For the City is an outpouring of The Austin Stone's mission to love the city God has called us to. Through internal initiatives and external partnerships with local nonprofits, churches, and other organizations, we help empower and equip the church to care for our neighbors.
Our desire is for the body of Christ to be actively and compassionately engaged with issues of brokenness and injustice in our city. Specifically, we strive to join in and develop initiatives that support the holistic development and flourishing of the marginalized and vulnerable.
Child Welfare - Supporting foster children, adopted children, and the families that care for them
Education Empowerment - Supporting students facing barriers to educational access and achievement
Family Support - Helping parents at risk of losing parental rights develop increased stability and grow through educational opportunities
Sanctity of Life - Advocating for the unborn and supporting under-resourced parents of young children
Adaptive Community - Empowering and facilitating community with those uniquely created with different abilities
Homeless Care - Caring for our homeless and recently-housed neighbors
Immigrant Care - Caring for vulnerable immigrants in Austin, including refugees and asylees
Anti-Human Trafficking - Combating human trafficking and its causes while supporting survivors
Disaster Response - Mobilizing the church body to respond when disasters occur
Prisoner Grace - Demonstrating God’s grace to current and former inmates
Racial Justice - Supporting the church in affirming the dignity and worth of every image-bearer regardless of race, ethnicity, or nationality
Frequency:
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Multiple Dates and Times
Frequency:
Recurring
Multiple Dates and Times
The Child Welfare Support Program exists to cast vision for, celebrate, and create awareness surrounding foster care and adoption. As a church that actively works to respond to God’s heart for vulnerable children and families, this program works to help equip and sustain current foster and adoptive families in their calling and empower more parents to enter into this space. Learn more about the program by exploring the brochure below.
In partnership with Academy 4, we work to provide consistent mentors to fourth-grade students at Pickle Elementary and Houston Elementary. Through these relationships, we’re able to help instill leadership skills in students during a particularly impactful time in their cognitive and social development. Click the button below to see how The Austin Stone made a difference in the lives of students in 2023-2024 and to explore how you can get involved for the 2024-2025 school year!
When Refugee Services of Texas closed in the spring of 2023, many refugee families struggled to meet basic needs due to an interruption in financial support. In response, our St. John Congregation collected food to help an organization called More than Welcome aid these families. Click the button below to learn more about how our St. John Congregation served our refugee neighbors.
Before this school year, Austin Stone congregations united to support schools and nonprofit organizations that serve under-resourced students in Austin. These students and their families face many barriers to educational access and achievement. Because of our collective efforts, we were able to provide families and teachers with necessary supplies—setting them and their kids up for success this school year. Click the button below to see how each congregation contributed!
In partnership with Austin Stone congregations, we work with nonprofit organizations to bless the marginalized in our city through donations of supplies, gift cards, and presents. Check out the impact of the 2023 Christmas Serve project by clicking the button below.
In July 2022, The Austin Stone rallied together to provide support for life-affirming pregnancy resource centers and women's health clinics within the greater Austin area in response to the Supreme Court’s Dobbs decision. These resources included a variety of items, from car seats and onesies to formula and wipes. Click the button below for more info!
In response to the pandemic, For the City initiated the COVID-Impact Care Program to provide counseling and fitness memberships to nurses, teachers, social workers, and nonprofit professionals. Through this program, we were able to care for these professionals and express our gratitude for their faithful service during a time that was uniquely challenging. Click the button below to learn more!
In 2021, we mobilized to provide disaster relief and aid for those impacted by the winter storm. These efforts included supplying and delivering food, water, and other essentials, providing monetary support to organizations serving those most affected, and organizing rescue rides for those unable to travel due to roadway conditions.
For over a year, For the City supported a weekly ESL class for refugees. Over the course of this program, volunteers helped refugees learn English through conversation in a supportive environment. More than 20 refugees were served by this program!
The Austin Stone's mission is to love God, love the church, love the city, and love the nations. The For the City Team is the initiative of The Austin Stone tasked with stewarding the "love the city" aspect of the mission by mobilizing and equipping the church to help marginalized and vulnerable people.
For the City is not a separate entity from The Austin Stone. In the past, the For the City Network was a separate 501(c)(3), but that entity has been dissolved.
The simple answer is, because God says so!
God makes His desire for His people to love their neighbors and pursue justice and mercy clear in both the Old and New Testament. Through the story of the Good Samaritan, Jesus says that His disciples should follow the example of the Good Samaritan and show compassion by meeting the needs of our neighbors in need (Luke 10:25-37). Furthermore, God repeatedly cautions His people that He rejects worship and religious practices when the church is failing to pursue justice and mercy (Isaiah 58:1-12; James 2: 14-26). The Bible also reveals that generosity and kindness in His name is a powerful witness to the world (Matthew 5:13-16; Acts 2:42-47).
We collaborate with and support nonprofits by promoting their service and donation opportunities, providing education opportunities for people to learn more about ongoing efforts, and providing financial support.
When working alongside organizations, our primary focus is centering efforts to address the needs of those being served. As such, we often support non-faith-based organizations that are effectively serving marginalized communities.
The best way to stay informed about volunteer opportunities, classes, and donation opportunities are to subscribe to our newsletter and follow For the City on Instagram.
Also, congregation emails and social feeds frequently include information about For the City activities as well.
Yes! You can make a one-time or recurring donation to the Local Mission Fund by clicking here. Financial gifts given to this fund are put toward partnering with nonprofits, meeting tangible needs in our city, and proactively working to address barriers to human flourishing.
