For most of us here in the Houston area St. Patrick's Day means leprechauns, four-leaf clovers, pots of gold at the end of a rainbow, the beginning of spring and bluebonnets! But who really was St. Patrick and how could his story challenge us to live and pray for the city of Houston during the month of March?

The true story of Maewyn Succat, known today as St. Patrick, is better than the myth. He was most likely born in today’s Scotland or Wales. He was captured by pagan Keltic raiders from Ireland as a 16-year-old in northern Britain and taken across the Irish Sea by these pirates and sold into slavery. For six years he worked for his master as a shepherd in the fields of Ireland. 

God used this time as a shepherd and slave, much like he did for Moses in his time as a shepherd in the fields of Midian, as a way to draw Maewyn close to Him and brand on his heart a love for the people he was enslaved by. Maewyn escaped after 6 years of bondage and found his way back home to Britain. After receiving a spiritual vision, Maewyn returned to Ireland decades later, armed only with a simple faith, a passion for the gospel, and a clear call of God. 

God would use him to convert the island of Ireland to Christianity as well as abolish slavery in the process. Here’s a video if you’d like to learn more about St. Patrick’s inspiring life:

   For this is what the Lord has commanded us:

“‘I have made you a light for the Gentiles,

    that you may bring salvation to the ends of the earth.’”

Acts 13:47 (NIV)

It was by no accident that Maewyn Succat was on that beach in Northern Britain that day as a 16-year-old boy and sold into slavery. It was all a part of God’s sovereign plan for his life. There is no part of our journey that is wasted in God’s economy and His divine destiny for us is always running underneath our feet.

 For Maewyn that destiny was to reach an entire island with the good news of Jesus Christ! Much like Maewyn, the churches of the UBA are called to the city of Houston “for such a time as this.” May we engage our communities with the same gospel-driven passion that Maewyn had for the people of Ireland. 

This spring, let’s turn our focus away from the leprechauns and pots of gold at the end of the rainbow and back to the mission Christ gave the church, “that we may be a light to the Gentiles and bring salvation to the ends of the earth.” Would you commit to pray with us here at the UBA for gospel advancement in our city? May we have the same passion and love for Houston as “St. Patrick” had for Ireland!

Pray for gospel advancement in our city:

Pray for our  UBA churches as they engage their specific communities with the gospel. Pray specifically for lost souls to find Christ and that these churches would be engaged in intentional discipleship of these new believers.

Pray for the UBA vision of Sending Pathways. We want to see a city full of churches that cooperatively produce their own sent-out ones for an array of Great Commission tasks. This is how Houston (and beyond) reaches gospel saturation.

Pray for Church Replanting efforts taking place in several of our UBA churches throughout the Houston area. Many of these churches are in strategic areas of the city that are experiencing demographic shifts and growth and are in great need of a gospel saturating ministry presence.

Pray for new Church Plants happening all over our city. Pray for our UBA team as we assist these new church planters and identify new planters and locations that are in desperate need of gospel saturating impact. 

Pray for Mission Centers of Houston as they reach out to underprivileged areas of the city with food, clothing, love, and the good news of Jesus Christ. Last year alone, they saw 37 people come to Christ! Consider participating in their upcoming Annual Mission Center Classic this May.

Pray for Houston Area Baptist Student Ministries on the campuses of the University of Houston, Rice, Texas State University, and our many other campuses as they share the gospel with nearly 300,000 students from 135 nations around the world. 

Pray for ministries such as Loving Houston that position churches to serve children in need through their neighborhood schools and opens doors for gospel advancement. Pray specifically that churches and church volunteers would commit to one of the 40+ schools on the waitlist for a church partner.

Pray for ministries such as Houston Responds that continue to help families rebuild their homes after devastating floods. Pray that God would continue to open up doors for gospel advancement in each of these homes and families.

Kevin Abbott is the Associate Director/Chief of Staff here at the UBA. He has been a pastor and leader in churches throughout Texas for the past 25 years. His heart and passion is to encourage, care for and coach pastors and church leaders. He is a graduate of Dallas Theological Seminary and currently is working on a DMIN in Lifelong Leadership Development at Fuller Seminary. He is the husband to his wife Mindy and a proud father of three beautiful children (Callie, Abigail & Joshua).