A Congregation on Space Center Blvd
House of Prayer Lutheran Church sits at 14045 Space Center Blvd in Houston's Clear Lake area, a short drive from the Johnson Space Center and the waterfront communities of League City, Webster, and Seabrook. The congregation describes itself as a servant-minded faith community whose members include children, teens, families of all kinds, young adults, singles, and seniors from across the metropolitan area. Its motto, drawn from Isaiah 56:7, reads: "My house shall be called a house of prayer for all people." The mission statement that shapes its calendar is short and direct: grow in faith, make disciples, serve in love.
From an Office Building to a Clear Lake Campus
House of Prayer began in October 1964 when twenty families gathered in an office building for their first worship service. By the following September the congregation had grown to ninety-seven members and moved into a newly built facility at 1515 Bay Area Blvd, which served as home for the next forty years. In March 2005 the congregation relocated to its current location on Space Center Blvd, with the first service held on March 13, 2005. House of Prayer is a member congregation of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and is part of the TX-LA Gulf Coast Synod.
Sunday Morning at House of Prayer
Two Sunday worship services are offered, at 8:30 am and 11:00 am, with the services also recorded and made available online. The weekly gathering is a traditional service with music led on the organ or piano, special anthems performed by the adult choir, and pieces played by the handbell choir. Quarterly, the music is led by the Praise Team, which brings vocalists, guitars, piano, drums, and other instruments to the front.
The motto is taken at face value: all who believe that Christ is truly present in the bread and wine of Holy Communion are invited to the Lord's Table, whether Catholic, Lutheran, Presbyterian, Baptist, or of no particular denomination. Guests are not singled out during worship, but greeters make a point of welcoming visitors. Children's Activity Bags are available in the narthex for younger worshipers, and a nursery staffed by an attendant is open during both services.
Dress runs the full range from Sunday best to casual. The church's advice to first-time visitors is simple: come as you are.
Sunday Faith Formation
Between the two services, from 9:45 to 10:45 am, Sunday Faith Formation gathers three streams of learners at once. Sunday School meets for children in nursery through fifth grade, Confirmation gathers sixth through eighth graders, and an Adult Education class works through a chosen study, currently Adam Hamilton's series "The Message of Jesus." Choir rehearsal is also part of the hour, allowing singers to warm up before the eleven o'clock service.
Children and Family Ministry
The Children and Family Ministry is open to everyone from nursery through fifth grade, members and non-members alike, and runs from Labor Day through Memorial Day. Sunday School meets on the second floor in the large Sunday School room in the youth wing, with a separate Pre-K and younger class in room 211 and the elementary grades in room 210. The curriculum follows the church year, moving from the Prophets in September through the parables in spring, with a Christmas Program in December and an Easter Egg Hunt in March.
Outside the classroom, the team plans monthly fellowship outings for kids of all ages, from rollerskating and strawberry picking to a day at the beach. Highlights on the calendar include a First Communion class for young people and their parents, Fireside Fellowship on the second Sunday of each month (September through May), the annual Oktoberfest with its polka band and moonwalk, the congregational Thanksgiving Dinner, the Lutherhill Advent Retreat for first through sixth graders, and the Children's Christmas Program. A Christmas Open House at the Youngdahl home closes out the season.
First-time families are greeted at the welcome desk in the entry, then pointed upstairs or to the elevator to the second floor, where the Sunday School instructors are waiting.
Confirmation and the Junior High Years
Confirmation gathers students in sixth through eighth grade for instruction that walks them through the Old Testament, the Psalms, wisdom literature, the prophets, the people of promise, stewardship, and the story of Jesus. Junior High Pizza Nights are held monthly in the youth center and outdoor court, with five dollars covering pizza and conversation.
High School Ministry
High school students in ninth through twelfth grade have their own rhythm at House of Prayer. The year includes weekly check-ins, monthly fellowship gatherings, and service opportunities both at the church and out in the community, capped by a summer adventure trip. Fill My Cup meets on the second Sunday of the month at 9:45 am for Bible study on topics relevant to teenagers, with donuts on the menu. Once a month the group grabs lunch together after the eleven o'clock service, and Fireside Fellowship on the second Sunday evening draws the whole family back to the church for singing, stories, prayer, and s'mores around the fire pit.
Service runs through the year: students volunteer in the sound booth on Sunday mornings, raise money for water wells in Africa through car washes, and assemble ready-to-go meals for the hungry. The whole family joins the Oktoberfest and Thanksgiving Dinner on the high school calendar as well.
Music at the Center of Worship
Music is woven through everything House of Prayer does. The Adult Choir welcomes all voices and rehearses on Wednesday evenings from 7:00 to 8:00 pm, September through May. The Handbell Choir rehearses on Thursday evenings from 6:30 to 7:30 pm and needs no prior experience. The Praise Team, which leads worship quarterly, is open to new singers and musicians. On the technical side, a Worship Team recruits assisting ministers, greeters, communion assistants, and AV and sound volunteers to make the service run.
Adult Ministry: Outreach Across Clear Lake and Beyond
Adult Ministry at House of Prayer organizes its work around three words: service, outreach, and fellowship. The outreach portfolio reaches across the Clear Lake region and well beyond it.
Members volunteer at the Houston Food Bank, sorting and repackaging donated items for community distribution. They travel to First Lutheran in Galveston to assemble dry-ingredient packaged meals that are delivered to the local food bank through Feed Galveston. They sort merchandise and organize racks at the ICM Resale Shop in Webster. During Advent, a Reverse Advent Calendar invites members to drop off one non-perishable item per day, with all donations delivered to Interfaith Caring Ministries. In July, the congregation raises funds for Water to Thrive, an organization that builds water wells in Africa.
A Card Making group meets monthly to create cards for birthdays, anniversaries, hospital stays, and military deployments. A Prayer Chain prays for those in need and offers prayers of thanksgiving. A Homebound and Hospital Visitor team faithfully visits members and friends who are at home or in area hospitals. Congregational donations also support Communities in Schools within Clear Creek ISD, with seasonal drives such as summer pants for K-12 students. A Quilting Group meets on Tuesdays at 2:00 pm and donates its finished quilts to Lutheran World Relief.
Two neighboring senior communities see regular visits. At Regal Estates in League City, members lead Gospel Sing-a-longs, Christmas Caroling, and Craft Days where residents paint rocks and pots for outdoor areas. At The Shores of Clear Lake, members lead worship and activities, including visits to the Memory Care Unit. During Lent, an Ashes to Go option brings an ashen cross to those who drive up between listed hours on Ash Wednesday.
In September, the congregation gathers for God's Work, Our Hands, a season of service projects that minister to those in need inside the congregation, in the community, and around the world.
Adult Ministry: Fellowship
Fellowship at House of Prayer takes many forms. Bible study is offered throughout the week, with a Thursday morning study on the book of 1 Peter available both in person and via Zoom, and a Tuesday evening Women's Bible Study that runs as a three-part series. There are two book clubs, one meeting monthly and the other weekly. Dinner for Eight gathers couples and singles in groups of eight for a monthly meal in homes or restaurants. Christian Yoga meets once a week, tuning body, mind, and soul together.
Monthly luncheons bring men and women separately to local restaurants for food and conversation. Guy's Night Out happens on the church patio, where the church provides beverages and the men bring their own protein to grill. Pickleball and Pints draws players of every skill level to the church's outdoor court, with a cold adult beverage and childcare provided.
Annual traditions fill out the year. Chili Fest brings members and friends together around a table of homemade chili and cornbread. The Lutherhill Golf Tournament tees off each November. Party on the Patio combines food, live music, and a moonwalk for the kids. Oktoberfest serves German fare to a live polka band, and the Thanksgiving Dinner gathers the entire church family for a freewill-offering feast.
What House of Prayer Believes
House of Prayer describes itself as a community of believers coming from all walks of life. Its members hold differing viewpoints on many things, but they agree that everyone is welcome. Each person, the church teaches, has been claimed as a child of God through Jesus Christ, regardless of background or life story.
The three-part mission statement unpacks the faith. Grow in faith: faith is where it all begins, and even faith the size of a mustard seed can grow into a deep relationship with the Lord, as Ephesians 2:8 puts it, "For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God." Make disciples: Jesus' last words before he departed the earth were to go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit (Matthew 28:19). Serve in love: Jesus came to serve rather than to be served, giving his life as a ransom for many (Mark 10:45), and his followers walk in those same footsteps as they tend to the needs of their neighbors.
The People Who Lead
Pastor Eric Youngdahl has been Senior Pastor at House of Prayer since June 2018. A native of Lake Charles, Louisiana, raised in Austin, Texas, he first came to House of Prayer in 2002 as Associate Pastor, where he was exposed to all areas of ministry and helped relocate the church to its current site. After a call as Associate Pastor at Mount Olivet Lutheran Church in Minneapolis, where he also served as Lead Pastor of the West Campus in Victoria, Minnesota, and as Pastoral Advisor to Children and Family Ministry, he returned to Clear Lake to lead the congregation. His wife Lindsay is the Director of Athletics at The Awty International School, and the couple has three children: Ford, Landry, and Miller.
Mark Dellagiacoma is the Director of Youth and Family Ministries and has been serving in youth ministry for over twenty years. He plays guitar and loves teaching others to play, and in his spare time repairs and repurposes antiques, shops at thrift stores and estate sales, and spends time outdoors with his daughter Marley.
Ginny Blasczyk is the organist and choir director, welcoming everyone and anyone to join the choir. Steve James serves as pianist. Jennifer Townsend is the nursery attendant. Elaine Simonds coordinates Sunday School, bringing a teacher's skills to a program she grew up in herself. Dan Glebe teaches high school physics and first became a member of House of Prayer in 1977; he enjoys discussing his faith with the youth. Luisa Beck is the hostess who plans the gatherings and fellowship get-togethers that bring the church family together.
Joining the House of Prayer Family
Becoming a member of House of Prayer begins with a conversation with Pastor Eric. New Member Sundays are held periodically during both worship services. Children and youth join through baptism, Sunday School, Confirmation, and First Communion classes; adults enter through the new member process. For those who want to support the work without joining, giving is available online through a private and secure system, by recurring bill pay through a bank, in the offering plate at worship, or by mail to the church office at 14045 Space Center Blvd, Houston, 77062.
Every recorded worship service is archived on the church's YouTube channel and posted for on-demand viewing, so a busy week never has to mean a missed Sunday. The clearest way to get to know House of Prayer, as the church says, is to show up on a Sunday morning, hear the choir, share a meal at Oktoberfest or Thanksgiving Dinner, and see where the Spirit leads from there.