We hosted a Diaper Drive on Easter Sunday in partnership with The Austin Stone Community Church’s service at the Frank Erwin Center. We collected diapers, wipes, and formula to help support a few of our nonprofit partners – three pregnancy resource centers who are actively seeking restoration in our city.

The donations filled 13 pallets on a 26-foot moving truck and included:

          -   53,688 diapers

          -   91,629 wipes

          -   6,676 ounces of formula  …Read More

As a way to respond to God’s grace and mercy through the resurrected Christ, we’re hosting a Diaper Drive as part of The Austin Stone’s Easter Sunday service at the Frank Erwin Center. Check out this short video for all the details.

Why a drive on Easter Sunday?

Our prayer is that this collection drive will be a small act of demonstrating the gospel that will spur us on to gospel-centered relationships with the poor and marginalized throughout the year.

What do I  …Read More

The Verge Conference is a four-day experience that equips church leaders, students, nonprofit directors, and everyday people pursuing the mission of God to make disciples in every sphere and domain of society. The conference also resources individuals to advocate for the poor and oppressed, while mobilizing urban movements of gospel-centered missional communities.

This year, The For the City Network is presenting one of the pre-conferences: Verge: For the City | Urban Mission  …Read More

Story & Photography By: Eric Lee

Aaron and Shauna Mullins were about to be first-time parents. 

“I was sitting at work eating lunch at my desk. Shauna called me to tell me,” Aaron says. “By 7:30 that night, CPS was at our door.”

Being thrown headfirst into a two-child “insta-family” was overwhelming, but Aaron and Shauna knew it was exactly where they were supposed to be. High school sweethearts, Aaron and Shauna waited about three years into their marriage before  …Read More

Story by: Emilee Wuebben

Photography by: Kristin Laughlin

"We'd just moved here and we were looking for a way in," recalls Maris Bush.

Three years ago, Maris, a mother of two, and Jamie Ivey, a mother of four, attended task force meetings to find out how they could get involved at Reagan High School to help prevent the school’s imminent shut down. Both women had adopted in the past, making teen pregnancy an issue they felt passionately about. "We had  …Read More

Story by: Rachael Duncan

Photography by: Geoff Duncan, Daniel Davis

Every Thursday evening, kids from the Booker T. Washington public housing complex slowly make their way to the neighborhood’s community center for what they refer to simply as “church.”  There’s no church building, formal welcome team, or pastor. But there is a deeply-rooted sense of community. There is Hope Street.

Jon Koch and his wife, Shelby, have been married for 11 years.  After six years, Jon found  …Read More

This Christmas season you responded in record numbers. With 40+ opportunities from 20 different nonprofit partners, hundreds of you got involved and served our city for the sake of the gospel.

Foster children received gifts, families were fed and clothed, teachers, students, and schools were loved…the list goes on. We’re still tabulating exact numbers, so be on the lookout for a breakdown in January.

Until then, thank you for your generosity and heart to  …Read More

We have seen God move mightily over the past three years at The For the City Network, and we wait in eager expectation for what’s ahead.

We want to be a resource for you, your family, your missional community, or your church to get connected to mission and seek our city's restoration. This Christmas season, we have had 40+ opportunities to engage needs, and over half of them have already been filled! 

Now, there are 15+ Christmas opportunities still open. Let’s  …Read More

story by Eric Lee

photography by Todd White

“I can understand how a person could be a Christian in America because everyone is so moral, but I cannot understand how it could be in Moscow,” Julia remarked to her newfound friend and mentor Dennis. 

Dennis Rigstad knew for years that God was calling him to preach the gospel to the nations, but he didn’t realize that quest would bring him to Austin.  After multiple careers as a Navy officer, a civilian  …Read More

The holidays are quickly approaching, which also means that the gift-giving season is upon us. We are excited to announce an opportunity to shop responsibly this season at The For the City Network’s Second Annual Christmas Market. The event is free of charge and open to the public and will feature 18+ local fair trade, direct trade, and social enterprise vendors who use their businesses to promote employment and well-being for people in Austin and around  …Read More

Story by Elora Ramirez, Photos by Kristin Laughlin

Before they got married, Jacob and Cristina Martin knew adoption would be part of their story. “We just had a different plan,” Jacob said. “We never could have written the story that God wrote for our family.”

Austin Disaster Relief Network – a nonprofit partner of The For the City Network – organizes and mobilizes churches in Austin to respond to physical, emotional, and spiritual needs in times of disaster. They are currently serving those affected by the fires throughout Central Texas, and there are several ways to get involved and support their efforts.

For information on in-kind donations and volunteering, please visit their website for the latest needs and drop-off  …Read More

Between tiny hands reaching for glasses and small knees sliding against the tile looking for treasure, Jeff and Cara Griswold steal glances at each other and laugh.

“Welcome to our upside down life,” Cara says as she reaches for her 8-month-old foster son. His brother, a giddy and curious 20-month-old, chooses that moment to run up the stairs, with Jeff not far behind.

They’ll be the first to admit their life is crazy, but in the same breath they’ll make it clear that  …Read More

Last month Dave Gibbons and a team from Newsong-Irvine and Xealot joined us for the first “For the City Intensive.” Newsong is a global church passionate about addressing the concerns of justice, advocacy, and the poor. Dave is the lead pastor at Newsong-Irvine and the CEO of Xealot, a program that identifies the next generation of leaders and empowers them with the tools and resources they need to live out their life’s calling.  As we heard more and more of this group’s  …Read More

As a way to celebrate the Resurrected Christ and respond through serving our city this Easter, The For the City Network is partnering with the Capital Area Food Bank to host a food drive at the Frank Erwin Center. Items collected will help the CAFB distribute over 70,000 lbs. daily to more than 48,000 Austin-area residents each week as part of its mission to nourish hungry people and lead the community in ending hunger.

This is a great first step to serve Austin and be "for the city"  …Read More