Updated: July 12, 2022
Racial Justice at FELC in 2022
Advancing Racial Justice
Information about the FELC resolution on racial justice is at the bottom of this web page.
Say Their Names! Clementa C. Pinckney, Cynthia Marie Graham Hurd, Susie Jackson, Ethel Lee Lance, DePayne Middleton-Doctor, Tywanza Sanders, Daniel Lee Simmons, Sharonda Coleman-Singleton, and Myra Thompson were murdered by a self-professed white supremacist while they were gathered for Bible study and prayer at the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church (often referred to as Mother Emanuel) in Charleston, South Carolina. This martyrdom happened on June 17, 2015. Pastors Pinckney and Simmons were both graduates of the Lutheran Theological Southern Seminary.
A resolution to commemorate June 17 as a day of repentance for the martyrdom of the Emanuel Nine was adopted by the Churchwide Assembly of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America on August 8, 2019. Congregations and synods of the ELCA are encouraged to reaffirm their commitment to repenting of the sins of racism and white supremacy which continue to plague this church, to venerate the martyrdom of the Emanuel Nine, and to mark this day of penitence with prayer and calls to action.
Partcipate in the Poor Peoples’ Campaign to convince Congress that it’s time to fight poverty not the poor. For information on how you can participate virtually, visit: https://www.poorpeoplescampaign.org/june18/
Remember Juneteenth (June 19), the oldest nationally celebrated commemoration of the ending of slavery in the United States. From its Galveston, Texas origin in 1865, the observance of June 19th as the African American Emancipation Day has spread across the United States and beyond.
We reflect on the vision of hope that filled the newly freed people in this country who began new lives by creating schools and colleges. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. stressed that education is one of the pillars of equity. We are invited to act by directly supporting Huston-Tillotson University in Austin, one of the Historically Black Colleges and Universities. We encourage you to invest now at: www.htu.edu Donor cards and pre-addressed envelopes are also available in the sanctuary and during Sunday morning hospitality time.
Participate in a Tour of the Six Square District in East Austin. https://www.sixsquare.org/the-district/
FELC Racial Justice Lending Library | First English Lutheran Church | Austin, Texas (felcaustin.org)
Visit the Legacy Museum: From Enslavement to Mass Incarceration and the National Memorial for Peace and Justice in Montgomery, Alabama—date to be announced. An experience of repentance and honoring the dead. https://museumandmemorial.eji.org/
To explore more about our June 5 celebration as we learned more about supporting Historically Black Colleges and Universities, visit: Celebrating Zeta & Mel Sikes & HBCU’s! Lives Lived Well | First English Lutheran Church | Austin, Texas (felcaustin.org)
For updates and further ways to connect in advancing racial justice, please contact any member of the FELC Racial Justice Taskforce: Barbara Schutz 512 694 6916; Barbara Wiederaenders 512 451 0684; Mari Ward 979 209 4527; Charlotte Gilman 512 332 6102; Derek Bridges 512 671 0918. Other Racial Justice taskforce members: Pastor Michael Coffey and Pastor Regina Earls.
March, 2022
“The King They Don’t Talk About”— have you seen this panel discussion hosted by Lake Highlands and More Mothers Against Racism? We invite you to set aside an hour and a half to view the video here: https://youtu.be/PJ4KB1TTVk4 and then join us for an FELC Racial Justice Action Team meeting on Sunday, March 27 at 4:00 PM. Share with others what was new to you and learn from others.
Anyone interested in advancing racial justice is cordially invited to contact Barbara Wiederaenders to be included in Action Team meeting invitations at bwiederaenders@att.net. All are welcome.
We invite you to join us in working for racial justice as an expression of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and our love for our neighbors. Below is our resolution on racism.
We have the FELC Racial Justice Resources document available with suggestions for books, resources, organizations, and Black businesses to support.
On June 15, 2020 (see below), the First English Lutheran Church council adopted a position on racial justice that began, “We believe that as a faith community we must actively work to end racism in all its forms.” Since that time a Racial Justice Taskforce has been formed to discern such actions and guide those who want to be involved individually and as a community. Over 20 people are committed to this Racial Justice Action Team. Our goal is to continue learning, growing, and acting.
February, 2022
It is by voting and communicating with our elected officials that we shape our democracy and work for laws that protect racial justice.
Register to Vote
There is still time to register to vote in the May 7 local elections, the May 24 primary runoffs, and the November 8 general election.
Complete information is available from the Texas Secretary of State: (https://www.sos.state.tx.us/elections/voter/important-election-dates.shtml).
The League of Women Voters has non-partisan Voter’s Guides online and in libraries. Information is at: www.LWVTexas.org or www.VOTE411.org.
An Inward View
As part of the actions we’ll be taking in 2022, Erin McCracken has formed a small team of 5 people to take an inward look at the whiteness of First English. The group will be specifically guided by the ELCA document entitled: “How Strategic and Authentic is Our Diversity: A Call for Confession, Reflection, and Healing Action,” which was adopted by the ELCA Churchwide Assembly in 2019. The Taskforce that produced this document was formed in 2016 and made up entirely of BIPOC individuals and inclusive of immigrant and LGBTQIA+ identities. The ultimate goal of this work will be to identify meaningful and real ways FELC can develop authentic diversity within our own church.
The FELC Racial Justice Taskforce is: Barbara Wiederaenders, bwiederaenders@att.net ; Fred Woody, woody.ursamajor@gmail.com; Charlotte Gilman, cefgilman@outlook.com; Barbara Schutz, bschutz@sbcglobal.net; Mari Ward, marirward@gmail.com; Derek Bridges, bridges@ieee.org.
July, 2021
We invite you to join us in working for racial justice as an expression of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and our love for our neighbors. Below is our resolution on racism.
The Task Force has been working since last summer along with a larger group of FELC members and friends who self-selected to be engaged as the Racial Justice Action Group.
| Each month, the Racial Justice Task Force (RJTF) invites the church community to become better informed about racial justice issues.
The Racial Justice Action Team invites YOU to join them in showing up for racial justice. Want to know how to help people vote despite new voter restrictions? Want to let the Texas Legislature see that some Texans are against their new restrictions? Want to learn how to be effective in advocating for justice? All that is being offered by Texas Impact along with the League of Women Voters and Texas LULAC at First United Methodist Church in Austin ,and at the Texas Capitol . WHEN?? SUNDAY, July 18, 6-8 pm, & Monday, July 19, 8-11 am. and/or 11 am-Noon and/or 1-3 pm. Please see the details at https://texasimpact.org/let-my-people-vote-rally/ and register there. The FELC Racial Justice Taskforce would like to hear from you, especially if you’d like to carpool from FELC for the Sunday evening or Monday events. Barbara at bwiederaenders@att.net. For June we offer the following for your exploration: – read the NY Times transcript of an expert panel discussion entitled: “Police Reform Is Necessary. But How Do We Do It?” -visit the website: https://policescorecard.org to see how Austin ranks compared to over 13,000 other law enforcement departments. To review APD specifically: https://policescorecard.org/tx/police-department/austin -become familiar with the work of the Austin Justice Coalition and their analysis of the City of Austin budget: https://austinjustice.org For May we offer two opportunities for exploration: 1) information worthy of one’s individual investigation; 2) information about our upcoming monthly Racial Justice Action Team discussion. 1) Read about Latasha Morrison’s book Be the Bridge: Pursuing God’s Heart for Racial Reconciliation (2019) and her non-profit “Be the Bridge” and the “Be the Bridge Academy”. Many members of the RJTF have been touched by this book. Numerous organizations have recognized Latasha Morrison as a leading social advocate, including Facebook’s Community Leadership Program, Forbes, and EBONY magazine. We invite you to obtain a copy of the book, available in paperback and Kindle for under $10. Start reading on your own and join us for upcoming discussions. We also encourage everyone to continue monitoring the Texas Legislature. 2) The Racial Justice Action Team meets one Sunday each month via Zoom. We invite any interested or curious persons to join in the topical discussions. The next Zoom gathering will be Sunday, May 16 at 4:00 pm. Our Zoom gatherings last an hour and we are disciplined about keeping to that time commitment. The May topic will be an introduction to “Be the Bridge”. There will also be an update of the Texas Legislative actions. If you would like to join the May Zoom gathering of the Racial Justice Action Group, contact Barbara Wiederaenders at bwiederaenders@att.net Drumming Circle for Justice and Candlelight Memorial Tuesday, May 25, 7:30 – 9:00 pm
Everyone is invited to join the Racial Justice Action Team and Pastor Michael Coffey in the FELC parking lot for a Drumming Circle for Justice and Candlelight Memorial. May 25 is the day George Floyd died at the hands of police. The evening will begin at 7:30 pm with a drumming circle. Drums and other percussion will be available and you’re welcome to bring your own. You’re also welcome to come and listen. At sundown we will light candles in memory of George Floyd and so many others who have lost their lives in fatal encounters with law enforcement officers. Participants will be invited to say and write names in remembrance. |
April Racial Justice Action Team Information can be found here:
https://www.
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RESOLUTION ON RACIAL JUSTICE
The following two paragraph statement was adopted as a resolution by the First English Lutheran Church council on June 15, 2020.
We believe that as a faith community we must actively work to end racism in all its forms. We believe the problem of racism is vast and must be addressed nationwide. We understand that we are called to act locally in seeking racial justice, investing ourselves, our time, and our resources in communities of color in the Austin area for the sake of our neighbors.
Our congregation rejects white supremacy, affirms the Gospel of Jesus Christ that welcomes and centers all persons together in Christ, and seeks to end racism in ourselves, our church, our community, and our nation. We affirm as a community of faith that Black Lives Matter. We seek to work as individuals in ways each of us are called to be anti-racist and pro-racial justice.
We make this statement because:
The Gospel of Jesus Christ is good news for all people. When sending out his disciples to carry out the mission he began, he emphasized that they should include everyone, all ethnicities (nations) in the good news, saying:
Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:19-20)
When Jesus began his ministry, he quoted Isaiah declaring that in him the “year of the Lord’s favor,” the biblical hope of liberation and Jubilee, was coming true:
“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” And he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant, and sat down. The eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him. 21 Then he began to say to them, “Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.” (Luke 4:18-21)
When Paul addressed divisions in the church based on various identities other than baptism, he said:
As many of you as were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus. (Galatians 3:27-28)
Racism is an evil that opposes the Gospel, excludes persons and peoples based on human divisions, and denies the full God-given humanity of all people. In the United States, racism is the historic effort to enforce white supremacy and diminish persons of color, especially and originally Native Americans and persons of African descent.
Our understanding of the Gospel of Jesus Christ is that God intends all peoples to be included in the beloved community. Christ is God’s gift of bringing unity to a sinfully divided humanity.