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E-Link Newsletter
News from Metropolitan Community Church of Austin
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 May 25, 2011
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From Your Pastor |
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Just out of a coincidence in scheduling, my week at the preaching festival in Minneapolis was followed this Monday and Tuesday by a clergy retreat in Glenrose, Texas. This retreat was the second in a series of five taking place over 14 months.
This series of retreats has already proven to be a blessing for me, and my belief is that, God willing and helping, it can be a blessing for you, too.
The series is called "Courage To Lead," and it was created by Parker Palmer, author of Let Your Life Speak, A Hidden Wholeness, and Courage To Teach, among others. Palmer is a deeply spiritual man who shares wisdom from his Quaker tradition, which values silence and listening (even in and with community). The Quaker tradition encourages individuals to listen especially closely to the voice within...the voice of spirit, wisdom, creativity, imagination, truth...all emanating from God.
Read more...
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What's Happening at MCC Austin | | |
May
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Sunday Morning Worship
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May 29 at 9:00 and 11:00 a.m.
"Poems, Prayers, and Promises"
Rev. Karen Thompson
Acts 17:22-31
Then Paul stood in front of the Areopagus and said, "Athenians, I see how extremely religious you are in every way. For as I went through the city and looked carefully at the objects of your worship, I found among them an altar with the inscription, 'To an unknown god.' What therefore you worship as unknown, this I proclaim to you. The God who made the world and everything in it, who is God of heaven and earth, does not live in shrines made by human hands, nor is God served by human hands, as though needing anything, since God gives to all mortals life and breath and all things. From one ancestor God made all nations to inhabit the whole earth, and allotted the times of their existence and the boundaries of the places where they would live, so that they would search for God and perhaps grope for and find God--though indeed God is not far from each one of us.
For 'In God we live and move and have our being'; as even some of your own poets have said, 'For we too are God's offspring.' Since we are God's offspring, we ought not to think that the deity is like gold, or silver, or stone, an image formed by the art and imagination of mortals. While God has overlooked the times of human ignorance, now God commands all people everywhere to repent, because God has fixed a day on which God will have the world judged in righteousness by a judge whom God has appointed, and of this God has given assurance to all by raising this judge from the dead."
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| MCC Austin's 4th Annual Broadway Series | | |
 June 2011: Life Journeys
Join us beginning June 5 as we bring you our 4th annual Broadway series, a careful and reverent exploration of themes and music from Broadway woven into our Sunday morning worship services. This June we will share "Life Journeys" from four of our favorite musicals:
- June 5 - The Wiz
- June 12 - Pippin
- June 19 - My Fair Lady
- June 26 - The Fantastiks
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| Operation Bingo | | 
Did you know that MCC Austin is the sponsor of Bingo three nights a week? We are, and this provides us with a significant source of revenue each quarter to support our mission. Our bingo games are held on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday evenings. The games are played at Lucky Lady Bingo, 1107 North I-35, Austin, Texas 78702 (going north it's on the right hand side of I-35 at 11th Street). If you have the opportunity to take in an evening of bingo during one of our games you will not only be having fun, and (hopefully) winning prizes, but also helping MCC Austin finance its operations and outreach.
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| Twelve Step Study - Part 2 | |  Saturday, June 4 from 1 - 4 p.m. at MCC Austin
This Workshop is an overview study of the Twelve Steps. Its focus is not on the drug of choice, but rather the disease of addiction. It is an open meeting, so whether you're an addict, have experience with Al-Anon, or would simply like a better idea of how the Twelve Steps work, all are welcome.
This Step Study is divided into four parts over the course of a year. Part II examines Step 4, 5 and 6. Each session begins with focused meditations, prayers and introduction of the speakers. Next are the specific sessions on each Step with insightful readings on the Step. A guest speaker will share personal experience on the Step followed by an open Q & A and sharing time. Finally, each attendant will receive a handout that follows this entire series and includes questions that are intended to help focus personal reflective writing.
To register, please email Courtney Webster in the church office.
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| MCC Austin Church Size Summit | |  Sundays June 5 & 12 at 1:30 p.m. Free!
"What's Size Got to Do With It?"
The dynamics of Church Size explain what happens as a church grows in worship attendance and membership. MCC Austin has received an assessment in 6 key areas of church function and has learned that inadequate facilities, too few programs, and too few staff to increase our program offerings significantly are the three areas in which MCC Austin faces the greatest challenges. According to Arlin Routhage, "Size is the most obvious factor affecting congregational life!" Come see what size theory says about MCC Austin and our strategies for the future.
Open to all members and friends of MCC Austin.
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| Vacation Bible School Invitation | | |
 Hosted by Central Presbyterian Church
Central Presbyterian Church invites our children to Vacation Bible School again this summer. Some of our children have attended for several years and a good time has been had by all. So SAVE THE DATE of July 25 - July 29 for Vacation Bible School at Central Presbyterian Church located downtown. To register, please click here.
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| New Member Class | |  Saturday, June 18 from 9 - 11:30 a.m. at MCC Austin Come learn about the history of MCC Austin, what our current ministries and spiritual growth opportunities 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 register with 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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Fundraising Planning Session
| |  Sunday, July 17 at 1:30 p.m. New Year's Eve Party Fundraising Event David Ferguson is searching for individuals who would like to plan and organize MCC Austin's next fundraising event. The Board of Directors have approved a New Year's Eve Party and we will be inviting everyone in Austin and surrounding communities to attend this fun and exciting party. Please be aware that the planning and organizing of this fundraising event may require a moderate amount of your time and energy, so if you are interested in being a part of this team, please plan on attending a meeting at the church on Sunday, July 17, at 1:30 p.m. Back to Top |
Help Feed Hungry Central Texans
| |  We receive donations to support the Manor Food Bank. The donation box is by the rear door. Please bring healthy, non-perishable items with intact, unopened and non-breakable packaging. Items must also be within the expiration date on the package. The best items to bring are canned meats, tuna, stews and chili (pop-tops preferred), beans, canned vegetable, healthy cereals, pasta and pasta sauce.
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| Randalls Good Neighbor Program | |
 Randalls believes in working together with customers to support programs that improve the quality of life in communities. They are committed to assisting non-profit organizations that are important to customers and their families.
Randalls offers customers a way to direct its donation dollars to customers favorite churches, schools or other non-profit organizations. Since the program began in the fall of 1996, Randalls/Tom Thumb has donated nearly $35 million to over 8000 participating organizations. Through the Good Neighbor Program, organizations sign up to have an exclusive account number. Members of an organization can then link the account number to their Remarkable card. The more people who link their card to the organization's account number, the more money the organization will raise.
The next time you're at Randalls, pick up a Remarkable Card application at the courtesy booth to fill out and link your card to our account # 391. Randalls will pay us a percentage of your account total, so please be sure to use your card every time you shop.
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| Our Prayers... | |
- For the people of Joplin, Missouri as they continue to sort through the rubble from the tornado that hit Sunday night. We especially lift up our brothers and sisters of Spirit of Christ MCC, whose church and parsonage were destroyed by the tornado.
- For all whose farms, homes, or work places have been flooded by the Mississippi River and its tributaries these past few weeks.
- 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 our church as we discern next steps for our building and/or building search process.
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| From Your Pastor, continued |
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This week we have been contemplating the "Paradox of Spring," and my eyes and mind have been opened up in new ways and in old, familiar ways. Paradox is a statement that is seemingly contradictory yet is perhaps true. In these last two days, I've been newly introduced to what Judson Edwards calls the Intimacy Paradox-that distance often helps people grow in intimacy more than closeness does and to the Ministry Paradox-the more you try to help people the more helpless people become. But I've also been tossed, as I have been many times, between the paradox of, for example, joy and pain. Spring brings with it a "sweet" sun versus a sweltering sun and wild flowers that grow beautifully with no work from me. That's pure joy. But the paradoxical pain of spring shattered its way into my conscience this week as I soaked up the spring beauty in Glenrose while spring storms ravaged Joplin, MO, and destroyed the building in which our MCC Church in Joplin worships.
I struggle regularly with paradox and habitually fall into a rush to "resolve" each paradox I encounter. I struggle with the paradox of protecting my children while letting them "grow up" and make their own decisions. I struggle with the paradox that clinging more tightly can cause things to slip right out of my grasp. I believe our Board of Directors is being deeply challenged at this time by their desire to make decisions in the best interest of the whole congregation while honoring the strong feelings of individuals that they respect and care about.
Yet even as I fall habitually into my desire to resolve the tension in paradox, I know deep in my spirit that I am at my best when I rest in the tension. When I rest in paradox, I "let go and let God." When I rest in the tension, I am more prayerful, more pliable, and more open to God.
I don't know if you ever struggle with that, but if you do, then perhaps this observation from Douglas Steere will help you to learn to rest in the tension of paradox rather than rushing to fix, or solve, or reconcile:
To be present is to be vulnerable, to be able to be hurt, to be willing to be spent-but it is also to be
awake, alive and engaged actively in the immediate assignment that has been laid upon us.
May you be fully present with each person you meet, each situation you encounter, and each whispering of your spirit, and may God bless you as you are.
Always in Hope,
Rev. Karen Thompson
Senior Pastor
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| Beyond Our Walls: News from MCCs Around the World | | |
MCC Impact: News from Churches Around the World
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MCC Action Alert: Uganda
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MCC Headline News: News from our Denomination
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| Beyond Our Walls: Community News & Events | | |
FLOURISH The Evangelical Network 2011 Conference
July 7-10, 2011, at the Omni Austin Hotel
The 2011 conference is designed to educate and inspire every Christian to FLOURISH in their individual lives, relationships, and ministries. The conference workshops and sessions focus on helping better understand, develop, and further our God-given gifts for greater ministry in the body of Christ. The 2011 conference will feature four days of transforming teaching, intimate worship, and building relationships.
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Caring Family Network (CFN)
Foster/Adoptive Parent Recruitment
Information Session
Where: Caring Family Network
1812 Centre Creek Dr. Suite 200Austin, TX 78754
When: June 21, 2011
Time: 6:00-7:00pm
Caring Family Network (CFN) is a private non-profit child placing (foster care and adoption) agency licensed by the State of Texas. Through extraordinary work, dedication, and commitment by our licensed foster parents and experienced treatment teams, we provide therapeutic services to nearly 400 abused and neglected children. We have offices in Austin, Kerrville and Brownwood and families all over Central and East Texas.
Central Texas is in need of more foster homes to provide care for this vulnerable population. Currently in Travis County, there are 416 children in foster care 60.6% of those children were placed out of county due to there not being enough foster homes available in Travis County. In Williamson County, there are 212 children in foster care 70.8% of these children are also placed out of county.
What does this mean? This means a child in foster care is not only taken from their parents they are taken from their friends, school, and city they live in. This can also delay DFPS ability to reunify families.
Please join us on June 21, 2011 to learn more who we are and how you can help by becoming a foster/adoptive parent. Refreshments will be provided.
For more information: Sarah Gomez, Community Relations: Phone :( 512) 719-3222; Fax: (512) 719-4073; E-mail: sgomez@cfntexas.com
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