THIS SUNDAY
Sunday, May 8
Preacher: Dr. Brad King
Scripture: Matthew 5:43-48
9:00AM and 11:00AM | Sanctuary
Worship is livestreamed at 11:00am each Sunday and is available online through our YouTube Channel, Facebook page, and our Zoom worship experience, which will be taking a break for the summer. Our last Zoom worship experience for the season will be May 22.

When Austin's community COVID level is low, masks are optional during worship at FUMC Austin. For more information about this community of faith's approach to masking, visit our website.
Season of Celebration
In the church, Easter is celebrated as not just a day, but a season. For the Easter season, FUMC Austin will be hosting a time of fellowship and fun snacks in the Narthex and on the Front Porch immediately following the 11:00AM worship service. Connect with old friends, meet new ones, and enjoy this season of celebration! 
THIS WEEK
Donate Children's Books for Pickle Elementary Book Sale
Sunday, May 15
For fifteen years, FUMC Austin has partnered with Pickle Elementary School, and our regular book sale is a core ministry of that partnership. Our next book sale is Thursday, May 19 from 8:30AM-12:30PM. The book sale gives students at Pickle the chance to buy new and gently used books for a quarter. While we "sell" the books because school leaders wanted kids to feel ownership of the books they chose, we depend on donated books to make the book sale happen.
Donate any new or gently used books—current titles, please—for preschoolers through fifth grade (bonus points for Spanish/bilingual titles) by dropping them off in the SAN Library or in the bins off the Sanctuary Foyer on Sundays, May 8 or May 15. Reach out and invite friends and neighbors to donate, too. You may also contact Heather Schuelke to arrange pick up/drop off or to volunteer that day. No children's books at home? Make a financial gift to purchase new books by giving online using the button below and choosing "Pickle School Books" from the drop-down menu. Since 2007, we have distributed over 50,000 books to Pickle Elementary students. Help us make this another great year for the book sale!
Administrative Board Meeting
Sunday, May 15 | 12:15-2:00PM
FLC Great Hall
All are welcome to attend and participate in discussion. Administrative Board members have voting rights. Lunch will be available for a $15 prepaid donation.
Youth Mission "Stock" Sale
Sunday, May 15 | Outside Sanctuary and Online
Through June 12, middle and high school youth will be selling "stock" to raise funds for our two summer mission trips. On these trips, youth learn about how to work in community for greater justice. Help us raise our goal of $25,000 to keep costs manageable for the 45 youth and adults who will travel this summer.
Welcome Seminary Intern, Becca Edwards
This summer, Becca Edwards joins the First UMC staff as a seminary intern. She will work with Pastor Cathy, focusing on mercy and justice ministries, and will shadow the other pastors and staff to learn more about worship, pastoral care, and administrative roles. We celebrate this milestone for Becca as she enters her final year at Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary! Becca’s internship dates are May 17-July 31, and she can be reached at becca@fumcaustin.org.
Senior Sunday
This Sunday, we are celebrating the accomplishments of our recent graduates. Check out the link below to learn more about where these bright young people are headed next. If you get a chance, take time to share your congratulations and good wishes with these amazing young people.
NEWS & EVENTS
Stay up-to-date on events at fumcaustin.org/events.
Baby Brunch
Sunday, May 22 | 10:00-10:45AM
Lower Playground
Babies and toddlers, this is your time! Bring your grown-ups to the Baby Brunch, a casual outdoor playdate between worship services. Children, ages 0-3 years, can play on the playground while their adults get a chance to talk with others who are in the same silly, amazing, exhausting stage of life! Hosted by the Children's Ministry Team, there will be refreshments, fellowship, playtime, and a quick devotional. Contact children@fumcaustin.org with questions.
First Steps
Sunday, May 22 | 12:15-2:00PM
FLC Great Hall
Are you interested in becoming a member of FUMC Austin? Join us for First Steps. Learn about United Methodist beliefs and practices. Find out more about the ministries of FUMC. Connect with pastors and staff members. Lunch will be provided. To sign up, fill out the Connections Card online or in person during worship; fill out the electronic form linked below; or email Amy Wink. Contact Jen Seibel to request childcare by Tuesday, May 19.
Civil Rights Pilgrimage
Info Session: Sunday, May 22
10:00AM | Murchison Chapel
Pilgrimage: October 9-15, 2022
Experience the history, horror, and hope of the Civil Rights Movement with stops in Montgomery, Birmingham, Selma, and Memphis on this seven-day driving pilgrimage. Interested in this modern spiritual journey to the sacred sites of the struggle for civil rights in this country? Join Pastor Cathy Stone for an info session with more details about the trip and register your interest hereFor more information, contact Pastor Cathy Stone.
Good Grief: a Mercy & Justice Fifth Sunday Presentation
Sunday, May 29 | 10:00-10:45AM
Sanctuary
Loss and grief are part of our human lives together. All of us grieve in our own way, in our own time. How can we hold grief well? Whether we have lost a loved one, a job, a dream, a marriage—Nancy McCranie, Director of Volunteer and Bereavement Services with Hospice Austin, will be with us to talk about our own grief and ways to help others in their grief. Nancy is a Presbyterian pastor and has been with Hospice Austin for 21 years. Contact Pastor Cathy with questions.
Host the Fourth Tuesday Feed My People Breakfast
Tuesday, May 24 | 5:15-7:00AM 
Family Life Center
We need volunteers to help host! Preparing and cooking this meal that feeds 50 of our vulnerable neighbors begins at 5:15AM and clean up is finished by 7:00AM. May 24 is a fourth Tuesday, which is FUMC's specific day to sponsor the cost of the meal and provide the Foundation for the Homeless with the volunteers needed to host.
Join this Dream Team!
Sunday, June 5 | 12:15PM
Sanctuary
For some time, Mary Higgs has prepped and reset the Sanctuary once a month, staying after the 11:00AM worship service concludes to tidy the pews and refill the resources found there. She has faithfully done this work on her own. What an act of love for the congregation this has been! We are glad to now regularly add new volunteers to her team and welcome helping hands of every age. In just 30 minutes a month, this dream team makes our worship space more welcoming while building intergenerational relationships. This is a picture you want to be a part of! Sign up below or contact Rachel Wright with questions.
Save the Date: Churchwide Pentecost Picnic
Sunday, June 5 | 12:15PM 
Capitol Grounds
Join your FUMC family as we conclude our season of celebration with a churchwide picnic to commemorate the birth of the church at Pentecost. This is the first time in almost three years that we will be able to gather for such an event - we have much to celebrate! Bring a camp chair or a picnic blanket for a time of feasting and fellowship, complete with kids' activities. Watch for more details in the coming weeks about pre-ordering food (or bring your own!). We hope to see you there.
New Group: Faith in the Workplace
Monday, June 13 | 12:00-1:00PM
FLC Garrison Chapel and Zoom
Have you ever wondered how to live out your Christian/Methodist values in the workplace? Are you struggling to juggle kids, family, and job while still finding time for prayer or quiet time with God? Don’t leave your faith at FUMC after Sunday worship! Come spend just an hour a month with others in your shoes to share and discover ways to live your Christian faith on weekdays. Join facilitator Kristin Robertson on the second Monday of the month for this hybrid meeting. Bring a brown bag lunch if you are near the church, or login to Zoom from your desk. Don't miss this opportunity to dream together about how this regular gathering can help you integrate your faith into your workday world. For more information, email Kristin.
VACATION BIBLE SCHOOL
Decorations Work Day for Vacation Bible School 2022
Sunday, June 12 | 12:15-2:00PM
SAN Wesley Hall
Let Sparky ignite your creativity! Help us prepare the decorations that will transform our Sanctuary and classrooms for this year’s VBS. We will build a frozen castle fit for a king and assemble and make other decorations. Make a reservation at fumcaustin.org/vbs. A light lunch will be provided. If you are not able to attend this event and/or if decorating is not one of your gifts, contact Lara Greene for more opportunities to help or to find out about donations needed for this year.
Volunteer Training For Knights of North Castle
Sunday, July 10 | 12:15-1:30PM
SAN Wesley Hall
Prepare to armor up for this year’s VBS at this lunch and training. Learn of our noble quest and your role to play in it. This training is for any youth or adult interested in volunteering the week of July 25-28. Save your seat at the knights’ table by making your reservation now at fumcaustin.org/vbs. Questions? Contact Lara Greene

Adult ministry leaders with children, youth, and vulnerable adults are required by Rio Texas Conference policy to complete a three-step background check and safety training certification process. For more information, visit fumcaustin.org/safety-training or contact Emily Buchanan.  
MAY MISSION EMPHASIS
“Everything we do is about relationships. The biggest lesson we have learned over the years is that we are not a food ministry. We merely use food as a conduit to connect human to human and heart to heart.” — Alan Graham, Founder & CEO

The primary cause of homelessness is a catastrophic loss of family. What begins with a sandwich and a conversation with a caring Mobile Loaves & Fishes (MLF) volunteer soon opens the door to community and relationships where they’re needed most. The MLF downtown Austin truck, based at FUMC, continues to serve meals to the homeless and working poor in our community—and we are needed now more than ever!

Last year, our MLF truck provided over 20,000 hearty meals with the help of more than 300 dedicated volunteers. We completed nearly 300 runs in the middle of a pandemic! That's a lot of sandwiches and conversations! In May, we are lifting up this ministry that fosters friendship and kinship for those who have experienced that catastrophic loss of family. Your generous gifts make a difference for our friends living on the streets. Checks marked “Mobile Loaves and Fishes” may be mailed to the church or donations can be made online, selecting "Mobile Loaves and Fishes" from the drop-down menu on the giving page. For more information about MLF, contact Scott Wilder.
PRAYER CONCERNS
Submit a prayer request online.
Within Our Congregation
Fay Brown, Katie Cooley, Maureen Cooley, the Drazic Family, Pat Freeman, Marcia Houston, Nancy Leeper, Sallie Novinger, Andrew Pyle, David Strong, and Dan Wood.

Beyond Our Congregation
Jo Rene Altenberg, sister of Fay Brown; Rachel Cook, friend of Debbie Rippetoe; Carly Faulkner and Colton Wimberly, friends of Cindy Reidland; Johnnie Houston, mother of Marcia Houston; Glenn and Debbie Johnson, friends of Judy Kostura and Ken and Susan Hensley; Leah, friend of Amy Wink; Elissa Marek, friend of Curt Ashmos; Robert McCarroll, son of Virginia McCarroll; Janie Pierce, cousin of Sue Norris and Mary Kathryn Kane; Chris Reilly, friend of Kathy Tullos; Nathan Smith, nephew of Dianne and Michael Render; Lauren Stafford, niece of Cheryl Bias; Tonya Basler Stout, sister of Grady Basler; Margery Thoma, mother of Ben Thoma; and Dr. Robert Wootton, friend of George Gaston.
Contact Us
First United Methodist Church
1201 Lavaca St. Austin, TX 78701
(512) 478-5684