Somebody Cares
In 1994, Somebody Cares Houston was birthed initially as an outreach strategy of TPMI, engaging churches across denominational and ethnic lines to meet both the spiritual and physical needs of people in Houston. Local outreaches including Back-To-School, Holiday of Hope street feeds and Christmas gifts, and individual assistance opened the way for the Gospel. Monthly meetings were held to strategize and encourage local pastors and ministry leaders for citywide impact. United evangelistic campaigns reached tens of thousands citywide with Somebody Cares Houston New Testaments, door hangers, citywide baptisms, and more. A Network Directory was developed to aid in referrals of people needing special help. Other outreaches partnered with city and police officials to reach gangs and other at-risk youth. A program called Hope in Houston mobilized churches to get involved in foster care and adoption.
Somebody Cares Houston still operates as the local compassion ministry of Turning Point, but as other chapters developed, Somebody Cares America-International was formed as a separate organization under the oversight of TPMI. Today there are Somebody Cares chapters, centers, and partners from New England to Florida; from Washington to the Texas Valley; from Scotland to Brazil to Fiji and beyond, each of them equipping and empowering believers to be a tangible expression of God’s love in their communities.
Through tragedies including Hurricanes Katrina, Rita, and Ike striking the Gulf Coast, floods, wild fires, tsunamis and recent earthquakes in Haiti and Japan, Somebody Cares has become known as a first responder in disaster relief and has received recognition from officials at the local, state, national and international levels for their service. The ministry’s relational network has allowed Somebody Cares to respond with the essential supplies and manpower to help in times of critical need. As people receive help, their hearts are open to the Gospel.