HOUSE OF PRAYER LUTHERAN HUR H 2020...You may leave them outside of your front door. We will be sure to ring the doorbell to greet you when we arrive! Once all the donations are collected,

HOUSE OF PRAYER LUTHERAN CHURCH “Grow in Faith, Make Disciples, Serve in Love”

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Anyone else tired? Usually, summer is a time to enjoy the outdoors, get together with friends, and travel across the country. It is a time for rest and renewal as students prepare for the upcoming school year. But due to COVID-19, a lot of these typical plans have been shelved for many peo-ple. We are tired of living in a bubble, tired of social distancing, tired of not being able to do the “normal” things that we have come to enjoy about summertime. Whether we are anticipating a school year that will begin online, or are committed to the daily grind of the work week that includes a myriad of Zoom meetings, or are reinventing our retirement routine, it is imperative that we find rest and renewal. Our bodies, minds, and spirits require us to take a break so that we don’t wear ourselves down into a useless heap. We all need a good re-charging. How do we find our rest? What is the source of our renewal? From the very beginning in Genesis, we are given a model and example from God as He takes a break from creating and spends the seventh day in rest mode. We read in Exodus and Deuterono-my about the Ten Commandments, and how God not just suggests, but requires by law that we take a break: “Honor the Sabbath; keep it holy.” Even Jesus made it a point to call timeout on the ministry he was performing to go away to a place all by himself and to regroup. Seems as though maybe rest and renewal might be somewhat important. Each of us can find this rest and renewal in our Sabbath, as we immerse ourselves in the promises of Jesus. In Matthew 11:28, Jesus says: “Come to me, all of you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” Jesus gives us an invitation to join him each Sunday as His Word comes alive through the scripture, sermon, and songs. There might not be a whole lot of things we feel like we can control these days, but there is one thing that we can dedicate ourselves to, and that is our Lord. Make Sundays your day of rest and renewal, as you revitalize your very being through online worship. It’s the Sabbath. It’s what God would want you to do. And it certainly will do wonders for your soul! “See” y’all on Sunday- Pastor Eric Youngdahl

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HIGH SCHOOL

Despite our social distancing, we're doing our best to stay connected! Every Sunday night, join Stephen from 7-8 for an hour-long game night. Wednesdays, from 1-2, we'll also be having a weekly catch-up. If you would like to be added to our virtual tabletop Role Playing Games, make sure to reach out. And, as always, please don't hesitate to reach out during normal business hours if you need to talk or just want a distraction. Send an email to Stephen Adkison or call him and he'd be glad to talk with you! Parents, that goes for you as well.

We will be re-starting our Thursday morning Bible study online via Zoom beginning on August 6. If you would like to join the discussion, please email Pastor Eric and he will send you the link to the video meeting. We will be continuing our exploration of the book of Acts.

THURSDAY MORNING BIBLE STUDY—Online, 10am, beginning August 6

AUGUST WORSHIP—online

For the month of August, we will continue to worship LIVE online at 8:30, stream anytime afterward. Once we begin to see a decline in COVID cases, the Church Council will establish a new date to return to in-person worship. Thanks for your patience! Remember to social distance yourself from others, wash your hands, and wear a mask. Stay safe!

In-Person Worship Suspended

WORSHIP LIVE ONLINE

Hey kids...join Ford, Landry and Miller Youngdahl each week for their online children’s message! Each week on Wednesday, one of these siblings will be bring you a video devotional to watch. Complete with questions to answer with your family and a prayer to end the session, you will thoroughly enjoy hearing the promise of Jesus’ love for you.

WEEKLY CHILDREN’S MESSAGE—Wednesdays

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House of Prayer will be hosting Family Promise guests August 9-16. What do we need from you? Typically, we ask for volunteers that will provide a meal for the guests during the week, or that will spend the night as an overnight host. However, due to COVID-19, we will be hosting the families in hotel rooms for the week. If you have questions about the program, or would like to volunteer in the future, please feel free to contact Elizabeth Curtice or the church office.

FAMILY PROMISE—August 9 through 16

Our book for August is Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens Published in August, 2018 97 weeks on the New York Times Best Seller List (as of July 11) #1 on the NYT Fiction Best Seller List- 30 non-consecutive weeks, 2019-2020 Goodreads rating 4.5/5 Barnes and Noble rating 4.8/5

Amazon says: “Where the Crawdads Sing is at once an exquisite ode to the natural world, a heartbreaking coming-of-age story, and a surprising tale of possible murder. Owens reminds us that we are forever shaped by the children we once were, and that we are all subject to the beautiful and violent secrets that nature keeps.”

11 of us met via Zoom for our July discussion. That’s the largest group we’ve had in a while! If you want to join in for August, we’d love to have you! Contact Sue Noggle if you are interested.

BOOK CLUB—Thursday, August 20, 7:30pm via Zoom

Our friends at the Life Center Homeless Shelter just north of downtown are running low on provisions to feed the clients they house at the shelter. So we will be holding a food drive to help provide for some of these needs. This is how it will work. If you would like to participate, email the church office. Then, on August 19, Pastor Eric and Stephen will swing by your home to pick up your donations. You may leave them outside of your front door. We will be sure to ring the doorbell to greet you when we arrive! Once all the donations are collected, we will deliver the food to the Life Center. Pastor Winston James and the Life Center staff thank you for your generosity!

FOOD DRIVE—Wednesday, August 19

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We hope that you have been enjoying reading and studying Barbara Brown Taylor’s book, “Home By Another Way.” This all-congregational book study has been going on since March, and will last for a year. However, we are on break for the month of August; ready to resume September 13. If you haven’t been reading along, this is a wonderful time to pick up a copy of the book and join us as we read through some amazing sermons by an accomplished pastor, author, and scholar!

“HOME BY ANOTHER WAY” BOOK STUDY— RESUMES IN SEPTEMBER

At the July church council meeting, it was unanimously recommended that we utilize some restricted property funds in order to upgrade our audio/visual system that we use for streaming worship each week. Much of the equipment that we are using was inherited when we moved into the building 15 years ago. In the coming weeks, this new equipment will be installed, and you will enjoy a cleaner and crisper worship experience as we continue to stream worship. Thank you for hanging in there during the ups and downs of our broadcasts!

AUDIO/VISUAL IMPROVEMENTS

USHER DUTY It’s human nature to sometimes slip into judgmentalism and arrogance: “I’d never do what she did!” we think or say. Or “People who [fill in the blank] shouldn’t call themselves Christians. They don’t belong in the church.” Jesus clearly said, “Judge not, that you be not judged” (Matthew 7:1, ESV) and, memorably, made his point with the image of a speck in someone else’s eye and a log in one’s own. In Love Does (Thomas Nelson), Bob Goff reflects further on what Jesus’ response would be when we put ourselves in positions of authority over others: “[Jesus] said people who followed him should think of themselves more like ushers rather than the bouncers, and it would be God who decides who gets in. We’re the ones who simply show people to their seats that someone else paid for.”

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HIGH SCHOOL TRIP—BOUNDARY WATERS CANOE AREA

When Pastor Eric and I decided to go forward with the High School trip to the Boundary Waters in Minnesota, I felt the pressure to make sure the event went smoothly. This would likely be the biggest thing the kids did all summer. If it was a disappointment, the failure would loom large in their minds. After landing in Minneapolis and driving to Lutsen, things were going well. We spent a whole day in town, hiking to some beautiful falls, buying souvenirs, and seeing who could last the longest in Lake Superior’s icy waters. The kids, some of whom only really knew one of the others, were getting along swimmingly. Things changed the day we entered the Boundary Waters. The wind was stronger than the experienced chaperones had seen before, and the waves were rocking us as soon as we set out. Pretty quickly, the canoe I was in tipped over and took on water, sending our supplies downstream and forcing a rescue mission from our stalwart saviors. Even after everything was recovered, we couldn’t find a campsite near our planned path. There goes my worry-free trip. I’ll admit, it felt like God was laughing at our hubris for thinking that we could pull off a simple retreat during the COVID pandemic. The first devotional I had planned was around Jesus calming the storm and walking on water in Matthew 14. The irony did flash through my mind as we were buffeted by the waves. But it wasn’t until I read it over with the kids that the lesson hit me. “Oh you of little faith,” Jesus says to Peter (and me). When Peter steps out onto the water, we know it is still storming because it is the wind that scares him into sinking. Any trip, no matter where or when we went, would have storms. Jesus calls us to walk into the storm in faith, knowing that he is there. The next day, the waves were calm and the sun was out. We went to the middle of the lake we were at and had lunch. Because we had gone so far off from our original plan, we had this whole lake to ourselves, probably for the best given how loud we were. The day after was rainy and cold, but we made it to the next campsite. One of the high schoolers was able to start a fire despite the deluge, and we all had hot chocolate! That night we spent hours in the tent together talking about our lives and experiences. When asked to list their favorite moments, the ones God planned just for them, the Tent Talks were mentioned by every participant. Our last full day was also the most beautiful. The lake had never been more still, and we again ventured to a distant lake for a relaxed lunch in our boats. That sunset, we saw the comet NEOWISE, and looked at the uncountable stars that night. This would be a trip to remember. — Stephen Adkison, Youth Director

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"God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble." (Psalm 46:1). This psalm ran through our heads as we encountered not just whitecaps, but swells on Brule Lake right from the beginning of the canoe trip. One canoe overturned; another was swamped with water as the waves splashed over the sides. But we remained resilient, and were even able to put smiles on our faces as we pushed onward to our campsite.

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Staying at two separate campsites about 1/2 mile away, the two groups came together on Day 4 for a day paddle. We would have to paddle through South Cone and Middle Cone lakes, and portage (carry) the canoes across the land connecting the lakes together. We enjoyed lunch on North Cone Lake, as we had the entire lake to ourselves. We traveled back to the campsites, chilled out for awhile, gathered together again for devotions, then back to our respective campsites.

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CHURCH COUNCIL MEETING HIGHLIGHTS — July 13

Pastor Eric opened a Skype meeting with a prayer. In attendance: Mike Nagle, Pastor Eric Youngdahl, Ron Price, Bret McCleary, Ellen Cumbie, Geri Spratlin, Wes Tarkington and Dallas Meyer. Geri Spratlin motioned to approve the June minutes as written. It was seconded and passed unanimously. OLD BUSINESS

• The Council agreed to table the discussion on the Vision Strategy and Return to Worship, and there was no need to discuss the Protection Loan at this time.

• The number of COVID cases in the immediate area have skyrocketed. Bret McCleary supplied a graph that Harris County had published.

NEW BUSINESS

• Family Promise – HoP is hosting Family Promise again the week of August 9-16, 2020. It was a unanimous vote to host them again at a hotel to avoid possible spread of the virus. The Restricted Funds has enough money to provide them with meals.

• The HoP Annual Golf outing will still be held this year since golfing is an acceptable Social Distancing activity. Dallas Meyer will begin working on it for either Sunday, October 4 or 11, 2020.

VIDEO STREAMING SERVICES—WES TARKINGTON

• The existing hardware has been used in Streaming the Sunday services up to this point. We have reached the end of life on the sound equipment. The previous Sunday service was an example when the sermon could not be heard online. There are 16 speakers in the sanctuary, and only 2 are operating at this time. A bid was gotten a couple of months ago. A two-part bid totaled $26,000.00.

• There was discussion of spending money that does not follow a vision for HoP. • Wes will get a bid for what needs to be upgraded so that Sunday services can be streamed every Sunday and

there will be no failures. Nothing was voted on at this time. CUB SCOUT PACK STORAGE

• Cub Scouts want to store their gear that they own in a rentable container. Council agrees that this does not give the church grounds the look we would like to have on our property. The permanent shed can be cleaned out to move the items stored in the second shed. This will leave the second shed open for the Cub Scouts to use. Pastor Eric will take this option back to the Pack.

DISTINCT ABILITIES—RON PRICE

• A communication meeting was held with Pastor Eric, Mike Nagle, Ron Price, Wes Tarkington, and Valerie Binkley to discuss rewriting the lease and spelling out in more detail how they are allowed to use the church facility.

☼ The Youth Group is leaving on Friday, July 17 for BWCAW (Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness). There

are 4 adults and 6 High Schoolers going on the trip. The kids are excited and the parents are very supportive. ☼ New carpet in the Narthex and tile in front of the Restroom doors looks nice and the new furniture added to

the Narthex is pretty. ☼ The next Council meeting is August 10, 2020, and it will most likely be on Skype.

The meeting was closed with the Lord’s Prayer.

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From June 27 through July 24, the Prayer Chain was asked to pray for: Zachary, Jared, Yosi, and Magaly Bouslog; Larry Markert; family of Charlotte Kroog (deceased); Mike and family; Aunt Joan and family; Dr Greg Rumph and family; Boundary Waters trip and Pastor Eric, Catherine, Stephen, KT, Sara, Elise, Caleb, Ford, Daniel, John, Ryan; Nina Zoch; Barbara Hagemeister and Joann Hutton; Catherine Rumph; Dug Dugdale; Bonnie Peterson. Help us keep our prayer chain current. If you or a family member are going into the hospital please notify Nina Zoch or the church office with updates or additions. Please let us know if you choose NOT to have your loved one’s name listed in the Sunday bulletin. Thank you!

LIFE EVENTS

PRAYER CHAIN

There are three unique ways to continue to support the mission and ministry of the church as we worship remotely from our homes:

1) MAIL IN YOUR OFFERING- While we aren’t passing the plate virtually, you may still give to the church by mailing

your offering to the office (14045 Space Center Blvd, Houston, 77062.)

2) RECURRING BILL PAY- Consider setting up a weekly or monthly recurring bill pay with your bank. Whether we

are in quarantine or not, this method is extremely helpful to ensure that your gifts are received and utilized in

the best ways possible.

3) ONLINE GIFT- Our church website is secure to receive one time gifts, as well as recurring

gifts, through Giving+. You may click HERE to direct you to that webpage.

Thank you in advance for your continued generosity!

SUPPORTING HOUSE OF PRAYER—Ongoing

Adam Parrish (August 4), Beverly Curtice (August 6), Jacqueline Haugen (August 7), David Aguilar, Elaine Simonds, Joseph Legitt (August 8), Julia Webb (August 9), Seth Clark (August 10), Rylan Basci, Barbara Davis-Kelly, Chuck Meyer (August 11), Thomas Jensen (August 13), Leeandra Pomales

(August 14), Beth Aslaksen (August 15), Makaylee Delano, Margot Wyman (August 16), George Abbey, Sr. (August 21), Jerry Paisley (August 22), Joyce Lehmann (August 23), Kurt Swanson (August 26), Wim Harris-Ryden, Jane Markle (August 27), Ruth Cox (August 28), Ellen Cumbie (August 29), Taylor Yendell (August 30)

Dawn & Robert Lambert (August 6), Doug & Johanna Mathera (August 7), Chris & Debbie Cromer (August 13), Bret & Becky McCleary (August 14),

Joachim & Belinda Beek (August 17), Kurt & Sonia Swanson (August 19) , Cindy Davis (August 22), Jim & Diane & Jim Hedderick (August 25),

Ute Trejo (August 26), Larry & Geri Spratlin (August 30) ANNIVERSARIES

BIRTHDAYS

https://houseofprayerhouston.org/giving/

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SUNDAY MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY

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• 8:30am - Worship LIVE

online then stream anytime afterward

• 7pm - High School

Virtual Tabletop Game Night

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• Weekly Children’s

Message online

• 1pm - Weekly Senior

High Catch Up

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• 10am - Online Bible

Study

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• 7pm - online Council

meeting

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Message online


High Catch Up

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Study

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• Youth Group—

Boundary Waters Canoe Area trip



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Message online

• Life Center for the

Homeless Food Drive Door-to-door Pick Up


High Catch Up

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Study

• 7:30pm - Book Club

via Zoom

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Message online


High Catch Up

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Study

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Our friends at the Life Center Homeless Shelter just north of downtown are running low on provisions to feed the clients they house at the shelter. If you would like to participate, email the church office. Then, on August 19, Pastor Eric and Stephen will swing by your home to pick up your donations. You may leave them outside of your front door. We will be sure to ring the doorbell to greet you when we arrive! Once all the donations are collected, we will deliver the food to the Life Center. Pastor Winston James and the Life Center staff thank you for your generosity!

Don’t forget to subscribe to our YouTube channel!

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14045 SPACE CENTER BLVD. HOUSTON, TEXAS 77062

www.houseofprayerhouston.org 281-488-4439

Pastor Eric Youngdahl

Elida Lopez - Secretary

Tony Martinez - Music Director

Ginny Blasczyk - Organist

Stephen Adkison - Youth Director

Jennifer Townsend - Nursery Attendant

Dallas Meyer, Financial Secretary

Ellen Cumbie, Faith Coordinator

Geri Spratlin, Disciple Coordinator

Wes Tarkington, Service Coordinator

Pastor Eric Youngdahl

Mike Nagle, President

Ron Price, Vice President

Bret McCleary, Treasurer

Documents

HOUSE OF PRAYER LUTHERAN HUR H 2020...You may leave them outside of your front door. We will be sure to ring the doorbell to greet you when we arrive! Once all the donations are collected,