Healthy churches actively seek ways to show and share the love of Christ with their community. What if there was already one simple way to do that?
Loving Houston is an organization that partners churches with local schools and helps them to make an impact for good right in their neighborhood. In this video, Loving Houston talks about their history, simple ways churches have been able to care for their neighbors, and how many local schools are on waiting lists to partner with churches in their area.
Churches Providing for Families
First, Brittany Davis, Loving Houston’s Director of Programs, tells a story about how a church partnership can meet needs that would otherwise be overlooked.
In one local school, a teacher read a student’s journal entry that mentioned they didn’t have a refrigerator. The teacher then contacted the parent at-risk specialist at the school, who was able to connect the family with their Loving Houston church partner.
Because the school had an established partnership, the church was able to deliver a refrigerator to the family that same day. They also brought gift cards to buy groceries and were able to pray with that family.
“What an amazing way that we see the people of God stepping in to meet an immediate need like that…
I think about how there may be kids like that in each of our schools throughout the city of Houston ”
A History of Gospel-Centered Help
In 2013, the Southern Baptist Convention was scheduled to meet in Houston. UBA’s Executive Director, Tom Billings, was tasked with organizing an event which would allow the thousands of Southern Baptists visiting town to share the gospel with the community. They called this event Loving Houston.
After the initial project was over, Tom wanted to find a way to continue the momentum and expand the program’s reach. With so many opportunities to serve the city, they had to focus their efforts, so he decided to invest in ongoing church-school partnerships.
Still a Strategic Way to Serve
Church-school partnerships are such an easy way for churches to love and serve the community. Churches are often located in the same neighborhoods as schools, which makes it easy for them to connect with the schools and the people they serve.
Not only is a church-school partnership a strategic outreach plan, but it also makes the most difference. When a church connects with a school in its neighborhood, it can build relationships with children, families, and teachers there. This allows the church to learn about the hopes, dreams, and challenges faced by the people in its community. Through ongoing relationships, a church can provide targeted assistance and gospel hope for people’s needs.
A church partering with a school is really able to really, truly love their neighbors as themselves as Jesus called us to do.
Churches throughout Houston are helping schools through the Loving Houston. They serve their local schools by providing financial assistance to students and families, such as paying for lunch balances or utility bills. Others are providing goods and services, like tutoring and mentoring, to schools and their staff. Many churches collaborate with other local churches to provide better support to schools in need.
These partnerships have been so successful that more schools are asking for church partners than they currently have churches ready to partner with them. With 3000 churches in greater Houston and 1500 schools, it’s possible for every school can have a church partner.
Get Involved:
Here are 3 ways you can support the work of Loving Houston in partnering churches with their local schools.
Connect Loving Houston with your church. Every church, no matter how big or small, can do something to make sure students and teachers in a school experience Jesus’ love in a meaningful and practical way. Many churches work together with other local churches to form a partnership in their neighborhood.
Join the prayer list. Unless the Lord does the work, we labor in vain.
Support Loving Houston financially. Loving Houston would like to have district coordinators for each of the districts throughout Houston.
Loving Houston helps local churches connect with and love their neighbors as themselves.