We all have our special ____.  For some, it’s the mission trips, for some LOTS.  For me, it’s Christmas @ COTHA.  Our church family proves every year to be generous beyond measure.  

This year I was excited about the new Christmas @ COTHA tree that we designed and built. It’s new; it’s cute.  It made me have a little skip in my step every time I looked at it in the foyer.  It’s the little things, right?  

Next is the excitement I feel when making lists for the receiving families.  I get giddy at the thought of those kiddos opening gifts that so much love and joy went into putting the under the tree.  

All of that is exciting…and thrilling…but nothing compared to the excitement and thrill I got on Monday morning.  Darrel texted the staff that we’d had a break in and the Christmas @ COTHA gifts were gone!!!  I’m in Boston, trying to navigate the streets to return a rental car (not easy) and my mind is going 90 to nothing trying to figure what to do next.  I let my human side squeak out and started crying thinking of all the kids that might get let down.  It hurt my heart.  I want so very badly for all the families to get all they ask for, and I was scared that wouldn’t happen.  FEAR.  It’ll get you every time. 

Once at our gate, and we had taken a deep breath, all the steps started falling into place.  

By Doug Eisele, COTHA Missions Coordinator
A calling to help
Why go to Uganda? Why go to Mexico? Why go downtown to Lord of the Streets? Or for that matter, why stop the car to give a care bag?  God called, I had to say yes.
I use to worry, well actually still do sometimes, if the guy on the corner is in real need or a con man. Then a wise person reminded me that it is not my money but God’s.  I am only a custodian of the money he provides.  God will make sure that the dollar will go to use.  God will make sure that mosquito net or medicine will be used to his glory!  It is my job to be the person to say yes to our Lord.
God does not always call me to be on a mission, sometimes it is to pray, write a check, support others to make sure they can go or further their work.  I need to remind myself it’s not about me it is about heeding God's call.
How does God call me?  It has been through getting a feeling, people opening doors or “pieces of the puzzle” just falling into place.  Here is how He has worked on me.  I got invited to a mission conference about 7 years ago as part of a prayer team and was immediately dragged out of my comfort zone and exposed to what it meant to really answer God’s call.  When we returned suddenly a Mission to Mexico mission was put in front of us.  Turns out several other COTHA members were called to go and off we went to Nuevo Laredo.  We have been supporting MtM with people and funds ever since.  When the border violence got bad we were tempted to back away.  I clearly remember a vision of the children lining up for food and no one being there.  MtM still needs to exist ‘to do its work.  So we still support. Whether you go or fund the effort depends on what God wants you to do.  For Karen and I, He often closes the door on making the trip but He has made it possible for us to support His children.  (Karen has her own MtM story)
Then came Katrina and New Orleans; Ike and Galveston and Uganda.  God put people into our lives in a way that can in no way be construed as a coincidence. It almost became easy to get to Uganda.   I think it is safe to say God put me and others at COTHA into a mission that was out of our comfort zone. The first year COTHA planted a new church then God wanted us to do something else.  Many other U.S. Churches were planting new Uganda Churches but few were supporting the existing churches to help them reach out to the unchurched , hence medical missions and mosquito nets.  Through this effort, thousands see a community Bible based Church help the community whether they are a member, a Christian or a Muslim.  The event provides a forum to pray for people and to witness the hope of the Gospel to thousands.  God has clearly called COTHA to do this work.  It seems He wants us to do a little more.  He has put on our hearts to provide measles vaccines.  We will see where this goes.  Perhaps you are called to help us?
God has sent us to Guatemala and now Honduras to drill water wells.  He has given us the ability to have a spaghetti supper every Wednesday free to anyone who walks through the door.  No strings attached!! There is a new effort called viaCOTHA that God is calling us to go out to help others in a more  social way.   Check with Mark to find out more as this mission finds where God is taking us.   And this Wednesday another calling may have walked in the door, literally.   A lady from Christ Clinic in Katy came to our Evangelism Meeting to start a conversation on how we can work together.  Where is this one going?  God knows.
I can’t believe where God has taken me, Karen and COTHA over the last seven years.  I hope all of you reading this will listen for God to tell you what he wants you to do.  If COTHA has its 500 plus members focused on what God wants us to do we will make a difference in a lot of peoples’ lives.  Join me and the others at our Evangelism meeting on the 2nd Monday of each month.   If you get the call, go on a mission with us.
34“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the creation of the world. + 35For I was hungry, and you fed me. I was thirsty, and you gave me a drink. I was a stranger, and you invited me into your home. + 36I was naked, and you gave me clothing. I was sick, and you cared for me. I was in prison, and you visited me.’     37“Then these righteous ones will reply, ‘Lord, when did we ever see you hungry and feed you? Or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38Or a stranger and show you hospitality? Or naked and give you clothing? 39When did we ever see you sick or in prison and visit you?’     40“And the King will say, ‘I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters,* you were doing it to me!’
Matthew 25: 34-40

By Mark Tucker, viaCOTHA Ministry Coordinator,
January is here, and the time has arrived at last for the kickoff of viaCOTHA, the new Evangelism ministry here at the Church of the Holy Apostles.  The name viaCOTHA has several roots: "Via" in Latin means "The Way" and, for me, the way is the Lord.  It is also translated as "by way of".  The third meaning I constructed is “Volunteers In Action”.  When you put them together you have viaCOTHA: Volunteers in Action by way of the Christ-loving family of COTHA.
The Mission of viaCOTHA is to walk the walk and follow His way by volunteering in Katy and throughout the Greater Houston area, all in His great name.  To start, we will offer one project a month.  Initial ideas for our inaugural events include Special Olympics, Adopt-a-Beach, bingo and ice cream socials at local retirement facilities and reading at local elementary schools with students who need a little extra one-on-one help.  Whether it’s contributing to a national postcard writing campaign for the troops serving abroad or participating in a local walk to support Relay for Life, we will serve the community viaCOTHA.
Being a part of the ministry is easy.  Just visit COTHA.org to find a volunteer event that speaks to your heart and sign up.  Then invite friends, neighbors and family to follow the path viaCOTHA as well. What a wonderful way for visitors to experience the heart and soul of COTHA than to minister to the community with us side by side! Whether you want to participate in one event every year, or you aim to try them all, you are welcome.  Together, we can grow this ministry into something very special, and I am extremely excited to take that first step!  Join me?
Mark Tucker – marktucker7777@hotmail.com

Lord of the Streets • August 5 • Meet in the South Parking lot at 6:10 a.m. 
Lord of the Streets is an outreach organization in downtown Houston providing for the homeless. On a regular basis we travel to Trinity Episcopal Church in downtown Houston to prepare and serve breakfast to the homeless.

​I am totally blown away by the level of faithfulness among the people at the Church of the Holy Apostles. When one enters a new community, there is always a bit of nervousness about what one will find. I had a sense from the Vestry that COTHA was a unique place. But now having been here for nearly a month, I continue to be amazed by the work that God has done here. I have been involved in many churches, but I have never found the desire to grow as I have here. God has blessed us and will continue to do so. I am honored, blessed and humbled to be among you as the Lead Pastor. I know God has extraordinary things in store for all of us.

On my first Sunday I recognized several people that I will always be indebted to for their Godly work in the months and years leading to my arrival. I would like to do that again on this first installment of my blog. First of all, I want to thank Bob Henson, our founding pastor. Without his vision and heart, we would not exist. Thank you Bob! I want to thank Chip Nix, who led us during the interim period. Chip taught the children to "high-five" during the procession out into the world. That tradition continues! God bless you Chip and I look forward to meeting you when I finish my journey on this earth and am called to heaven. May God bless you for your wonderful ministry, not only at COTHA, but through the years. I want to thank the Vestry that led us during some difficult times. All of you have inspired me. I want to thank the Search Committee that came to Kansas and helped me see God's hand in the process that led me to accept the call to this extraordinary congregation. I want to thank our wonderful staff who were asked to go beyond the normal demands of ministry and provided cohesiveness to COTHA when it was needed most.

Lastly I want to thank our Lord Jesus Christ. His love for us can be powerfully felt every time we gather for worship. It is to His glory that we reach out into the world and bring even more people into the Kingdom.

We have much to do but it will be done because we will remain focused on Jesus Christ! An extraordinary adventure awaits us. As I said to the Vestry and Search Committee the night I accepted the call: "Buckle up!"