The Weekly Word

August 27, 2006

To Know Christ, Grow in Christ, and Share Christ’s Love.

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. For information about St. Matthew’s, call Barbara 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.

10:30 AM Children’s Chapel " It IS a beautiful day -- and we invite you to join us to celebrate the day, and the fact that God loves us and we love God in Chapel each and every Sunday in Room B21 at 10:30. Children age 3 and older, parents, and anyone who is looking for a little change of pace in their worship style are welcome to join us. We will all come upstairs at the Peace to share communion together. Questions? Contact Kathy Dugat -- 343-7989 or kdugat@austin.rr.com

Thanks for Wearing Your Nametag! If you need a new nametag please visit 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. Prayers will also be offered immediately after church by the team stationed near the windows. 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.

If you have articles for the Weekly Word please email your articles to Office@StMattsAustin.Org and to JeriM@austin.rr.com The Weekly Word deadline is noon on Wednesday.

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 All Members of the Associate Vestry will meet in B-18 right

after the 10:30 a.m. service today to review plans for St. Matthew’s Day, September 24. We will be in charge of the luncheon that day and need your help in making it happen. We will be brief as possible so come on down to B-18 and together we will make it happen! Pat Sutherland, Chair.

*Next Sunday at the 10:30 a.m. service, you are encouraged to bring a token of your work or hobby, something that symbolizes your labor and passion, and offer it on the altar when invited during the liturgy. This will be the fourth consecutive Labor day that we have offered symbols of our labors and many of us have found it to be inspiring. Worshipers bring diaper bags, computer equipment, resumes (are you looking for a job?), priestly stoles, prayer shawls, business cards, tax forms, weekly planners and many other signs of life and labor. On that day, as well, we remember that many people are underemployed or out of work. We recognize that many of us work in fear of a layoff or downsizing. Our prayers of the people that day will reflect those ongoing concerns with special concern for those displaced from their work by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita in the past year.

*M³ Ministry, Mission and Me: 6^th-12^th Grades
Youth Building at 9:15 every Sunday morning
and 7:00-8:30 Wednesday nights.

Youth, grades 6 –12, movie night is TONIGHT, from 6 –8:30 p.m. Come to the youth building to watch a movie (Serenity), have free pizza and a good discussion. Even if you’ve seen the movie before, come and enjoy with your youth group friends. Feel free to bring friends! Contact Jay and Kristi Robison, 339-4063, if you have questions or need information.

*We are a new creation! New Youth Ministry team. New energy. New music on Wednesday nights. New focus. New program. God is calling us all to ministry and mission next summer. In the weeks through September we’re getting to know each other. We’re exploring our identity as a Youth Group and as part of the St. Matthew’s parish family. We’re having fun! Come and bring your friends.

*CURSILLO #213 CLOSING TODAY. Cursillo #213 will hold closing ceremonies today at 4pm, All Saints Chapel, Camp Allen. St. Matthew's has four candidates: Sheri and Craig Tolliver, Carol Mynes and Suzanne McCurley. Carpool from Steck Lot at 1pm. The Austin Community continues to meet for dinner at the Cattle Company in Elgin after Closing about 7pm. Submitted by Dyke Miller

ST. MATTHEW'S ULTREYA, tomorrow, Monday evening the 28TH. Come to Huffman Hall, 7pm to welcome our newest Cursillistas back home. Submitted by Dyke Miller

Merrill, Susan and the Wardens cordially invite you to the next VESTRY MEETING at 7:00 P.M. on Tuesday August 29th in Room B-18 at Learn first hand about where the church is going, then you can tell others where to go.

Young At Heart/Senior Activity Center "First Friday" luncheon/speaker series will resume on Friday, September 1,2006 at 11:00 A.M. in Huffman Hall. The Reverend Merrill Wade and Mary Nell Frucella, R.N., will present "Hints on Hospitalization from a Clergy and Nursing Perspective". The program will be followed by a covered dish luncheon at 12:00 noon. Please bring a dish to share casserole, meat, vegetable, salad, bread, dessert or whatever and partake of food and fellowship.

Adults NEXT Sunday

An Overview of our Outreach Ministries
Did you know there are over twenty outreach ministries at St. Matthew's? Come hear about a few of these ministries during the plenary session in Huffman Hall on September 3rd at 9:15am. Members of the Outreach Commission will share information about some of these ministries and how Christ's love is being shared!

Coffee and Fellowship 9:15 – 9:30, Lesson 9:30 – 10:15

Questions about Adult Sunday School?
Contact Susan Barnes (345-8314 or susan@stmattsaustin.org)

I Spy children...ages 3 years through fifth grade...laughing, building friendships, learning what it means to be part
of the family we call St. Matthew's!

If you missed Sunday School at 9:15 today, don't worry...we'd love to have have you next week. Set those alarms and get your feet moving...we WANT YOU HERE for Sunday School! Sunday School for children ages 3 years through fifth grade begins at 9:15 in the following basement rooms each and every Sunday:

Preschoolers -- B 16

Kinder, 1^st & 2^nd graders -- B17

3^rd, 4^th and 5^th graders -- B13

Questions? Contact Kathy Dugat at 343-7989 or kdugat@austin.rr.com

*The Edge of Adventure New Edge of Adventure groups are now forming, to meet for 13 weeks beginning the week of September 10. The cost per person will be $30 for study materials. Please sign up today in the Commons or you can go to the St. Matthew’s website at www.stmattsaustin.org and click on the Edge of Adventure link. This will direct you to a place where you can sign up for the course online. Edge of Adventure groups are open to anyone in the community, so invite your friends and neighbors to join. For more information contact Keith Miller, keith@keithmiller.com) or Andrea Wells MillerAndrea@keithmiller.com)

The Adult Choir resumes regular rehearsals are on Wednesdays from 7:00-9:00 p.m. in the Choir Room. Why not sing with us this year?
There is a Fundamentals of Music Class offered in the choir room each Wednesday night from 6:00-6:45 p.m. The aim of this course is to help singers become more comfortable with using their voices, improving music reading skills, and reviewing basic musicianship. Choir membership is not required to come to these sessions. Adults and/or anyone at least 8 years old are invited to come with their parents to learn and share the fun.

*Help Daughters of the King Help St. James Episcopal School

St. Cecilia’s Chapter, Daughters of the King, is continuing to collect Campbell’s labels to redeem for free merchandise, equipment, and educational materials for St. James Episcopal School. We invite anyone interested in helping with this worthwhile project to join us. A collection box is located on the East credenza in the Commons. Beside the box is a list of eligible products or you may see the list online at www.labelsforeducation.com. The program has made some changes in what should be submitted and has some additional 5-point items. As of August 1, 2006 front labels are no longer accepted; instead they want us to clip and send the UPC codes off the cans (the bar code & the Campbell kid picture). To date over 3,248 points have been collected among the area churches Questions? See Mary-Lynn Polk.

COMMUNITY BIBLE STUDY: Register now for the fall coed class

beginning August 29^th studying Kings and Prophets. “CBS” is a non-denominational weekly Bible study with fellowship, small-group discussions, and quarterly socials. The first social get-together is Tuesday, August 22^nd where new members can meet other members and our Core Leader, Win Chapman. The classes meet during the school year on Tuesday nights from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. at Park Hills Baptist Church at the NW corner of MoPac and Bee Caves Road. To register, call Patty or John Baker at 345-0008. You will be welcomed.

ROUND UP UPDATE: NEW DEADLINE WOW: we had over 270 sign up by the deadline! We've begun to make our waiting list. To confirm your reservation, make your final payment. The deadline is Labor Day. After that, no more refunds. On September 4, we'll begin filling out the roster from the waiting list. Please continue to sign up for the Round-Up as we anticipate a few folks will have to cancel. You may download registration from our website at www.StMattsAustin.Org or contact Barbara Haynes at 345-8314 to sign up.

THANKS TO EVERYONE WHO HAS BROUGHT US THIS FAR!

**Sanctuary A/C’s Done, Lighting Next – What Else?**

The new A/Cs serving the sanctuary are installed and working. They have been programmed to cool the sanctuary, commons, balcony and cry room on Sundays to 70 degrees. The cycle is in two parts, 6:30am to 1:00pm and 4:30pm to 6:30pm. Once the new lighting is installed in the sanctuary and we return to our normal schedule of classes and meetings, we will program additional cycles in the thermostats.

The lighting work has now begun and the Sanctuary will be a bit messy until the work is accomplished. The deadline for completion is Labor Day weekend.

We have begun to receive bids for replacement of the roof on the sanctuary. A contractor should be selected shortly.

Next, we will solicit bids for the five A/Cs that serve the basement area.

We have also met with representative of Austin Energy to explore the feasibility of participating in their free thermostat program to manage our A/C’s more efficiently. They have done an inventory of our equipment and will soon respond with a proposal. As we have more details, we will share them.

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!

This Evening: Contemplative with Fr. Jim Williams

Next Sunday: Contemplative Eucharist with Fr. Jim Williams