Back to School

As the beginning of school nears, Loving Houston requests prayer for the congregations that are considering service partnerships with local schools. They are so important to the well-being and success of students. Pray these 21 partnerships will be established and working before the start of school.

Pray that churches and volunteers across the Greater Houston area will respond to the Loving Houston  2019 Back to School Serve Days. Churches are invited and encouraged to love their local teachers before school begins this August. Loving Houston has provided several helps and suggestions on the website. Pray schools, teachers, and students will experience the love and care of Christ through us.

Join others in corporate prayer with the Body of Christ on Friday, August 16, as Loving Houston invites church leaders, volunteers, and school partners to join hands and hearts in prayer as we prepare for the new school year.

Loving Houston has provided a one-page Back to School Prayer Guide that provides you with five specific prayers for students, parents, teachers, church staff, and school volunteers. Choose one each day this week and lift them up in prayer.

Pray for a teacher by name today. And tomorrow. And the next day. And the next.

Our school teachers who love and follow Christ may often be the only representation of Christ’s love that a child or youth experiences. They need our prayers.

Pray that many will be the hands and feet of Christ in providing supplies for a child returning to school. Contact your neighborhood school for a church project. Contact Butch or Nell Green at bgreen@cbf.net to learn how you can help provide a backpack and supplies for a refugee or immigrant child.

UBA Staff & Ministries

Pray for a steady recovery for the mother of UBA Senior Church Consultant Keelan Cook as she recovers from open-heart surgery. She is doing well, but recovery from this surgery is long and hard.

Pray for wisdom and direction for UBA Associate Director Dian Kidd as she makes the exciting transition to retirement after nearly 30 years of service with UBA, effective December 31, 2019. Pray for Josh Ellis, our Executive Director, as he initiates the search for the right person to fill the position.

Pray for wisdom and direction for incoming WMU Director Bertha Vaughns and UBA's WMU Leadership Team as they are installed for service on August 17. Give thanks for the faithful service of Dana Galloway who is completing her four year term as Director.

Pray for speedy visa responses, safe travels, and effective connections for Sally Hinzie and the team of volunteers preparing for a trip to Russia in September. 

Summer Thankfulness

Pray for Sarah, Victoria, and Mandy who were granted WMU Scholarships to assist them with college expenses. Give thanks for the generosity of the WMU of UBA as they use resources to provide encouragement for these young leaders.

Pray that the boys and young men who attended the UBA Boys Discovery Camp will continue to grow in their walk with Christ. Pray they will find faithful, godly mentors to encourage them on their journey.  

Celebrate God at work in the lives of the men who have been impacted by the Organic Church/Small Group ministry at the Wynne Unit in Huntsville. 

Celebrate the decision of four girls who have committed to follow Christ at the UBA GA Camp, Set Free, last month. Pray that they will be nurtured in their faith and continue to grow strong in a walk with Christ.

UBA celebrates with the UBA Mission Centers of Houston as every meal for the Student Summer Missionaries was provided by churches, ministries, or individuals. Give thanks to God for His provision in meeting this need.

Let's celebrate the grace and hospitality of Mrs. Myrtle Tolley, who at the age of 95 is still loving and praying for the Student Summer Missionaries at the UBA Mission Centers of Houston where she served for 25 years. The UBA Mission Centers of Houston reports that Mrs. Myrtle had asked her family to provide a fun picnic lunch for all the staff and Summer Missionaries instead of receiving gifts for herself and then helped her family bring and serve the lunch. Give thanks for such wonderful examples of lives of faith and service.

In Your Community

Pray without ceasing that local, city, state, and national government officials will govern with wisdom, compassion, mercy, and fairness. Pray that they will communicate and collaborate with one another for the good of all people regardless of party affiliations.

Welcome and pray for Pastor David Barger who has accepted the call as pastor of Market Street Baptist Church, which will be effective September 1. Pray for him and for the church as they look to the future and seek to share the gospel with those in their community.

Pray for your pastor and church staff by name today. Pray that they will be encouraged and uplifted by those whom they lead and serve. 

Pray for someone by name today who needs God’s grace or a closer walk with Jesus. Pray that they will find Christians to be representative of His love and grace to them. Pray they would draw near to God.

Bivocational pastors face some unique scheduling, priority, and calendar demands as they attempt to glorify God throughout all areas of their life. Pray God’s peace, guidance, and sustenance for the many faithful bivocational pastors laboring throughout the greater Houston area. Give thanks for their willingness to be tentmakers in God’s service.

Continue to pray for several UBA congregations who are engaged in or exploring church revitalization/replant processes. Pray for wisdom, direction, and openness to hearing from God for both the congregations and the UBA consultants assisting in the discernment process.