Light Up the City
February 18-April 5, 2026
A CITY-WIDE PRAYING, FASTING, AND PREACHING MOVEMENT calling the church across Houston to walk with Jesus
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Awaken Houston is a city-wide movement of prayer, fasting, and gospel proclamation, uniting the Church across Greater Houston to seek personal renewal, revival within our churches, and a spiritual awakening in our city. In 2026, we celebrate ten years of unified, collaborative prayer and fasting — a decade of believers coming together across denominations and communities to seek God for spiritual transformation in Houston.
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This year’s theme, Walking with Jesus: Light Up the City, calls us to a simple yet powerful posture of daily faithfulness. This season isn’t about doing something impressive for God, but about walking closely with Him — step by step, street by street — trusting Him to transform lives, renew His Church, and bring spiritual awakening across Greater Houston.
As part of our unified prayer effort, we’ve set a bold, faith-filled goal: to collectively prayer walk 100,000 miles across Houston, saturating our neighborhoods, schools, workplaces, and communities in prayer.
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February 18 - April 5, 2026
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Awaken Houston is a city-wide journey of prayer and fasting that you can participate in wherever you are — day by day, right in your own neighborhood. You can prayer walk the streets around your home or use the Holy Here app to find areas across Houston that haven’t yet been prayed over and go walk those locations.
In addition, we regularly update the Prayer Gatherings and Walks section of our website so you can discover specific days, times, and places where believers are coming together to pray across the city.
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Awaken Houston is for any church and all followers of Jesus who are willing to join in prayer and fasting alongside others throughout Greater Houston. This movement is open to individuals, congregations, and ministries who feel called to unite in seeking God’s renewal and revival during the Lenten season, from February 18 to April 5. Whether you’re new to prayer and fasting or have a seasoned practice, we invite you to be part of this city-wide journey.
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Christian fasting is the practice of intentionally going without food, or other comforts, for a set time with a specific spiritual purpose. In the context of Awaken Houston, fasting is an opportunity to unite in prayer and reflection, seeking God's renewal and revival for ourselves, our churches, and Greater Houston. It’s not about deprivation, but about creating space to hear from God, realign our hearts, and deepen our dependence on Him. Through fasting, we come together as a city to humbly ask for spiritual transformation, both personally and across our communities.
(See more resources below for guidance on fasting.)
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HCPN (Houston Church Planting Network) is a collaborative movement of multiplying churches committed to saturating Greater Houston with the gospel. As the initial catalyst for Awaken Houston, HCPN envisions this initiative expanding into a citywide movement. We long to see churches, denominations, networks, and ministries from every corner of Houston united in prayer, fasting, and a shared desire for renewal in our lives, revival in our churches, and a spiritual awakening across our city. Awaken Houston is not about one organization—it’s a collective response to God’s call to unite the church in seeking Him for an awakening in Houston.
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Holy Here is both a prayer walking app and a growing initiative originally launched by 24-7 Prayer USA. It’s now in the process of becoming its own organization, with a vision to help churches, ministries, and cities around the world pray intentionally over their communities. Awaken Houston is one of many groups that are beginning to use the app.
They’ve been a great partner as we’ve planned Awaken Houston this year, and together we share a desire to see this season of unified prayer become a model that can be multiplied in cities across the globe — empowering believers everywhere to prayer walk and saturate their cities in prayer.
the overview
This year’s theme, Walking with Jesus: Light Up the City, calls us to a simple yet powerful posture. This season is not about doing something impressive for God, but about taking faithful steps with Him. As we learn to walk with Jesus—day by day, street by street—we believe He will transform us, renew His Church, and bring awakening to our city.
View the growing list of Participating Churches, Organizations and Ministries. It’s not too late for you to join!
HOW TO PARTICIPATE
1. Sign Up
Register HERE to stay connected, access prayer walking and fasting resources, discover opportunities to join prayer gatherings, prayer rooms, and prayer walks, and track our shared progress.
Keep up with the latest on social:
Instagram: @_hcpn + @awakenhouston
Facebook: Houston Church Planting Network
2. Download the Holy Here App
After downloading the app at www.holyhere.com, create your account and you’re ready to begin prayer walking.
3. Track Your Prayer Walks
Prayer walks will be tracked from Sunday, February 15 through Easter Sunday, April 5.
To record a prayer walk on Holy Here app:
Click Start a Walk
Begin walking and praying
Use the daily prayer prompts as a guide
(Optional) Record notes or observations
Click End Walk
Publish your walk (publishing notes is optional)
Plan your next prayer walk
Each walk contributes to our collective total once it is published.
Note: If you are prayer walking with others, each person should record their walk individually. If you are walking with a child or someone without a phone, use this Tracking Form to add those miles to the total.
If God moves in a meaningful way during your prayer walk, we would love to hear about it. Please share your story so we can celebrate and testify to what God is doing across our city.
PRAYER WALKING
A key expression of walking with Jesus this season is prayer walking. Prayer walking is intercessory prayer that happens while walking in or near a specific place—your neighborhood, school, workplace, or city streets. As you prayer walk, your focus shifts beyond personal concerns to the needs of others, allowing God to shape your heart for your community.
Prayer walking invites us to:
See people and places through God’s eyes
Listen to the Holy Spirit as we observe our surroundings
Actively seek the peace and well-being of our city
This year, we are setting a bold goal as the Church in Houston: to collectively prayer walk 100,000 miles, covering our neighborhoods and communities in prayer.
Saturating Our City with Prayer
Join a City-Wide Prayer Walk or Gathering
PREACHING PLAN
Lent is a journey — a walk toward the cross and the empty tomb. In this series, we’ll travel alongside Jesus and those who encountered Him “on the move.” From the shores of Galilee to the road to Emmaus, we’ll discover what it truly means to walk in His steps.
Each week highlights a key encounter and unpacks one letter of the WALKING acrostic — calling us to Walk Where He Walks, pursue Authentic Relationship, Launch Out by Faith, keep the Kingdom First, Invert Authority, Never Hold Back, and Go Share the Good News.
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As we walk through this journey together, let’s also walk alongside one another in collaboration.
If you’re preaching or leading during this series, please upload your sermon notes, visuals, graphics, small group guides, or videos to the shared Awaken Houston: Walking with Jesus folder.
Your creativity and insight can inspire others, helping our whole community walk more deeply with Jesus. Please contact Haleigh at haleigh@hcpn.org for access to the shared folder.
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Jesus calls His first disciples to leave their nets and follow Him.
(Matthew 4:18–22)
As Jesus strolls along the Sea of Galilee, He sees fishermen going about their daily work — ordinary people, busy with the familiar. His simple invitation, “Come, follow Me,” changes everything. To walk where Jesus walks means to leave behind comfort, control, and certainty to embrace a new calling. We begin our Lenten journey by stepping into obedience and discovering that true discipleship always starts with surrender.
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Jesus shows that walking with Him is about relationship, not rules.
(Matthew 12:1–8)
When the Pharisees challenge Jesus over Sabbath traditions, He responds with grace and truth: “I desire mercy, not sacrifice.” Walking with Jesus is not about rigid religion, but real relationship. He calls us to move from ritual to relationship — from legalism to love — learning that His presence offers rest for the soul and freedom from performance-driven faith.
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Peter steps out of the boat and walks on the water toward Jesus.
(Matthew 14:22–33)
In the darkness of the storm, Jesus appears — walking on the waves. Peter’s decision to step out of the boat is a moment of breathtaking courage and trust. Faith means moving toward Jesus even when fear and uncertainty swirl around us. This week we’ll learn that walking with Jesus often means leaving the safety of what we know to experience His power in what we can’t control.
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Following Jesus requires total devotion and no turning back.
(Luke 9:57–62)
Three people approach Jesus, each eager yet hesitant to follow. Jesus’ replies cut to the heart: discipleship is not part-time or convenient. To walk with Him means prioritizing His kingdom above all else — setting aside excuses, distractions, and divided loyalties. The road of discipleship may be costly, but it leads to lasting joy and eternal reward.
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True greatness comes through humility and service.
(Mark 10:32–45)
As the disciples dream of glory, Jesus redefines leadership: “Whoever wants to be great among you must be your servant.” He turns worldly ambition upside down, teaching that power is found in serving, not ruling. To walk with Jesus is to follow the One who kneels to wash feet and lays down His life for others. In a world obsessed with status, we’re invited to embody a kingdom of humility, grace, and sacrificial love.
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We join the triumphal celebration, refusing to let the rocks cry out in our place.
(Luke 19:28–40)
As Jesus rides into Jerusalem, the people shout “Hosanna!” and lay down their cloaks before Him. Yet their praise will soon give way to silence. This week challenges us to worship boldly — with full hearts and open hands — even when following Jesus leads us into difficult places. Walking with Him means holding nothing back, declaring with conviction and joy that He alone is worthy.
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The risen Jesus meets two disciples on the road to Emmaus and opens their eyes.
(Luke 24:13–35)
Two weary travelers walk away from Jerusalem, hearts heavy with disappointment. Then, the risen Christ joins them — walking beside them, revealing truth, breaking bread, and rekindling their hope. In that encounter, their sorrow turns to joy and their silence to proclamation. Walking with Jesus ignites our hearts and compels us to share the life-changing news: He is alive!
PARTICIPATING CHURCHES, Ministries and organizations
3rd Coast Church
Acts 29
Anglican Diocese of the South
Arcadia Baptist
Bammel Church of Christ
Bay Area Christian Church Webster
Bethel Church of Houston
CC Hosanna Church
Church Project Tomball
Cistern Church
Clear Creek Community Church
Cornerstone Community Bible Church
Cornerstone Community Church - Montgomery
Crossbridge Church
Cy-Fair Christian Church
Eastside Community Church
Ethnos Church
Family Fellowship Community Church
First Baptist Friendswood
Full Gospel Church of Houston
Grace Bible Church of Brazosport
Grace Houston (Campbell)
Grace Presbyterian Church
Greater Houston Prayer Community (GHPC)
Growing Faith
Harvest Community Church
House of Hope Church
Houston Chinese Church
Houston Responds
Houston Welcomes Refugees
Kerusso Grace Church
Living Word Fellowship Church
Magnolia Creek Baptist Church
Neartown Church
New Day Magnolia
No Need Among You Network
Planting Urban Churches Network
Redeemer Church
Redemption Church Pearland
Renaissance Church
Resonate Church
Restoration Community Church
Revival Sports
Risen Church North
River of Life Family Church
Sanctuary Church
Sanctuary Foster Care
Seven Mile Road
Shadycrest Baptist Church
Sojourn Galleria
Sojourn Montrose Church
Southside Fellowship Church
Story Church
Success Starts with Service, Inc
The Gathering Church
The Grove Church (8200 Washington)
The Grove Church (3306 Skinner)
The Journey Church Houston
The Risen Collective
The Table
The Vineyard Church Pearland
The Watchmen On the Walls
The Wesleyan Church
Transformation Church Montgomery
Union Baptist Association
United City Church
United We Stand
Waypoint Church