The Weekly Word

November 20, 2005

 

LOVE LETTERS: “I love the people and the friendly atmosphere of St. Matthew’s.”

[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.”  ]

 

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Welcome to Our Guests! We pray that your visit to St. Matthew’s will richly bless you and that you will come back again soon. 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 Barbara or Betty at 345-8314 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 Betty Mitchell 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.

 

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Thanksgiving Eve Service

Wednesday, November 23,  7:15 p.m.

in our Sanctuary.

Join us for our annual celebration of the Holy Eucharist

with friends from

Triumphant Love Lutheran Church.

The service will include special music, a sermon and prayers of thanksgiving.

A reception in the Commons will follow.

 

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

 

 

Thanksgiving Morning, Thursday, November 24, you are invited to join members of the Thursday Morning Men’s Bible Study Breakfast Group for Holy Eucharist in the Sanctuary.  It will begin at 7:00 a.m.

 

*Our Sincere Thanks to those who have completed their pledge cards.  As of November 15, we have received 282 cards including 62 new pledges,  representing total pledges of $955,795.21. We anticipate we may yet receive another 30 pledges.  If you need a Pledge Card, they are located on both credenzas in the Commons or call the church office to have one mailed to you.  Please place your completed Pledge Card in the offering plate on Sunday, or bring it to the Church Office.

 

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The St. Matthews
Alternative Gifts Market is TODAY!
Frustrated about finding that perfect gift for someone who has everything? Longing for a way to experience more of the real spirit of Christmas?  Then don't miss the Alternative Gift Market on November 20. There you will be able to buy meaningful gifts to honor special people, and you'll also be helping to build a better world. Imagine giving the gift of education to young people in Honduras in honor of Aunt Sarah who is a school teacher, or support for an orphan and caregiver in Uganda in honor of your boss who is a single parent. Come and celebrate the true spirit of Christmas. So come on over to Huffman Hall right after church, 12 noon to 1:00 P.M. We'll serve you a bowl of soup and have entertainment by the local African percussion group, the Djembabes. .

 

Angel Tree Christmas, today at the Alternative Gifts Market, is an outreach project developed by Prison Fellowship Ministries.  Angel Tree works by connecting parents in prison with their children through the delivery of Christmas Gifts.  Church members can buy two modest gifts for a child and give them in the name of the parent.  Most of the children, who range in age from infant to sixteen years, are needy.  Gift requests have included, jeans, coats, shoes and pajamas.  An age-appropriate gospel booklet is included as a gift from our church.  Last year, St. Matt’s gave seventy five children a gift of love and hope!  To volunteer call Janet Williams at 2444-6908.

 

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TODAY *New Adult Education Offerings -  November 20, Marty Novak will teach in Huffman Hall on “Bishop Ussher and the Dating of Creation.” 

 

AND on November 27, December 4 and December 11, Merrill Wade will teach on our revised mission statement, “To Know Christ, Grow in Christ, and Share Christ’s Love.” The Rector will weave Scripture, theology, hymn lyrics and his own thoughts together to offer a serious reflection on our mission together.

 

TODAY November is United Thank Offering (UTO) Month! Our ingathering at St. Matthew’s will be on Sunday, November 20, and members of the ECW will be passing around the blue collection baskets during the 10:30 a.m. service.  You may, however, turn in your UTO offerings at any time during the month of November.  Please remember to indicate “UTO” in the memo line of your check as you give generously to this worthwhile cause.

 

*TODAY  Young adults! Are you looking to connect with friends and fun at St. Matt's? Xplorers may be for you. The Xplorers is a fellowship group for
young adults that meets for social times and does service projects together.
Today we are going out to eat together to Central Market Cafι after the 10:30 service. Meet in the Commons to carpool or follow each other to CM. We are always happy to have new folks and visitors! For more information, contact Heather Walter, 627-6938, or Kristi Robison, kristidoglady@yahoo.com.

 

*TODAY November 20 – Join us for a very special Thanksgiving Youth Celebration at 5:15 p.m. in the Sanctuary.  This celebration, led by the youth of St. Matthew’s, is sure to touch your hearts as we give thanks for our abundant blessings. Following the worship, all youth (grades 6 – 12) are invited to Huffman Hall for food fun and games from 6 until 7:30 p.m.

 

*TONIGHT -- CURSILLISTAS TAKE NOTE: Convocation Ultreya tonight at 6pm at The Episcopal Theological Seminary of the Southwest, 32d and Duval Streets. This will be a special night at ETSS.  Come and reunion. Child care available.  Submitted by Dyke Miller

 

*Moms and Tots will not meet for the remainder of the year.  We will resume meetings in January.  More information to come as it gets
closer.  For more information contact Marilyn Wright 401-8382 or
mjwright@austin.rr.com

 

*You Make The Permanent Endowment Grow.  Your donations to the Permanent Endowment are the key to its growth.  As it grows, the earnings that make it possible to expand St. Matthew's special ministries in service to others increase in proportion.  You have given in order to honor or pay tribute to or in memory of special people or events in your life or the life of someone else.  You have made provision in your will or estate plans for a bequest to the Permanent Endowment and are on the rolls of the Legacy Society.  Truly, your gifts, of whatever type, are a blessing to all.

 

*Maybe you can help . . . and other news.  The St. Matthew's Endowment Committee (formerly the Special Gifts Committee) would like to find out who in the congregation has experience in grant-writing.  There are many charitable foundations that provide funding for programs like the St. Matthew's Permanent Endowment, and the Endowment Committee would like assistance in the art of applying for and obtaining grants from those foundations.  If you can help or know of someone who can, please contact a member of the Committee:  Mark Monroe, Larry Simons, Mike Affleck, Jack Eccles, Tony Hatheway or Bert Hooper.  And remember, a rewarding way to pay tribute to someone is to honor that person with a gift to the Permanent Endowment.  Also, Marjorie and Bert Hooper have become members of the Legacy Society by providing a bequest to the Permanent Endowment. Everyone who does the same and notifies Business Manager Dave Bowman is eligible to be a member.

 

*Coed Golf is Legal on Friday December 2nd – Mark Your Calendar! Now that fall temperatures may be approaching in early December the Men & Women of St. Matthew’s will return to the links for a First Friday Golf outing. This month we are going to Bluebonnet Hill Golf Course, 9100 Decker Lane, just south of Hwy 290 E. Bluebonnet Hill offers full practice facilities, putting green, sand and chipping area, driving range, and golf shop.  Known as "the home of the four-hour round," Bluebonnet Hill is a wide-open course of rolling hills with highly respected Bermuda grass greens and fairways.  If you would like to play with us please contact Dave Bowman at the church office, 345-8314, ext 213, or send an email to David@StMattsAsutin.org.

 

The St. Matthew’s Women’s Spiritual Retreat, led by renowned retreat leader Jeanie Miley, is Feb. 3 – 5, 2006 at Camp Allen.  Registration forms are available at the sign up table in the Commons, the church office, and on www.stmattsaustin.org    Please contact Diane Sparks at 345-7757 or diane_sparks@sbcglobal.net or Debbie Marshall at 926-5424 or dmarshall@sacheminc.com if you have questions.

 

Helping IHN at Thanksgiving.  A new Interfaith Hospitality Network church, Metropolitan Community Church, is hosting for the week of Thanksgiving at Highland Park Baptist Church, 5206 Balcones Drive and they need some extra volunteers. They have a very small support church, Taiwanese Presbyterian that will supply a few volunteers but anticipate needing some more because it is a holiday.  If you can share some of your Thanksgiving week with the IHN families, cooking for a meal, visiting as an evening host or sleeping over, call Amy Novak (795-8089) who is assembling the St. Matthew list to share with MCC’s primary coordinator.

 

JOIN US FOR THE THANKSGIVING MEAL.  An Extended Family group is planning on sharing the Thanksgiving meal with anyone that would care to join them. Thursday, Nov. 24, at 4:00 p.m. in Huffman Hall. This will be a 'pot luck' meal so plan on sharing your time and providing to the meal. Contact Dyke Miller at 794-9032   Submitted by Dyke Miller

 

THANKSGIVING AFTERGLOW.  Why not consider spending the Thanksgiving weekend, November 25-27, at the Well Springs Wessendorff Ranch on the Little Blanco River with the Extended Family Ministry of St. Matthew's. Lunch Friday through lunch Sunday. Relaxation and fun with Morning Prayer on Sunday. Interested?  Contact Dyke Miller, 794-9032

 

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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!

TODAY: Youth Led Celebration Eucharist in the Sanctuary

Next Week, November 27: Contemplative Eucharist in the Sanctuary

 

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Outreach In Action

 

Can you imagine what it’s like to teach Sunday School with soggy, damaged materials? Thanks to a contribution from our St. Matthew’s Outreach Commission, churches affected by recent coastal storms can apply for grants from the National Association of the Good Shepherd to repair and rebuild their children’s programs.  How did this come about? Our Children’s Council became aware of the need and was invited to present it to the Outreach Commission. Commission members caught the vision and stepped in with a generous $300 gift to the National Association’s Hurricane Relief Fund. Many children and adults whose Sunday School curriculum is based on Catechesis of the Good Shepherd, as ours is, will benefit, thanks to this outreach.