring your heart to join us, go to www.Faithwalkingonline.com

Jim Herrington

Faithwalking Training is now FREE!

2011-02-11T09:51:00.010-06:00

Mission Houston is excited to announce that our Faithwalking training is now offered free of charge!!

The purpose of Faithwalking is to create a growing community of Christ-followers who experience on-going personal transformation and who live in the kind of relationships while on mission with others that together they help produce transformation in neighborhoods and workplaces. This decision of the Board of Directors of Mission Houston became effective in January 2011, and reflects the ministry's desire to remove cost as an obstacle to participation in Faithwalking by residents of Houston.

Faithwalking exists both for individuals longing for increased impact in and through their lives, and for the leaders of congregations eager to help produce the kinds of saints who are more effective in their works of service as agents of God in every arena of life. Registration for Faithwalking offerings is required, and there is a $75 deposit that is fully refunded to participants at the conclusion of the training they participate in. For more information, please go to our website: Faithwalking.

We solicit your prayers for us in making this step of faith, and we look forward to being with you on this journey!

On behalf of the Board of Mission Houston,

Randy Schroeder
Chairman of the Board
Mission Houston

It's Unanimous: Faithwalking is Free!

2011-02-02T12:17:00.001-06:00

Randy Schroeder, Chairman of the Board of Mission Houston, announces that Faithwalking will be offered for free: "We don't want money to be an issue for anybody taking Faithwalking."

Contrast and Companionship: The Way of the Church With the World

2011-01-27T15:39:00.006-06:00

Houston Graduate School of Theology will host Dr. George Hunsberger on Thursday, March 3, 2011. Dr. Hunsberger’s lecture is titled Contrast and Companionship: The Way of the Church With the World. Book signing will begin at 6:00 pm and the lecture at 7:00 pm. Houston Graduate School of Theology, in partnership with Mission Houston and churches in the Houston metropolitan area, is dedicated to advancing the missional movement in our city. For this reason, HGST has invited Dr. Hunsberger, a leading scholar of the missional church, to present its annual spring lecture. The public is invited.

Born in Pennsylvania, Hunsberger lived most of his early years in Miami, Florida. He received the B.A. degree from Belhaven College in 1966 and the M.Div. degree from Reformed Theological Seminary in 1970. In 1987, he received the Ph.D. degree from Princeton Theological Seminary in the field of Ecumenics, Missiology, and the History of Religions. His doctoral work focused on Lesslie Newbigin’s theology of cultural plurality.

He is Professor of Missiology and Director of the Doctor of Ministry program at Western Theological Seminary in Holland, Michigan, where he has taught since 1989. He is a member of the American Society of Missiology, serving as its Secretary-Treasurer from 1988-1997 and its President from 2004-2005. Since its inception in 1987, he has coordinated The Gospel and Our Culture Network in North America (GOCN). George is the author of Bearing the Witness of the Spirit and co-author of Missional Church and Treasure in Clay Jars. He is co-editor of The Church Between Gospel and Culture, A Scandalous Prophet, and Christian Ethics in Ecumenical Context.

Houston Graduate School of Theology is located at 2501 Central Parkway, Suite A19, in Houston. For more information about HGST go to: www.hgst.edu

Transformation is possible: don’t despise the day of small beginnings!

2011-01-04T14:45:00.006-06:00

God is doing something amazing at the University of Texas! The Body of Christ, comprised of more than 60 campus ministries and churches, is working together as one united Church to reach all 50,000 students with the Gospel of Jesus. Campus ministries are working together, treating UT like one common mission field. They have broken the university population into 500-700 people groups and are equipping and sending students for impacting the group they are part of as missionaries. Already their influence is being felt broadly. As a result, for the past few years, an average of 500 students per school year have chosen to follow Christ. That’s 1% of UT’s population each year! Over the last 10 years the percentage of students actively participating in campus ministries has doubled, from 5% of the total UT student population to 10%. Mission Houston celebrates this unfolding story and gladly shares it as a current example of what God can do and wants to do through the Body of Christ working together. Here is a short excerpt from one of the college pastors involved in the movement.

It’s been said that 2 percent of an organization, if completely sold out to a particular vision, can change the entire organization. While I am not sure of the veracity of that fact, I can say from experience that just a few college pastors working together on a project (e.g., a mission trip or a campus event), attending a retreat, or uniting in prayer can have a marked effect on the direction of your entire campus movement.

At the University of Texas we can point to several such examples that were significant in the history of God’s work on our campus. Some years ago we watched a couple of the Transformations videos and suddenly, those of us who watched them were challenged with the notion that God could do far more on our campus than we had dared to think or imagine. This emboldened us to pray toward a level of campus-wide transformation, which we had not previously been able to conceive. Later, a small group of eight pastors and three or four staff from CRM attended The Institute for Campus Revival and Awakening held at Yale. It resulted in a deepening of relationships with pastors from other groups that we had previously only known through prayer and common events. By the time the weeklong trip was over we had grown much closer as friends and had a new level of intimacy, which also increased our ability to pray for the campus and pray for each other.

These stories are only a couple of examples that represent quite a few more instances in which we found ways to work together outside of the weekly times of prayer. The result has been a steady and increasing buy-in to what God is doing on our campus. Whereas before many of us could have been rightly described as skeptical of what God could do on our very secular campus, we have now seen God work in ways that increase our faith for what He is going to do in the future. Since I have been on campus, we have seen our weekly pastor prayer time go from about four to eight pastors attending to about 20 to 30 pastors, and sometimes more! We have also just completed our fourth year of hosting the Campus House of Prayer where over 100 hours of prayer per week are typically covered.

We have seen some of our dreams wildly surpassed and now we are dreaming new dreams! Please don’t underestimate how God can use your willingness to work with fellow leaders (whether students or staff) on your campus. And by all means, “don’t despise the day of small beginnings” (Zechariah 4:10) because, just as God delights in growing a large tree from a small seed, He can do huge things through your working together as the Body of Christ on your campus.

Mark Proeger
Hope Student Life
Campus Minister, 2003–2010

The story of what God is doing is shared in a great new book entitled Campus Renewal – A Practical Plan for Uniting Campus Ministries in Prayer and Mission.

Changing lives, changing marriages, changing schools!

2010-12-07T11:26:00.009-06:00

Dear friends:

Mission Houston was birthed 12 years ago at the end of a three day prayer summit by 185 pastors convinced that unity in the Body of Christ would invite God’s presence and release His desperately needed blessings on our city (see Ps. 133:1). Our prayer since then has been for the spiritual and social revitalization of individuals, neighborhoods and communities across the city.

In 2010 Mission Houston continued to pursue “Changing greater Houston for Good” by offering ministries and resources that change lives, change marriages, and change schools. Here’s a brief snapshot of what your generous support and prayers helped us do.

Changing Lives We began the Faithwalking process in 2007 as a way of providing people with both tools and experiences to help them cooperate with God in the transformation of their own lives and the lives of others. The goal of Faithwalking is to develop individuals and congregations who mobilize the Body of Christ to form groups, with a shared sense of where to be on mission and a deep commitment to one another, that together serve the poor and/or underserved in ways that are focused, sustained and effective. In 2010 your financial support enabled a 100% increase in the number of participants who attended a Faithwalking retreat, so that there are now 211 people whose lives have been impacted and who are impacting others. Their involvement has birthed 28 missional communities that are serving in schools and neighborhoods in various parts of the city. We hope that your participation, and the participation of others that you know, will contribute to an even greater Kingdom impact in 2011. For more stories about lives changed through the Faithwalking ministry, please visit our website at www.faithwalkingonline.com. While you’re there, sign up for our mailing list to receive news and progress updates, contribute your own stories or give feedback, and find out about upcoming opportunities to learn more about the ministry of Faithwalking.

Changing Marriages Repeatedly we heard from Faithwalking 101 graduates that their marriages were in need of restoration and healing if they were going to be able to live fully into God’s purposes. To address this need we enlisted Trisha Taylor, a licensed professional counselor, to create a weekend retreat for Faithwalking 101 graduates and their spouses called Missional Marriage. In 2010 seven couples participated, resulting in 13 couples who have attended the two Missional Marriage retreats we’ve offered. The demand for this retreat is growing, and your support in 2011 will allow us to continue its impact in strengthening marriages and families during these challenging times.

Changing Schools In 2007 Mission Houston gave our word to insure the success of the public schools of greater Houston. This commitment has two primary goals.

One, we want every Christ-follower across our city to know and respond to the impact that is possible in every facet of our city if we prayed and worked together to insure that “every school in every neighborhood in every community in greater Houston produces whole and healthy children!” In 2010 we accelerated the forming of a network of Christian organizations and individuals whose heart resonates with this vision and who are serving in the public schools, and in 2011 we will engage in launching a website that offers resources for all who pray for and work in schools.

Two, we are multiplying the number of servant-leaders and volunteers working in the public schools. We offer training in servant attitudes and skill sets. We help connect them to local schools and know how to respond to that school’s stated needs. These leaders mobilize volunteers and other resources, in partnership with and in support of the school staff, to develop children who are intellectually, emotionally, socially and physically healthy.

Over the last three years at least 20 local schools across the city have seen a cadre of new volunteers respond to the vision and serve as mentors, tutors, after school coaches, and campus improvement laborers that are reaching at-risk students and changing the atmosphere of the schools for students and staff alike. Additionally, hundreds of congregations participated in the second annual Week of Prayer for Houston’s Children and Youth we co-sponsored, and hundreds of individuals attended the two summits in which Dr. Robert Sanborn and Children at Risk informed the Church of the needs of children and opportunities for serving them. Your support in 2011 will allow us to deepen and expand our network of partners and schools, and to spread both the vision and our impact further.

We are committed to being a persistent and hopeful voice for the transformation of our city. We ask you to join us in 2011 in seeking God and partnering with Him in the spiritual and social revitalization of our city. We know that the current economic reality has limited the number of causes that you can support financially, making it difficult for many organizations to continue their work. We ask that Mission Houston be a beneficiary of your trust and your donation this year so that the life-changing impact of our work will not be limited. If the Faithwalking ministries have made a significant impact in your life, we especially ask you to pay it forward so that others may also benefit. If your involvement with the vision of “whole and healthy children” has impacted you, your support will make sure that many more children and schools experience the hope that a new life, and a new way of living, is possible.

On behalf of the rest of the Board and Staff of Mission Houston, I thank you for your prayers and friendship, and for your generous support. May you experience again this holyday season the hope of His restoration and renewal!

Gratefully,

Steve Capper

Join the movement to change greater Houston for good

To give, Click Here
To volunteer, Click Here
To begin Faithwalking, Click Here

… I had too much stuff going on with my family

2010-11-23T14:17:00.003-06:00

In the Faithwalking ministry we often hear how the call to living missionally represents a great challenge for families with small children. No doubt the demands of raising young children limit some options for those who consider a call to do “ministry” in a sustained way. Brad and Natasha Sollenne provide us an example of a family that has wrestled with this issue, and have chosen a path that has them on mission as a family. We offer you their story, in their words, as an example of what can be.

“Saturday night church was awesome! Hearing what everyone is doing within their missional communities is very motivating (this includes those of you that weren't there and what you are doing in the community)! This is why we moved back to Houston. Brad would tell me about the extraordinary people here and what they were doing and we wanted to raise our kids with such extraordinary people.

Recently, as you know, we began feeding homeless people again. Brad and I have had a dialogue going as to what more might be needed. Brad has a more intimate understanding of what someone on the street might need and our conversations have been detailed, substantial, and rewarding. We also agreed that we wanted the kids to be directly involved in whatever we do. Then about a week ago Brad asked Sascha if he could have one wish, what would it be? Without hesitation Sascha said he wished we were rich so we could help the homeless and the hungry and no one would be hungry again. After being stunned about what amazing kids we have, we realized we wanted the kids to understand that we don't have to be rich to make a difference in someone's life.

On Saturday night at church, Jim Herrington asked us what was stopping us from living a missional life. My answer (in my head) was that I had too much stuff going on with my family. As soon as I said it out loud, however, I realized that that was not standing in my way-- in fact, it was a motivator. Brad and I, again, talked about what we wanted to do on the way home and decided to talk to the kids to see if they were interested in acquiring and delivering some of the additional supplies that might be useful for people living on the street. They did want to and were so excited about it. They even had many of their own ideas (Mikhel kept getting out of bed to give us another idea again and again).

Some of the basic supplies we could deliver that we came up with are:

-Backpacks (Brad says this one is a big deal)

-Blankets and jackets (blankets, but not comforters--comforters are too bulky to be carried around)

-Toothbrushes and toothpaste

-Bus tokens (so they can get to doctors appointments and shelters if they need to) (although a call to Metro told me that they aren't using tokens anymore. Instead they are using Metro Money (Metro cards with money on them).

We decided we would work three avenues to help us acquire supplies. The first one is our Facebook friends (and their kids). The second place is Brad's work. And, finally, we thought that we might be able to send some e-mails or a letter to some of the kid’s classmates.

Yesterday morning the kids and I went to see their principal to see what the rules are about sending out e-mails to classmates or handing out a letter to their class. As it turns out, she wants to make our idea a school project. She called the vice principal into our meeting and they asked us to write a proposal so the "Leadership Group" (several 3rd, 4th, and 5th graders that the vice principal works with) could make it their service project for the semester. They will help us organize it, send out letters, and then collect what comes in. We (the Sollennes) will then pick the donations up and begin taking them out with us to deliver to people who need them. This was, of course, beyond any of our expectations!

We are going to wait to see what happens with the "Herod Donation Drive" and leave Facebook (not sure about Brad's work yet-this is all so new) for the next phase. We may use Facebook to ask for additional supplies or even to see if anyone wants to come out with us to deliver them to people on the street. Some of you have voiced interest in going out with us and we would love that too.

We wanted you guys to know what we were up to. It is important to us to live up to the life that you guys are trying to live up to as well. We are proud to call you our friends and we just want to do our part of trying to live extraordinary lives.

So Jim, I think the answer to your question is that nothing is standing in our way. We have put one foot in front of the other and are now off to a good start. Thank you for pushing us to see that.”

Brad and Natasha

So, what do you think? Does this stir something in you? Let us know: we’d be delighted to hear from you!

There's been an awesome opportunity given to me...

2010-10-14T16:29:00.013-05:00

There's been an awesome opportunity given to me, both to get my life set and to be able to go on and provide for my son and give him an awesome place to call home ...

This story is only part of a bigger story that we call "The Church in the Mobile Park."

More than four years ago Bob Baldwin and his wife, Cathie were “arrested” in their pursuit of a life of comfortable and easy retirement in the suburbs of North Houston. Bob and Kathy were challenged to redefine what they understood about the term “neighbor” and to reexamine what they believed about their purpose and responsibilities in the community in which they were living.

Bob was convinced he heard God speak clearly to him about serving the poor, un-documented Hispanic residents of the Mobile Home Park located nearby his property. Not only did they learn to love the residents whose language, culture and social background was quite different to theirs, but Bob and Kathy also became the owners of the very Mobile Home Park where they lived.

Brian Schaffer and his family, former missionaries in Latin America and fluent in Spanish, joined the Baldwins in this adventure and moved into the Mobile Home Park to become the onsite Managers of the property. Today that Mobile Home community continues to witness a progressive transformation of their streets, common grounds and infrastructure.

God’s guidance, chosen obedience, and a willingness to love with God’s love are the elements that are still shaping the mission at the Mobile Home Park. This mission seeks to reach far beyond what is immediately visible upon arrival. It is a mission to transform the lives of present and future residents, and their families, for good and for God as He uses the gifts of practical life skills training and the prayerful presence of compassionate and responsive saints working in concert with one another to introduce Himself and provide “a future filled with hope.”

This longing for transformation is not just a dream: the first people to be transformed are Bob and Cathie, and Brian and family who continue to be blessed in the process of living intentionally to be a blessing to their neighbors.

To read the full article of this transformation story and watch the video click here.

Join us as we visit this Faithwalking Missional Community during our Community Gathering on Saturday, Nov. 13, 2010, from 9am to 1pm. We will meet at the Mission Houston offices and ride together to and from Tomball. Registration here.

After 9/11, I hated Muslims…until I met a Muslim.

2010-10-04T16:42:00.008-05:00

Without a doubt the last decade has seen an immense increase in the number of Islamic peoples among the residents in Houston. Their presence represents both one of the biggest opportunities and exposes one of the biggest fears of the church today. How will we respond to our Muslim neighbors: love and friendship, or judgment and avoidance? Maybe we should consider this question first: How would Jesus respond? I offer the following true story as a way of helping us decide:

A mentor once told me, “You will inevitably form opinions about an entire people group based upon a personal relationship you have with an individual from that group.” Unfortunately, my first relationship with a Muslim, albeit a distant one, was through a “most wanted” poster I saw for Osama Bin-Laden days after 9/11. My opinion about 1.5 billion people in the aftermath of that horrible day was shaped by a hastily formed first impression.

After 9/11, I hated Muslims … until I really met a Muslim personally. His name was Abu Sayeed, or Son of Happiness! We were introduced to one another on a soccer field in Amman, Jordan and we connected instantly over our shared interests: a passionate pursuit for the best hummus in the city and a mutual desire to follow the will of God. Abu Sayeed and I became fast friends. Over the next 10 months my hatred of Muslims turned into respect, at least for one. Just as my mentor had predicted, I began to see Abu Sayeed’s entire people group through the lens of the relationship we were forming. Not only did I come to love him like a brother, but I desperately wanted him to come to know Jesus.

My problem was that along with my skewed impression about Muslims, I had skewed ideas about how to reach them. Most of the articles and books I read post- 9/11 only talked about why Christianity was right and why Islam was wrong – which might have been helpful if my desire had been to enter into and win a debate with Abu Sayeed. But that wasn’t what I wanted. My desire was to help him know God’s love and become a disciple of Jesus.

For this task I simply had no tools. Thankfully, my mentor had helped a number of Muslims become disciples of Jesus and he was happy to show me what he had learned. For example, he showed me that the best place to start a conversation with a Muslim was on the grounds we held in common and not in the places of our differences. He showed me what stories from the Bible were best suited for building a foundation for dialogue and discovery - stories that Abu Sayeed was actually familiar with because they were the same ones he had grown up with. I learned how to speak a new language, and I don’t mean Arabic: I learned to speak a language about Jesus that Sayeed could understand, and which gently pointed him to the Jesus of the Bible.

When I began my relationship with Abu Sayeed, I did not even know how to initiate a conversation about Jesus that would not be offensive. But after months of friendship, sharing and study, the desire of my heart was fulfilled: I got to witness my brother Abu Sayeed kneel in prayer and embrace Jesus as his personal Lord and Savior.

If you are interested in moving beyond debate and instead into the development of genuine friendships with Muslims in order for them to know the love of Jesus and become His follower, then we urge you to experience the biblical insights and practical wisdom presented at the Jesus in the Qur’an seminar. To be held on October 29 and 30 at Memorial Drive Presbyterian Church, you will find yourself prepared to help love and reach the people of Islam whom God is bringing to our city.

Steve Capper, for the Mission Houston staff.

Information and registration: www.jesusinthequran.org

Love as a Lifestyle

2010-09-10T02:11:00.002-05:00

Thriving Family Magazine website: click here

Living missionally may be one of the scariest things we can think of, but it may also be only one of the most rewarding, transformative and impactfull ones. This is the story of Francis Chan as published by Thriving Family Magazine in July/August 2010.

by Michael Ridgeway

Francis Chan is the best-selling author of Crazy Love and Forgotten God and the founding pastor of a much-celebrated megachurch. Yet he and his wife, Lisa, have chosen to live on an income far below what his success could easily provide. He has given the profits from his books to charity and has stopped accepting a salary from the church, supporting his family on whatever income God provides through his speaking engagements.

The Chans and their four children live in a tract house in a modest neighborhood. Despite their tight living quarters, Francis and Lisa have opened their doors to others in need. As many as seven houseguests find shelter under their roof at any given time.

Their countercultural lifestyle isn't some progressive social experiment in low-cost, communal living. Rather, it's a reaction to love. God's love for them. And their love for other people.

"God has put us on this earth not to be comfortable, but to love and minister to other people," Francis says. "It's been a blessing for our children to see that when God blesses us with something, we use it to bless others."

Downsizing

It wasn't always like this. Eight years ago, the Chans were comfortably ensconced in a two-car-garage, middle-class lifestyle. But in 2002, Francis visited Uganda, and his heart-wrenching experiences there launched him and his family on a new trajectory.

In this war-torn country, Francis encountered severe poverty and hopelessness. He saw kids about the same age as his daughters digging through the trash for food.

After he returned to the U.S., the images of those starving children continued to haunt him. Poverty was no longer simply a concept — it now had a face and a name. Suddenly, the words of Jesus, "Love your neighbor as yourself," took on new meaning and greater urgency. Francis began to ask himself, What would it look like for me to really love these starving kids?

"I wanted to give as much as I could," Francis says. "We didn't have a whole lot, but I thought, If we downsize our house, then we can give more."

When he mentioned the idea to his wife, she was less than thrilled. Though she was willing to follow her husband's lead, she struggled with letting go of her home. She hadn't been to Africa with Francis, hadn't seen what he saw and didn't have the same desire to give up her lifestyle to help people on the other side of the world.

Lisa explained, "He was just full of all this angst and passion and love, but I wasn't there. I couldn't lie and say, 'Oh, this is exciting.' It was hard."

Despite her reluctance, they put their house on the market and began looking at trailer homes, trying to find the cheapest way to live. Then they heard that another family was heading to the mission field and wanted to sell their house. The home turned out to be just the place the Chans needed.

Letting go

In downsizing their home, they also had to downsize their possessions. Furniture, appliances, toys and cherished belongings had to be sold or given away. It was a painful process — learning to let go of their things.

Many of their friends and family criticized their decision: "That's not fair to your children; how could you do that to them?" Others objected that it was financially foolish: "A bigger house builds more equity."

But the Chans trusted God to take care of their family. And all the while, God was working in their hearts.

"Moving into that smaller home was one of the biggest turning points in my whole life," Lisa says. "It caused me to be detached from stuff. It has radically changed my whole outlook."

What started as a sacrifice quickly became a blessing. Their new home drew them closer together as personal space and privacy became a thing of the past. "There was no hiding from one another," Lisa says. "There was just one space, and you heard what everybody was doing. So we were spending more time together, making up games and doing whatever."

And never before had they formed such close friendships with their neighbors. Because the homes were small, people spent a lot of time outside, chatting in their front yards. Children rode bikes. Wives traded avocados and extra plates of food.

"There was a sense of camaraderie," Lisa says. "We had a lot of witnessing opportunities. It just seemed more real."

Reaching out

The same love that urged the Chans to give all they could for hungry kids in Africa also led them to reach out to people in their own community. So about a year after moving in, they opened their home to two women who needed a place to stay. They set up a cozy living space in their garage — until they discovered that this arrangement was illegal.

So to make room for God-honoring as well as legal hospitality, they moved into another home. The Chans have since built on an addition, but even with the added space, their house is more crowded than ever. They now share their home with seven other people — two single women and a married couple with two preschoolers and a baby.

Their numerous and varied houseguests haven't hindered their family life, but enriched it, Francis says. He disagrees with the common American belief that "family time" is when family members get together and no one else is allowed in. "The greatest times for our family are when we get to reach out to others as a family," he says.

Their home is noisy and bustling and full of life. If you were to drop in for a visit on any given evening, you might find all 13 people huddled around the dining room table, eating, laughing and sharing stories. Or you might find their oldest daughter, Rachel, playing Bach on the piano as the younger kids gallop like horses through the living room and the baby loudly announces her feeding time.

Though finding a quiet corner to do homework may be a challenge at times, their daughter Rachel relishes her bustling, boisterous home life.

"There are days where silence is no option, but I would not trade it for anything," Rachel says. "I love the noise and the joy that constantly surrounds this home that the Lord has given me."

Learning to love

Lisa says it's been good for her daughters, ages 14, 10 and 5, and her son, age 4, to share their home and their lives with others. "It's refined them. They've learned to deal with all kinds of people. They've learned to love people through the good, the bad and the ugly."

Last year, they welcomed a homeless Guatemalan woman and her four young children into their home. She had been living in a rescue mission when Francis met her.

"I thought, How does a lady like that make it when she's got four kids and no husband?" Francis says.

Unexpectedly, her stay turned out to be one of the Chans' biggest challenges. She spoke no English, and her standards of child discipline and cleanliness were vastly different from the Chans'. Those differences stretched their whole family in new ways.

By the end of the first day, their two older daughters were in tears. Lisa led them into a bedroom for a pep talk. "Girls, we are just going to have to call on God right now," she said. "We're going to have to figure out a way to love them."

With the help of a friend who spoke Spanish, Lisa sat down regularly with the woman to chat about life and parenting and God. The Chans' unconditional love eventually helped her get back on her feet. Five months after moving in with them, she was able to sign a lease on her own apartment.

Lisa knows that other parents may have questioned her decision to expose her kids to such difficulties. She points out that hospitality hasn't trumped her kids' safety, and her family has exercised a healthy degree of caution when choosing houseguests. Although sharing their home hasn't always been easy, Lisa has seen how God has used those challenges to make her kids more like Christ.

Her daughter Rachel looks back on their time with the homeless family as an important season of growth. "The reason it was so hard at first was due to the fact that I was not putting them before myself," she says. "It was an issue for me to understand that the world does not revolve around me. This is not my home. My treasure is in heaven, and my home is with Christ."

Such an attitude leaves Francis and Lisa in awe of what God has done in their children's hearts. In downsizing their life, they now see that they've lost nothing of real value — and have gained a treasure of eternal worth.

Yes, I was an OK Christian...

2010-09-01T02:09:00.002-05:00

Faithwalking website: click here
Faithwalking retreat regisration: click here

Here is a story of transformation:

by Jim Teall,
Open Doors USA. 

I have been a Christian for most of my life. I have been on many “retreats” in the past so why would I want to pay to go on another one? Wasn’t I doing okay at the Christian life? I thought so and others around me seemed to agree. But then I happened to be at a luncheon where I heard a speaker who was involved in Faithwalking. Now I have been to hundreds of Bible studies and I have heard hundreds of people speak about the Christian life before so how would this be any different than the rest? And yet it was.

I did not hear a tinge of arrogance from the speaker about how to have a successful walk with Jesus. Instead, I heard tons of authenticity about how to have a transparent, missional community that walks with Jesus together and who together were being transformed while seeking to transform society. An authentic and transformational relationship with Christ and with His people. My soul cried out inside me, "Yes, this is what I want, this is what I need."  

It was so impactful that I signed up to participate in a Faithwalking 101 Retreat. Yet inside I still kind of expected the typical sing a few songs, pray a few prayers, read a few verses, and listen to some good talks kind of retreat. It wasn't that we did not do any of these things but it was what else we did. We got real, or should I say, in a loving and gentle way we were forced to get real with ourselves, others and God.  

Yes, I was an OK Christian doing pretty good in the Christian club, but was I an authentic, committed follower of Jesus Christ who lived his life on mission with a passionate purpose? Jesus is very clear: "If you love me you will obey my commands." I knew that I was not obeying all of Jesus' commands, and that hurt. I realized I had become resigned and cynical to real transformation in my personal life and of there being any real hope for genuine societal change.   

Faithwalking 101 and 201 have now put me on a path where I no longer feel resigned and isolated to live out a quasi-comfortable Christian life. My spirit and heart have been renewed to live passionately for Christ with a community of other followers of Jesus that are committed to personal and societal change. I wish I could tell you that Faithwalking is easy. It is not. It is hard. But I am learning more and more each day how to surrender my life to Jesus, making it possible for Him to change me. God is conforming me into the image of His son so that I might live in loving obedience to Him. Well this is what my wife is telling me at least.  

What is truly wonderful about this Faithwalking process is knowing that I am not alone on this journey. God has placed a community of believers in my life that not only want to see personal transformation but societal transformation as well. If the world is to change then I must first be changed, and then I need others around me with a common vision to work together to restore humanity to God's intended purpose. I have found all of this in Faithwalking and I am truly thankful to God to be walking with Him and His people by faith so that real change and transformation can and will happen in our lives and in our communities.

Faithwalking is creating a community of disciples of Jesus who are being personally transformed and becoming catalysts mobilizing Christians to become the functioning Body of Christ in their homes, neighborhoods, workplaces and 3rd places to serve the poor, the marginalized, and those in need; and to work for the common good and to restore individuals, social systems, communities and nations to God's design.

Registration for Faithwalking 101 Retreat and Missional Marriage Retreat are open.

Author: More teens becoming 'fake' Christians

2010-08-30T01:43:00.002-05:00

by John Blake CNN

Read the article at cnn.com: click here

(CNN) -- If you're the parent of a Christian teenager, Kenda Creasy Dean has this warning: Your child is following a "mutant" form of Christianity, and you may be responsible.

Dean says more American teenagers are embracing what she calls "moralistic therapeutic deism." Translation: It's a watered-down faith that portrays God as a "divine therapist" whose chief goal is to boost people's self-esteem.

Dean is a minister, a professor at Princeton Theological Seminary and the author of "Almost Christian," a new book that argues that many parents and pastors are unwittingly passing on this self-serving strain of Christianity.

She says this "imposter'' faith is one reason teenagers abandon churches.
"If this is the God they're seeing in church, they are right to leave us in the dust," Dean says. "Churches don't give them enough to be passionate about."

What traits passionate teens share
Dean drew her conclusions from what she calls one of the most depressing summers of her life. She interviewed teens about their faith after helping conduct research for a controversial study called the National Study of Youth and Religion.

The study, which included in-depth interviews with at least 3,300 American teenagers between 13 and 17, found that most American teens who called themselves Christian were indifferent and inarticulate about their faith.

The study included Christians of all stripes -- from Catholics to Protestants of both conservative and liberal denominations. Though three out of four American teenagers claim to be Christian, fewer than half practice their faith, only half deem it important, and most can't talk coherently about their beliefs, the study found.
Many teenagers thought that God simply wanted them to feel good and do good -- what the study's researchers called "moralistic therapeutic deism."

Some critics told Dean that most teenagers can't talk coherently about any deep subject, but Dean says abundant research shows that's not true.

"They have a lot to say," Dean says. "They can talk about money, sex and their family relationships with nuance. Most people who work with teenagers know that they are not naturally inarticulate."

In "Almost Christian," Dean talks to the teens who are articulate about their faith. Most come from Mormon and evangelical churches, which tend to do a better job of instilling religious passion in teens, she says.

No matter their background, Dean says committed Christian teens share four traits: They have a personal story about God they can share, a deep connection to a faith community, a sense of purpose and a sense of hope about their future.

"There are countless studies that show that religious teenagers do better in school, have better relationships with their parents and engage in less high-risk behavior," she says. "They do a lot of things that parents pray for."

Dean, a United Methodist Church minister who says parents are the most important influence on their children's faith, places the ultimate blame for teens' religious apathy on adults.

Some adults don't expect much from youth pastors. They simply want them to keep their children off drugs and away from premarital sex.

Others practice a "gospel of niceness," where faith is simply doing good and not ruffling feathers. The Christian call to take risks, witness and sacrifice for others is muted, she says.

"If teenagers lack an articulate faith, it may be because the faith we show them is too spineless to merit much in the way of conversation," wrote Dean, a professor of youth and church culture at Princeton Theological Seminary.

More teens may be drifting away from conventional Christianity. But their desire to help others has not diminished, another author says.

Barbara A. Lewis, author of "The Teen Guide to Global Action," says Dean is right -- more teens are embracing a nebulous belief in God.

Yet there's been an "explosion" in youth service since 1995 that Lewis attributes to more schools emphasizing community service.

Teens that are less religious aren't automatically less compassionate, she says.
"I see an increase in youth passion to make the world a better place," she says. "I see young people reaching out to solve problems. They're not waiting for adults."

What religious teens say about their peers
Elizabeth Corrie meets some of these idealistic teens every summer. She has taken on the book's central challenge: instilling religious passion in teens.

Corrie, who once taught high school religion, now directs a program called YTI -- the Youth Theological Initiative at Emory University in Georgia.

YTI operates like a theological boot camp for teens. At least 36 rising high school juniors and seniors from across the country gather for three weeks of Christian training. They worship together, take pilgrimages to varying religious communities and participate in community projects.

Corrie says she sees no shortage of teenagers who want to be inspired and make the world better. But the Christianity some are taught doesn't inspire them "to change anything that's broken in the world."

Teens want to be challenged; they want their tough questions taken on, she says.
"We think that they want cake, but they actually want steak and potatoes, and we keep giving them cake," Corrie says.

David Wheaton, an Atlanta high school senior, says many of his peers aren't excited about Christianity because they don't see the payoff.

"If they can't see benefits immediately, they stay away from it," Wheaton says. "They don't want to make sacrifices."

How 'radical' parents instill religious passion in their children
Churches, not just parents, share some of the blame for teens' religious apathy as well, says Corrie, the Emory professor.

She says pastors often preach a safe message that can bring in the largest number of congregants. The result: more people and yawning in the pews.

"If your church can't survive without a certain number of members pledging, you might not want to preach a message that might make people mad," Corrie says. "We can all agree that we should all be good and that God rewards those who are nice."
Corrie, echoing the author of "Almost Christian," says the gospel of niceness can't teach teens how to confront tragedy.

"It can't bear the weight of deeper questions: Why are my parents getting a divorce? Why did my best friend commit suicide? Why, in this economy, can't I get the good job I was promised if I was a good kid?"

What can a parent do then?

Get "radical," Dean says.

She says parents who perform one act of radical faith in front of their children convey more than a multitude of sermons and mission trips.

A parent's radical act of faith could involve something as simple as spending a summer in Bolivia working on an agricultural renewal project or turning down a more lucrative job offer to stay at a struggling church, Dean says.

But it's not enough to be radical -- parents must explain "this is how Christians live," she says.

"If you don't say you're doing it because of your faith, kids are going to say my parents are really nice people," Dean says. "It doesn't register that faith is supposed to make you live differently unless parents help their kids connect the dots."

'They called when all the cards stopped'
Anne Havard, an Atlanta teenager, might be considered radical. She's a teen whose faith appears to be on fire.

Havard, who participated in the Emory program, bubbles over with energy when she talks about possibly teaching theology in the future and quotes heavy-duty scholars such as theologian Karl Barth.

She's so fired up about her faith that after one question, Havard goes on a five-minute tear before stopping and chuckling: "Sorry, I just talked a long time."
Havard says her faith has been nurtured by what Dean, the "Almost Christian" author, would call a significant faith community.

In 2006, Havard lost her father to a rare form of cancer. Then she lost one of her best friends -- a young woman in the prime of life -- to cancer as well. Her church and her pastor stepped in, she says.

"They called when all the cards stopped," she says.

When asked how her faith held up after losing her father and friend, Havard didn't fumble for words like some of the teens in "Almost Christian."

She says God spoke the most to her when she felt alone -- as Jesus must have felt on the cross.

"When Jesus was on the cross crying out, 'My God, why have you forsaken me?' Jesus was part of God,'' she says. "Then God knows what it means to doubt.

"It's OK to be in a storm, to be in a doubt," she says, "because God was there, too."

Read the article at cnn.com: click here

Taking reconciliation seriously.

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Healing the Brokenness Brochure: click here

Every community around the world that is experiencing a level of transformation has taken seriously the need to address every kind of social reconciliation, both within the Body of Christ and within their community at large.

Will Willimon, one of the most insightful speakers and writers in Christian circles over the past 20 years, was the Chaplain at Duke University and now serves as a Methodist Bishop in Alabama. He has been a proponent and practitioner of eradicating walls of division in congregations, campuses, communities and cities. Houston has a long ways to go for unity in the Body of Christ to be a reality, and for the "isms" that divide to no longer characterize our city and her citizens.

We're asking you to join us for conversations and prayer at the Healing the Brokenness seminar with Will Willimon on Monday morning, September 13, 8:30am at Pleasant Hill Baptist Church in Houston's historic Fifth Ward.

Reawakening...

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By Melody D.

Faithwalking Retreat June 2010

"In my walk with Jesus there are times when I have been stuck and cannot see ways to change, so I “commit” to remain the same. As I applied for the Faithwalking retreat, I sensed that the weekend would be a defining point and call me to new life. I was confused, tired of walking ahead of God and living with a root of fear. I was at a miserable place, but did not trust God enough to let go and follow His direction. It was time to stop, and see what He would do if I was truly honest with my pride, lack of trust, unforgiveness and brokenness. Faithwalking reawakened me to the beauty of our faith’s foundation to fully abide in Christ. … Faithwalking spurred me on to pray for a missional community of people with a similar vision of being agents of transformation in communities around the world. God answered and provided such a group! These new friends will be vital to transformation in this faith walk, as we seek to engage in God’s Kingdom work together. I walked away from the retreat with a renewed gratitude for the Lord’s desire to have all of me so that He can work out His purposes."

Faithwalking is creating a community of disciples of Jesus who are being personally transformed and becoming catalysts mobilizing Christians to become the functioning Body of Christ in their homes, neighborhoods, workplaces and 3rd places to serve the poor, the marginalized, and those in need, and to work for the common good and to restore individuals, social systems, communities and nations to God's design.

Registration is now open for October Retreat (Oct. 22-24, 2010)

SAVE THE DATE!!

Events this Season

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Week of Prayer for Children and Youth: click here
Healing the Brokenness Brochure: click here
reFresh Brochure: click here

•Week of Prayer for Children & Youth. Aug 15 - 21, 2010
Summit, Aug . 12 | 10:30 am | Memorial Drive Presbyterian Church | Info: click here
To download the Power Point of the Faith Summit click here

•Healing the Brokenness Conference with Bishop Willian Willimon

Sept. 13 | 8:30 am | Pleasant Hill Baptist | Brochure: click here

•reFresh Houston with Jim Cymbala and Daniel Henderson
Oct. 21 | 8:30 am to 3:30 PM | Hilton Houston Westchase Hotel | Brochure: click here

Week of Prayer for Children & Youth, 2010

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Flyer: click here
Register for the Summit: click here
Download Prayer Guide: click here
Download Power Point of the Faith Summit: click here

Mark your calendar for the 2nd annual Week of Prayer for Our Children and Youth (August 15-21), bringing together Houston for unified and informed prayer for children.

The Week of Prayer will make it possible for the Body of Christ to pray in unity whether we are in our prayer closet, at our family devotions, or in our congregations.

Across the city, each day we will be praying in an informed way with thousands of other believers.

Sponsors

We would love for your organization to become a listed sponsor. To sponsor means two things:

•You agree to put the prayer guide on your web site and ask your constituents to use it (you can modify the prayer guide in any way that fits your congregation as long as you keep the topic assigned for each day on that assigned day)

•You attend The Faith Summit (or if you are not available to send a key representative from your congregation).

Week of Prayer Focus Issues
The seven issues that we will focus on are:

1.Population and Demographics

2.Poverty and Food Insecurity

3.Public Education

4.Human Trafficking

5.Mental Health and Juvenile Justice

6.Childhood Obesity

7.Advocacy Works

The Faith Summit
To learn more about each of these issues in preparation for the Week of Prayer for Our Children and Youth please attend the Faith Summit on Thursday, August 12th. This event will be graciously hosted by Memorial Drive Presbyterian Church located at 11612 Memorial Drive Houston, TX 77024-7299.

Click here to register for the event.