Dear Friends,
Greatest Show on Earth
If you were unable to attend the Greatest Show on Earth in Huffman Hall on the night of January 6, you missed a lot of fun and silliness. It set a happy and playful tone to the beginning of the 50th year of St. Matthew’s Church. Special thanks to Margaret Parker and Hink Johnson for the planning and execution of the event. Thanks to the Holy Smokers for a great meal. And thank you to all who took part in the celebration.
Annual Meeting
We also held an Annual Meeting of the parish that night. We elected new officers of the church as follows:
Vestry
Vicki DeWeese
Avery Goodgame
Hink Johnson
Cynthia Wilson
Stefani Minnear
Endowment Committee
Michael Crowl – 1 year term
Jerry Ballard
Mary Jo Culver
Joyce Statz
Delegates to Diocesan Council
Vickie Blumhagen
Margaret Carpenter
Alternates to Diocesan Council
Esther Garcia
Tony Hatheway
Judy Bomar and Jim Sparks were elected last year and will serve as Delegates to council for 2008. At the Annual Meeting, I announced that Tom Canby would serve as the Senior Warden again this year. It is unusual that a person would serve as Senior Warden for two consecutive years. However, as we are still deeply involved in our Capital Campaign and renovations on campus, I felt the continuity would be a real asset for the parish. Thank you, Tom! The newly elected Vestry went on retreat to Camp Allen the following weekend for a time of bonding, thinking and planning. It was an excellent experience. The Vestry elected Mary-Lynn to serve as Junior Warden in 2008. Thank you, Mary-Lynn!
Making Progress on our Goals to Renovate our Campus
As you have undoubtedly noticed, your capital funds donations through the Building on our Sure Foundation Campaign are making a difference on the St. Matthew’s campus. The decorative pavers have replaced most of the rocks from the parking lot, making that area more attractive and less difficult to traverse. We have replaced the heating and air conditioning units over the majority of the campus. The roofs on the Office Building, the Bell Tower and Huffman Hall have been replaced. The Vestry will soon receive recommendations to improve the security lighting throughout the campus.
Groundbreaking
On Monday, February 4, Braun and Butler Contractors will begin moving dirt to prepare the site for the construction of the new two-story Day School Addition and Youth Center. The projected date of completion of the building is late October. We will have a simple Groundbreaking ceremony on the site immediately following the 10:30AM service on Sunday, February 3.
Your Building on our Sure Foundation Pledges
With the construction set to begin soon, if you are able to pay your entire pledge now, or even exceed your pledge that would be a real help. If you have not made a pledge to the Building on our Sure Foundation campaign, now is the time. We will be spending the vast majority of the monies for the new building over the next 6 – 8 months and every dollar we receive now will forestall the need to draw down any monies from our line of credit with Frost Bank to pay construction costs. A goodly number of us made 3-year pledges and are unable to accelerate payments. This is understood. I am just asking you to recognize that we are about to face the largest bills as we begin construction on the new building. Please do not hesitate to contact Dave Bowman - david@stmattsaustin.org - with questions about your pledge to the campaign or to receive a pledge card if needed.
Straight Talk from the Rector – Parts 4 and 5 – Sundays, February 3 and 10, 9:15AM in Huffman Hall Our Culture of Anxiety and Busyness (continued) After a brief summation of the first three classes I taught in January, I will teach two classes that focus on seeing and living our lives through the lens of the Kingdom of God that Jesus boldly preached and ultimately died to embody. In his book, Hope Against Darkness, Franciscan priest Richard Rohr asserts, “The mind can only take pictures using the film with which it’s been loaded.” He adds, “Our inner myths determine what we do and don’t pay attention to, what we consider significant and what we ignore.” I believe we all need to challenge our “inner myths”, strongly defended assumptions about ourselves, whether we are too grandiose or too self-critical. I will borrow ideas from Richard Rohr, Thomas Merton and especially from Brian McLaren and his excellent book, The Secret Message of Jesus. If you are open about thinking more deeply about your place in the world, I believe you will benefit from these classes. As a component of these classes, Kathy Dugat will make a brief presentation on how to apply these concepts in your family setting, especially if you are rearing children in your home. If you were not present for the January classes, you are encouraged to listen to the January 6 and 13 talks on the web at www.stmattsaustin.org/sermon.htm .
Ash Wednesday and Lent
I close this epistle by reminding you that Ash Wednesday is Wednesday, February 6. The Lenten Season is an invitation to live at a different pace and state of awareness – to turn inward, not to grovel in weakness and sin, but to be available to God’s presence. The ashes of Ash Wednesday are a “sign of our mortality and penitence, that we may remember that it is only by God’s gracious gift that we are given everlasting life, through Jesus Christ our Lord.” The Ash Wednesday services are a 7AM, Noon and 7PM with choir.
Finally, I want to thank all of you for your warm welcome to our newest priest, Kevin Schubert. His ordination was deeply inspiring. Thank you one and all for your support for Kevin and the clergy of this parish.
Faithfully, Merrill