Interfaith Action of Central Texas is having its 32nd annual Interfaith Thanksgiving Service!
Free and open to the public, all are welcome. Come join fellow Austinites of every faith tradition at St. James Missionary Baptist Church as we celebrate what we are thankful for together. If you plan to attend, please RSVP!
Sunday, November 20, 2016, 3:00 pm
Download the full sized event poster to share with your community!
DO YOUR HOLIDAY SHOPPING WITH US!
Manchaca UMC -41st Annual Craft Show
· Saturday November 12, 2016 from 10 am – 4 pm
· Sunday November 13, 2016 from 8am – 10:30 am and then from 12:30pm – 2 pm
· In the Family Life Center
· Quilts and wall hangings for all occasions
· Ornaments and wreaths
· Fall and Thanksgiving decorations
· Gifts for all seasons
· Silent Auction and drawing items
· Baked goods
Special Theme Tables: North Woods, Santa, Snowmen, Angels, Kitchen Items, Pets, and more!
Lunch available on Saturday only.
Admission is free! Plenty of free parking.
Click HERE for information about the Craft Group
Allies Against Slavery Market
Sunday, December 4 – 11am -6pm
1100 E 5th St. – Austin
Now in its 7th year, the Allies Market is the perfect place to shop for the holidays while also doing good. The vendors and artisans we feature at the Market are dedicated to bringing you beautiful products that are also good for people and the earth.
The Market is free to attend and will include food, games and fun for the entire family. So come enjoy yourself and shop for art, jewelry, music, clothing, purses, bags, toys, cosmetics, coffee, housewares and other gifts.
Scheduled executions: Texas will end 2016 with fewest executions in 20 years
Announcements: Register today for the TCADP 2017 Annual Conference; join us at the State Capitol next year for the 2017 Faith Leader Advocacy Day on the Death Penalty
In case you missed it: Part II of Fair Punishment Project report cites systemic problems in Dallas County; Texas Catholic Bishops issue powerful statement against the death penalty; national momentum for abolition
From the Texas Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty; more here.
Join United Methodist Women from all over Texas in Austin for three days of learning, engagement, and advocacy. The UMW Legislative Event is an informative and inspiring event that is right here in Austin, January 22-24, 2017. You can attend all three days or any part of the event. The 2017 keynote speakers are the Hon. Leticia Van de Putte and the Hon. Hope Andrade! Register by January 6 to get the early bird registration price.29th Annual Legislative Event
UNITED METHODIST WOMEN IN TEXAS
Program planned and produced by Texas Impact
JANUARY 22-24, 2017
Austin, Texas
The Way Texas Works
Join Women from All Around the State
To Engage Issues That Matter
To get the early-bird registration price, register by January 6.
Register at: https://texasimpact.org/content/2017-united-methodist-womens-legislative-event-registration-now-open
The Equal Justice Initiative (EJI) plans to build a national memorial to victims of lynching and open a museum that explores African American history from enslavement to mass incarceration. Both the museum and memorial will be located in Montgomery, Alabama. Bryan Stevenson, author of Just Mercy and founder and Executive Director of the Equal Justice Initiative, talked about this when he spoke to 900 people in Austin, TX. There is interest in Austin to participate in this project. Stay tuned for more information.
From Enslavement to Mass Incarceration will be situated within 150 yards of one of the South’s most prominent slave auction sites and the Alabama River dock and rail station where tens of thousands of enslaved black people were trafficked. The museum will contain high-tech exhibits, artifacts, recordings, and films, as well as comprehensive data and information on lynching and racial segregation. The museum will connect the history of racial inequality with contemporary issues of mass incarceration, excessive punishment, and police violence.
The Memorial to Peace and Justice will sit on six acres of land in Montgomery and become the nation’s first national memorial to victims of lynching. The massive structure will contain the names of over 4000 lynching victims engraved on concrete columns representing each county in the United States where racial terror lynchings took place. Counties across the country will be invited to retrieve duplicate columns with the names of each county’s lynching victims to be placed in every county.
In February 2015, EJI released Lynching in America: Confronting the Legacy of Racial Terror, a ground-breaking report that documents more than 4000 lynchings of black people in the United States between 1877 and 1950. EJI identified several hundred more lynchings than had previously been recognized. For a copy of the full report, please contact EJI. A summary of the report is available here.
The national memorial to lynching victims will be one of the nation’s most ambitious projects relating to the history of racial terror lynchings. EJI has purchased six acres of land atop a rise that overlooks the City of Montgomery and out to the American South, where terror lynchings were most prevalent.
The ministry Voices of Tamar is a body of women and men working together from varied congregations and organizations in the greater Austin area (developed by The Social Action Committee of Wesley United Methodist Women in 2011). Their goal is to bring awareness to issues of domestic violence and sexual assault in communities of faith, as well as the extended Austin community.
On October 13, 2016 the Rio Texas Methodist Federation for Social Action will host Voices of Tamar and they will present Purple Ribbons of Hope, a domestic violence and sexual assault awareness program led by Debra J. Johnson, PhD, Coordinator of the Voices of Tamar Ministry at Wesley UMC.
The program will be held at St. John’s UMC Austin.
The discussion will conclude with participants personalizing purple ribbons.
October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month. Remember to display or wear purple!
Join us at 6:30p for snacks. The program begins at 7p. All are welcome.
‘NIGHT IN GAZA: A DOCTOR’S JOURNEY’, featuring Dr. Mads Gilbert
Friday, October 7th – Reception at 6:00, Presentation at 7:00pm
at St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church, 14311 Wells Port Drive, Austin
Dr. Mads Gilbert is a Norwegian doctor and head of Emergency Medicine at the University of North Norway. Dr. Gilbert dropped everything and rushed to Gaza in the midst of its assault by Israel and worked alongside Palestinian doctors around the clock to treat the injured. He did this in 2006, ’08, ’11, and ’14, until he was permanently banned from entering by Israel, which described his work as a threat to its security! In this presentation he shares his experiences on the front lines of war, shares stories about Palestinian resilience and lessons he’s learnt from his colleagues and his patients, and concludes with the role of the global community and our responsibility to push for peace with justice.
The reception features Middle Eastern appetizers, Palestinian sage tea and book signing.
Limited seating: click here to get your tickets now! $30 / students $15
Proceeds benefit KinderUSA’s humanitarian relief efforts for the children in Palestine.
The Interfaith Community for Palestinian Rights seeks peace with justice for the Palestinian people and calls for the fulfillment of their human rights in accordance with international law and UN resolutions, including the inalienable right of refugees to return to their homes.
State of Texas executes Barney FullerYesterday, the State of Texas carried out its first execution in six months, putting Barney Fuller to death for the 2003 murders of his neighbors, Nathan and Annette Copeland, in Houston County. Fuller pled guilty to the crime and has waived further appeals in his case, ordering his attorneys not to file any additional legal challenges. In June, a federal judge deemed him competent to drop his appeals. Fuller is 58 years old.
According to the Texas Tribune, Fuller’s execution will mark the first time Houston County (about 100 miles north of Houston) has put someone to death since the penalty was reinstated in the United States in 1976.
According to Rob Dunham with the Death Penalty Information Center, 143 people have been executed in the United States after giving up their appeals. This represents just under 10% of U.S. executions since 1977. In Texas, 29 people have been executed after forfeiting their appeals. This includes Daniel Lopez, who was put to death in August 2015 at the age of 27 after spending 5 1/2 years on death row.
The State of Texas has put six people to death in 2016. Eight individuals have received stays.
From the Texas Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty; more here.
Rev. Dr. Robin R. Meyers, a nationally known UCC pastor, philosophy professor, peace activist, and the author of seven books about progressive Christianity and American society, will be the guest lecturer at University UMC-Austin on November 4-5.
Special Weekend with Robin Meyers
Fri. Nov. 4, 7 pm
Lecture: “From Galilean Sage to Supernatural Savior: The Heresy of Orthodoxy”
Sat. Nov. 5, 9 am to 12 pm
Lecture: “The Underground Church: Reclaiming the Subversive Way of Jesus”
Workshop: “What kind of church would you find irresistible?”
Watch for Pumpkin Patches in October at area churches:
Austin: Bethany UMC, Manchaca UMC, St Mark UMC, Saint John’s UMC, Tarrytown UMC, and Buda UMC & more!
St. Mark UMC – Market Day
St. Mark United Methodist Church 601 W. Braker Lane (512) 836-5747 Saturday, October 22, 2016 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. Craft Booths *** Plant Sale Bake Sale *** Entertainment *** BBQ Sale *** Pumpkin Patch *** Just in time for Halloween!!!
The third annual Building Green Justice Forum will be held on October 13th on the Huston-Tillotson University campus in the Dickey-Lawless Auditorium. This year’s theme is “Race, Health, and the Environment.” The event is free and open to all. More information and the RSVP located here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/building-green-justice-2016-tickets-25634314926
Huston-Tillotson University will host the third annual Building Green Justice Forum, this year focusing on “Race, Health, and the Environment” from scientific, sociological, political, and historical perspectives.
Keynote speakers include Mario Sims, social epidemiologist with the Jackson Heart Study and a professor in the University of Mississippi’s Department of Medicine, addressing the Jackson study’s research on the greater prevalence of cardiovascular disease among African Americans and the reasons for the disparity.
Also delivering a keynote address will be Paula Flores-Gregg from the Environmental Protection Agency and the Rev. Eugene Keahey, pastor of the Mount Zion Missionary Baptist Church, who will discuss the fight for environmental justice in Sandbranch, a community southeast of Dallas that has been battling for water rights for over 30 years.
Workshops will feature activists, community members, students, and researchers working on issues of environmental justice and health.
The forum is sponsored by Green is the New Black, The Dumpster Project, and the Third Coast Activist Resource Center. For more information, contact Karen Magid, kmagid@htu.edu or Amanda Masino, ammasino@htu.edu.
Rio Texas Methodist Federation for Social Action 