Hi Church! 

It was great to be with many of you virtually on Wednesday night to engage with Dr. Hindmarsh from Regent College. The wisdom and comfort of what he had to share was a deep encouragement to me. It was fun to engage alongside people from Resurrection South Austin and Christ Church. In case you missed Wednesday you can catch up with the webinar here. A couple of particular highlights were the discussion of the consolation of God’s word, the “little virtues” of Therese of Liseaux, the gift of the Book of Common Prayer in times of suffering, and the example of saints who served and suffered in times like these. Check it out! 

We are continuing to look for ways to participate in God’s mission in the world. There is tremendous opportunity to bear witness to the hope we have in Jesus. Our mission team has been thinking and praying of ways we might be mobilized and wanted to highlight a couple of opportunities for us to continue in generosity.

Locally, in partnership with Communities in Schools here in Northeast Austin, we have the opportunity to raise funds for the purchase of gift cards and Chromebooks for families at Harris Elementary School affected by the pandemic. A number of these families have experienced job loss for one or both parents, have tech needs related to students seeking to continue to do school (both now and in the fall potentially), and are among populations that are more vulnerable in every way during the pandemic. 

Internationally, through a connection with our deacon Paul Van Allen, we are seeking to support the work of Impact Indonesia, missionaries contributing to the needs of families who are limited by shelter in place orders. Indonesia has been hard hit by the pandemic. For many families the possibility of receiving government support is very low. For $20 a month the food needs of a family of four are met. 

Both these needs are worthy of our support. We are excited about the opportunity we have to engage with needs both locally and globally, reflecting our vision to be a community in and for Northeast Austin and also a part of the global body of Christ. From our missions budget we are seeding each of these efforts with $750, and wanted to encourage the church community to contribute directly as well. We’ve set a goal of $3000 total for each effort. This would allow us to buy several tablets and significant gift cards for families in need, and to help with the monthly needs of a significant number of families in Indonesia. We’d love to meet that goal and support these families! 

If you are able and interested in contributing you can do so through our giving portal online. Simply use the drop down menu and specify that your giving is toward “Missions.” All missions giving for the month of May, unless specified otherwise, will go toward these efforts. We will communicate further about these needs in the weeks ahead and we’ll update you on our progress. If you have any questions or concerns please don’t hesitate to reach out.

In Christ, 

Peter+ 

Ps. As we enter into the third month of this global pandemic the challenges of this season become more pronounced. Please don't hesitate to reach out to myself or Nick if you need help in this time. We'd love to chat and pray with you, and support you in any way we can.