MFSA Monthly Meeting Thursday, May 10

May 9, 2018 — Rio Texas MFSA

There are almost 79,000 minors and youth victims of sex trafficking in Texas today.  (Cite study)  The harsh reality is that young girls are being sex trafficked across all socio-economic, racial, educational and family backgrounds.  The primary factor that makes a girl vulnerable to being trafficked is her age.  Sex trafficking of children is a supply and demand phenomena, with the internet being the primary way transactions are made to purchase a young child for sex.

The Refuge for DMST (Domestic Minor Sex Trafficking) was launched in November 2013. The primary purpose of The Refuge for DMST is to develop The Refuge Ranch, a long-term therapeutic ranch just outside the city of Austin, with on-site comprehensive services for girls, minors through age 19, who are survivors of sex trafficking.

Loren Stalcup, who serves on the Connections Team of the Refuge Ranch located in Bastrop County, will be at our meeting to discuss The Refuge for DMST and Refuge Ranch.

Location:  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!

Posted in Chapter Meetings, Human trafficking, Newsletter. Leave a Comment »

MFSA Monthly Meeting Thursday, April 12

April 6, 2018 — Rio Texas MFSA

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!

Posted in Chapter Meetings, Immigration, Newsletter. Leave a Comment »

MFSA Meeting on Thursday, November 9

November 8, 2017 — Rio Texas MFSA

PERSIST! – Racism in the United Methodist Church

The November meeting of the Rio Texas MFSA will be Thursday, November 9, at Saint John’s UMC Austin.  Continuing the yearlong PERSIST! theme, the speaker will be Dr. Barbara Finlay.  Dr. Finlay is a sociologist with degrees from Texas Tech, UT-El Paso, and the University of Florida and minors in history and religion.  In addition, she has a Master of Divinity degree from Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary.  Her career in academia included teaching at the University of Florida, Oregon State University, and Texas A&M, where she served for 26 years on the Sociology faculty.  The author of five books, Dr. Finlay has a particular interest and expertise in race and gender issues.  She retired from TAMU in 2008.  We hope you can join us for her revealing presentation.

We invite you to join us at Saint John’s UMC, 2140 Allandale Rd. in Austin for this special discussion. Contact Rowland Curry rcurry@austin.rr.com with questions.

For our San Antonio friends:  Susan Aguilar is offering a ride to Austin and back for the Nov 9 meeting with RSVP – Text or leave a message at 210-717-8604.

Join us at 6:30p for snacks.  The program begins at 7p.  All are welcome.

Posted in Chapter Meetings, Newsletter, Racism & White Privilege. Leave a Comment »

MFSA Meeting on Thursday, October 12

October 12, 2017 — Rio Texas MFSA

Texas Impact: (Rebounding from) the 85th Texas Legislature

Continuing our year-long theme of PERSIST!, the October meeting of Rio Texas MFSA will be Thursday, October 12 at Saint John’s United Methodist Church – Austin, beginning at 7:00p.  Our guest speaker will be Scott Atnip, the Congregational Outreach Director of Texas Impact.  Scott will talk about the 85th Texas legislative session:  what happened, what didn’t happen, and next steps.  Now that the dust has settled somewhat, Scott’s presentation will be informative and forward-looking.

We invite you to join us at Saint John’s UMC, 2140 Allandale Rd. for this special discussion. Contact Rowland Curry rcurry@austin.rr.com with questions.

Join us at 6:30p for snacks.  The program begins at 7p.  All are welcome.

Posted in Chapter Meetings, Legislation, Newsletter. Leave a Comment »

October 2017 Rio Texas MFSA newsletter

October 12, 2017 — Rio Texas MFSA

Please find the October 2017 Rio Texas MFSA newsletter here: 2017 Oct

 

Posted in Advocacy, Chapter Meetings, Death Penalty, Equality, General Information, Gun Violence, Interfaith Dialogue, Transgender Justice. Leave a Comment »

MFSA Meeting on Thursday, September 14

September 13, 2017 — Rio Texas MFSA

Persist!  Transgender Justice

On Thursday, September 14, at 7pm, Rio Texas MFSA will begin our 2017-2018 year with the program focus, Persist!  This topic is not a political challenge as much as it is an encouragement to work for social justice in areas impacting persons marginalized by society.

Our first meeting will focus on justice for transgender individuals. Robin Richard will speak on the ups and downs of learning that her child is transgender. Robin and her husband Dale have been members of University UMC, Austin for several years. Their son, Connor, was confirmed as a member of the United Methodist Church last year and also “came out”.  Connor has been living as a female for this past year and is keeping the name Connor. We appreciate Robin sharing this personal information to help us better understand the challenges their family has faced.

We invite you to join us at Saint John’s UMC, 2140 Allandale Rd. for this special discussion. Contact Rowland Curry rcurry@austin.rr.com with questions.

Join us at 6:30p for snacks.  The program begins at 7p.  All are welcome.

Posted in Chapter Meetings, Newsletter, Transgender Justice. Leave a Comment »

MFSA Meeting on Thursday, May 11

May 10, 2017 — Rio Texas MFSA

On Thursday, May 11, we will gather at Saint John’s UMC Austin to discuss recent ruling by the Judicial Council of the UMC regarding Bishop Karen Oliveto.  Many of us have questions about the decision and the impact it may have on our local churches and conferences, the Commission on A Way Forward, and the special General Conference in St. Louis in February 2019.

We invite all clergy and laity to attend a brief presentation followed by discussion and informal Q&A session to gain a better understanding of the impact of the decision.

We are inviting our friends from the Reconciling Ministries Network to participate in this meeting.

Join us at 6:30p for snacks.  The program begins at 7p.  All are welcome.

Posted in Chapter Meetings, Inclusion in UMC. Leave a Comment »

2017 Rio Texas MFSA Peace and Justice Luncheon Flyer

April 4, 2017 — Rio Texas MFSA

Please join Rio Texas MFSA and the Rio Texas Conference Transforming Communities Vision Team at the 7th Annual Peace and Justice Luncheon  during the Rio Texas Conference of the United Methodist Church in Corpus Christi on Thursday, June 8. See the registration flyer at: LuncheonRegistration2017

Posted in Advocacy, Chapter Meetings, Church Conferences. Leave a Comment »

MFSA Meeting on Thursday, March 9

March 6, 2017 — Rio Texas MFSA

Under The Gun

Join Rio Texas MFSA on Thursday, March 9 at Saint John’s UMC, 2140 Allandale Rd. for a presentation and discussion on gun violence.  Andrea Brauer, the Executive Director of Texas Gun Sense will introduce Lonnie and Sandy Phillips, whose daughter was killed in the Aurora, Colorado movie theater massacre.

Together we will watch the documentary film “Under The Gun”, which examines the events and people who have kept the gun debate fierce and the progress slow, even as gun deaths and mass shootings continue to increase.  Through the lens of families impacted by the mass shootings in Newtown, Aurora, Isla Vista and Tucson, as well as those who experience daily gun violence in Chicago, the documentary looks at why politicians are finding it difficult to act and what is being done at the state and local levels.  The film is executive produced and narrated by Katie Couric and directed by Stephanie Soechtig.

Join us at 6:30p for snacks.  The program begins at 7p.  All are welcome.

Posted in Chapter Meetings, Gun Violence, Newsletter. Leave a Comment »

MFSA Meeting on Thursday, February 9

February 8, 2017 — Rio Texas MFSA

“Changing Perceptions & Surviving the Texas Legislative Session”advocacy

Want to know more about effective legislative advocacy here in Texas? Join Rio Texas MFSA on Thursday, February 9 at Saint John’s UMC, 2140 Allandale Rd.  Dr. Melody Chatelle will present “Changing Perceptions and Surviving the Texas Legislative Session”, ideas about effective advocacy and other tips about making a difference in the 2017 Texas Legislative session.

Dr. Chatelle is a well-respected and effective veteran of the national and state legislative arenas. Prior to forming Chatelle and Associates, her own political and communications consulting company in 1999, Melody worked for 12 years as Director and Vice President of Government Affairs for Mariner Post-Acute Network, the second largest post-acute health care company in the country. Before joining the health care industry in 1987, Melody served for 10 years in the Texas State Capitol as a legislative aide to a former Texas State Senator now serving in the United States Congress, as well as the Speaker of the Texas House of Representatives. Melody and her husband Eddie Zamora are members of University UMC.

Join us at 6:30p for snacks.  The program begins at 7p.  All are welcome.

Posted in Chapter Meetings, Legislation, Newsletter. Leave a Comment »

MFSA Actions For January

January 14, 2017 — Rio Texas MFSA

There will be no traditional meeting in January.

Justice-seeking Christians will need to be active and involved in 2017, so join us at any or all of these activities in January – or the many others highlighted in this newsletter:

  • Texas Impact Advocacy Training January 8
  • Texas Tribune Symposium on Race and Public Policy, January 13-14
  • The MLK Marches in Austin, San Antonio, and other cities, January 16
  • The Women’s March on Texas, January 21
  • Other actions that promote justice and equality; we plan to provide alerts and updates for witness opportunities as they arise.
Posted in Chapter Meetings, Newsletter. Leave a Comment »

Chapter Meeting in April Features Rev. Hannah Bonner

April 12, 2016 — Rio Texas MFSA

HannahBonnerThe Rio Texas Chapter of the Methodist Federation for Social Action will continue its focus on Racism/White Privilege at its meeting on Thursday, April 14 at Saint John’s UMC, 2140  Allandale Road.  Our speaker will be Rev. Hannah Adair Bonner, who serves on staff at St. John’s UMC in Houston.

Since July 2015, Rev. Bonner held vigil in solidarity with Sandra Bland, who died that month in the Waller County (TX) Jail.  Very recently, Sandra Bland’s sorority, Sigma Gamma Rho inducted Rev. Bonner as an Honorary Member.  And WomanPreach! Inc. honored her with the Parthia Hall Justice Award “to a woman minister whose prophetic voice has been obvious and effective in the public arena.”

Rev. Bonner’s current witness is focused on her role as Curator of The Shout, a spoken word poetry focused arts and justice movement, which “has as its goal nothing less than the cultivation of a community of diverse people committed to transforming our world.”

Snacks and mingling begin at 6:30p, followed by the program at 7:00.  Bring friends of any (or no) faith tradition.  We hope to see you there!
Posted in Chapter Meetings, Newsletter, Racism & White Privilege. Leave a Comment »

San Antonio Explores MFSA Connection

April 12, 2016 — Rio Texas MFSA
Recently, officers of the Rio Texas Chapter of MFSA met with more than a dozen interested persons at Travis Park UMC in San Antonio about the possibility of establishing an MFSA group in that city.  The overall organization of MFSA was described, as well as possible activities the SA group might be interested in pursuing.  The Austin contingent expressed willingness to share expertise and ideas to help get this group started.

If you are interested in the prospect of having a MFSA presence in San Antonio – specific events, programs, or projects, please contact Rev. Dale Tremper of Travis Park UMC, dtremper@travispark.org for more information

Posted in Chapter Meetings, Newsletter. Leave a Comment »

Chapter Meeting in March to be at Tarrytown UMC

March 2, 2016 — Rio Texas MFSA

The March meeting of the Rio Texas Chapter of the Methodist Federation for Social Action will be Thursday, March 10 at Tarrytown UMC, 2601 Exposition, in Austin.  (NOTE CHANGE IN VENUE.) The program is entitled “What to Expect at General Conference 2016”.  General Conference is the quadrennial gathering of United Methodists from around the world at which policies are set and decisions made that will impact United Methodists for the next four years.  GC2016 will be in Portland, Oregon from May 10-20 this year. The MFSA meeting will feature Jay Brim, a member of Westlake UMC who currently serves as Chancellor to the Bishop of the Rio Texas Conference.

Snacks and mingling begin at 6:30p, followed by the program at 7:00.  Bring friends of any (or no) faith tradition.  We hope to see you there!

Posted in Chapter Meetings, Newsletter. Leave a Comment »

Chapter Meeting in February Features Rolando Perez

February 3, 2016 — Rio Texas MFSA
Rolando-PerezThe Rio Texas Chapter of the Methodist Federation for Social Action will continue its focus on Racism/White Privilege at its meeting on Thursday, February 11 at Saint John’s UMC, 2140  Allandale Road.  Our speaker will be Rolando Perez, a local civil rights worker and member of Trinity Church.  Rolando’s talk is entitled Identity, Power and Privilege: Perspectives on Racism.  Come, listen, ask, discuss, and learn more about this urgent justice issue in our community and around the country.

Snacks and mingling begin at 6:30pm, followed by the program at 7:00.  Bring friends of any (or no) faith tradition.  We hope to see you there!
Posted in Chapter Meetings, Newsletter, Racism & White Privilege. Leave a Comment »
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