LOTS - Lord of the Streets Episcopal Church

08/21/2026

Abiding Together in Transition

Our renovation is ongoing while our ministries continue.

Abiding Together in healing and peace, our mission is to relieve suffering and reveal dignity through ministries and relationships with people facing homelessness. We share that mission with those we serve, building one another up so that community and healing from trauma will help people get off the streets and stay housed.

Join in our mission through your support - www.lotshouston.org - "Donate Now".

08/14/2026

Open...With Renovation!

We are back to our full hours, Monday through Friday, 8:00 - Noon. The renovation is still going on, so we are operating out of a small part of our building, and it is working!

Mail service, Housing, Showers, Clothing, Vision Clinic, Bible Studies and Prayers - we're meeting with parishioners and clients out of our back parking lot for now.

We're also providing meals for folks who are coming for our services. Thank you to our staff and wonderful volunteers for their flexibility and dedication to your mission: relieving suffering and revealing dignity by rebuilding lives through ministries and relationships with people facing homelessness.

Brad+

08/07/2026

The Heart of Homelessness

D was overwhelmed and overcome by the stress and challenges of life, especially life on the streets, experiencing homelessness.

He knelt down outside the store he couldn’t afford to buy anything in and began weeping.

Strangers gathered around, people who are also experiencing homelessness, and they comforted him. Hands on shoulders, sitting with him, offering words of understanding and encouragement.

That was the hope and love he needed in that moment. Hope and healing given by the hearts and humanity of people experiencing homelessness.

D's story shares how together, we all find hope in the world.

07/31/2026

Sermon on Matthew 13:31-33, 44-52 and 1 Kings 3:5-12:

It turns out, the kingdom of God isn’t about tricking God into giving us more stuff. The kingdom of God is about getting rid of the stuff that harms us in order to see and live the kingdom life all around us. The kingdom of God is hidden from us when we are stuck in our ways of anger or assuming it’s always someone else’s fault. The kingdom of God can be hidden by our past trauma, all the hurt done to us and all the hurt we’ve done because of it. The kingdom of God can be hidden by our lack of forgiveness, even of ourselves, stuck in the past of what we did and who we were.

With the treasure of the kingdom of God, though, we don’t have to be stuck as who we were. With God’s help in God’s kingdom, we can be who we want to be. Accepting God’s forgiveness, letting go of our shame and our self-hatred, that is part of the cost of the treasure of God’s kingdom, too.

Accepting God’s forgiveness and living a new life in God’s kingdom takes all we have and all we are, just like the treasure in the field. If we’re truly living God’s kingdom as the church, we find the cost is nothing compared to the life we find. We learn to live without anger, hatred, and fear as our constant companions. We learn to draw on God’s strength because our own is not sufficient. We learn to pray together and support one another. We learn that all the stuff life tried to sell us isn’t actually what we need after all. We learn that asking for wisdom to lead his people well, Solomon really did make a better ask that just wanting a bunch of money.

Give me a million dollars, or give me family and friends full of love and support? I’ll take the family and friends every time. I mean, to be clear, I’d love the million dollars, but if it’s between that and loving, supportive family and friends, I’ll take the family and friends. That’s life in the kingdom of God. Life where we see the love and community, the faith and the faithfulness, the hope and the peace that we’ve always wanted, and we’ll do anything to get it.

https://bradleysullivan.blogspot.com/2026/07/a-we-kingdom-not-i-kingdom.html

07/24/2026

Sermon on Matthew 13:24-30,36-43

So yeah, there’s a huge amount of goodness in all humans. There is also plenty that is pretty darn broken and harmful in all humans. Of course there is.

We get hurt. We get traumatized, and our brains react in ways that harm others, who then get hurt and traumatized, and the whole cycle just keeps on going. We have goodness within us, and we have evil within us.

Welcome to Jesus’ parable of the weeds among the wheat.

So, what are we to do?

We are to grow together. We are to love one another as best we can and seek to help one another heal. We are to trust in Jesus and seek strength and healing from him. Sometimes we do have to have someone go away for a while, but that is always meant for healing, with an invitation to return.

What we don’t get to do is declare who are the weeds and who are the wheat.

We don’t get to kick out those evil ones, assuming that we’re the righteous ones.

The folks who did those things never had Jesus’ backing. In fact, what we find over and over in Scripture is that the weeds the righteous kicked out were the ones Jesus had mercy on.

Welcome to Jesus’ parable of the weeds among the wheat.

Brad+
https://bradleysullivan.blogspot.com/2026/07/you-arent-taking-this-seriously.html

07/17/2026

We hope you and family and friends are having a good summer, including a good 4th of July celebration earlier this month. At LOTS, every day is a celebration as we see smiles, hear thanks, and know that what we do may be the most important and sustaining thing those we serve experience in any given day. In the midst of a hot summer, and all Houston summers are hot(!), we press through the heat and do what we're called to do.

This summer, staff and volunteers pressed through 8 days with no A/C until we had to suspend services to get the repairs done. (God bless all the staff and volunteers!!) Of course, there are repair expenses associated with a downed A/C. If you wish to give an extra gift this hot mid-July to help offset these costs, a whole new group of people will sing your praise!

07/10/2026

From our Bishop, C. Andrew Doyle, a pastoral message following the death of Lorenzo Salgado Araujo.

🕊️ Bishop C. Andrew Doyle shares a pastoral message following the death of Lorenzo Salgado Araujo.

Read his reflection at the link below.
https://texasbishop.blogspot.com/2026/07/a-pastoral-on-death-of-lorenzo-salgado.html?m=1

07/09/2026

LOTS is closing next week for a portion of our renovation project. When we reopen, we will be bringing people inside for our services. That means meals will be served inside, rather than given out on the sidewalk.

Our renovation will not be finished, so there will be fewer people inside at a time than we will have, but we are moving forward in serving our neighbors more deeply, honoring their dignity, and rebuilding the needed community to be able to be healed from homelessness long-term.

Blessings be upon you,
Brad+

07/02/2026

Did you know that LOTS serves hot meals and bottled water to 350-475 people each day, Monday through Thursday, and a sack lunch or snack pack on Fridays?

Alleviating suffering is one of the ways we declare that the Kingdom of God is here.

Would you like to partner with us as we serve neighbors experiencing homelessness? Email our office at ​[email protected] to learn how!

07/02/2026

Sermon from our own Joshua Toran Jr.!