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 Choir Room (B-7) 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 Notices. From the address you want to receive the email, send a blank email to: StMattsEmail-subscribe@yahoogroups.com .

*Parish Directory Update: On Sunday, January 7, the St. Matthew's Annual Parish Meeting will be held with distribution of the Parish Report and a new, Telephone Directory.  If you have changed addresses or phone numbers during the past year, PLEASE contact the church office to update your information immediately.  The information to be printed is only as current as the information you provide.  Call 345-8314 or email office@stmattsaustin.org  

***They are coming! --- The 3 Kings, the 3 Families St. Matthew's will have our first host week of 2007 in the Interfaith Hospitality Network beginning New Year's Eve.  We will have 3 families living with us as they seek affordable housing.  Just a little time (an evening host shift) or  a food donation (part of a dinner or portable breakfast foods) means so much to these families.  Like to help, contact Sharon Lowe (345-1990, sharonylowe@hotmail.com) or Amy Novak (795-8089, amy_m_novak@earthlink.net)

 *End of Year Reminder: Checks that are postmarked in 2006 will be deductible in 2006 even if they are not received by the Church Office until after the first of the year.  All other contributions to St. Matthew’s, to be claimed as a charitable contribution deduction for the year 2006, must be delivered to the Church Office on or before Sunday, December 31^st. The church office will be closed Monday, January1^st, 2007.

Annual Meeting January 7, 2007

With deep gratitude for our life together this past year, new opportunities in 2007 and the presence of God in our midst, persuading us to fulfill our calling and mission, I write to invite you to attend the Annual Meeting of St. Matthew’s Parish on the evening of Sunday, January 7.  Our Annual Meeting is always a special event.  Here are some details for the evening.  We will gather in Huffman Hall at 5:00PM that afternoon for our 18th annual Chili Cook-Off, a time to share and enjoy many, many recipes of chili.  Please note Jack Ryfle’s article elsewhere in this edition of the WORD for more details about the Chili Cook-Off.  At 6:00PM I will call our Annual Meeting to order.  We will elect five new members to the Vestry, three new members to the Endowment Committee and two alternates for the 2007 Diocesan Council.  We will hear, through many voices, the “state of the church” in January, 2007.  It is your responsibility, if you are 16 or older and a baptized member of this parish, to attend this meeting and exercise your responsibility to elect leaders for the parish.

No Sunday School Classes for Children or Adults December 31.

Regular Schedule resumes January 7, 2007.

December 31, 2006, First Sunday after Christmas Day

Regularly Scheduled Services and 8:00 and 10:30 a.m.

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New Adult Education Classes beginning January 7, 2007

9:15AM – Discovering Christian Community - The Family Life Adult Sunday School Class has a new name!  We hope you'll visit the Discovering Christian Community Class in B-14 on Sunday mornings at 9:15 am.  We will begin our studies with a series called “Stories of the Season”, focused on the gospel accounts of the life of Jesus read in the Epiphany Season, such as the Baptism of Jesus, the Wedding in Cana of Galilee and the Transfiguration of Jesus.  Our class seeks to build community through small group discussion and study.  Please come and join us!  Please contact Crystal Wade or Scott Murphy for more information or if you have any questions.

9:15AM – Rector’s Class on the Gospel of Luke - Beginning Sunday, January 7, 2007, The Rev. Merrill Wade will lead a course on the Gospel of Luke for seven consecutive Sundays in Huffman Hall. You are cordially invited to study the Scriptures, enjoy fresh brewed coffee and share fellowship. We will approach the texts with key critical questions, such as: Who was Luke writing to? What problems or questions did they face? How did Luke use the Gospel of Mark to write his Gospel? What was first century culture like relative to our own time? How can we read Luke and better understand our lives today? Bring your Bible.  This is primarily a lecture class with time for questions and answers and some discussion around tables. Email Merrill Wade at Merrill@stmattsaustin.org for information.

9:15AM - Living What We Believe – Each week we read the Gospel assigned in the BCP for each Sunday according to the Church year and we attempt to recognize how it applies to our daily life.  It is amazing how the insight of one person's experience stimulates the lives of others in the class.  The discussion is lively and sometimes very moving.  The class is open to all and you don't have to attend each class to benefit from our discussions.  Come join us in B-6 (Bride’s Room).  Contact Paul Williams with your questions.

9:15AM - Lectio Divina - Prayerful Reading of the Scriptures:  You are invited to join Christine Joannidi in the Library at 9:15AM on Sunday mornings in acontemplative alternative to a classroom discussion or lecture experience.  Christine will share with you the practice of Lectio Divina (Divine Reading). This ancient Christian practice is a slow, contemplative praying of the scriptures. You will learn how the word of God can speak to you in a personal way so that you may better understand yourself in your relationship with God.  There will be a short time for fellowship and getting to know others in the room, but the reading, reflecting and praying will be a personal and privateexercise.

Beginning January 14

4:00PM – Sacramental Ethics - On Sunday afternoons at 4:00PM during the Epiphany Season, we have engaged Mr. Doug Harrison, who served as an adjunct teacher at the Episcopal Theological Seminary of the South lecturing in Ethics this past semester, to teach a class on Sacramental Ethics.  By Sacramental Ethics I mean the ways that Baptism and Eucharist shape daily prayer, daily decision making, character, virtue and soulfulness.  Church member Karl Bayer, who is helping me plan Adult Christian Education, and I met Doug on December 18 and were immediately taken with his warm and engaging personality, keen intelligence, and abundant gifts of communication.  Doug is a Roman Catholic lay person with a tremendous future as a scholar in the Church.  Our seminarian, Joe Behen, reported at the Christian Education meeting that Doug’s lectures at ETSS have been extremely well received and that the people of St. Matthew’s will truly enjoy a class led by Doug Harrison.  The class will run for 6 Sundays beginning January 14 and will last from 4:00PM – 5:10PM each Sunday.  The class will be followed by worship at 5:15PM that will pick up themes from the lectures.  This class will be suitable for high school and college students and adults of all ages.  We will meet in B-18.