Holiday Celebrations
Mission Centers of Houston loves celebrating holidays throughout the year with our communities (including Valentines Day, Mothers and Fathers Day, July 4th, Thanksgiving and Christmas). On program days closest to the holiday, we have special parties for kids, youth, adults and senior adults, and give gifts to all attendees as funds allow. These celebrations tend to be the highest attendance days and helps us to connect more with our community members.
Every Thanksgiving at the Gano Center, Champion Forest Baptist Church serves dinner to the community and gives them a bag of groceries to take home with them. On average, there are around 300 people that attend. We simply get the word out and host this wonderful night of blessing provided by one of our great mission partners!
Angels of Light, a program of Second Baptist Church, is always popular with our community. Before Christmas, 10 to 12 tour buses pick up 400 to 500 residents from our centers. The residents are taken to the church to receive a meal, special program, toys for the children, and a bag of groceries to take home. We are so grateful for this partnership – what a blessing to us all!
Bless the Homeless
Every 4 to 6 weeks at the Gano Mission Center we offer those who are homeless and on the verge of homelessness a day of encouragement and blessing. These scheduled events allow residents to receive a hot meal, pick out new clothing, receive a bag filled with hygiene items, get a shower, have their laundry done, and receive prayer. On occasion, additional services like haircuts, legal counsel, etc. are offered by our volunteers.
Community Parties
We want to reach out to the communities we serve. To do this, we invite the whole community to participate in our festivities, hosted at both the Gano and Joy Mission Centers. These wholesome and fun community parties allow us to meet new people in the community while sharing a meal with their family. To connect with children and their parents, we provide inflatables and lots of games.
For those that want to enjoy a movie on the house, we host family movie nights, which are very popular. Whether inside one of our centers or sitting in a car drive-in style, one thing is for sure – there is plenty of popcorn and snacks to enjoy!
Health Screenings
Mission Centers of Houston partners with other organizations to coordinate and host health screening events at various times throughout the year. These events typically combine with our adult and/or senior programs but are also held in remote locations when there is a specific need for privacy or facilities. One such event was the cancer screening clinic we held at Casa de Amigos in the Near Northside. Free mammograms and pap smears were offered to over 50 women. For those who needed medical attention, follow-up treatment was provided by our partnering organization.
Resource Fairs
We coordinate and host events to help those Greater Houston area residents affected by a natural disaster. These resource fairs are either at one of our centers, or at a partnering church. Each fair connects residents with services and resources they need. For more information, visit our disaster recovery page.
Volunteer Banquet
We are so thankful for those volunteers who serve with us each year. We could not do all we do without our friends who work tirelessly in all of our programs, spreading Christ’s love and hope in our communities. To thank them, every year we hold a special banquet to honor those people. Special recognition is given to individuals, churches, companies and organizations who’ve contributed the most volunteer hours or made the most impact in our mission work.
MCH Golf Classic Tournament
In early May of every year, we hold a golf tournament to raise funds to help us provide for the physical and spiritual needs of Houston’s inner city. For 25 years, Houston churches and businesses have participated in it. Don’t miss this great time of being outdoors and supporting a great cause. For more information visit the webpage.
Barbecue, Boots & Boogie
Usually held in January, Barbecue, Boots & Boogie is an annual fundraiser that benefits Mission Centers of Houston. The fun event offers great food, music and dancing all the while updating you on our mission work. This is a popular event as everyone gets ready for the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo. For more information, visit missioncenters.org/bbb.