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E-Link Newsletter
News from Metropolitan Community Church of Austin |
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 October 26, 2011
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| From Your Pastor | | 
In honor of our recent decisions regarding our new building, I'm taking this opportunity to repeat the letter I wrote you in May of 2009, almost 2 1/2 years ago. Despite all the work we've done, possibilities we've explored, and challenges we've encountered, I find that I still feel remarkably the same. I wonder if you might, too.
May 14, 2011 -- This weekend we will Dare To Dream, and that's not all. We'll also be commissioning our Building Team and praying for God to bless them with creativity, energy, and endless hope as they work to shape the dreams we bring to them into a new home for our worship and work.
I thought that when we actually reached this point, I would be nothing but happy....
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| What's Happening at MCC Austin | |
October
30 Worship at 9 and 11 a.m.
November
6 Worship at 9 and 11 a.m.
Soul Connections Luncheon following 11 a.m. service
Daylight Savings Time Ends
13 Worship at 9 and 11 a.m.
19 New Member Class 9-11:30 a.m.
20 Worship at 9 and 11 a.m.
Hanging of the Greens worship service at 3 p.m.
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| Sunday Morning Worship | | October 30 at 9:00 and 11:00 a.m.*
"Bearing and Sharing Burdens"
Rev. Karen Thompson
Matthew 23:1-12
Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples, "The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses' seat; therefore, do whatever they teach you and follow it; but do not do as they do, for they do not practice what they teach. They tie up heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on the shoulders of others; but they themselves are unwilling to lift a finger to move them. They do all their deeds to be seen by others; for they make their phylacteries broad and their fringes long. They love to have the place of honor at banquets and the best seats in the synagogues, and to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces, and to have people call them rabbi. But you are not to be called rabbi, for you have one teacher, and you are all students. And call no one your Heavenly Parent on earth, for you have one Heavenly Parent-the one in heaven. Nor are you to be called instructors, for you have one instructor, the Messiah. The greatest among you will be your servant. All who exalt themselves will be humbled, and all who humble themselves will be exalted.
*ASL Interpretation for the 11:00 service will be available upon request. Please send your requests via email to Courtney Webster in the church office.
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| Notes from the Board of Directors | | |
Many of you have heard the news by now that MCC Austin will be staying on our S. 1st property. For those of you who haven't heard the details of that decision, here they are.
Our May 2011 building update included the following two paragraphs:
Be assured that hiring a realtor does NOT commit us to any course of action. Hiring a realtor simply allows us to determine a) if there is currently any real market for our property, b) what the market value might be, and c) what our purchasing power might be based on that market value.
In the event that there is no real interest in our property, we will recommit ourselves to building here, knowing that a) we will have to make immediate modifications (expansions) to our parking and worship space. If we do not, we can expect our attendance, offerings, and retention of visitors to DECREASE as a natural response to inadequate facilities. (If you do not understand this dynamic, please speak with any Board or Building Search Team member.)
Over the last four months we have worked with our realtor and determined that a) there is not a high interest in our property, b) the real market value of this property is only 60-80% of our asking price, and c) selling this property at market value would leave us in no position to buy, build, or renovate a church building at another site.
Therefore, the MCC Austin Board of Directors is recommitting this
congregation to building here at 8601 S. 1st St.
Thanks to our payoff of a $268,000 bond in September, we are in much better financial position than we were when we began trying to secure financing for a new building on this site a year ago. We have learned many things that will help us identify further cost-cutting measures without compromising quality. Even so, we may consider scaling back Phase I of our building project to include a 500-600 seat sanctuary with adequate parking only and using our existing space for classrooms, meeting space, social gatherings, and offices.
If you have questions, concerns, comments, or ideas, please email them to Debra Hallum at vice-moderator@mccaustin.com. By emailing your thoughts, you allow us to share them with all board members so that we can take everyone's input into consideration. You are always welcome to talk to Board members in person, but those discussions can't always be relayed with complete accuracy despite our best efforts.
As we continue our building journey together, remember this: "God, who has begun a good work in us, will be faithful to complete it."
Faithfully,
The MCC Austin Board of Directors
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| Soul Connections Upcoming Events | |  More Opportunities to Connect
October 29 - Oktoberfest
One of our members (Janice Pilgrim) is hosting an Oktoberfest event in Walburg and wants to encourage y'all to attend. She needs RSVP's by October 27 and you can let her know by email. The event is a German dinner buffet on October 29, 2011 at 5 p.m. at a restaurant in Walburg. When you RSVP, Janice will email you with the directions and a map. The event will include three bands (including the Walburg Boys - German band)- one inside while we eat and two outside in the Beer Garten after our meal. Walburg is a small village just north of Georgetown off I35. The chefs are from Munich, Germany and the food is outstanding along with fabulous desserts and beer from all over the world. It is a very fun evening and I hope to see all of you there.
November 6 - Luncheon
Soul Connections gathers on the first Sunday of each month after the 11 a.m. worship service. Please join us for a presentation from AARP on PRIDE information for LGBTQ members and lunch at Taiwan Restaurant, 500 W William Cannon Dr Suite 420.
November 11 - Lady Longhorns' Basketball
Our SOUL Connection Event for Nevember will be a fun evening at a UT Women's Basketball event: UT vs Stanford at the Erwin Center on Friday November 11, 2011, at 7 p.m. We will meet 15 minutes before game time on the concourse by Section 49. General Admission is $8. FYI you cannot bring in any drinks or snacks and they do check purses, etc. Plenty of goodies to buy there. Look forward to seeing y'all at the game cheering for the Lady Longhorns.
Please plan to join us for one or all of these events. We'd love to see you!
Future activities for Soul connections are available on the Soul Connections website. If you have any questions regarding this event, please email Dana McVey.
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| New Member Class | | 
Saturday, November 19
9 - 11:30 a.m. - MCC Austin
Come learn about the history of MCC Austin, 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 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.
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Fall Homeless Outreach Projects
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Help Us to Reach Out to the Homeless
Warming the Body and Soul of Austin Project
Project: Providing blankets to Austin's homeless
What can you do: Donations of gently used and/or new blankets/throws would be appreciated. We will have boxes & one of our group members at the church entrance on Sunday October 30 & November 6.
Our goal: To collect 50 blankets.
If you have any questions, please email Kathryn.
 Caring with Care Packets Project
Project: Providing Care packets to the homeless
What can you do: We will be collecting donations of socks, toiletries, bottled water, and breakfast-bars. There will be a large basket located at the front of the door beginning this Sunday through Sunday November 27 for you to leave your donations in.
Our goal: We would like to collect as many as possible.
For more information, please email Courtney.
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| Our Prayers... |
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- For all who are dealing with the consequences of the recent wildfires in our area as they rebuild their lives.
- Gratefulness for the generosity of God and God's people.
- 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 process.
- For all who have cancer and their loved ones.
- For families of all kinds.
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From Your Pastor, continued
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For one thing, we're building for the best of reasons: our family is growing! We need more seats for worship. We need more childcare and classroom space for our children. We need more meeting space for our growing number of offerings and ministries and community gatherings. God is great and it's all good!
But...every time I step into our sanctuary, walk across the golden-brown floors, feel the sunlight filter down around me, and look at those rising, rounded walls that nurture us like a mother's womb, I wonder how much of my heart I can truly give to a new building. This place, this unconventional, built by loving hands, hauled in on a truck place is a home like I have never known. I'm certain those words "We are standing on holy ground/And I know that there are angels all around" were never true until the people of MCC Austin sang them for the first time at Freedom Oaks.
I think what I'm doing today is inviting you to enter into this new building journey with us in any way that is authentic for you. Some of you will be like me, riding high on waves of excitement and then slipping below the swells of nostalgia. Some of you will be facing only forward, ready for every bit of challenge and change a capital campaign and building program can bring. Some of you will be looking back, wondering if the best has already been or is happening right now and longing to keep everything just the way it is.
I encourage you to be patient and loving with yourself, allowing yourself to feel whatever you feel. When enthusiasm is running high, call a Board member or email the Building Team and share your thoughts and dreams. When every sign of new construction heightens your sorrow over the coming changes, call your deacons or your pastors and share old stories and prayers for peace of mind.
I am going to keep reminding myself over and over that God has called MCC Austin to be a Church Without Walls, and we can be faithful to that calling in a cathedral of stained glass and stone, in the most unconventional of church buildings, in a rented gymnasium, a converted office building, or standing beneath the oaks with dirt under our feet. Wherever we gather in God's name, God is most assuredly with us, and we are on holy ground. -- May 14, 2009
Love and Blessings Then and Now,
Rev. Karen Thompson
Senior Pastor
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