DEAR SEVEN MILE ROAD,

What a year it has been. We are nearly 9 years into this journey and have been about the same things since our earliest days – Journeying Together, Beholding Jesus, and Spreading Hope. It has been our desire and our consistent prayer that as we all continue moving along the Seven Mile Road that we will together experience a move of God. We desire to be an upper room church that experiences the Holy Spirit blowing through us as we stand on the edge of eternity. Now, more than ever before, we see all around us the unmistakable evidence that those prayers are being answered and those rhythms are bearing fruit. This past year we had more baptisms than ever before, trained more leaders, planted more and healthier house churches, helped plant new congregations, and had the distinct privilege of helping to foster city wide collaboration during the lent season that culminated with 1200+ people baptized across our city. The winds are officially blowing.

In addition to the big picture move of God that is taking place at 7MR and in the city of Houston, the lived experience within our family has been one of warmth and health and growth in maturity. I am so thankful for the many stories I hear of people experiencing healing and care within the context of their house churches. We have seen the birth of a fledgling youth ministry that is experiencing fruit as friends are being welcomed in and disciples are being made. We have seen the ongoing, meaningful impact of our Kalos team providing gospel presence to the women of 7MR. We have seen a growing number of college students leaning in with nearly 100 present on Easter for a lunch and discussion after the service and a sizeable group participating in the college dtrack this summer. Simply stated, Seven Mile Road, you are amazing. All of these experiences of warmth, health, and growth have been fostered by the saints doing the work of ministry. I love this church and consider it such a privilege to be on mission with all of you to the glory of God!

As we look forward, I am firmly convinced that this is only the beginning. We are perched on the edge of something beautiful and I am eager to explore what God has in store for us. Really great work has been done on the TFC 2.0 vision, and it is taking shape in ways that causes my heart to stir with anticipation. This collaborative kingdom outpost has the potential to be fertilizer for all the work that we are watching sprout from the soil. I believe that in the coming years we will have the opportunity to be stewards of and participants in a movement of God in the heart of our great city, and I do not want any of you to miss it! So will you continue to pray, lean in with urgency and joy, and devote yourself fully to the work of God in Houston in this moment? I am certainly in and hope that you will be as well!

With joy bubbling and anticipation growing,

Jeremiah Morris

Loving neighbor
This year, we refocused ourselves on who we set out to be 9 years ago: the people of God on the mission of God by the power of God. This is who we are and what House Church is. Longing to follow the footsteps of the early church (Acts 2:42-47) by living at the intersection of Word & Prayer + Meal & Mission, we reminded ourselves why we set apart one week each month to just eat a meal with each other: to have a safe, fun, inviting space to welcome in those who are close to us but far from God. In House Churches across the city, we experienced this in new and fresh ways as over 150 neighbors, coworkers, and friends poured into meal nights each month getting to experience the love of Christ as they were embraced by his people!

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FROM DEATH TO LIFE
What a year in the life of our community. We prayed specifically for more individuals to cross from death to life. We pleaded that God would give us more opportunities to stir the waters of baptism as resurrection hope altered the trajectory of more futures. We went from celebrating 7 baptisms last year to 33 this year! Church family, we are bearing witness to all that the Spirit is doing in our midst as we behold the Risen King moment by moment. What a gift to get to be on this adventure alongside each of you!

(Artwork above by Ashley Wood)

LIGHT IN The Dark
There is so much to celebrate in the life of our body, and each line in this report represents a person and a story impacted by the gospel of Jesus Christ. With a total budget of 1.92 million dollars, the people of Seven Mile Road gave sacrificially to bring light to dark places and the hope of Jesus both locally and globally this past year. Because of your generosity, lives are being transformed by the power of the gospel and the grace of God at work through you.
Seven Mile Road, we are immeasurably grateful to partner with you in this work, and we treasure the privilege to see God’s mission go forth in our city and to the ends of the earth.