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 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 Ext. 229.

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. In case of emergency Fr. Joe Di Paola may be reached by calling 345-8314 x 214, 231-1206, or 771-0680.

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.

The Flowers on the Altar are given to the Glory of God by John Stevens in memory of Neal Stevens.

*The Xplorers (a fellowship/study group for young adults) meets after the service today in Huffman Hall. We don't have a topic study today but those of us not out of town for Thanksgiving are meeting after church to enjoy fellowship and a good meal. Potluck lunch provided, so feel free to join us, visitors. Next week we will be doing some planning for 2002, so if you want to have a say in the group's direction, be sure to attend. Bring a side dish, salad, dessert or drink and join in. Also, mark your calendars for our Christmas party, December 15, 6:30 p.m. at Sommervilles' house. Call 339-4063 (Robisons) or 996-8913 (Sommervilles) for more info!

*Youth ski trip deposit of $50 due November 28th. We will be traveling to Red River, NM to ski or snow board, during spring break March 10-15. The total cost is $400 per person. All St. Matthew's youth, their families and friends are invited. For more information, please contact Eric @ 345-8314 ext. 232.

*Youth Lock-in! December 7th 7pm until Dec 8th 11am. Come, brings friends, all of you please bring the orange permission slip and $5 for pizza. We need adult help! For more information, please contact Eric 2 345-8314 ext. 232.

*For the Women of St. Matthew’s: The what’s and how-to’s of informal flower arranging just in time for Christmas! Harriet Houston will demonstrate for us on Wednesday Evening, December 5, from 5:45 - 6:30 p.m. Bring paper and pen for note-taking. Please sign up with Kay Whitney, 345-0574. *For those who want to eat together afterwards, we’ll adjourn to a nearby eatery!

*Advent Coffee for the Women of St. Matthew’s and their Guests (age 12 and older, please) Saturday, December 8, 10:00 a.m. until noon at 4005 Enclave Mesa Circle (turn off of Mesa Drive between Far West Blvd. And Greystone)

*This is a great opportunity to introduce the fellowship of our parish to your friends!

*St. Nicholas Party and Advent Intergenerational Event Next Sunday! Join us next Sunday, Dec. 2nd, from 9:00 - 10:15 in Huffman Hall for our annual St. Nicholas Party and Intergenerational Advent Event to kick off the Advent season in St. Matthew's style. We will here a little about Advent, make an Advent Count Down Ornament, design Christmas cards and Christmas tree ornaments, and...of course...have a visit from St. Nicholas! (Many thanks to Hink for serving as St. Nicholas!) This is an Intergenerational Event -- open to young and old alike. Make plans to join us for a morning of fun and fellowship!

*"Casting Call" for the Pick Up Pageant...If your child or grandchild would like to play one of the "lead" roles in the Pick Up Pageant at 4:00 PM on Christmas Eve, please give Kathy Dugat a call. The pageant is a wonderful, child centered service. EVERY child is invited to participate in some way -- either in a formal role or as a shepherd or an angel. There will be one rehearsal, probably on Sunday, Dec. 23rd. There are no lines to memorize. Some costumes are provided. Narrators need to be fluent readers and have confidence speaking in front of a large group. Roles to be filled: two narrators, Joseph, Gabriel, lead angels, lead shepherds, 2 wise men, star, Baby Jesus. Preschoolers traditionally serve as angels and shepherds and need not call. Roles are awarded on a "first come" basis. Please call Kathy if you have questions or if your child would like to participate. 343-7989 (home) 345-8314, ext 228 (church)

*The next Baptism Sunday will be one week after Epiphany, on January 13. If you or someone you know would be a candidate for Holy Baptism, please email betty@stmattsaustin.org or call me at 345-8314 x 215.

*The Word Made Fresh Sunday School class that meets in B-18 began their six-part videotape series, "Wrestling With Angels," last Sunday. On December 1, the lesson will be Richard Foster addressing, "Why Don’t My Prayers Get Answered?" For more information please give Holly Decherd a call.

Help! We just lost a helper for Children’s Chapel. I am looking for a primary chapel helper on 4th Sundays and a youth chapel helper on 2nd Sundays. And we still need a Children’s Chapel presider on 3^rd Sundays. Thank you! If you have questions or are interested, please contact Heather (345-8314 ext. 221).

Angels Wanted. Thanks to the Angel Tree Project, a ministry of Prison Fellowship, we once again have the opportunity to assist in providing Christmas gifts to children who have a parent in prison. Won’t you consider "adopting" a child or two and providing a toy and item of clothing for them this year? For details, look for Millie Roden or other Outreach helpers in Commons by the Christmas tree.

Mission Trip with Steven Tighe (El Paso) is being planned for the week after Valentine’s Day. This trip will be for four days in order to build a house or church. Details will be forthcoming. If you think you might be interested in joining the team, please let Holly Decherd know at 328-3944 or at h4golf@swbell.net

The December Prayer Calendar is available for pick up in the Commons. Please take one home for your family to use during Advent and Christmas. And if you would like to help with the January issue, please call Carol Blaine at

502-0550.

The Search Committee needs your help and your frequent flyer miles. If you have enough frequent flyer miles for a round trip, and you will not be using them, we would love to talk with you. We will begin to travel in the not-too-distant future. Please call Woodie Jones at 327-8460 (h), 495-6300 (w) or email him at jwoodfinj@aol.com