Upcoming Events
Worship with us!
Sunday Worship
8:00am, Holy Eucharist Rite I with music
10:30am, Holy Eucharist Rite II with choir, in the Nave of the Church
10:30am, Holy Eucharist with contemporary music and band, in the Parish Hall
Children’s Chapel
10:30 – 11:10, Worship in Children’s Chapel. Children are brought in at the Peace
Christian Formation
9:30 – 10:15am
Wednesdays
11:00am Holy Eucharist with healing prayers
Preaching Schedule
March 7
8:00am Fr. Pitts
10:30am(Trad) Fr. Pitts
10:30am(Cont) Fr. Hall
March 14
8:00am Fr. Puckett
10:30am(Trad) Fr. Puckett
10:30am(Cont) Fr. Pitts
March 21
8:00am Fr. Hall
10:30am(Trad) Fr. Hall
10:30am(Cont) Fr. Puckett
March 28 Palm Sunday
8:00am Fr. Puckett
10:30am(Trad) Fr. Puckett
10:30am(Cont) Fr. Hall
March Newsletter
Holy Spirit is now podcasting Sunday sermons on iTunes
To subscribe, click on the icon on the right.
A Letter from the Rector
“This is the kind of fast day I’m after: to break the chains of injustice,
get rid of exploitation in the workplace, free the oppressed, cancel debts.
What I’m interested in seeing you do is: sharing your food with the hungry,
inviting the homeless poor into your homes, putting clothes on the shivering ill-clad,
being available to your own families.” Isaiah 58: 4, 6-8
Beloved people of God,
If we are not careful, our own needs and desires take center stage in our lives. Even our attempts at living the Jesus-way can get tainted by our self-centeredness. We are tempted to make our Lenten “disciplines” about us. We want to lose weight so Lent becomes an excellent time to diet. We need to quit smoking – Lent provides the perfect excuse. We spend too much time on Facebook so we embark on a 40 day Facebook fast. We eat too many sweets or too much meat so we resolve to deny ourselves these favorite culinary pleasures. Maybe you’ve decided to hit the gym more often, or save some money. These are all great ideas, but they are poor Lenten disciplines. They are poor Lenten disciplines because they revolve around us. We began our Lenten observance on Ash Wednesday with the words quoted above from the prophet Isaiah. Isaiah warns us that nothing could be more than compatible with the character of God than self-serving piety. God’s righteousness is expressed in His loving concern for the world, specifically for the poor, the oppressed, and the suffering. This loving concern for the world is most clearly revealed in the broken and lifeless body of Jesus hung from a Roman cross – God’s work of suffering that redeemed the universe.
Our acts of piety and self-denial mean nothing to God if we are the only ones who benefit. God calls us to practice self-denial for the sake of others. In the book Jesus Wants to Save Christians: A Manifesto for the Church in Exile, Rob Bell and Don Golden write, “A church is not a center for religious goods and services, where people pay a fee and receive a product in return. A church is not an organization that surveys its demographic to find out what the market is demanding at this particular moment and then adjusts its strategy to meet the consumer niche. The way of Jesus is the path of descent. It’s about our death. It’s about our willingness to join the world in its suffering.” My prayer for our community during this holy season, is that we might join Jesus in the path of descent – pouring ourselves out for others, making great sacrifices for the broken and hurting world. As a whole community, we will be heeding Jesus’ call to serve on Maundy Thursday. Take that day off from work and join us. Sacrifice at least that one day for our brothers and sisters in the Memorial area who are suffering No excuses – you don’t have anything better to do.
Yours in Christ,
The Rev’d Patrick M. Hall
Who We Are
Mission Statement – Holy Spirit Episcopal Church, Houston is an open accepting community which welcomes the stranger in fellowship and worship with the love of Christ and joyfully takes Christ’s love into the world in which we live.
Vision Statement – Holy Spirit Episcopal Church emphasizes ministry, appreciates and uses the ministry talents of our people and celebrates our parish’s commitment to stewardship. Holy Spirit offers a variety of ministry and educational programs for and in its community, serving people of all ethnic and social backgrounds. An integrated team of clergy and laity sustains all our ministry efforts. In short, this center of “Servant-hood” inspires its congregation through worship to share God’s gifts and grace with everyone we meet.
Holy Spirit Episcopal Church is located in the Memorial City area of Houston's westside. Our address is:
12535 Perthshire Rd., Houston, TX 77024 (713.468.7796 )
