First English Lutheran Church | Austin, Texas
God Loves. We Love. Everyone!
It is often hard to believe, to actually trust. Because it’s hard to believe, we will invest ourselves in the Easter mystery for fifty days (a week of weeks). Faith is an investment. Because it is hard to believe, the stories of John the evangelist will provide sign after sign celebrating Jesus’ victory over death, inviting us to touch and taste Christ’s presence, and offering to all the world Christ’s peace.
Everyone is invited to the longest-running community & social event of FELC (since 1964): the annual chicken BBQ, to be held in the parking lot (weather permitting)! Pitmasters will start smoking chickens in the outdoor smoker pit in the afternoon, & the potato salad & beans team will be getting the sides ready.
You’re welcome to come & visit beginning at 4 PM. BYOB. Dinner will be served around 6 PM, & includes BBQ chicken, beans, potato salad, drinks, & ice cream. Beans & potato salad are vegetarian. Vegans are welcome to bring their favorite dish to share. Come one, come all!
Join UT’s Repertory Chorus in concert at FELC on Monday, April 28 at 8:00 PM. It’s a concert of mostly American, mostly folk music: “Yesterday”, “Clementine”, “I’ll Fly Away” and more. Repertory Chorus is a mixed chamber choir directed by graduate student conductors. FELC partners with UT’s Butler School of Music to provide a laboratory rehearsal and venue experience for these professional, educational vocal leaders. Join us on Monday evening, April 28!
On Saturday, May 3 at 7:30 PM at FELC, join Cantastoria Chamber Choir in a benefit concert for Liberty Ukraine. Cantastoria Chamber Choir uses choral music, ancient and modern, to tell stories in the form of projects that they write and produce for video and live performance. Passionate about collaborating with artists in other disciplines, Cantastoria tells stories in varied and compelling ways. View the stories they’ve told here
Liberty Ukraine Foundation is a nonprofit organization based in Austin, TX fundraising for Ukrainian residents, servicemen and women, first-aid workers, medical facilities, and victims of the war in Ukraine. They provide critical support to those in Ukraine, aid to those suffering in Ukraine, and bringing hope to those displaced by war. Fundraising efforts cover a wide range of causes, from purchasing life-saving protective gear and evacuation equipment for rescue workers, to providing crucial physical and mental therapy for wounded civilians, servicemen, and children. The passion of Liberty Ukraine Foundation lies in the extensive experience and network of volunteers in the U.S., Europe, and Ukraine. They do not have any salaried personnel, ensuring that every amount of contribution goes directly to helping those in need.
Join us for an exciting evening of community, music, stories, food, and art as we support our friends in Ukraine!
For TICKETS & INFO to this event, CLICK HERE.
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Maundy Thursday | April 17, 2025 | Noon & 7PM
The Noon liturgy will be abbreviated. 7PM: Confession & Absolution, Holy Communion, footwashing ritual, & stripping the altar in preparation for Good Friday.
Good Friday | April 18, 2025 | Noon & 7PM
Noon to 3PM: Tre Ore (3 hours) service on the Seven Last Words of Christ. Come & go for prayer, reflections, & music. 7PM: Adoration of the Cross liturgy; passion narrative reading; choral & instrumental music, & prayer around the cross. Virtual Stations of the Cross is available online.
Holy Saturday: The Easter Vigil | April 19, 2025 | 8:01PM (sunset)
Candlelight procession, stories of salvation, baptismal renewal, Holy Communion, & special music. Champagne and chocolate reception following worship.
Easter Sunday Worship, Hospitality, & Egg Hunt | April 20, 2025 | 10AM
Flowering of the indoor cross before worship (bring cut flowers). Worship with the resurrection story, Holy Communion, and choral & instrumental music. Festive Hospitality & Egg Hunt after worship (bring a basket).
Click HERE for more information and links
“Hosanna” or “Hoshana” (הושענא) is a Hebrew word meaning save us now. Saint Augustine, fourth century bishop of the church, called Holy Week, the “Great Week” because of the great things that were accomplished during these days. Augustine said, “Unless the church can learn to identify itself with Christ in his death and resurrection, unless it can, on Palm Sunday, approach Jerusalem with Jesus, die with him on Holy Friday, and rise with him at the culmination of the Easter feast, the church cannot accomplish its mission, which is not only to proclaim the good news but to embody it in the world.” Many in the church recently celebrate Palm Sunday in two parts – the entry into Jerusalem and then the Passion of Jesus. FELC chooses to observe a more ancient custom and celebrate Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday and reserve the Passion for Good Friday. We celebrate the Lord of heaven and earth riding on a donkey – and we, too, join the procession of people – whoever we are and from wherever. Jesus welcomes all.
On the fifth Sunday in Lent, we enter the culmination on the wandering journey. We’ve been praying, fasting, and offering ourselves. And we are once again reminded that God makes all things new. In the Hebrew scriptures God promises this newness. In the gospel story from John this Sunday, Mary anticipates this newness, anointing Jesus’ feet with costly perfume in preparation for the day of his burial. Saint Paul recalls his transformation from the persecutor Saul into an apostle. We don’t know what the future will hold, based on the past, good or bad. God is doing a new thing. God’s newness in each person rises daily from the mire of trespasses and sins, from apathy and indifference, from violence and war, from degradation and fear. We rise. God’s people always rise.
Guest Musician | Sunday, April 6
We welcome Åshilld Henriksen, principal horn for the Helsingborg Symphony Orchestra for her entire professional career. Åshilld, studying at Musikhochschule Carl Maria von Weber in Dresden, is an active recitalist and chamber musician in Sweden. She will play Mozart’s Andante Cantabile from the Horn Concerto, K.495, accompanied by pianist, Mozart scholar, and FELC member, Dr. Mary Robbins.
Secrets in Plain Sight: A New Way to Hear and Perform Mozart’s Music will be offered on Sunday, April 6, 3:00 PM at the University of Texas Butler School of Music, Dedman Drive, Room 2.614 (next to the Recital Studio). Mozart scholar and pianist Dr. Mary Robbins introduces an important aspect of Mozart’s music that we haven’t been taught today but that he said was crucial to its force and meaning. Kristin Wolfe Jensen, bassoon, Åshilld Henriksen, horn, Dr. Martha MacDonald, clarinet, and Robbins demonstrate Mozart’s approach in selected movements of his concertos. This event is open to the public. Admission is free.
Join FELC music partner, Austin Cantorum, on Saturday April 5 at 7:30 PM, for an evening of choral music exploring personal growth in the face of adversity. With music from composers Benjamin Britten, Gwyneth Walker, and Brandon Waddles, plus Veljo Tormis’s powerful “Raua needmine” (Curse Upon Iron), we’re all “Facing It” and recognizing our community, our world, and ourselves for who we really are. Featuring Pianist Benjamin Dia. Admission is free with a suggested donation of $25.
hAmaro Fest 2025 – a two-day event celebrating Romani culture!
Friday, April 4 beginning at 7:00PM
Join everyone at FELC for an evening of Romani music & dance featuring world renowned artists (including our own Oliver Rajamani) of the Romani diaspora musical traditions – flamenco, kathak dance, Balkan Romani, & dance, & more.
TICKETS at: https://www.eventbookings.com/b/event/hamaro-fest-2025-day-1
Saturday, April 5 from Noon to 10:00PM
Free event of music, dance, kids events, food, workshops, & more at Kenny Durhams Outdoor Stage, 1106 E 11th Street, Austin. Details at: www.hamarofest.com