The Electronic Newsletter of MCC Austin at Freedom Oaks 
| October 6, 2010
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From Your Pastor
Last week I told you about our new marketing team, which includes Matt as team leader as well as our webmaster, Blake. What I didn't tell you was that these two, along with Courtney and Rev. Alycia, have really been pushing me to get out ahead of the curve and plan everything (EVERY SINGLE THING) months in advance so they can get it properly organized and publicized.
I don't say no to these people if I can help it, and that's why I found myself putting the finishing touches on our Advent and Christmas Eve services last Thursday. Then I was at a loss. I couldn't imagine taking on Easter before Halloween, so I started working backwards.
That's how I ended up with today's topic, which you can't act on until November, but which you definitely must take part in. The topic is...
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What's Happening at MCC Austin
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October
H2O service 2 p.m.
19 Positive Perspectives at 7 p.m. 20 Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About the Old Testament but Were Afraid to Ask 27 Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About the Old Testament but Were Afraid to Ask
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 Sunday Morning Worship on October 10
9 & 11 a.m. "Keeping Body and Soul Together"
Rev. Karen Thompson
Luke 17:11-19
On the way to Jerusalem Jesus was going through the region between Samaria and Galilee. As he entered a village, ten lepers approached him. Keeping their distance, they called out, saying, "Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!" When he saw them, he said to them, "Go and show yourselves to the priests." And as they went, they were made clean. Then one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, praising God with a loud voice. He prostrated himself at Jesus' feet and thanked him. And he was a Samaritan. Then Jesus asked, "Were not ten made clean? But the other nine, where are they? Was none of them found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?" Then he said to him, "Get up and go on your way; your faith has made you well." |
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Sign language interpreter for the 11 a.m. service available upon request. For more information, please contact Courtney Webster by email. |
 H2O ~ Living Water Worship Sunday, October 10 at 2 p.m.
New Life
Rev. Alycia Erickson
Romans 5:12-19
When Adam sinned, sin entered the world. Adam's sin brought death, so death spread to everyone, for everyone sinned. Yes, people sinned before the law was given. But it was not counted as sin because there was not yet any law to break. Still, everyone died--from the time of Adam to the time of Moses--even those who did not disobey an explicit commandment of God, as Adam did. Now Adam is a symbol, a representation of Christ, who was yet to come. But there is a great difference between Adam's sin and God's gracious gift. For the sin of one, Adam, brought death to many. But even greater is God's wonderful grace and gift of forgiveness to many through another, Jesus Christ. And the result of God's gracious gift leads to our being made right with God, even though we are guilty of many sins. For the sin of one, Adam, caused death to rule over many. But even greater is God's wonderful grace and gift of righteousness, for all who receive it will live in triumph over sin and death through the one, Jesus Christ.
Emily Parks leads our singing this week with many of your favorite worship songs and hymns like "Draw Me Close to You," "I Surrender All," and "Open Our Eyes, Lord."
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 "Everything You've Always Wanted to Know About the Old Testament, But Were Afraid to Ask" October 13, 20 and 27; 7 p.m. at MCC Austin
Why are all those 'begats' in the book of Genesis? Why is there so much violence in parts of the Old Testament? Is there grace in the Old Testament? Is the God of the Old Testament the same God of the New Testament? Why should Christians even care about the Old Testament? These are just a few of the questions many people struggle with as they attempt to understand the Old Testament as sacred scripture. Join Rev. Dr. Mona West (who has a Ph.D. in Old Testament) at 7 p.m. at church on October 13, 20 and 27 as she explores these questions (and any others you might have!).
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 Join the MCC Austin Team for the Austin AIDS Walk
Sunday, October 17, 2010at Austin City Hall Plaza
(301 W. Cesar Chavez Street)
Time: 12:30 p.m. - Sign-In Opens; 1:30 p.m. - Opening Ceremonies; 2:00 p.m. - AIDS Walk Step-Off
Please join us for the 23rd annual AIDS Walk Austin, benefiting AIDS Services of Austin. Help us to support and raise funds that will provide direct care and education to those in our community living with HIV and AIDS. AIDS Walk
Austin is almost 5K, or 3.1 miles,
and takes under an hour to
complete.If you are unable to walk there are several other options for supporting AIDS Walk.To register, click here, then click "Join a Team." Our Team Name is "MCC Austin," and our Team Division is "House of Worship." If you would like to make a donation for our team, simply click on the "Support MCC Austin" link and choose your method of support. |
 "God In My Life"
Thursday, October 14 & 28 at 7 p.m.
In the MCC Austin Education Building This faith sharing support group is open to everyone, and meets every other Thursday evening in the Wray Education Building. If you have any questions, please email Carol Wagner. |
 Holy Conversations:
An Invitation to Faithful Dialogue
Tonight: "Sexuality & Spirituality
In our ongoing attempt to provide you with more opportunities for spiritual growth and personal connection, we are offering Holy Conversations, a series of theological discussion guides prepared by the MCC Theologies Team. Tonight our topic is Sexuality & Spirituality.
Holy Conversations is open to everyone who is still seeking and who enjoys seeking in the company of others. You do not need to be a member of MCC to attend, and you do not need to attend every gathering. You are welcome to join us whenever a topic strikes your interest or whenever you want to spend time with other people in a safe, positive, meaningful way. You are encouraged to bring friends.
If you need directions to tonight's conversation, please send an email to Courtney Webster, and she will send directions to you.
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 Blazertag! Youth Event
MCC Austin's middle and high school youth are invited to an evening of Blazertag. We'll meet at Blazertag (1701 W. Ben White Blvd.) The cost will be $5 per person. Bring money for snacks or a drink. Please register in advance with Courtney Webster in the church office or by email. If you have any questions about the event, please contact Rev. Alycia Erickson in the church office or by email. Bring a friend! |
 Positive Perspectives
HIV/AIDS Support Group
Meets October 19
7 p.m. at a confidential location
Positive Perspectives is a monthly support group with an emphasis on the spiritual aspects of life with HIV/AIDS. Positive Perspectives meets on the third Tuesday usually in members' homes and sometimes at MCC Austin.They focus on information sharing in a confidential setting for those affected by HIV & AIDS, while providing support for one another by letting each individual discuss what is on his/her mind. With members at various stages of the disease, this group offers a tremendous amount of first-hand knowledge, experience, and support of life for those infected & affected by HIV/AIDS. Please call the church office for directions and information about the meeting location (291-8601). |
 TRANSGENDER BASICS WORKSHOP
November 6, 2010 at MCC Austin 9:45 am - 4 p.m. Join One Love Ministries (OLM) and Transgender Education Network of Texas (TENT) Transgender Basics Workshop, sponsored by MCC Austin, will explore where you and/or your organization falls on an inclusion ladder for transgender issues and people, the many challenges faced by the transgender community, provide an opportunity to celebrate and share stories of the transgender lives and experience, and discuss ways to build a truly radically and trans-inclusive community of faith. Lunch will be provided with a $5 donation. To register for the workshop and lunch (you may prepay for lunch by phone) please contact Courtney Webster at the MCC Austin office or by email. Please register by October 30 so that we may have a correct count for lunch. If you have any questions, please contact MJ Allen by email.
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 White Cane Day
Wednesday October 13, 2010
President Lyndon B. Johnson proclaimed the first White Cane Safety Day in 1964 to raise awareness and promote consideration for the safety of blind and visually impaired pedestrians. Since then it has become a day to celebrate the independence of blind and visually impaired people, providing civil rights protections for all blind people and access to all public places for those with guide dogs. The white cane and the guide dog are both powerful symbols of the independence of blind and visually impaired people and their right to participate fully in society, as well as the protection of their civil rights. Come celebrate with us as we meet at 11th and Congress at 8:30 and march to City Hall, where the mayor will read a White Cane Day proclamation at 10:15 a.m. At that point we will walk to Republic Square Park at 422 Guadelupe, where there will be live music and delicious food and a great time can be had by all. There will be exhibitors and guide dog walks and demonstrations and other fun activities for people of all ages to participate in. For more information feel free to visit the following websites: whitecaneday.org or www.dars.state.tx.us . |
BEYOND OUR WALLS: MCC News From Around the World
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Human Rights Campaign's Harry Knox
Is Candidate for Senior Pastor of Houston's
Resurrection Metropolitan Community Church
Knox is past member of U.S. President's Advisory Council
on Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships
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Not One More Child
Moderator of Metropolitan Community Churches
Calls for Action to End Bullying and Harassment of Gay Teens
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BEYOND OUR WALLS: News & Community Events
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| Transgender Education Network of Texas
October Newsletter
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Goblin Gayla
The Gayest Little Horror House in Texas
2406 Manor Road Austin, TX
Saturday, October 23 at 8 p.m. - October 24 at 2 a.m.
Hey boys! Get your fabulous costumes on and head out to the gayest little horror house in Texas! Set in an old drug rehabilitation center on Manor Road in east Austin, you're certain to get the fairy dust scared out of you. You and your friends will trace through the haunted house, making your way to join the other gay goblins at our blow-out Halloween party. For more information click here.
Ghoul's Night Out
The Gayest Little Horror House in Texas
2406 Manor Road Austin, TX
Friday, October 22 at 8:00pm - October 23 at 2:00am Join Austin Pride for the most ghouly Halloween event in Texas. Set in an old drug rehabilitation center on Manor Road in east Austin, you're certain to get the heck scared out of you. You and your friends will trace through the gayest little horror house in Texas while making your way to join the other ghouls at our blow-out Halloween party. This is not an event to be missed! For more information click here.
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Our Prayers...
- For all in the Gulf Coast region who continue to deal with the effects of the oil leak in the Gulf of Mexico this summer.
- For MCC Churches around the world, and especially the communities starting in the Phillipines.
- For our Building Team and Board of Directors as they make decisions about the General Contractor for our building process.
- For our GLBT brothers and sisters around the world who live in fear of
violence and discrimination because of their sexual orientation or
gender identity.
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 E-Link Submissions
If you have information to share through our E-Link, please email it to the editor no later than Monday evening of the week you would like it published.
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Pastor's Message
...MCC Size Summits.
A small group of MCC Austin board members and staff attended our first Size Summit last November, and it was one of the best weekends of my life! (Yes, it also happened to be my birthday weekend and various and sundry other things were taking place, but still...) What we learned during those two days from Elders Ken Martin and Lillie Brock changed the course of MCC Austin's future. Church size theory gave us a roadmap for revitalizing every part of our church's life and work. Here are just a few of the things that were catalyzed by the Size Summit:
1. We "prioritized" our priorities in fact, not just in theory. We hired a Director of Programs knowing that we could never plan, develop, and offer enough opportunities for spiritual growth and relationship building without doing so. Courtney Webster is now involved in or responsible for most of our activities that are not preaching or teaching related.
2. Hiring a Director of Programs allowed us to support Rev. Alycia Erickson in ways that we had only dreamed of. Now, instead of spending huge amounts of time handling things like event registration, publicity, facilities and materials preparation by herself, Rev. Alycia has been hard at work creating a comprehensive spiritual growth and leadership development plan for MCC Austin. She's found and adapted several new opportunities, such as "Reflecting on My Journey" and Dr. Mona West's one-day retreats, that have quickly become favorites with our people. In the works are a Young Adult group, a Middle School group, and a series of weekend retreats for adults.
3. We've made a new commitment to visitor assimilation. All three of the fulltime staff members now have welcoming and following up with visitors as a top priority. We have seen dramatic increases in the numbers of people returning after their first visit with us. Because we have a better system now, we're able to work with our Red Carpet Ministry more effectively than we ever have. Visitors always remark on how wonderfully they are welcomed on their first visit, and now we have ways to back up that Red Carpet welcome.
4. Our Board is evolving from a task and project leader oriented board (Program Board) into a forward looking, mission conscious, effective team of visionary leaders and policy managers (Corporate Board). Recently the Board has completed a comprehensive rewrite of our MCC Austin Policies Manual and Employee Manual. We've designated a Board member as our Community Relations developer, and soon you will see organizations such as OutYouth partnering with MCC Austin in new and consistent ways.
I am only exaggerating a little bit when I say that last year's Size Summit was one of the best weekends of my life. The Size Summit gave me the information and permission I needed to keep dreaming big. On Saturday, November 20--Yes, that's six whole weeks from now--you'll have an opportunity to catch that vision too. Elder Ken Martin will be leading this summit for us, and we have asked him to prepare for LOTS of people. I promise you this: If you show up, you'll be inspired.
I know it probably drives you crazy sometimes, but I really do believe that God is ready to transform the world, and would as happily start in Austin, Texas, as anywhere.
Senior Pastor
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