Mountaintop Moments

your weekly update from Texas Impact

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Texas Impact
People of Faith Working for Justice

Rev. Phil Dieke, Rev. Franz Schemmel, Rev. Trent Ormsbee-Hale, Bishop Erik Gronberg, Rev. Laura Walters, and Bee Moorhead celebrate “Texas Impact Sunday” at Messiah Lutheran Church in Weatherford

Dear {name},

This week at Texas Impact started on a high note in Weatherford at Messiah Lutheran Church, where we celebrated Rev. Franz Schemmel’s service as outgoing Texas Impact board president. Franz and his wife, Ann Hafften, have led social justice work in the ELCA Lutheran church for decades, and it was a treat to honor them in their home church. New Texas Impact board president Rev. Phil Dieke preached an inspiring sermon about mountaintop experiences that you can watch here. Texas Impact is so grateful for Franz and Ann’s leadership, and we are excited about the work Messiah Lutheran Church, the NT-NL Synod, and so many other faith communities around the state are doing to advance the common good—in Texas and around the world.

Scott Atnip and Rev. Phil Dieke launch the latest season of Weekly Witness

Phil appeared again on Wednesday as the inaugural guest on our newly relaunched Weekly Witness podcast…now with video! After taking a month hiatus to retool, Scott and Weekly Witness are back, with new theme music, new graphics, and a sharper focus: highlighting the work and witness of (mostly Texas*) faith leaders. As Scott says:

The religious right are not the only faith voice in the public square. Texas communities are full of local clergy and lay leaders working for public policies that advance human rights and the common good. Their stories need to be centered in our state’s cultural and policy narratives. Our goal is to highlight how Texans of diverse faiths and backgrounds step up and speak out for justice in their particular contexts.

You can read more about Weekly Witness and our plans for the year on Scott’s post. Don’t forget to like, share, and comment on this first episode in the new format, and let us know about Texas faith leaders you’d like to hear from in future episodes.

*We say “mostly Texas” because Texas Impact—like our faith traditions—is connectional. We work alongside partners across the country, and from time to time Scott will introduce you to them, too.

And, as if a new season of Weekly Witness weren’t enough, we also posted TWO new episodes of Changing by Choice this week, despite having said there would only be one new episode. Weeks 1-3 of Changing by Choice are now available on our website, including the videos and discussion guides. Look for Episode 4 next week, and Episode 5 on March 6. We’ve also posted a handy climate glossary to help you keep track of all the acronyms. Let us know if you don’t find the climate term you’re looking for and we’ll add it.

Early voting has started in the primary elections. More congregations than ever are helping their members participate in the election by sharing practical, nonpartisan information about the “when, where, why, and who” of voting.

St. Philip Presbyterian Church in Houston is one of many congregations encouraging members to vote in the March primary election

Texas Impact is a proud founding partner in March Matters, a broad-based effort among Texas business, faith, and community leaders to increase primary voter participation.

I spoke with KXAN reporter Dylan McKim about March Matters and why it’s so great for faith communities. You can watch Dylan’s piece here.

If your congregation didn’t get involved in March Matters and now you’re wishing you had, take heart: it’s never too late for civic leadership! Visit MarchMatters.org for ways to pitch in during this election cycle, and be ready to jump in for the general election in November.

Finally, this week was the start of Ramadan for Muslims, and Lent for Christians. Both of these religious seasons are known as periods of self-reflection and self-denial, through fasting or “giving something up.”

In modern times, some people “take something on” instead of (or in addition to) giving something up. In fact, Weekly Witness started because in 2017, Franz Schemmel decided to take on a practice of coming to Austin every week during Lent to visit his legislators during the legislative session.

Whatever disciplines your faith tradition includes, there are ways to relate them to public witness and social justice. Thanks for your work and witness.

Love,