First English Lutheran Church | Austin, Texas
God Loves. We Love. Everyone!
The Christmas season lasts for twelve days. Come enjoy the Lessons and Carols service as we continue to ponder, sing, and celebrate the good news of the birth of Jesus. Join us in person and on livestream.
This has been canceled due to scheduling issues for Devil Dog Coffee.
On January 16 we will host our first hospitality after worship with members of Vision of Hope AME Church joining us. To help celebrate, I am sponsoring the coffee for the day with the help of my friend, Eric Gates.
Eric is the founder of Devil Dog Coffee Company in Austin. “Devil Dog” is a nickname for the Marines. Eric is a former Marine, a former Austin police officer, and a current pastor in the Disciples Church, in addition to running his coffee business. Here’s his brief bio from his web site:
Eric lives life serving others. From his time in the Marine Corps as a Reconnaissance Marine to a nine year stint as an Austin Police officer, Eric is proud to have helped others. Today, as the owner of Devil Dog Coffee Company and being a person in recovery, the calling to make a positive impact in our communities and helping others still resonates. Eric works hard to provide products that not only taste good, but also do good. His mission is using Devil Dog coffee to bring people together to foster deeper and more meaningful relationships.
https://devildogcoffeecompany.com/pages/about-us
On Sunday, January 16 Eric is going to bring his Devil Dog coffee truck to FELC. The first 50 drinks are on me! He’ll park in front of the sanctuary and serve drinks from 9:30 to 10:00, and 11:00 to 12:00. If bad weather forces hospitality indoors that day, he will park the truck in our parking lot near the fellowship hall entrance. In addition to a variety of coffee drinks, Eric offers hot chocolate, hot apple cider, and Kool-Aid drinks.
I hope to see you January 16 as we welcome the people of Vision of Hope among us.
This year we will have a single Christmas Eve service at 9 PM. Come and celebrate the birth of Christ through singing, prayer, communion, and candle light. This service will be in person and on livestream.
Prelude music will begin at 8:45 PM. Special music will be offered throughout the service.
We have seen continued attempts from spammers to send emails to church members appearing to be from Pastor Coffey but using a different email address. These often end up leading to an odd request about donating gift cards or needing help in an emergency. This is happening to many churches all over the nation.
Sometimes the email address looks like the correct one, but has a “@gmail.com” domain, or some other email service. All emails from the church come from the “@felcaustin.org” domain. We will never send emails requesting you to send gift cards or other unusual forms of donation. If you ever have questions about an unusual or suspicious email, do not respond to the email. Instead, please contact Pastor Coffey directly by phone or using the correct email address: pastor@felcaustin.org
Vision of Hope African Methodist Episcopal Church recently sold their two properties in Austin. They have purchased land in Manor and are developing plans to build. A few months ago, Rev. Regina Earls reached out to me to see if I had any ideas of places where they could temporarily gather for worship. I said I would ask around. I also said maybe we could work something out at FELC. After pondering ideas of how such an arrangement could work well for both congregations, the leadership of VOH and FELC have agreed to have VOH worship at FELC on the first and third Sundays of the month starting at Noon, beginning January 2.
Our two congregations began an intentional relationship with each other immediately following the horrific murders of 9 members of Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, South Carolina on June 17, 2015. Both communities have rejoiced in sharing this fellowship, welcomed one another, learned from each other, and hoped for even more to come in our relationship. I am grateful that we now have the chance to build on a solid foundation.
One way we can make the most of this opportunity is to gather together during our hospitality. For FELC this happens after worship, and for VOH it will be before worship. It will be a wonderful time to visit, connect, and build relationships in the spirit of our shared faith. Beginning with hospitality on January 16, we will invite the participants of VOH to join us at 11:15. On the same day we plan to have each other’s pastors visit the other’s worship service.
In addition to hospitality, we will have opportunities to attend each other’s worship services, and work on other shared ministry ideas. I for one am looking forward to enjoying the gathering music as VOH begins their worship services – they have a wonderful band and choir.
Rejoice with me that we have been led into this blessed fellowship and unique opportunity by the Spirit that makes us one in Christ Jesus.
Peace,
Michael Coffey
As the church year completes another rotation, our lectionary turns its focus from the Gospel of Mark to the Gospel of Luke. Though Luke shares a fair amount of Mark’s gospel, roughly half of Luke is not found in the other gospels. And with diverse material comes a distinct account of Jesus and his ministry.
Vicar Wes will lead a three-week forum digging into some of the main themes, images, and questions of Luke’s gospel. This will serve as a look at its socio-historical background, a preview of coming lectionary themes, and a reflection on what the gospel’s focus on marginalized groups, such as women and the poor, have to teach us in our modern context. The forum will meet for three weeks on Zoom using our FELC Community Zoom link.
Thanksgiving can be a beautiful holiday to enjoy with loved ones. For some, family is scattered or estranged, so Friendsgiving brings the warmth of shared company and meal. It’s a complicated holiday because of the origin story, which doesn’t accurately reflect the truth. And the subsequent history of Native American marginalization makes us rightly hesitant to add any insult to the injury of the past.
Yet, the day is much simpler and better than that. Many cultures over the millenia have had autumn harvest celebrations to enjoy the bounty the earth provides and give thanks for it. Our holiday is not much different. The wonderful Thanksgiving feast made up of food, family, and friends, remind us that we have abundant gifts from God. We are filled with gratitude that wells up as we gather to share a joyful meal.
I hope your Thanksgiving holiday this year is a joyful one and you are filled with some kind of holy gratitude — yes, even in these trying times, even when not everyone at the table shares the same beliefs.
I am sharing this psalm of gratitude for you to ponder this week. If you struggle to find the words to express your thanksgiving, perhaps this psalm can be a guide.
— Pastor Michael Coffey
Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised; his greatness is unsearchable. One generation shall laud your works to another, and shall declare your mighty acts. On the glorious splendor of your majesty, and on your wondrous works, I will meditate. The might of your awesome deeds shall be proclaimed, and I will declare your greatness. They shall celebrate the fame of your abundant goodness, and shall sing aloud of your righteousness. The LORD is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. The LORD is good to all, and his compassion is over all that he has made. All your works shall give thanks to you, O LORD, and all your faithful shall bless you. They shall speak of the glory of your kingdom, and tell of your power, to make known to all people your mighty deeds, and the glorious splendor of your kingdom. Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and your dominion endures throughout all generations. The LORD is faithful in all his words, and gracious in all his deeds. The LORD upholds all who are falling, and raises up all who are bowed down. The eyes of all look to you, and you give them their food in due season. You open your hand, satisfying the desire of every living thing. The LORD is just in all his ways, and kind in all his doings. The LORD is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth. He fulfills the desire of all who fear him; he also hears their cry, and saves them.
Psalm 145
We will reschedule this event soon. Look for a new date in Janaury.
We’re inviting all young adults to join us for a dinner gathering. We’ll connect, enjoy a cheese and charcuterie dinner, and brainstorm ideas for the young adult group at FELC. Who counts as a young adult? Anyone from early to late 20’s/early 30’s is welcome.
RSVP to Pastor Coffey (pastor@felcaustin.org) so we know who to expect.
Ever since the pandemic began there has been no clear way to track worship attendance like we used to. And what does “attendance” mean when livestream participation is an intergral part of how we gather?
Once we returned to in-person worship with livestream on August 1 we began looking at numbers differently. We started to think about “worship participation” rather than “attendance.” We looked at the count of people in the sanctuary and the data we get from livestreaming. While it is not clear how to relate these numbers to traditional ways of tracking attendance, I think there are some helpful ways to think about the data we have.
First, in-person attendance is still low compared to in-person attendance prior to the pandemic. This is understandable since some people are hesitant to gather, and because we have given people the option of livestream. But only looking at that number doesn’t give a full picture of our worship participation.
We have two other numbers we are tracking. We can see what our “peak live viewers” number is. This is the highest number of people participating at any one time in the livestream as it happens.
The second number we are tracking is the number of people who watch at least in part the livestream video over the next 3 days. This gives us a good sense of the total number of people who participated online in some way. After 3 days the total number of viewers tends to increase very little, so it is a good point in time to track.
You can see the data below on worship participation since August 1, and the averages for each column. Below that you can see two numbers I think are the most meaningful to watch. Average Live Participation (In Person and Livestream) is the closest to our attendance numbers prior to the pandemic. It is the total number of people who participated in some way during the live worship service. The average at this point is 59. The other number is Average Total Participation (In Person and 3 Day Views) is the total number of people who participated in some way whether live or soon after. The average for this number is 88.
In the 2019 our average worship attendance was 67. This is just about in the middle of 59 and 88. So in this new world of post-pandemic, in-person and livestream worship, we have a few less participating live than before, and more people particiating in some way than before.
If you’re like me you may find these numbers interesting and worth paying attention to. But, like me, you may also sense that numbers aren’t the only thing to pay attention to. The overall picture of our congregation is one of committed participation, generous stewardship, a heart for serving those in need, an openness to renewal and change while valuing tradition, a love for children, youth, and young adults, exceptional hospitality and welcome, and a passion for including all persons, especially those who may have experienced exclusion elsewhere. How are we doing with all of that? I’d say we have an overall healthy, active, mission-focused, and faithful gathering of the body of Christ.
Thanks for all you do to make FELC a lively and faithful congregation — whether you’re a member, a regular participant, or you just found us. Since I’m the pastor, I’ll close by saying that your regular participation in our worship life and community is important, and not only for your own ongoing spiritual formation in Christ. Your participation is important to everyone else who loves and cares about you and sees your unique gifts and longs to welcome you if you are new.
— Michael Coffey
| DATE | DESCRIPTION | IN-PERSON ATTENDANCE | PEAK LIVE VIEWERS | 3 DAY VIEWS |
| 8/1/2021 | Regathering Sunday | 41 | 22 | 55 |
| 8/8/2021 | Vicar Installation Sunday | 43 | 26 | 52 |
| 8/15/2021 | Feast of Mary. Back to School Blessing | 34 | 25 | 59 |
| 8/22/2021 | Lectionary 21 | 34 | 31 | 67 |
| 8/29/2021 | Lectionary 22 | 29 | 20 | 62 |
| 9/5/2021 | Lectionary 23 / Labor Day Weekend | 25 | 29 | 49 |
| 9/12/2021 | Lectionary 24 | 34 | 28 | 69 |
| 9/19/2021 | Lectionary 25 | 23 | 25 | 52 |
| 9/26/2021 | Lectionary 26 | 22 | 30 | 62 |
| 10/3/2021 | Saint Francis Sunday / 3 baptisms | 62 | 20 | 46 |
| 10/10/2021 | Lectionary 28: no livestream | 28 | ||
| 10/17/2021 | Lectionary 29 / Bryan’s last Sunday | 41 | 22 | 48 |
| 10/24/2021 | Lectionary 30 | 36 | 20 | 37 |
| 10/31/2021 | Reformation Sunday | 39 | 20 | 37 |
| 11/7/2021 | All Saints Sunday / baptism | 40 | 21 | 36 |
| 11/14/2021 | Extended Advent A / no livestream tech | 41 | 10 | 42 |
| Averages | 36 | 23 | 52 | |
| Average Live Participation (In Person and Livestream) | 59 | |||
| Average Total Participation (In Person and 3 Day Views) | 88 |
FELC Members and Friends,
Here is a snapshot of the church’s finances as of October 31, 2021
Financial Update
| In the Month of October | Actual Year-to-date | Budgeted Year-to-date | |
| Total Operating Income | $24,372.56 | $257,955.02 | $281,250.00 |
| Total Non-Contingent Operating Expenses | $27,854.35 | $260,735.25 | $272,902.00 |
| Total Contingent Operating Expenses (Synod, Benevolence, Savings) | $0.00 | $701.56 | $6,551.00 |
| Net Income (Loss) | $-(3,481.79) | $-(3,481.79) | $1,797.00 |
Monthly Giving Income*
| Jan | Feb | Mar (Q1) | Apr | May | Jun (Q2) | |
| Unified, Current, & Benevolent Income (Giving income)* | $16,547.41 | $26,668.38 | $28,220.38 | $22,508.38 | $27,110.38 | 23,913.38 |
| July | August | Sept (Q3) | Oct | Nov | Dec (Q4) | |
| $24,989.69 | $37,042.38 | $21,855.38 | $21,248.38 |
*Our monthly budget for giving income is $26,250.
Income fell short of expenses for the month of October, and as a result, the church now has a year-to-date deficit of $-(3,481.79).
The church did maintain, however, a small year-to-date surplus at the end of Quarter 3 (Sept 30) of $701.56. Those Q3 surplus funds have been allocated in the following ways:
We will next assess our ability to make benevolence payments and a transfer to savings at the end of 4th quarter (December 31st).
With gratitude,
Erin McCracken
FELC Treasurer