Rev. John Elford
Join Rio Texas MFSA at the Peace & Justice Luncheon, June 8 at noon, at the Rio Texas UMC Annual Conference in Corpus Christi. The featured speaker will be Rev. John Elford, who served several churches in the Southwest/Rio Texas Conference before his appointment to University UMC in Austin, where he retired in 2021. Rev. Elford will discuss the complicated UMC racial history, which he researched for his upcoming book, Our Hearts Were Strangely Lukewarm: The American Methodist Church and the Struggle with White Supremacy. In addition, we will honor the recipients of the MFSA “Building a Just Community” Awards.
Eventbrite Registration: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/peace-justice-luncheon-2023-tickets-628689105037
I have to confess that when I said yes to working with Sean as co-convener of the Audit Team, I did not know what to expect. There are so many things I have learned. MFSA, as an organization, has gone through many ups and downs since it was first started. The organization has survived because it has been willing to change as needed to meet the needs of persons who have been marginalized. It has protested policies that overall helped one group maintain power and others feel powerless.
In this difficult time period we can no longer ignore the treatment of people who have been outside the circle of power in the world and in the Methodist church. I want to thank the board and program council for being willing to look within our policies, practices and unintentional biases to see how we can do things differently. By this, I mean, how can we be more inclusive? How can we be more of a partner to our constituency groups? How can we learn to lead by sometimes following?
To find out where we can begin this process, we are preparing two surveys to send out. The surveys’ purpose is to get feedback from those we communicate with the most and the least. Your input is important to MFSA. We cannot grow as an organization in programming or membership without knowing your thoughts and ideas. I hope you are willing to be part of this process by returning the first survey which is mainly intended to give or verify your e -mail address to MFSA. The second survey will be more detailed.
We are becoming an organization that can meet the needs of a diverse pool of people. We will continue to support social justice issues, especially those that have an economic impact in the world. We recognize that this may mean change and change is not always easy. I hope that you will journey with us as we seek to learn what the Lord requires of us
Pat Stewart is Co-President of Rio Texas MFSA.
From October MFSA Voices
Rev. Neal Christie will host the workshop, “Shaping Beloved Community: From Dignity, Recognition and Inclusivity to Advocacy and Equity” at Saint John’s UMC on Saturday, February 29th, 9:00am – 3:30pm. The event is cosponsored by the Rio Texas MFSA (Methodist Federation for Social Action) and the Saint John’s Risk-Taking Mission & Service Committee. Cost for the workshop is $10. A light lunch will be provided.
This workshop will examine the concepts of diversity, inclusivity, equity, cultural humility, and intersectionality; how both external and internalized racism and ethnocentrism create and perpetuate racist systems. We’ll explore what it means to live in a race-dominant culture and how white privilege perpetuates that culture; what does a race-equitable culture look like? We will look at specific public policies in the U.S. and how they perpetuate exclusion, marginalization, and oppression.
Join us as we learn more about ourselves as persons created in the image of God, and to affirm Christ’s grace in our church and society.
Rev. Christie, who serves as Assistant General Secretary for Education and Leadership Formation on the UMC General Board of Church and Society, directs the agency’s educational opportunities, including world-wide trainings, workshops, seminars, and internships. He also coordinates curriculum related to the UM Social Principles. Rev. Christie has authored a number of publications and produced several educational videos on social justice for the church. He is an elder in the Greater New Jersey Conference of the United Methodist Church. Neal has been devoted to the ministry with Church and Society for 20 years.
Register at https://2020anti-racism_workshop.eventbrite.com. If you have questions, please contact Anne Mund at ennadnum@hotmail.com. To pay by check, please follow the instructions at the bottom of event flyer: Anti-racism_Flyer2020
Monday, January 20, 9:00 a.m.
MLK Statue, UT Campus, Austin
The Annual Community March celebrates Dr. Martin Luther King’s legacy while uplifting diversity and multi-culturalism in our city. The MLK Community March kicks off on Monday, January 20, 2020 at 9 a.m. with a short program at the MLK Statue on the University of Texas campus.
At the conclusion of the program at the MLK Statue, we will march to the south steps of the Capitol for a rally.
After the Capitol program, the march will proceed to the historic Huston-Tillotson University, where exciting activities are planned.
This year, we are asking marchers to help by donating can goods or non-perishable food items, which will be donated to the Central Texas Food Bank.
Click here to learn more about the march: http://www.mlkcelebration.com/celebration-events/march-and-festival/.
“Shaping Beloved Community: From Dignity, Recognition and Inclusivity to Advocacy and Equity”
Rev. Neal Christie,
UMC General Board of Church & Society
Assistant General Secretary for Education & Leadership Formation
Neal directs the agency’s educational opportunities including world-wide trainings, workshops, seminars, and internships. He also coordinates curriculum related to the UM Social Principles.
Saturday, February 29, 2020, 9a – 4p
Saint John’s UMC Austin
2140 Allandale Road
Austin, TX 78756
Registration information to be provided soon.
(From Michael B. Jordan, who plays Bryan Stevenson in the film…)
Every day, innocent Black people are imprisoned in our country, but we rarely see their stories on the big screen. That’s why I’m so proud to have had an opportunity to work on Just Mercy, a film that hit theaters on January 10 and tells the story about modern day hero Bryan Stevenson and his Equal Justice Initiative.
As an actor and producer on the film, with my company Outlier Society, this is a story that I know has real implications in our world today. Authentic storytelling can serve as a powerful deterrent to the fear and racism that drive our justice system. When faced with the human emotion and devastating impact of injustice, we must demand change. We must work together to keep the story from repeating itself.
We hear too often of individuals who face or challenge unjust charges in the news. Meanwhile, entire families, communities and whole generations have been swept up into these necessary fights for freedom.
The story of Just Mercy is one of community, justice and redemption on death row. It’s the story Black communities across the country face with evolution of slavery: our criminal justice system.
Just Mercy will bring the full story out of the shadows and I hope you are able to come out on this weekend to see what hope and fight looks like.
9 AM – 5:30 PM October 12, St. James’ Episcopal ChurchThis free one-day workshop provides a safe, open, and productive environment to learn and share about race. Snacks and lunch are provided. We’ll watch Race: The Power of an Illusion, examine concepts from Eric Law’s The Wolf Shall Dwell with the Lamb, and share in small groups. Registration is required. Reserve your place here.
Austin Channing Brown began her journey as a racial reconciler in college with an experience called Sankofa–a three-day bus trip exploring black history sites throughout the South. On this pilgrimage that she came face-to-face with her history, shared the experience with others, and for the first time in her life watched friends become transformed by learning about African American history and racism.
Austin earned a master’s degree in social justice from Marygrove College in Detroit, Michigan. Building on her Sankofa experience and the foundation of her graduate work, she has directed a short-term missions site on the west side of Chicago, creating interactive opportunities for youth to engage issues of poverty, injustice. She also served on staff with Willow Creek Community Church, developing strategies and programming around multiculturalism. Currently, she serves as resident director and multicultural liaison for Calvin College, in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
Austin travels the country throughout the year sharing her message at colleges, universities, conferences, and churches. She has been featured at the Justice Conference, Why Christian? Conference, Christians for Biblical Equality International Conference, the University of Northwestern, the CCDA National Conference, the Salvation Army ONE Conference and Focus on the Family: Focus Leadership Institute, to name just a few.
University United Methodist Church
2409 Guadalupe St.
Austin, TX 78705
Doors at 6:30 pm
Starts at 7:00 pm
Approximate Run-time is 90 mins
There are several paid parking options available including street parking, a surface lot across the street or a parking garage on San Antonio street.
Ride sharing services such as Uber or Lift are an encouraged alternative option.
University UMC is a smoke free and weapon free campus.
| The One Human Race Initiative provides a safe, open, and productive environment to learn and share about race. We’ll watch the PBS documentary “Race: The Power of an Illusion,” share in small groups, and learn about concepts from Eric Law’s The Wolf Shall Dwell with the Lamb.
All workshops are free and open to the public. Registration is required. Lunch and snacks are provided. Childcare will be provided on May 4th by St. Julian of Norwich.
Saturday, May 4th, 9:00 am – 5:30 pm St. Julian of Norwich Episcopal Church 7700 Cat Hollow Dr. #204, Round Rock
Saturday, May 18th, 9:00 am – 5:30 pm Bethany United Methodist Church 10010 Anderson Mill Road, Austin
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The Summit on Race in America at the LBJ Presidential Library
From April 8-10, 2019, the LBJ Foundation hosted The Summit on Race in America. Civil rights icons joined by esteemed leaders, activists, musicians, comedians, and other artists for open, candid discussions on the failures, progress, and challenges our country faces on race today. While no exploration of the complex issue of race can be definitive or complete, we hope that in bringing together a myriad of voices, The Summit on Race in America will promote a deeper understanding of the challenges our country faces. In doing so, we also aim not only to strengthen our resolve for meaningful change but to foster greater unity among all Americans.
See video and photos here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL57QSDvgks3tQljO2fPFZYNVIY-Qyg1Dw
MFSA – Austin members participated in the MLK Celebration and Community March on January 15
The Montgomery, Alabama-based Equal Justice Initiative reports 335 lynching victims in Texas between 1877 and 1950. MFSA representatives joined about 250 gathered on December 16 in an East Austin church to remember those anonymous deaths. Later, under a steady, cold rain, most of those people huddled outside as Austin NAACP President Nelson Linder, Travis County Commissioner Jeff Travillion, Austin Mayor Steve Adler and U.S. Rep. Lloyd Doggett unveiled a blue-and-gold plaque in front of Wesley United Methodist Church. The plaque, headlined “Lynching in Travis County,” is the seventh such remembrance installed by the Alabama-based EJI nationwide and the first from that group in Texas. (Photo courtesy Austin American-Statesman)
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.
Rio Texas Methodist Federation for Social Action 