Parish Engagement
At Christ Church, we give witness to the Kingdom of God through our words, actions, and careers. Location is the intersection point of proclamation, demonstration, and vocation; it is the actual place - with actual people - in which we speak, act, and work. Fr. Robert Capon warns that, lately, we have substituted “space” for “place.” The modern person holds neighborhoods and nooks as abstractions, “something contained within coordinates on a civil engineer’s map - nice [and] empty which, once…tamed, can be converted into their favorite kind of packaged locale.” This is the air we breathe, and abstractions can be made theologically just as readily as they can be made civically. “It has,” Capon continues, “been a delightful and metaphysical surprise to be introduced to place again. I have, for example, rediscovered what a hill is.”
At Christ Church, we love the actual place in which we live, with its hills and streets, its whole families and hungry children - in all its vibrancy and its pain. Christ Church’s Mission Statement boldly declares that we will take part in “mending our world,” but note: we aren’t responsible for mending the whole of the world - just the little part of it that we call our own. This is something of what Jesus’ intended to emphasize in his final words to his disciples. “You will be my witnesses” - a heavenly ask with a very earthy setting: “...in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and on to the ends of the earth.” Often, we associate “mission” with “the ends of the earth.” This emphasis is beautiful and important, but for the majority of us who will not become long-term international witnesses, “the ends of the earth” can become simply a space, an abstraction. It becomes crucial to notice, then, that two-thirds of all the places Jesus mentioned were within a 100-mile radius of the disciples' own neighborhood, beginning with the ground underneath their feet.
We hope that by deciding to love our place - our East Austin neighborhood - we will see the gospel begin to transform lives, communities, and generational stories. This is too tall a task for a space. But for a real place, with real people? Therein lies the power of transformation. G.K. Chesterton writes (only slightly tongue-in-cheek) about the power of transformation in Pimlico, one of London’s hardest-hit neighborhood:
“Let us suppose we are confronted with a desperate thing – say Pimlico. If we think what is really best for Pimlico we shall find the thread of thought leads to the throne of the mystic. It is not enough for a man to disapprove of Pimlico; in that case he will merely cut [bait] or move to Chelsea. Nor, certainly, is it enough for a man to approve of Pimlico; for then it will remain Pimlico, which would be awful. The only way out of it seems to be for somebody to love Pimlico; to love it with a transcendental tie and without any earthly reason. If there arose a man who loved Pimlico, then Pimlico would rise into ivory towers and golden pinnacles… If people loved Pimlico as mothers love children, arbitrarily, because it is theirs, Pimlico in a year or two might be fairer than Florence. Some readers will say that this is mere fantasy. I answer that this is the actual history of humankind. This, as a fact, is how cities did grow great. Go back to the darkest roots of civilization and you will find them knotted round some sacred stone or encircling some sacred well. People first paid honour to a place and afterwards gained glory. Men did not love Rome because she was great. She was great because they had loved her” (G.K. Chesterton).
So, as a church, we will love our East Austin neighborhood and the various neighborhoods in which we live. East Austin is full of beauty, vibrancy, and life. It is also home to people experiencing real pain and injustice. We intend to love the beautiful and the unseemly, and in loving, we will trust God to mend.
ORGANIZATIONS WE WORK WITH
Rebecca Baines Johnson Housing for Seniors (RBJ)
RBJ is an independent living center for seniors over 62 years of age located less than a mile from Christ Church. Currently the facility has 250 apartments of which 130 are designated for low-income residents and a portion is reserved for those with disabilities. An additional 250 apartments will be available in 2025. Many of the residents are dealing with fairly severe social isolation.
More Than Welcome (MTW)
Austin is home to about 12,000 refugees and asylum seekers, who are fleeing persecution, torture and death in their home countries. MTW is a non-profit Christian organization that supports refugees and asylum seekers in the Austin area who are especially vulnerable. This ministry helps immigrants transition to life in Austin by providing transportation, ESL classes, childcare, community, and housing opportunities.
Baptist Community Center Mission (BCCM)
The BCCM is a community of individuals and churches that help meet the physical and spiritual needs of those in poverty in the Austin area. This ministry provides clothing, food, and life skill education. For more information, please email alexandra.dampier@gmail.com.
PARISH ENGAGEMENT GROUPS
Parish Engagement Groups will gather weekly, incorporating formation and mission as a community. The Anglican word, “parish” denotes both the local congregation and the city/neighborhood in which the congregation is located. As such, Parish Groups will prioritize a rhythm of study and action, engaging both content for growth as a parish and service opportunities in the parish. Groups may engage formation material together twice a month and serve together twice a month on an every-other-week basis (or some other combination). These groups will meet 12 times this spring, beginning the week of February 1, with no meetings the weeks of Ash Wednesday, spring break, and Holy Week.
If you are interested in learning more about or discovering how to get involved in our Parish Engagement Groups, please contact us!
BEYOND EAST CESAR CHAVEZ
Christ Church parishioners are involved with many other organizations who are doing great work all over Central Texas, including those listed below. We encourage you to explore the work these organizations are doing as well!
ADRN is a trained network of churches offering physical, emotional, and spiritual support to disaster survivors to meet short and long-term needs.
To find out more about the ACNA's mission of engaging with the hurting, visit the Matthew25 Initiative at www.anglicanjusticeandmercy.org.