AUSTIN CITY LUTHERANS
“More, Better, Together”
Ministries Serving Low-Income Neighbors – Summer/Fall 2023
Greetings in Christ’s Name from Austin City Lutherans!
Greetings in Christ’s Name from Austin City Lutherans!
We are the ELCA congregations in and around the Texas capital city—and that includes you. Since its inception in 2011, ACL has sought ways to fellowship and minister in Austin following the simple moniker that we can do “more, better, together.”
Rent Assistance Program #3
Thanks to a combination of individual donors and congregations, we offered more than $57,000 to BFA neighbors in rent assistance this summer. This is the third program we’ve offered; more than $110,000 has been shared with neighbors to prevent homelessness since the first program in November 2020.
Here’s a sketch this program’s positive impact upon some of the thirty-one individuals and families who received assistance: One woman, not able to work steadily for the past six months because of a grief issue, is now more secure in her apartment situation and back to work at a restaurant. Another woman, who with her partner parents three young children, casually mentioned that their washing machine was no longer working. Along with a two-month rent check, she also received a used Maytag washer in good shape from our ACL Move-In Ministry. She was extremely grateful.
Another woman, not yet 50, is recovering from cervical cancer and not able to work more than four hours a day. She is trusting that God will cure her of her cancer. Receiving rent assistance helps her stave off homelessness and keeps her in her apartment at this crucial juncture in her life.
Ten other families with younger children, like the mom who received the washer, received double rent checks. Most of the other recipients received the equivalent of one month’s worth of rent.
See the blogpost on Rent Assistance #3 at www.breadforall-atx.org for more stories and information.
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Bread For All Food Pantry Update
BFA continues to serve more than 100 individuals and families every Monday evening at Faith Presbyterian Church. Thanks to our wonderful volunteers who labor from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Mondays to set-up and accomplish the distribution. Thanks also to supporters who donate food and diapers—peanut butter, canned beans and pasta, and diapers (sizes 4, 5, 6) are always needed.
Thanks be to God and thanks be to supporters who help spread a community table of sharing every Monday evening in SE Austin.
ACL’s Move-In Ministry
We will come and pick up the following items, store them, and then deliver them to provide a sense of “home” for people exiting homelessness:
Kitchen tables and chairs Coffee tables Pots, pans and other basic kitchen items Bed frames (and lightly used mattresses) Dressers Towels and bed sheets
Living room chairs and sofas (dander-free, no sleeper sofas)
I receive email requests from case managers at homelessness service providers (like Sunrise Navigation Center and Foundation for the Homeless) who have clients who are exiting homelessness as they newly move into housing. Most providers will have a year-long relationship with the client after the move-in, providing stability and support. We know that our efforts to claim, store, and deliver furniture help these neighbors establish themselves in their new households. Most have minimal financial resources to rely upon. We trust that our efforts help them feel welcomed in their new communities. As of the end of August, we’ve served 48 individuals and families so far in 2023.
Contact me – tca.blueocotillo@gmail.com – if you have furniture or household items to donate. Please attach photos of the items. Also, contact me if you’d like to join our team. If you can move furniture, organize household items at our storage sites, or if you have a pick-up truck – we have a place for you!
– Pastor Tim Anderson, ACL Director
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Mariposa Family Learning Center
Mariposa FLC uniquely provides subsidized, exceptional early learning and childcare in southeast Austin, enabling children to thrive and families to build pathways out of poverty.
Growing Readers Program – This program provides high-quality hardback copies of children’s picture books for our students. Parents, caregivers, teachers, and children participate in a “story time” each month. Children receive a unique book basket to store their books at home and receive a copy of a new book at each “story time,” to encourage at home and lifelong reading. There is a campaign to raise $3,000 to support this program for the current school year. Contact Mariposa board president, Jan Richards, to participate – Jan@mariposalearningcenter.org. The campaign ends on September 8.
Clothes Swap – This ongoing program helps our Mariposa families clothe their children without having to buy new. Contact Lizzy Castañeda at Mariposa (512.585.6804) to donate. There’s a special emphasis for children’s winter coats. Thankfully, winter will be here soon!
Save the Date – Fall Fundraiser “Spreading Our Wings” – Sunday, October 29, 2023.
More info at www.mariposalearning center.org.
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Celebrating 10 Years of Service – Thanking BFA Volunteers and Supporters!
Volunteers and supporters – you know who you are! – of BFA are invited to Abiding Love’s Fetter Activity Center on Thursday, September 21, 4.30–7.30 p.m. for fellowship and a catered dinner. BFA started operations at Prince of Peace Lutheran on September 9, 2013. We give God thanks for ten years of service to our SE Austin and beyond neighbors.
Please RSVP with Pastor Tim Anderson at tca.balm@gmail.com if you plan to attend. Thanks!