| 7 | 8 | | WHEREAS, For a century, families have come together to |
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| 8 | 9 | | worship at Austin Oaks Church, and the congregation is celebrating |
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| 9 | 10 | | the 100th anniversary of the church's founding in 2025; and |
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| 10 | 11 | | WHEREAS, Originally known as the Swedish Evangelical Free |
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| 11 | 12 | | Church of Austin, this venerable house of worship was formed on |
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| 12 | 13 | | August 16, 1925, as part of the Evangelical Free Churches, a |
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| 13 | 14 | | movement established by Swedish immigrants; its first sanctuary was |
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| 14 | 15 | | located in downtown Austin, and services were conducted entirely in |
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| 15 | 16 | | Swedish until the decision was made to transition to English in the |
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| 16 | 17 | | late 1930s; and |
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| 17 | 18 | | WHEREAS, The church relocated twice during the decades that |
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| 18 | 19 | | followed, eventually settling on a campus off of Monterey Oaks |
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| 19 | 20 | | Boulevard in southwest Austin in 2002; it went on to adopt its |
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| 20 | 21 | | current name, Austin Oaks Church, in 2014; and |
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| 21 | 22 | | WHEREAS, Over the years, the congregation has benefited from |
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| 22 | 23 | | the dedicated efforts of many outstanding pastors, and today that |
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| 23 | 24 | | tradition of service is continued by lead pastor Brandon Zieske and |
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| 24 | 25 | | executive pastor BJ Forguson; under their leadership, Austin Oaks |
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| 25 | 26 | | offers a wide variety of ministries for members seeking to deepen |
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| 26 | 27 | | their faith and become more involved in church life, including |
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| 27 | 28 | | groups for men, women, and young adults, Spanish-language services, |
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| 28 | 29 | | and global and community outreach programs; and |
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| 29 | 30 | | WHEREAS, Generations of Texans have looked to Austin Oaks |
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| 30 | 31 | | Church for spiritual guidance and inspiration, and it is a pleasure |
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| 31 | 32 | | to join in recognizing the steadfast faith and commitment of those |
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| 32 | 33 | | who have sustained the church's vital mission for the past century; |
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| 33 | 34 | | now, therefore, be it |
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| 34 | 35 | | RESOLVED, That the 89th Legislature of the State of Texas |
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| 35 | 36 | | hereby commemorate the 100th anniversary of Austin Oaks Church and |
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| 36 | 37 | | extend to its congregation sincere best wishes for a meaningful and |
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| 37 | 38 | | memorable celebration of this significant milestone; and, be it |
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| 38 | 39 | | further |
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| 39 | 40 | | RESOLVED, That a copy of this resolution be prepared for the |
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| 40 | 41 | | church in honor of this special occasion. |
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