In January, a group of 9 people from the MFSA chapter in Austin went to the Rio Grande Valley (RGV) on an educational tour of missions related to asylum-seekers and immigration. At our upcoming meeting on April 12, we will provide a program on what we saw and learned on that trip. Our special guest for the meeting is Deaconess Cindy Johnson, who is involved in several of the programs in the RGV and was our host for a portion of the fact-finding visit. We will discuss what we encountered, and our next steps related to their missions. Please join us for this timely discussion.
Saint John’s UMC, 2140 Allandale Road, with snacks and mingling at 6:30p and the program at 7p. All are welcome! Hope to see you there!
 At our March meeting, we heard more about the Austin Sanctuary Network. We had three guest speakers Anne Pomar who is a lay member at St. Andrew’s Presbyterian, Reverend Meg Barnhouse who is the senior pastor at First Unitarian Universalist Church, and Elizabeth Welliver who is a staff member at Grassroots Leadership. They told us a little of the history of the Austin Sanctuary Network, and they talked about the three people who have been recently in sanctuary. Alirio from El Salvador, and Hilda and Ivan from Guatemala.
The Austin Sanctuary network is a collaboration of over 20 local religious and nonprofit organizations from all faiths. Their purpose is to open churches to help people avoid deportation by providing a little barrier between them and deportation orders. This is a tradition that the church has held since the time of Christ. Two of the churches have actually been the locations for people to be in sanctuary. Other churches provide support and transportation and advocacy. Trinity and University United Methodist churches are already part of this network. |
| AUSTIN SANCTUARY NETWORK BENEFIT CONCERT FEATURING CARRIE NEWCOMER
Date: April 20, 2018 Time: 7:00 pm to 10:00 pm Singer-songwriter Carrie Newcomer will perform at a benefit concert for the Austin Sanctuary Network, a coalition of faith communities, immigrants, and other organizations that support immigrants fleeing violence or in danger of deportation. The evening begins with a regional art show at 7 pm and the concert at 8 p.m. The Austin Sanctuary Network. Buy tickets online. Location: St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church, 14311 Wells Port Drive (exit off I-35, west on Wells Branch Parkway)
|
Saturday April 7, 9:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m.
(Raindate April 21)
iACT’s Hands on Housing utilizes volunteers and skilled professionals to repair the homes of senior citizens and disabled individuals who are living in deep poverty. The goal is to keep our homeowners safe and help them remain in the homes and neighborhoods they love.
All area Members of Congress and candidates are invited to participate in a town hall to discuss gun violence and gun violence prevention in America/Texas. Participants to be added as they RSVP. More details will be updated shortly.
DATE AND TIME
On March 24, tens of thousands gathered for the first March For Our Lives to the state capitol in Austin, TX. On April 7, please join Austin area students and community leaders to fulfill the March’s call for local candidates to speak on their commitment to keep schools, churches, and concerts safe from gun violence.
Sat, April 7, 2018
3:00 PM – 6:00 PM CDT
Dittmar Recreation Center
1009 West Dittmar Road
Austin, TX 78745
RSVP to the Town Hall For Our Lives in TX-21!
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/town-hall-for-our-lives-in-tx-21-tickets-44690021056
March For Our Lives was created, inspired, and led by students of all ethnicities, religions, and sexual orientation who are no longer willing to sit and wait for someone else to take action. They have issued a call for Town Halls to be held in all 435 congressional districts on April 7 and we are honored and look forward to helping fulfill their mission in TX-21.
The event will highlight student and volunteer activist action as well as expectations for elected leaders to lead a conversation on this issue. The event is open to all candidates to make comments and answer community questions.
An Evening of Hope
The Ripple Effect
Sunday, April 8, 2018, 5:30pm
Trinity United Methodist Church
4001 Speedway, Austin
Reserve your tickets by emailing
info@hopefoodpantryaustin.org
Upcoming TCADP events
April 4: Anthony Graves at Thurgood Marshall School of Law in Houston
April 26: Discussion and book signing with Alison Flowers in Fort Worth
April 30: “True Conviction” on PBS
Click here for more information on upcoming events.
Executions in 2018
Scheduled
April 25: Erick Davila
May 16: Juan Castillo
June 21: Clifton Williams
June 27: Danny Bible
July 17: Christopher Young
Executed
January 18: Anthony Shore
January 30: William Rayford
February 1: John Battaglia
March 27: Rosendo Rodriguez
Commuted
February 22: Thomas Whitaker
Hello from SAFE! As you may know, SAFE recently launched the SAFEMen Pledge, which asks men to publicly commit to ending the cycle of violence. The pledge has been a resounding success – nearly 250 people have signed, including City Councilman Greg Casar; businessmen Patrick Terry, Joah Spearman and Eugene Sepulveda; Rabbi Freedman; Reverend John Elford; Imam Mohamed-Umer Esmail; musician Bruce Robison; Constable Carlos Lopez; Police Chief Brian Manley, and many others.
To ensure that the pledge is more than just signatures, but rather that it instigates concrete change among the men in our community, we will hold a SAFEMen Forum. During this community conversation, participants will have the opportunity to talk about what it means to be a man in our culture and how to counter sexual harassment and assault.
The SAFEMen Forum will be held on the morning of April 26, 2018, from 9 to 11:30 a.m. at the JW Marriott in downtown Austin.
This is a complimentary forum, complete with a light breakfast. We would be pleased to have you there and for you to invite your friends and colleagues to attend. All are welcome. You can RSVP here or at the link below.
Thanks to everyone who participated in the BOPA Recycling event on March 10. Special thanks to Trinity Church for allowing us to use their parking lot and to Jack Matlack and Tom McPherson for pulling the trailers.
Forty-four people recycled approximately 640 gallons of paint, 5 gallons of antifreeze, and 5 gallons of oil that was taken to the Hazardous Waste Center.
A modern classic about one woman’s struggle to come to terms with her past – brutally separated from her German Jewish parents at the age of 9 and brought to England with the promise of a new life…
Written by Diane Samuels and directed by Jim Lindsay, Kindertransport is produced cooperatively by Trinity Street Players and Austin Jewish Repertory Theatre April 7-29 with 8pm evening and 2pm matinee performances. Special Yom Hashoah Holocaust Remembrance Day Performances with an Audience Pre-Show Talks at 7:30pm on April 11 & 12.
More information here.
Bullock Texas State History Museum
Tuesday, May 1, 2018
We are excited to announce
the 2018 Hope Awards Honorees:
Luci Baines Johnson
Imam Mohamed Umer Esmail
A great evening is planned including a conversation with Overheard‘s Evan Smith and Luci Baines Johnson. More event details, including how you can purchase tickets and sponsorships, can be found here.
The Red Bench – Mental Health
Join us on Tuesday, May 29 for a courageous conversation on
the topic of Mental Health. The location for this event is still to be determined.
If you plan to attend, please RSVP
May 29, 2018
6:30 pm – 8:30 pm
Phone512-386-9145
Websiteinterfaithtexas.org
Rio Texas Methodist Federation for Social Action 