WESTMINSTER
PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH, P.C. (U.S.A.)
HOUSTON,
TEXAS
A
VISION OF WHERE GOD WILL CALL US
In
the 5 years since our last mission study we rejoice that the word that still
best describes us is “family”. We
continue to live together in true Presbyterian collegiality. We proclaim the Good News of Jesus Christ in
our community and have developed an effective outreach program. This program has attracted folks who have
become vital to the worship and work of our church and we have grown in
number. In our growth we have
maintained the homey, come-as-you-are feeling we all value in our
congregation. We celebrate the ways we
have discovered to integrate our multi-cultural, socially diverse
church family and address the needs of all our members and the community. We have continued to be a welcoming and
inclusive congregation, greeting visitors and introducing them to our worship
and work. Our efforts have borne fruit
as we continue to add individuals and families with many talents who actively
participate in our worship and work along with our long-time members,
re-energized by the working of the Spirit among us.
God
continues to feed our church through preaching focused on living the Good News
of Holy Scripture but there are changes and additions to our style of
worship. We have used the solid base of
our music program to develop a worship style and schedule that allows us to
provide meaningful worship opportunities to all our church family. We have met the challenge of incorporating
the traditions of a number of cultures as well as a variety of music and
presentational styles in our worship program.
Most importantly we have done this while maintaining the elements
of the Reformed tradition.
Christian
education continues to be an integral part of our ministry. Our pastor has a passion for Christian
education and fully supports the initiatives of our Director of Christian
Education. Our adult and youth Sunday
School programs have been expanded to include programs that appeal to the
broader spectrum of our membership and to our multicultural community. Youth programs that have always been strong
have been bolstered by increased involvement with mission and the denomination
at-large. The Mother’s Day Out program
has evolved to meet the changing needs of the community. We offer several Bible studies aimed at all
segments of our congregation.
Fellowship
remains a defining part of Westminster.
We gather as a church family for times of relaxation, fun and food. In addition to our intergenerational
gatherings our various age and interest groups include young adults,
families and seniors that are active in outings, book clubs and learning
activities. Westminster members are active in presbytery and synod-sponsored
learning and fellowship programs.
Stewardship
of the gifts God has given us is a continuing challenge. We are moving toward a sound base of support
but we need to continue to remind ourselves of the privilege of giving of our
time, talents and money in support of the work of this church family and the
larger church. Our congregation
continues to worship in our multi-purpose room while assessing our ministry in
this community. We are very mindful of
the challenges and limitations of our physical location and listen for God’s
call to guide us in making purposeful decisions for our future. We have re-activated a dedicated capital
fund to be used specifically for either care and expansion of our current
facility or establishment of a relocated one.
Ministry
to the community is a major priority of our church family. The Mission Bells Food Pantry has been
expanded and provides us contact with our neighborhood. We have connected with other churches and
have sufficient volunteers to staff the program to ensure that the needs of the
community are met. We continue to
sponsor Scouting programs and, in conjunction with other community service
organizations, are supporting a fellowship program for seniors, an English as a
second language class and exploring establishing a tutoring program with a
local public school. We have re-joined
and actively participate in the programs of the Southwest Area Ministry.