Where are they now? Abiding Word, Houston, Texas

In June 2021, Forward in Christ shared stories about how congregations showed Christ’s love in their communities during the pandemic. WELS Christian Aid and Relief distributed $30,000 in matching grants as part of this effort. Abiding Word, Houston, Texas, provided a Chick-fil-A meal for workers at Houston Northwest Hospital, which is located across the street from the church. Matt Brown, pastor at Abiding Word, said their prayer was that God would open a door for the congregation to share the saving gospel with those who live and work close to the church.

So where are they now?

Brown shares that his congregation provided meals several times—more than 1,500 sandwiches—but didn’t have many responses or visits. That is, until this past April. He writes:

My phone rang, and it was my contact from the hospital. She informed me that a nurse from their emergency room was killed in a car accident and asked if I would minister to some of their staff. That week I had the opportunity to talk to seven nurses who were grieving the loss of a co-worker and friend. It was a blessing to share the reason for the hope that we have in Jesus.

A couple of weeks later, the phone rang again. This time it was the labor and delivery area of the hospital. In one morning, three babies had died. I was asked to provide grief counseling for the families and nurses. I had the opportunity to talk about God’s gift of life, his control of life, and God’s love for life as demonstrated in the gift of Jesus our Savior. I left the hospital that day humbled and thankful for the opportunity to share the message of Jesus with those struggling with great loss.

The Lord had even more opportunities in mind. The administrators asked if I would be willing to visit people at the hospital since they had recently lost their chaplain. (Thanks to Martin Luther College and its chaplain certification program, I received some good training.)

Then during nurse appreciation week in May, the head of nursing asked me to come and give a blessing for the nurses. I was happy to stop by. She gathered the nurses who wanted to join. I introduced myself, our church, and school. I thanked them for their work, read Scripture, shared a devotional thought, and prayed for the nurses. One of the nurses remembered the chicken sandwiches. I probably met 75 nurses that morning, but there was one more stop. I was brought into a meeting of the hospital administrators and asked to give them a blessing. Again, I shared Scripture and prayed for them. As I walked back to church, I just smiled. I wondered how God would use this opportunity.

It took about three hours, and I had an answer. That afternoon, the Intensive Care Unit requested that I come back because a patient had died and the family needed a pastor. I walked into the room where the body lay and met four people for the first time. Their loved one was a Christian, and I was able to share John chapter 11 and 1 Thessalonians chapter 4 with the family

What’s next? What does God have in mind? I don’t know, but I do know this: A chicken sandwich sure can go a long way in doing ministry.

Learn more about the Community Care & Compassion Matching Grants Program at wels.net/relief.

Humanitarian aid and opportunities

Besides offering congregations matching grants for com-munity compassion ministry, WELS Christian Aid and Relief provides humanitarian aid grants to support projects in WELS mission fields throughout the United States and worldwide. More than $425,000 was approved for fiscal year 2025–26.

The humanitarian aid projects supported by the grants take many forms, including health care, borehole drilling for clean drinking water, food and warm clothing, school supplies for underprivileged kids, assistance for legal immigrants, mosquito nets, and vocational training.