Rio Texas Methodist Federation for Social Action

The Too Many Victims remembrances are part of a national effort inviting all Americans to light a candle on January 8, 2012 to honor the victims and survivors of the Tucson shootings and gun violence victims across the nation.

As we pray for comfort for the families of victims, we can also pray for our elected leaders to show the moral courage necessary to protect public safety and not allow any more people to be victimized by gun violence.

Austin Vigil – Sunday, January 8
7:00 PM until 8:30 PM – South steps of the State Capitol, 1100 Congress Ave
Host: Brady Campaign Texas

Note: Please only bring FLAMELESS ELECTRIC CANDLES. Open flames are not allowed on the Capitol grounds. Some flameless electric candles will be available for guests to use at no cost. In case of severe weather the vigil will be held at the First United Methodist Church at 1201 Lavaca. Please keep an eye on TooManyVictims.org and our Brady Campaign Texas Facebook

January 15th

First Church will host a concert in celebration of the birthday of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in our sanctuary on Sunday, January 15th, at 6:00 p.m.

This concert will feature the choir of Northeast Community United Methodist Church of San Antonio, under the direction of the Reverend Emerson Allen. This choir gave a rousing performance at the regional Passionate Worship Conference held in San Antonio this past September. You will be powerfully blessed by their message in song.

As a community of faith, let us give thanks for the prophetic and transformative legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

“Austin’s Sunday Supper”

A MLK Holiday Celebration and Peace Through Pie Social

Trinity UMC, 4001 Speedway, Austin, TX

Sunday, January 15, 5 – 7:30pm

Meet neighbors and discover opportunities to develop a sustainable community food system in Austin.

Bring your “peace pie” (sweet or savory) and share your recipe for peace.

For more info, contact SundaySupper@tumc.org. 

The 19th Annual Community March in Austin 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 16, 2012 at 9 am with a short program at the MLK Statue on the University of Texas campus.  We will then march to the Capitol for Gospel music and then on to historic Huston-Tillotson University, where exciting activities are planned. Find the MFSA banner at the MLK Statue and march with us in celebration of Dr. King’s legacy.  Contact Janice Curry jlcurry@austin.rr.com if you are interested in joining us.

http://www.mlkcelebration.com/celebration-events/march-and-festival/

Online registration is now open for the 24th Annual Texas United Methodist Women’s Legislative Event, January 22-24, 2012, at the Doubletree at the Capitol in Austin.

Texas State University Chancellor Brian McCall, Senator John Whitmire, campaign finance guru Craig McDonald and theologian Dr. Monya Stubbs are among the great speakers who will help make UMW 2012 one of the best events ever. The event will also feature a breakfast at the Capitol where Texas Impact will present our first-ever Legislative Leadership Awards.

Visit Texas Impact’s website to see the agenda and other helpful information.  Legislative Event registration is open to members of United Methodist Women and Wesley nurses. Call Texas Impact at (512) 472-3903 or email cara@texasimpact..org for more information.

Saint John’s UMC Austin will be the site of the spring meeting of the MFSA Board of Directors on January 27 and 28.  Approximately 20 board members and MFSA staff will meet to determine the organization’s course through Tampa and beyond.  SWTX Chapter members will be teaming up to house, transport, and feed the visitors from throughout the U.S.  We hope to find time to show our friends some Texas hospitality here in Austin.

This meeting is open to all MFSA members and supporters (unless we have short closed sessions for personnel issues, of course).  If you would like to meet board members, the Executive Director, or staff, come by and sit in on the meetings.  No agenda is available as yet.

Thanks to those who have volunteered thus far.  If you would like to help with housing, food, or transportation, please contact rcurry@austin.rr.com.

Free Symposium

James A. Baker III Hall, Rice University

6100 Main Street, Houston

January 25, 1-4:30pm

An Evening with Pulitzer Prize-Winning Columnist – Leonard Pitts

Congregation Emanu El

1500 Sunset Boulevard, Houston

January 25, 7pm

Tickets – $20

http://www.tfn.org/site/PageServer?pagename=2012_symposium

Saturday, March 3, – BOPA Recycling Event – 8 am to 10:30 am

MFSA will sponsor our 3rd BOPA (Batteries, Oil, Paint, Antifreeze) Recycling Event at Trinity UMC, at E 40^th and Speedway.

When our chapter conducted its last BOPA recycling event, we collected over 967 gallons of paint, 93 gallons of oil, 11 car batteries, 160 pounds of smaller batteries, 12 gallons of antifreeze, 47 spray paint cans, and lots of other material that was taken to the City’s recycling station. If you would like to volunteer for this event, please contact Rowland Curry at rcurry@austin.rr.com.

In addition to our chapter meeting in October, our chapter supported and participated in two major social justice events…

The Witness to Innocence: Stories from Death Row event at First UMC on October 18 was attended by approximately 150 people. The four exonerees who spoke shared their stories, which pointed out the many injustices that led to their wrongful convictions.  MFSA joined with other Methodists from First, St. John’s, St. Luke’s, Trinity, University, Wesley & the Austin District, as well as persons of the Buddhist, Catholic, Friends, and Jewish communities to make this event possible.  A love offering for Witness to Innocence (WTI) was taken and about $600 was collected.  An additional $155.85 has been seen to WTI from sponsor donations.

Their stories can be seen at http://witnesstoinnocence.org/ and photos at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/swtexasmfsa/sets/72157627806005289/.

The Texas Premier of Incompatible with Christian Teaching was held at First UMC on October 30 and was attended by 125 Methodists from 10 area churches.  Filmmaker Anne P. Brown, was there to answer questions about the film, which traced the history of the “incompatible” language in the Methodist Discipline:

In 1972, the United Methodist Church (UMC) adopted the phrase, “homosexuality is incompatible with Christian teaching.”

In 1984, the UMC declared that “no self avowed practicing homosexual could be ordained.”

In 1996, the UMC adopted into church law that no pastor could officiate over a same-gender union and such a ceremony could not occur in a local Methodist church.

Thanks to Liza Chigos, a St. John’s UMC member, for bringing this event to Austin, to the First UMC and Saint John’s Reconciling Ministries Teams for coordinating the details of the event, and to Ann Teich, Adama Brown, and Joy Butler for their leadership. http://annepbrown.com/Film%3A_Incompatible_with_Christian_Teaching.html

Start a new Christmas tradition this year at the 2nd annual Alternative Christmas Market at Saint John’s UMC on Saturday and Sunday, Dec. 3-4.  The Alternative Christmas Market provides a meaningful option to the same old gift-buying routine.  Shoppers can honor their loved ones by giving to those who have a greater need locally and globally.  More than 20 vendors representing several nonprofit organizations will be on hand to offer you a chance to purchase gifts that will make a difference.

Over two days, alternative shoppers will visit with agencies that represent needs both locally and throughout the world.  Agencies represented include Bead for Life, Colores del Pueblo, Diecke Clinic, Heifer International, Hope Food Pantry, Interfaith Hospitality Network, Mission of Hope, Montopolis Friendship Community Center, 10,000 Villages and World Vision.

Hours are 9 a.m-4 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 3 and noon-4 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 4.  Admission is free.

Saturday January 14, 2011

9am to 2pm

Trinity UMC, 4001 Speedway, Austin, TX

Join us to examine the ways in which the United Methodist Church’s policies exclude our gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender brothers & sisters in Christ.  Find out how we can make a difference helping our church become more inclusive.  Learn how MFSA and RMN will be ramping up their efforts leading up to the 2012 General Conference in Tampa.  Enjoy a yummy brunch and enjoy networking with like-minded folks.  Contact Ann Teich or Joy Butler joylbutler@gmail.com for more info.

The First UMC Reconciling Team is excited to announce that Rev. Amy Delong will be the speaker at the First UMC-Austin Reconciling Service on April 15, 2012 and hope that many of you will be able to join us.  Please spread the word to your congregations.

Starting time for service will be announced at a later date.  It is typically around 6:00PM.

Witness to Innocence:  Stories from Death Row

Tuesday, October 18  – 7:00pm
First UMC Family Life Center (Northwest corner of 13^th & Lavaca)

The General Board of Church & Society of the United Methodist Church and Witness to Innocence (www.witnesstoinnocence.org) are co-sponsoring death penalty events across the country in the next several months to engage communities in the debate about the death penalty in America.  One of those events will take place right here in Austin on Tuesday, October18, at the First UMC Family Life Center.  Four death row exonerees will tell their stories and talk about their experiences in the criminal justice system in our country.  These members of Witness to Innocence bring a powerful voice to the discussion about abolition like no one else can.  This program represents an exciting new partnership between United Methodists and Witness to Innocence that can help the church transform and save lives.  The speakers, all professionally trained storytellers, will share their journeys from death row to freedom.  The General Board of Church & Society of the United Methodist Church, along with local communities of Christians, Jews, Buddhists, and Friends, invite interested persons to gather for this meaningful program.  Light snacks will be served. The event is free and open to the public.  Free parking is available in the parking garage across from the event.

TEXAS PREMIERE OF DOCUMENTARY ABOUT FULL INCLUSION EFFORTS IN THE UMC

Incompatible with Christian Teaching

Sunday, October 30, 1:00pm

First UMC Family Life Center, (northwest corner of 13^th & Lavaca)

On October 30th at 1pm, First United Methodist Church in downtown Austin will host the Texas Premiere of a documentary titled Incompatible with Christian Teaching.  It will be screened by the film maker, Anne P. Brown and there will be an opportunity to ask Anne questions after the screening.  Snacks will be provided.  After seeing this film in Washington, DC, Liza Chigos, a St. John’s UMC member, helped bring this film to Texas in order to share it with the Methodist community here. Liza says, “This film explores the efforts of Methodists to remove exclusionary language from the Book of Discipline and to allow full inclusion of Gay/Lesbian/ Bisexual/ Transgender people into the clergy and into the life of the church.”

History of Incompatible Language:

In 1972, the United Methodist Church (UMC) adopted the phrase, “homosexuality is incompatible with Christian teaching.”

In 1984, the UMC declared that “no self avowed practicing homosexual could be ordained.”

In 1996, the UMC adopted into church law that no pastor could officiate over a same-gender union and such a ceremony could not occur in a local Methodist church.

These laws have ignited over 80,000 United Methodists to dissent from denominational policy and advocate for change in the UMC by demanding that the discriminatory language be eliminated from church law and that the doors of the church be open to all.

“Incompatible with Christian Teaching” is a documentary film detailing the stories of clergy and laity, and GLBT and straight allies. Some have been arrested while others have been tried by the Judicial Council. Each has demanded that the church live into the true meaning of the Gospel.

http://annepbrown.com/Film%3A_Incompatible_with_Christian_Teaching.html