Rio Texas Methodist Federation for Social Action

Chapter Meeting – Thursday, September 8

MFSA will meet at University UMC for an Interfaith Pride Worship Service

The September 8 monthly MFSA meeting will be at the Interfaith Pride Worship Service at University Methodist Church, 2409 Guadalupe Street in Austin, at 7:00pm.  We will join University UMC for this special Interfaith Pride Worship Service, which includes a large Shower of Stoles display.  A reception in their Fellowship Hall will follow the service.  If you would like to carpool from St. John’s, please meet at 6:15pm.  Contact Janice Curry (jlcurry@austin.rr.com or 836-7004) if you would like to carpool.  More information follows.

LGBT Multi-faith Worship Service

Featured Speaker: Rev. Dr. Stephen Sprinkle

Reception afterwards in Fellowship Hall

Display of 150 Stoles from the Shower of Stoles Project

Thursday, September 8, 2011

7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.

Austin, Texas – University United Methodist Church on the University of Texas campus is sponsoring an eclectic and celebratory service with participation from a number of denominations and faiths.  Everyone is welcome to join us at UUMC for this special Multi-faith Pride Worship Service.  It includes an installation from the Shower of Stoles Project featuring 150 stoles from gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender people who are active in their faith communities.  It includes those who have been ordained, or have lost their ordination.

At a February 2011 called church conference, 94 percent of the UUMC members present voted to join the Reconciling Ministries Network (RMN) of the United Methodist Church and become a positive voice for the full inclusion of LGBT persons.

Rev. Dr. Stephen Sprinkle is the director of Field Education and Supervised Ministry, and an Associate Professor of Practical Theology at Brite Divinity School in Fort Worth, Texas. His current research focuses on the theology of the Lord’s Supper and LGBT History. He is working on an upcoming book, “Unfinished Lives: Reviving the Memory of LGBT Hate Crimes Murder Victims.” 

Southwest Texas Chapter Meetings…More details later

 No Chapter Meeting in August –

Our September 8 meeting will coincide with the Interfaith Pride Worship Service to be held at University UMC in Austin.

Our October 13 meeting will feature presentations by our members who attended the Sing A New Song convocation in Ohio in August.  Look for more updates on possible guest speakers!

Our November 10 meeting will feature a special presentation – Step Into Africa – by Kerry Stevens, who has made an incredible journey to Africa this summer as part of World Vision.

We will not have a formal chapter meeting in December.  However, we hope to have a Christmas Party – Stay Tuned!

The next Southwest Texas Conference MFSA (Methodist Federation for Social Action) Chapter meeting will be September 10 at 6:30 pm at Saint John’s UMC. After a great deal of discernment this summer, our chapter leadership has determined that our focus for 2009-2010 will be Embracing the Poor. Poverty remains at the root of many of society’s issues and presents a wide range of opportunities to have a tremendous impact.  We intend to work together to develop a program that will inspire and enable the Austin UMC community to take action to reduce poverty locally and globally, through education, service opportunities, and the ability to influence public policy.  Through programs and activities, our MFSA chapter will focus on acts of justice to address the root causes of poverty.  Our program will begin with a short video “When Did I See You Hungry”produced by the San Damiano Foundation.  We will follow the film with a presentation of the vision for this project.

Join us!

We have scheduled a planning meeting on Thursday, June 11 from 5 to 9 pm at Bethany UMC, 10010 Anderson Mill Rd.  We will be looking at our mission and goals for the 2009-2010 program year.  All interested persons are welcome!

Yes, this conflicts with the TCADP event, but schedules are tough! Contact Deana Henry (deakenhenry@yahoo.com) or Rowland Curry (rcurry@austin.rr.com) for additional details.

You are invited to join the SWTMFSA Executive Committee in a Planning Session to celebrate our accomplishments, validate our long-term vision and outline plans for the next 12 months to work towards our vision!

Date: Saturday, June 28th

Time: 9:30am – 1pm

Location: Saint John’s UMC, Austin, at the Annex (On Wynona, 2nd house south of White Rock)

Contact Tara Thronson if you have any questions. 512.422.8907