Category: News

Sunday, July 21 is our monthly Intergenerational Faith Formation time. We will be celebrating high summer that supports sleeping in and celebrating the gift of water. All are welcome to join us after Anniversary Sunday worship & hospitality for a potluck picnic and swimming at Shipe Pool. Bring your favorite picnic dish in a pool-safe container, along with your suits and sunscreen!

Sunday, July 28, Children’s Faith Formation will continue with the Sermon on the Mount, led by Betsy Appleton. Children will be engaged in service learning as they work together to prepare a side dish to be frozen/reheated for FELC’s next Micah 6 Youth Drop-In Meal on August 3. Adult Faith Formation will continue with the Faith and Food series, Feed the Hungry, led by Michele Hockett Cooper. 

by Nancy Baden

What do Henry Kissinger, Madeleine Albright, Albert Einstein, Bela Bartok, Freddy Mercury, Muhammad, Gloria Estefan and Jesus have in common?  If you answered ‘refugees’, you are pretty smart. These refugees needed help long ago and refugees need help still. Global Refuge, formerly known as Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Services, is uniquely positioned to resettle refugees since they have been doing so since 1939.  Almost as long as First English has been a church.  Nancy and Randy Baden became acquainted with Krish O’Mara Vignarajah last summer at Holden Village, where she spent a week lecturing on immigration and the need for humanitarian policies in our country.  She is an articulate and outspoken advocate and is the President and CEO of Global Refuge, the largest faith-based national non-profit in the US dedicated exclusively to serving immigrants and refugees. They have recently opened a Welcome Center in San Antonio, one of six such centers across the country. These centers provide a single place to receive emergency care, legal assistance, mental health screenings and information about community resources available locally and in destination communities. There are many ways to support Global Refuge.  We encourage you to check out their website www.globalrefuge.org and to listen to some of Krish’s interviews.  Global Refuge is one of FELC’s 2024 benevolence partners. You’re invited to commit today to the care and advocacy of refugees.

Five things to know about Global Refuge:

1. We are local! We have a field office in San Antonio that serves across the region, including in Austin and even to Corpus Christi. Learn more about our San Antonio Welcome Center here.
2. We must fight fiction with fact. See our disinformation toolkit and join us in our advocacy around this issue.
3. We need you. Refugee Resettlement is under threat of being completely ended in a new Presidential Administration. Our private dollars only make up 6% of our budget, and we are at risk of losing funding for this critical work.
4. You can volunteer and engage with us through programs at your congregation. Learn more here.
5. We have opened an office in Guatemala and Mexico to address the root cause of migration. By providing holistic support to those we serve, we can keep families together while also ensuring safety for youth and young adults. Here is a powerful video showcasing our work in Guatemala.

A big Thank-You to Barbara Wiederanders for her review of the work of the FELC Racial Justice Task Force during Adult Faith Formation on July 7. 

 On July 14, Merrily Porter will be leading Children’s Faith Formation, starting a rotation on Sermon on the Mount, 9 am, in the Library. Adult Faith Formation will not be convening on July 14.

July 21 is our monthly Intergenerational Faith Formation time. We will be celebrating high summer with a schedule that supports sleeping in and celebrating the gift of water: all are welcome to join us after Anniversary Sunday worship & hospitality for a potluck picnic and swimming at Shipe Pool. Bring your favorite picnic dish in a pool-safe container, along with your suits and sunscreen!

Faith Formation has become a welcome and integral part of congregational life at First English. However, summer attendance and the availability of leaders has created a significant challenge in scheduling regular Faith Formation sessions.  To support the Learning Ministry’s goal to offer consistent and meaningful faith formation for children and adults, contact Betsy Appleton, betsy.appleton@gmail.com. She has information and resources to assist your leadership! 

 For more information on leading Children’s Faith Formation, please check out our FAQ document. 

For more than 100 years, young Lutherans and friends have been gathering from LA to Boston, from Minneapolis to San Antonio, to worship, learn, serve, build faith and vocation, and to be challenged to engage the communities where they live. Gathering this year (after a break because of Covid-19) in New Orleans in the theme Created to Be, participants, sponsors, church leaders, and guests from around the country seek to be transformed to be agents of transformation. In previous gathering’s, youth and sponsors from FELC participated. For information on the gathering history and goals, and to follow worship and other events of this life changing faith formation event of the ELCA, visit www.elca.church/gathering. We offer our prayers for everyone.

The Call Committee is receiving candidate names from the synod office. Once a name is received, the Call Committee reviews the candidate’s Rostered Minister Profile (RMP) and schedules an initial interview. As we remain transparent about our process, it is important to emphasize that confidentiality about the candidates and the interviews will be maintained for everyone. During this time, however, if you have other questions about the process please contact the Call Committee: felctransitionministry@felcaustin.org. We pray for open hearts as we seek to do the work God would have us do. We welcome your prayers during this time. 

In 2019, the ELCA Churchwide Assembly adopted a resolution condemning white supremacy and apologizing to people of African descent for its historical complicity.  In June 2020, First English issued a statement of commitment to racial justice action and formed a Racial Justice Task Force to identify, recommend, and facilitate specific ways/actions that FELC could follow through.  In 2021, Bishop Elizabeth Eaton’s letter to the church reminded us of the continuing injustices and invited us to join Campaign Zero, a 10-point policy platform created by the #BlackLivesMatter movement.  On July 7, Adult Formation participants will  review these commitments and how FELC has been in action these past 3+ years.  Where do we stand and what’s ahead?

On July 14, Merrily Porter will be leading Children’s Faith Formation, starting a rotation on Sermon on the Mount, 9 am, in the Library.

Faith Formation has become a welcome and integral part of congregational life at First English. However, summer attendance and the availability of leaders has created a significant challenge in scheduling regular Faith Formation sessions.  To support the Learning Ministry’s goal to offer consistent and meaningful faith formation for children and adults, contact Betsy Appleton, betsy.appleton@gmail.com. She has information and resources to assist your leadership! In the meantime, check out our FAQ document for leading Children’s Faith Formation.

Participants from FELC gathered last Saturday to provide supper at the Micah 6 Youth drop-in center across from campus.  The crowd was on the small side, but plenty of seconds were requested and diners left with full stomachs after enjoying a meal of hamburger jumble casserole, mixed veggies, pea salad, buttered croissants and sliced, fresh fruit.

Heidi Goebel provided the entree.  Marilynn Olsen, Brian Neidig and Sarah Roberts pitched in with sides and Anne Wiebe made Texas sheet cake for dessert which was served with vanilla ice cream –  a nice cool treat on a hot day.  Heidi Goebel, Brian Neidig, and Anne Wiebe helped to serve the meal and connect with the visitors.

First English has been an enthusiastic participant in this ministry for many years, and many young people have been touched by God’s love through appetizing and nutritious food, friendly smiles, and unconditional care.  You too can be a part of this ministry, by signing up to prepare and / or serve food, or by simply adding your prayers.  

Our next scheduled date to serve is Saturday, August 3rd, 2-4 pm.   Any level of participation is welcome!   To find out more, contact Heidi Goebel, heidigoebel@sbcglobal.net.

On Independence Day, let us pray:

Almighty and gracious God, you have given us this good land as our heritage. Make us remember your generosity and do your will. Bless our land with honesty in the workplace that all might have meaningful labor, integrity in the government, truth in education, and honor in daily life. Save us from violence, discord, and confusion, from envy and arrogance, and from every evil course of action. Defend our liberties, and give us those things that are best for us. Help us care for new immigrants and refugees among us. May we remember that to whom much is entrusted, much is expected. Give to those whom you call and we elect to be our leaders the grace of wisdom, understanding, and truth-telling, that there might be true justice and peace in our land. When times are prosperous, let our hearts be thankful; and in troubled times, do not let our trust in you fail. We pray all these things, and whatever else you know that we need, in the strong and holy name of Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen.

–prayer from Evangelical Lutheran Worship, adapted. Offered in the liturgy on June 30.

Sunday, September 8, 11:30 am – 2:00 pm

This year is the tenth anniversary for ELCA’s churchwide event, “God’s Work. Our Hands.” FELC participated years ago, and it was wonderful! It’s great to do service for our community, and we are getting very excited!

We are considering a range of both outdoor and indoor community service projects. Do YOU have suggestions? Contact Paul Barlow, tpaulbarlow@gmail.com, or Anne Wiebe, wiebeanne@hotmail.com.

Faith Formation | 9 amWorship in the Sanctuary | 10 am (onsite & online)Hospitality in the Fellowship Hall | 11 am

FELC celebrates Pride on Sunday, June 30! As Christians, we extend God’s welcome to people of all sexual orientations and gender identities. We value diversity, including sexuality, gender, and expression, and we welcome it as a spiritual gift. We aspire to create an inclusive and affirming community, and work for LGBTQIA+ justice and equity as a core part of who we are. We’ve been doing this work of reconciliation since 1989. Each person is sacred and valued. We are proud. We have more to learn and we have more justice to seek. God loves. We Love. Everyone! HAPPY PRIDE!