First English Lutheran Church | Austin, Texas
God Loves. We Love. Everyone!
Gather is a community for Young Adults in the Austin-area that meets across ELCA congregations here & beyond! We invite any 22-35 years old to join us for food, fellowship and faith formation. Gather meets the first Thursday of every month.
Gather is hosting a Friendgivingmas on December 3rd in the afternoon. The next meeting is Thursday, December 7th at 6:30 pm at the Triumphant Love Lutheran Church. If you have any questions or want more information, email gatheraustin@gmail.com
As you have no doubt noticed, our church grounds are getting a much-needed and long overdue facelift. The property team is working from the master landscape plan that was designed a year or so ago, with some modifications to ensure sustainability in our changing environment. To date, trees have been pruned, the old dead groundcover, shrubs, and weeds have been cleared away, plumbing for a new sprinkler system has been installed, and soil and edging have been delivered. A crew of volunteers met late in October to weed flowerbeds and spread the soil. This week we will have the first round of plants delivered.
There is a workday scheduled for this Saturday, November 11 at 8:30am to begin planting. If you like to garden and get your hands dirty, please join us to help out! Bring gloves and a shovel if you can. Contact Gwen Flory for more information.
You may have noticed wall and floor cracks having returned inside the church. These result from natural, cyclical changes in the moisture content of the underlying expansive soil that supports some parts of the building. The floor diselevation and resulting cracks have been ongoing concerns for decades. [If you want to know more about expansive soil, please see me.]
To my knowledge, part of the concrete floor of the transept was repaired at least once before 1963, the narthex floor was replaced in the 1980s (?) by member Clifton Lind, the nave floor was releveled by pressure grouting in 1992-1995 under the direction of professional engineer Martin Prager, and the floor at the south aisle was releveled by pressure grouting in 2018 by Concrete Raising Corporation.
Professional engineer Robert C. Davis of Trinity Engineering Testing Corp. conferred about the floor movement in the 1970s. I was unable to find a copy of his report in the Trinity archives, probably because he did the work gratis. He did not recommend structural repairs. He explained that the upper soil stratum at the south side of the building was Waller Creek alluvium of varying concentrations of gravel, sand, silt, and clay. These deposits had carved into the underlying Austin Formation atop which most of downtown Austin sits. Expansive soil does develop atop the Austin Formation, and my experience at Hyde Park to the north has been that the underlying limestone can be as shallow as 5 feet. In the case of the nave, the north parts mostly are unremarkable, and floor movement damage worsens with distance southward, consistent with the soil characteristics and thicknesses Dr. Davis described.
My opinion is that the expansive soil behavior has worsened in magnitude proportional to the worsening drought conditions. Expansive soil swells when it is wet and shrinks when it is dry. The cyclic movement never stops. There is more expansive soil at the south of the building than at the north. The soil-supported interior slab moves more than the walls and columns that instead are supported by concrete pilings (columns) atop footings 9′ to 12′ deep.
A professional engineering reassessment could provide more timely counsel than that received over fifty years ago, especially considering that the structure was designed and built with a 1930s-vintage understanding of soil mechanics, and that climate extremes have worsened. Modern site-specific soil sampling and laboratory analyses could provide the data needed to rigorously understand the soil stratigraphy and characteristics, to evaluate the current soil conditions, to project future soil behavior, and to guide remediation choices.
Maestro Peter Bay of the Austin Symphony Orchestra conducts Zamora Orchestra at the VASI album release concert on Sunday, November 12 at 7:00 PM at the Paramount Theatre. This will be a beautiful evening of original romantic ballads, soothing melodies, and high energy rhythm. Experience the signature hybrid sound of FELC’s very own Oliver Rajamani drawn from his personal cultural elements (Romani (Gypsy)/India/classic Texas Americana). Celebrate with us Oliver’s first concert in Austin after 4 years. For more information and to secure tickets, visit: https://tickets.austintheatre.org/9538/9539
As you can see on our Calendar, LaRu Woody will be teaching Children’s Faith Formation this Sunday on the Parable of the Sower. The Advent Workshop will be held after worship on Sunday, November 19. More events are forthcoming–do take a look at our calendar for events through the end of Epiphany 2024. If you have questions or would like to add to this calendar, please contact Betsy Appleton. If you don’t know how to contact Betsy, the church office can put you in touch with her.
Especially to honor Mary and baby Jesus, in this Advent season!
Austin Diaper Bank says they are looking for any of the following:
There is a big box in the Fellowship Hall to collect donations, now through Nov. 19.
THANK YOU!
On October 4th, five of our Siblings joined Pastor J in attending SOGIE (sexual orientation, gender identity, and [gender] expression) education with ReconcilingWorks. It was a marvelous gathering opportunity with the Director of ReconcilingWorks, Aubrey Thonvold, and some Siblings from around the country to explore the ministry of hospitality as it relates to intention and sharing love for Siblings that are living in a different space on the spectrum of humanity than I, or you, or we, might be! Pastor J will be looking at additional opportunities to engage you in this educational experience and we’re looking ahead at our next community education time: November 4, 2023, 11AM to 3:30PM:Building an Inclusive Church. The registration cost is $75; please reach out to Pastor J if you would like financial assistance to attend. See the group’s reflections on our time together here.
Create a better world through contemplative activism! Please join The 787 Collective of Education Beyond the Walls at Austin Seminary in partnership with Austin non-profit Six Square for an in-person workshop on the sacred practice of creatio divina. This workshop offers attendees tools for integrating spiritual care with anti-racism advocacy. Haitian-American multi-disciplinary artist Carmelle Beaugelin Caldwell will guide lay and clergy faith leaders, activists, community leaders, social justice advocates, entrepreneurs, artists, and seminarians in somatic exercise, art-making, and reflection to deepen relationship with self, community, and the Divine. Each attendee will leave feeling refreshed and equipped to share practices for spiritual renewal and contemplative activism with their respective communities. Best of all, registration supports a worthy cause: your donation will benefit Six Square’s mission to preserve Austin’s Black Cultural District. Read more about the mission, vision, and history of Six Square here. Attendees will receive continental breakfast, refreshments, and Creatio Divina art kits.
IN PERSON
Space is limited. Registration closes at 5:00 p.m. on October 6.
Date: October 14, 9:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
Location: Wright Hall, Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary
Audience: Lay and clergy faith leaders, community leaders, social justice advocates/activists, entrepreneurs, artists, congregations, and seminarians.
Cost: Make a tangible step toward change. Because this workshop encourages attendees to practice anti-racism, we invite you to join us in donating $15, $30, or $50 to Austin non-profit Six Square. Your donation will directly support Six Square’s mission to promote and preserve African American cultural heritage in Austin through a variety of initiatives, including educational programs, community events, and preservation efforts of historic sites. As you complete your registration, simply choose the donation amount that feels right for you and follow the easy steps to complete your transaction securely. Your donation will not only help to preserve African American cultural heritage in Austin for generations to come, but it will also make a statement that you stand with us in supporting diversity and inclusion in our community.
Day-of Schedule:
9:00 a.m. – 9:30 a.m. — Continental Breakfast
9:30 a.m. – Noon — Workshop and Six Square Presentation
Noon – 1:00 p.m. — Optional Networking Hour
More information here.
Join us in the parlor on Sunday, September 24, during hospitality time to make cards for our transgender and LGBTQ+ siblings. Several of us from FELC participated in a God’s Work, Our Hands event with Technicolor Ministries doing this and we had so much fun that we thought it would be great to do it again as a group after church. We will have cards for you to color and sign along with markers and colored pencils. Please join us for a few minutes after church on the 24th. If you have any questions, please contact Claudia Barlow at capbarlow@gmail.com.
As we welcome and celebrate the reopening of the First English Lutheran Child Development Center (FELCDC) this week (21Aug: and in thanksgiving for the Director and CDC Board’s investment of time and management) we also want to uplift the safety of our youngest friends in the CDC. We want to let everyone know that we can’t wander through the church building/campus while the Center is operating. Doors from the kitchen to the Fellowship Hall and from the Parlor to the Fellowship Hall are locked, Monday through Friday, 7:30 AM to 6:00 PM. You are welcome to come to the office by way of the Parish House entrance on Whitis Avenue. While it’s always a good idea to schedule gathering space with our spiritual, worship, and administrative staff, we’re typically on site, together, on Wednesdays and Thursdays, 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM, weekly should something come up with which we can offer partnership. 512-478-1933 | Pastor: pastor@felcaustin.org | Office Manager: office@felcaustin.org | Music Director: music@felcaustin.org