11:00am – 4:00pm

Equality Texas invites you to participate in YOUR government and to come to Austin on Monday, April 13, to meet face-to-face with those who represent YOU and talk to them about how the freedoms we value as Texans are affected by discrimination in based on bias against sexual orientation and gender identity or expression.

Advanced registration is required in order to prepare constituent-matched materials and make strategic lobbying team assignments. Equality Texas will provide lunch.

Every year, BeadforLife helps more than a thousand women, who in turn support more than 8,000 family members living in extreme poverty. After graduating from the program, women are able to spend twice as much on food, education and housing as they were before they began. Check out the BeadforLife website at https://www.beadforlife.org.

Allies Against Slavery

The Slave-Free City Summit

Fri, Apr 17, 2015 8:00am – Sat, Apr 18, 2015 9:00pm

For the City Center

500 E St Johns Ave.  Austin, TX, 78752

A two-day gathering of leaders, survivors, practitioners and community members who want to deepen the conversation about working together to create lasting solutions to slavery. Register here! http://www.alliesagainstslavery.org/upcoming-events/2015/4/14/the-slave-free-city-summit

The Slave-Free City Summit is powered by Allies Against Slavery and is a unique gathering that focuses on the issue of human trafficking and slavery in the United States.  Allies believes that a Slave-Free City is made possible when stakeholders from eight key sectors across public, private, and volunteer domains of that city come together to contribute unique insight, skills, and resources to create opportunities and solutions at those very intersections. That cross-sector coordination is the focus of the Summit: creating solutions and opportunities at the intersections of society.  The Summit addresses the topics such as the disruption of unjust systems, race, history, art, faith, immigration, transitional justice, tech, enterprise, and other issues that intersect with the problem of human trafficking in the United States.

Date: February 5, 2015

Time: 7:00 pm  to  9:00 pm

Location: Terrazas Branch, Austin Public Library, 1105 E. Cesar Chavez St., Austin, 78702

“Blue Gold: World Water Wars” examines how humans are polluting, diverting, pumping, and wasting the limited supply of fresh water at an expediential level as population and technology grows. The rampant overdevelopment of agriculture, housing, and industry increase the demands for fresh water well beyond the finite supply, resulting in the desertification of the earth. Corporate giants force developing countries to privatize their water supply for profit. Wall Street investors target desalination and mass bulk water export schemes. Corrupt governments use water for economic and political gain. Military control of water emerges and a new geo-political map and power structure forms, setting the stage for world water wars.

The screening is sponsored by the Humanities Institute at the University of Texas and the Austin Public Library.

– See more here.

Date: February 14, 2015

Time: 6:00 pm  to  8:00 pm

Location: Women’s Community Center of Central Texas, 1704 San Antonio St. Austin, 78701

Mamas of Color Rising and the Women’s Community Center are hosting a screening of the documentary “We Always Resist: Trust Black Women” and a discussion on reproductive justice issues.

The 24-minute film provides a history of the struggle for reproductive justice, showing how black women have always considered reproductive rights and justice a fundamental part of how they defined liberation for themselves and their communities.

The suggested donation is $5. Free childcare is available, and there will be a potluck before the screening. Doors open at 5:30 pm.

Donations will help young women of color on the Center’s staff and in the community attend “Color of Violence 4/Beyond the State: Inciting Transformative Possibilities,” a conference focusing on ending violence without relying on policing, mass incarceration, and restrictive legislation.

– See more here.

Date: February 22 & Feb 23, 2015

Time: 6:00 pm  to  8:00 pm

The film will be shown in two parts, Saturday and Sunday nights, starting at 6 pm both nights.

Location: MonkeyWrench Books, 110 E. North Loop, Austin, 78751

Spike Lee’s film dramatizes Malcolm X’s journey from street criminal to intellectual and political activist, including his time in prison, conversion to Islam, ministry with the Nation of Islam and falling out with the organization, pilgrimage to Mecca, reevaluation of his views concerning whites, and his assassination on February 21, 1965.

Denzel Washington was nominated for an Academy Award for his starring role in the 1992 film, which was based on the book The Autobiography of Malcolm X, a collaboration between Alex Haley and Malcolm X.

– See more here.

Past participants of the Red Bench host trainings have reported receiving valuable information that improved their personal communication and listening skills. Training does not obligate you to host, but it is a great skill in learning how to facilitate a respectful conversation.

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Friends in Faith Luncheon

Wednesday, February 25 at 11:30am – 1:00pm

Chez Zee, 5406 Balcones Dr.

iACT will be hosting their fourth annual Friends in Faith Luncheon for the local faith leaders as a way to help nourish and support their growth, as well as to connect and encourage them in building relationships with other faith leaders in our community.

iACT is committed to connecting Austin’s diverse faith communities and promoting healthy interfaith relationships. They are devoted to strengthening these relationships and bringing in new faith communities.”

http://mfsaweb.org/?page_id=212

MFSA Progressive Voice is available for download at:

http://mfsaweb.org/wp-content/uploads/TPV_draft_April4(1).pdf

Current Faith in Action from General Board of Church & Society –

http://umc-gbcs.org/faith-in-action

 Reconciling Ministries newsletter:  http://www.rmnetwork.org

Please join with us as we connect progressive United Methodists in putting faith into action!

Membership in MFSA is not predicated on ability to pay.  We do not have “dues”.  However, our Chapter and the National Office need funding each year for programs and activities.  Membership gifts and special giving are always appreciated. MFSA is classified as a 501(c)(3) organization by the IRS.   Membership gifts to MFSA are tax deductible as provided by law.

There are several easy ways to join or support MFSA.

·       You can log onto the national MFSA website, http://www.mfsaweb.org and follow the instructions there (you can safely use a credit card). Please indicate that you are part of the Rio Texas Chapter.

·       Or, you can mail a check made out to “Rio Texas MFSA” to our Treasurer, Janice Curry, at 1509 Mearns Meadow Blvd, Austin 78758.  The suggested donation is $60, but any amount is welcome.  Thanks for your support!

Historically, we have had eight monthly chapter meetings per year, generally on the second Thursday of the month (this may change in the future).  We communicate using monthly electronic newsletters & updates to our website and Facebook page.