Rio Texas Methodist Federation for Social Action

Be sure to shop for pumpkins at these area United Methodist Churches in October:  Bethany, Grace, Northwest Hills, Saint John’s, and Tarrytown.  

Proceeds go to mission and service projects at these churches.

Lace Up for Local HIV Care and Prevention on October 16, 2011!

We need you to raise awareness and funds to reduce new HIV infections and provide care to people living with the disease. Please join the local AIDS relief effort by registering to walk or by donating today!  http://www.asaustin.org/site/PageNavigator/walk/walk_home.  First UMC member, Lisa Owens, is CFO for AIDS Services of Austin.

Olympic Gold Medalist Greg Louganis is the Honorary Chair of AIDS Walk Austin 2011.

Louganis, who tested positive for HIV in 1988, will speak at the opening ceremonies and will lead the 24th annual Walk. Aside from his success in diving, Louganis is an activist, actor, dog trainer, speaker and author. His best-selling autobiography, “Breaking the Surface,” spent five weeks on the New York Times best-seller list. For the first time since 1988, Louganis has returned to the world of diving as a coach for Team USA in advance of the 2012 Summer Olympics in London. He recently started the Greg Louganis Positively Pet Fund to provide food and veterinary care for pets of people affected by HIV and AIDS.

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.

“For the Bible Tells Me So” – September 25

Ever wonder what you would do if you had a gay child, or what the Bible says about contemporary understandings of sexuality? People of faith such as former House Majority Leader Richard Gephardt and Episcopal Bishop Gene Robinson as well as Bishop Desmond Tutu and Harvard’s Peter Gomes share their stories and offer healing, clarity and understanding about scripture and sexual identity in For the Bible Tells Me So.

The Reconciling Ministries Team at Saint John’s UMC will show this film at 6 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 25 at Saint John’s UMC, 2140 Allandale Dr., Austin, TX. Admission is free and all are welcome.

http://firstrunfeatures.com/forthebibletellsmesodvd.html

The Southwest Texas Chapter of  Methodist Federation for Social Action was proud to sponsor a group of 45 United Methodists from 6 Austin churches to march in the 2011 Austin Pride Parade on Saturday, September 10.  Participants were showing support for full inclusion in the United Methodist Church and in society.  See other photos at http://www.flickr.com/photos/swtexasmfsa.

Please join the Methodist Federation for Social Action and fellow United Methodists as we walk in the 2011 Austin Pride Parade at 10 a.m. on Saturday, September 10.  Walkers will wear our rainbow stoles in support of full inclusion of LGBT persons in the United Methodist Church and in society.  We will join with members of First, Grace, St. John’s, Trinity, University, and other area Methodist churches to show our support.  A convertible will be available for anyone who would like to ride in the parade.  A group will be meeting at Saint John’s at 8:30 a.m. to carpool downtown.  If you want to meet us at the west side of South First and Riverside, where the parade begins, please try to be downtown by 9:15 a.m.  Parking is available in the Palmer Events Center Parking Garage located between Riverside Drive, South First Street and Barton Springs Road just south of Lady Bird Lake in downtown Austin (cost: $7.00 per car).  If you are interested in participating in the Pride Parade or carpooling from St. John’s, email Rowland Curry at rcurry@austin.rr.com.  See a map of the event at http://austinpride.org/web/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/Parade-and-Run-route.pdf.

Sing A New Song, the collaborative convocation sponsored by MFSA and RMN was an amazing event!  Almost 700 people came together in Huron, Ohio in late August to sing, pray, participate in learning events, and enjoy this spirit-filled convergence.  Our chapter was well represented by Anne Mund, Rowland & Janice Curry, Joy Butler, Robbie Ausley, and David Mauzy.  The worship services and bible studies were outstanding.  We will be providing a briefing on this event at the October 13 MFSA meeting.  In the meantime, go to http://sans2011.org/multimedia/videos/ to view the exceptional messages by Rev Amy DeLong, Bishop Joseph Sprague, and others.

August 25 – 28:  Sing a New Song (Huron, Ohio) 

650 United Methodists will organize for justice and inclusion for all God’s children as they celebrate in joyful worship designed by Mark Miller and Tanya Bennett.

In word and song, at rest and play, through action and organizing, being church together, “We are called to act with justice, we are called to love tenderly, we are called to serve on another, to walk humbly with God!”

Janice & Rowland Curry, Anne Mund, Joy Butler, and Robbie Ausley are planning to attend.

Thursday, September 8 – 7:00 p.m

Interfaith Pride Worship Service – UUMC

Save the date for this special Interfaith Pride Worship Service, including a large Shower of Stoles installation and reception in Fellowship Hall following the evening service.

Saturday, September 10 – 10am-12:00pm

Austin Pride Parade – Downtown Austin

MFSA will carry our banner along with a number of Austin churches and a classic convertible.  Join us as we confront a serious issue and have fun doing it!

Friday, September 23

Michelle Alexander, Associate Professor of Law at The Ohio State University, and author of The New Jim Crow, Mass Incarceration in an Age of Colorblindness, will be speaking in Austin.  She is sponsored by University UMC & Methodist Women, NAACP, Wesley United Methodist, Center for African American Studies/non-violence project at UT, and other groups.  There are two events, both on Friday, September 23.

2:00 pm at University UMC – A coffee with Professor Alexander and local clergy and others.  She will speak briefly, and there may be a panel discussion.

7:00 pm at Wesley United Methodist – Professor Alexander will talk about her book and relevant topics about incarceration.

October 18 or 19 (Date still not firm)  

Witness to Innocence 

Witness to Innocence is the only organization founded by and for exonerated death row survivors.  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 and their take on the current state of the American criminal justice system. This will be an unforgettable experience for our members and community supporters.

Sunday, October 30, 1:00pm

Texas Premier – “Incompatible with Christian Teaching” –  First UMC, Austin

“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

Our MFSA chapter witness at SWTX Annual Conference in Corpus Christi June 8 – 11 was a very positive experience.  Our MFSA/RMN “compound” served as a meeting place for many friends during the stressful business of Conferencing.  As many of you know, our progressive voices did not fare as well as they did four years ago during delegate elections for General Conference.  However, we celebrate the supportive delegates who were elected as delegates to General Conference 2012.  We especially want to congratulate our Austin friends, Jay Brim, Laity Delegate to General Conference; Sarah Howell, Laity Delegate to Jurisdictional Conference; and John Elford, Clergy Alternate Delegate to Jurisdictional Conference.  In addition, the Inclusion Resolution – sponsored by the Conference Board of Church and Society – PASSED on Saturday morning!  (See more below.)  Thanks to everyone’s hard work in making MFSA’s presence and witness successful.

The Book Fair and Bead for Life

Much of the Conference schedule on Thursday and Friday was devoted to the election of delegates to the 2012 General Conference.  As a result, there was little time for Annual Conference delegates to browse in the exhibit area.  Nonetheless, we did collect about $500 for the books we offered.  Many thanks to those of you who donated your used books for this event.  We had a few boxes left over which we will likely take to sell next year.

We again displayed the beautiful beads of BeadforLife, the project that helps Ugandan women in their fight against poverty in their villages.  We sold about $500 in necklaces, bracelets, and other items at Annual Conference.  Thanks to Janice Curry for organizing the table for this worthy cause.

Shower of Stoles and First UMC RMN

Our partner in faith at this event was the Reconciling Ministries team of First UMC Austin.  They had a wonderful display, and we shared the space for the Shower of Stoles, with a display of 30 stoles from a collection of over one thousand stoles representing gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgendered people of faith.

The First Annual MFSA/RMN/CBCS Peace and Justice Luncheon

Wow!

The luncheon was a tremendous success, with over 140 people in attendance.  After the invocation by Rev. Greg Hackett (Corpus Christi First UMC), we heard from Rev. Steve Clunn, the MFSA-RMN Coalition Coordinator from Washington, DC, who stressed the importance of networking, and promoted the upcoming Sing a New Song (www.sans2011.org) event in August.

Awards presentations followed, with Rev. George and Wanda Holcombe receiving MFSA’s Lifetime Community Achievement Award, and Rev. Sid Hall and Trinity UMC Austin being recognized with the award for Congregational Achievement.  Additional awards were presented by the Conference Board of Church and Society and the Peace and Justice Coordinator, including an award to Wimberly UMC’s Barnabas Project, accepted by Vicki McCuistion.  All of the presentations and the recipients’ remarks were warm and well-received.

Our featured speaker was Dr. Joerg Rieger, Wendland-Cook Endowed Professor of Constructive Theology at Perkins School of Theology in Dallas.  He spoke on concepts presented in his latest book, “Grace Under Pressure – Negotiating the Heart of the Methodist Traditions”.  His presentation was enlightening and received excellent feedback.

Rev. Susan Sprague (University UMC Austin) gave our benediction and sent the delegates back to the conference floor for more elections.
Special thanks to Robbie and Tom Ausley and Jimmie Sue and Dick Francis for the wonderful table decorations.  We gave away door prizes including several cross centerpieces, copies of Dr. Rieger’s book, and jars of jelly beans to attendees.

Thanks to our Volunteers!

We had a great contingent of volunteers (in addition to delegates) who volunteered for all of the activities at Annual Conference.  Janice & Rowland Curry, Anne Mund, Jan Dawes, Jane German, Pat Stewart, Mary Foster, Mike Renquist, Tom & Robbie Ausley, and Dick & Jimmie Sue Francis.  The lovely stoles worn during the luncheon were made by Travis Park UMC San Antonio, led by Betty Curry.

Here are the executions scheduled for the rest of 2009:

None are currently scheduled in December.

Please join members of the Texas Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty (TCADP) to protest executions by the State of Texas. TCADP holds vigils during the hour of each execution, 5:30 to 6:30 pm, in front of the Capitol grounds at the intersection of 11th and Congress. This is a simple but visible way of showing your support for the repeal of capital punishment in Texas. You do not need to bring anything; extra protest signs are usually available. Changes in the execution schedule are made rather frequently, so you may wish to check the TDCJ web page before coming: http://www.tdcj.state.tx.us/stat/scheduledexecutions.htm. You may also call the Attorney General’s office at (512) 936-1600 for information as to whether litigation is continuing (there are occasional stays of execution at the very last minute).

Hope to see you there!

Free Recycling of
BATTERIES, OIL, PAINT (LATEX)  and ANTI-FREEZE
Parking lot north of St. John’s UMC, 2140 Allandale (2222 @ Burnet)
Saturday, October 3, 2009, from 8 am to 11 am

The Southwest Texas Chapter of the Methodist Federation for Social Action (MFSA) is offering a free recycling collection on Saturday, October 3rd, 2009 for items which many find more difficult to recycle.  The collection is open to all non-commercial members of the community. Simply drive up, provide your zip code, and volunteers will help unload your items. The collection will accept ONLY the following:

• Batteries (household, auto)
• Oil in a closed container (motor oil, cooking oil)
• Paint in a closed container (latex only, wet or dry)
• Antifreeze in a closed container
• Handheld Electronics (phones, media players, games)
• CFL Bulbs (unbroken glass only)

The location is the parking lot north of St. John’s United Methodist Church, 2140 Allandale (2222 @ Burnet) that is shared with Lamar Middle School. After the collection volunteers will pack and transport these items to local recycling facilities.

The mission of MFSA is to educate, promote and act on Jesus’ teachings of God’s radical love and justice for all, which includes a continuing commitment to environmental issues. Donations for the work of MFSA will be accepted.

Contact Anne Mund if you have questions or want to help:  512 –343-0803 or ennadnum@hotmail.com.