The Weekly Word

The Weekly Word

April 15, 2001

A warm welcome to our visitors! Those of us who worship and minister in this church pray that your visit to St. Matthew’s will bring you closer to the Christ whom we love and serve, and that the Holy Spirit may fill your life with the love, joy and peace of Jesus Christ. Please fill out one of the visitor cards and a red-bordered visitor name tag available in the chairs in front of you so that we may identify you and welcome you. For newcomer information, call Dedee Norman at 345-8314.

St. Matthew’s offers nursery care from 8:00 a.m. until 12:45 p.m. on Sundays. Nurseries for children 0-18 months are located in Huffman Hall on the parking lot side of the hallway. The nursery for children 18 months - 4 years is in the Education Building. There is also a cry room upstairs for parents with unhappy babies.

When life's challenges appear overwhelming, we encourage you to call on your St. Matthew's family for love, prayer, the support of a friend, or a meal in time of need. With loving respect and confidentiality, we offer these and many other pastoral care services to our church family. Contact the church office,

345-8314, with needs and requests. Or you may contact Interim Rector, Fr. Joe, at 490-9398 anytime.

*Homebound? If you or someone you know are unable to come to church and would like Holy Communion brought to you on Sunday, please call Jim Sparks at 345-7757.

*Were you out of town? Did you miss the Weekly Word? Simply go to our website, and get the information you’ve missed!

www.StMattsAustin.org

*Items marked with an asterisk* are being run for the first time today.

*The Word - May Issue - Deadline, Wednesday, April 18. Please submit your articles to Betty@StMattsAustin.org Thanks, thanks, thanks!

*Attention Ushers and Greeters! Please bring your family and come to a Pot Luck Supper on Wednesday, April 18, at 7:00 p.m. in Huffman Hall to eat, enjoy each other’s company and be trained in your line of work. Please bring enough food for your family and something to share. Lou Bedor will bring tossed salad for all. Please call him if you have questions. 828-0997.

*The new plantings in the big clay pots on the Courtyard, the garden around the cross in the Kinney Outdoor chapel and the garden on the southeast corner of the sanctuary are given in thanksgiving for the children’s Sunday School teachers by the Marriage/Parenting Adult Sunday School Class.

*Last Sunday the Palms on the Altar were given to the Glory of God by Judy and Don Neely in celebration of their 29^th wedding anniversary, with praise and thanksgiving for family birthdays and in memory of loved ones.

*In addition to the Easter Flower Envelope donations, Special Easter Flowers are given to the Glory of God by Harriet and David Houston in celebration of their 15^th Wedding Anniversary and by Rosie and John Nieman in celebration of their 50^th Wedding Anniversary.

*Children's Ministry invites you to join the festivities this morning. We'll be serving up cookies, coffee, lemonade and good old fashioned fellowship from 10:00 - 11:00. There will be an Easter Egg hunt for toddlers, preschoolers and elementary school age children. Toddlers will hunt for eggs on the toddler playground. Preschoolers will hunt on the big playground. School age children will hunt for eggs in the courtyard. The Easter Egg hunt will begin at 10:30.

*The Outreach Commission will meet Thursday, April 26 at 5:30 p.m. in

B-14. All interested in mission and outreach are welcome to participate. Plans for Missionary Sunday, May 6^th will be discussed. Also, a grant offer from the Diocese will be discussed. Questions? Call Holly Decherd.

Mark your calendars - the 14^th annual SafePlace Walk for Safe Families and Safe Streets at Waterloo Park is on Saturday, April 21^st. It’s an easy walk distance of 2.2 miles. Festivities begin at 10:00 with children’s activities and sign up. The day will feature plenty of live music, and food will be sold with all proceeds going to SafePlace. You can walk or just bring a picnic lunch and listen to the music and celebration. This is definitely a family event with the opportunity to have fun, entertain and educate your kids, and make a real contribution to the community at large.

Do you appreciate a beautiful garden? St. Matthew's parishioners and guests do as well. WE NEED YOUR HELP. There are garden plots of all sizes and gardening intensity for you, your family, your Sunday School class or your group to "adopt". Effort ranges from occasional weeding to seasonal planting, for plots ranging from a few plants to a large area. Signs will be created for each area and can be customized if you want to dedicate your effort. Please call David Harakal at 451-0893, send him an e-mail at David_Harakal@tivoli.com or sign up on the plot on the Word on the Wall.

ECW and Dinner With Dorothy Sign up today in the Commons for the ECW dinner meeting Tuesday, April 17 at 6:00. Our guest speaker will be The Rev. Dorothy Robinson who was part of this church family for many years. She is now chaplain at The Children’s Hospital. You won’t want to miss out as Dorothy tells us about her life and her work at the hospital. The cost of the evening is $5 and there is babysitting available upon request. If you have questions, please call Susan Robertson at 453-4115.

We wish we may, we wish we might…. The nursery is in need of some new toys for our children. Our wish list is posted in the church commons. Please help us in improving our nursery environment by aiding us in filling up the ark. New or gently used items will be accepted in the nursery or the Children’s Ministry office. Thank you for your support!

Help! Children and Youth Chapel are still in need of some volunteers. Youth Chapel needs a 2^nd Sunday presider for the 11:00 service and Children’s Chapel needs a musician for 2^nd and 4^th Sunday 11:00 services. These are once a month, first half of the service commitments, and there are only two more 2^nd and 4^th Sundays left in our school year. That’s only two times you would have to volunteer! If interested or for questions contact Heather Harmon (345-8314 x 221).

Need something fun to do this summer? Why not become a Children’s Chapel volunteer? The Children’s Ministry team is now recruiting for summertime volunteers. This is a once a month, first half of the service commitment. We are in need of presiders, helpers, and musicians for both the 8:30 and 11:00 services. Keep your eyes open for sign up sheets in the commons or call the Children’s Ministry office at 345-8314 ext. 221.

CURSILLISTAS, LOOKING FORWARD: Stay in touch through the monthly news letter. If you are not on the mailing list, contact Peggy Ryder. Cursillo #188 will be held April 26-29. The candidate list is full. If you were considering sponsoring someone look to June 7-10, #189. But hurry, the list is half full as of last week. NO Ultreya is planned for April. Look for St. George's to host an Instructional Ultreya on May 6th. Take advantage of candidate applications on the web: www.jsrsys.com/cursillo. Remember that the application must still go through the St. Matthew's Office. Interest in Cursillo within the Diocese of Texas is picking up. Plan ahead to get your candidates started. Only four scheduled Cursillos after April. Submitted by Dyke Miller

Inquirers’ Class: Friday, May 11, 5:30 - 9:00 p.m., Saturday, May 12, 9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. You are invited to explore your relationship with God and with St. Matthew’s Episcopal Church in this weekend seminar. Meet other people, review basic Christian beliefs and learn about the worship of the Episcopal Church. If you are not baptized, or if you are baptized but have never been confirmed or received by an Episcopal bishop, or if you are already an Episcopalian and desire to renew your baptismal vows, this seminar is for you. The seminar consists of a series of talks by clergy and laity followed by roundtable discussions with others on the spiritual journey. Sign up in the commons at the Education Table or call DeDee Norman,345-8314 to register.

Summer worship schedule coming soon! Beginning on Pentecost (June 3rd) we will be combining the 8:30 and 11:00 services into a single Rite II worship service while preserving the music styles of both. There will be ample time for our Sunday morning adult, youth and children's programs, plus time for fellowship including lunch, which will be provided after the service through the summer. Watch the Weekly Word, the web, and the Word on the Wall for additional details.

Because of Easter, we went to press one day early. The following announcements were not printed on Easter Sunday but are here on the web for your interest.

Youth News: Mark your calendars Sunday April 22 from 2-4pm we will have a youth LEM training. If you are 16 or older, and would like to learn how to become a Lay Eucharistic Minister, please let Eric know, and come to this training.

Mark your calendars for Sunday April 29 from 2-4pm we will have a youth lay reader training. If you are a middle school or high school student interested in serving St. Matthew's by reading the lessons during the service, please let Eric know and attend this training.

The youth council will meet Sunday April 22 at 12:30pm in the Agape
building. This is a very important meeting, and we will discuss curriculum, youth confirmation, and other concerns about the youth program.