Disaster Relief
A continuing focus of October prayers is those who have experienced hardship and loss due to Tropical Storm Imelda flooding. While most church buildings in UBA seem to have escaped major flooding, many homes in neighborhoods in the Humble and Kingwood area did experience flood damage. Reach out to care for those around you. Pray for families who have experienced flooding.
Free Indeed Church International has learned of more than 40 flooded homes in the neighborhood
Humble Area First Baptist Church is aware of 35 families with flooded homes
Iglesia Bautista La Tierra Prometida is assisting families in the congregation and neighborhood who received damage
Kingwood First Baptist Church knows of 8 families with flood-damaged homes
Second Baptist Church Houston - North Campus reports over 100 families impacted by flooding
Woodridge Baptist Church of Kingwood reports 20 families impacted
Pray for UBA Executive Director Josh Ellis as he connects churches and pastors that have needs resulting from flooding with churches that have resources. UBA is always #BetterTogether!
Pray for neighborhoods and families in Beaumont, Winnie, and areas east of Houston as they continue to struggle to recover from even more devastating rainfall and flooding.
Give thanks for churches who were able to immediately deploy relief teams to assist church and community members who were in flooded homes.
Give thanks for Texas Baptist Men Disaster Relief Units who deployed into flooded areas almost immediately, even while the rain continued to fall. By Saturday, Sept. 21, this relief was already in place:
Two feeding teams activated and serving first responders and the community in Orange.
A shower unit in the region.
A 15,000-meal mobile kitchen dispatched to serve shelters and communities.
The first clean out teams working in homes around Orange
As many as 10 more mud out teams will be activated and begin serving as the floodwaters recede. Pray for those who serve others so compassionately. Keep updated on service, needs, and prayer opportunities at https://tbmtx.org/response
Disaster Relief Units are also deploying through the Southern Baptists of Texas Disaster Relief. Keep up to date with responses and prayer requests on the SBTC Facebook site. Give thanks for the relief teams that spent time before the flooding making sure all disaster relief units were ready to roll when needed.
Pastor Appreciation
Sunday, October 13 is National Pastor Appreciation Day. Pray for your pastor(s) by name. Give thanks for their commitment to ministry, for their faithfulness before God. Pray that they will find joy in service. Remember them always in prayer. Show your appreciation with a note, by being encouraging, or by defending them before others.
National Pastor Appreciation Day is a great day to begin praying for all our UBA pastors who are leading their churches to collaborate with others to be a part of the vision for advancing the gospel of Jesus Christ. We've compiled a list of pastors active Union Baptist Association churches. You can download the guide here and pray for them by name.
October 21 - 27 is National Pastoral Care Appreciation Week. Professional Chaplains provide support, encouragement, and spiritual care to those in the military, hospitals, hospices, and many workplaces. If you’ve spent much time in the hospital, chances are that a Chaplain has prayed with you. Pray today for the Chaplains who serve in Houston and throughout the United States.
Pray for these UBA congregations who do not currently have a pastor:
Jesus Way Baptist Church
Philippine American Baptist Church
Primera Iglesia Bautista de Pasadena
Primera Iglesia Bautista Deer Park
Ethiopian Evangelical Church
First Baptist Church - South Houston
Pray for these pastors who are serving UBA congregations as interim pastors during times of transition:
Dr. Brian Brewer at River Oaks Baptist Church
Chris Richey at San Jacinto Baptist Church Deer Park
Ted Fisher at Second Baptist Church Galena Park.
Dr. Denny Autrey at First Baptist Church Deer Park
Dr. Robert Clark at Garden Oaks Baptist Church
Hien Bui at Hoi Thanh Baptist Church Vietnam Sugar Land
For the City
Butch and Nell Green need volunteers to deliver Thanksgiving Baskets to refugees here in the city. Pray for the refugees to know that God loves them and provides for them. Pray for enough volunteers to deliver the baskets to the families and how God might be leading you to assist. To volunteer, contact Nell at bgreen@cbf.net.
Pray that love among believers may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that we are able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ—to the glory and praise of God. (from Philippians 1:9, NIV)
Pray that followers of Christ everywhere will be filled with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives, so that we may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work and growing in the knowledge of God. (from Colossians 1:9-10, NIV)
From Afar
Your prayers have impact. Pastor Sergei in Nizhniy Novgorod, Russia, writes:
When I read your prayers for Nizhniy Novgorod, it takes my heart. It is like magic to me. Some church on the other side of the world will pray for this church and Nizhniy Novgorod - why?"
Sally Hinzie, UBA Church Consultant and Virtual Strategy Coordinator for Nizhniy Novgorod asks you to continue to pray for the pastors and churches
