New Covenant Christian Church has devoted its ministry to youth who live on the streets of Houston Texas. G. Todd Williams is the pastor of the congregation. He recently sent this update on the congregation's work.

New Covenant has had an amazing year, and I would like to thank all of you for your support. This year we have had nearly 500 volunteers come and donate over 4,000 hours of their time to help youth living on the streets of Houston.

Two churches, Memorial Drive and Heights Christian, have hired folks from the street to work on their custodial staff.

The hurricanes proved to be storms that were overpowered by Jesus' words, "Peace, be still." In 2004, we provided bus fare for 18 youth to be reunited with families. As of last week, we provided bus fare for the 86th young person to make their way home since January 1, 2005.

At the end of January 2006, 18 youth had completed their GED, with more than half of these youth eligible for Houston Community College's free college offer for their first year of college. We have provided nearly $8,000 in scholarship support for homeless youth who are now in college or technical school.

As many of you know, civility ordinances in our current neighborhood have prompted police to write tickets to homeless youth waiting to enter New Covenant for church. They are being charged with loitering. We have an attorney who has donated his time to defend these cases. There is hope that these ordinances will be proven to be unconstitutional.

In June (2005) we were awarded the Disciples' Todd Bratkovich Peace Fellowship Award. An article written in the Houston Chronicle about New Covenant prompted First Evangelical Lutheran Church to contact us about space that was becoming available within their building. I am pleased to announce that we have moved to a new location - 1311 Holman Street, Houston, on the campus of Houston Community College Central Campus. Our first worship service in our new location was Christmas Eve.

The space formerly used by the Houston Graduate School of Theology will become our new home. We will have a gym, classrooms, office space, a kitchen, showers, laundry facility, sanctuary and a chapel available to us. We have also invited Fresh Start Church, an African-American congregation that we have shared worship space with for the past two years, to move with us. They are in the process of affiliating with the United Church of Christ. It is going to be an awesome opportunity for us all.

Two years ago we created a wish-list of what our new location would provide. God is good! Nearly every item that we listed is either at the new location already, or is available nearby.

In June we were given a $15,000 stock gift in which we created a new endowment fund which will provide support for New Covenant beginning in 2007 when New Covenant is scheduled to rotate out of new church development. In just five months, this endowment that we began is now worth just over $20,000 through additional stock gifts and dividends.

We have kicked off a new foundation entitled "Hope Street, Inc." This private foundation will provide an opportunity for our outreach programs to seek both secular and non-secular funding grants. Hope Street is made up of members from our community, and its sole purpose will be, "To assist and inspire homeless youth to build self-sufficient lives."

I would like to personally take the opportunity to say thanks to the entire Coastal Plains Area. It has taken a village to make New Covenant's community a reality. Your prayers, volunteer hours, and financial support have given hope to so many young people who have never had the opportunity to know what unconditional love is.

I pray that each church in the Coastal Plains Area captures the wonderful spirit of Christ and that together in 2006, we realize the blessings that God has promised. We know that the harvest awaits.....let's make it happen!

—G. Todd Williams is the pastor of New Covenant Christian Church, Houston, Texas.