Once a month, come as you are for an intergenerational short service opportunity in the Welcome Center or out in the community. Join us for an hour or two and make a difference in someone’s life. Watch the Grace homepage and Grace Weekly email for project details each month.  The next serve date will be August 10.

In our partnership with Friends of Westchase, Grace is excited to support our local HISD schools to Stuff A Bus again this August!

Stuff A Bus is an opportunity for us to help out our Westchase families with much-needed school supplies, backpacks, hygiene items, shoes and uniforms... and kick off a new school year! Supporting students this way allows our kids and youth to start the school year on equal footing with their peers, preparing them with basic needs so they can focus on learning. Stuff A Bus will be held on August 11 between worship and the equipping hour. School supplies will be shared with students who attend Friends of Westchase partner schools--Emerson Elementary, Walnut Bend Elementary, and Paul Revere Middle School. 

Our school partners have shared a great need for new shoes for school-aged children, both elementary and middle school. We will have bins placed around the church during the month of July. We will have a table set up in the Welcome Center on Sundays, July 21, 28 and August 4 and 11. Please consider sharing a pair of new shoes or financially supporting a student as they head back to school! You may make donations online HERE.

Help feed our people! Sharing a meal together has long been acknowledged as a wonderful way to spark conversation and make people feel at ease with one another. Many Grace ministries events are centered on that premise. You can help these ministries thrive by providing a meal for the folks participating. The opportunities and complete details can be found HERE. Bookmark that list--currently there are several Student Ministries and vacation Bible School events that could use your help, but as Summer continues and then as new Fall events begins, we will be adding to this list for all of our ministries, so check back often and help out when you can!

Calling all Grace men!

In partnership with Friends of Westchase, Grace has kicked off a new mentoring program on our campus: Basketball and Burgers! Once a month, a group of caring adult men join with 15 boys from Paul Revere Middle School to share a game of basketball and a meal. Many of the boys are struggling with challenges that include homelessness and food insecurity. By connecting with the boys through a sport they love, the adult mentors are hoping to build long-term trust. The Grace men have had the best time hanging out with the students, shooting hoops, and sharing Whataburger! This summer, we will be mixing things up a bit with basketball as well as some other summer fun activities (ie, gaming night, movie night, etc.) We connect with the youth once a month and meet at Grace! We hope you will join us! For more information, please contact Kristy Elmore.

The Stephen Ministry Quiz

(Answers are at the bottom!)

1. You have to be a Covenant Partner at Grace to have a Stephen Minister.

A. True

B. False

2. My Stephen Minister will:

A. Listen as I share my feelings, without judging me.

B. Help me remember that God loves me in all of my circumstances.

C. Keep my information confidential.

D. ALL of the above

3. My Stephen Minister will also:

A. Run errands for me.

B. Pay my overdue bills.

C. Be my standby babysitter.

D. NONE of the above

4. Choose the words or phrases that describe Stephen Ministry:

A. Compassionate

B. One-on-One

C. Christ-based

D. Empathetic

E. Confidential

F. Faithful

G. Highly-trained

5. If I feel overwhelmed in my circumstances or know someone else who does, I should:

A. Contact Denise Phelps, Assistant Pastor for Caring Ministries.

B. Suffer alone, stuck in my grief and let my friend do the same thing.

Answers

1. B, False. If you are a Covenant Partner, visitor, friend, or neighbor and need our care, or know someone who would benefit from our care, please contact Denise Phelps (713-267-5036)

2. D, ALL of the above. Stephen Ministers are trained to listen and show God’s love to their Care Receivers. The conversations are always kept confidential!

3. D, NONE of the above. Your Stephen Minister can help you identify agencies and programs that are appropriate to provide for your physical needs while continuing to walk with you through your emotional needs.

4. All of the words and phrases describe Stephen Ministry! Stephen Ministers are well-trained from a Christ-based curriculum to be someone you can depend on to walk with you as you journey through overwhelming feelings, helping you feel God’s love until you no longer feel overwhelmed and no longer need a Stephen Minister.

5. A, Of course! Please contact Denise Phelps to start the process. We have male and female Stephen Ministers because our ministry is gender specific. Also, if you know someone who is stuck in grief, please encourage that person to contact Denise.

Thank you for taking our quiz!

Please help us welcome our mission partners, Jasmina, Igor, and Mila Mukha back home to Grace! The Mukhas will be visiting with us from their mission field in Nice, France, July 19-August 8. We will be planning a special art event and Jasmina, or "Jazzie" as we lovingly call her, will lead us through a reflective art experience--stay tuned for a date and more details. In the meantime, they would love to spend time with their Grace family--sign up to share a meal with the Mukhas and learn more about their mission and ministry HERE!