By Kathryn O'Bryan
On a recent trip to downtown Houston, I was startled to see a new huge gleaming edifice at the intersection of Allen Parkway and Montrose. The 150,000 square-foot Ismaili Center that opened in November 2025 is the first of its kind in the United States, a massive cultural and religious landmark dedicated to honoring Islamic traditions while welcoming people of all backgrounds.
It was a stark yet vivid reminder of the growth of the Islamic community in our city—over 300,000 Muslims from many countries now call the greater Houston area home. How our loving Father God longs to reach them with His love! The good news is, you don't need a passport or have to travel to the Middle East to connect with Muslims. They're already here—across our city, across the street, and sometimes even living next door.
Years ago, God began to stir my heart to engage with people from other faith backgrounds, especially Muslims. While living outside Philadelphia from 2004-2008, my family had the opportunity to host English teachers from Muslim countries in our home as part of a cultural exchange program sponsored by the US State Department. After the events of 9/11, the State Department wanted to promote open dialogue and cultural exchange with Muslim countries such as Jordan, Egypt, and Morocco and paid for English teachers from those countries to stay with American host families for up to a month. We were blessed to host many teachers in our home: Bashar, Mosab, Elham and Dunia from Jordan, Entesar and Nawal from Egypt, and Houria and Fatiha from Morocco.
This was during a time when our country was at war in Iraq, yet despite our cultural, religious, and geopolitical differences, it was a beautiful experience to discover we shared so much in common! I'll be honest, there was a bit of fear and trepidation on both sides as we pushed through the initial awkwardness and began genuinely getting to know each other. Due to the influence of American movies, they came with preconceived ideas that all Americans are depraved alcoholics and adulterers, so they were pleasantly surprised to discover that we were a God-fearing American family! And we were just as amazed to experience how kind, caring, and hospitable our guests were to us! They wanted to get to know us as much as we wanted to know them. We had many opportunities to share our faith in Christ and the love of God as we opened our hearts and home to these neighbors from around the world. A spirit of love and friendship blossomed as we shared meals and fellowshipped together.
Did you know that the same opportunity to welcome, befriend, and engage Muslims with the gospel exists here in Houston through our ministry partner Prestige Learning Institute (PLI)? For 14 years, PLI has helped refugee families, mainly from Afghanistan, Iran, and Iraq, find help and community through relationships and meaningful programs. At a recent Sunday morning Expedition class, WoodsEdger Jim Heinz shared how volunteering at PLI has been life-transforming. After his adult son left the United States to serve as an international worker in the Middle East, Jim felt led to serve the Muslim community here at home, and God has given him a genuine love for our Muslim neighbors. Most Thursday afternoons, you can find Jim headed to PLI's facility near Sugar Land, which is a long drive across town—especially with afternoon traffic! But the time invested has been so well worth it! Through PLI's men's community group, Jim has built relationships with and befriended many Muslim men over the past several years.
Sharing a weekly meal together and extending Christ's love through meeting physical, material needs has led to many opportunities to share the gospel. Even though many of the men haven't responded outwardly to the gospel, Jim is the first person they call when they need prayer! On the inside, they are encountering the God of love and grace through the faithful witness of believers like Jim who show up week after week to serve and share Christ's love. Clearly God is at work in amazing and wonderful ways in the lives of our Muslim neighbors He loves so dearly!
Another way to help serve Muslim refugee families in Houston is through the Blessing Center hosted by the Arabic Baptist Church in partnership with Tallowood Baptist Church. Every Saturday from 10 a.m. to noon, The Blessing Center opens its doors to refugees, mainly from Afghanistan, Iraq, and Syria, to distribute much-needed household goods donated by Amazon.
Twice a year, The Blessing Center hosts major outreach events that include serving a meal, play activities and inflatables for the kids, and prayer ministry, in addition to distributing household goods. If you're interested in making a meaningful difference in the lives of refugees, please join us on May 2 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. This outreach offers WoodsEdge members an opportunity to connect with the Muslim refugee community and help provide them essential items during their time of transition to Houston. We need volunteers to help with setup, food prep and serve, monitor bounce houses in the play area, distribute household goods, and offer prayer with refugees.
If you're not in a season where you can commit to volunteering or helping with an outreach, the best thing you can do is pray! As Pastor Jeff likes to say, prayer is the real work! Pray for our Muslim neighbors to encounter the God of love and grace in the face of Jesus Christ. Pray for them to have dreams of Jesus and for their eyes to be opened to the truth of who He is. Continue to pray that Houston will become a City of God and that people from every nation, tribe and tongue will enter the Kingdom of God, including our Muslim friends and neighbors.