Mentoring builds meaningful connections between children and adults, fostering love, acceptance, and encouragement that positively impact school, home, and community life. Research links student mentoring to improved academic, social, and economic outcomes. Friends of Westchase unites schools, churches, businesses, and individuals to strengthen the community through relationships. School mentors spend about 30 minutes with elementary or middle school students, offering consistent support to those facing academic, behavioral, or home challenges. Training is provided with activities, talking points, and games to build connection.

Training and campus orientation are offered in September and January. Please consider joining our mentoring program at one of our three partner schools:

Paul Revere Middle School (10502 Briar Forest Drive, Houston, TX 77042)
One-on-One Mentoring for sixth grade and eighth grade students
Wednesdays or Thursdays
30 minutes during lunch
School Coordinator: Tammy Box 

Walnut Bend Elementary School (10602 Briar Forest Drive, Houston, TX 77042)
Group mentoring with a group of 3 or 4 fourth–fifth grade students
Tuesdays–Thursday
30 minutes during lunch
School Coordinator: Debbie Kaplan

Emerson Elementary School
9533 Skyline Drive, Houston, TX 77063
One-on-One Mentoring for third–fifth grade students
Monday–Friday
30 minutes during lunch
School Coordinator: Becky Sikes 

Steps to mentoring:

Step 1: Apply to mentor or request more information by contacting Kristy Elmore.

Step 2: Complete background check, safety training, and the HISD Volunteer Application

We will guide you from there! 

February 7: Soup Serve
Proverbs 27:9: "Sweet friendships refresh the soul and awaken our hearts with joy, for good friends are like the anointing oil that yields the fragrant incense of God's presence"
Join us for Soup Serve! We are going to assemble a Friendship Soup Mix on Saturday, February 7, and then share soup mixes with the congregation on Sunday the 8th. We’ll ask the congregation to pick up a mix and take it out to bless someone that afternoon!

February 14: Ronald McDonald House

Please make plans to join us for a special day of serving with the Ronald McDonald House Houston! On February 14, 2026, we will gather at Grace at 9 a.m. and travel together to the Ronald McDonald House to serve a special Valentine's Day Brunch to families with children receiving medical care in the Texas Medical Center and staying at the Ronald McDonald House. We hope to return around 1 pm. We will be preparing brunch and then staying to serve and fellowship with families! We have limited spaces, and due to health considerations, this project is open to anyone 18 and older. Please register HERE.

March 21: Campus Clean Up

Join our team as we set out to bless our local schools during our Campus Clean-up day! This is a great project for families to share in together! 

We're so excited for Sunday, February 22, and that you'll be joining us for lunch after the service!

Student Sunday is when students take over all of worship, leading our congregation in a joyful noise and gathering in honor of our God. After the service, the students help hold a lunch/auction that funds our summer mission trips (fondly called Lunch is Served). As our students and volunteers take care of the lunch prep, you can peruse and bid on our silent auction items, such as trips, themed baskets, and dinner nights. You can even sign up for one of our fun party opportunities and play our exciting raffle games!

This year we are excited for the opportunities our students will be given for serving our neighbors. Our middle school students will be staying in Houston to complete service projects throughout our own community, while our high school students will be traveling to Whitefish, Montana! We will be partnering with Christ Lutheran Church, home to one of our awesome previous Student Ministries Director, Matt Davis, to help run their VBS program along with other service projects in the area. This collaboration will be EPIC and we can't wait to partner with YOU to give our students this amazing opportunity! Without the generosity displayed in past Lunch is Served fundraisers and the hope for continued generosity, this trip would have cost our students about $1000. Instead, it will only cost each student $450! We are incredibly humbled and grateful for your love and support of our students to continue Jesus' work and spread love to others. We can't wait to see you at Lunch is Served!

Lunch this year will be some Montana-themed deliciousness! See you there! Let us know that you will be on hand for lunch by registering HERE.

As you may be aware, Grace has a Disaster Response Team that monitors events which may impact our Grace family. Here is how the process works:

If such an event occurs, we want to be prepared, as a Grace community, to come together and support one another. Once a disaster response is initiated, Grace deacons are responsible for contacting each Covenant Partner household to determine whether any members of the household have been impacted. The protocol is to establish contact with at least one adult in each household to ascertain their status and assess any potential needs. The information gathered is then communicated to the Disaster Response Team for triage and appropriate response.

If a deacon is unable to reach any adults in the household, the next step is to reach out to an emergency contact—an adult who does not live in the household but would likely know your status during an emergency. It would be a tremendous help to our deacons if you would provide an emergency contact for our database using the form found HERE. The information will only be shared with members of the Disaster Response Team.

This Lenten season, Grace will once again come together to bless 20 single-parent families through our partnership with Presbyterian Children's Homes and Services. Parents are working hard to build a strong future for their children and we are honored to come alongside them to be an encouragement and supporter by surprising families with special baskets filled with Easter treats, games, and crafts. Empty baskets will be ready to pick up starting February 11 in the Connection Center, or by contacting Tammy Box at tbox@gpch.org. We ask that filled and decorated baskets be returned by March 16.

A change for 2026: PCHAS has noted a significant increase in food insecurity and is asking for our Easter Baskets to be more family-food-oriented. Donations will still be packed up in a decorated basket, and we encourage families to add some Easter items, but we are requesting mostly shelf stable food such as peanut butter, jelly, pancake mix, pasta, fruit (canned or in single serve bowls), cornbread mix, hearty soup mixes, saltines or other crackers, Velveeta or other cheese products, pasta sauce, vegetables in plastic jars or cans, beans, and a gift card that might help purchase eggs, bacon, sausage, meat or other protein items that complement the basket items.