live & learn

Education Beyond the Walls at Austin Seminary (EBW) has created Houses of Hope to respond to the needs of smalltown and rural congregations in Texas and Oklahoma.

“Houses of Hope is intended for small-town and rural congregations who feel restless and stymied by how to best be the church in this age and who are curious about what their future might hold,” says Melissa Wiginton, vice president for Education Beyond the Walls.

An initial process of mutual discernment between the Houses of Hope team and a congregational leadership team helps interested congregations decide if Houses of Hope is a good fit for them. Those who go forward will join with five other congregations, each with their own coach. They will engage in small-group discussion along with individual and group activities in “Building Hope,” a course of Christian practices that grows to include their town or community.

Additionally, EBW will make “Building Hope” available for congregations outside of Texas and Oklahoma in Fall 2022.

Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary has been selected to receive a $1.25 million grant from The Lilly Endowment Inc. to further the work of The 787 Collective. These funds will sustain the work of the Collective for an additional five years, undergirding its mission to resource and support congregations seeking to engage young adults through creative ventures that deepen love for God, others, and self.

Launched in 2017 through an inaugural Young Adult Initiative grant, The 787 Collective worked with twentyseven congregations through three different grant cycles, as congregations and young adults collaboratively discerned creative ventures to support the spiritual thriving of young adults. The Collective resourced these groups—spiritually, creatively, and materially—enabling them to practice innovative thought and design within their contexts. Every congregation participated in the community life of the Collective, sharing their best practices and biggest challenges in both celebration and lament, striving to share knowledge and encouragement for the betterment of the community as a whole.

Moving into the next phase of development, the Collective will offer dynamic ways to invite more congregations and practitioners into their work. Utilizing capacity for virtual connection and information sharing, as well as harnessing the knowledge and experiences of firstgeneration participants, The 787 Collective looks forward to sharing learning opportunities, resources, encouragement, and inspiration to a growing community of hopeful, curious, and creative people committed to the life of faith. It anticipates opening to new congregations and young adults in Fall 2022.

The God whom we serve, whose name is “Justice” or “Elohei Mishpat,” calls us to challenge injustice and to be at the forefront of the fight for the liberation of the oppressed. God’s clarion call to justice is reverberating in this time. The pandemic has uncovered and exacerbated social inequities. As educators and Christians, we have a unique opportunity to expand our engagement with the communities directly impacted by these issues and to demand substantive change.

EBW’s “Focus on Justice” series presents an array of educational opportunities for Christians who sense an urgency to this calling and who want to deepen their knowledge of faithful engagement and action-based solutions to the complex and polarizing issues of 21st-century America. Two offerings planned for the spring include The Truth in Our Stories and Doing Justice: Racism.

The Truth in Our Stories book and companion videos present twelve compelling stories that highlight the Latino/a immigrant experience. The testimonies are unapologetically honest and reveal the horrid conditions and crippling fear that continue to characterize the lives of immigrants. Come learn and unlearn what you know about immigration. There are multiple ways to engage The Truth in Our Stories:

• Join EBW’s next small-group course facilitated by Rev. Lizzie Wright starting on Wednesday evenings, April 20-May 25. After you register you will have access to thirteen online modules. During the weekly facilitated discussions, you will explore the complexities of immigration with other Christian learners and leaders. Cost: $35 per person.

• Take the e-course with a small group at your church or organization. EBW will provide a facilitator to lead six online discussions with your group. You will also have access to thirteen online modules with video stories from immigrants. There is a flat fee of $650 for a facilitator and administration of the course in addition to a $10 per person fee, with a maximum of 15 participants.

• Read and share the new book, The Truth in Our Stories: Immigrant Voices in Radical Times (Izzard Ink Publishing, 2022), which offers twelve compelling stories that highlight the immigrant experience with the hope of changing negative perceptions of immigrants. Available in April.

In Doing Justice: Racism we will explore an introduction to racism, including personal reflection and defining key terms; stories and testimonies from a variety of cultural contexts; and biblical, theological, and social reflection on three different Christian responses to racism. There are two ways to take this course:

• Join our next EBW-led small group starting on Tuesday evenings, April 26 - May 24. After registering you will have access to all the online modules and can begin working through them at any time. Cost: $35 per person; groups are limited to 15 people.

• Start a small group at your church or organization and EBW will provide a facilitator for a fee of $650 in addition to a $10 per person fee for accessing the online module. Contact us at ebw@austinseminary.edu to get started.