About Our City
The greater Houston area is home to 6.3 million people, with 2.1 million living in Houston itself. It is the 4th largest city in the United States. Due to the vast economic opportunity that Houston provides, the city’s population has grown by 300,000 in the last 10 years. Houston is the 7th most diverse city in the world, being home to over 300 different people groups and representing over 150 languages. Houston has become a gathering place for the nations of the world and opportunity for ministry is endless. As Luke 10:2 says, “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.”
Issues facing Houston today:
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With 4,000 churches in Houston today, only 10-12% of the city’s population could fit into their pews on a Sunday morning.
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Houston has one of the top ten gay and lesbian populations in the country. Each June, Houston hosts the largest Gay Pride Parade in the Southern Region, with an estimated 300,000 in attendance.
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Houston has been dubbed the strip-club capital of the United States. Due to the city’s “No Zoning” policy, bars and clubs are often built in the middle of quiet neighborhoods.
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In the 3rd Ward, 76% of the births are to unwed mothers and 75% of the homes have no father figure.
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In May 2010 Planned Parenthood opened their largest abortion clinic in Houston off of the Gulf Freeway.
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Houston is considered the hub for human trafficking in the United States with an estimated 200 brothels scattered throughout the city.
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In the fifth ward, the average annual income is $8,900.
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1.1 million people in Houston live in poverty.
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31,000 homeless men, women, and children live in the city.
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On any given day, an estimated 53,000 people go hungry.
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Of the 153,000 different people who receive food assistance each week from pantries, approximately 47% of those people are children.
Houston is rich in diversity and brimming with opportunities to build relationships and demonstrate God’s love. We have no doubt that Houston is God’s city and that His love for His children here knows no bounds. We look to the future with excitement, knowing that “greater things are still to be done in this city.”