Join FPC as we look to fulfill the needs of our neighbors here in Houston and the nations around the world. If you’re looking for a way to serve today, view the opportunities below.
Immediate ways to connect with ministries to serve are shown first, and ongoing needs are below.
Fri | June 2 | 6 PM
Come experience live music, craft refreshments and cocktails, and an immersive billboard shelter. Admission and food and drinks are FREE, and all proceeds from the art fundraiser will be used to help build and support Every Shelter’s refugee-centric ecosystem in Uganda. Every Shelter is a ministry that was initially funded by FPC’s Project Flourish!
If you would like to attend, click HERE to register.
Sat | June 3 | 2–4 PM
Come out and learn how to grow fruits and vegetables that thrive in our Houston climate! Volunteers work in the MSM Community Garden year-round to grow vegetables, fruits, herbs, and flowers, which are then harvested and made available to MSM program participants and groups in the community. All you need to bring is your water bottle. If interested, please RSVP by emailing Carrie Sadler at csadler@msmhouston.org.
Thurs | June 8 | 6–8 PM
In honor of Juneteenth and St. Bahkita, Patron Saint of Human Trafficking, The Landing welcomes Kwami Adoboe-Herrera, a Speaker, Consultant, and Anti-trafficking advocate who will share his expertise and invaluable insights on the issue.
Sign up HERE to register, and join the conversation as we explore the present-day complexities of race, culture, and gender in human trafficking.
Sun | June 11 | 1–4 PM
In collaboration with Stop The Hate, The Landing will host a family-friendly food festival with games, raffles, photo booths, and the best food and drink vendors in Houston! Entry is FREE, tickets will need to be purchased to enjoy food and drink. Every dollar spent will contribute towards empowering survivors of human trafficking.
Click HERE to buy tickets, become a sponsor, and get more info!
June 20–Aug 4
Camp Agape
Camp Agape is seven weeks packed full of FUN! During this summer camp experience the neighborhood K–5th graders will participate in devotionals, worship, memory verses, games, crafts, short courses, and field trips. Agape Development is looking for volunteers who would love to be a part of this amazing summer experience! The following roles are needed:
Camp Assistants
– Camp Assistants will join in on group worship, crafts, games, and other fun activities!
– Monday through Friday from 9:30 AM – 2:30 PM
Short Course Leaders
– Come share your interests and skills with the children! Painting, woodworking, ballet, music, football, basketball, step, etc.
– Friday 11:30 AM – 12:30 PM
Camp Agape Breakfast Snack
– Ensure that the kids have a little snack to get the day started. Sign up and provide a granola bar or breakfast type bar for each child as they arrive.
Camp Lunches
– Be a part of the summer camp experience by providing lunch to the participants. Lunch needs to be items that are easily served. Meals can be assembled at home or purchased from a restaurant.
If you are interested or know someone who may be interested, email Amanda Garner at volunteer@agapedevelopment.org
October 20-21
Partner with Rafiki for a short-term mission trip and experience the joy of serving God’s children overseas! Whether you are interested in God’s work through Rafiki or are considering long-term service, use your talents and get a taste of life at a Rafiki Village this summer! Join Rafiki’s upcoming missions trainings at the Rafiki Home Office in Eustis, Florida! For questions, email rafiki@rafikifoundation.org or call at 352.483.9131.
Immediate Needs | Short term commitment | Can be over the phone or in person
Help a Neighbor Apply For Veteran’s Benefits
Are you familiar with the veteran application system? This is a short-term volunteering opportunity to help someone through this process from application, to interpretation of any approval/rejection letters they may receive, to guidance towards the next steps.
Help a Neighbor File their Taxes
Would you be willing to help a neighbor file their 2022 taxes? If they have received a 1099, the volunteer would be responsible for assisting with filing online.
Help Agape Development Create a Map
Agape Development would like to have several map versions of the neighborhood – showing different streets, landmarks, or other specific information. They are looking for volunteers who have access to professional subscription map platforms to create attractive, clear, and informational maps.
If you are interested, or know someone who may be interested, please email amandag@agapedevelopment.org for more information.
July 9–18, 2023 | Egypt | Jossour-Bridges of Hope and Here I Am Conference
Ongoing needs and ways to connect with our mission partners are shown below. Click the + to the left of each ministry name for more information.
Africa Renewal Ministries (ARM) in Uganda is one of FPC’s longstanding global mission partners and many FPC covenant partners have traveled to Uganda on vision and mission trips, as well as sponsor children through ARM’s Child Sponsorship Program. There is an immediate need for Child Sponsors.
Watch this video.
Agape Development works to transform our neighborhood by preparing Christ-following, independent, community leaders. Agape does this by building relationships with families through a wide variety of age-specific programs. Read more, here.
Ongoing ways to serve:
Our neighborhood partner through Attack Poverty is Friends of Northside. Learn more about Attack Poverty, an organization connecting communities with neighbors who care to help break the cycle of generational poverty, here.
Ongoing ways to serve:
The Friends of Northside Garden is expanding and they are looking for volunteers to lend a hand to help prepare it for spring! Volunteers will help weed, sow seeds, plant new veggies and natives, and more while enjoying fellowship with members of the Lindale/Northside community. Please dress appropriately for working outdoors and be sure to bring a hat, sunscreen, and bottled water. If interested, click HERE to sign up and contact the volunteer coordinator, Amanda Mendoza, for more information by emailing amanda@attackpoverty.org.
Returning citizens need advocates, guides, and encouraging re-entry coaches to walk alongside them upon release from prison and as they re-enter, transitioning to live out their faith in freedom. CrossWalk Center bridges critical social services and ministry between prison life and freedom with the goal of “Seamless Re-entry Discipleship from the Inside Out.” Visit Crosswalk Center’s website for more information.
Ongoing ways to serve:
Cullen Staff Appreciation Breakfast
Every First Wednesday of the Month | 7:30–8:30 AM
Join us as we say “thank you” to the extraordinary educators at Cullen Middle School. Join us to show your gratitude as we take special breakfast treats before school to express our appreciation for our amazing and dedicated friends at Cullen.
Cullen Middle School Prayer Walk
Every Second Wednesday of the Month | 6–7 PM
Every second Wednesday of the month we gather to pray for the staff and students of the Cullen Middle School campus. You can park in the school lot off of La Salette. Enter through the doors off the aforementioned parking lot.
For more information, contact Taylor Ramsay
Feeding Houston’s Heroes delivers food to a variety of first responders and frontline workers like Houston Fire Department Stations, Police Department, and other front-line workers each week. Learn more, here.
Ongoing ways to serve:
Contact Missions for more information.
Working in the Third Ward, Generation One is a living laboratory for education research and development. With high-quality early education, engaging after-school programming, and family support, Generation One empowers children and families to thrive and reach their fullest potential. Learn more, here.
Ongoing ways to serve:
From hurricanes to tornadoes to pandemics, we want to be proactive in how FPC will respond in times of disaster and crisis. FPC is a member of Houston Responds’ Central Coalition of churches in our area. The vision of the Central Coalition is to unite, empower, and mobilize churches to multiply the collective impact on critical needs in our communities. If you are interested in being on the FPC disaster response team, please email our FPC Houston Responds Disaster Coordinator, Steve Winstead, at steve.winstead@att.net.
Houston Welcomes Refugees’ mission is to help ease the resettlement process for refugees coming to Houston by mobilizing invested, caring volunteers and fostering hope amidst crisis. Visit the HWR website to learn more.
Ongoing ways to serve:
The Main Street Ministries’ Community Garden, located adjacent to our campus, grows produce year-round benefitting the Heights Food Pantry.
Ongoing ways to serve:
Garden Volunteers | Sundays | 2–4 PM
Monthly Volunteers | First Saturday of the Month | 2–4 PM
On the first Saturday of the month, take an opportunity to join us in serving Main Street Ministries! Come out and learn how to grow fruits and vegetables that thrive in our Houston climate. Please bring your water bottle and garden gloves if you have them. If interested, contact Carrie Sadlerat csadler@msmhouston.org.
Main Street Ministries Houston was established in 2009 to unite and strengthen Operation ID and Shepherd’s Center, two long-running, volunteer outreach ministries of First Presbyterian Church Houston. Learn more, here.
Ongoing ways to serve:
Visit the MSM website for more information.
Mentors and tutors serve as the foundation on which the Nehemiah Center impacts the futures of at-risk children and their families. Learn more, here.
Ongoing ways to serve:
Open Door Mission is a faith and evidence-based recovery program and facility helping the homeless in Houston TX since 1954. They are dedicated to transforming the lives of the most severely addicted, destitute, homeless, and disabled men in our community for free. Learn more, here.
Ongoing ways to serve:
The mission of Restoring Justice is to end mass incarceration, one client and heart at a time. They provide holistic defense and social services for the marginalized in our community. Learn more, here.
Ongoing ways to serve:
The Landing, one of our newer local FPC mission partners, is an anti-human trafficking organization that walks alongside survivors of human trafficking in Houston, Texas. Upcoming opportunities to serve and get involved include:
Host a meal at lunchtime on Mondays or Wednesdays. You and a small group of 5 can provide lunch and serve to the clients at The Landing. For more information and additional opportunities, click HERE.
YMCA International Services is the official refugee resettlement agency that our partner, Houston Welcomes Refugees, works with.
Ongoing ways to serve:
Contact Darlean Lewis, Volunteer Specialist, at hwrforymca@gmail.com.
For more information on these and other opportunities to serve, please contact Mary-Floye Federer, Director of Missions, at mffederer@fpchouston.org.
