The Gardeners, our “Young Adult” Sunday School Class will gather to share in a Friendsgiving potluck.

If you’d like to attend, please email Megan at motto@uumc.org!

Sundays
November 17 - December 1

Pastor Earl will be leading a three-week Sunday School class for those interested in learning more about Methodist beliefs and The United Methodist Church. The class will meet during the Sunday School hour from 9:45-10:45 in the Fellowship Hall.

In this chaotic and polarizing presidential election season, it can be hard to discern a way forward. Rhetoric escalates into shouting. Disagreements degenerate into fights. Sometimes Christian voices in these disputes seem to be not very Christian. How does our faith have an impact on our voice and vote? Should it have an impact? This Lunch and Learn, lead by Dr. David Jensen, will focus on the variety of ways Christians can engage in politics and suggest some ways of navigating disagreements in our broader society.

Questions? Contact Pastor Earl at PastorEarl@uumc.org

About Dr. David Jensen

A professor at Austin Seminary, Dr. David Jensen’s teaching and research focus on Reformed theology, interfaith dialogue, and the interconnections between Christian theology and daily life. He received an MAR from Yale Divinity School in 1994 and a PhD in theology from Vanderbilt University in 1999. Dr. Jensen is also the editor of “Compass,” a book series that encourages theological reflection on everyday practices.

Do you enjoy reading, listening to, or writing poetry? Check out UUMC's poetry group! They meet on the third Tuesday of every month at 7 PM. We'll rotate meeting locations around the area (usually homes). Gatherings usually entail everyone bringing a couple of poems that they want to share aloud. The poems can be your own, old faithfuls from your favorite poets, or newly-discovered pieces.

Reach out to Lauren Hanks for more info: laurennicolehanks@gmail.com.

What can we do, and how should we live as Christians in this season of political battles? Let us get together and talk about the topics of faith and politics (the politics of Jesus, church and state, democracy and Christian faith, and more) as the presidential election approaches.

This class will run through the Tuesday after the election, where we search for ways to process and find home, regardless of the outcome.

Click Here to Register

University UMC and other churches in the university area are collaborating on a Habitat for Humanity house-building project. As a partnering church, we are contributing $5,000 to the project, and our August and September communion altar rail offerings will assist us in raising the necessary funds. We are excited about this opportunity to be in mission and ministry together! Stay posted for more details, and let Pastor Earl know if you are interested in being a part of the building day and/or if you have any questions.

Questions? Ready to sign up to build? Contact Pastor Earl.

Come join us in a time of Queer Fellowship! We will break bread together, share our joys and concerns, and enjoy each others company.

All shareholders are welcome to come to a lunch prepared and served by the UUMC youth. Enjoy yummy food, good company & photos of our 2024 "Be the Neighbor" Mission Trip to St. Louis.

Questions? Contact Natasha!

Anyone looking to join a Sunday School is invited to come out, meet the different classes, learn about what topics they cover and find a good fit for you! 

We’re gonna have a whole day of events, for a UUMC Sunday Social. We hope to see you at a few of them!

Hosted by the UUMC Queer Council!

Join us for an intergenerational queer fellowship event to kick-off pride month. All LGBTQIA+ members and friends of UUMC are invited to this community-building event to get to know each other, share our joys and hopes for our church, and eat waffles! All ages are welcome, and there will be coffee and muffins in the library for any ally parents/guardians to hang out with one another and share in their own fellowship time!

Questions? Contact AV!

If you wish to learn more about prayer, hope to read and write prayers, or just chat about your experience or doubts about prayer, this group is for you. We will get together and deepen our theological understanding of prayer and explore different types and ways of prayer. In our time together, we will also get to write our own prayers and share them with one another. Contact Pastor Earl with any questions.

Click here to register!

Join Shan Saffer from Texas Freedom Network for a Lunch & Learn on what it means to be a Reproductive Freedom Congregation. Over the last year, members of the UUMC Church Council and staff have engaged in conversations about the possibility of affiliating with Texas Freedom Network's "Reproductive Freedom Congregation” program. We are in the beginning stages of exploring such an affiliation and this is a time of learning and discernment. Come to learn more. Wanting to ensure this is a safe space for all with regard to delicate subject matters, we come with our curious questions as well as a spirit of respect for others and the range of tender experiences this subject matter encompasses. You can learn more about Reproductive Freedom Congregations on the Just Texas website.

About Shan

Shan Schaffer is the Just Texas Faith Organizer at Texas Freedom Network. Born and raised in Austin, Shan is dedicated to ensuring all Texans have access to the health care they want and need and has experience providing community outreach, education, and support around reproductive justice and LGBTQ+ issues throughout the state and in Chicago, Illinois. Shan loves calling Texas home and hopes to make the state more equitable and just for all of those who live here.

Pastor Teresa and Earl invite you to join this joint Sunday school session about reproductive justice. There will be two offerings of the same session (2/4 and 2/11) during the Sunday school hour (9:45-10:45 am), so you can choose either of them that fits your schedule.

In the session, Pastors will briefly share pastoral experiences and theological issues, and a time of conversation will follow. You are welcome to come with open and honest hearts to discuss the topic, learn more about helpful resources, and have a chance to think about the meaning of becoming a Reproductive Freedom Congregation.

Pastor Teresa and Earl invite you to join this joint Sunday school session about reproductive justice. There will be two offerings of the same session (2/4 and 2/11) during the Sunday school hour (9:45-10:45 am), so you can choose either of them that fits your schedule.

In the session, Pastors will briefly share pastoral experiences and theological issues, and a time of conversation will follow. You are welcome to come with open and honest hearts to discuss the topic, learn more about helpful resources, and have a chance to think about the meaning of becoming a Reproductive Freedom Congregation.

This January through April, Elizabeth Hoffman is leading a monthly book club. She has chosen a variety of genres, authors, and voices that highlight different cultures, races, genders, and age groups. We’ll meet the last Monday of the month - 1/29, 2/26, 3/25, 4/29. Come to one or come to them all!

Our first book is “Grateful” by Diana Butler Bass. Let us know if you plan to attend!

Join us as we host Diana Butler Bass, Ph.D on January 27, at 7:00 pm. A presentation, “Awakening or Apocalypse: Reimagining the Times in Which We Live,” will take place at 7:00 pm in the University UMC sanctuary followed by a Q&A and book signing.

Diana Butler Bass, Ph.D will also be guest preaching at University United Methodist Church on January 28 at 11:00 am and all are welcome to attend.

Event Information

Doors

Education Building Doors and Sanctuary Doors will open at 6 pm.

Parking

The UUMC Lot and the Platinum Parking Lot will be available for free parking. If those are full, please utilize the nearby meters and San Antonio Garage. We will not be validating parking in the San Antonio Garage on Saturday evening. Parking in University of Texas spaces will require proper UT permits.

Signed Books

Following her speaking engagement, Diana Butler Bass will be signing copies of her books. “Grateful” and “Freeing Jesus” will be available for purchase for $20 on site. Credit cards preferred, but cash will be accepted. Please note, we will not be able to make change.

About Diana Butler Bass

Diana Butler Bass, Ph.D holds a doctorate in Religious Studies from Duke University. She is an award-winning author of 11 books and a trusted authority on religion and contemporary spirituality. She has been a New York Times syndicated columnist and has additional bylines in the Washington Post, USA Today, atlantic.com and cnn.com.

If you had a chance to build homes for those who need them most, would you like to volunteer? Our church is going to join Habitat for Humanity and other university-area churches to build houses in the Austin area on two Saturdays (October 14 and November 4). Whether you’re a skilled craftsperson or you’ve never picked up a hammer, building with Austin Habitat will be a meaningful experience.

Registration for this event is full

Questions? Contact Pastor Earl.

Join us to learn this contemplative and meditative practice of learning to withdraw attention from our thoughts in order to rest in a gentle, open attentiveness to divine reality. Centering Prayer is about enhancing your relationship with God and transformation.

Participants will need a copy of Thomas Keating’s book Open Hearts, Open Minds. Copies are available in the front office for $15. You’re also invited to bring a wrap or cushion to make yourself comfortable.

Click here to register

Pastor Teresa will be leading a three-week Sunday School class (October 8, 15, and 22) for those interested in learning more about The United Methodist Church. The class will meet during the Sunday School hour from 9:45-10:45 in room 203.

Faith leaders, including Pastor Teresa, and anti-death penalty advocates will provide remarks at an Interfaith Vigil on Tuesday, October 10. TCADP and Texas Conservatives Concerned About the Death Penalty will hold a World Day Against the Death Penalty vigil from 12:00 to 1:00 PM in front of the Texas State Capitol in Austin (on the sidewalk in front of the gates on 11th St). On that same day, Texas is scheduled to execute Jedidiah Murphy, a Jewish man who has spent more than 20 years on death row.