Author: FELC Office

Saturday, April 30 at 7:30 PM

Only the best French musicians were members of the musique de chambre, Louis XIV’s personal, private retinue of musicians who performed for him in his personal chambers. Louis’s highly choreographed day was capped off by the coucher, a set of ceremonies that surrounded the king’s evening meal and bedtime. There was always music, and over the years the coucher brought together such illustrious musicians as Lully, Marais, Couperin, and Rebel. Ausitn Baroque Orchestra, with the leadership of Artistic Director Billy Traylor, recapture what a musical evening in Louis’s innermost chambers may have been like, presenting music by the king’s favorites in sets interspersed with brief readings from diaries written at Versailles during Louis’s life. Join us – it’ll be très magnifique!

For ticket information, visit: Musique pour le Coucher du Roi | Austin Baroque Orchestra & Chorus

On Saturday afternoon, April 23, FELC friends, family, neighbors, and newcomers gathered for our longest-running social event (since 1964): our annual chicken BBQ! A menu of chicken, beans, potato salad, and tea was served to over 70 folks. Kids and parents enjoyed a visit to our neighborhood fire station, and the firefighters joined us for some BBQ. We are grateful to our crews for the leadership they offer.

BBQ Pit Masters: Randy Baden, Tim Atkinson, Derek Bridges, Joel Baden, Charlie Boas, Colin Coffey, Adam Mays, Sean Peterson, Terry Porter;

Chicken Washers: Charlie Boas, Larry Collmann, Sean Peterson;

Kitchen preparing chickens and BBQ sauce: Charlie Boas, Sean Peterson

Kitchen preparing potato salad: Trish Karli, Tessa Baden, Kate Baden VanDellan, Anne Wiebe

Kitchen preparing beans and iced tea: Nancy Baden;

Provided boiled eggs: Henri Atkinson, Fran Collmann, Merrily Porter, Barbara Wiederaenders, LaRu Woody;

Provided boiled, peeled potatoes: Betsy Appleton, Kathryn Coffey, Erin McCracken, Leigh Northcutt-Benson, Bonnie Northcutt, Elizabeth Zimmerman;

Clean-Up and Leftover: Jennifer Biggs, Kathryn Coffey, Gwen Flory, Bruce Flory, Connor Hansen;

Serving: Trish Karli, Nancy Neuse, Merrily Porter;

Live Music: Oliver Rajamani and Company.

Our profound thanks to Randy Baden (CEO) and Terry Porter (GC)!

See more photos on the First English Lutheran Church Austin Texas Factbook page

What a joy to celebrate the life, death, and resurrection of Christ. We invite you to view our First English Lutheran Austin Texas Facebook page for more scenes from Holy Week & Easter Day. Hundreds of folks gathered online and onsite from Palm Sunday through Easter Day. Christ is risen indeed! Alleluia!

And God said let there be light. And there was. And then the lighting contractors mistakenly took away all the lights when they were only supposed to take the uplights. And it was very dark. And then they fixed their mistake. AND now returned the repaired uplights. And there is even more light. And it is good! Our thanks to Heidi Goebel for coordinating with our lighting company.

April 17 at 10 AM

In-Person and Livestream on our YouTube channel

Join us as we celebrate the good news of the resurrection of Christ. Since we are not having an Easter Vigil this year, we will incorporate parts of the Vigil liturgy in our Easter Sunday worship.

• Flowering of the cross before worship (bring your flowers!)
• Blessing of the new paschal candle
• Full musical Holy Communion liturgy
• Rite of renewal of baptism
• Ensemble music
• Festive hospitality after worship (egg bake, baked goods, Easter eggs, chocolate, & more!)
• Easter Egg hunt during hospitality (bring a basket for little ones)

We will have a fun Easter Egg hunt for all the little ones on Easter Sunday, April 17, during hospitality following worship. Remember it’s BYOB: Bring Your Own Basket!

FELC Team Feeds on Sunday, June 19

On Sunday, April 3, the FELC team of Brian, Cassi, Anne, Meiling, and Sarah served folks at the Micah 6 ministry center.

The Micah 6 Street Youth program is a series of services supporting young adults 30 and younger who are street dependent. Housed in University Baptist Church (UBC) near the UT campus, there are drop-in times on Saturday and Sunday afternoons. Computer labs, a hot, home cooked meal, snacks, basic clothing, TV, a laundry, and toiletries are provided.  Together, the Micah 6 partner churches, including First English, and additional individuals have served more than 10,000 meals in ten years.  A safe place out of the elements and some essential services (that most of us take for granted!) is a keystone of this ministry.

In addition to providing financial support to the Micah 6 ministries, First English is a consistent participant in the Sunday afternoon/evening meal provided to the young people.  

You can be a part of this ministry by preparing food or volunteering to serve the meal. The food need not be home-cooked; store-bought dishes are welcome. Any level of participation is appreciated. 

Meals are served on Sunday afternoons at 4:00 pm and are delivered in the circle drive at UBC. Someone will be there to take your dish or we can even meet you somewhere else if that’s more convenient.  Our next date will be Sunday, June 19 with head chef Anne Wiebe.  

Please contact Heidi Goebel Heidigoebel@sbcglobal.net or Merrily Porter msporter58@gmail.com if you can cook and/or serve or if you just want to discuss this ministry.  We’d be happy to talk about it or answer any questions.  Thank you for your continued advocacy and prayers on behalf of those in our neighborhood.    

Young adults at FELC met with the vicar and pastor for a great dinner at Hula Hut on April 4. In addition to getting to know each other, sharing stories of dumb things we have done, and enjoying a great dinner, we discussed ideas for service projects to do together. Plans are underway… more information is coming soon.

Masks Optional Beginning March 27, 2022

We are glad to be in Stage 2 for Covid risk in Travis County. While the current recommendations say that masks indoors are optional for vaccinated persons, we have waited until after spring break and SXSW to change our protocols at FELC.

Assuming the situation continues to remain stable or improve, masks will be optional at FELC beginning this Sunday, March 27. We continue to encourage vaccinations for all who are eligible. We will keep every other pew blocked off for now. We ask everyone to continue to respect each individual’s safety needs, especially children who cannot yet get vaccinated and anyone at high risk for Covid complications.

We offer outdoor hospitality with food and drink, masks optional.

We will continue monitoring the risk levels in Travis County weekly. We will adjust our safety protocols as needed.

Serving with Neighbors

Our congregation council has approved two organizations be named as the recipients of benevolence giving for the year 2022:  Micah 6 and Eagle Pass Frontera Ministries.

Many are familiar with the mission of Micah 6 and its service to those experiencing homelessness and/or poverty in the university area, especially young people.  As one of its founding congregations, our commitment to Micah 6, including the time and financial resources of individual members of our community, remains an important outreach of the First English Community.  Our commitment to Micah 6 is still strong and Micah 6 should remain as one of our benevolence partners. 

Eagle Pass Frontera Ministries is an initiative and ministry of the Southwestern Texas Synod of the ELCA.  Frontera ministers to migrants and asylum seekers, serving alongside a Methodist ministry, Mission Border Hope.  Approximately 300 people seek support each day as they cross the border into Texas.  Frontera is there in Eagle Pass to provide essential needs:   food, water, shoes, basic clothing, hygiene equipment, and other necessities to sustain life.   Other organizations, like Mission Border Hope, work with Frontera to provide housing and transportation beyond the border after initial and urgent needs have been addressed by Frontera.

Part of the FELC intentional outreach vision includes service to neighbors.  The people crossing the Texas border are our neighbors.  People cross the border for many reasons – to be with family, to access educational and job opportunities, to escape violence.  But all are neighbors in need of kindness and respite and the basics of life that come so easily to most of us.  Eagle Pass Frontera meets these folks where they are and provides those basics; this is “boots on the ground” work.  Along with our support of local organizations like Casa Marianella, supporting the work of Eagle Pass Frontera Ministries can be an expression of our love for our neighbors.  The desperate plight of migrants, refugees and asylum seekers all over the world, whether related to Ukraine or the southern border of Texas, shows us that the need for neighborly love and practical care will always be present and should always be a part of the mission of the church. 

Let’s do our part to support this necessary work in all the ways we are able and to share God’s grace in all the ways we can.