Partner Up! Your Church-School Partnership Podcast

We're back! This isn't a traditional podcast episode, but we wanted to share this conversation we had with Dr. Pam Wells because of the insights and ideas she shares regarding church school partnerships for the new school year in light of COVID-19. Don't have time for the full episode? Check out the "Table of Contents" below: 1:43 Pam's predictions for the new school year 9:51 Q: How can churches help? 10:09 A: Help with food insecurity 11:24 A: Help with the digital divide 12:55 A: Mentor 13:43 A: Pray 14:15 A: Support and appreciate teachers and staff 15:14 A: Help families apply for P-EBT (Deadline is 7/31!) 16:32 A: Provide mental health support ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS 17:47 Q: What about extracurricular activities? 19:47 Q: Additional P-EBT questions 21:03 Q: Can students access schoolwork on church computers? 21:50 A: Additional P-EBT answers 22:08 Q: Could schools within a district have different schedules? 23:33 Q: Have you learned from other countries' school systems? CLOSING 25:32 Pam's affirmations about church school partnerships! ADDITIONAL RESOURCES: P-EBT Information: https://hhs.texas.gov/services/health/coronavirus-covid-19/coronavirus-covid-19-information-texans/pandemic-ebt-p-ebt-due-covid-19 Listen to our full conversation with Pam: https://youtu.be/T6DIhIX3lJs (recorded 6/18/2020 during our Church School Partnership Leaders Gathering) Find more ideas and examples at http://lovinghouston.net/covid19 --- Pam Wells, Ed.D. proudly serves as the executive director for Region 4 Education Service Center, which is the largest of the twenty education service centers in Texas. Region 4 provides service to support more than 1.2 million students and approximately 99,000 professional educators in 48 school districts and 39 public charter schools in the seven-county greater Houston area.

We're back! This isn't a traditional podcast episode, but we wanted to share this conversation we had with Dr. Pam Wells because of the insights and ideas she shares regarding church school partnerships for the new school year in light of COVID-19. Don't have time for the full episode? Check out the "Table of Contents" below: 1:43 Pam's predictions for the new school year 9:51 Q: How can churches help? 10:09 A: Help with food insecurity 11:24 A: Help with the digital divide 12:55 A: Mentor 13:43 A: Pray 14:15 A: Support and appreciate teachers and staff 15:14 A: Help families apply for P-EBT (Deadline is 7/31!) 16:32 A: Provide mental health support ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS 17:47 Q: What about extracurricular activities? 19:47 Q: Additional P-EBT questions 21:03 Q: Can students access schoolwork on church computers? 21:50 A: Additional P-EBT answers 22:08 Q: Could schools within a district have different schedules? 23:33 Q: Have you learned from other countries' school systems? CLOSING 25:32 Pam's affirmations about church school partnerships! ADDITIONAL RESOURCES: P-EBT Information: https://hhs.texas.gov/services/health/coronavirus-covid-19/coronavirus-covid-19-information-texans/pandemic-ebt-p-ebt-due-covid-19 Listen to our full conversation with Pam: https://youtu.be/T6DIhIX3lJs (recorded 6/18/2020 during our Church School Partnership Leaders Gathering) Find more ideas and examples at http://lovinghouston.net/covid19 --- Pam Wells, Ed.D. proudly serves as the executive director for Region 4 Education Service Center, which is the largest of the twenty education service centers in Texas. Region 4 provides service to support more than 1.2 million students and approximately 99,000 professional educators in 48 school districts and 39 public charter schools in the seven-county greater Houston area.

In light of COVID-19, we thought this would be a good episode to replay because of this idea of "engaging our domains" - even if it's remotely for now! Maybe it's buying a gift card or a meal for a teacher at your local school, pitching in for a tablet for a student who can't afford one, or picking up groceries for a neighbor who's immunocompromised. Hear more about this awesome idea from Dr. Steve Bezner, Senior Pastor of Houston Northwest Church. --- Steve Bezner has been the Senior Pastor of Houston Northwest Church since January 2013. Steve is married to Joy, and they have two teenage sons—Ben and Andrew. Steve loves Jesus and the Bible. He desires for collaboration between area churches so that every person in the city has an opportunity to hear the good news about Jesus and to respond to him. He is also passionate about embodying and leading reconciliation efforts in Jesus’ name in our city, and about training and coaching other pastors. Steve is a graduate of Hardin-Simmons University (B.A., Bible; M.A., Religion) and Baylor University (Ph.D., Religion) where he wrote his doctoral dissertation on the theology of Dietrich Bonhoeffer.

It seemed fitting to re-share this podcast since Long Point Baptist Church started their partnership with Landrum Middle School right after Hurricane Harvey, which feels similar to what we're going through right now. Even though there were only 20 people in the congregation at the time, they began a partnership that is still going strong! Things look pretty different with our schools given COVID-19, but how can we love our schools right now? Churches may need extra support right now as well. Can we bring the two-way partnership aspect into play? Email us your ideas at info@lovinghouston.net. --- Kevin is the Senior Pastor at Long Point Baptist Church in Houston, Texas, where he has served faithfully since 2011, as Youth Pastor and as of 2017, Senior Pastor. Kevin’s main goal in life is to point people to the truth of Jesus Christ through his teaching, shepherding, and personal lifestyle. In addition to pastoring at LPBC, Kevin is also an adjunct professor at The Bible Seminary in Katy, Texas. He has a Bachelor’s degree in Christian Leadership from the College of Biblical Studies and a Master of Divinity degree from The Bible Seminary. Kevin has been married to his high school sweetheart Yvette for 17 years, and they reside in Katy, Texas, with their 3 teenage daughters.

For the past 10 years, much of Brittani's life has been characterized by taking steps of faith in the Humble area. Throughout this conversation, you'll hear great ideas for your church school partnership wherever you are, as well as specific opportunities to serve in Humble ISD. Join us as we talk with Brittani about her God-led journey! (If you listen all the way to the end, you'll get a fun glimpse of what it was like growing up with Brittani!) --- Brittani graduated with a B.A. in Psychology from the University of Texas at Austin and earned a Masters of Education Administration from Lamar University. With more than 10 years of education experience and church ministry, Brittani was the perfect person to bring on as our Humble ISD District Coordinator in August 2019. She is also the founder of a vegan chocolate chip cookie company, The Good Cookie, LLC.

Jennifer's dream is for EVERY one of her schools in Lamar CISD to have a church partner! ❤️ It was a leap of faith for her to partner with us several years ago, but she believes it's a risk that's paid off. In fact, she's now encouraging every church in the area to step up and serve! Whether you're a big church or a small church, every church can do something to help. Listen in to be encouraged and inspired by this amazing school district leader! --- Dr. Jennifer Roberts is the Director of Student Support Services in Lamar Consolidated Independent School District. After spending a few years in corporate America, she realized that education was her true passion. She started off as a teacher before becoming a counselor and finally ending up in her current role. She has truly been a blessing to partner with!

You don't want to miss this episode! It's PACKED with tips, ideas, and inspiration that will be helpful whether you're already in a church-school partnership or thinking about starting one. We love WordServe's foundational philosophy as a church and how they tangibly live out their faith day in and day out. They started their partnership with Huggins Elementary before Loving Houston began, and we have really enjoyed learning from them over the years. Enjoy!! --- Bill Hogan, Senior Pastor Bill and Rona believe that home is where the heart is, and are excited to be a part of the WordServe family. They’ve been married for 35 years and have 3 grown daughters, two sons in law, and two grandsons who all live in Texas. Bill was an Air Force officer and pilot from 1985 to 2006. In 2006, the Hogan family settled in Kentucky while Bill attended Asbury Theological Seminary, graduating in 2011. Bill served on staff 4 years and later as associate pastor of Nicholasville United Methodist Church in Nicholasville KY for one year. Erika Yelverton, Director of Compassion Erika was born in Hobbs, New Mexico, but she spent most of her childhood in South Texas. A graduate of Louisiana State University (Geaux Tigers!), Erika met her husband, Chad, and received a BS in Mechanical Engineering. Erika and Chad have lived in Fulshear with their two boys, Luke and Samuel, since 2009. After becoming a mom, Erika chose to take a break from the corporate world and discovered a new passion for serving. Erika and Chad actively serve in multiple areas of WordServe including compassion, WordServe Kids, and as Community Group leaders.

What if every member of your congregation was equipped and empowered to be a light in their respective "domains"? Hear more about this awesome idea from Dr. Steve Bezner, Senior Pastor of Houston Northwest Church. --- Steve Bezner has been the Senior Pastor of Houston Northwest Church since January 2013. Steve is married to Joy, and they have two teenage sons—Ben and Andrew. Steve loves Jesus and the Bible. He desires for collaboration between area churches so that every person in the city has an opportunity to hear the good news about Jesus and to respond to him. He is also passionate about embodying and leading reconciliation efforts in Jesus’ name in our city, and about training and coaching other pastors. Steve is a graduate of Hardin-Simmons University (B.A., Bible; M.A., Religion) and Baylor University (Ph.D., Religion) where he wrote his doctoral dissertation on the theology of Dietrich Bonhoeffer.

Last week, Roxanna Barnes of Alief Independent School District shared about the basic principles of Restorative Discipline and creating safe spaces for our children. This week, she talks about how church volunteers can use these concepts in their church-school partnerships. Listen in for some great ideas! --- Roxanna Barnes is a Prevention and Safe Schools Specialist and a Certified Restorative Discipline Coordinator. Roxanna has spent 20 years in education all in Alief ISD. Roxanna began her teaching career as a middle school Theatre and Speech teacher for 8 years and 10 years as a 6A high school Theatre Director. Roxanna spent the last 4 years of her teaching career not only working with students, but also coaching new teachers within Alief ISD in classroom management and meaningful relationships. Roxanna has a Bachelor of Arts Degree from Sul Ross State University and has had many accomplishments during her educational career. She was named the 2014 Secondary Teacher of the Year, 2014 Region 4 Teacher of the Year Finalist, 2015 West Houston Chamber of Commerce TOY Finalist, and the recipient of the 2015 Alma Slawinski Texas Theatre Educator of the Year Leadership Award. Roxanna is Stephen Covey trained and provides Professional Development in the following areas: Restorative Discipline, Safe and Civil Schools, PBIS, Love and Logic, Cultural Responsiveness, Empathy, Emotional Poverty, and Meaningful Relationships. Roxanna has spent 18 years of her educational career molding and mentoring students from K-12 grade. She spends her time now mentoring teachers and supporting administrators on their campuses with restorative practices, structure, behavior strategies, meaningful relationships, and campus climate. Her passion and purpose is helping students and teachers learn how to build those meaningful relationships that are necessary for student success.

In this podcast, you'll learn the core principles and components of Restorative Discipline and how to create a safe environment where every child feels heard. These principles have been used in schools of all levels to address bullying and to prevent suicides. Every church and school leader needs to hear these tips! (Next week, we'll continue our conversation with Roxanna about what this can look like in our church-school partnerships.) --- Roxanna Barnes is a Prevention and Safe Schools Specialist and a Certified Restorative Discipline Coordinator. Roxanna has spent 20 years in education all in Alief ISD. Roxanna began her teaching career as a middle school Theatre and Speech teacher for 8 years and 10 years as a 6A high school Theatre Director. Roxanna spent the last 4 years of her teaching career not only working with students, but also coaching new teachers within Alief ISD in classroom management and meaningful relationships. Roxanna has a Bachelor of Arts Degree from Sul Ross State University and has had many accomplishments during her educational career. She was named the 2014 Secondary Teacher of the Year, 2014 Region 4 Teacher of the Year Finalist, 2015 West Houston Chamber of Commerce TOY Finalist, and the recipient of the 2015 Alma Slawinski Texas Theatre Educator of the Year Leadership Award. Roxanna is Stephen Covey trained and provides Professional Development in the following areas: Restorative Discipline, Safe and Civil Schools, PBIS, Love and Logic, Cultural Responsiveness, Empathy, Emotional Poverty, and Meaningful Relationships. Roxanna has spent 18 years of her educational career molding and mentoring students from K-12 grade. She spends her time now mentoring teachers and supporting administrators on their campuses with restorative practices, structure, behavior strategies, meaningful relationships, and campus climate. Her passion and purpose is helping students and teachers learn how to build those meaningful relationships that are necessary for student success.

If you do anything for 20+ years, you're sure to learn a thing or two! Chapelwood United Methodist has had many successes, but there are also a few things they'd do differently in their partnerships with Spring Branch ISD schools. Learn how to lead and empower your volunteers, how to partner effectively with other organizations, how to measure the impact of your work, and more! You'll notice very quickly that Suzanne is an amazing leader - listen in for some valuable tips and ideas for your church-school partnership! --- After a 20-year career as a CPA for Continental Airlines, Suzanne Harter decided to stay at home with her three children and volunteer at their schools. Three years ago, Suzanne became the Director of Local Missions at Chapelwood United Methodist Church and now puts both her CPA and volunteer skills to use as she leads and empowers volunteers to serve in multiple ministries across Greater Houston.

Long Point's partnership with Landrum Middle School began just after Hurricane Harvey back in 2017. At the time, the church only had about 20 people and yet they were committed to building a long-term partnership with the school. The relationship began with serving snow cones at a school event and has now developed into a real church-school *partnership* where both the church and school serve each other! It's been so neat to see this relationship develop over the past few years and we're excited to be able to share their story with you! --- Kevin is the Senior Pastor at Long Point Baptist Church in Houston, Texas, where he has served faithfully since 2011, as Youth Pastor and as of 2017, Senior Pastor. Kevin’s main goal in life is to point people to the truth of Jesus Christ through his teaching, shepherding, and personal lifestyle. In addition to pastoring at LPBC, Kevin is also an adjunct professor at The Bible Seminary in Katy, Texas. He has a Bachelor’s degree in Christian Leadership from the College of Biblical Studies and a Master of Divinity degree from The Bible Seminary. Kevin has been married to his high school sweetheart Yvette for 17 years, and they reside in Katy, Texas, with their 3 teenage daughters.

Loving Houston helped start this partnership between The Bridge Fellowship and Pink Elementary 5 years ago - and just last year, Pink Elementary went from a D ranking to a B ranking! The school credits The Bridge for playing a huge role in this transformation. Churches, take heart - you ARE making a difference! Listen to this amazing church-school partnership story for tips, ideas, and inspiration for your own partnership! -- Tiffany Foster is the Principal at Pink Elementary in Lamar CISD. She has a bachelor's degree from the University of Houston and a master's degree from Texas Southern University. Regina Garza is Pink's social worker. She has a bachelor's degree from the University of Houston Downtown and a master's degree from the University of Houston. Both ladies have done an amazing job of creating a culture of community collaboration that has transformed the entire school!

Loving Houston helped start this partnership between The Bridge Fellowship and Pink Elementary 5 years ago - and just last year, Pink Elementary went from a D ranking to a B ranking! The school credits The Bridge for playing a huge role in this transformation. Churches, take heart - you ARE making a difference! Listen to this amazing church-school partnership story for tips, ideas, and inspiration for your own partnership! -- Tiffany Foster is the Principal at Pink Elementary in Lamar CISD. She has a bachelor's degree from the University of Houston and a master's degree from Texas Southern University. Regina Garza is Pink's social worker. She has a bachelor's degree from the University of Houston Downtown and a master's degree from the University of Houston. Both ladies have done an amazing job of creating a culture of community collaboration that has transformed the entire school!

Does it feel like your church is always trying to figure out how to get more new people through the door? What if we approached it a different way? Join us as we talk with one of Loving Houston's founders, retired pastor (and one of our favorite storytellers!) Dave Peterson. Hear practical tips for your church-school partnership along with a Biblical perspective on the importance of going beyond the walls of our churches. --- Dave Peterson is a second-generation pastor and a first generation Texan. He was born and raised in Oregon where his father served several congregations. He’s a graduate of Lewis and Clark College, San Francisco Theological Seminary (M.Div) and Western Theological Seminary (D. Min). He served congregations in Washington State, Nevada and Michigan before accepting the call to serve as Senior Pastor of Memorial Drive Presbyterian Church in Houston (1995 – 2013). He has served on many non-profit boards and currently serves on the boards of The Souper Bowl of Caring and Loving Houston. Since “retirement” he has served as Director of Community Programs for the Robert and Janice McNair Foundation, has written daily devotionals for the HEB Family Foundation and served as Interim Pastor at Peachtree Presbyterian Church in Atlanta. Dave speaks frequently at conferences and has written Receiving and Giving: Unleashing the Bless Challenge in Your Life and has co-authored, with Sam Gainer, The World Through Our Eyes, a book of photographs and reflections. He and Terri and have been married for 50 years; they have four married children and 7 grandchildren.

It's not a typo - this partnership is between TWO churches and one school! Last week, Dr. Bob Sanborn shared about high-performing high-poverty schools. Hairgrove is an example of one! This podcast is packed with ideas and practical tips about how to love a local school and how to develop a healthy volunteer team. You don't want to miss this - in fact, you'll probably want to listen to it more than once! P.S. Email info@lovinghouston.net to start or deepen a church-school partnership. Check out https://www.faithwalking.us to transform your volunteer team. -- Jeff McGee has served on staff in various roles at Calvary Community Church in Houston since 1982. Jeff and his wife, Tammy, helped start the church. Jeff began leading Calvary as Senior Pastor in June 2017. As Senior Pastor, Jeff gives leadership to the ministry staff and the ministries at Calvary, directs the vision of Calvary, and leads out in the pulpit ministry. He participates in ministries and missions locally and globally. Locally, Jeff has served different transformational efforts with Faithwalking, Somebody Cares Houston, Union Baptist Association, pastors' prayer groups, and other collaborations. His heart beats to see the church mobilized, equipped, and released in order to extend the kingdom of God in the earth. He has a Bachelor of Business Administration from Baylor University and received his Master of Divinity degree from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas. Jeff and Tammy are blessed to have three grown children living for the Lord, and they have two grandchildren! Cherri Taylor is a wife, mother, and grandmother who has lived in the Houston area for nearly 40 years. She is a retired teacher who volunteers her time in many areas of service including ten years with the Hairgrove School Partnership with Copperfield Church and Calvary Church. She is a Victorian storyteller as her alter ego Miss Delphinia Beasley, who speaks for groups, churches, and schools. She also writes stories about lessons from the classroom of life.

Let's follow the data! Research and advocacy organization CHILDREN AT RISK has discovered several characteristics common to high-performing, high-poverty schools. How can churches use this research to help our partner schools in ways that make a difference and move the needle for our students? Listen to this podcast to find out! --- Dr. Bob Sanborn is a noted leader, advocate, and activist for education and children and the President and CEO of CHILDREN AT RISK. He earned his undergraduate degree at Florida State University and his doctorate at Columbia University in New York City. Before entering the non-profit sector, he had a distinguished career in higher education at institutions such as Rice University and Hampshire College. Under his leadership, CHILDREN AT RISK has expanded its influence considerably. Notable achievements include opening up centers in Dallas and Fort Worth; launching the Public Policy & Law Center, the CHILDREN AT RISK Institute, the Center for Parenting and Family Well-Being and the Center to End Trafficking and Exploitation of Children. Sanborn is the Executive Editor of two peer reviewed, open-access academic journals, the Journal of Applied Research on Children and the Journal of Family Strengths. He is also the host of the popular radio program and podcast Growing Up in America on the Pacifica Radio Network.

Be honest about what you can do - but when you commit to something, be faithful and follow through! Mosaic is a small church of about 40 people, but their two year old partnership with Ridgegate Elementary is already making a big difference. Hear from our Loving Houston Director of Operations, Melissa Emerson, about how a church of any size can serve a local school. Near the end of the podcast, she'll also share valuable tips about who to work with if your partnership is in Fort Bend ISD. This is one of our shorter podcasts, but it's packed with great tips and ideas - enjoy!

Schools in Houston ISD are asking for church partners! Learn why Church at UH decided to partner with a local school and how they've made an amazing impact in just 3 years despite being a church of 40-50 people! You'll also hear about specific opportunities to serve in Houston ISD, which is especially valuable right now given the uncertainty of the state takeover for students and families, as well as several innovative ideas about mentoring! --- B.J. Ramon enjoys being married and raising three kids together. He has a heart for the city of Houston and to see the church work together. He has experience as a pastor, planter, interim, youth pastor, college minister, campus minister, starting a 501c2, leading a 501c3, kids ministry, board of directors, catalyst, and connector.

If you're building relationships with students or families living in poverty, you need to listen to this podcast! After attending a Loving Houston 101 Workshop several years ago, Pastor Parris started partnerships with two schools in Alief ISD. He then founded the Alief Coalition for the Homeless to ensure that homeless students in the district were being cared for effectively. Just recently, he came across Ruby Payne's Understanding Poverty materials which have profoundly transformed the way he and his volunteers relate to the students which has made a profound impact on the difference they are making. We've split the podcast into two separate podcasts because there were too many amazing insights to squeeze into one - get ready to take some notes! --- As early as eight years old, Pastor Parris started dreaming that he would become a pastor one day. That dream fueled a passion in him that fast became evident in his establishment of the Agape Community Bible Church in late June of 2009. In 2015, he founded and now serves as Executive Director of Alief Coalition for the Homeless, a non-profit organization that works to end homelessness amongst the children of Alief ISD. Today, they’re fundraising to build a youth shelter to house homeless children. Through the application of God’s Word, Pastor Parris shows love to the Body of Christ by reaching out to the community and evangelizing the city abroad. He is looking forward to seeing the phenomenal growth of his community.

After attending a Loving Houston 101 Workshop several years ago, Pastor Parris started partnerships with two schools in Alief ISD. As he got to know the district better, he started seeing how big of a problem homelessness was and founded the Alief Coalition for the Homeless to ensure these homeless students were being cared for effectively. More recently, he came across Ruby Payne's Understanding Poverty materials which have profoundly transformed the way he and his volunteers relate to the students which has made a profound impact on the difference they are making. We've split the podcast into two separate podcasts because there were too many amazing insights to squeeze into one - get ready to take some notes! --- As early as eight years old, Pastor Parris started dreaming that he would become a pastor one day. That dream fueled a passion in him that fast became evident in his establishment of the Agape Community Bible Church in late June of 2009. In 2015, he founded and now serves as Executive Director of Alief Coalition for the Homeless, a non-profit organization that works to end homelessness amongst the children of Alief ISD. Today, they’re fundraising to build a youth shelter to house homeless children. Through the application of God’s Word, Pastor Parris shows love to the Body of Christ by reaching out to the community and evangelizing the city abroad. He is looking forward to seeing the phenomenal growth of his community.

Sometimes when we ask a school if they'd like a church partner, they tell us they've been praying for a church partner for years! Willowridge football coach Richard Lazarou was even more proactive: he joined us for a Loving Houston workshop, reached out to churches in the area, and connected Willowridge HS with Second Baptist South. That partnership has been going on for 5 years, and has now expanded to McAuliffe Middle School and Blueridge Elementary! Hear Richard and Susan's story, and be encouraged by how God is already working in our schools! (P.S. Check out http://www.beundivided.com to hear the Be Undivided story Susan mentions, or contact us to purchase a video at info@lovinghouston.net.) (Please note: We didn't set up correctly for this podcast, so Susan's audio is a bit quieter than the others'. We apologize for the inconvenience!) --- Richard has been the Head Football Coach and Campus Athletic Coordinator at Willowridge High School in Fort Bend ISD for the last seven years and has been teaching and coaching for the last twenty years. Richard is also a Deacon and Bible Study teacher at Second Baptist South Campus and has been extremely blessed by this Church/School partnership. He graduated from Kempner High School which is located in Fort Bend ISD and has a degree in History from the University of Houston. Richard was born in Schenectady, NY, on a dairy farm but has been living in the great city of Houston, TX, since 1984. He is married his to beautiful wife, Susan, who also works at Willowridge High School. They met while teaching at Fort Bend ISD's Austin High School in 2005, and they have been working together in schools ever since. Susan is the Math Instructional Coach at Willowridge High School and has been in education since 2005. She is an Adult Bible Study teacher at Second Baptist Church’s South Campus, and has a BA in Mathematics from Texas A&M University (Gig ‘Em!). Raised in Lake Jackson, Texas, Susan has lived in the Houston area since 2005. She married her wonderful husband Richard in March of 2007, and enjoys spending time with him loving their community.

Whether you're a big picture, strategic thinker, or an on-the-ground, practical doer, this podcast is for you. You'll hear from Girien Salazar about ideas for addressing educational inequity at both the macro and micro levels, and about some of the specific challenges Hispanic families face when it comes to education. If you're in a church-school partnership, you'll hear some great ideas for your partnership. And if you're thinking about a church-school partnership, you'll hear some compelling reasons why you should go ahead and take that leap of faith! (P.S. Girien mentions the BeUndivided video in the podcast: http://www.beundivided.com. We have copies of the video if you'd like to purchase one at cost. Contact us at info@lovinghouston.net.) --- Rev. Girien (pronounced “Gideon”) Salazar serves as the Executive Director of the Faith and Education Coalition for the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference (NHCLC). Prior to serving in this capacity, Girien taught English in Mexico, served as a member of the Naval Reserves including two deployments, and worked as Associate Professor for Latin American Bible Institute in San Antonio, TX. He is a board member for the Latin American Heritage Society, an instructor at Instituto Bíblico Magdiel, and president of Super Neighborhood 34 in the city of Houston. He is a licensed minister with the Assemblies of God, teaches and preaches at El Tabernáculo Church in Houston, TX, and is a third-year PhD student in Leadership Studies at Dallas Baptist University. Girien holds a B.S. in Church Ministry and a M.A. in Theological Studies from Southwestern Assemblies of God University.

Why should churches that are committed to the Great Commission consider a church-school partnership? Josh answers that in this podcast! You’ll also get a behind-the-scenes understanding of the complexities of church leadership. It’s a helpful perspective to understand, especially if you’re a school that’s partnering with a church! P.S. This podcast required the least amount of editing of all the podcasts we’ve recorded so far. We’re grateful to Josh for communicating valuable insights concisely and effectively! --- Josh is the the Executive Director for the Union Baptist Association (UBA), the largest association of Southern Baptist churches in the U.S. Josh has been a part of the UBA team since 2005 in roles ranging from research contractor, volunteer, consultant, senior consultant, and associate director. In addition to leading the association, Josh regularly coaches pastors and church leaders through change management, strategic planning, leadership development, and understanding demographics. He has a dual Bachelor’s degree in Christianity and Sociology from Houston Baptist University, a Master’s degree in Future Studies (Strategic Planning and Scenario Development) from University of Houston in Clear Lake, and a Ph.D. in Leadership Studies from Dallas Baptist University. Born and raised in Colorado Springs, CO, Josh has lived in the Houston area since 1996. He married his college sweetheart Valerie in 2000 and they have two sons.

This podcast is FULL of great ideas - you might need to listen to it more than once! Melissa is creative and a go-getter, so if you’ve been frustrated about something in your church-school partnership, there’s a good chance that Melissa has gone through it and come up with a solution. Listen for ideas on recruiting volunteers even if you can’t get stage time, volunteer ideas for every age group in your congregation, and ideas for delegating responsibilities and transitioning leadership when appropriate. Get ready to be inspired, equipped, and challenged! (For those serving in Lamar CISD, Melissa will share specifically about priorities for the district during the last 10 minutes.) --- Melissa Toon spends her days as a wife, mom, non profit leader, and amateur farmer. When she’s not collecting eggs from her chickens or watching her two girls play softball, she is focusing on connecting people in ways that will impact their communities. Working with Loving Houston and leading her own organization Partners For Good give her the chance to focus on connecting resources to needs. Whether she’s doing that in the church space or the business space, it’s exactly where she wants to be!

In 2016, Rev. Gusta Booker III came to a Faith Fair that Loving Houston had helped to organize with Houston ISD's Lawrence Allen. Rev. Booker was interested to learn about how his church, Greater St Matthew Baptist Church, could develop a ministry relationship with a school near the church. There, he met Principal Hare of Bastian Elementary, and the rest is history! Be inspired by Rev. Booker's stories of impact and his compelling call to action! --- Gusta Booker III is the son of Pastor Emeritus Dr. Gusta Booker Jr. and the late Dr. Theola Booker. He received his Bachelor of Science in Business Administration at Lamar University in Beaumont, Texas. He also received his Master’s in Ministry at Grace School of Theology. He is currently working on his Master’s of Biblical Studies. He currently serves at the Greater St. Matthew church where he serves as Community Development Director and an Associate Minister under the leadership of Senior Pastor Reverend Ronald Booker. The two closest people in his life besides Christ, are his wife of 25 years Nicole Denise Booker, and daughter, the very talented Peyton Nicole Booker. He lives by his favorite scripture Philippians 4:7, which talks about the peace of God rest ruling in our hearts. That scripture also happened to be the title of his first sermon.

It's our very first full episode of Partner Up: Your Church-School Partnership Podcast! We're talking with our Board Chair, Tom Billings, about the history of Loving Houston and all things related to church-school partnerships. If you know Tom, you know he loves books and photography. Unfortunately, you won't get to see his amazing photography on display in this podcast, but you'll definitely notice his love of books throughout the interview! The first 15 minutes are about Loving Houston's history, and the rest of the interview covers a wide range of topics related to church-school partnerships that will be valuable for the church-school partnership novice and veteran alike. --- Tom served as the executive director of Union Baptist Association (UBA) for almost twenty years before his retirement. Prior to his role at UBA, Tom served as a pastor, a therapist and the director of the Center for Counseling. While serving with UBA, Tom initiated Loving Houston and currently serves as the ministry's board chairman. Tom received his BA from Belmont University, an M.Div. and D.Min. from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary and did post graduate study at the University of Houston/Clear Lake. Tom and his wife Sandra have two married sons and six grandchildren.

It’s our first episode! In case you haven't heard of us, Loving Houston connects churches and schools for the well-being of our kids and communities. We have helped start 100 new church-school partnerships (as of 9/25/19!), resulting in hundreds of new volunteers in public schools across Greater Houston. Over the past 6 years of our existence, we have come across so many churches and nonprofits doing amazing things in our local schools – and we want you to know about them, too! Through this weekly podcast, you’ll be inspired by how God is working through local church-school partnerships. You’ll also learn about resources for your own church-school partnership so that you don’t have to reinvent the wheel. If you’re part of a church-school partnership or are thinking about how your church can do local outreach better, this podcast is for you! In this introductory episode, we share what this podcast is going to be about, why Marilyn is now passionate about church-school partnerships (she didn't used to be!), and our foundational definition of a church-school partnership. It’s a short episode but will set a good foundation for the rest of our podcasts! --- Loving Houston's Executive Director, Marilyn Lee, has education, corporate, nonprofit, and ministry experience, a BA from Rice University, and an MBA from the University of San Francisco with a focus on nonprofit management and development economics with the specific goal of mobilizing churches around community needs. She's married to fellow Rice graduate Andy Lee who is an electrical engineer for Lockheed Martin. Outside of work, they enjoy checking out all the delicious Houston-area restaurants, playing and watching sports together, traveling, and spending time with friends and family.