Welcome to Grace United Methodist Church in Austin, TX!

The Administrative Council of Grace United Methodist Church, chaired by Tom Calnan, endeavors to administer a program of nurture, outreach, witness, and resources in the church. This council also administers the organization and temporal life of the church through several committees including Memorials, Nominations, Pastor-Parish Relations (PPR), Board of Trustees, and Finance committees. The council serves to envision, plan, implement and annually evaluate the mission and ministry of the church.

The Children's Council, chaired by Claudia Drinovsky, is responsible for recommending to the administrative council activities, program emphases, and settings for youth. Among the activities of this council are youth Sunday School programs and childcare during church services and events, the coordination of musical and theatrical activities for youth (such as the Annual Children's Christmas Pageant) along with the Nurture Committee, church activities involving youth such as the Annual Easter Egg Hunt and the Annual Pumpkin Patch youth activities, and Summer Vacation Bible School.

The Finance Committee, chaired by Elaine Chaney, tracks and maintains the finances and assets of the church. Along with the church treasurer, the finance committee works closely with Reverend Kessie and the other committees in order to provide program funding along with developing and maintaining a balanced church budget. The finance committee has developed and will be working closely with the Stewardship Task Force in order to develop a successful stewardship campaign for the church. Click here for finance committee forms.

The Lay Leadership Committee, chaired by Reverend Linda Kessie, is responsible for identifying, developing, deploying, evaluating, and monitoring Christian spiritual leadership for Grace UMC. Members of this committee engage in and are attentive to the development and enhancement of their own Christian spiritual life in light of the mission of Grace UMC. This committee engages in biblical and theological reflections on the mission of Grace UMC, the primary task, and ministries of Grace UMC. It provides a means of identifying the spiritual gifts and abilities of the membership and works with the administrative council to determine the diverse ministry tasks of the congregation and the skills needed for leadership. (Information taken from the Book of Discipline ś 259.1 - Committee on Lay Leadership. Information Source = umc.org)

The Memorials Committee, chaired by Sharon Howell, is responsible for handling gifts (including monetary donations) to Grace UMC which were made in honor or memory of someone. Gifts can be designated for specific purposes, such as the choir fund for music, robes, etc. or the kitchen fund for painting and updating. The Memorials Committee also decides the use of any undesignated funds.

The Nurture Committee, co-chaired by Chester Eitze and Nancy Lindsay, endeavors to provide attention and support to worship services at Grace as well as church membership care through a broad base of fellowship and other activities. This committee plans and executes a plethora of activities including, but not limited to, the Pulpit and Pew newsletter (Cheryl Rader, editor), Pumpkin Patch and Fall Festival, various fundraisers, 5th Sunday covered dish lunches, Dinner for Six, Hanging of the Greens (as well as Advent/Christmas activities and decorating), and Easter activities. The Amazing Grace Arts and Crafts Fair was organized by this committee. This committee also supports the music worship of the church by working with the music director and organist/pianist to provide special music, guest musicians, and selection of music for special services.

The Outreach Committee, chaired by Deb Geerts, provides opportunities to serve the local and global community through ministries of compassion, justice, and advocacy. These ministries include church and society, global ministries, higher education and campus ministry, health and welfare, Christian unity and inter-religious concerns, religion and race, the acceptance of homosexuality, and the status and role of women throughout the United States and the world. The committee attempts to meet the needs of the local community through participation in CROP walk, Hands on Housing, AIDS Walk, Interfaith Care Alliance Team, Hispanic Ministries, South Austin Assistance Ministries, Austin Area Interreligious Ministries, Grace Food Pantry, Caritas, as well as others.

The PPR (Parish-Pastor Relations) Committee, chaired by David Arnold, is responsible for conferring with and counseling the pastor and staff on the matters pertaining to the effectiveness of ministry; relationships with the congregation; conditions that may impede the effectiveness of ministry; and to interpret the nature and function of the ministry. Also, this committee confers with, consults, and counsels the pastor and staff on matters pertaining to priorities in the use of gifts, skills, and time and priorities for the demands and effectiveness of the mission and ministry of the congregation. Another important task of this committee is to provide evaluation at least annually for the use of the pastor and staff in an ongoing effective ministry and for identifying continuing educational needs and plans. (Information taken from the Book of Discipline ś 258.2 - Parish-Pastors Relations Committee. Information Source = umc.org)

The Permanent Endowment Committee, co-chaired by Debra Williams and Chuck Wall, is responsible for receiving, administering, and investing gifts, bequests, trusts, and trust funds on behalf of Grace United Methodist Church. Gifts and bequests of all sizes are welcome. None is too small to help in the work of the church. For complete details about the Permanent Endowment Fund, please refer to our pamphlet about it which you may download as a PDF file by clicking here.

The Trustees Committee, chaired by Randy Peters, is responsible for the supervision, oversight, and care of all property owned by Grace and equipment acquired by the church. This committee reviews the adequacy of insurance on the church and church-owned property, buildings, and equipment and grants permission to outside organizations to use Grace church facilities. This committee is also responsible for the accessibility of the church and related facilities so there are no barriers that will impede the full participation of people with disabilities. (Information taken from the Book of Discipline ś 2524 - ś 2532 - Board of Trustees. Information Source = umc.org)

The Witness Committee, chaired by Linda Strickland, is primarily dedicated to getting the word (The Word and the word) out about Christian faith and worship, in general and specifically at Grace UMC. The committee handles publicity about regular and seasonal worship services (e.g., Sunday Service, Easter and Christmas services) and other special events (e.g., Pumpkin Patch, Coffee House). Publicity includes creating press releases, posting announcements to other websites and neighborhood chat rooms, creating and distributing flyers and posters. Committee members also coordinate other events and projects (e.g., Outdoor Coffee House) that introduce Grace UMC to the neighborhood and the public in general. The Witness Committee is also responsible for this website as well as maintaining and printing the church brochure.

If you are interested in joining a committee, or participating on any level in the works of a committee, please feel free to indicate your interest by email or personally speaking with one of the committee chairs. Joining a committee is a wonderful opportunity for anyone to meet and fellowship with other members of the church and become involved in the support of Grace UMC and its ministries.