Rio Texas MFSA will be there!
Stay tuned for more information…
MFSA Participates in Austin MLK March
February 6, 2018 — Rio Texas MFSA
MFSA – Austin members participated in the MLK Celebration and Community March on January 15
Plaque Commemorates Lynching Victims
February 6, 2018 — Rio Texas MFSAThe 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)
MFSA Meeting on Thursday, November 9
November 8, 2017 — Rio Texas MFSAPERSIST! – 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.
Justice For Our Neighbors Fundraiser
November 8, 2017 — Rio Texas MFSA
3rd Annual Benefit Dinner
Sat, November 11, 2017
6:30 PM – 9:30 PM
Asian American Resource Center
8401 Cameron Road
Austin, TX 78754
Austin Region Justice For Our Neighbors (JFON Austin) is a non-profit law office, welcoming refugees and immigrants into our communities by providing free, high-quality immigration legal services, education, and advocacy.
In the last year, JFON Austin provided twelve Know Your Rights Information sessions and over 80 individual immigration legal consultations. We also represented 110 refugees and immigrant clients in 140 cases. Our core programs offer consultations, emergency preparedness, and immigration legal representation to immigrants across Central Texas. JFON Austin aims to strengthen our individual representation of clients and our education to the immigrant community regarding steps to mitigate harm to their families in the event of raids, detention, or removal.
We invite you to experience how JFON Austin keeps immigrant families together. We hope that you will be able to join us for this event!
Trinity Austin Celebrates 25 Years Reconciling
November 8, 2017 — Rio Texas MFSA
Tickets available now for our Anniversary Fundraiser
Join us for an evening with Bishop Karen Oliveto – the first openly gay bishop in the United Methodist Church. We’ll celebrate Trinity’s historic vote to become a Reconciling congregation with dinner, a silent auction – and even fun prizes for “best dressed.”
The Trinity community is a radically inclusive church in the heart of Austin, affiliated with the United Methodist Church and the United Church of Christ. For 25 years Trinity has been a leader in the movement to fully include those who identify as LGBTQ in the church.
In 1992, Trinity committed to be a radically inclusive community, and this evening is a fundraiser to help us continue that mission.
Join us Saturday, November 18th
at 6:00pm at the UT Alumni Center
Register using the link below, or if you have any questions or need a scholarship, email 25years@trinitychurchofaustin.org.
GET YOUR TICKETS, BECOME A SPONSOR AND GET A RESERVED TABLE, AND BOOK CHILDCARE – ALL HERE!
Healthcare Message From MFSA
November 8, 2017 — Rio Texas MFSA
Healthcare is a Basic Human Right!
Over the last several months you have called, emailed, marched and tweeted your faithful support for healthcare access for all people. Thank you for your partnership in justice-seeking.
Our work is not over. Now we need to mobilize people of faith for a robust open enrollment period for the Affordable Care Act. We need you to raise awareness about Open Enrollment and drive traffic to HealthCare.gov, assisters, navigators, and brokers, and community enrollment events.
Budgets for advertising these open enrollment periods have been drastically cut from 100 million dollars to ten million dollars, and the enrollment period has been reduced. This puts critical life-giving healthcare access in jeopardy for millions. We need people of faith and to educate our communities.
Here are some tangible ways you can help us get the word out!
Download this Toolkit with Faith Resources
The Interfaith Healthcare Coalition of which MFSA is a partner created this toolkit to provide strategies and templates for use in outreach to media and your community in order to raise awareness about Open Enrollment and drive traffic to HealthCare.gov, assisters, navigators, and brokers, and community enrollment events. Download the toolkit here.
Social Media
Help us get the word out on social media by posting this email or tweeting the information below.
The Open Enrollment window for coverage beginning January 1, 2018: November 1 – December 15, 2017
Visit HealthCare.Gov, call 1-800-318-2596 or find in-person help at localhelp.healthcare.gov to shop for plans and sign up.
People of Faith Call In
Encourage clergy and people of faith to join a call with US Rep. Clyburn on Monday, November 6 at 7:30pm. Rep. Clyburn will be hosting a call with clergy and people of faith around the country to talk about the importance of healthcare for people of faith and help people promote enrollment. The number will be 712-451-0436 with access code 845827. Please share to your networks so that those who are interested can engage in open enrollment.
Contact Us
Methodist Federation for Social Action
212 East Capitol St.NE
Washington, District of Columbia 20003
(202) 546-8806
mfsa@mfsaweb.org
Rio Texas Methodist Federation for Social Action 