 Don't Forget to "Fall Back" this Sunday! Daylight Savings starts this weekend. We "fall back" one hour on Saturday night. Enjoy the extra hour of sleep! |
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 Sunday Morning Worship on November 7
9 & 11 a.m.
"DOMA in the First Century" Rev. Karen Thompson
Luke 18:9-14
Some Sadducees, those who say there is no resurrection, came to Jesus and asked him a question, "Teacher, Moses wrote for us that if a man's brother dies, leaving a wife but no children, the man shall marry the widow and raise up children for his brother. Now there were seven brothers; the first married, and died childless; then the second and the third married her, and so in the same way all seven died childless. Finally the woman also died. In the resurrection, therefore, whose wife will the woman be? For the seven had married her." Jesus said to them, "Those who belong to this age marry and are given in marriage; but those who are considered worthy of a place in that age and in the resurrection from the dead neither marry nor are given in marriage. Indeed they cannot die anymore, because they are like angels and are children of God, being children of the resurrection. And the fact that the dead are raised Moses himself showed, in the story about the bush, where he speaks of the Lord as the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. Now God is God not of the dead, but of the living; for to God all of them are alive."Back to Top |
ASL interpretation for the 11 a.m. worship service is available upon request. For more information, please email Courtney Webster.
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 H2O ~ Living Water Worship
Sunday, November 7 at 2 p.m.
"Saved?"
Rev. Alycia Erickson
Romans 10:8-13
In fact, it says,"The message is very close at hand; it is on your lips and in your heart."And that message is the very message about faith that we preach: If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by confessing with your mouth that you are saved. As the Scriptures tell us, "Anyone who trusts in him will never be disgraced." Jew and Gentile are the same in this respect. They have the same Lord, who gives generously to all who call on him. "Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved."
Emily Parks and Bradley Smith will be leading our music this week. You'll get to sing many of your favorite worship songs.
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 MCC Austin Church Size Summit
Saturday, November 20
9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. - FREE!
Open to all members and friends of MCC Austin
A View from the Summit by Rev. Elder Lillie Brock "What's Size Got to Do With It?"
That's a question the Elders have been asking all year! And without a doubt, we have discovered that, SIZE has everything to do with how a church behaves, structures itself and commits itself to ongoing transformation.
Most of you know that since December of 2009, the Elders have been facilitating a 2 day experience for churches that we call The Church Size Summits. These summits have a two-fold purpose:
- To offer thorough education to churches about Church Size Theory
- To do a thorough assessment of every church and offer one-on-one feedback and recommendations at the summit
We are VERY pleased with the level of participation on the part of our churches and based on the feedback we have received, believe this is one of the best things that has ever been offered to our churches by the denomination.
Key Things We have Learned:
- The dynamics of Church Size DEFINITELY explain why our churches are, by in large, stuck and gives concrete strategies for changing our trajectory from flat to growing!
- Of the churches we have assessed, when churches have a Stewardship Program with 3 key elements present, their per capita giving (per person per week) is $38.11 and when those key elements are not present, the per capita giving is $18.68. Do the math!
- Of the six key functions of the church, the amount and quality of programming and required staffing are the two areas where our churches have the greatest challenges.
- The collective Congregational Surveys that are part of the assessment process show clearly that our congregants are hungry for spiritual growth but perceive that our churches do not make it a priority.
- The role of the pastor, depending on size, changes so we must do a better job of matching the gifts and skill of the pastor with the appropriate size church.
According to Arlin Routhage, "Size is the most obvious factor affecting congregational life!" Please consider attending this summit at MCC Austin as we plan for our for our congregation's future.Back to Top |
 "Holy Conversations" with Rev. Karen Thompson
First Wednesdays of the month at 7 p.m.
at members' homes.
"Holy Conversations" is an opportunity to engage in open, safe, affirming discussions about our understandings of these faith topics:
- November: Ecumenical / Inter-religious Issues
- December: Trans-formations & Trans Experiences
- January: Baptism
- February: Holy Communion
- March: Who is Jesus?
- April: Global Justice
- May: Ecclesiology (Church)
Rev. Thompson will be the host for each of these conversations, but others will share in facilitating our gatherings also.
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. Please call the church office for directions to tonight's meeting place in Central Austin.
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 God in My Life Thursday, November 11 & 25 at 7 p.m.
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.
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 TRANSGENDER BASICS PLUS WORKSHOP
November 6, 2010 at MCC Austin
9 a.m. - 4 p.m.
!!CANCELLED!!
Due to unforeseen circumstances this workshop is being postponed to a later date. Apologies for any inconvenience that this may have caused anyone. For more information about the rescheduling of this event please contact MJ Allen by email.
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Vicki Genfan Concert
Friday, November 12 at 8 p.m.
FREE admission
Come see acoustic guitarist, VICKI GENFAN in concert! Amidst a sea of male, electric guitar competitors, Vicki and her incredible acoustic playing style WON the 2008 Guitar Player of the Year Award! Check out more information about her here and get ready to be blown away! Just when you start to wrap your head around her playing, she begins to sing...and then you totally give up trying to understand HOW she does it and just let yourself be carried away by WHAT she is doing. Amazing!!! A love offering will be collected during the concert. For more information, please email Emily Parks.
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 TRANSGENDER Day of Remembrance
November 20, 2010 at 6:30 p.m.
Austin City Hall Plaza
Because One is too many...
Join with us to stop the hate, to end the violence, and to light up the night.
The Transgender Day of Remembrance was set aside to memorialize those who were killed due to anti-transgender hatred or prejudice. The event is held in November to honor Rita Hester, whose murder on November 28th, 1998 kicked off the "Remembering Our Dead" web project and a San Francisco candlelight vigil in 1999. Rita Hester's murder - like most anti-transgender murder cases - has yet to be solved.
The Transgender Day of Remembrance serves several purposes. It raises public awareness of hate crimes against transgendered people, an action that current media doesn't perform. Day of Remembrance publicly mourns and honors the lives of those who might otherwise be forgotten. Through the vigil, we express love and respect for Transgender members of our community in the face of national indifference and hatred. Day of Remembrance reminds us that Transgender Americans are sons, daughters, parents, friends and lovers. Day of Remembrance gives allies a chance to step forward with the Transgender community and stand in vigil, memorializing those who have died by anti-transgender violence.
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BEYOND OUR WALLS: MCC News From Around the World
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BEYOND OUR WALLS: News & Community Events
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Why We Need Progressive Christianity
The Center for Progressive Christianity eBulletin
We hope you are enjoying this Autumn season, when Nature begins her transformation. As we participate and celebrate this journey-the first signs of the transition toward death and new life-may we be open to all the wisdom that our teachers, our guides, and the universe presents....To read more click here.
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allgo co-sponsors
The 5th Annual Liberation-Based Healing Conference
November 5-6, 2010
Click here for more information.
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ART FROM THE STREETS
November 6 from 12 to 5 p.m. & November 7 from 9 to 5 p.m.
St. David's Trinity Center on 7th & Trinity
$4 Donation requested at the door.
Browse and purchase over 2,000 beautiful works of art created by Austin's homeless at the 18th annual Art from the Streets Show and Sale. Proceeds from the sale go directly to the artist. You'll get a gorgeous piece of art, and you'll give a homeless artist so much more.
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Capitol City Men's Chorus Holiday Concert
Saturday, December 11 at 7:30 p.m.
University United Methodist Church
More information here
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Our Prayers...
- For MCC Churches around the world, and especially all who are currently clergy in care, preparing to become MCC pastors.
- For our Building Team and Board of Directors as they work with our new General Contractor in the next steps of the 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.
- For all GLBTQ youth who face bullying and discrimination as they live out who they are, and for all families who support these youth.
- For all those affected by cancer, their families and friends.
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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
I remember summer days when I was home from college and the only way to stay in touch with my long distance love was letters. I don't recall wondering as I read them what they "really" meant or what facial expressions or body language lay behind them. They sustained me.
Even today when I receive a <160 character text message from Stacey or one of our kids, I "get" it without puzzling out all kinds of back story. Sometimes there's pain behind them, sometimes smiles, but either way, I'm always thankful that this almost instant connection is possible.
These two examples, and others like them, have caused me to wonder if we're not being too quick to discount the effectiveness of the written word. Perhaps it's not that our written words are inherently inadequate. Perhaps the failure to communicate through the written word has to do more with the relationships and depth of intention behind the written word.
I've been thinking a lot lately about this as we make our way through the book of Romans in our H2O gatherings on Sunday afternoons. The Apostle Paul wrote the book of Romans as a letter to the church in Rome. Paul had never been to Rome, and as far as we know, he had only minimal personal knowledge of the people who made up the Roman church. But Paul had a heart for the Christians in Rome, and he had important things to share with them. Because he saw them all as brothers and sisters in Christ, he went to great lengths to articulate for them the love and grace of God. As a result, Romans possibly contains more of Christianity's quotable quotes than any other book of the Bible. Its words mean something, still.
That leads me to a pretty obvious conclusion. Why do the words spoken by and about Jesus over two thousand years ago still change the course of human lives? Why do they provide comfort, hope, healing, joy, and peace? Because of the relationship we have with the One behind the words. Remember, to some, the words of the New Testament are just words. But for those of us who have been transformed by our relationship with Jesus Christ, those words are alive and life giving.
Remember those beautiful words of Mother Theresa that we shared with each other during last Epiphany season: "I am a little pencil in the hand of a writing God who is sending a love letter to the world."
If there's any part of that quote you're not clear about, write me. I'll write back.
Peace,
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