To the friends and supporters of Loving Houston -

A new chapter has been quietly written in the brief history of loving Houston.  Loving Houston, Inc. has now been created - a stand-alone, non-profit corporation dedicated to sustainable and genuine transformation across the city of Houston.

This new entity is but one more milestone in the journey that has roots back to CityFest, that gained traction with the vision and passion of Dr. Tom Billings, and captures the spirit and mission of many local churches and ministries that desire to bring the whole gospel to the city - to not only tell of the Savior's love, but to demonstrate that love in responding to the most urgent needs of the community.

Building upon the momentum of the inaugural June event and numerous micro-events, and capturing the attention and support of many Houstonians, the need for an independent, multi-denominational organization became clear.  One of the clear messages coming from the various events was the growing sense of the Church coming together in collaboration and brotherhood to minister to the city and her citizens.  That core value will be evident in the leadership, audience, and supporters of Loving Houston, Inc.

Mission - To motivate and assist the whole Church to take the whole Gospel to the Greater Houston area.

Vision - to transform Houston with Christ's love. 

Next steps:

• Obtain 501(c)3 status;
• Assemble a Board of Directors;
• Employ small, dedicated staff to fulfill the vision;
• Obtain the necessary funding to operate.

Impact: as a preview, our first strategy and venue of service will be to foster and facilitate a partnership of the local church with the local school.  From our research, sounding boards, and experiences of those who have ventured into this arena, this is the most logical and most effective means to begin: establish relationships, capture the felt needs of the neighborhood, elevate and strengthen the church's standing, and see genuine transformation in the community.  Much more on this will be coming to you later!

What you can do: 

• Above all, PRAY for us!  This has been an awesome time of strategizing, planning, brainstorming, and vision-casting - and it's not over yet!  And our adversary has been just as busy; please pray for our strength, unity, wisdom, passion, and endurance.

• Help us financially.  Such an endeavor is not without its cost.  We have a lean, tight budget - one that focuses the resources on staffing to do meet the challenge, and little else!  We will be thrifty and frugal, and covenant with our donors to be the best possible stewards of all that we have.  Our website can accept donations via this link:  http://lovinghouston.net/donate.

• Step up.  The task before us is huge!  And everyone receiving this message can help:
  • Pray
  • Volunteer - we'll have needs for administrative work, database management, networking, communications, and logistics.  Be prayerful about the call to love one another, our neighbor, and to serve them.
  • Be a voice - spread the word, involve your church, trumpet the cause. 

• Stay tuned!  And share the link to Loving Houston with others. 

We've just begun...

Yours for Him,

Michael J. Kraxberger

Operations Manager