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Thank you for loving Houston!
Greetings!
This month has been a whirlwind! We're so grateful to everyone who has introduced us to existing church-school partnerships. We've seen some beautiful collaborations throughout greater Houston. How encouraging to see churches living out Matthew 5:16 so that students, teachers, and families can see our good works and give glory to our Father in heaven!
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Celebrate & Accelerate! 
Each month, we plan to celebrate an existing church-school partnership and share how you or your church can accelerate your own partnership! (We'll walk you through the start-up process - just hit 'reply' and let us know if you're interested!)
This month we're celebrating a partnership that began last June during our inaugural event. Leaders from Tallowood Baptist Church and High School Ahead Academy met before the event to determine 1) what the school needed, and 2) what the church could provide. Then during the week of the event, over 50 Tallowood volunteers worked alongside HSAA teachers, students, and parents to clean, paint, landscape, and build 3 raised bed gardens.
The results were amazing! Students, parents, and teachers have a new and refreshed pride in their school. Rose bushes now grace the previously empty courtyard, and produce from the garden is used in science classes for dissection and learning models. HSAA social worker Marsha Dunn concluded her thank-you note to Tallowood volunteers by writing "To God be the glory for all that He has done."
What a simple yet beautiful way for a church to show students and faculty that they are loved by God and worth investing in!
HSAA is now looking for mentors. Please hit 'reply' and let us know if you or your church is interested in loving HSAA students in this way!
For real-time updates on partnerships we're discovering, follow us on Twitter here or like us on Facebook here!
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Why Church-School Partnerships?
Many of you have been involved with Loving Houston from the very beginning. Thanks for praying and joining hands across congregations and denominations to love Houston with Christ's love.
This year, we're looking to develop even deeper relationships within our Houston community.
For the past 20 years, our directors been involved in amazing projects across greater Houston - CityFest, Compassion Katy, Generation One, Faithwalking, and multiple church-school partnerships just to name a few. One thing we've learned is that if we're serious about genuine city transformation, we need to be committed to relationships for the long haul. And what better way to build long-term relationships in a neighborhood than through the community pillars of churches and schools?
There is great need in Houston as evidenced by the great need in our schools, but there is also great abundance in Christ and in our churches. As you'll see in our monthly celebration stories, a willingness to serve goes a long way in reflecting God's love to our neighbors. Church, will you join us in transforming greater Houston with Christ's love?
If you're interested in joining this movement in Houston, hit 'reply' and let us know! We cherish your partnership in this adventure!
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Book Excerpt of the Month
"Suppose millions of [Christians] engaged in an old and proven type of radical behavior. Suppose they followed the admonition of Jesus to 'love your enemies, pray for those who persecute you, feed the hungry, clothe the naked, visit those in prison and care for widows and orphans,' not as ends...
but as a means of demonstrating God's love for the whole person in order that people might seek Him?" -Cal Thomas
How radical would it be if the church simply lived like Jesus?
-- To Transform a City by Eric Swanson and Sam Williams Check out more of our recommended books on Pinterest here. |
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