I am not sure when the evangelical church hijacked Christianity and took it to a place Jesus never dreamed it would land  — a place where people celebrate the prosperity Gospel, reject refugees, and claim their political candidate is ordained by God. But it is past time for the church to head in a new direction. I wonder if we can make that happen by proclaiming our love for a totally different Jesus. Could we silence the ferocious voice of conservative religion? Could we travel together to the place of love and hope on earth that Jesus imagined?  I sure would like to try. 

It is true.  I love Jesus.  But the Jesus I love looks nothing like the popular one running around our country spewing fear and hate. The Jesus I love is brown, not white.  He didn’t grow up in the Bible Belt.  He grew up in the Middle East.  He never said a peep about sexual orientation, but he had a good plenty to say about love, forgiveness, and generosity. Jesus didn’t objectify women, he empowered them.  He didn’t put children in cages, he blessed them. Jesus didn’t reject people because of their religious preference or nationality. He talked to them.  He healed them.  He loved them.  That is the Jesus I love.  That is the Jesus CPC proclaims.   

May that Jesus inspire us with life and love and hope to share with the world.  

Gratefully yours, 
Pastor Katheryn

COURAGE

“Safe? Who said anything about safe? ‘Course God isn’t safe. But God is Good”

– Adapted from C.S Lewis, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe

Growing Spiritually – Children and Youth

https://cpcaustin.org/ministries-fellowship/children-teens/

Growing Spiritually – Adults and Teens

https://cpcaustin.org/ministries-fellowship/adult-sunday-morning-classes/

Small Groups

Courage starts with showing up and letting ourselves be seen” – Brene Brown

https://cpcaustin.org/ministries-fellowship/adult-fellowship-groups/

Ministry Teams

Our ministry teams work together to fulfill CPC’s  mission to be “deliberately diverse and fully inclusive.”   Even if you can’t commit to a monthly meeting, you can still participate.  Please see the list below and prayerfully consider how you might contribute to our team work.  We would be thrilled to welcome you!

https://cpcaustin.org/about/ministry-teams/

On October 6th, World Communion Sunday, please stand in solidarity with immigrants and protest current policies on the Mexico-US border.  Gather in the courtyard of Central Presbyterian Church after Sunday worship to stand or sit silently in prayerful protest for 10 – 15 minutes.

For more info https://cpcaustin.org/pink-shoes/

Imagine going to the grocery store to buy school supplies, bread or milk, only to be catapulted into a war zone. This morning, people left their homes in El Paso thinking they would soon return with groceries to unload.  Instead they went to a killing field.  Some will never return, and those who did will carry a heavy load of trauma, grief, and fear for years, if not forever.  The inaction of the Senate only magnifies the horror and senselessness of this preventable hate crime.  Get your act together Senators!  You claim to believe in Scripture? How about this? “Faith without works is dead.” (James 2:14) Your refusal to work on common-sense gun control laws is killing us.  GET TO WORK!!!! – Rev. Katheryn Barlow-Williams

from the PCUSA https://www.presbyterianmission.org/opw/2018/12/14/gun-violence-a-national-sin/

https://cpcaustin.org/partnership-news/