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Archive of "Make a Difference" Category
Guest Post: SlaveFree Holiday
This months Guest post is by the Restore the Innocent Network:
We are entering the busiest time of the year. We call this time, the Holiday Season. Between Thanksgiving and Valentines there will be products and more food consumed than the rest of the year combined. The problem is the majority of all that we consume has been made by slaves, many being women and children forced into unimaginable conditions, so that we can enjoy our holidays!
We are starting a campaign to promote a SlaveFree Holiday. We are crazy enough to believe that if enough based their consumer decisions on the life of innocent women and children as opposed to the leading value of consuming the most stuff for at the lowest cost, we could make a difference. If the history of a free market tells us anything, the consumer has the power. In other words, we can make a difference with our pocketbooks. We can let our major corporations know, that the welfare of women and children matter more to us than the our kids and appetites getting more than we need. We wanted to share with you a short video by Epipheo Studios to show you how this works:
We will be updating our page with more info, but we wanted to start with giving you a few links to help you make more educated decisions on what your purchase, or to put it bluntly in the words of Tim Costello, so after you eat your chocolate pies this holiday seasons, “you can go to bed without blood on your teeth.”
Check out the following links:
We would also recommend the following books:
We believe together we can make this a SlaveFree Holiday. Also, don’t forget to buy your tickets to the Restore the Innocent Event.
Guest Post: Restore the Innocent
Restore Au
stin, HELP, Music for the City, and Austin Angels are teaming together to raise awareness and support on December 7th, to unify in the fight against sex-trafficking through this event called, Restore the Innocent.We will be showing the film, Call & Response at the Blanton Museum of Art.
Immediately following the film, Music for the City will be hosting an after party in which you can learn about next steps to take in order to personally engage in the fight against modern slavery locally and globally (after party venue TBA).
100% of all proceeds will go to fighting human trafficking! So, join us in raising awareness and engaging the fight!
Please make sure to hold on to your ticket, as it is your ticket into the After Party as well.
Team: Restore the Orphan
Restore Austin and Austin New Church has created a race team (Restore the Orphan) for the upcoming Adoption Marathon. To go along with that, we have created
a SITE to keep you updated on the team, how you can support them, training recommendations and how you can be involved…This site is for the following:- Runners – If you would like to run in this years Adoption Marathon, please click HERE to register. When you sign up, choose either the full or half marathon, and when it asks you what team you would like to sign up for, type in the team name, Restore the Orphan. After you have done that, please email us at lindsey@portroofing.com or matthew@austinnewchurch.com to let us know you have registered. We will have team dry-fit shirts available for sale, along with non-dry fit shirts for those who want to support the CAUSE.
- Volunteers – Maybe running is not your deal, but you would love to get out there and help us. If that’s you, then click HERE, and email them to register yourself, or your Restore Community. We will have Restore the Orphan shirts available for sale so that your volunteer team can wear as well as support the CAUSE.
- Supporters - Team Restore the Orphan is running to literally RESTORE the Orphan. So, what are we restoring the Orphan to? Good question. There
is nothing more complete than restoring an orphan to his/her new home, new family, and new life – this is true restoration for an orphan. So ALL monies raised for this race will go toward restoring several over-seas orphans to their new homes here in Austin! There will be three ways you can support (1) Simply give financially [we will have a link up soon] (2) purchase one of our Restore the Orphan shirts [100% of the proceeds will go to bringing these orphans home] (3) Attend the carbo-loading dinner on October 21st, in which you will have the chance to give, learn, and eat [details to come soon].
- Beginners – This site is for two types of beginners. Those who are beginning to learn about the orphan crisis, and those who are wanting to begin to start a healthy lifestyle. The Orphan Crisis can seem so overwhelming, that to attempt to be a voice in battling it seems defeating.
Stick around this site long enough and we will help point you in the right direction. If a new life of fitness is your new goal. Pay attention to the blogs, and we get you going in the right direction – we hope you plan on beginning both: a new life of fitness and health, and to become a voice for the orphan.
March Guest Blog – Starbucks, Austin New Church & The Care Communities, by Roger Temme
I am honored to introduce you all to Roger Temme. Not only is Roger part of an amazing organization providing emotional and relational care to those living with HIV/AIDS and Cancer, but Roger has become a good friend. He has a heart of gold, and his life truly represents one who cares. If you have any interest in serving and loving those who are ill, let me recommend working and volunteering with this organization. I personally have served with them, and it has been amazing! The story is too long to add to this post, so I’ll stop talking and let you read Roger’s guest blog:
Sometimes sharing a simple cup of coffee can be the beginning of a wonderful collaboration. And so it happ
ened that I had the real pleasure of meeting a wonderful human being who simply wanted to make a difference in the lives of people in need. That cup of coffee at the Starbucks on Oltorf and I-35 with Matthew Hansen began a wonderful partnership between Austin New Church and The Care Communities which I hope will continue in one way or the other for many years to come.The vision of Austin New Church is to care passionately for all—especially the abandoned and the helpless. The vision of The Care Communities is to provide care unconditionally for folks living with AIDS or cancer and to make sure that no one goes through their illness alone. What makes churches and organizations work well is a common vision that is lived out in a practical way. One of my favorite quotes that I often used in sermons and presentations comes from Henri Nouwen, one of my favorite spiritual authors, is “Every human being has a great, yet often unknown gift: to care, to be compassionate, to become present to the other, to listen, to hear and receive—if that gift would be set free and made available—Miracles could take place.” That quote has become my
personal mission statement as I come on my 11 years at The Care Communities. I have been blessed to meet folks like Matthew and congregations like Austin New Church. I invite you to become part of our partnership. Check out or website www.thecarecommunities.org and become a part of a Care Team. And as St. Francis said to his followers often, “Pace e Bene” “Peace and all Good”Roger Temme
Outreach Coordinator
The Care CommunitiesBe a Parent to the Parentless!
We have heard it said, that as followers of Christ, we should pursue adoption the way that Christ pursued us! We do, however, know that not everyone is called to adopt, but we all need to be involved in this crisis. Your role may simply be to support a family who is adopting or support an orphan in India or Africa or volunteer at local foster agencies. No matter how you feel you are to be involved, we believe the plight of the orphan is something that God calls us all to impact.
Based off of this conviction, Austin New Church and Restore Austin are teaming up with Caring Family Network to host the required classes for Foster Care, Foster-to-Adopt, and Respite Care. If this is something that you or anyone in your church is interested in, please email me at matthew@austinnewchurch.com and I will send you the necessary application for you to complete and send in to Sarah Mercado via fax at 512.719.4073 or email at smercado@cfntexas.com or bring them with you to the opening class. The first class will be at Austin New Church (11530 Manchaca Road, 78748) on February 23rd at 6:00pm. At this class you will receive the schedule for the remaining classes necessary to be completely certified as a foster parent, adoptive parent, and/or respite care provider.
Thank you,
Matthew
National Mentoring Month
Well folks, January is National Mentoring Month, and I think it is time that some of us step up to the plate and take our once-a-month-serving to full life engagement.
It is one thing to to do some work for a couple hours a month, it is another thing to change the trajectory of child’s life that would otherwise be destined to repeat a cycle of failure, poverty, and oppression. If anyone should be leading this, it is the church. We have a hope that no one else has.
So, we are teaming up Communities in Schools and Hands on Central Texas for 1 Hour For Kids in Zavala Elementary and Martin Middle School:
I know, I have the same objections: I don’t have the time. The location isn’t ideal. Maybe next year when I have more time. The truth is, none of these objections will ever leave, this is why they call it ‘sacrificial giving/living.‘ But more importantly, the time you have to give (1 hour a week), the distance you have to go out of your way in travel, and committing now as opposed to next year (which is always next year), is nothing compared to difference that will be made in the life of a child in need.
Why these schools? Austin New Church is wanting to begin to invest in and enhance a local community, and what better way to do this than partnering with one of our churches – Soli Deo Gloria. But for me, the statistics demand it!
Martin Middle School:
- 91.6% of the students are considered Economically disadvantaged, compared to a state percentage of 55%
- 4.8% are students with disciplinary placements which is double the amount of the states average of 2.3%
- 63.9% are considered at-risk compared to the states average of 48.4%
Zavala Elementary:
- 93.2% of the students are considered Economically disadvantaged, compared to a state percentage of 55%
- 0.3% are students with disciplinary placements which is double the amount of the states average of 2.3%
- 73.5% are considered at-risk compared to the states average of 48.4%
All you need to do is fill out this volunteer application, and lets make a difference in Martin and Zavala with our partners Communities in Schools and Hands on Central Texas.
Guest Post: Neighborhood Engagement, by Armando Rayo
I met Armando about 2 months ago over some amazing breakfast tacos and great Mexican coffee. It didn’t take me long to figure out that Armando was not only a genius in his line of work, but was very passionate
about it. In fact, on March 6th Armando will be doing a community project leadership training for Restore Austin at Austin New Church. To find out more about the training, click HERE. I asked Armando to do a guest blog for Restore Austin to kick our year off…enjoy!Neighborhood Engagement – A balanced approach
I love it when people give back to their community, especially in neighborhoods. It’ a great way to connect with families, get to know neighbors and neighborhood leaders and you get to find out what the “real” needs are as well as understand what people truly want for their neighborhoods. Working in communities, I’ve seen resurgence in helping out neighborhoods from clean-ups and graffiti removal to starting community gardens and hosting potlucks or block parties. In Austin and across America, more people are involved in “neighboring.” The Volunteering In America report (link: www.volunteeringinamerica.gov/TX/Austin) shows that more people are working with neighbors to fix a problem and attending community meetings, but you don’t need a report to show you how people are engaged in Austin; just go outside and see for yourself!
Helping out neighborhoods is a great way to strengthen communities and this type of engagement can be successful if you use a balanced approach; balancing passion, needs and aspirations.
- Take one part passion: what you care about – what drives you to create positive change
- Add needs to the mix: what is the real need – the critical issues
- Finish it with aspiration (or start with it!): what are the aspirations for the people living in neighborhoods – what do they care about?
We often times, just think of our passions and the need and we forget to ask what neighbors care about (I confess, I’m guilty of doing this in the past). Taking the time to ask people why they’re involved or what issues are important to them builds bridges and trust, especially in low-income neighborhoods. Ever wonder why some projects work in some neighborhoods and not in others? Part of the reasons projects don’t get traction or even work is because neighbors weren’t involved in the process; they weren’t asked for their input and so people don’t come out to support the effort. This is why it’s important to take the time to ask people what they care about; what their aspirations are for their neighborhoods and getting them involved. Taking the time to balancing these three approaches will help not only you with your project but neighborhoods in the long-run.How will you incorporate this approach in your next project or maybe you have already? What did you learn? Pass it forward!
Adelante,
Mando
Director, Community Engagement – United Way Capital Area/Hands On Central Texas
VP, Engagement – Cultural Strategies
armando.rayo@unitedwaycapitalarea.org
Thank you Mando, we look forward to this partnership!
ServeAustin Sunday: Extreme MakeOver Martin
On January 31st we are partnering with Communities in Schools, to do an Extreme MakeOver for Martin Middle School. We will be going into Martin Middle School and making over a classroom to create a conducive and peaceful learning atmosphere.
In order to do this, there are a few items we need donated. So if you have any of the following that is in good condition, please email our Extreme MakeOver facilitator at brettne@mac.com or susanafletcher@gmail.com. The items we are in need of to complete this MakeOver are as follows:
- At least 5 lamps with shades (they do not have to match but should be small or medium size)
- 3 white noise machines or small ‘boomboxes’ that play cd’s (yes, I did just say boombox)
- fake plants (2 trees & a couple of small table top plants)
- throw pillows (we are going to recover the fabric to match the room, so they do not have to match)
- 3 small end tables in a medium or dark wood and one coffee table
- 4 office dividers (or knowledge of where we can get them for free or next to nothing)
- 2 video game chairs or bean bags in brown or beige
Even if you are not going to serve at this particular project, it is a great way to be involved in adding to the learning environment of Martin Middle School
Thank you,
Matthew
Kingdom Saturation
For the past week the pastors at Austin New Church have been writing blogs that ultimately lead to one conclusion – live outside of yourself until it hurts! (more…)
Missional Church: Austin New Church's Year End Review
It seems like it was yesterday, that Brandon, Myself, Tray and our families sit around on a porch just dreaming about what it would look like to have a church that better resembled a mission of love into our city rather than a church service. Well, Jesus brought that dream to fruition, in Austin New Church. Below, is a glimpse at what Jesus has done through all of us who call Austin New Church home, and the several non-profit partners we have in this city. We wanted to say thank you to all who has made this possible! (more…)
