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 Sunday Morning Worship on November 21
9 & 11 a.m.
"Practicing Gratefulness"
Rev. Karen Thompson
Colossians 1:11-20
May you be made strong with all the strength that comes from Christ's glorious power, and may you be prepared to endure everything with patience, while joyfully giving thanks to God, who has enabled you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the light. God has rescued us from the power of darkness and transferred us into the dominion of Jesus Christ, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. Christ is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation; for in Christ all things in heaven and on earth were created, things visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or powers-all things have been created through and for Christ. Christ is before all things, and in Christ all things hold together. Christ is the head of the body, the church; the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that Christ might come to have first place in everything. For in Christ all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through Christ, God was pleased to reconcile all things, whether on earth or in heaven, by making peace through the blood of the cross.
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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 21 at 2 p.m.
Hanging of the Greens Service
Join us for a festive holiday service that includes carols and preparing the sanctuary for the Advent season. If you've never been part of this special activity, you must come join us. We'll put up the trees and hang the stars and sing our favorite seasonal songs.
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Order a Poinsettia
You can purchase your plant in honor or in memory of someone special in your life and help us complete our holiday decorating of the sanctuary at the same time. If you have any questions or need further information, you can call the church office at 291-8601.
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 MCC Austin Church Size SummitLed by Rev. Elder Ken Martin
This Saturday, November 20
9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. - FREE!
Open to all members and friends of MCC Austin
Please email Courtney Webster or call her in the church office (291-8601) to register.
"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. ~ Rev. Elder Lillie Brock
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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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"Imagine Inclusion" Bible Study
Starts November 21
Sunday mornings from 9:30-10:30 a.m.
MCC Austin Wray Education Building
The "No Experience Necessary" group meets in the Wray Education Building from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. every Sunday morning. It's a diverse group of men, women, singles, and couples from ages 20 to 70. On November 21 we will begin a study entitled, "Imagine Inclusion." This study was used in conjunction with MCC General Conference 2010. No previous knowledge or study is necessary. We welcome you to join the conversation. For more information, please contact Jan Manning by email here.
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 RED CARPET MINISTRY LUNCHEON
November 21, 2010
After 11 a.m. service
Bakehouse Restaurant & Bar
(5404 Manchaca Rd)
Everyone is invited. It's a great opportunity for visitors and members to get to know one another. Come meet MCCers old and new!
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Holy Conversations
An Invitation to Faithful Dialogue
December 1 at 7 p.m.
"Trans-formations & Trans Experiences"
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 "Trans-formations & Trans Experiences."
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.
For location information please email or call Courtney Webster at the church office and she will give you the directions.
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 JOURNEYSaturday, December 4
MCC Austin from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Registration required, only 25 available spots!
JOURNEY is an 8-hour experience to better understand and appreciate self, others and God. It is a retreat-like experience which deals with such topics as: Do I wear masks? Why? How can I better learn to communicate who I am and not just what I think? How can I grow in trust? Who is Christ? What does Church mean to me? Do I pray? Why? It is a non-threatening opportunity to really get to know yourself, others and God. To register contact Courtney Webster at the church office or by email . It will be facilitated by Carol Wagner and presented by a team from MCC Austin. It will be awesome! Lunch will be served - love offering only. Please be prompt and plan to spend the entire day. It will definitely be worth your time. Open to 21 years and older.
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 New Member Class
Sunday December 5
4 p.m. to 6 p.m.
Come learn about the history of MCC Austin, what our current ministries are, and where God is calling us as a church for our future. You will also find out how to get involved in ways that are meaningful to you. If you're interested in attending the class, please RSVP to Courtney Webster, by email or by calling the church [291-8601]. Please include your first and last name, email, and the best contact number for you. Back to Top |
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PRIDE BUILD 4 (PB4)
Join MCC Austin's PB4 Team
December 18
For the fourth year in a row, the Austin Pride Build is partnering with Austin Habitat for Humanity to embrace Austin's diversity by bringing together the Lesbian, Gay, Bi-sexual, and Transgender community and our friends to build a healthy and affordable home for an Austin family in need. The 2010 build begins in October and once again the hard work and big hearts of Austin's LGBT community will come together to pull off another amazing Habitat for Humanity project. For more information on Pride Build 4 please click here.
MCC Austin is providing a team to go out on December 18 to dig in, help out, and show our pride for the community. So climb on board! No experience necessary, just the willingness to swing a hammer, slap some paint, spread some caulk and a variety of other tasks. If you would like to be on this AMAZING team and help MCC Austin represent, please contact Courtney Webster at church office or by email.
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 Holiday Office Hours
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BEYOND OUR WALLS: MCC News From Around the World
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News from MCC churches around the world.
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BEYOND OUR WALLS: News & Community Events
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Allgo Presents:
Dialogue and Conference Call: Suicide and the LGBT Community
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Transgender Education Network of Texas (TENT)
Click here for our November Newsletter
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Capitol City Men's Chorus Holiday Concert
Saturday, December 11 at 7:30 p.m.
University United Methodist Church
To purchase tickets online for $20, please click here.
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Austin Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week
The Ending Community Homelessness Coalition (ECHO) and the Basic Needs Coalition of Central Texas (BNC) are co-hosting Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week: Listen. Learn. Lend a Hand, a week of events designed to educate the Austin community on the root causes of hunger and homelessness in Central Texas. This week of events will be held Saturday, November 13 through Friday, November 19, 2010.
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Our Prayers...
- For MCC Churches around the world.
- 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 who have lung disease and their families.
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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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Quick Links
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Pastor's Message
I, too, believe that Christmas is a time when people "open their shut-up hearts freely and think of people below them as if they really were fellow-passengers to the grave, and not another race of creatures bound on other journeys."I desperately wish that Christmas time wasn't unique in this way, or that it could last all year long.
When I was a child--and, truthfully, a long way past that--I grumbled to myself quite a bit about our church's stinginess with Christmas hymns and carols. If you weren't in church the Sunday after Christmas, well, forget it! In fact, the hymns the music director pulled out for December were the ones I knew least of all and liked least of all. (There was probably a connection there.)
Not until I was much older and began to learn about "liturgical seasons" and the "church year" did I begin to accept, begrudgingly, that Advent was a time of preparation for Christmas, and that I had some soul-searching and lots of praying to do before I was truly ready for Christ to be born again unto me.
That need for introspection hasn't changed, but this year I'll be doing more of that on my own and less of that on Sundays with you. Why? Because we're going to welcome Christmas to MCC Austin early. Continuing from last year's theme of "Simple Gifts," this year we encourage you to reaffirm that the greatest gifts are the simple gifts of Love, Hope, Joy, and Peace. Then we want you to do something about it! Inspired by the Advent Conspiracy website that we stumbled upon last year, this year we're going to bring you "Christmas Can Still Change the World." On the four Sundays in Advent, we will invite you to "Worship Fully," "Spend Less," "Give More," and "Love All."
In addition to our Sunday and Christmas Eve worship services, we will offer other special opportunities throughout Advent. Beginning the week after Thanksgiving, you will have the chance to participate in our "Deacons' Tree" by purchasing gifts for children and seniors. Daniel and our music department will present a special program of seasonal music on December 12. On Wednesday, December 15, we will have our "Blue Christmas" service for those who find this time of year especially difficult. At some point, we might even work in a little Christmas caroling excursion to our neighbors here in South Austin.
This year, I want you to conspire with us against the commercialism and accompanying cynicism that can so quickly seep into the season-and seep in earlier and earlier each year. This year, I want you to remember that we are not simply preparing for Christmas Day, a single day sometimes stripped of much of its meaning. Instead, conspire with us to spread the good news that we're not preparing for a day, but a Deliverer. Not a holiday, but a Holy Day. Not Christmas...but Christ! Always! In and with and for us!
Christmas can still change the world. Love can still change the world. I wish you were standing right here in front of me so I could tell you in person and help dispel any doubts. But since you're not, read this one more time:
Christmas can still change the world. Love can still change the world. May that change begin with us.
Love and Prayers, 
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