Mid-Summer Stretching
Our hearts are heavy from the flooding of the Texas Hill Country on July 4. The area is home to so many people connected to Austin Seminary, and the lives lost during the flooding have left so many friends and families devastated. The place where we have held our clergy retreats, Mo-Ranch Assembly, fortunately did not lose any lives due to the flooding, though the property sustained serious damage and many employees received significant damages to their homes.
The idea of “sharing faith” in this time feels like a stretching exercise —our own efforts stretching towards words of comfort for those whose lives are shattered, stretching towards finding God in the midst of this suffering, stretching for words to say in our sermons during such a time as this.
And yet, we remember that we are not alone. Preachers such as First Presbyterian- Kerrville’s Rev. Jasiel Hernandez Garcia, alumni of Austin Seminary, are working in their community to offer solace in the midst of overwhelming loss. Click here to listen to an interview with him on NPR. Preachers and church leaders are sharing faith with one another through their actions, their words, and their prayers. And we can do the same.
Wherever you are serving, whatever challenges you are facing in your community, you continue to share faith by showing up in the midst of suffering. Thank you for your good work, and may you be sustained by the God who suffers with us and for us.
Blessings,
Rev. Dr. Carolyn Helsel
Director of the Sharing Faith Initiative
Sharing Faith in Action
Earlier this summer, Dr. Helsel preached at Duke University Chapel in Durham, North Carolina.
Students from Austin Seminary were also at Duke University as part of the Summer Intensive for the Hispanic Summer Program, and were delighted to see a friendly face in the pulpit.
MDiv Middler Emmanuelle Ugwu said, ”It was both grounding and inspiring to see someone from our community leading worship at Duke University.”
Click here to watch the service. Dr. Helsel’s sermon begins at 30:23.
Dr. Helsel and Rev. Dr. Dongwoo Lee of Shreiner University attended the Pathways for Tomorrow Grant meeting in Indianapolis this past June as they develop a collaborative grant for raising up the next generation of church leaders.
Also pictured: Frank Yamada, Executive Director of The Association of Theological Schools and Tito Madrazo, Program Director in the religion division of Lilly Endowment Inc.
We invite you to think about your preaching in a fresh way by joining Rev. Dr. Alyce McKenzie for an engaging workshop at Austin Seminary:
On Saturday, August 30, we will welcome Rev. Dr. Alyce McKenzie, Professor of Preaching & Worship at the Perkins School of Theology at SMU, for the next FPP preaching workshop. People want profound biblical and theological teaching, but they don’t want lectures. This 4-hour workshop will equip participants to use metaphor, scene, and story to gain and maintain listener attention, so they retain the memory of Sunday’s sermon on Monday and beyond! The workshop is free and open to all preachers - new and seasoned, lay and ordained.
Title: “Show, Don’t (Just) Tell! Fiction Writing Strategies for Sermons.”
Date: Saturday, August 30, 2025
Place: Wright Hall on Austin Seminary Campus
Time: 10:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.
Cost: FREE, including a complimentary lunch
This workshop will be based on insights from Dr. McKenzie’s book Making a Scene in the Pulpit: Vivid Preaching for Visual Listeners and Novel Preaching: Tips from Top Writers on Crafting Creative Sermons. Participants will need to read the book to be prepared for the workshop.
Please note, this workshop is in-person only. A recording of the workshop will be made available for those unable to attend in person.
Lay Preachers are invited to join a year-long cohort for support and learning:
Are you a lay preacher interested in connecting with other lay preachers? Join a one-year cohort to learn more about faith-full preaching with your peers!We have received a number of applications but still have additional spots available for the second iteration of this community, so our deadline has been extended. Through discussion and sermon-sharing twice a month over Zoom, lay preachers in this group gain a community of peer-coaches who can encourage and support one another, all with the goal of cultivating more faith-full preaching.
Eligibility Requirements for Lay Preacher Cohort:
Commissioned and/or licensed by a church or denominational governing body to preach
Currently serving a small congregation (< 100 in attendance)
Ability to connect to online through Zoom
We look forward to welcoming another set of lay preachers to a FPP Cohort!