Welcome to the Congregational Church of Austin,
an Open and Affirming Church of the United Church of Christ.
We are a small, progressive, lively, and welcoming church located in the heart of Austin near the University of Texas. We worship together, support one another’s spiritual growth, love and care for our neighbor in need, work for a more just and peaceful world, and experience deep joy in being the church together. In our worship, we combine joyful and spirit-filled singing with moments of quiet reflection and prayer. Music has been a mainstay of the worship service from the founding of the church. A trio and a choir provide the music each Sunday. We openly share the joys and concerns of our lives, pray for one another and the world, read and reflect on scripture, and respond to God’s call to minister to the world with compassion and wisdom. While our service follows a somewhat traditional order, it leaves room for spontaneity, and all of our liturgies use gender inclusive language. On the first Sunday of every month, we celebrate the sacrament of Holy Communion.
After worship, folks gather to enjoy coffee and refreshments, to catch up with one another, and to meet new folks. We are rather informal and casual, and pretty easy to get to know. If you are new to the church, we would love to share all of this with you, so please read more about us…ABOUT US
Church Service: 11:00 AM Sunday-DUE TO COVID-19 CONCERNS-STREAMING ONLY
Sunday Worship Streaming Information
COVID-19 may be keeping us physically apart, but not spiritually or socially apart. We worship electronically on Sunday mornings at 11:00 am. The previous minister recently retired and during the transition to an interim minister, Rene Slataper and members of the church, will lead the worship service that you can watch at:
Church Service Online Link
Those scheduled to preach are:
- March 7–Rev. Dr. C. J. Wood,
- March 14–Rev. Beth Gleason,
- March 21–Rev. Dr. Sarah Bentley,
- March 28 (Palm Sunday)–Rev. Dr. Whit Bodman,
- 7 PM April 1 (Maundy Thursday)–Rev. Dr. Whit Bodman,
- Maundy Thursday commemorates the Last Supper before Jesus is arrested, tried, and then crucified. Our service at 7 PM will include the liturgy of Tenebrae, Greek for “shadow,” in which we read scripture passages that outline the story of the final days of Jesus as the light diminishes and the shadows loom, ending in a period of quiet contemplation.
- April 4 (Easter)–Rev. Dr. Whit Bodman,
- April 11–Rev. Dr. Ann Locasio,
- April 18–Rev. Carolyn Thompson
- April 25–Rev. Cam Burton, Chaplain, St. David’s Hospital
- May 2–Rev. Kyndra Frazier, KYND Consulting
- May 16–Rev. Dr. Mary Wilson, Church of the Savior (ret.)
- May 23 (Pentecost) – Rev. Amelia Fulbright
- May 30 – Rev. Don Brewington, Chaplain, Huston-Tillotson
- June 6 – Jade Evans, Chaplain, Ascension Health
- June 13 – Heidi Carrington Heath, Chaplain, Phillips Exeter Academy
- June 20 –Rev. Dr. C. J. Wood,
- June 27 – Megan Snell, DMin candidate
If you missed Pat Oakes’ Slideshow of Pastor Tom VandeStadt’s years at the Church, you can view it here:
Sunday Fellowship over Zoom
We also gather together right after worship on Zoom for fellowship, then we share our joys and concerns, and pray for one another and the world, at 11:45 AM. To participate, please go to Zoom Link:
https://zoom.us/j/747083837
The zoom meeting ID is: 747 083 837
Sunday School: 10:00 AM Sunday-SUSPENDED