Category: News

Sunday Symposium December 18, 2022

For this month’s Third Sunday Symposium we will consider the ELCA Social Message called “The Body of Christ and Mental Illness.” Mental health needs are growing in our nation and the church can be a place where stigma is removed and help and support offered. Join us for a conversation on the place of mental health in our lives, the impact of mental illness on all of us, and a look toward how we can be companions with others on the journey of mental health.

You can preview the ELCA Social Message on The Body of Christ and Mental Illness here.

Sunday Symposium meets in the parlor after hospitality.

A booklet is now available with information about the artist of our saints icons, Kelly Latimore, and information about each saint. Copies of the booklet are available in the Chapel of the Saints and outside in the hallway of the north entrance of the nave . A digital copy is available here.

The Micah 6 of Austin ministry is a series of services supporting young adults 30 and younger who are street dependent. Serving on and near the UT campus, there are drop-in times on Saturday and Sunday afternoons. Computer labs, a hot, home cooked meal, snacks, basic clothing, TV, a laundry, and toiletries are provided. 

Together, the Micah 6 partner churches, including FELC, and additional individuals have served more than 10,000 meals in over ten years.  A safe place out of the elements and some essential services (that most of us take for granted!) is a keystone of this ministry.

Ryan Valentine, treasurer of Micah 6 Austin, reports that the overall financial health remains strong at the end of November.

• Plenty of cash in the bank – meaning Micah 6 has strong cash reserves into next year;
• We’ve experienced a dip in fundraising this year;
• Lower staff and food costs means a good year-end that is likely to close the gap. We anticipate finishing 2022 close to revenue-neutral.

Micah 6 wishes everyone in the partner churches a merry Christmas!

Please consider making a year-end donation to this important ministry of FELC.  Contact Andy MacLaren at 512-947-4186 or andymaclaren@cs.com with any questions about Micah 6.  Thanks for the continued support and engagement.

Immigrants and refugees find support of various kinds at Casa Marianella, including shelter, food, clothing, legal and medical resources, English classes, and more.  Started in 1986 with one residence, the agency has expanded to 3 additional neighboring houses for men and women with children and 4 houses for women with children (Posada Esperanza).

Serving several hundred immigrants each year, the goal of Casa Marianella is to promote self-sufficiency and provide for emergency and/or transitional needs. 

As the 2022 holiday season approaches, it is our desire to help those who are in need. We are asking you to participate again and have added an additional opportunity to put a smile on a person’s face.

1. Casa Marianella operates three shelters for culturally and racially diverse refugees. Each year we ask what items are needed. The influx of new refugees arrive with little clothing so we are asking that you open your closets to find winter coats, jackets, blanketsfor our donation boxes. This year men’s denim jeans and black slacks (work clothing) are needed. All items must be clean and in good condition.  Thrift store items are welcome as long as they are clean.
2. Oakcrest Nursing and Rehabilitation Center (ONRC) is in need. ONRC is a 67-bed facility with 80% Medicaid recipients. Many of the residents have guardians because no family members are actively involved in their care. In conjunction with FELC’s Racial Justice ministry & Vision of Hope AME Church, we want to support elderly residents of this nursing home in east Austin at 9808 Crofford Lane, 78724. The items needed by residents are sweaters of all sizes, multiple genders. Also needed are shawls and throws for the bed. These items, along with a Christmas card, can bring cheer to weary hearts. Please bring your donations now through Sunday, December 11 to the labeled boxes in the Fellowship Hall. 

Volunteers will sort and prepare for delivery to Oakcrest Nursing Center on Sunday, December 18.  There will even be Christmas Caroling that day

Please refer questions regarding these projects to Pat Thomas via text at 512-574-3490.

May this clothing provide warmth and care to bodies and spirits in need.

All Ages Classroom

Join Pastor Coffey for Holy Moly Sunday School on Sundays, December 11, & 18 at 9 AM in the library. This is an all-ages gathering (through 5^th grade) for bringing Bible stories to life. We’ll be engaging the story of Christmas on these Sundays.

Each lesson includes a video, coloring sheet, and leaflet for use in class. There is also a family sheet to engage with children on the same story, enhancing their learning and building faith formation practices in the home. Families can also share the lesson online.

Wednesday, December 14 at 7:00 PM

As we anticipate the celebration of the birth of the Savior, join us for an evening service when we can listen to Scripture passages and poetry that encourage us to move through fear in faith. We gather in song, silence, prayer, and community.

We gather in person and livestream on YouTube here.

https://www.felcaustin.org/wp-content/uploads/2022-Fear-Not-A-Service-for-Advent.pdf

On Sunday, November 6 we celebrated the feast of All Saints. The gift of All Saints Sunday is that all our sorrows become bearable as we – together – recall the stories of those who have died and how their stories point to the greater story of God’s enduring and inseparable love with all creation and humanity. 

We gather with the saints of the past that we remember in various ways: the names engraved on the columbarium, the Cloud of Witnesses saints mobile containing the names of all who have died at FELC since 1936, and the saints icons displayed on the walls that remind us of people who inspire, challenge, and enliven our faith today.

We give thanks for the saints from FELC who have died since All Saints Day last year: Lillian “Lil” Swenson Templeton (January 9, 1924—January 24, 2022), Stanley “Stan” Fred Kornfuehrer (January 6, 1925—August 13, 2022), and Patricia Ann Benedict “Pat” Brueck (January 30, 1936—November 3, 2022). “Rest eternal grant them, O Lord; and let light perpetual shine upon them.”

The All Saints remembrance will be in use through Sunday, November 13.

The sanctuary, nave, chapel, transepts, aisles, doors, and columns have been painted. Cracks in the plaster have been patched and a new white is painted on all walls that are currently white. This project has been funded from our existing capital campaign funds and was approved by the church council at the October meeting. The cost of the project is approximately $12,000. We are enjoying our bright and clean new wall color.

This Advent we begin using our new Advent paraments and vestments. They were designed and created by Jeff Wunrow Designs, the same company that made our recent White, Green, and Red paraments and vestments. These beautiful additions to our worship life were paid for from the Metzger Endowment, established for these very purposes. We have one more new set to be completed next year: Lent.

We welcome your prayer requests for needs and thanksgivings for yourself, for individuals, and for families.  Prayer requests for the FELC prayer list (online, in print, and in worship) should be submitted using this online form.