An Authentic Foundations Tradition
The Coolest Spot in Houston on a Sunday: After-Class Lunch!
It's July in Houston. The parking lot is 98 degrees. Your car is 130. Your steering wheel is a skillet.
Meanwhile, a few minutes down the road at Los Tios, there's a glass of iced tea sweating harder than you are — and a table full of your Foundations freinds saving you a seat.
Cold Topo Chico. Warm chips. Queso doing that slow drip. And an hour of the kind of conversation and laughter that no thermostat can produce.
Class ends at noon. The AC is already running.
“The tea is ice cold. The welcome is even better.”
Sunday After Class
Los Tios — San Felipe
5161 San Felipe St, Ste 100, Houston, TX 77056
Our Summer Focus: The Names of God & Scripture Memory
This quarter, the Foundations Class turns its focus to the names of God — beginning with Jehovah Jireh, "The LORD Will Provide." Each name of God in Scripture reveals something of His character, and this one reminds us that our Father sees our need before we ever speak it.
Alongside our study, we're committing to scripture memory together. Our Q3 memory verse is Romans 8:28 — write it down, post it on the fridge, and let's hide it in our hearts as a class:
And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.
— Romans 8:28
The LORD will provide — and He already has. Let's learn His names and treasure His Word together this quarter.
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Encore Group Event
Strikes, Burgers & Fellowship: Encore Rolls into the FRC Bowling Alley July 16
Some evenings you just can't spare — and this is one of them. The Encore Group is rolling into an evening of connection on Thursday, July 16, from 4:30 to 7:00 PM at the FRC Bowling Alley on the Loop Campus.
Your $15 ticket covers lane time and a premium Red Robin Burger Box — so come hungry, bring a friend, and don't worry one bit about your score. The fellowship is the real prize.
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Biblical Moments in American History
Seven Verses That Built a Nation
With Pastor Gregg Matte on sabbatical, author and pastor Robert J. Morgan filled the pulpit on Sunday, July 5 — and delivered a message tailor-made for America’s 250th birthday. Drawing from his book 100 Bible Verses That Made America, Dr. Morgan traced seven scriptures woven into the founding of our nation, stories he says have quietly disappeared from the history books.
The journey began in a Puritan pulpit, where Thomas Hooker preached from Deuteronomy 1:13 — that the people should choose their own leaders — an idea that became the first colonial constitution and the prototype for the Constitution of the United States. It continued through Jonathan Mayhew’s famous sermon on Romans 13:1, which John Adams called the catechism of the revolution, and into the anxious first session of the Continental Congress, where the appointed Anglican reading for the day happened to be Psalm 35: “Contend, O LORD, with those who contend with me; fight against those who fight against me.” The delegates felt the passage had been placed in Scripture just for them.
“If a sparrow cannot fall to the ground without His notice, is it likely that an empire can arise without His aid?”
— Benjamin Franklin, Constitutional Convention
Perhaps the most remarkable moment came when the Constitutional Convention was on the verge of collapse — and it was Benjamin Franklin, of all people, who stood and quoted Psalm 127:1: “Except the LORD build the house, they labour in vain that build it.” A prayer service followed, and James Madison would later call the Constitution that emerged nothing short of a miracle. Dr. Morgan closed with Acts 4:12 and the little-known deathbed conversion of Alexander Hamilton, who repented, received the Lord’s Supper, and told his grieving wife with his final words to remember that she was a Christian.
Dr. Morgan’s charge to the congregation: the same God who guided a fledgling nation through impossible odds is still at work today — and the question for each of us is whether we will build our lives on His foundation.
Watch the full message below:
“Righteousness exalteth a nation: but sin is a reproach to any people.”
— Proverbs 14:34
And the conversation didn’t end in the sanctuary. Later in the Rehearsal Hall, the Foundations Class picked up right where Dr. Morgan left off — with his book open on every table.
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Foundations Class • Independence Day Lesson
Three Groups Dig Deep Into the Faith of Our Founders
Talk about providential timing. For the fourth year running, the Foundations Class marked Independence Day with lessons drawn from Robert J. Morgan’s 100 Bible Verses That Made America — and this year, the author himself was preaching in the sanctuary that very morning.
The format was a class favorite: three groups, three stories from American history, and time to dig deep. Each group studied its story at the table — identifying the key figure, the foundational verse, and the takeaway for today — then came to the front to present its findings and close with a historic American prayer.
The first group unpacked the prayer that saved the Constitution: with the Convention deadlocked and near collapse, Benjamin Franklin called the delegates to seek God, anchored in Psalm 127:1. George Washington later led the delegates to a church service where Rev. William Rogers prayed over them — and agreement soon followed. The group’s takeaway rings just as true in 2026: when we’re deeply divided, pray first. They closed with Washington’s prayer for the thirteen new states, with its unmistakable echoes of Micah 6:8.
The second group explored the story of Elias Boudinot, founder of the American Bible Society, and the call of 1 Peter 3:15 — always being ready to give an answer for the hope within us. Their report ranged from the Christian character of the original state constitutions to George Whitefield and the Great Awakening, and closed with prayers from Colossians 1:9–12 and from our own Pastor Gregg Matte, asking God to fill the hearts, homes, schools, and workplaces of our country with spiritual wisdom.
The third group presented the extraordinary life of John Quincy Adams — eyewitness to Bunker Hill at fourteen, diplomat, sixth president, and America’s early champion of human rights — who read four or five chapters of the Bible every morning of his adult life. The group closed with Rev. Jacob Duché’s stirring first prayer of the Continental Congress, offered September 7, 1774.
The lesson also launched our new quarter, with a new Name of God focus — Jehovah Jireh, The Lord Will Provide — and a new memory verse the class will carry through the season:
“And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.”
— Romans 8:28
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Summer Galatians Series • This Sunday, July 12
From Persecutor to Preacher: Carol Pierce on Paul’s Case for His Gospel
After pausing last Sunday to look back at the faith of our founders, the Foundations Class returns to the Summer Galatians Series this week with Carol Pierce at the podium — and the letter is about to get personal. This week she teaches Lesson 4, Paul’s Conversion and Commission, covering Galatians 1:10–2:10.
So far in our study we’ve covered the background of the Galatian church, the dangers of the false teaching creeping in, and the chronology of Paul’s remarkable life. Now Paul takes the stand in his own defense. Accused of preaching a watered-down, secondhand gospel, he answers with his own story: he received his message not from any man, but “through a revelation of Jesus Christ” — and his life proves it. The man who once violently persecuted the church, advancing in Judaism beyond all his peers, was set apart by God before he was born and transformed into its boldest preacher. As the churches of Judea put it: “He who used to persecute us is now preaching the faith he once tried to destroy.”
The passage follows Paul from Damascus to Arabia, through his first visit with Peter in Jerusalem, and — fourteen years later — to the meeting where James, Cephas, and John, the “pillars” of the church, examined his gospel and added nothing to it, extending instead the right hand of fellowship. Paul’s message needed no correction, because it never came from man in the first place.
And that raises the question Paul opens with — one worth carrying into Sunday:
“For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ.”
— Galatians 1:10
Join us this Sunday at 10:45 AM in the Rehearsal Hall as Carol Pierce walks us through Paul’s testimony — and what it means for whose approval we’re living for.
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Series Booklet · Read or Print
The Galatians “Set Free” Study Booklet
Can’t see it? Open or print the booklet here.
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Foundations on Mission · Thursday, July 30
This Time, We’re the Welcome
Foundations takes it to the pavement again — Thursday, July 30 at 6:00 PM, 2017 Main St. Drop off snacks at class July 19 and 26, or bring them with you.
On Thursday, July 30, Foundations returns to Street Church — and it’s our serving turn. As always, we alternate with another ministry from visit to visit: they host the praise and worship and bring the message this time, and we take the post we know well — serving the pre-event snacks and sharing the love of Christ.
It’s a good rhythm, and don’t underestimate our half of it. We’re the first face every neighbor meets: the smile before the song, the handshake before the sermon. For someone who’s had a hard week on hard streets, an orange and a honey bun handed over with genuine kindness may be the first “you matter” they’ve heard in days. Our target: welcome and feed 150 neighbors.
Here’s how to be part of it: bring oranges and honey buns to class on Sundays, July 19 and 26 — or bring them with you on the 30th. Then come ready to serve, learn a name or two, and encourage.
“Encouragement is a ministry that needs no microphone.”
Serve · Encourage · Be Present
Street Church
Thursday, July 30 · 6:00 PM
2017 Main St, Houston, TX 77002
Carpool departs the HFBC Southeast lot at 5:23 PM
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Encore Ladies · Women Helping Women
Every Gift Wraps Up Hope
There’s a baby shower coming — and here’s the beautiful twist: the guest of honor isn’t one mom. It’s every mom who walks through the doors of Houston’s Pregnancy Help Center needing a little help getting started. Some showers celebrate one arrival; this one celebrates dozens we’ll never meet this side of heaven.
Taking part is simple: open the invitation below for the full gift list — everything from diapers and onesies to strollers and car seats — then pick something, wrap it, and bring it on the 18th. Can’t attend? Wrapped gifts can be dropped off at the office, Room 256.
“Women helping women — one wrapped gift at a time.”
Benefitting Houston’s Pregnancy Help Center
Baby Shower — Women Helping Women Mission Project
Tuesday, August 18 · 1:00–3:00 PM · Loop Campus, Room 132 (Reception Room)
Please bring a wrapped gift · Can’t attend? Drop off at Room 256
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Fall 2026 Series Announcement
Coming This Fall: Hebrews 11 — The Hall of Faith
Every great story deserves a great trailer, and our next series just got one. This fall, Foundations begins a 14-week journey through Hebrews 11 — the Hall of Faith — walking the chapter’s roll call of ordinary people who trusted an extraordinary God: Noah building before the rain, Abraham answering before he knew the destination, and walls that fell because somebody kept marching.
And if the movie-trailer-style announcement looks a little familiar… let’s just say one of our own may have been spotted on set alongside the heroes of the faith.
Share the trailer with a friend, a neighbor, or anyone looking for a Bible study home this fall. Hebrews 11 reminds us that faith isn’t reserved for spiritual giants — it’s for everyone willing to take the next step without seeing the whole staircase. Full schedule and details coming soon.
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Midweek · Every Wednesday
The Midweek Refreshment of Shared Prayer
Join our community as we pause together for the Sweet Hour of Prayer every Wednesday at noon. Please send your prayer requests to Karen at 713-204-8384 by Tuesday so they may be included.
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Giving Opportunity · Family Camp
A Seat at the Campfire — Reserved by You
Every year, Family Camp gives single-parent and blended families at Houston’s First something the calendar rarely allows: a weekend to exhale. Three days to step away from the daily grind, strengthen relationships, grow in faith, and discover they are not walking their road alone.
Last year, nearly 50 families gathered around the theme Endure. They heard Philip and Elizabeth Varjas share how God carried them through hardship — and you could feel the room lean in. Kids tackled the ropes course, went fishing, and braved the putt-putt. Parents finally rested over an ice cream social. By Sunday morning, families who had arrived worn down left with renewed joy, new friendships, and one anchoring truth: God’s Word endures forever (Isaiah 40:8) — and through Christ, so can we.
This year, several families would love to come but can’t cover the cost. And here’s the part worth sitting with:
A scholarship of just $50–75 per person is often the only thing standing between a struggling family and a weekend that could change their year.
That’s the whole gap. We can close it.
Would our class sponsor one or more campers? Every gift — any amount — removes a financial barrier and hands a family a weekend they’ll carry home in their hearts. Your generosity can have an eternal impact.
Read last year’s Family Camp recap →
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Ministry · Encore Activities
Connecting Through Encore Activities
For Encore information click here →
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Stay Connected · GroupMe
You’re in Control — Join or Step Back Anytime
We’ve created a Foundations Class GroupMe message center as a convenient, real-time way to share prayer requests, announcements, and encouraging messages. Join or leave anytime — no pressure. Mute notifications if you prefer silence, or jump into the conversation when something grabs your heart.
Sign up here: https://3zs8.short.gy/FoundationsGM →
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