Faith Action for Women in Need (Fawn) cordially invites your faith community to participate in The Interfaith Prayer/Meditation Vigil for Healthcare Funding each Saturday, 8:00-10:00am at the Governor’s Mansion.  Because 26% of Texas citizens lack health insurance and Texas ranks worst in the nation for health care coverage, we are seeking:

·         Acceptance of all available Medicaid fund.

·         Reinstatement of Planned Parenthood into the Women’s Health Program

·         Expansion of Medicaid coverage under the Affordable Care Act

·         Restoration of cuts to program designed to encourage doctors to stay in Texas and to enter General Practice.

The prayer vigil will be ongoing until our goal is achieved.  The vigil is interfaith, and secularists are welcome.   Contact Cindy Noland at cgnoland03@yahoo.com or 512-636-1333 with questions. Also on Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Faith-Action-for-Women-in-Need-FAWN/478234135535473?fref=ts

When:  March 3, 2013 @ 1:45 PM – 5:00 PM 

Where:  Camp Mabry – 2200 W 35th St

Contact:  Desaree Williams  (512) 386-9145 ext. 308

dwilliams@interfaithtexas.org

ONE DAY!
Sunday, March 3, 2013, starting at 1:45 p.m.

NEW LOCATION!
Camp Mabry, 2200 W 35th St, Austin, TX 78703

Recruiter Orientation on Saturday, January 12 at 9:30 a.m.
First United Methodist Church in Wesley Hall, 1201 Lavaca St, 78701

Please visit the Austin CROP Hunger Walk website for more information on registering for the walk and ways to participate.  http://austincrophungerwalk.org/

The Montopolis Friendship Community Center is a tax-exempt, non-profit corporation formed in 1957 as a United Methodist Women’s response to help meet some of the needs in the Montopolis community in southeast Austin.  FCC provides the following opportunities in the Montopolis area: Mother’s Day Out for children 2-4 years old; Clothing sales room open on the first and third Saturdays; Senior activities; and Rental space available for community events.  The Montopolis FCC desperately needs a new roof – the existing roof at Colorado Hall has been patched and re-patched.  The new roof, to be repaired by professionals, will cost $4,000.  Groups and individuals are being asked to contribute toward this need that is not covered as a part of MFCC’s annual budget.  You can help by buying one square foot of shingles for $3.33, or 3 sq ft for $10.00!

The goal is to raise the $4,000 by 3/30/2013.

Please make checks payable to Montopolis FCC and mail to:

MFCC Treasurer, Eva Jordan, P.O.Box 4691, Austin, TX  78765

The General Board of Church & Society published a Faith in Action newsletter on January 22 that included many good articles and actions around the issues of gun violence, Roe v. Wade, Gay marriage, and human trafficking.  Please take a look an add your name to the email list if interested.  http://umc-gbcs.org/faith-in-actionBlank

MFSA has posted articles about issues of immigration, family planning, and gun violence on their website http://mfsaweb.org/

One way in which our local MFSA chapters can help our national organization and each other is through development of a network of volunteers who have expertise in researching the availability of grant funding for the myriad issues in which MFSA is involved.  It is clear at this time that individual donations alone are not sufficient to support the work that MFSA truly needs to do.  We are looking for volunteers to research grant sources, write proposals, and work with our national office to make this successful.  If you have skills or experience in these activities and would be willing to devote some time to this effort, please contact Rowland Curry at rcurry@austin.rr.com.

MFSA Responds to School Violence

Monday, December 17th, 2012 1:57 pm

The Methodist Federation for Social Action’s board, staff, and members continue to grieve the loss of life in Newtown, Connecticut this past Friday. “We stand firmly in our belief that violence, in all its forms, is anathema to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We encourage all people of faith to work for a world in which such violence is no longer commonplace,” stated Chett Pritchett, Interim Executive Director

MFSA encourages United Methodists to put into action General Conference Resolution 3426 (2008, 2012 Book of Resolutions) which encourages communities and congregations to address the issues of gun violence in schools and among children. “Advocating for stronger accountability in regards to gun ownership and greater access to mental health care are two ways to pro-actively work so that an event of this magnitude will not happen again,” stated Pritchett  “But beyond advocating for public policy changes, we must also change the way we address, or don’t address, these issues throughout our Church.”

Program planned and produced by Texas Impact 

 JANUARY 27-29, 2013

Austin, Texas 

Holiday Inn Austin Midtown
6000 Middle Fiskville

Monday Evening Keynote Speaker:

Harriett Jane Olson, United Methodist –

Women’s Deputy General Secretary

PROGRAM AGENDA AND MORE INFORMATION AT

WWW.TEXASIMPACT.ORG

 EARLY REGISTRATION DEADLINE: JANUARY 6, 2013

http://txumw2013.eventbrite.com/#

Partnership for the Common Good: Texas Impact’s Guide to the Issues 2013

Download “Partnership For The Common Good” in PDF Format. (right-click and choose “Save As…” to download the PDF)

Note: In addition to this legislative agenda, Texas Impact holds historic legislative positions based on long-affirmed social principles of our member denominations. Read a brief overview of our legislative principles here.

Introduction

Texas faith communities know that government is essential, but for public programs to be effective we need real partnerships—between local communities and state programs, between concerned individuals and institutions, and between for-profit service providers and the charitable community. Texas can prepare for the future by building robust partnerships that ensure we are moving forward on a strong foundation, with an ethic of shared responsibility and a true sense of community.

Legislators took positive steps toward community partnerships in 2011, and those steps are bearing fruit. Faith and community-based organizations, local governments, business and state agencies are coming together to feed hungry Texans, support at-risk youth, conserve precious resources, and other strategies to advance the common good.

Texas Impact urges the 83rd Texas Legislature to continue its investment in community partnership programs and policies. The following specific strategies will build the capacity of all Texans to work in partnership for a vibrant, prosperous and healthy Texas.

Strategies for Building Community Partnerships in 2013

• Promote family financial stability
• Improve access to healthy, affordable food
• Ensure Texans have access to quality, affordable health insurance
• Strengthen Texas’ public education system
• Build capacity for service in local communities
• Improve law enforcement and criminal justice outcomes for individuals with mental illness
• Promote clean, reliable, affordable energy
• Build an accountable-stewardship foundation for water policy
• Take an appropriate and balanced approach to immigration issues
• Strengthen the state revenue system

http://texasimpact.org/PDFs/LegeAgenda2013.pdf

Women’s Advocacy

Lives of our gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender brothers and sisters in Uganda are in jeopardy Take a stand to protect the lives and safety of our brothers and sisters in Uganda The Uganda Parliament will be considering a bill that would outlaw homosexuality in that country, putting LBGT individuals and their families at great risk.  It has been called the “world’s most harsh and comprehensively homophobic law.” Sign the petition December 12, 2012 Oppose Uganda Anti-Homosexuality Law Within The United Methodist Church, we have had significant disagreements over issues of human sexuality. We have been unified in our commitment to non-violence, however, and to the protection of LBGT individuals from discrimination and harm. As our Book of Discipline clearly states, we believe that “all persons, regardless of …sexual orientation, are entitled to have their human and civil rights ensured and to be protected against violence.” The Anti-Homosexuality Bill, which could be considered by the Uganda Parliament any day now, makes homosexuality punishable by imprisonment and endangers LGBT individuals and their loved ones. Please take a moment to sign these petitions to Ugandan President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni and Uganda Parliament Speaker Rt. Hon. Rebecca Kadaga to urge them to drop this discriminatory legislation, and instead engage in open dialogue about human sexuality. Yours in Christ’s love for all God’s creation, Amee Paparella Director of Women’s Advocacy action alert! On Christmas Eve, another gun-related tragedy struck: two firefighters in a New York town were shot and killed by a man with a semi-automatic assault rifle. When will our lawmakers step up to stop the violence?   Congress: Protecting Americans IS Bipartisan On Christmas Eve, yet another town in America fell victim to gun violence. An ex-convict, armed with a semi-automatic assault rifle, set fire to his house in Webster, New York and then killed two of the firefighters who showed up to protect him — one of whom was just 19 years old. How many more needless gun deaths must Americans watch before our elected leaders take action? Aurora. Sandy Hook. And now Webster. After every massacre, Americans ask the same question — what laws can we pass to protect our families? And every time, the answer’s the same: nothing. Time after time, the discussion gets derailed by needless partisan bickering. It’s high time that we as Americans declared “Enough is enough.” There is no reason for any member of Congress to maintain that military-grade weaponry should be available on the market, no matter which party they belong to. Tell Congress to prioritize our country’s safety ahead of political games, before more innocent people die. Thank you for taking action,Kathleen Care2 and ThePetitionSite Team

action alert!