Community Mission in Houston: How St. John's Presbyterian Serves
I'm Pastor Jon at St. John's Presbyterian Church in Houston. After years in ministry, I've learned something important: churches don't prove their faith by what they say on Sunday morning. They prove it by what they do Monday through Saturday.
If you're searching for "community mission Houston" or trying to find a church that actually serves people instead of just talking about it, you're asking the right questions. Let me tell you what mission looks like at St. John's. Not the glossy brochure version, but the real thing.
Why Mission Matters More Than Programs
Walk into most churches in Houston and you'll hear about their programs. Youth programs, music programs, small group programs. All good things, sure. But programs aren't the same as mission.
Mission asks a different question. Not "what can we offer to attract people?" but "who needs help, and how can we serve them?"
That shift changes everything. Instead of building bigger buildings or buying fancier equipment, you start asking where the hurt is. Where people are struggling. Where God's already working and needs more hands.
At St. John's, our mission statement is simple: glorify God by making disciples and meeting human needs. Notice that second part. Meeting human needs. Not theorizing about them. Not feeling sorry about them. Actually meeting them.
Jesus didn't give sermons about feeding the hungry and then head home for dinner. He fed people. He touched lepers. He welcomed children when his disciples wanted to shoo them away. He got his hands dirty with real human problems.
If our church doesn't look like that, we're missing something essential.
Feeding Neighbors Through BIM
About five minutes from our church, people line up every week for food assistance. Single mothers trying to stretch their paychecks. Elderly folks whose social security doesn't quite cover everything. Working people who hit a rough patch.
St. John's partners with Braes Interfaith Ministries, a coalition of twelve congregations serving southwest Houston. BIM runs a food pantry that feeds hundreds of families every week.
Our people volunteer there regularly. We stock shelves. We sort donations. We hand out food boxes. We talk with people, learn their names, hear their stories.
We also donate food from our community garden. More on that in a minute, but imagine this: fresh vegetables grown by church members, harvested on Saturday morning, delivered to families who often can't afford produce at the grocery store. Tomatoes, peppers, squash, herbs. Real food grown by real people who care.
That garden connection matters. When you hand someone a bag of vegetables you grew yourself, it's different than just writing a check. You're giving something of yourself. You're saying, "I planted these seeds. I watered them. I picked them this morning. And I want you to have them."
We also help with job counseling at BIM. Lots of folks need work but don't know how to write a resume or prepare for an interview. Our members with business experience volunteer their time. They help people present themselves well. They make introductions. Sometimes they create opportunities.
This isn't government assistance. This is neighbors helping neighbors. Church people rolling up their sleeves because James 2:14-17 says faith without action is dead.
Growing Community in Our Garden
Speaking of gardens, let me tell you about ours. We started small a few years back. Eight raised beds on church property. About fifteen gardeners from our congregation and neighborhood.
Some people plant tomatoes. Others prefer peppers or herbs. A few grow flowers because beauty feeds the soul too. Every week during growing season, people show up to water, weed, harvest, and talk.
The vegetables go to BIM's food pantry. But the garden gives us so much more than produce. It gives us community.
People who barely knew each other now garden together. They trade advice about dealing with Houston's heat. They share extra seedlings. They celebrate when the squash finally comes in. They commiserate when something doesn't work.
We've also invited residents from Presbyterian Children's Homes and Services to join us. These are young people who've had tough starts in life. Many never had anyone teach them how to grow things. Now they're learning that if you plant a seed, water it, give it time, something beautiful happens.
Life lessons grow in gardens. Patience. Care. Working with God's creation instead of against it. Understanding that good things take time. Learning that sometimes your best efforts fail, and that's okay. You try again next season.
One of our gardeners told me recently, "I never thought I'd be the kind of person who gardens. But I needed something that wasn't screens and traffic. Something real." That's what we're creating. Real connections with the earth, with each other, with God's provision.
We're planning to expand the garden and add a prayer area nearby. A quiet spot where people can sit and think. Where the noise of Bellfort Avenue fades and you can hear yourself breathe.
Supporting Families Through PCHAS
Presbyterian Children's Homes and Services does heavy lifting for Texas families. They provide group homes for kids who can't live with their families. Foster care. Adoption services. Support programs for struggling parents.
St. John's provides office space to PCHAS right here on our property. We also support their programs financially and through volunteer work.
Why does this matter? Because every kid deserves a shot at a decent childhood. Every family struggling to stay together deserves help, not judgment.
I've met some of the young people PCHAS serves. Many have been through things no child should experience. Abuse. Neglect. Parents who couldn't or wouldn't care for them properly. The state steps in, and suddenly these kids are in the foster system.
PCHAS finds safe places for them. They work to reunify families when possible. They provide counseling. They help with education. They give kids stability when their whole world has been unstable.
Our congregation supports this work because we believe every child matters to God. Not just the kids from nice families with stable homes. Every single child.
We also host events for PCHAS families. Holiday parties. Back-to-school gatherings. Simple things that help kids feel normal and valued.
One of our members mentors a teenager through PCHAS. They meet for lunch once a week. They talk about school, life, future plans. This kid told his mentor, "Nobody ever cared enough to just show up for me before." That's what mission does. It shows up.
Reaching Across Oceans to Uganda
Mission doesn't stop at Houston's city limits. St. John's supports children at the Lulwanda Children's Home in Uganda. This orphanage, run by Grace International Children's Foundation, provides care for kids who've lost parents to disease, war, or poverty.
Our donations help pay for food, clothing, school supplies, and tuition. Some of our members have actually traveled to Uganda to help develop curriculum, train teachers, and work directly with the children.
Why Uganda? Because need exists there too. Because God's love crosses borders. Because Christianity has always been global, even when churches act like their own neighborhood is the only place that matters.
These kids face challenges most Houston children never imagine. Lack of basic resources. Limited educational opportunities. Ongoing health issues. But they're smart, creative, resilient kids who deserve a chance.
When we send money for school fees, we're saying, "Your education matters. Your future matters. You're not forgotten just because you're far away."
Several of our members have formed relationships with specific children at Lulwanda. They write letters. They pray by name. They ask about school progress and favorite subjects. Real relationships across thousands of miles.
This kind of mission expands our worldview. It reminds us that Houston's needs, while real, aren't the only needs. It connects us to the global body of Christ.
Seafarers Far from Home
Houston's port brings sailors from around the world. These men and women spend months at sea, far from families. When their ships dock in Houston, they need a place to decompress. Somewhere that feels like home, even temporarily.
The Houston International Seafarers Center provides that space. Recreation facilities. Religious services. A quiet place away from the ship. Connection to the outside world.
St. John's supports this ministry with funds and supplies. We believe these sailors deserve dignity and care. They're not just cargo handlers. They're human beings doing difficult, lonely work.
Some of our members have visited the Seafarers Center. They've met people from the Philippines, from eastern Europe, from Africa. People with families they haven't seen in months. People who appreciate someone caring about their wellbeing.
This is part of how we serve Houston. Not just the neighborhoods we can see from our church building, but the people passing through our port. The ones who might otherwise be invisible.
What Mission Actually Costs
I need to be honest with you. Real mission work costs money, time, and energy. It's not something you do with leftover resources. It requires sacrifice.
Our budget priorities reflect our mission commitment. We don't have the fanciest building or the newest equipment. We invest in service, not spectacle.
Our members give generously because they believe in what we're doing. They volunteer hours every week because they've seen what happens when the church actually serves people.
But the cost isn't just financial. Mission work challenges comfortable Christianity. When you actually interact with people who are hurting, your theology gets tested. Your assumptions get questioned. Your faith either deepens or you realize it was mostly theory.
I've watched church members have their perspectives shifted through mission work. The businessman who thought poverty was mostly about bad choices, until he started volunteering at BIM and heard real stories. The retired teacher who thought she had nothing left to offer, until she started mentoring kids through PCHAS. The young professional who thought faith was boring, until he helped build vegetable beds in our garden.
Mission wakes up sleeping faith. It makes the gospel concrete. It turns Sunday abstractions into Monday realities.
Why Small Churches Do Mission Differently
St. John's isn't a megachurch. We can't write huge checks or mobilize thousands of volunteers. Our mission work happens on a smaller scale.
But here's what we can do: we can know the people we're serving. We can form actual relationships. We can follow up. We can adjust quickly when we see a need.
Big programs have their place. But there's something powerful about a church small enough that everyone knows everyone else is doing mission work. You're not anonymous. Your service matters. People notice when you show up at BIM or work in the garden or mentor a kid.
This accountability helps. It's easy to skip volunteering when nobody knows whether you're there. It's harder when Maria will ask where you were or when Tom expects you to help with the garden harvest.
Small also means flexible. When we learned about a refugee family needing furniture, we didn't have to form a committee or wait for budget approval. People just started showing up with what they had. Beds, dishes, a couch, kitchen supplies. The family moved in with everything they needed.
Try doing that in a church of thousands. By the time you navigate the bureaucracy, the need has passed.
Houston Context Matters for Mission
We serve in southwest Houston, an incredibly diverse area. Our neighbors speak dozens of languages. They come from everywhere. Economic situations vary widely. Some blocks have beautiful homes. Others have run-down apartments with families struggling.
This diversity shapes our mission. We can't assume everyone's needs are the same. We can't offer one-size-fits-all solutions.
BIM works because it's interfaith and multicultural. Different congregations bringing different strengths. Presbyterian organization meeting Catholic heart meeting Baptist enthusiasm. We serve people regardless of their faith background. Food doesn't have a religion.
Our garden brings together people who wouldn't normally interact. Longtime church members and new immigrants. Retirees and young families. People who speak perfect English and people who are just learning. Gardening transcends language barriers.
This is Houston. This is how church should work here. Not isolated communities serving their own. Connected communities serving everyone.
The Connection Between Worship and Mission
Here's something I've learned: churches that worship well tend to serve well. And churches that serve well tend to worship better.
At St. John's, we pray for our mission partners by name every Sunday. We celebrate when the garden produces. We give thanks for families helped through Anchor House. We ask for wisdom serving through BIM.
This keeps mission connected to worship. We're not compartmentalizing our lives into religious Sunday and secular rest-of-the-week. Everything flows together.
Our sermons reference our mission work. When I preach about loving your neighbor, people can picture actual neighbors we're serving. When I talk about feeding the hungry, they remember stocking shelves at BIM. When I mention welcoming strangers, they think about families staying at Anchor House.
This makes the Bible less theoretical and more practical. Jesus' teachings aren't ancient history. They're instructions for this week.
After worship, we often talk about mission needs. Someone might mention that BIM is low on canned goods. Another person shares that the garden needs watering help this week. People coordinate right there in the fellowship hall.
This integration of worship and mission keeps both honest. Worship that doesn't lead to service becomes self-absorbed. Service disconnected from worship becomes just social work. Together, they create authentic Christian community.
How You Can Serve in Houston
If you're in Houston and looking for ways to serve, I'll be direct. You have options. Lots of churches and organizations need help.
But if you're looking for a church where mission is central, not peripheral, consider visiting St. John's. Come see what we're doing. Meet the people. Ask questions.
You don't have to join our church to serve with us. Volunteers at BIM come from all kinds of backgrounds. Garden plots are open to neighbors. We welcome anyone who wants to help.
But I think you'll find something different here. Not perfect, but authentic. Not slick, but real. A community that takes Jesus' command to serve seriously.
Here's what I know after decades in ministry: people are hungry for faith that makes a difference. They're tired of churches that are all talk. They want to use their hands, not just their voices. They want to see actual lives changed, including their own.
Mission does that. It changes everyone involved. The people receiving help, yes. But also the people giving it. Maybe especially them.
When you hand a struggling mother a box of food, you're not the same person who walked in that morning. When you help a kid learn to grow vegetables, something grows in you too. When you support families dealing with medical crises, your own problems get perspective.
What We're Not
Let me be clear about something. We're not saviors. We're not heroes. We're not trying to fix Houston single-handedly.
We're just people trying to follow Jesus. Some days we do it well. Other days we stumble. We make mistakes. We have limitations.
Anchor House can only help a few families at a time. Our garden feeds dozens, not thousands. Our PCHAS support touches some lives, not all lives. Our work in Uganda helps one orphanage, not every orphan.
That's okay. We're not called to solve every problem. We're called to be faithful where God has placed us.
Small acts of service matter. The widow's mite mattered to Jesus. Five loaves and two fish fed thousands. Faithful presence in one neighborhood changes that neighborhood.
We don't serve to earn God's favor. We already have that through Christ. We serve because grace received becomes grace given. Because love doesn't stay locked inside. Because faith that doesn't express itself in service isn't really faith.
An Invitation to Real Faith
If you've been church shopping in Houston, you've probably seen the full range. Churches that are really entertainment venues. Churches that are really social clubs. Churches that are really political organizations.
Nothing wrong with enjoying worship or having friends or caring about justice. But if that's all church is, something's missing.
At St. John's, we're trying to be church the way Jesus talked about it. A community that gathers to worship and scatters to serve. People who know each other well enough to care genuinely. A place where faith connects to real life.
Our mission work isn't a program you sign up for. It's the natural overflow of people who've experienced God's love and want to share it.
Come visit sometime. Not just for worship, though you're welcome there. Come on a Saturday morning when we're working in the garden. Show up at BIM on a volunteer day. Ask about Anchor House or PCHAS or any of our partnerships.
See mission in action. Then decide if this is the kind of church you're looking for.
Because here's what I believe: Houston needs churches that serve, not just churches that talk about serving. The city needs Christians who get their hands dirty, not just their doctrine right.
The needs are massive. Traffic is brutal. Inequality is real. People are struggling with poverty, loneliness, addiction, despair. Meanwhile, some churches build bigger buildings and buy better sound systems.
We're choosing a different path. Not because we're better than other churches. Just because this is what we believe Jesus calls us to do.
Will you join us? Not join our church necessarily, though we'd love that. But join the work. Join the mission. Join what God's already doing in Houston.
The harvest is plentiful. The workers are few. We need hands, hearts, and hope. We need people who believe the gospel is good news for the poor, freedom for the captives, sight for the blind, and release for the oppressed.
That's mission. That's what St. John's Presbyterian is about. That's what Houston needs.
Come and see. Better yet, come and serve.
St. John's Presbyterian Church
5020 West Bellfort Avenue
Houston, Texas 77035
(713) 723-6262
Sunday Worship: 11:00 AM
Pastor Jon
A life of service is not for the fainthearted. But it's the only life worth living.
