February 29th Session 1 Knowing your gift: understanding your temperament and your child’s. Honoring your “speed” level while encouraging your child’s . Session 2 Being vs. Doing: valuing process over product, including secular goals and spiritual goals, turning everyday moments into spiritual practice. Session 3 Is that all there is?: remembering your growth and development and feeding the other relationships in  your life. Presenter Dr. Paula Stiernberg spent over ten years as a teacher and administrator in public schools, primarily in middle and high schools.  She … [Read more...]

Begins February 9th FUM Preschool registration for the 2012-2013 school year will be open to church members February 9th-17th. For information on our curriculum, philosophy, days/hours, etc, please go to our website at www.fumcaustin.org/preschool. If you would like to take a tour or have any questions, please contact Preschool Director, Sandy Pennington, at preschool@fumcaustin.org or 478-5709. … [Read more...]

August 6th-10th The date for our annual Vacation Bible School has been set. Mark your calendars now! … [Read more...]

Baptism is the sacrament marking the enlistment of disciples of Christ. Persons seeking baptism for themselves or their children need to attend a baptism class. For more information about First Church’s understanding of baptism, dates of upcoming classes, and how to register for a class, go to our baptism page by clicking here. Schedule of Baptismal Classes Baptismal Classes are scheduled on Wednesday evenings from 6:30 to 8:30 in Room 213 of the Sanctuary Building on the following dates: December 7, and January 4, 2012, and on Sunday afternoon, October 23 from 2:30 to 4:30 p.m.  So … [Read more...]

Last Sunday, August 28th, we participated in a time-honored, beloved tradition of the United Methodist Church: the presentation of personal Bibles to our third grade class. This year we added to the tradition by wrapping each Bible in symbolic layers of paper. The outside wrapping was brown paper, representing the Bible as an ancient and sacred book of our faith. The middle wrapping was comic strips, reminding the boys and girls that the Bible is filled with stories that are entertaining and fun. The inside wrapping was white paper, signifying the Bible as the inspired message from God, about … [Read more...]

--Lara Greene, Director of Children and Family Ministries As you saw last week in the sanctuary service, we had an amazing and energetic group of children--133 hearts learning about Jesus and God’s love. Vacation Bible School 2011 could not have been more fun thanks to the hard work and careful planning of the co-directors Sarah Colby, Mandy Brown, and Keri Boone. These women started organizing and planning in February so that VBS would be a fantastic experience for our children. Sarah, Mandy, and Keri are all busy mothers with many outside obligations that keep them scurrying from place … [Read more...]

(To see Vacation Bible School 2011 Photo Album, Click Here) The Family Life Center was filled to bursting with 133 children from ages three to eleven years and more than fifty youth and adult volunteers for a wonderful week of learning and fun at our Vacation Bible School. Heartfelt and enthusiastic thanks to all who gave their time and talents to make our Vacation Bible School truly something to celebrate. Watch for more details and pictures from our week in “Hometown Nazareth.” … [Read more...]

The word acolyte is derived from the Greek word acolytos, meaning companion, attendant, or helper. Our acolyte program is a wonderful way for the children of our church in third grade and up to actively participate in Sunday worship services. An acolyte serves at the altar of God, assisting the pastor, and helping everyone at church see the glory of God when they come to worship. The “Light of Christ” is brought in to worship by the acolyte and the “Light” is then taken out at the end of the service to signify taking the love of Christ back into the world. This form of … [Read more...]