From the Rector:

With gratitude for the privilege of serving you, I write to thank the entire parish for your faithful witness and ministry this past year.   We remain focused on our mission to "know Christ, grow in Christ and to share Christ's love."  I write early morning on December 15, well in advance of the Christmas liturgies wherein we will celebrate God's gift of new life and light in Jesus Christ.  Truth be told, we continually wait for and pray for that life and light to fully reveal God's will for us. Until Christ returns to judge the living and the dead, we remain in an "in-between" time, wherein we cannot fully know exactly how to serve Christ day by day.  Often we grope along, uncertain.  I am certain, though, that God loves St. Matthew's Church and that we have a special vocation to be a place of hospitality where people can learn to be faithful disciples of a gracious Lord.

Rector's Class in Huffman Hall, January 6, 13 and 20 - 9:15AM Sunday mornings

Class Title - "Straight Talk from the Rector"

January 6 and 13 - "Our Culture of Busyness and Anxiety - Stress Addiction and the Marginalization of God"

 In these two presentations I will talk about how stress and constant busyness rob us of our spiritual awareness.  God is moved off to the margins of our lives as we strive harder and harder to succeed, feel secure or just "get by."  I encourage you to listen to my sermon preached on December 9 as a preparation for this class.  The sermon can be accessed on the St. Matthew's website at www.StMattsAustin.org then select Parish News/Sermons.  Of special interest in this class is to explore the ways families are affected by this constant motion and activity.  The ministry staff at St. Matthew's wants to learn how to better serve families and in this class many ideas will be exchanged.

January 20 - "What I Believe is Essential"  -  this will be a frank presentation on what I believe is important for families and individuals as we look to the future together.  I will give my assessment of the Episcopal Church in this time of controversy, and will, as well, tell you exactly what I think we should be focused on at home and at church.  I will tell you what moves me to have faith in Jesus Christ and why I am absolutely committed to teaching about what Jesus called the Kingdom of God.

Feast of the Epiphany, January 6

At St. Matthew's we believe it is important to include children in the worship of the church.  Young children, under the direction of Kathy Dugat, will help us follow the "star" of the magi at the 10:30 AM service this day.  Children's Chapel will be held downstairs in the Choir Room as usual and right after the Peace we will learn what the magi discovered!

Annual Meeting - January 6, 2008 - 5:30 PM

2008 is the 50th Anniversary of our church and we will certainly celebrate.  The Annual Meeting will be the evening of Sunday, January 6, and it will be the first major event of the 50th Anniversary Celebration.  As I have said before, this will be unlike any Annual Meeting ever held at St. Matthew's.  Here is the schedule (AND NOTE-THIS IS A TIME CHANGE FROM A 6:00 PM START TO A 5:30 PM START - times after 5:30PM are approximate but I have every good intention of being through at 8:00PM at the latest!)

5:30 PM - Gather in Huffman Hall and be in your seats for a Special presentation sponsored by the 50th Anniversary Committee under the leadership of Margaret Parker.  "Presentation" is a bit bland as a descriptor for this.  I will not spoil your fun by telling you anything about it.  Trust me, it will be entertaining, educational and helpful for us all to get our 50th year started right.  This presentation should last around 30-40 minutes.

        6:00-6:10PM  I will call the Annual Meeting to order and we will immediately have an election of new Vestry, Endowment Committee and Diocesan Council representatives. Once the ballot is taken, dinner for the parish will be served. 

        6:30-7:00PM - dinner.

        7:00PM - annual meeting reports and election results. 

        8:00PM - Annual meeting adjourned.

Margaret Parker and her team are already working very hard to make this a memorable night for us all.  The Annual Meeting is the one time a year we gather for the official business of the church.  You elect your leadership.  If you belong to this parish it is essential for you to be present.  We will have the nurseries open and will have special projects for elementary age children during the Annual Meeting from 7:00 - 8:00PM.  They are certainly encouraged to stay with the families through dinner.  All of the youth are invited to attend the entire Annual Meeting and will hear from Kevin Schubert about their plans for the evening.

Kevin Schubert's Ordination to the Priesthood

We look forward with great joy to January 22 as we make a new priest in Christ's One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church.  Kevin will be ordained by Bishop Dena Harrison at 6:30PM that Tuesday night.  It will be yet another gift of light and life at St. Matthew's.  Come and support Kevin and Heather as they celebrate this milestone event in their lives!

January 27 Sunday School for all ages and all classes will meet for breakfast in Huffman Hall from 9:15AM to 10:15AM.  All classes will be held as usual on February 3.

Prayers

Finally, I ask your prayers for your new Vestry as we gather for our Vestry retreat on January 11-12 at Camp Allen.  And please pray for the work of the Task Force for the Election of a Bishop Coadjutor as I continue in that role as co-chair for the Diocese of Texas.  And pray for your staff - we are so blessed to have a capable, faithful and committed group who work so hard to serve us all.  Let them know you are grateful...

Faithfully, Merrill