Here is an updated list of executions schedule through March, 2010.

• 11/17/2009 Eldridge, Gerald
• 11/18/2009 Simpson, Danielle
• 11/19/2009 Thompson, Robert
• 12/03/2009 Woods, Bobby
• 01/07/2010 Mosley, Kenneth
• 01/12/2010 Johnson, Gary
• 02/24/2010 Skinner, Henry
• 03/02/2010 Sigala, Michael
• 03/30/2010 Alix, Franklin

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://www.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
• $100 Sustaining Membership Gift
• $150 Supporting Membership Gift
• $200 Spirited 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!

By Janice Curry

Do you wonder each Christmas what you can give to family and friends who seemingly need nothing?  Or, are you ready to forego the Christmas gifts to be part of making a difference in someone’s life?  Last Christmas, when my kids (in their 30s) asked what I wanted for Christmas, I told them that I wanted them to donate to some worthwhile effort to help others in my name.  I “got” a rabbit for the Heifer Project, as well as gifts that helped feed the hungry and provide books to the illiterate (The Hunger Site).

Here are some suggestions for alternative giving to consider:

• Shop The Hunger Site where purchases help feed in need. http://www.thehungersite.com/clickToGive/home.faces?siteId=1
  
• Heifer International is a non-profit organization whose goal is to help end world hunger and poverty through self-reliance & sustainability. http://www.heifer.org
• World Vision is a Christian relief, development and advocacy organization dedicated to working with children, families and communities to overcome poverty and injustice.  http://www.wvi.org/wvi/wviweb.nsf
• Consider microfinance such as Grameen- http://www.grameen-info.org or http://www.grameenamerica.com – Grameen America is built upon the success of the Grameen Bank. Founded by Professor Muhammad Yunus in Bangladesh, the Grameen Bank is the most widely recognized microfinance company in the world. This success earned both Professor Yunus and the Grameen Bank the Nobel Peace Prize in 2006.
• Glimmer of Hope Austin – Recognizing that poverty comes in many forms, A Glimmer of Hope Austin was established in 2003 to fund programs designed to make a difference in the lives of disadvantaged youth and seniors in the foundation’s hometown. A Glimmer of Hope is run like a business and it measures its success like a business. It is in operation to turn a profit – a Social Profit.  http://www.aglimmerofhope.org

• Smile Train – Changing the world one smile at a time.  http://www.smiletrain.org/site/PageServer
• Fair Trade products – Working to build sustainable communities.
  http://www.globalgoodspartners.org/template/index.cfm
  
• http://twohandsworldshop.com/
  
• UMCOR – United Methodist Committee on Relief – http://new.gbgm-umc.org/umcor/give/gift-catalog/

And there are so many other ways to make a difference!  Give it a try!

Austin Area Interreligious Ministries has announced its premiere event, the Interfaith Thanksgiving Celebration, bringing together over 1000 people to share gratitude for the gifts and blessings of our world. This is a longstanding tradition in Austin and has been going on for the past 24 years.

AAIM’s 25th Annual Interfaith Celebration will be held on Sunday, November 22, 2009, at First Baptist Church, located at 901 Trinity St. in downtown Austin.  The Service will begin at 3:30 pm, and a Reception will follow at 5:00 pm.  Participating congregations are encouraged to bring food dishes that can be shared by all and include an ingredients list.

Our theme this year is COURAGE.

At our upcoming MFSA chapter meeting, we will discuss whether we want to host an information table for MFSA at the reception.

The Southwest Texas Conference Chapter of the Methodist Federation for Social Action will meet at Saint John’s on Thursday, November 12 to continue our series on addressing poverty issues.  Our speaker will be Rev. Paul DuBois of University UMC, who works with the “Open Door” ministries which feed and clothe many of Austin’s homeless.  University UMC feeds an average of 300 people per week through the program.  Rev. DuBois will discuss the Open Door ministry, as well as aiding us in our examination of the root causes of poverty.  Originally from Louisiana, Rev. DuBois is a student at the Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary and leads University UMC’s alternate Chapel Worship service.  The MFSA meeting begins at 6:30 pm in the Fellowship Hall with light snacks, and the program begins at 7:00 pm.  Join us!

Here are the executions scheduled for the rest of 2009:

None are currently scheduled in December.

Please join members of the Texas Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty (TCADP) to protest executions by the State of Texas. TCADP holds vigils during the hour of each execution, 5:30 to 6:30 pm, in front of the Capitol grounds at the intersection of 11th and Congress. This is a simple but visible way of showing your support for the repeal of capital punishment in Texas. You do not need to bring anything; extra protest signs are usually available. Changes in the execution schedule are made rather frequently, so you may wish to check the TDCJ web page before coming: http://www.tdcj.state.tx.us/stat/scheduledexecutions.htm. You may also call the Attorney General’s office at (512) 936-1600 for information as to whether litigation is continuing (there are occasional stays of execution at the very last minute).

Hope to see you there!

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.

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!

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.

Classes will be offered on Monday nights from 6:30 PM to 8:30 PM beginning on September 14th.  The same lesson will repeated on the following Sunday morning from 9:00 AM to 11:00 AM beginning on September 20th.  If you are signed up for this class you can attend either the Monday night session, the Sunday morning session, or both.  Saint John’s has also set up a Facebook group so you can discuss the class online.

Everyone who signs up for the class will be e-mailed  a PDF file with the class reading materials (written by John Dominic Crossan).  Printed versions of the reading material will also be available from the church office for $10.  When registering, please indicate whether you will usually be attending the morning or evening session.  Both the morning and evening sessions for this class will be led by Russ Harper.

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!