Join us for this fifth Sunday joint Sunday School. Our music director, AV, and organist, EunJoo, with Bill Bingham, will tell us about the status of our pipe organ, the repair options, and the process. For all of us who love and enjoy organ music in our worship services, this will be a good time to have an open conversation about how we can better care for and appreciate our beloved instrument.

Our Lenten Worship Theme this year is "Everything In Between." As we journey with Jesus to the cross, this series carries us through the Gospel of Luke as we explore a number of stories that invite us to reflect on how we live out our faith. Each week there is a sub theme that explores an assumed binary such as "grief and hope", "rest and growth", and "faith and works." We will learn together that these concepts and the stories from scripture hold more complexity and nuance. Instead of an "either/or" approach, we will see that God often appears in the spaces in-between.

We begin our Lenten journey with Ash Wednesday. Lent is a time of remembering Jesus' journey to the cross and a reminder of our deep dependence upon God and God's continuous invitation to turn away from sin and towards God and others in love.

A 7pm service will take place in the sanctuary. Worshipers are invited to gather in the courtyard at 7pm for a brief ritual of burning last year's Palm branches led by Pastor Earl. If you still have yours from last year you are encouraged to bring them! Gathering music will begin at 7pm in the sanctuary, so worshipers not participating in the ritual of burning the branches can enter the sanctuary for a time of reflection prior to the start of the service. The evening Ash Wednesday service is designed by campus ministry directors Megan Otto and Rev. David McMinn, Director of the UT Wesley Foundation. 

We begin our Lenten journey with Ash Wednesday. Lent is a time of remembering Jesus' journey to the cross and a reminder of our deep dependence upon God and God's continuous invitation to turn away from sin and towards God and others in love.

Join us at 12:15 for a brief Mid-day Ash Wednesday service including imposition of ashes.

In February 2011 at a called church conference, University UMC voted overwhelmingly to affiliate with Reconciling Ministries Network. On Sunday, February 9 we remember this important vote at UUMC.

Planned and led by our Queer Council, join us in worship as we rejoice in the progress our queer and trans community has made, and recommit to the work that remains before us. Local Austin drag queen Aria Rey (UUMC choral scholar alumni- Hunter Sabin) will join our pop-up Queer Quire in leading music this week. She will also read “My Shadow is Purple”  for our children’s message. We invite everyone to join in the celebration by wearing rainbow or colorful clothing!

Our February Sermon Series is "Called to Compassion." We will hear scripture passages about the gift of love, clothing ourselves with compassion, welcoming others, and even praying for our enemies. In this season filled with great conflict and concern in our nation, we are invited to consider how we are called to both show compassion while remaining committed to our values of resisting injustice. On February 9 we will observe Reconciling Ministries Network Sunday as we remember our vote to affiliate with RMN and continue to pray and work towards full inclusion of all LGBTQ+ individuals in the church.

Join us for worship on Sunday as we celebrate the legacy of Martin Luther King, Jr. and recommit to the ongoing work of justice in the church and in the world. We welcome guest preacher Rev. Dominique A. Robinson, DMin.

We celebrate Epiphany Sunday, January 5 and welcome guest preacher Rev. Lizzie Wright.

On Epiphany Sunday we remember the maji of Matthew’s Gospel account and the star that they followed to worship the one born as Savior of the world and we celebrate the Light of Christ that shines. We will celebrate holy communion and all will be invited to take home a "star word" to use in prayer practices.

As we remember the gifts the wise men brought to the Christ child, we will join together in collecting gently used or new coats and jackets for Fig Leaf. Please bring your items to worship with you on January 5, 2025. You can leave them in the collection containers available in each narthex.

As we remember the gifts the wise men brought to the Christ child, we will join together in collecting gently used or new coats and jackets for Fig Leaf. Please bring your items to worship with you on January 5, 2025. You can leave them in the collection containers available in each narthex. Thank you!

11 am - Informal Service

Perfect for those who don’t wish to drive at night or are traveling later in the day. We’ll hear the Christmas story and join together in several traditional carols. 

3:30 pm - Family-Friendly Service

Designed by Children’s Director Jillian Moore and Senior Pastor Teresa Welborn. This service will help tell the Christmas story to the youngest members of our community. We’ll also share in Holy Communion and sing some of our favorite carols.

5:30 pm - Traditional Service

A traditional Christmas Eve celebration with a brief homily by Senior Pastor Teresa Welborn, Christmas carols, special music by the Sanctuary Choir, communion and candlelight. Join us 15 minutes early for a some special gathering music: some extra carol singing!

10:30 pm - Traditional Service

A traditional Christmas Eve celebration with a brief homily by Senior Pastor Teresa Welborn, Christmas carols, special music by the Sanctuary Choir, communion and candlelight. Join us 15 minutes early for a some special gathering music: a folk quartet composed of AV, Kenzie Slottow, Paul Harper and Laura Martin!

Things you need to know for Sanctuary Services

Parking

All our usual parking will be available–the Platinum Parking Lot and the San Antonio Garage (see the Front Office for Parking Validation). There is limited parking available in the church parking lot on 25th, reserved for guests and those who might have some difficulty with the extra walking. If you are safely able to park in the platinum lot or San Antonio Garage, please consider doing so.

Doors

The South Sanctuary Doors and Education Building Doors will be open 30 minutes prior to the start of each service. If you arrive after the service has started, the best way to enter will be through the South Sanctuary Doors on 24th Street.

Join us for our annual Lessons and Carols service! The choir and congregation will join together to sing traditional carols as well as more contemporary compositions, interspersed with the Christmas Story read by congregants and community leaders. Doors will open at 6 pm, at 6:30 pm, we’ll have a special set of prelude music, which will only be performed before the 7 pm service. Let's sing the songs of the season together!

Join us for our annual Lessons and Carols service! The choir and congregation will join together to sing traditional carols as well as more contemporary compositions, interspersed with the Christmas Story read by congregants and community leaders. Let's sing the songs of the season together!

Note: If you can’t join us at 11 am there is a 7 pm Lessons & Carols Service available as well.

We will observe All Saints Sunday on November 3 at 11am in the sanctuary with a special worship service. The Congregational Church of Austin will join us for a worship service including a lighting of candles for All Saints’ Sunday and the Brahms Requiem. We anticipate the service being 90 minutes to 2 hours. Due to the length of the requiem, we will celebrate Communion on November 10.

Under the direction of A. Villareal, the UUMC Sanctuary Choir accompanied by Dr. Eun Joo Fierro, other guest musicians and the Congregational Church of Austin Choir will present the Brahms Requiem. The Brahms’ Requiem is a renowned work, composed by Johannes Brahms during a time of personal grief to provide comfort and peace to others experiencing grief and loss. 

On November 3rd we will present Johannes Brahms Ein Deutsches Requiem (A German Requiem) as an integral part of our All Saints Service. This masterwork of the Romantic era features texts that Brahms himself selected from Luther’s translation of the Bible. The language was chosen for its accessibility to German congregations- deviating meaningfully from the Latin (Catholic) requiems. The opening line- “Blessed are they that mourn, for they shall be comforted” can serve as a succinct representation of the intention of the work: to comfort. Brahms began work on the requiem in 1857, a year after his friend Robert Schumann died. His mother Christiane passed away in 1865, and the work was completed in the summer of 1866. Many colleagues and conductors gave him guidance and feedback along this journey, including Clara Schumann.

Throughout the piece we meditate on the fleeting but meaningful qualities of life, the pain of loss in death, and the certainty of God comforting us both when we mourn, and when we die. We pass away, but the word of the Lord remains. And when we rest from our labors, our works follow after us. Together on November 3rd, amidst the lighting of candles and the voicing of names of those we have lost this year, we will have the opportunity to experience the breadth of emotions present in grief, and we will conclude with a reminder that there is great comfort to be found.

Choir: UUMC Sanctuary Choir and the Congregational Church of Austin Choir

Accompanists: Dr. Eun Joo Fierro

Conductor: A. Villarreal

Kiddos are welcome to join our worship team. All are welcome to join Mx. AV during Sunday School to learn a song for the service. We will be lead by children of all ages in worship and 2nd graders will be presented with their bibles, so save the date! Tween Time to follow!

Questions? Contact Jillian!

Join us as we conclude our sermon series "Numbering Our Days" with a worship service including a Commitment to Service moment.

In recent weeks, sermons have been inspired by Psalm 90 which reads, "Teach us to number our days, that we might have a heart of wisdom." A life of faith can help us be intentional about spending our time in ways that foster joy and peace. And as members of a faith community, we make commitments to God and to one another about giving of our time and talent for the work of the church.

This Sunday in worship we will have an opportunity to complete a "Commitment to Service" card with a few specific areas of need in the church listed. We are grateful for the many ways you give from sorting Fig Leaf closet clothes to teaching Sunday School, from cooking for church events to setting up the altar on communion Sundays. And we celebrate how each might be led to volunteer in ways old and/or new.

Join us in a folk music filled worship to recognize labor day, special guests Katie Bennet Hobson (violin), Michael Hobson (guitar), and Paul Harper (banjo/guitar) will join our choir and featured singers to bring us arrangements of Pete Seeger's "Turn Turn Turn" and Ruth Moody's "Glory Bound."

Folk music is accessible, singable, and story driven. These attributes make it a vessel for rallying folks together, and for communicating injustice. May our meditations in folk music this Sunday remind us of each humans inherent worth, beyond the products of our labor.

We are celebrating BLUE JEAN SUNDAY July 21. Bring gently used or new bluejeans with you to worship to help stock our Fig Leaf Clothing Closet. Bluejeans (especially men's sizes 34-38) are in high demand so we appreciate any and all donations. You're encouraged to wear denim to worship as well!

We would like to recognize all UUMC graduating High School Seniors during the service with a small gift and a moment in front of the congregation. Parents of Seniors, please reach out to Natasha to help us prepare for this special event.

Join us for worship this Sunday! It is Pentecost Sunday and you are invited to WEAR RED! We will hear the traditional reading from Acts about the coming of the Holy Spirit and Pastor Teresa will be preaching about the gift of the church.

Special music this Sunday will be brought to you by our talented teen treble ensemble! These young adults from 8-12th grade will share some fiery selections for you, including "Raging Fire" by Phillip Phillips, and a beautiful setting of indigenous poet Pauline Johnson's work "Fire Flowers" by Timothy Corlis. They are accompanied by multi-instrumental Austin musician Carolyn Trowbridge (percussion), as well as local folk heros Paul Harper (guitar) and Katie Bennet-Hobson (violin).

About Carolyn Trowbridge

Austin Music Award-nominated multi-instrumental musician, performer, and composer, Carolyn Trowbridge is an energetic, multifaceted artist and performer. She has recorded, collaborated and performed with several well-known artists including Jaime Wyatt, Adrian Quesada, Grammy Award nominees Black Pumas and many more.

Trowbridge is an established music educator with 20+ years of experience teaching theory, composition and practical skills, delivering masterclasses across the country and competing internationally. In 2018, she co-directed the Walsh Middle School percussion ensemble, leading them to win the award of the International Percussion Ensemble Competition, where they performed at the Percussive Arts Society International Convention.

Held in the chapel at 7pm, this service includes a time of prayer and special music as we hold vigil for the return of Christ. We will sing the Holden Evening Prayer liturgy together, and have space for meditation and prayer by candlelight.

Event Information

Parking

Parking will be available in the Platinum Parking Lot from 6 - 9 pm or in the UUMC Lot.

At 12:15 pm in the chapel, we’ll have a service designed with families of children in mind as well as working persons who are able to get away from the office for a brief noon service.

Event Information

Parking

Parking will be available in the UUMC Lot only.

Our Wesley choir (1st-12th grade) will sing “Hosanna, Hosanna” by Stan Pethel at the 11 am service on Palm Sunday, March 24th.

Wesley Choir Participants should arrive by 10:30 am.

Email Alicia for questions or to register!

February 18th is the annual Austin Marathon.  Since the route runs right down Guadalupe we will all need to plan a little additional time for travel. 

As always, you can try using Google Maps, Apple Maps or Waze. However, sometimes those applications don't work as well on these type of occasions. We’ve put together some handy tips for getting to church this Sunday!

On Sunday, February 11 we welcome Dr. Marlon Johnson to the pulpit as we commit to the ongoing work for full inclusion in the life of the church. Dr. Johnson is Associate Professor of Counselor Education at Seminary of the Southwest.

After join us for a lecture on Saturday night, Diana Butler Bass will join us as a guest preacher on Sunday morning.

Diana Butler Bass (Ph.D., Duke) is an award-winning author of eleven books, popular speaker, inspiring preacher, and one of America's most trusted commentators on religion and contemporary spirituality, especially where faith intersects with politics and culture.

Her bylines include The New York Times, the Washington Post, CNN.com, Atlantic.com, USA Today, Huffington Post, Christian Century, and Sojourners. She has commented in the media widely including on CBS, CNN, PBS, NPR, CBC, FOX, Sirius XM, TIME, Newsweek, Rolling Stone, Mother Jones, and in multiple global news outlets.

Her website is dianabutlerbass.com and she can be followed on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. She writes a twice-weekly newsletter - The Cottage - which can be found on Substack.

Join us for worship Sunday, January 14 as we remember the legacy of MLK, renew our baptism and welcome guest preacher Dr. Marcus Freeman.

Dr. Freeman is District Superintendent of the Capital and Crossroads District of The UMC. Following worship, Dr. Freeman will preside at a brief called Church Conference as the congregation votes to approve an anti-racist statement.

The statement was written by members of the Racial Justice Task Force and approved by the Church Council in Fall 2023. In addition to workshops and study, the approval of the statement fulfills aspects of a resolution adopted by the Church Council and shared with the congregation. Learn more about the statement on the Racial Justice page!

We’re so excited to welcome Rev. Nancy Frausto to join us in worship as our guest preacher before her Lunch and Learn!

Join us for worship as we remember members who died during the year.

The Sanctuary Choir will perform "Lux Aeterna" by Morten Lauridsen, a requiem in five movements. Composed in 1997, "Lux Aeterna" is a relatively contemporary requiem. Lauridsen was moved to compose the piece by the death of his mother, for whom he had great love. The piece is often compared to Brahm's "Ein Deutsches Requiem." Both composers took liberty in the selection of their text, rather than pulling from the traditional latin mass, they focused on readings that would comfort and console the living. "Lux Aeterna" features readings that reference various forms of sacred light. May this work and our singers be a light to you on a heavy day, as we remember and lift up all those in our congregation who have passed throughout the year.

We anticipate a couple of new members joining on Sunday, October 29. If you have been visiting with us and are interested in joining as a member at University UMC we'd be thrilled to have you! Please be in touch with Pastor Teresa or Pastor Earl and they will be happy to visit with you about the details.