Supporting Our Community
Mission
St. Philip supports many area organizations and agencies, with talents, volunteer service hours, funding and supplies. In addition to designated local recipients and projects, the annual Mission budget supports Presbytery, Synod and General Assembly projects and programs that directly provide funding to Presbyterian seminaries and schools, church camps and retreat centers, global relief of hunger, shelter and emergency needs. The Mission Committee is charged to set mission objectives and policies for St. Philip in local, national and international spheres; to identify the pressing social justice issues of the world in which we live and find ways for the St. Philip community to respond to them; and to define, supervise and set benevolence goals to these ends at all levels.
Watch the weekly announcements, the Philip-Eye and social media for community projects needing our immediate attention. Below are ongoing projects and the organizations we support. If you have any questions email mission@saintphilip.net
St. Philip's January Communion Offering
SEARCH Homeless Services
An additional offering is received when communion is celebrated. Gifts will benefit SEARCH. For over 35 years, SEARCH Homeless Services has been a trusted leader in the fight to end homelessness in Houston. Rather than offering temporary fixes, SEARCH focuses on long-term solutions that help people move from the streets back into homes of their own and rebuild their lives – because everyone deserves a place to call home. One program especially dear to the hearts of St. Philippians is SEARCH’s preschool, the House of Tiny Treasures (HTT). HTT serves children, ages 21 months to 5, who’ve been impacted by homelessness and poverty, providing them with the skills they need to thrive in school and in life. Each year, the St. Philip Stitchers sew and donate quilts for 5 every child enrolled - a treasured gift of comfort and care that reflects the heart of our partnership.
Gifts may be brought to the front basket during the final hymn on Sunday, January 4. You may also make a secure contribution through saintphilip.net and choosing the Communion fund or by sending a check to the church office, with “Communion” in the memo line by the 25th of each month.
Website: searchhomeless.org
St. Philip Ongoing Mission Projects
Handmade Caps for the Seafarers of the Houston Ship Channel
Members of St. Philip knit hats for the seafarers. The basic pattern is below and you can contact Jane Cooper for more information.
Kids Against Hunger
Kids Against Hunger is a youth-led ministry to stop hunger in Houston by packing shelf-stable, vitamin-fortified meals of Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal which we donate to Kids’ Meals, a meals on wheels organization serving underserved children ages 5 and younger without access to free and reduced school lunch programs.
Youth of St. Philip set up packing lines in the Sandra and James Cooper KAH Packing Facility, located off the Dining Room. Youth teach participants the process for scooping ingredients, weighing the bags, and sealing them for delivery to hungry children in Houston.
If you're a group interested in setting up a packing session or a volunteer wanting to help, join us by sending an email to keatan@saintphilip.net.
The next packing Session is: Sunday, October 26 - 9:30 to 10:30 am | Dining Room
Spots are limited! Email Keatan King at Keatan@saintphilip.net if you would like to participate.
Upcoming Packing Sessions:
Unless specified otherwise, packing sessions are from 9:30 am to 10:30 am
Sunday, October 26
Sunday, November 9
Sunday, November 23
Food packing sessions are held at St. Philip Presbyterian Church (accessible through the church office entrance) 4807 San Felipe Street, Houston, TX 77056. Ph. (713) 622-4807
The St. Philip Stitchers | Quilters
This remarkable organization lovingly creates youth quilts for House of Tiny Treasures. The House of Tiny Treasure is Houston’s first nationally accredited early childhood development center dedicated to serving homeless children and families. Its mission is to provide comprehensive early care, education and therapeutic services to build stable, functional lives.
As with the loaves and fishes, the St. Philip Stitchers combine scraps and remnants to meet the needs of many. Empowered by Christ's love, the St. Philip Stitchers lend time and talent to create quilts for the children of House of Tiny Treasures and others in need. Stitchers of all levels are welcome.
We meet on a Saturday, once a month, 10am-2pm . Visit Calendar.
Location: St. Philip Arts & Crafts Studio in the older building (next to the Education Wing, Room 9). For more details and info: please call (713) 622-4807
St. Philip Ongoing Mission Projects
Kids Against Hunger
Kids Against Hunger is a youth-led ministry to stop hunger in Houston by packing shelf-stable, vitamin-fortified meals of Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal which we donate to Kids’ Meals, a meals on wheels organization serving underserved children ages 5 and younger without access to free and reduced school lunch programs.
Youth of St. Philip set up packing lines in the Sandra and James Cooper KAH Packing Facility, located off the Dining Room. Youth teach participants the process for scooping ingredients, weighing the bags, and sealing them for delivery to hungry children in Houston.
If you're a group interested in setting up a packing session or a volunteer wanting to help, join us by sending an email to keatan@saintphilip.net.
The next packing Session is: Sunday, October 26 - 9:30 to 10:30 am | Dining Room
Spots are limited! Email Keatan King at Keatan@saintphilip.net if you would like to participate.
Upcoming Packing Sessions:
Unless specified otherwise, packing sessions are from 9:30 am to 10:30 am
Sunday, October 26
Sunday, November 9
Sunday, November 23
Food packing sessions are held at St. Philip Presbyterian Church (accessible through the church office entrance) 4807 San Felipe Street, Houston, TX 77056. Ph. (713) 622-4807
Handmade Caps for the Seafarers of the Houston Ship Channel
Members of St. Philip knit hats for the seafarers. The basic pattern is below and you can contact Jane Cooper for more information.
The St. Philip Stitchers | Quilters
This remarkable organization lovingly creates youth quilts for House of Tiny Treasures. The House of Tiny Treasure is Houston’s first nationally accredited early childhood development center dedicated to serving homeless children and families. Its mission is to provide comprehensive early care, education and therapeutic services to build stable, functional lives.
As with the loaves and fishes, the St. Philip Stitchers combine scraps and remnants to meet the needs of many. Empowered by Christ's love, the St. Philip Stitchers lend time and talent to create quilts for the children of House of Tiny Treasures and others in need. Stitchers of all levels are welcome.
We meet on a Saturday, once a month, 10am-2pm . Visit Calendar.
Location: St. Philip Arts & Crafts Studio in the older building (next to the Education Wing, Room 9). For more details and info: please call (713) 622-4807
Local Mission Partners
For global mission partners, please visit our Global Missions page.
Mission Partners with Volunteer Opportunities
Amazing Place
The mission of Amazing Place is to provide fellowship, memory care and wellness for adults with mild to moderate memory loss and support to their families and the community. Volunteers are an important part of the day-to-day operations at Amazing Place. The staff welcomes the time, talents and skills that volunteers provide to enhance the daily activities program and operations of the center. Opportunities include a variety of different options, including providing group or individualized entertainment, assisting or leading daily activities, interacting with small groups of participants, or working with the administrative team on office and clerical work.
Open from 7:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Monday through Friday, Amazing Place is Houston's only day program of its type serving our community by providing invigorating programs for participants.
The Beacon
The Beacon is a non-profit organization that serves the Houston homeless community through daily services, civil legal aid, counseling and mentoring and access to housing. The mission, opened in 2007, is to provide essential and next-step services to restore hope and help end homelessness in Houston. The organization meets the daily needs of hundreds of homeless men and women while also empowering them with housing case management, appropriate program referrals, and civil legal aid.
Christian Community Service Center (CCSC)
FEEDING HUNGER, FOSTERING HOPE, FURTHERING SUCCESS.
Christian Community Service Center is a community-based nonprofit organization serving central and southwest Houston. A coalition of 40 churches, volunteers and donors unite in their mission to serve the poor, hungry, disabled and otherwise needy while respecting their religious, ethnic or cultural differences. CCSC was created out of faith and founded in the belief that we are called to help all God’s children heart to heart and hand in hand. St. Philip volunteers each year with the back-to-school and jingle bell express events.
International Seafarer's Ministries
Recognizing that all humans are a gift of God, the mission of the chaplains and Committee for Ministry to the Port of Houston is to carry out a ministry of presence, outreach, witness, worship, service, and advocacy to, with, and for seafarers and their families from around the world. The International Seafarers Ministry supports Presbyterian chaplains who work alongside chaplains of other denominations to minister to the social and spiritual needs of seafarers on merchant ships calling on the Port of Houston. Chaplains endeavor to visit every ship that visits the port, as many seafarers are restricted to their ship due to security regulations.
Kids Against Hunger
Kids Against Hunger is St. Philip's signature mission project. The organization’s approach to achieving its goal – the eradication of world hunger – includes the packaging of a highly nutritious, vitamin-fortified soy-rice casserole by volunteers at numerous locations within the USA and Canada. Our location has packed over 1.2 million meals and distributes them locally.
Kids’ Meals, Inc
Kids' Meals’ mission is to end childhood hunger in Houston by delivering free, healthy meals, year-round to the doorsteps of Houston’s hungriest preschool-aged children and through collaboration provide their families with resources to help end the cycle of poverty. From its Houston Heights-area kitchen, Kids’ Meals is the nation’s only home delivery meal program targeting preschool-aged children. Houston ranks third in the nation among major cities for children living with food insecurity. Visit www.kidsmealsinc.org for volunteer opportunities.
Liberty High School
Liberty High School is an alternative high school on the campus of Houston Community College Gulfton Campus, Houston, Texas. A part of the Houston Independent School District, it is a school catering to recent immigrants. Liberty provides a setting for young English learners where they will develop the linguistic and cognitive skills necessary for success in high school, college, and beyond.
Lord of the Streets Episcopal Church
Lord of the Streets is a church community that Relieves suffering and Reveals dignity by Rebuilding lives through ministries and relationships with people facing homelessness. Programming provides basic supportive services: clothing and hygiene center, vision care, mailing addresses for homeless, health care, mobile showers, leisure time, and case management. They refer people to partner agencies for substance abuse recovery programs, job readiness training, and housing/shelter. St. Philip serves each quarter as volunteers to serve Sunday breakfast.
Plant It Forward
Plant it Forward Farms: Urban farms for Houston, small businesses for refugees. Plant it Forward provides Houston with fresh, local produce by helping refugees grow their own urban farm businesses. Each farmer is trained to use organic methods and sells their produce through farmers markets, farm stands, restaurants, and a farm share (CSA) program. In 2018, St. Philip Presbyterian Church sponsored two refugee trainees as they progressed through an 8-month urban farming training program. More info and volunteer opportunities at the website.
SEARCH Homeless Services
For over 35 years, SEARCH Homeless Services has been a trusted leader in the fight to end homelessness in Houston. Rather than offering temporary fixes, SEARCH focuses on long-term solutions that help people move from the streets back into homes of their own and rebuild their lives – because everyone deserves a place to call home.
One program especially dear to the hearts of St. Philippians is SEARCH’s preschool, the House of Tiny Treasures (HTT). HTT serves children, ages 21 months to 5, who’ve been impacted by homelessness and poverty, providing them with the skills they need to thrive in school and in life. Each year, the St. Philip Stitchers sew and donate quilts for every child enrolled - a treasured gift of comfort and care that reflects the heart of our partnership.
The Women's Home
The mission of The Women’s Home is to help women in crisis regain their self esteem and dignity, empowering them to return to society as productive, self sufficient individuals. Personal hygiene items, jewelry, scarves, Kleenex, pens and note paper, stamps and other items are collected and put into 50 decorative photo boxes and delivered to The Women’s Home each Good Friday by St. Philip volunteers.
Community Mission Partners
Bridges to Life
Bridges to Life has programs in prisons throughout the state of Texas. BTL brings healing to victims of crime, reduces recidivism among offender graduates of the program, and helps make our community a safer place.
Have Shears Will Travel (HSWT)
Have Shears Will Travel is a non-profit hair care ministry organized to serve the local community with special needs that restrict their ability to obtain these services due to physical impairment, lack of transportation or financial means. HSWT has served nearly 31,000 people through partnerships with 47 non-profit organizations serving the homeless, veterans, hospice/rehabilitation patients, and special needs adults in the Greater Houston area. HSWT also accepts requests from churches for those needing services at their home or hospital/nursing home. On “off” days, HSWT serves homeless encampments.
Houston Hope of the Nations
Houston Hope for the Nations was established in 2009 by Rev. Eid Abdelmassih to help immigrants and refugees from the Middle East. The mission of the center is to help the Middle Eastern community to adjust to life in Houston, helping them to grow in relationship with God, providing physical help, counseling, job search, ESL and Bible study. Presently, Eid reaches out to his Arabic Speaking neighbors and immigrants through organizing ESL courses, hosting a worship service and various outreach events.
Mission of Yahweh (MOY)
Mission of Yahweh is a faith-based shelter that empowers, enriches and restores the lives of homeless women and children and provides outreach services to low-income communities. MOY serves the Houston area as the only emergency/transitional shelter for homeless women/children offering a unique continuum of services for up to two years. To further eliminate barriers to self-sufficiency, MOY provides: a Workforce Integration Now (WIN) Program enabling resident women to complete college certificate programs free of charge; Dental Program; Transportation Program; Kingdom Expansion Program to encourage spiritual development; a Senior Program; and an After Care Program. Onsite children's programming, including a licensed childcare facility, "Kingdom Kids" assists children with educational, social and emotional development, tutoring, an after-school program provides activities to promote physical fitness, creativity, leadership, and teambuilding skills and a summer educational/recreational program.
Presbyterian Children’s Homes & Services
Presbyterian Children’s Homes & Services provides a variety of Christ-centered services to children in need and their families. These services are provided through trained staff and volunteers whose standards meet the high expectations of PCHAS. Through these programs, the agency is able to provide services to more than 4,500 children each year. PCHAS is a recognized charity in the annual Houston Marathon and also participates in the St. Philip Alternative Christmas Market.
Presbytery of New Covenant
Presbytery of New Covenant is made up of 106 local congregations, ten new church developments, spread across 23,000 square miles in southeast Texas, including Houston, It is located at 4803 San Felipe Street Houston, TX 77056. The mission of the presbytery includes new church development, care for congregations in transition or crisis, supervision and nurture for those preparing for ordained ministry, leadership development events, and youth activities. The shared ministry of the presbytery is funded by gifts from the member churches. St. Philip is among the top five congregations in terms of presbytery support. Member churches connect with the work of Presbytery through their gifts of time, talent and treasure. Members of St. Philip have served and are serving on Presbytery committees.
United Campus Ministries of Greater Houston (UCMGH)
The mission of United Campus Ministry of Greater Houston is to demonstrate the love of God as expressed through Jesus Christ through programs initiated within the local college and university communities which equip,inform and serve. UCMGH was established in 1968 as an ecumenical partnership between the Presbyterian Church (USA), The Disciples of Christ (Christian Church), and the United Church of Christ. We have served the UT School of Medicine, HCC locations, Texas Southern University and Rice University.
