Congregation Council Meeting Summary

The congregation council gathered at its monthly meeting on February 20. Here are some highlights:

The council elected congregation officers for 2023:

President Nancy Neuse

Vice President: LaRu Woody

Secretary: Elizabeth Zimmermann

Treasurer: Allen Jensen

Financial Secretary: Gwen Flory

The president, vice president, secretary, and the pastor constitute the congregation executive committee. The treasurer and financial secretary do not need to be members of the congregation council to serve. The 2023 congregation council is: Nancy Neuse, LaRu Woody, Elizabeth Zimmermann, Jerry Don Aguirre, Nancy Baden, Derek Bridges, Gwen Flory, Todd Jermstad, Andrew Koepp, Mary Lou Larson, Kristin Mondy, and Benjamin Rode. The 2023 council will be welcomed and installed on Sunday, February 26.

The council appointed two ministry team leaders: Shannon Aguirre for the Worship Team Ministry and Betsy Appleton for the Learning Ministry Team Lead. The council is grateful for these servants. These leaders will begin the work of forming the ministry teams and setting goals. Other ministry team leaders are currently being identified and will be offered to the council for approval.

The council approved the Benevolence Task Force: Nancy Baden, Claudia Barlow, Lois Holck, and Merrily Porter. The task force will identify organizations or agencies for the congregation to support in 2023. The task force will submit its work to the council for discussion and approval.

The council approved Charlie Boas and Nancy Baden as FELC representatives to our Scouting Ministry and authorized them to transact business on the scouting bank accounts.

The council approved the scope of work and compensation package for the transitional pastor for FELC. The transitional pastor is expected to be announced next week and begin ministry on March 20.

The council received a report from the treasurer ending January 31. We had a loss in January due to adding $10k per month to a reserved fund for transition ministry (approved at the annual meeting) and also distributing the final compensation to the former pastor in the same month.

The council received reports about the ministry transition, the operations of our congregation, the upcoming Micah 6 Amplify Austin fundraiser, the Move-In Ministry needs for housing insecure neighbors through Austin City Lutherans, and the upcoming Caring Ministry trainings and information meeting. The council is grateful to many who are serving in leadership during our ministry transition, including our supply pastors Brad Fuerst, Bob Karli, and Tim Lincoln.

The next council meeting is scheduled for Monday, March 20 at 7:00 PM.

Austin City Lutherans Summit: Sunday, February 26

People with trucks and/or strong backs are being recruited to help move donated furniture into storage and then into new apartments for recently housing insecure folks. A team from St. Martin’s Lutheran has been doing this for several years, operating out of the basement of their church.  A “ACL Summit” of this “Move-In” Ministry Team and related organizations will be held at St. Martins Lutheran Church, 606 W. 15th Street on Sunday Feb 26, 2:30-3.45 PM. For more information, contact Derek Bridges at bridges@ieee.org

Here’s a link to a story from Austin City Lutherans : https://breadforall-atx.org/acl-move-in-ministry/

Praying with the Whole Self: a one-day retreat

Monday, March 6, 2023 from 9:30 AM to 4:00 PM

Oblate Renewal Center, 5700 Blanco Road, San Antonio, TX

BioSpiritual Focusing is a way of opening the whole of ourselves—mind, body, and spirit—to a deeper connectedness with God, others, and self. Join together with Spiritual Director Deborah Sheehan, MA (highly recommended by former FELC member Gretchen Olson-Kopp) to learn more about how gently being with what is present within your embodied self can open the door to a deeper story—and to a greater sense of wholeness. This practice is simple yet profound. It can be helpful for anyone—young child to senior. It requires no more than showing up and a willingness to engage contemplatively with what is within. And the potential for transformation and growth unfolds in the process.

The retreat is a fine way to engage the reflections and disciplines of the season of Lent.

More information is at links below. You may also contact Barbara Schutz at bschutz@sbcglobal.net

BioSpiritual Focusing: Praying with the Whole Self

Pilgrimage to Montgomery, Alabama: February 18-20

Pilgrims from FELC journey to Montgomery, Alabama, February 18-20 to visit “The Legacy Museum: From Enslavement to Mass Incarceration” and “The National Memorial for Peace and Justice” sponsored by The Equal Justice Initiative.

Gracious God, we ask your blessing on those who make pilgrimage from our community of faith to Montgomery this week. Guide their minds as they learn of those who came before us, traveling the pilgrims way. Give them a hunger to seek your face in paths before them,
along roads trod by many seeking the blessing of your presence. Nurture their fellowship and help them to recognize the signs of you in those they meet, sharing the journey to your blessed kingdom. May they safely return to us, renewed, inspired, and called to share what they have experienced so that we may all journey the pilgrim’s way. We ask this in the name of Jesus Christ the Lord. Amen.

A daily log of this pilgrimage will be published on the First English Lutheran Church-Austin Texas Facebook page. Check it out beginning February 18th.

2023 Annual Meeting Summary

For information about our 2023 Annual Meeting held on January 22, including highlights and actions taken, click here.

Closing prayer for the meeting, offered by Erin McCracken:

Gracious God,

We give you thanks for this church family. You have drawn us together in this moment in time so that we may live out the Gospel in new and bold ways. So that we might reflect your love in fellowship with and in service to our siblings both inside and outside of the church.

We are grateful for this time of reflection; of question-asking and answering; of leading and being led; of sharing and of vulnerability; of listening and hearing; of discernment and renewal.

We may not know how things will unfold but we can be comforted by your constant presence in this place and in our hearts; we can be inspired by the magnitude of the love you have for your creation; and we can be guided by your infinite wisdom and grace.

Paul reminds us in his letter to the Corinthians that “there are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are different kinds of working, but in all of them and in everyone is the same God at work.” (1 Corinthians 12:4-6)

Let us go and do, knowing you are at work in us.

In your Holy name we pray, Amen.

FELC Diversity Report

A small subset team of the First English Racial Justice Action Team was formed in January 2022 to do a focused evaluation of the whiteness of First English Lutheran Church and seek meaningful ways in which this church can strive for and embody both strategic and authentic diversity.

The FELC Diversity Development Team shared its report with the Congregation Council at their August 15, 2022 meeting. Team members also offered report highlights in Sunday worship over the summer months. We share the report with the community now.

The report encompasses the call by the ELCA to exhibit authentic diversity–demographically matching the ethnic and racial composition of our context (Austin) and recognizes that First English Lutheran Church is overwhelmingly white. While we acknowledge that there isn’t a prescribed formula for achieving an authentically diverse community, we know there are direct actions to take, within our control, to relate to and live out the gospel message with a fuller expanse of God’s beloved community and creation. Our prayer is that this effort continues to unfold throughout the life of the whole church and in this church community of First English. 

The Diversity Development Team members are: Nancy Baden, Erin McCracken, Bryan Rust, Cassi Smith, and Barbara Wiederaenders. If you would like to join in this work or have more questions, please feel free to contact Erin McCracken at: erin922@gmail.com.  

View the report at the link below:

FELC Diversity Report + “How Strategic and Authentic is Our Diversity: A Call for Reflection, Confession, and Healing Action” (ELCA, 2019)

Celebrating Birthdays! Third Sunday of the month

As we form and build community, we give thanks to God for each person who participates in the life and witness of FELC in every level of connection.

On the third Sunday of each month, we will offer a prayer of blessing in worship for anyone celebrating a birthday in that month. We’ll invite those present on that Sunday to make themselves known (if they choose) and ask God’s blessing for the year ahead.

We joyfully gave thanks on Sunday, January 29 for those celebrating January birthdays.

God, our times are in your hand: Bless your servants as they begin another year of grace. Grant that they may grow in wisdom and joy, and strengthen their trust in your abiding goodness, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Livestream Ministry: Sunday, February 19

As we began this time of transition, we paused our livestream ministry to evaluate our online presence. This is a crucial part of our engagement and witness as a community of faith.

Livestream ministry continues Sunday, February 19 at 10:00 AM at our YouTube channel.

You can participate in livestream worship on Sunday, February 19 at this link.

We will also worship onsite at our church building each Sunday at 10:00 AM.

You can find information about the Austin Marathon this Sunday at this link.

We are grateful for your prayers as we’ve adapted our processes, which will help us facilitate and expand our online ministry. We give thanks to God for our renewed livestream team: Shannon Aguirre, Charlie Boas, Margaret Bruesch, J. P. Northcutt-Benson, and Jamie Maillart.

God’s Good Creation: Part Two

A grand old came down in the ice storm last week. This tree in the front of our campus welcomed folks entering the open doors of First English, provided shade for hot days, hung lights for nighttime receptions, and was climbed on by several generations of beloveds.

Nothing was parked along Whitis Avenue at that location. While it crushed our middle handrail, it avoided the light post. Most importantly, no one was injured.

Last week our neighbors at Fire Station No. 3 were “ordered” by the Fire Chief to assist us, without us asking. Personnel spent several hours moving the tree out of the street, cutting it, hauling the limbs on a flatbed trailer, and disposing of the tree. They will continue working on the tree in the coming weeks. We will have to secure professional services to remove the stump.

We are grateful for God’s creation, and our good neighbors.