Growing in our witness.

One of the ways that we connect with the community around us is by engaging societal topics and issues through the lens of our Christian faith. We do this both by creating spaces for learning and conversation within our church community, and by fostering opportunities to act on social issues in our Presbyterian denomination and through civic engagement in Austin and Central Texas.

 

yard signs black lives matter and worship here

Deepening our understanding.

On Sunday mornings, you are likely to find folks in conversation, working to connect issues in the world with the traditions and practices of Christian faith. Regular topics of conversation and class programming have recently included racism and reconciliation; gender justice; supportive parenting of LGBTQ+ children; election integrity, and more.

college students studying

Acting on our faith.

We are committed to collaborating with local partners, faith communities, and agencies to advance justice and healing in a broken world. As a member of the Micah 6 of Austin network of Austin-area churches, and in collaboration with Texas Impact, we seek to exercise our voice and witness to our convictions in opportunities like letter-writing campaigns, phone banks, prayer vigils, and peaceful assemblies.

More about Micah 6
More about Texas Impact
man waving banner people waving

Resources

  • Pray for those who are trying to escape dangerous areas, and for those who are making their way outside their home regions; click here to see one example.
  • Educate yourself – here is the link to the Refugee Services of Texas FAQ site: read about the PCUSA’s policies on immigration issues here; attend the next Banned Books Brunch and/or read the book
  • Advocate – May is Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Month: contact your legislators to urge more action against the rising number of hate crimes against Asians; donate to an organization that helps immigrants and refugees; speak out when you hear bigoted comments against those from other cultures and backgrounds; use the PCUSA link above to access postcards about immigration to print and mail to Congress

Social Witness Theme for April:

You may or may not have heard of intersectionality, a fairly recent theory that posits that people can suffer from a variety of sources of discrimination simultaneously. An example is that White women make less on average than White men, Black men make less than White women, but Black women make less than any of them.
This month, SW encourages you to do one or more of the following:
  • Pray for understanding of others who are different and openness in seeing God in them. Some prayer resources are here. Or this link here.
  • Educate yourself. Look around you and notice what types of people aren’t in your usual spaces. Who’s being left out?
  • Here’s a link to read more. You may want to watch this TED talk here.
  • Advocate. Help change the world with your money by donating to one of the PCUSA’s special offerings, such as One Great Hour of Sharing or Peace and Global Witness. Our church also has numerous connections to Texas Impact, which has advocacy suggestions on its website.

Want to learn more?

Opportunities to participate in UPC’s Social Witness appear regularly in the UPDate newsletter. Sign up here!

Want to learn more?

Opportunities to participate in UPC’s Social Witness appear regularly in the UPDate newsletter. Sign up here!

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