MFSA Recycles!

Free Recycling of
BATTERIES, OIL, PAINT (LATEX)  and ANTI-FREEZE
Parking lot north of St. John’s UMC, 2140 Allandale (2222 @ Burnet)
Saturday, October 3, 2009, from 8 am to 11 am

The Southwest Texas Chapter of the Methodist Federation for Social Action (MFSA) is offering a free recycling collection on Saturday, October 3rd, 2009 for items which many find more difficult to recycle.  The collection is open to all non-commercial members of the community. Simply drive up, provide your zip code, and volunteers will help unload your items. The collection will accept ONLY the following:

• Batteries (household, auto)
• Oil in a closed container (motor oil, cooking oil)
• Paint in a closed container (latex only, wet or dry)
• Antifreeze in a closed container
• Handheld Electronics (phones, media players, games)
• CFL Bulbs (unbroken glass only)

The location is the parking lot north of St. John’s United Methodist Church, 2140 Allandale (2222 @ Burnet) that is shared with Lamar Middle School. After the collection volunteers will pack and transport these items to local recycling facilities.

The mission of MFSA is to educate, promote and act on Jesus’ teachings of God’s radical love and justice for all, which includes a continuing commitment to environmental issues. Donations for the work of MFSA will be accepted.

Contact Anne Mund if you have questions or want to help:  512 –343-0803 or ennadnum@hotmail.com.

MFSA Begins Poverty Project

The next Southwest Texas Conference MFSA (Methodist Federation for Social Action) Chapter meeting will be September 10 at 6:30 pm at Saint John’s UMC. After a great deal of discernment this summer, our chapter leadership has determined that our focus for 2009-2010 will be Embracing the Poor. Poverty remains at the root of many of society’s issues and presents a wide range of opportunities to have a tremendous impact.  We intend to work together to develop a program that will inspire and enable the Austin UMC community to take action to reduce poverty locally and globally, through education, service opportunities, and the ability to influence public policy.  Through programs and activities, our MFSA chapter will focus on acts of justice to address the root causes of poverty.  Our program will begin with a short video “When Did I See You Hungry”produced by the San Damiano Foundation.  We will follow the film with a presentation of the vision for this project.

Join us!

Eclipsing Empire at Saint John’s UMC

Monday Evenings  6:30 PM – 8:30 PM, begins September 14th
Sunday Mornings, 9:00 AM – 11:00 AM, begins September 20th

2140 Allandale Road, Austin, TX 78756
(512) 452-5737

This fall Saint Johns UMC is offering Eclipsing Empire from Living the Questions.  This 12-part DVD-based study features world-renown New Testament scholars Marcus Borg and John Dominic Crossan as they follow in the footsteps of the Apostle Paul throughout Turkey, Greece, and Italy.   Along the journey, these scholars show how Paul and Jesus’ message peace through justice directly challenged Roman Imperial authority and its theology of peace through (violent) victory.

What Have We Been Up To?

Our Southwest Texas Chapter has been busy this summer, looking at our mission and goals for the 2009-2010 program year.  Your leadership team had planning meetings on June 11, June 22, and July 23.  We came up with lists of things we want to continue doing, new things we want to start, and things we don’t want to continue.

After a great deal of discussion and discernment, we are recommending that our chapter undertake a year-long project to look at the many facets of poverty.   Eradicating Poverty is one of the four primary focus areas of the United Methodist Church for 2008-2012. (see http://www.umc-gbcs.org/4areas)

Will we continue our efforts on issues such as opposition to the death penalty, supporting human rights and GLBT inclusion?  Of course!   As resources permit, we will continue our major action events alongside our efforts to educate, promote understanding, and take action on poverty issues and conditions.

The Executive Committee will be meeting again this week, Thursday, August 20, 6 pm, at St. John’s UMC to continue our discussions on the direction of our program.  This meeting is open to any member who wishes to become involved!

Chapter Meeting September 10 !

Note: the date for this meeting has changed to September 10th!

The next Southwest Texas Conference MFSA Chapter meeting will be September 17 10 at 6:00 pm at St. John’s UMC.

Our program will begin with a short video “When Did I See You Hungry” produced by the San Damiano Foundation.  This is a moving film about poverty in our country and in the world.  We are hoping to use this meeting as a springboard to educate and motivate our membership and our church communities to take action on issues of poverty and human rights.

Poverty can be addressed through charity or through examining and attempting to correct the root causes.  We hope to use our meetings to educate, understand, and take action on these issues.  We envision the creation of a program curriculum through this project that can be taken to churches and other groups.

MFSA Sponsors Recycling – Saturday October 3 !

As part of our continuing commitment to environmental issues, our chapter is planning to sponsor a community recycling effort to be held on October 3 at Lamar Middle School, next to St. John’s UMC.  This is a big project, and thanks to Anne Mund for kicking this can (ha) down the road.  We will need advertising and volunteers in all of our churches and neighborhoods in order to make it successful.  Specifically, Anne is looking for the following:

• Help in planning and coordinating event
• Pickups and trailers on day of event
• Bags/boxes/plastic to make sure stuff doesn’t leak
• Staffing/manpower coordination
• Help on publicity – Churches?  Neighborhoods?

Contact Anne if you want to help:  ennadnum@hotmail.com
Look for more information coming in the future!

Social Justice Training at Bethany

Make a Difference Through Social Justice
Five consecutive Sundays: September 27 – October 25,
4:00 PM – 5:30 PM
Bethany UMC, 10010 Anderson Mill Rd

What does the Lord require of you but to do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with your God? – Micah 6:8

Micah provides a simple yet powerful framework for our lives. But how do we ‘do justice’? Join us in this fast-paced, interactive journey exploring justice and how acting justly can bring about positive social change; creating a culture of peace so all people may live to their full potential. Learn its Biblical basis, its Wesleyan heritage, and how the United Methodist Church is involved in issues of social justice. Discover a model for building a more just world and the transformative power of just one person. Come, be renewed with hope and empowered to make a difference!

Register at bethany-umc.org or email the class leader at: KerryLStevens@earthlink.net

NAMI 5K Fundraiser October 10

The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) is sponsoring a fundraising event in downtown Austin Saturday morning, October 10.  It’s a 5K walk (3.2 miles) beginning at Auditorium Shores, registration begins at 8a and the Walk itself begins at 9a.  Because so many death row inmates have mental illness of one kind or another, TCADP and NAMI support each other in efforts like this, and Anne Mund is heading up the TCADP team of walkers.  Anyone is welcome to join the TCADP team, or to form another team, or to just walk as an individual.  Or if someone can’t walk, a monetary donation of any size is most welcome.  All donations will go to support NAMI’s programs (not TCADP’s).  Anne has lots more information and will be actively soliciting support between now and Oct 10.  Anne says it would be wonderful if a MFSA team or a St. John’s team could be organized, or if a few MFSA members would support the Walk financially.

We Still Need Your Membership!

Please Help Us Continue Our Programs

If you have not yet paid your membership gift for 2009, please make plans to do so as soon as possible.  There are now two easy ways to join MFSA.  You can log onto the national MFSA website, http://mfsaweb.org and follow the instructions there (you can safely use a credit card), or you can simply bring a check to the next meeting, made out to “MFSA” and we will see that it is registered in our account.  Either way, our local chapter gets a portion of the gift for our programs.  We continue to need funding for visibility within our communities and to advance our social action movement.

Suggested Membership Amounts (you may also select your own amount):

$60 Subscribing Membership Gift               $200 Spirited Membership Gift
$100 Sustaining Membership Gift               $500 Stellar Membership Gift

Benefits of membership:

• Receive the MFSA newsletter (Social Questions Bulletin)
• Receive the MFSA E-newsletter with action updates
• Receive discounts on events sponsored by MFSA
• Connect with other justice-seekers in your annual conference
• Join with others in speaking up for justice in the UMC and world

Membership in MFSA is not predicated on ability to pay.  Any amount of money you are able to give is gratefully accepted.  Membership gifts to MFSA are tax deductible as provided by law.

Join us!

Image: Vigil for the 200th Execution under Governor Perry

Sara Hickman sings and plays guitar during the vigil for the 200th execution under Governor Perry.

Chapter Planning Meeting

Our next planning meeting will be Thursday, August 20 for 6 to 8 PM at St. John’s UMC in Austin.

Execution Vigils

The following executions in Texas are scheduled for the remainder of 2009:

Aug 20 – David Wood
Sep 16 – Stephen Moody
Sep 22 – Christopher Coleman
Sep 24 – Kenneth Mosley
Sep 30 – John Balentine
Oct 27 – Reginald Blanton
Nov 5 – Khristian Oliver
Nov 19 – Robert Thompson

These executions are all scheduled for 6:00 PM. Protesters gather at the south steps of the Capitol on 11th street beginning at 5:30 PM and stay until about 6:30 PM. Please join us if you would like to see the death penalty abolished. The more people we have in attendance the better. You may bring your own sign if you would like to.

Pride Parade Reflection

This was my first pride parade, and I was not in the best of moods about being in a gay parade. I anticipated an unfavorable reception from the crowd, or at best, only some support. I did not expect what happened; the crowd was wildly supportive and very emotional. Instead of “boo’s” or negative shouting the exact opposite happened. I was overwhelmed with joy. The church universal has sinned against the gays to the point that persons are asked to leave (silently or openly) from churches. The church universal seems to have developed a harshly negative connotation to gay with vehement opposition. I did not attend because I was a supporter, but because I was asked to represent my church. Now I may be radical enough to call myself a supporter. I say radical since other than gays themselves, I never hear people say or show through their actions that they support gays; I can count those people on my hands.

My Job: Risk-Taking Justice and Mercy to be June 27 in Austin

The Austin District and the Amos Commission are pleased to host the second in a series of opportunities to gain the practical skills necessary to address The United Methodist Church’s four areas of focus. The event, to be held June 27 from 8:30 a.m.-3 p.m. at Memorial UMC, will feature keynote speaker Robert Linthicum and will focus on ways that individuals and local churches can work to end poverty and the killer diseases that accompany poverty.

Linthicum is a Presbyterian pastor and a renowned writer and community organizer with a passion for urban renewal. His keynote address and workshop times will offer practical advice about how congregations can strengthen their communities by working for Biblical justice.

My Job: Risk-Taking Justice and Mercy offers a sweeping view of Biblical justice and the skills and information necessary for congregations—in both urban and rural settings—to address poverty and health issues.

Besides Linthicum, other presenters include representatives from Methodist Healthcare Ministries, Texas Impact and the United Methodist Committee on Relief as well as representatives from local churches who have already begun to organize their communities so that they can impact poverty. Breakout sessions will be organized around three main concerns: poverty, global health and the environment. Participants will have the option to take an in-depth look how each of these issues can be addressed globally, in an urban setting or in a rural setting.

The event is free, though registration is required by June 15 in order to provide you with lunch or to guarantee childcare. For more information contact (512) 444-1983 or admin@umcad.org or visit www.umcad.org.

TCADP Spring Fundraiser

Texas Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty is having their annual spring fundraiser:

• Thursday, June 11, 2009
• First Unitarian Universalist Church, 4700 Grover Ave
• 7:00pm silent auction
• 8:00pm the play “Trying”, presented by Austin’s Paradox Players.  “Trying” is the story of the violent but warm relationship between Francis Biddle who had been the Attorney General under Franklin D. Roosevelt, and a judge at the post-World War II Nuremberg Trials, and his young, spunky personal secretary.
• Refreshments will be served.
• All proceeds from the evening benefit TCADP.
• Tickets $20 available in advance (recommended) at austin@tcadp.org, or at the door.  Seating is limited.  Anne Mund (343-0803) has tickets to sell.