February 20, 2010 by Worship Director.

Jim and Dulci Doty arrived in Angola a couple weeks ago, just in time for the Church of God in Angola General Assembly.  One item in the discussion at the General Assembly was to make a new effort in registering the Church of God in Angola with the country’s government in order that we would be officially recognized.  This past week, there was a followup meeting with an individual that is attempting to assist the church in this effort.  It has been a long road to this point.

“We would appreciate your prayers in this effort that God would open the door for the Church of God to be registered in Angola. We are also praying for God’s guidance that our efforts won’t be wasted, but will have a positive outcome.” - Jim & Dulci Doty, Igreja de Deus em Angola, Luanda, Angola

Let’s renew our prayers for Jim and Dulci and their work in Angola, particularly during this time of Lent.  Jim and Dulci daily make sacrifices from their physical, emotional and financial resources to further the message of Christ in not just Angola, but also Brazil.  We are grateful for the opportunity to share in their ministry as partners in prayer.

Learn more about this African country by reading Wikipedia information on Angola

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January 18, 2010 by Web Admin.

Sam Shoquist with Gideon s International visits with First Church and shares on the mission of their organization which is to carry out the Great Commission in places where churches, denominations and other ministries often cannot go. They have been successful in providing bibles through out the world and many people have experienced God’s love, peace, and hope.  Our congregation is blessed to provide funds for this ministry.

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January 17, 2010 by Worship Director.

Walk into any hotel room in the United States, pull open the drawer of the bedside table, and you will very likely find a Bible.  Those of us who have many Bibles just laying around the house, may overlook that significance.  It is the Word of God - powerful, immutable, transformational - and freely available to every person that opens that drawer. The Gideons did that.

Getting those Bibles and New Testaments in those drawers, not to mention into drawers and hands in 190 other countries since 1908, however, is not free.  The members of Gideons International are still giving their time, money and influence to raise funds and reach out to hotels, businesses and other organizations in order for them to insert God’s Word into the traffic lanes of life.  As business people, they have a unique ministry opportunity. They are able to carry out the Great Commission in places where churches, denominations and other ministries often cannot go as they live and work in communities throughout the world. Perhaps more than many organizations, the Gideons embody the 21st century Church as it was meant to be - sharing the Gospel in tangible ways - living Christianity through their business life in the real world of needy people.

We can be a part of the Gideons International mission.  We can GIVE - to support the purchase of Bibles and Testaments for billions of hands around the world. We can READ the Bible - so that we are ready to respond in support of God’s Word when we meet with an opportunity.  We can PRAY - for more opportunities to reach people with the Gospel and that hearts will be touched and lives changed.

Here’s an investment with a 100% return assured:

 ”It is the same with my word. I send it out, and it always produces fruit. 

It will accomplish all I want it to, and it will prosper everywhere I send it.“

- Isaiah 55:11

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January 13, 2010 by Worship Director.

CNN News reports that “The faithful prayed — for relief, for mercy, for safety — as aftershocks rumbled across Haiti” and we are called to join in their prayers. Witnesses indicate that as the night went on, the singing and praying intensified and then waned.  As they wane, we must intensify our support - standing with them in these devastating hours.  Many missionaries are in Haiti and while we cannot go, we can pray, knowing that corporate and focused prayer carries inexplicable power. 2 Kin 19:20 says  “I have heard your prayer, I have seen your tears; behold, I will heal you.”

The aftermath of a 7.0-magnitude earthquake that struck off the coast of Haiti, has caused widespread destruction, fatalities and chaos. The quake, which happened shortly before 5 p.m., was followed by at least 18 aftershocks, averaging a magnitude of 5.0, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.  Much more will be seen as as this day unfolds, please continue in praying earnestly for the needs of these people and their families.  If you are moved to give financially, the American Red Cross and the Central Texas Red Cross are already working in this area.

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January 5, 2010 by Worship Director.

Austin First Church of God is now on Facebook.  You’ll find the Facebook link on the “About Us” page of the website, beside the church events calendar.  Click there and anyone can be taken to our page.  If you are logged into your own Facebook page, you can search for us by our name and you’ll be whisked away to our page.

How ever you get there -  we hope you’ll become a fan!  Send “Fan” invitations to your FB friends to broaden our reach.  Let’s see how many “fans” we can touch in 2010!

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December 29, 2009 by Worship Director.

Rev. Paul Jones brought greetings from 2ooo of the brothers of the church in Bolivia.  Paul, Kattia and their daughter, Tabitha,  had a short break from the South American mission field to spend Christmas in Austin.  Paul’s message  Sunday morning at First Church reminded us that Christ came to give us the peace of God so that we could have peace with God.

Paul shared with us that Kattia had initiated Sunday School training for leaders this past summer.  The concept of “Sunday School” is new to the Bolivian church and so vitally needed.  Let’s join together in prayer support for this new ministry - for something we here in the US take so much for granted.

May God bless the Jones’ and the mission field in which they serve!

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December 29, 2009 by Worship Director.

Austin First Church of God is proud to partner with other Christian organizations that serve those in need all around the world.  Here is a mission opportunity that may be just right for you and your family this summer in partnership with the Austin Samaritans and Westlake Hills Presbyterian Church.

Take a family vacation with a purpose to Managua, Nicaragua.  Activities include: VBS, Teacher Training Seminar, and Playground construction at Colegio Cristiano Presbyteriano.  We will visit the new, Juan Calvino Presbyterian Seminary, hand out layettes and toys in a local hospital and visit other ministries in Managua.  We will end the trip with a day on the beach at the Pacific Ocean.

Do you have a heart and gift for training teachers as well as loving on children?  If so, this trip is for you.  What an amazing opportunity to serve with your family.  The cost is $450 per person plus airfare and trip/health insurance.  - Nancy Pickett, Westlake Hills Presbyterian Church.

For more information send a message through the “Contact Us” page at www.austinfcog.org

If interested, please log in and complete this Application Form: Nicaragua June 2010

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December 26, 2009 by Worship Director.

Charlie Schnabel is a storyteller and brings his wit and wisdom to every Austin First Church service in his “Three Minutes to Live By.” However, the stories from his recent trip to Nicaragua with the Austin Samaritans are hard stories to tell - and even harder to hear.  How can we begin to relate to the reality of 2000 people - men, women and children - LIVING in the Managua city dump, known as La Chureca.  Not just coming in to collect recyclables, but making their homes out of the junk found inside; children working and playing among mounds of dangerous garbage which may, in fact, become their next meal or parents prostituting their teenage daughters to “get the best garbage.”  There is no way we can truly comprehend the horror of their lives unless we see it ourselves. Charlie chose to bear the burden for these people a world away.  To go and to do something. As the Austin Samaritans work to build medical facilities to serve the people in La Chureca, Charlie is now working with his clients in the Pediatric Dentists Association to provide dental care and equipment. We can all bring something: resources, connections, our concern and prayers.

Our love for God must translate into a tangible love for others.  Acts 3:6 says, “Then Peter said, silver and gold have I none; but such as I have I give thee: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk.”  This is the example we strive to follow, that Charlie and the Austin Samaritans have lived in La Chureca -  meeting real human needs with whatever God has given us; changing lives through the unchanging love of Jesus Christ.

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