Helen Gay, Founder of The Mission of Yahweh,
Passes Away at 89

‘Sister Gay’ dedicated her life to helping the poor, leaving a legacy of many lives transformed through her love and generosity.

September 3, 2008 – Helen Gay, 89 years old, passed away early Friday morning, August 29. Gay, known as ‘Sister Gay’ founded The Mission of Yahweh in 1961, taking homeless women and children into her own home in Northwest Houston.

Her home became the first structure on The Mission of Yahweh’s current 12-building campus where the nonprofit organization now supports more than 1,600 homeless residential stays each month. In addition to providing food, shelter and clothing, she also held prayer sessions and offered counseling.

From inception, Gay involved the community in her work, doing door-to-door fundraising herself. Many churches and families supported her work. In 1971, a group from a local church met and organized a board of directors for The Mission of Yahweh and developed a corporate structure to support her work. A nonprofit corporate charter was granted by the state of Texas in 1972.

Gay later created the Yahweh’s Children Foundation, serving as guardian for babies born in prison until they were reunited with a family member. She visited prisons, prayed with inmates, and visited the elderly, widows, and the blind. She and her late husband, Fisher Gay, adopted 24 children and became guardians of many others.

During her life, Sister Gay received many humanitarian honors, including The Mickey Leeland Award, two City of Houston Proclamation Day Awards, and recently, The Jefferson Award.

The community mourns the loss of a courageous leader who never gave up on “the least of God’s children.”

A wake is scheduled for Friday, September 5, 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. at Wiley’s Mortuary, 1290 Pinemont in Houston. The memorial service will be held at 11:00 a.m. Saturday, September 6, at Grace Presbyterian Church, 10221 Ella Lee Lane (Beltway 8 and Westheimer).