Northside Episcopal Church, Houston

Northside Episcopal, North Houston, is a bilingual church plant which has grown in all directions. First, parishioners expanded their outdoor footprint as they developed a garden which is tended to by a team of new worshipers and volunteers. They raised money to launch a youth group which is focused on wellness. A number of field trips included roller skating in the fall and “Zoo Lights” during Christmas. The church continued its support of relationship building with teens and youngadult parents through the provision of diapers, wipes, baby furniture and more. Moving worship back indoors, the church added a children's eucharist to Sunday morning worship offerings. The first baptisms will take place on Easter 2023! While the vicar handled all operations, communications, formation, financial and administration functions in 2021, these duties are now completed by staff and trained volunteers as the church “grows and goes.”

The church's leadership team participated in a ministry incubator through the Episcopal Health Foundation. It is built on models and facilitated by the Kaleidoscope Institute. Kaleidoscope provides a model used internationally to strengthen the impact and sustainability of communityoriented ministries. It includes six “currencies” or resources which when combined can lead to a more transformational ministry. As a result, North Episcopal entered into a listening campaign with educators, residents, service providers, and more. The church immediately provided friendship and technical assistance to a neighborhood association deep in the pressures and conflicts created by gentrification. Today the church is researching strategies to grow and define its ministry to youth and to possibly respond to youth and young adult homelessness.