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Restorative Justice Summit In Austin
August 26, 2013 — Rio Texas MFSA|
National Vision Summit: Looking Toward the Future of Re-entry
The mission of the Vision Summit is to awaken and ignite communities to attain a unified vision and thriving re‐entry process that enables the incarcerated to amend their place in the world, by showcasing effective programs, listening to each other and networking to make future possibilities a reality today. Register at www.tcsheriff.org. The Vision Summit host hotel is: Holiday Inn, Austin Midtown, 6000 Middle Fiskville Rd. Austin, TX 78752. |
TCADP NEWS
August 26, 2013 — Rio Texas MFSA From our friends at the Texas Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty (http://tcadp.org/)Our summer newsletter was mailed to TCADP members in July and is now available online.
In June, the State of Texas carried out its 500th execution since 1982. Who were these 500 men and women and what do their executions say about our criminal justice system? Do the numbers match current attitudes in the U.S. and even in Texas? Read more about this Texas milestone. Last month, the Innocence Project and the National Association for Criminal Defense Lawyers announced an unprecedented agreement with the FBI and the Department of Justice to review more than 2,000 criminal cases in which the FBI conducted microscopic hair analysis of crime scene evidence. According to the Innocence Project, “the review will focus on specific cases in which FBI Laboratory reports and testimony included statements that were scientifically invalid.” Under the agreement, capital cases, particularly those with an execution date, will be given the highest priority. Cases where the defendant has been executed will also be part of the review. According to the Washington Post, the review has already identified 27 death penalty convictions “in which FBI forensic experts may have mistakenly linked defendants to crimes with exaggerated scientific testimony.” A new report from the ACLU, “A Death Before Dying: Solitary Confinement on Death Row,” chronicles conditions on death rows throughout the United States. According to the report, 93% of states lock away their death-row prisoners alone in their cells for 22-24 hours per day. TCADP Advisory Board Member Anthony Graves has written a blog and recorded a video to raise awareness of the report and the conditions he experienced while wrongfully incarcerated and held in solitary confinement on death row in Texas. September 11: Austin Membership Luncheon |
Join us on Wednesday, September 11 from 12:00 to 1:00 PM at The Egg and I Restaurant, Northcross Mall, as we launch our bi-monthly lunch series in Austin. Our guest speaker will be Dr. Marilyn Armour, an Associate Professor at The University of Texas at Austin and the Director of The Institute for Restorative Justice and Restorative Dialogue. Dr. Armour will discuss her recent publication “The Ultimate Penal Sanction and ‘Closure’ for Survivors of Homicide Victims,” in which she compares the impact of the ultimate penal sanction on victim survivors in a death penalty state (Texas) and a non-death penalty state (Minnesota).
Idea Camp – Human Care
August 26, 2013 — Rio Texas MFSA
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| The world is full of great ideas. What is lacking are methods for taking those ideas from dreams to reality. Based on the popular Ted Talks concept, Idea Camp is a process using traditional presentation plus the power of the internet and social media, to bring together the best thinkers, experts or everyday people who have great ideas but don’t have the infrastructure to share them, and provide a means of conversation, inspiration, and action. Idea Camp has selected First UMC to partner in their September Idea Camp on the topic of Human Care. Topics will include caring for the children of the world, caring for women in cultures where they are powerless, human trafficking, and how we care for the caregivers of the world to keep them from experiencing burnout. The Idea Camp is broadcast online during the event and videos remain online afterward to continue the dialogue and idea sharing. To see what has been done in the past, visit www.theideacamp.com.Idea Camp is open to anyone who is interested in these issues. Presenters include some First UMC members and staff as well as speakers from around the world. Anyone who is involved in managing an organization that deals with issues of human care will be inspired and renewed by attending. Idea Camp brings a fresh perspective on how to work toward the healing of the world. We will facilitate honest and field-centered conversations with leading thinkers and practitioners about the work of human care as well as an introspective look into the soul and health of the one providing care to others. We will also unpack how differences of gender, race, mental health, and age influence our approach to human care. Our desire is to support those who seek to live life as God’s loving expressions of grace and hope to our world through tangible acts of care for all of humanity. http://theideacamp.com/#register-a
Please help Austin know about this event by sharing it with others via your own social media and old fashioned face-to-face conversation.
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Bethany UMC Walk/Run To Benefit Clean Water Projects
August 26, 2013 — Rio Texas MFSA|
5K and 1 Mile Family Fun Walk/Run
Come join us for this no-frills 5K and 1 Mile Family Fun Walk to benefit clean water projects in Matete, Kenya. Walkers Welcome! Strollers Welcome! Digital timer for personal record. Inflatable! Music! Registration Closing Dates: Online: Wed, September 18, 2013 Packet Pick-Up: Thursday, Sep 19 or Friday, 20 Registration: $25 for 5K Race begins at the Cypress Pavilion at Brushy Creek Lake Park |
International Day of Peace, September 21
August 26, 2013 — Rio Texas MFSA|
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon Each year the International Day of Peace is observed around the world on 21 September. The General Assembly has declared this as a day devoted to strengthening the ideals of peace, both within and among all nations and peoples.The United Nations invites all nations and people to honor a cessation of hostilities during the Day, and to otherwise commemorate the Day through education and public awareness on issues related to peace. |
Nadia Bolz-Weber’s “Pastrix” Book Event – Austin
August 26, 2013 — Rio Texas MFSA Nadia Bolz-Weber’s “Pastrix” book event – with special guest Sara Miles! Friday, September 27th-Austin, TX
University UMC, 2409 Guadalupe Street, Austin, TX, 78705. www.uumc.org Event Time: 7:00-9:00pm Dear Friends, Event is free, but you will need a ticket. You also will have the option of a $5 registration that comes with $7 off the price of the book the night of the event. (For the Austin event only, I will be joined by my friend Sara Miles, author of Take This Bread, and Jesus Freak)
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REGISTER HERE: http://lifeinthetrinityministry.com/pastrixbooktour/registernow
TOXIC CHARITY
August 26, 2013 — Rio Texas MFSA Bob Lupton, Author of Toxic Charity, atSaint John’s UMC – September 28 Make plans to hear Toxic Charity author Bob Lupton speak on September 28, 2013 at Saint John’s UMC. Lupton, founder of a successful Atlanta-based non-profit that serves families in need, has developed mixed-income subdivisions, organized two multiracial congregations, created housing for hundreds of families, and initiated a wide range of human services in his community. In Toxic Charity, the author and speaker reveals the shockingly toxic effects that modern charity has upon the very people meant to benefit from it. The book also provides proven new models for charitable groups who want to help-not sabotage-those whom they desire to serve. Check future newsletters for more details. Questions? Call Sheri Jones, Director of Missions, at 452-5737 or email sheri@stjohnsaustin.org. To register, please click here. |
FAITHANDREASON Seminar – Houston
August 26, 2013 — Rio Texas MFSA“Does Christianity Have A FUTURE? Schism, Scandal, and Loss of the Sacred” OCTOBER 18 & 19
Marcus Borg Joan Chittister, OSB John Dominic Crossan Christ Church Episcopal Cathedral 1117 Texas Street Houston, TX 77002 jennifervail@faithandreason.org CLICK HERE for more information. |
Upholding the Discipline – by MFSA member Kevin Nelson
August 26, 2013 — Rio Texas MFSA MFSA Board of Directors member, Kevin Nelson, writes about the complexities of the UMC’s Book of Discipline: http://www.rmnblog.org/2013/08/upholding-the-book-of-discipline.html
“Upholding the Discipline” is less a matter of living in a world of black and white and applying the Discipline accordingly, and more a matter of embracing the ambiguities of a world of gray and seeking to identify the core principles/messages that can guide us in whatever we encounter.” |
MFSA Needs Your Help To Conduct Programs and Activities
August 26, 2013 — Rio Texas MFSA|
How to join or support MFSA Please join with us as we connect progressive United Methodists in putting faith into action!
There are several easy ways to join or support MFSA.
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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.
Rio Texas Methodist Federation for Social Action 