St. Paul's Houston

St. Paul's Houston St. Paul’s UMC is a cathedral for Houston that embodies its diversity, inspires faith, and leads change for the common good of all peoples and communities.

A cathedral for the city of Houston, embodying its diversity, inspiring faith, and leading change for the common good of all peoples and communities.

The church's liturgical calendar places us in "Ordinary Time." There are a number of opinions on why it is so named: or...
06/20/2026

The church's liturgical calendar places us in "Ordinary Time." There are a number of opinions on why it is so named: ordinal numbers after Pentecost or this is a time of year when many candidates are ordained to ministry. One description we stay away from is "things are so ordinary." Far from it. The stories of the People of God are worth hearing and remembering. This week, it's the story of Abraham, Sarah and Hagar and it is quite the tale.

We hope you'll join us at St. Paul's United Methodist Church, 5501 Main Street, this Sunday. Our schedule:

8:30 and 11 a.m. -- Worship, Rev. Dr. Jeff McDonald preaching
9:45 a.m. -- Sunday School; our continuing class "Pentecost People" begins at 10 a.m.

And, we'll have "Donuts for Dads" to celebrate Father's Day for dads, grandfathers, father figures and everyone who's a father in some form or fashion.

Of course, our livestream is also available at www.stpaulshouston.org/stream

St. Paul's United Methodist Church joins in the celebration of Juneteenth!Juneteenth was once only a Texas holiday and h...
06/19/2026

St. Paul's United Methodist Church joins in the celebration of Juneteenth!

Juneteenth was once only a Texas holiday and has been a federal holiday for just a few years. Juneteenth commemorates June 19, 1865, when the last enslaved Americans, who were mostly in Texas, were notified of their freedom two years after the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation. Liberation didn't come neatly in one day. The news traveled slowly and was often met with violent resistance.
We know the struggle for civil rights for everyone is a long one that is far from finished. But we can take a moment to celebrate, to hope, to continue to work for justice for all.

As a reminder, our offices are closed today to allow our folks to enjoy the holiday.

We mentioned a few weeks ago that St. Paul's United Methodist Church was urging folks to take a break from social media ...
06/18/2026

We mentioned a few weeks ago that St. Paul's United Methodist Church was urging folks to take a break from social media this summer and find new and creative ways to spend these days. Our friend, Rev. Jude Harmon, Rector of Trinity Episcopal Church in Menlo Park, California, recently urged his parish to "write a poem, even if no one will see it; get those water colors out of the closet and paint a picture; dust off the old violin and give it a go."

To be sure, not all social media is toxic (we get the irony we are posting here). But, there are ways to at least reduce our reliance on it (not checking it before our feet hit the floor in the morning is a good start). We'd like to see what you are doing this summer! A pretty flower in your garden? Vacation pictures with the family? Volunteer efforts or even a trip to the library. Take a snap and share it in this feed. We'll gather them, maybe try to find a way to use them through the summer. They'll be public and the church may use them in our promotional materials. We'll give credit as we can, but again, we will plan to use them in other formats. Just to let you know.

Don't let that discourage you from contributing. We'd love to see how you spent your summer (we won't make you write a report when you get back to school...ha).

If you are traveling, we pray traveling mercies for you and if you are home, we pray a fruitful and celebratory season.

We'll join together tomorrow to talk about St. Paul's commitment to the LGBTQIA+ community and how our history has helpe...
06/13/2026

We'll join together tomorrow to talk about St. Paul's commitment to the LGBTQIA+ community and how our history has helped shape the future of the United Methodist Church. St. Paul's has had a long relationship with other UMC churches and different denominations in seeking real acceptance for everyone. Tomorrow at 9:45 a.m., our Ordinary Life Sunday School class will host a discussion, "Leading with Love," in Fondren Hall at St. Paul's United Methodist Church, 5501 Main Street. We so hope you can join us.

Our schedule for Sunday:

8:30 and 11 a.m., Worship, Rev. Irv White, Pastor for Congregational Care, preaching
9:45 a.m., Sunday School and Leading with Love

Our college age and youth groups are not meeting on Sundays for the summer.

We hope to see you Sunday. If you can't join us in person, our livestream is available at www.stpaulshouston.org/stream.

A recent story in the New York Times -- as part of their "Well Series" -- talked about how much time we spend indoors on...
06/08/2026

A recent story in the New York Times -- as part of their "Well Series" -- talked about how much time we spend indoors on our phones and social media, often "killing time." The story quotes the author Dr. John La Puma who calls this "ultraprocessed time" because it doesn't replenish us.

That dovetailed perfectly with an effort by St. Paul's United Methodist Church, Houston, to urge people to give up some -- if not most -- of their social media time this summer. We are well aware we can't just give up our phones. They are used for contacts in emergencies, answering calls, etc. But, social media time? That is something that often doesn't replenish us.

So, what to do? We suggest reading an actual book, not something on a screen. We also suggest going outside (and that's a challenge in Houston summers, but it can be done). 20 minutes spent in nature -- and only doing that -- is a huge stress reliever. And, there are a number of volunteer activities both at St. Paul's and elsewhere. If nothing else, Houston has a bounty of public libraries where one can find time to disconnect. And, yes, we get the irony of posting this to our social media accounts!

Through the summer, we'll be back with tips on how to get off social media just for a bit, then a bit longer, then a bit longer than that. So, stop reading this post and find a new venture!

NEWS: Our team has just been informed that the Houston Pride Parade scheduled for Saturday evening has been CANCELLED du...
06/06/2026

NEWS: Our team has just been informed that the Houston Pride Parade scheduled for Saturday evening has been CANCELLED due to weather. The Pride Parade officials are going to work to schedule the parade for after the Wold Cup later this summer. We are bummed, but we understand...safety first.

The lectionary has us spending some time in Genesis these days. Last week was the creation story, this week it's Abram w...
06/06/2026

The lectionary has us spending some time in Genesis these days. Last week was the creation story, this week it's Abram who's called by God to start moving. Abram was 75! That's the age when most have settled into some sort of retirement. But, God had big plans for Abram and set him on his journey. How would we react to such a calling in our mid 70s?

We'll be in worship this week at St. Paul's Untied Methodist Church, 5501 Main Street, Houston. We so hope you can be with us as we also celebrate Holy Communion. Remember, in the United Methodist tradition, all are welcome at the Lord's Table.

Our schedule:
8:30 and 11 a.m. Worship, Rev. Dr. Jeff McDonald preaching
9:45 a.m. Sunday School (our continuing short-form summer Sunday School class, "Pentecost People," begins at 10 a.m.)

Our college age and youth groups aren't meeting during the summer, though our youth leave Sunday for UM Army. Please keep them in your prayers.

Our services are also live-streamed at www.stpaulshouston.org/stream

Happy Pride!Our Pride team at St. Paul's United Methodist Church has been hard at work planning our involvement in the H...
06/03/2026

Happy Pride!

Our Pride team at St. Paul's United Methodist Church has been hard at work planning our involvement in the Houston Pride Parade this Saturday. Our new banner and our new float made their first appearance last year and will be back this year. But it's not just that. We have many members and friends who join our St. Paul's group to walk in the parade. We hope to see YOU there. For more information about St. Paul's Pride activities, please visit www.stpaulshouston.org/pride

We are in bloom at St. Paul's United Methodist Church in Houston! A riot of different colors and plants adorn our Jones ...
05/30/2026

We are in bloom at St. Paul's United Methodist Church in Houston! A riot of different colors and plants adorn our Jones Plaza and are ready for your visit this Trinity Sunday at 5501 Main Street.

Our schedule:

Worship 8:30 and 11 a.m. Rev. Dr. Jeff McDonald preaching
9:45 a.m., Sunday School (our short-term Sunday School class, "Pentecost People" begins at 10 a.m.)
12:15 p.m., Quad Lunch (college age and young adults)

4 p.m., Choral Evensong for Trinity Sunday. Feel free to walk our outdoor labyrinth before or after the service
Note: Following our Evensong service, we will celebrate Emily Dawn Amos at a reception in our Gym. Emily, our organ scholar, leaves us next month to begin the next chapter of her career.

We hope to see you in person, but our worship services and Evensong will be livestreamed at www.stpaulshouston.org/stream

We are happy to announce that the St. Paul’s Choir will offer an Evensong for Trinity Sunday at 4 p.m., this Sunday in t...
05/28/2026

We are happy to announce that the St. Paul’s Choir will offer an Evensong for Trinity Sunday at 4 p.m., this Sunday in the Sanctuary featuring choral music by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, Bernard Rose, Herbert Howells, Malcom Boyle, along with J. S. Bach’s complete Prelude and Fugue in E-flat major, BWV 552. A reception honoring Emily Dawn Amos, organ scholar, will be held in the church's Gym after the Evensong. All are welcome.

The church is at 5501 Main Street, Houston and parking is free.

Address

5501 Main
Houston, TX
77004

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 4pm
Tuesday 9am - 4pm
Wednesday 9am - 4pm
Thursday 9am - 4pm
Friday 9am - 4pm
Sunday 8am - 1pm

Telephone

+17135280527

Website

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