MISSION
seeking the shalom of Houston’s east end through gospel word & deed…
What is Shalom?
The Bible translators, having no exact word to translate “shalom” into the English language, translated it as '“peace” or “welfare”. But the Hebrew concept of “shalom” goes far beyond our western idea of “peace”. Shalom is not simply the absence of conflict but rather the presence of holistic human flourishing. It is spiritual, mental, social, emotional, and physical flourishing. This isn’t to say we can completely eradicate all human suffering before Jesus’ return, but we are called to push back darkness. We know that one day, Jesus will come back and make all things new, and there will be perfect shalom then! But until that day, as exiles on earth, we seek to be like a city on a hill and like the salt of the earth through proclamation of gospel word and demonstration of gospel deeds.
“…Through Gospel Word and Deed…”
This methodology is rooted in the scriptures and expounded upon within the missiological framework known as “Misión Integral” (Integral Mission). Integral Mission affirms that both evangelistic and social responsibility are like two wings of a plane— both essential to the integrity of the plane’s function. In the same way, we are called as exiles to spread the “shalom” of God through proclamation of gospel word (reconciliation with God), and demonstration of gospel deeds (tangible service to others that the gospel calls us to). Together, these two contribute to the holistic flourishing of a community. Like the people of Israel in Babylon were called to seek the welfare of the city they were exiled in, we as Christians are called to seek the welfare of our cities for the glory of God and the good of our neighbors.
VISION
to see every east end block flooded with restoration, belonging, and purpose…
What do we want to see? We want to see the East End saturated with Restoration, Belonging, and Purpose. The bible clearly shows us that the Church is much more than a building or a Sunday service. Instead, the Bible shows us that the Church is a people who have become true family in Christ. Together as the family of God, we get the privilege of both experiencing and helping spread Restoration, Belonging, and Purpose. So we pursue these three things together for ourselves, each other, and for our neighborhood and city. Why do we believe these three things are so important? Because we believe they are things the gospel provides for us: We find Restoration with God and with one another through the person and work of Christ, we find Belonging with Christ’s Church, the family of God, which means we become true siblings in the Lord, and we find our ultimate Purpose in Christ, which is to join in on God’s mission of redeeming and restoring all people and things to how they were meant to function, which the Bible calls “Shalom”. We seek to do this through gospel proclamation and gospel demonstration, through discipleship in the everyday things of life, through living as lights in our community, relying on the Holy Spirit to do what we cannot do.
(and beyond)
But our vision doesn't end there. We long for the day when we see the gospel of Christ spilling over into every block and neighborhood east of I-45 and SH 288 as far out as Jacinto City and Channelview--areas that have historically been neglected. The reality is that the east of Houston has been largely untouched by church planters up to this point. Our hearts long to see this change. Therefore, we desire to be a church planting church; one that helps train and equip other church planters and their teams to be sent out to plant more churches within the East End and throughout the greater East of Houston.