Category: News

Interfaith Action of Central Texas (iACT) is hosting a family-friendly service of thanks and celebration Sunday, November 24, 3 pm, at First Baptist Church of Austin, 901 Trinity St, Austin.

A reception will follow the service at 4:30 pm. Bring a dish to share, ready to serve and labeled for those with dietary restrictions. No pork or shellfish, please. To learn more about iACT, visit interfaithtexas.org.

Saturday, November 23, 9:00 AM – 9:00 PM. Travis County Exposition Center, 7311 Decker Lane Austin, TX 78724. Admission is $7 for adults and FREE for children under 12.  

Grand Entrance will begin around 10:00 am, followed by drumming, singing, & dancing.          

Native Marketplace with traditional & contemporary art for sale, all by registered Native American artists & craftsmen. Be sure to try some FRYBREAD!

For Information: https://austinpowwow.net

A huge thank-you to everyone who assisted with and attended the Advent Event on November 17.

On Sunday, November 24, Pastor Bob Karli will present a session on Stewardship as the next installment of our Better Know a Ministry series, 9 am in the Parlor. Anne Wiebe will lead Children’s Faith Formation with a session on Christ the King, 9 am in the Library.

On Sunday, December 1, Leigh Northcutt-Benson and Erin McCracken will present a session on RIC, DEI and the FELC Racial Justice Task Force, 9 am in the Parlor. LaRu Woody will lead Children’s Faith Formation with a session on Zachariah, 9 am in the Library.   

Micah 6 of Austin has been selected as one of the local beneficiaries of the 2025 CROP Hunger Walk, scheduled for Sunday, March 2, 2025, at Camp Mabry. 

The CROP Hunger Walk is a nationwide movement sponsored by Church World Service to raise funds to end hunger and poverty in the U.S. and around the world. CROP is the oldest charity walk in Austin. The first Austin Walk was in 1970, and people of all faiths have walked to raise money to fight hunger and displacement every year since 1979. Individuals or teams secure pledges from friends and family for each mile they walk. Local beneficiaries of the walk are represented to educate participants about the work done locally to combat hunger and help settle people who have been displaced.

Micah 6 and FELC are looking for a coordinator for the 2025 CROP Hunger Walk. Support and resources are available to help coordinators and team captains, and your work will contribute directly to one of FELC’s benevolence partners. CROP Hunger Walk is a great community building event for all ages. To learn more about the event or serving as coordinator, visit https://austincrophungerwalk.org/ or contact Andy MacLaren, andymaclaren@cs.com.

Love Notes Chorus presents, This and That: A collection of songs including pop, folk, jazz, swing, Broadway, and more!

December 7, 2024, 2:00 pm. St. Matthew’s Episcopal Church, 8134 Mesa Dr, Austin, TX 78759. The concert is Free. Donations are deeply appreciated. Overflow parking is available at Westover Hills Church of Christ.

The Chorus is made up of people with varying stages of memory loss, caregivers, and volunteers.  If you know of someone experiencing memory loss or other cognitive issues, or people who serve as caregivers, that would benefit from singing in a group choral setting, email musicmemoriesaustin@gmail.com.

To learn more, visit https://www.lovenoteschorus.com/.

Being an unpaid caregiver means accepting responsibility for assisting another adult with the activities of daily living, at home or at a distance. This can be very rewarding, knowing that God is enabling you to love, sometimes sacrificially. It can also be very isolating. Even motivated by love, there can be moments of resentment and dismay.

If you are an unpaid caregiver, we invite you to join our support ministry, the FELC Caregiver’s Circle. We meet online Monday, November 25, and every 4th Monday, 7-8:30 p.m.  Participants pledge strict confidentiality to one another, allow time for each person to share as much or as little as desired, hear about available resources, exchange ideas, and take time for prayer and meditation.

Contact Barbara Wiederaenders, bwiederaenders@att.net, to receive the Zoom link and to learn more. All are welcome!

On November 18, the Council met and heard important information shared from guests Andy MacLaren about Micah 6, Merrily Porter about the Child Development Center, Joe Cain about the draft budget and Claudia Barlow about Administration Committee efforts to more clearly define the Cantor duties. 

Micah 6 is facing challenges of functioning at capacity considering space and volunteer availability as well as street construction obstacles in the area.  Central Texas Food Bank has less food to offer and no longer delivers. APD continues to provide security. Volunteers are encouraged to assist with a variety of operations.

The Child Development Center saw a modest increase in enrollment and greatly appreciates the congregational response to their appeal for assistance. They continue to watch carefully and hope that further enrollment will happen to allow them to be sustainable. All are encouraged to spread the word!

Joe Cain presented a draft budget and fielded questions about it.  The Council voted to approve the draft budget for presentation to the congregation in January.

The Administration Committee announced that Bryan Rust has been officially offered the position of Cantor and has accepted that responsibility. Bryan has stepped into the breach over the past several years and taken on many duties well beyond the scope of his job as Cantor. After a review of the Cantor Job Description, the Administration Committee recommends that we release the Cantor from duties not associated with that role. Going forward, Bryan will be disentangled from the extra duties that have fallen on him. We will be working on a smooth transition so that the Cantor position can be more fully realized. Plans for a “Cantorcelebration” are in the works for mid-December.”

Ministry team reports were received and reviewed.  

The Organizational Chart now reflects some suggestions made at the Ministry Roundtable event on November 10. Further defining each ministry’s purpose is ongoing.

A nominating committee was ratified for identifying future Church Council members. Nancy Neuse and Leigh Northcutt-Benson will co-chair the committee of Mari Ward, Fritz Woody and Shannon Aguirre.

Respectfully submitted,
Nancy Baden, Council Secretary

On Sunday, November 17, all are welcome to the FELC Advent Event immediately following worship. Join us for a simple meal and a contemplative exploration of Advent themes of watching, waiting, and wondering. This annual intergenerational event will be hosted by the Learning Ministry and Hospitality teams. All ages are welcome to participate!

Click here for October financials.

Sunday, November 17, we welcome back to FELC Vicar # 46 (2012-2013), Pastor Alex LaChapelle, as our preaching & presiding minister. Pastor Alex is in Austin for the national Progressive Youth Ministry Conference, which now makes its home with FELC neighbor, Austin Presbyterian Seminary. The Progressive Youth Ministry strives to be a space of connection and collaboration for youth workers seeking to lead young people into a faith that’s compassionate, just, and inclusive in the ways of Jesus. Pastor Alex is currently called to Prince of Peace Lutheran in Harvey, Michigan. Previously Pastor Alex served as associate pastor of St. Luke’s Lutheran in Park Ridge, Illinois; as country coordinator in Southern Africa and Tanzania for the ELCA Young Adults in Global Mission program; and as pastor of Nairobi International Lutheran in Kenya. Pastor Alex completed undergraduate studies in theology at Concordia University Chicago and, in 2014, received a Master of Divinity degree from The Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago.