Weekly Word

The Weekly Word

September 18, 2005

Please take this Announcement Sheet home with you.

LOVE LETTERS: “I love meeting Jesus Christ during communion as He offers me His body and blood and reminds me that He loves me and forgives me of all my sin.”

[Note: The Love Letter quotes printed here each Sunday are randomly selected from remarks written by parishioners in response to the question, “What do you like most about St. Matthew’s.” ]

Welcome to Our Guests! We pray that your visit to St. Matthew’s will richly bless you and that you will come back again. Please fill out the Welcome Card located in the chair slot in front of you. Place the information portion in the offertory plate and affix the name tag so that we may identify and welcome you. And we have a special gift for you so please stop by the Welcome Table in the foyer after the service. From there, step out to the porch and enjoy a cup of coffee or a cold glass of lemonade with the church family. For information about St. Matthew's, call Dedee Norman at 345-8314 Ext. 219 and visit our web site at www.StMattsAustin.org

The Church Offers Nurturing, Experienced, Child Care for children who are infants to four years of age. Because of the small number of children who attend the 8:00 a.m. nursery, all children ages infant to years of age four are in the Education Building nursery beginning at 7:45 a.m. At 9:00 a.m., children below two years old are taken to the Huffman Hall Nursery (located on the parking lot side of the hallway) and children from two to four years are cared for in the Education Building nursery. Both the Huffman Hall and the Education Building nurseries close at 12:15 p.m. There is also a comfortable, soundproof room in the church balcony (sanctuary) for adults who wish to keep their babies with them during the service.

Thanks for Wearing Your Nametag! If you need a new nametag please see Dedee Norman at the Welcome Table in the Commons right after church. Thanks for faithfully wearing your nametag each and every Sunday.

Personal Prayer Teams are available during Communion at Prayer Stations on either side of the sanctuary. One station is located on the east side, by the windows, and the other station is on the west side in the gallery. Prayer requests and discussion are completely confidential.

Home Delivery of Holy Communion If you are unable to come to church and would like Holy Communion brought to you on Sunday, please call the church office at 345-8314.

If you attend church but are unable to walk to the altar for Holy Communion, please notify an usher and the communion elements will be brought to you where you are seated.

The Good Samaritans Ministry offers love in the form of a hot meal for you and your family if you are in the hospital, sick, or recovering from adversity. In addition, other pastoral care services are available if you will just call the church office, 345-8314 with your needs and requests. In case of emergency, St. Matthew’s clergy may be reached by calling 771-0680.

Receive weekly info and breaking parish news by subscribing to St Matt’s email. Just send a blank email to: StMattsEmail-subscribe@yahoogroups.com then respond to the confirmation email.

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

*TODAY Merrill Wade’s Discovery Class started this morning. Did you miss it? It is not too late to enroll. Call Betty Mitchell at 345-8314 x 215 or email her at betty@stmattsaustin.org to register This class is specifically for those new to St. Matthew's, new to the Episcopal church, or who just want to get to know us better. The class will meet at 9:30 in B-14 on Sunday mornings through October 23. Confirmation Sunday with Bishop High will follow on October 30. Curious? Come join us!

*THIS EVENING Sunday, September 18 – 5:15 p.m. service: Experiential Worship Service This service is designed to draw us into an experience of worship that engages our whole beings. While all of our worship together strives to do this, this service, led by Seminarian Cara Spaccarelli, will explore different way to engage the mind, body, and soul through visual and interactive elements not typically a part of our worship life. While the flow of the service will certainly be familiar, its design will provide a unique worship experience that hopes to expand our forms of communal worship.

*TONIGHT ConneXions and Family ConneXions dinner groups will begin a new cycle at a Social Hour in Huffman Hall at 6:00 p.m. tonight. New assignments for the 2005 Fall cycle will be handed out. Don’t forget to bring your yummy potluck item. If you are unable to attend, please call Mike Smith at 627-9734.

*TONIGHT Cursillo Convocation Ultreya! Come to St. Luke's on the Lake tonight at 6 p.m. for the September Convocation Ultreya. This seems to be a Holy Spirit kind of Sunday evening here at St. Matthew's but this Ultreya Reunion gathering should also be on the priority list. Check it out. Child care will be provided. Submitted by Dyke Miller

*TONIGHT Youth Laser Tag Tournament: All Austin area Episcopal youth grades 6-12 are invited to a laser tag tournament today, September 18, from 5:30-8:30 at Blazer Tag. Cost is only $15.00. Friends are always welcome, but permission forms are required (youth webpage) www.stmattsaustin.org. All participants should plan to meet at Blaser Tag.

*The Jewish Christian Relations Group will hold its regular meeting on Tuesday, September 20, at 7:00 p.m. in Room B-14. The program will be “Hopeful Signs in Jewish-Christian Relations” led by Mary Berwick.

Questions? Call Kathy Morris 918-9373 or Anna Dodge 339-8011

Invitation into Prayer and Silence The next Quiet Day which is scheduled for Saturday, September 24, from 9:00 a.m. until 1:00 p.m. in Room B-21. It is on the Saturday before the Feast of St. Matthew. It will be our first Quiet Day for the fall season and will be conducted by The Rev. Jim Williams. Mark your calendars.

*Youth, grades 6 - 12, Movie Night is next Sunday, September 25, 6:00 - 8:30 p.m.! We plan to watch Mean Girls, which is PG-13, so if you are 13 or under please bring a signed permission slip to the event. We'll have free pizza as usual and good conversation about the movie afterwards. Feel free to bring friends! For more information, contact Jay and Kristi Robison, 339-4063, or kristidoglady@yahoo.com.

*The Buildings & Grounds Commission will be making a survey this fall of all planting areas of the church grounds. The Commission will prepare a list of projects to include trimming plants, removing plants from certain areas and replanting. All work will be performed in accord with the Master Landscape Plan maintained by the Commission. Specific jobs will be available for church members on a Saturday Fall Buildings & Grounds Work Day to be scheduled when the weather cools

*Calling all St. Matthew’s Women The St. Matthew’s Women’s Retreat is February 3 – 5, 2006 at Camp Allen. Our speaker, Jeanie Miley is planning a wonderful program entitled “Teach Me to Dance.” Watch for the October issue of The Word for more detailed information on the retreat and the program.

Mom’s and Tots will be meeting weekly in the Bride’s Room (Room B-6) from 9:15 until 10:30 a.m. each Monday starting. Childcare is available in the Nursery in Huffman Hall. Please contact Marilyn Wright at 401-8382 or mjwright@austin.rr.com if you have any questions.

*THE NEWEST ST. MATTHEW'S LEGACY SOCIETY MEMBERS are Nancy and Hink Johnson. Thanks and congratulations to these dedicated members of St. Matthew's for their support of our Permanent Endowment. Their names will be added to the Legacy Society Roll and placed on the Legacy Society Plaque along with the names of others who have provided for bequests to the Permanent Endowment. The plaque is now hanging in the Commons.

TRADITION AT ST. MATTHEW’S:THE SUNDAY EVENING SERVICE

Each Sunday evening there will be a service in the Sanctuary at 5:15 p.m.

Some days it will be Contemplative Eucharist, some days it will be Youth Led Worship. It may be Compline, it may be Taize music or a Healing service. Whatever the service, it offers you an additional opportunity for Sunday worship at St. Matthew’s. And to fit into your family schedule, we will do our best to complete the service in 45 minutes. Please join us!

Tonight’s Service: An Experiential Eucharist with Cara Spaccarelli

Note: tonight’s service will be in Room B-18

Next Week 9/25: Contemplative Eucharist with Fr. Jim Williams

Adult Education Programs For Fall 2005

“What Does it Take for Forgiveness and Reconciliation to Happen?” taught by Keith Miller

September 4, 11, 18, 26, October 2 and 9,

9:30 – 10:15 a.m. in Huffman Hall

This class, taught in six sessions, will examine the way Jesus presents the attitudes, awareness and courage necessary to hear another person’s pain, to face the effects of our own behavior on others, and to enter the process of spiritual transformation that slows us to move from needing to be right, to wanting to receive God’s kind forgiveness and love.

Discovery Class taught by The Rev. Merrill Wade

Beginning September 18, through October 23 -

9:30 - 10:15 a.m. in Room B-14

If you are new to St. Matthew’s or would just like to know more about the Episcopal church, this class is for you. To prepare individuals for Confirmation, the Rector will teach this class for six weeks. On October 30, The Rt. Rev. Rayford High will be here for Confirmation.

Contemplative Spirituality taught by Sharon Lowe

and Jim Duncan

Beginning September 18 9:30 - 10:15 a.m. in Room B-18

The goal of this class is to share life experiences as Christians listening to each other and connecting them to the larger story of Christianity. We seek to accomplish this through prayer, meditation, reflection, dialog, witness and the study of scripture, poetry and works by contemplative spiritual writers.

Bible Study taught by Joe Behen and Clive Smith

Beginning September 18 9:30 – 10:15 a.m. in Room B-21

The goal of this study of Scripture is to gain a greater understanding of our relationship with the Lord through study of the story of God’s reaching out to His chosen people as given to us in Scripture. In addition to the words of Scripture itself, fairly extensive use will also be made of study aids. The format of this study is not that of lecture but of group study. Participation in discussions is always optional but encouraged. Topics of study will by decided by the group, with deference to topics that give some logical flow to the material over time.

The History Corner taught by Marty Novak

To be presented on the 3^rd Sunday of each month 9:30 – 10:15 a.m.

The History Corner: Thoreau wrote that “Time is but the stream I go a-fishing in.” One Sunday a month, Marty Novak will act as historian and fishing guide in exploring a wide variety of topics relating to Christian history and belief. This fall’s topics include: “Joseph and the Siblings of Jesus,” “Bishop Ussher and the Dating of Creation” and “The Council of Nicaea.” Be assured that Marty will be chasing a great many different “fish” of interest over the course of the class.

Outreach in Action:

St. Matthew’s Response to Katrina

What we have already done
1) To date, St. Matthew's sent to The Diocese of Texas to be used by the Episcopal Dioceses of Louisiana and Mississippi in response to Hurricane Katrina, is $23,997.22!
“We are blessed to be a blessing”

2) we donated 604 hygiene bags and many boxes of soap, diapers and other necessities for the hurricane relief effort

*The Outreach Commission and the Daughters of the King extend a huge thank you, thank you for your generous outpouring of time and treasure in donating these supplies. In less than one week Huffman Hall was overflowing and before 11:00 Saturday morning, several totally loaded vehicles traveled to the Salvation Army. It was amazing to see God’s work in action with youngsters, teens, and seniors laboring side by side! There is a box labeled Salvation Army in Huffman Hall for additional supplies. Submitted by Diane Sparks and Susan Robertson

What you can do now

1) Give money to Episcopal Relief and Development (www.er-d.org) or Central Texas Red Cross

2) Prepare to Volunteer to welcome or assist evacuees by taking Safeguarding God's Children

Special training for Katrina Volunteers:

St. Matthew's, Thursday, September 22, 9:00 am – 12 noon
There is no charge for this program. Registration for training through the Diocese of Texas at www.epicenter.org Forms may also be picked up in the Church Office but must be mailed or faxed to the diocesan office.
Certification includes screening interview, please emailrcthompson@austin.rr.com with the subject of “SGC Interview” and the body being your email address. You will receive a current copy of interview times available with simple instructions for emailing your selection.

3) Help sort through donated household goods and furniture at the Freescale Building. If you can volunteer, contact Vickie Blumhagen, <vblum@austin.rr.com>

What lies ahead?

We are preparing to assist evacuees in relocation and in rebuilding their lives. Vickie Blumhagen and Anne Matthews, co-chairs of St. Matthew's Katrina Task Force, are working to help us respond as we are needed. They will keep us abreast of all opportunities.

Are you ready for St. Matthew’s Day?

September 25

Matthew’s Day is Next Sunday, September 25

Feast Day Celebration Family Picnic!

We will have Sunday School as usual and

only one church service that morning – at 10:30 a.m.

followed by lunch in Huffman Hall and in the Courtyard.

The Holy Smokers will prepare Hamburgers & Hot Dogs

Frozen Lemonade and Ice Cream Sundaes!

$5 adults $1 kids

Veggie burgers and chicken patties are available IF, you call ahead of time. For special menu requests, call Betty at

345-8314 x 215 or email betty@stmattsaustin.org by the end of day Wednesday, September 21.

Special requests cannot be accepted after that time.