12:30-3:30, March 11, 18, and 25
First United Methodist Church – Austin
1300 Lavaca Street
12:30-3:30, May 13, 20, and 27
Saint John’s UMC – Austin
2140 Allandale Rd.
Attendance is free, but registration is required.
Reserve your spot today at http://ubeaustin.blogspot.com/
The Red Bench: Mental HealthSCOTUS Rules Duane Buck Entitled to New Sentencing Hearing in Texas Racial Bias Death Penalty Case
(Washington, D.C., February 22, 2017) Today, in a 6-2 decision in Buck v. Davis, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in favor of Texas death row prisoner Duane Buck, who was sentenced to death after a Houston jury heard false and unconstitutional testimony from a defense “expert” that Mr. Buck was more likely to be a future danger because he is Black. Today’s ruling means Mr. Buck will either be resentenced to life imprisonment, or receive a new sentencing hearing untainted by racial bias.
See more.
March 28: Join TCADP and Texas Impact at the State Capitol in Austin for our second Faith Leader Advocacy Day on the Death Penalty. Together, we will make sure legislators hear the loud and growing chorus of voices in opposition to the death penalty. Register online today.
Executions Scheduled in 2017
John Ramirez – Stay granted
March 7: Rolando Ruiz
March 14: James Bigby
April 12: Paul Storey
May 16: Tilon Carter
May 24: Juan Castillo
June 28: Steven Long
July 19: Kosoul Chanthakoummane
Austin Region JFON has announced that Virginia Raymond will be the new ARJFON legal director.
“We expect Virginia to be a very capable leader. In addition to having years of legal experience in the immigration field, Virginia also has a diverse educational and professional background. In addition to her law degree, Virginia has an MA and a Ph.D. from the University of Texas Department of English. In addition to practicing law, she also taught at UT, St. Edwards, and Austin Community College, among others.
We’re very excited about all that Virginia brings to JFON.”
The Free Store is back!
The Free Store found a new home at Memorial UMC, 6100 Berkman Drive, Austin. On Wednesday, March 8, we’ll have our first shopping day in the new space.
You can follow all the news about the Free Store’s relocation at our website: www.freestoreaustin.org
From District Lay Leader Brooks Schuelke: When we started the Free Store, we never wanted it to be a ministry by itself. Instead, we created Common Good Community Development, Inc. We imagined it as a hub and spoke type arrangement. Common Good was the hub. The Free Store was the first spoke, but it was never intended to be the only spoke.
Over the years, we’ve been approached by a number of different groups with different ideas about how they could also partner with Common Good and the Free Store. Up until now, we’ve not found the right fit.
Until now.
I am happy to say that our first real partner, and the next spoke in our hub, is the Hope Food Pantry.
Many of you are already familiar with the Hope Food Pantry. It’s housed in Trinity and is supported by a number of our churches throughout the district.
In many ways, nothing will change. Hope Food Pantry will continue to operate as it has.
But our working and coordinating together also brings endless possibilities of how Hope and the Free Store can work together. We don’t know exactly what that will look like, but we’re all excited about the future.
To learn more about us, visit our website: http://www.commongoodaustin.org/
The 2017 legislative session promises to be a time of high stakes and hard choices. It’s never been more important for people of faith to be informed and engaged.
Texas Impact Weekly Witness is your opportunity to put faith into action and advocate for the common good at a time when your state needs it! Here’s the game plan:
Every Monday at noon starting on January 16, Texas Impact will hold a short, focused advocacy training in Murchison Chapel at First United Methodist Church, Austin. We–and often colleagues from our partner organizations–will present timely, insider information on a “focus issue of the day,” as well as updates and next steps on other issues that are on our legislative agenda.
Following the training, participants will make scheduled or unscheduled legislative visits with their own legislators and other key members, and sometimes attend committee meetings or take advantage of other timely opportunities.
Weekly Witness will take place in Murchison Chapel at First United Methodist Church, Austin (directions).
Check out the 2017 Texas Impact Legislative Priorities – https://texasimpact.org/Priorities
Weekly Schedule:
We will provide additional issues for emphasis in our next newsletter, or get them online.
Alms and Advocacy
Texas Impact serves as a resource to bridge the gap between you and your neighbors across the state. Through our Weekly Witness briefings, our Lobby Days at the Capitol, our Rapid Response Calls-to-Action, and more, we provide concrete ways for you to make a difference.
For the next forty days, join Texas Impact in our 2017 Lenten initiative “Alms and Advocacy.” Each day, we’ll be posting seasonal prayers, reflections and legislative calls to action on our Facebook page. We hope you’ll make use of these resources in your own Lenten discipline, and that you find advocacy for God’s children to be a meaningful addition to your spiritual practice. To commemorate the Lenten discipline of charitable giving, we encourage you to support our work financially as well.
Alms and Advocacy will culminate in Texas Interfaith Advocacy Day on April 20. Join people of all faiths at the Capitol to learn about the Legislature and advocate for issues that matter to you.
Join us on Sunday, April 2, 2017, 5:30p.m., Trinity Church of Austin for a dinner and silent auction to support the pantry and its mission to help alleviate hunger in our community. Tickets will go on sale in February/March 2017.
If you have a silent auction item to contribute please contact Stephanie at email below.
Other ways to help:
1. Volunteer once a month or more on Thursday or Friday a.m.
2. Coordinate a Food Drive through a group/work/community.
3. Randall’s Remarkable card holders: place #3830 on your card and donate to Hope. A Randall’s employee can help you.
Contact: Stephanie at info@hopefoodpantryaustin.org
“Changing Perceptions & Surviving the Texas Legislative Session”
Want to know more about effective legislative advocacy here in Texas? Join Rio Texas MFSA on Thursday, February 9 at Saint John’s UMC, 2140 Allandale Rd. Dr. Melody Chatelle will present “Changing Perceptions and Surviving the Texas Legislative Session”, ideas about effective advocacy and other tips about making a difference in the 2017 Texas Legislative session.
Dr. Chatelle is a well-respected and effective veteran of the national and state legislative arenas. Prior to forming Chatelle and Associates, her own political and communications consulting company in 1999, Melody worked for 12 years as Director and Vice President of Government Affairs for Mariner Post-Acute Network, the second largest post-acute health care company in the country. Before joining the health care industry in 1987, Melody served for 10 years in the Texas State Capitol as a legislative aide to a former Texas State Senator now serving in the United States Congress, as well as the Speaker of the Texas House of Representatives. Melody and her husband Eddie Zamora are members of University UMC.
Join us at 6:30p for snacks. The program begins at 7p. All are welcome.
An Open Letter to United Methodists in Texas and All People of Good Will
We, the United Methodist Bishops of the State of Texas, greet you in the love of Christ. We call upon those who claim the title “Christian” to remember that our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, began his life as a homeless refugee, fleeing with his family to Egypt (Matthew 2:13-15). Just as the Holy Family was forced to flee their homeland and seek safety, too many flee for their lives in our violent, terror-plagued world.
In the face of such human tragedy in our world today, we, the bishops of The United Methodist Church in Texas, call upon all United Methodists to see Christ in the refugees of today, regardless of their nationality and/or social, religious, economic, or political background.
We share with others a common sense of frustration, hopelessness, and confusion as we view the unfolding images of today’s refugees in the news. We desire to welcome the sojourner, love our neighbor, and stand with the most vulnerable among us, while also being concerned for the security and well-being of our communities, state, and nation. It is legitimate and proper to be concerned about the safety of our neighborhoods and our country. It is also proper and right that we reflect Christian compassion and values in our response. Jesus was explicit in his teachings when he said, “Whoever welcomes you welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me.” (Matthew 10:40).
We cannot let fear rule the day; we must let love champion our actions. We are a nation founded on immigration and forged by the courage of shared values to be a “light on the hill” and a beacon of hope in a broken world.
As Christians and as Texans, our values are grounded in respect and hospitality toward strangers. We recognize that these are difficult and complex times that call for the best of America’s values and our highest witness as followers of Jesus Christ. Accordingly, we call upon President Trump, Governor Abbott, and the leaders of our nation and state to seek a more compassionate response to immigrants and refugees. Joining with those who desire a safer America, we pray for a just and caring response to those most in need of our help and love.
Yours in Christ,
The United Methodist Bishops of the State of Texas
Bishop Earl Bledsoe, The Northwest Texas Conference (Northwest Texas-New Mexico Area)
Bishop Scott Jones, The Texas Conference (Houston Area)
Bishop Mike Lowry, The Central Texas Conference (Fort Worth Area)
Bishop Mike McKee, The North Texas Conference (Dallas Area)
Bishop Robert Schnase, The Rio Texas Conference (San Antonio Area)
– See more
(Friday, January 27)
We are gravely disappointed by the Executive Order issued today by President Trump to scale back the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program, including a complete stop in refugee arrivals for the next four months.
History has shown us time and again that America has been at its greatest when we have welcomed refugees to our shores, and at its weakest when we have shut our doors out of fear.
The horrific humanitarian consequences of this action cannot be overstated. Some refugees will be at risk of losing their lives – including some who may do so following their service to the U.S. military and other U.S. actions overseas. Some refugees, already approved for resettlement in the U.S., have sold all of their few remaining belongings in preparation for travel and after having already undergone up to two years of security vetting. They will now be left in limbo, waiting for a refuge once promised to them that now may never come.
Over 70% of these refugees are women and children, and over 70% of these individuals are coming to the U.S. to join family members who already live here. Separating families needlessly is cruel and un-American. They are not dangerous, and to claim otherwise is not only false but morally wrong.
By definition, refugees are people who face a threat to their safety in their former homes – they are distinctly non-violent. They personally know the horrors of violence and, like all Americans, they first want to be safe and secure. Being tough on terrorism does not require being tough on refugees. Even so, the U.S. has already in place the most stringent refugee security vetting process in the history of the world by any country and refugees are by far the most heavily vetted of all the individuals traveling to the U.S. This political action will leave Americans less safe, not more. It also undermines America’s principles of fair and equal treatment of all people around the world regardless of race, religion or country of origin – core tenets of the U.S. Constitution and the founding of our country.
This is why the enormously successful U.S. humanitarian refugee program has received significant bi-partisan support for decades – through many Presidents of both parties.
Because of its welcoming nature, Texas has been highly successful integrating refugees for many years. Over 85% of refugees resettled by Refugee Services of Texas achieve self-reliance within six months to become tax-paying contributors to their local communities and our country, and eventually American citizens.
We urgently request that President Trump rescind this Executive Order and demonstrate that America is not afraid of refugees. We respectfully ask him to show leadership and compassion for human rights and refugee protection during the current global refugee crisis—the largest of its kind since World War II.
Visit http://www.rstx.org/ to see how you can help!
UMC Bishop Joel Martinez Highlights Faith Communities’
Opposition to Sanctuary City Legislation
On January 25, 2017, Retired Bishop Joel Martinez joined the San Antonio Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and the Texas Mexican-American Legislative Caucus to speak out against new proposed immigration policies. You can watch the entire press conference on Youtube.
Dear Friends of iACT,
As we move into the second month of the new year, a number of challenges and difficulties face those of us who wish to welcome and have compassion for all of our neighbors. In the face of recent executive actions that have targeted the human rights of our immigrant, refugee, and Muslim brothers and sisters, the iACT Board of Directors has issued the following statement:
“It is often in times of challenge that we find ourselves at a loss for words, therefore many shout, scream or resort to violence in an effort to articulate their fears or anger. It is with this in mind that iACT intentionally chooses to use words. Words that heal. Words that unite. Words that renew our hope in humanity and the strength we find in our faith. We pray for all families and individuals who are challenged by uncertainty. We pray for the consolation and comfort of all who are displaced, and we embrace those who are isolated and alone. May we stand together, side by side, as we speak words of life, healing and love over the persons whose hands we hold. Amen.”
With this statement in mind, iACT and St. James’ Episcopal Church will be holding a Vigil of Commitment on Monday February 6 to show our solidarity with all of those who have been or will be affected by these newly established discriminatory mandates. The vigil will begin at 7pm at St. James’ (1941 Webberville Rd, Austin TX, 78721). Please share this event with your community, and be sure to RSVP.
Now, more than ever, we need to stand together as one community in love of our fellow human beings. With your support, iACT will continue to speak up for those who are most marginalized in our society. We thank you for standing with us. Stay strong.
See more.
Since the new administration has come into power, Texans across the state are taking action to stand up for social justice issues — we have come together, resisting the politics or fear and hate. We have seen a regressive legislative agenda in Texas in the past, but it seems even more hateful this year.
On Thursday, hundreds of people showed up at the state Capitol in organized resistance to testify against the Texas Legislature’s anti-immigrant, racial profiling legislation Senate Bill 4. And we need to keep up the fight.
Join the resistance and show the opponents in our Capitol this session that they don’t represent our values. Find an issue that’s important to you and register for an advocacy and resistance event (and tell your friends):
One example that you should be aware of is this:
No Ban, No Wall Rally at Texas State Capitol
Saturday, February 25 at 2:00 PM – 5:00 PM
TCADP 2017 Annual Conference
The TCADP 2017 Annual Conference – a must-attend event for anyone interested in ending the death penalty in Texas – will take place at St. David’s Episcopal Church in downtown Austin on Saturday, February 18, 2017. Take advantage of pre-registration rates until February 8, 2017.
If you can’t join us for the full day, consider purchasing a ticket for our awards luncheon and keynote address by Brian Stolarz. Stolarz served as habeas corpus counsel to Alfred Dewayne Brown, who was exonerated in June 2015 after spending 10 years on Texas’ death row. Stolarz’s book about his relationship with Brown, Grace and Justice on Death Row: The Race Against Time and Texas to Free an Innocent Man, is a Washington Post best-seller. Brown is the recipient of our 2017 Courage Award.
Here’s a preview of some of the workshop sessions we’ll be offering during the conference:
Online registration is now open! Take advantage of pre-registration rates between now and February 8, 2017.
Sponsorship, vendor opportunities and program advertisements are also available. Click here for the conference flyer.
Executions Scheduled in 2017
February 2: John Ramirez
February 7: Tilon Carter
March 7: Rolando Ruiz
March 14: James Bigby
April 12: Paul Storey
June 28: Steven Long
July 19: Kosoul Chanthakoummane
March 28: Join TCADP and Texas Impact at the State Capitol in Austin for our second Faith Leader Advocacy Day on the Death Penalty. Together, we will make sure legislators hear the loud and growing chorus of voices in opposition to the death penalty. Register online today.
Rio Texas Methodist Federation for Social Action