Administrative Board Meeting

Sunday, November 12

12:15PM | FLC Great Hall

Everyone is welcome to attend and participate in this meeting, though only Administrative Board members have voting rights. Register at fumcaustin.org/admin-board. A lunch ( $13.50) is available for those who prepay by noon on Wednesday, November 8. Childcare will be provided in EDU Room 104.

Annual Charge Conference

Sunday, November 12

4:00PM | Northwest Hills UMC

District Superintendent Marcus Freeman will preside as we join with other churches across the district to celebrate our connection and do the business of the church. Our time together will also include special guest Dr. Melva K. Wallace, President of Huston-Tillotson University. All are welcome to participate.

Cheers! at Zach Theatre's

A Christmas Carol

Deadline to Purchase Tickets:

Friday, November 17

Performance: Sunday, December 3

Ring in the season with Cheers!, First Church’s community of newly and nearly retired friends, as we enjoy ZACH Theatre’s adaptation of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol—a musical sleigh ride through rhythm and time that infuses the traditional Victorian story with a score that is full of surprises as it spans genres and eras. We have 20 tickets available at a group rate of $89 each for Sunday, December 3, at 2:30PM. Hurry and reserve your seats today! RSVP and pay using the button below by November 17.

Kids' Night Out

Friday, November 17

6:00–9:00PM | SAN Wesley Hall

Kids’ Night Out is a great night for grown-ups and kids since everybody gets a break when infants-4th graders join our trained childcare staff for pizza, play time, and a movie. The cost is $45 for the first child and $15 for siblings. Spaces are limited, so sign up today. Contact Jen Seibel with questions or to request a scholarship.

Connect for Tweens

Friday, November 17

6:00–9:00PM | Family Life Center

All 5th-7th graders are invited to Connect, a time just for tweens! Connect helps kids bridge the transition between child and youth by helping tweens connect with each other and God, while having tons of fun. Together, we will eat dinner, play games, talk pre-teen life, and give kids and parents a Friday night break. 

Candy Collection for Mobile Loaves & Fishes

Sundays, November 5 and 12

Need a sweet idea for how to deal with all of your extra Halloween candy? Please donate any leftover candy to our Mobile Loaves & Fishes (MLF) Ministry. Spread joy to those we serve who love when we have candy to share! Collection bins will be in the Sanctuary Foyer and Family Life Center.

Little Red Library

Sundays in November

Sanctuary Foyer

No matter your age, there are resources to spark conversations and support you as you learn during Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Month. Please browse the Little Red Library before and after worship throughout November. This red cart houses books available for check out to adults and children.

Socks & Underwear Drive for Unhoused Neighbors

Throughout November

Clean, dry socks equal healthier feet for our unhoused neighbors, for whom keeping feet dry and warm is a daily challenge. Each week, we provide a new pair of socks to anyone who asks at the Feed My People Breakfast (often more than 50 pairs each week) and a new pair of underwear for everyone who showers there. This is one way that we work to extend kindness and human dignity to our neighbors. Please bring men’s white or black crew socks and men’s boxer-briefs (all sizes) and help us extend kindness and dignity to our unhoused neighbors. Please place your donations in the collection bins located in the foyers of the Sanctuary and Family Life Center throughout November or bring them to the church office during our regular office hours.

Service Project Sunday

Sunday, November 19

10:00–10:45AM | SAN Wesley Hall

Join us for an intergenerational time of service. We will assemble manna bags for our unhoused neighbors, make care notes for the teachers at Pickle Elementary, and more! There will be no Sunday School for children or youth, so we hope families will join us. Manna bags are also available to purchase for $5, so stop by to make one and take one.

Youth Skate Outing at Playland Skate Center

Sunday, November 19

1:00–3:00PM | 8822 McCann Dr

Roll into the Thanksgiving holiday with us at Playland Skate Center. All middle and high school students are invited to an afternoon of pizza and skating. We will meet there, so bring $20/student to cover skate rentals and lunch. Invite your friends to join us and kick off a week without school with some good old-fashioned fun!

Interfaith Day of Thanks Service and Celebration

Sunday, November 19 | 3:00PM

Huston-Tillotson Univerity's King-Seabrook Chapel | 900 Chicon St

Join Interfaith Action of Central Texas (iACT) as we celebrate our 39th Annual Interfaith Day of Thanks Service and Celebration, to be held for the first time at Austin’s only Historically Black College/University from 3:00-4:30PM, followed by a reception from 4:30-6:00PM. As we approach this special day, we are reminded of the profound power of gratitude. In a world that often focuses on our differences, it is in gratitude that we find our common ground. This annual event allows us to come together, regardless of our faith, to share in the simple yet profound act of giving thanks.

Continuing the Conversation: Homelessness in Austin

Sunday, November 26

10:00AM | EDU Murchison Chapel

After a deeply engaging October 5th Sunday Mercy & Justice presentation, Laura Torres with the Homeless Outreach Street Team (HOST) will be back to answer more questions and the wonderings you have had since. Laura is a licensed professional counselor with 14+ years working in mental health and has expertise in addiction, recovery, the criminal justice system, and trauma. Whether you were here when Laura was last with us or not, come to learn from her and be inspired by her as a part of Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Month.

Youth Parent Meeting: Drugs and Alcohol

Sunday, November 26

4:30-6:30PM | FLC Garrison Chapel

One of the most influential factors during a child’s adolescence is maintaining a strong, open relationship with a parent. This is especially important when it comes to parenting your young person in an era when stigma around drugs and alcohol has decreased. Join us for a special parent meeting with a guest speaker who will lead us through a conversation about teen substance use and the effects on developing brains. Get clear, accurate information about the environment our youth are living in and learn strategies for having safe, supportive conversations that can lead to informed choices in your own family.

FEAST: Puritans, Pietism, and American Values 

Sunday, November 26

6:30-8:30PM | Zoom

When the Pilgrims sailed for America in the early 17th century, they did so with the hope that they could found a truly pure and moral society free of the woes and corruption that they saw in the Catholic and Anglican churches of their homelands. Puritanism died out in the 18th century, but many of the values of the Puritan movement remain deeply ingrained in American society. Join us for a discussion of the ways that Puritans—and other similar movements—have shaped the life of American Christianity, even into the 21st century. Since FEAST falls on the Sunday after Thanksgiving, we will meet on Zoom to keep things extra casual. Folks who register by November 25 will receive a Doordash gift card so that we can still share a meal, even if we aren't in the same place. 

Community First!

Village of Lights

December 1-2, 8-9

6:00–9:00PM | 9301 Hog Eye Road

Celebrate the season with Community First!’s Village of Lights, one of the biggest light displays in Central Texas! The Holiday Market offers unique, handcrafted gifts made by artists and makers who live in Community First! Village, the master planned community that provides affordable, permanent housing and a supportive community for men and women coming out of chronic homelessness. Food will be available for purchase, classic Christmas movies will be featured in the Community Cinema and Santa will make a visit to the Village! RSVP and find a detailed schedule at mlf.org/village-of-lights.

Caregiver Support Group

Wednesday, December 6

8:00-9:00PM | Zoom

Henri Nouwen writes, “Caregiving feels solitary. We look out from our own lives and see so many people who seem not to experience what we feel. But we are not alone. Christ and caring friends are our companions.” Caring for a loved one in their season of need is a sacred trust and holy work. Maybe you are caring for a spouse, a child, or a friend; it might be temporary or long-term. Often, caregivers need a brief time away to renew their spirits, to just be themselves, and to connect with others in similar circumstances to receive support and encouragement. Pastor Cathy Stone and member Judy Breckbill will host this time that is open to those currently caring for a loved one or who have recently been in this role, whether in home or miles apart. For the Zoom link or questions, email Judy.

As much as we may love Christmas, all the lights, music, and shopping that come with the season often seem disconnected from the real world, from our real lives. This winter, author and artist Scott Erickson’s work, Honest Advent, will help guide us as we seek “something honest, something real, something with some human grit and a little less green and red in it.”

Buy Erickson’s book for yourself and/or share it with a friend or relative—maybe even someone you will see during thenThanksgiving holidays—who needs a different Advent story, and invite them to journey along with us. Reserve your copy of Honest Advent for $17. They will be available for pickup in the Sanctuary Foyer beginning November 12. 

While you are at it, reserve a free companion Advent Kit for use throughout the Advent season. Our Advent Kits include a simple, brief daily reflection that is designed to work in tandem with Erickson’s book as well as a few uncomplicated spiritual and hand-on practices that kids and adults alike can use to respond to God and add depth and honesty to this Advent season.

Together, we can reclaim our un-tinseled lives as the place where the wonder of God-with-us is present—a gift that will serve us all year long.

Advent Kickoff

Sunday, December 3 | 10:00AM | FLC Great Hall

The season of Advent, the four weeks of waiting that lead to Christmas, is the beginning of the Christian year. This year, Advent begins on December 3, which coincides with the 100th anniversary of the first worship service held in our beautiful Sanctuary Building. Come join the festivities at this year’s Advent Party as we celebrate 100 years of ministry and the dawn of a new Christian year— and century! We will celebrate with cake and by making heirloom Christmas ornaments from pieces of our FUMC history. There will be no Sunday School for children or youth, so we are planning fun for everyone and hope families will join. Advent devotionals and activities will be available to guide your experience of the season.

Honest Advent Study Group

Tuesdays, November 28, and December 5, 12, and 19 | 2:00-3:00PM | Zoom

Deepen your faith throughout Advent as we discuss Honest Advent, by Scott Erickson. Join member Cynthia Murray and participants from FUMC Austin and FUMC McAllen for online community and conversation about these 25 daily meditations and illustrations that address hope and light in the

darkest winters, what it means to embrace the unexpected, and how God uses everyday vulnerability to help us understand ourselves, and our faith, better. Zoom link will be sent with registration. For more information, email Cynthia Murray.

Advent and Christmas Festival Choir

Wednesdays, November 29, and December 6, 13, and 20 | 7:00-8:30PM

Choir Room

The FUMC Austin Choir invites all interested singers to join us as we prepare

musical offerings for Advent and Christmas. Sing the joyous sacred music of

this season as we anticipate God’s gift of Jesus on Sunday, December 17, at

9:00 and 11:00AM and celebrate Christ’s birth on Christmas Eve, Sunday,

December 24, at 6:00 and 8:00PM. Email Scott Davis to let us know you are planning to sing or for more information.

For over 20 years, First Church has sponsored a Christmas Breakfast in the Family Life Center. We provide a hot breakfast, served restaurant style with hosts and a smiling wait staff. After breakfast, guests receive a gift of a manna bag, hat, gloves, socks, hand warmers, cookies, and a blanket. Our goal is to raise $5,000 for this Christmas celebration with our unhoused neighbors.

Your gifts, marked “Christmas Eve Breakfast,” may be placed in the offering basket during worship, mailed to or brought by the church office, or made online using the button below. (Please select “Christmas Breakfast” from the drop-down menu.)