Today we’d like to introduce you to Vanessa Willie.
Hi Vanessa, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
About us:
South Austin Church has been a part of the community in South Austin since 1947. We are multicultural, multigenerational, and multilingual. We love being integrated into the fabric of our community, and we are committed to sowing seeds for its future. We are one church in three languages, and we love, embrace, and celebrate our diversity. It is important to us to reach and include people in multiple languages, so we are a reflection of our community. Our mission at South Austin Church is to love God and love people. Currently, that includes:
A weekly free Food Pantry serving 2500 people each month.
Emergency utility assistance for City of Austin customers.
An annual community Pumpkin Patch.
The Pumpkins with Purpose purchase turkeys, sides, rolls, and pies for families in need at Thanksgiving. This year, we will provide Thanksgiving food to 1000 families.
Host 7 weekly recovery and support groups, including Celebrate Recovery, Veterans Guitar Project, ACA, New Hope NA, AA in Spanish, Hope Hub (for families impacted by terminal illness), and The Last Resort Rehab Aftercare.
Partnership with Grand Canyon University to offer Pre-Apprentice Electrician classes.
Partner with Texas Reach-Out Ministry to support those recently released from prison.
Offer regular Immigration Legal Workshops and refugee support.
Charter and host Cub Scout Pack 21 and host monthly meetings for the Girl Scout Leaders of Southern Oaks Service Unit.
Partner with Cunningham Elementary School (including PEAS Community Garden) and Crockett High School to support programs for students, teachers, and families in need.
Host quarterly Life Line Health Screenings.
Offer an affordable event space for families to celebrate life events with loved ones.
Partner with Summermoon Coffee to provide space for the Mobile Moon trailer and an outdoor gathering space for the community.
Offer a community playground and basketball court… and more.
We are also active in global missions, planting eleven churches in Africa. We have a mission trip in July 2026 to build a church in Musasa city, Burundi.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Our Challenges:
The needs in our community continue to grow, and costs continue to rise. We have the heart and hands to help, but the needs are bigger than our facility and our funding. Specifically, we need to expand our facility, which would allow us to offer more social services, food assistance, and community use of our spaces. We are growing a Community of Care, a community where the hopeless find hope, the lost find guidance, the hurting find healing, the struggling find help, and people serve others in love. We would love for you to join us. We would love to welcome more people and businesses who have a heart like ours into our Community of Care so we can make a greater impact on the physical, spiritual, emotional, and social needs around us.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
South Austin Church loves God and loves people. We have community groups and events in the building seven days a week to meet the needs of our neighbors, and we are known in our community for the connections, acceptance, and compassion that are found here.
Before we let you go, we’ve got to ask if you have any advice for those who are just starting out?
Find your “why” and ensure everything you do is a a response to and a result of that mission.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://southaustinchurch.org
- Instagram: @southaustinchurch
- Facebook: southaustinchurch
- Youtube: @southaustinchurch
- Other: Linktree – southaustinchurch
