September 16- September 23, 2007
The Church Offers Nurturing, Experienced, Child Care: For the 8:00 a.m. services, the nursery for infants and children up to 4 years old is available in Room 5 of the Education Building Nursery. At 9 a.m. children below 2 years old are taken to the Nursery located down the hallway on the parking lot side of Huffman Hall. The 2 to 4 year olds remain in Room 5 of the Education Building Nursery. Both Nurseries close at 12:15 p.m. There is also a comfortable, sound proof room in the Sanctuary balcony for adults who wish to keep their babies with them during the services.
3 and 4 year old children have two options on Sunday mornings. ALL children, through age 4, are welcome in the nursery on Sunday morning. Those children who are reliably potty trained and developmentally ready for a more structured environment are invited to attend Sunday School from 9:15 - 10:15 in B16 and Chapel in the Choir Room from 10:30 - 11:00.
Thanks for Faithfully
Wearing Your Nametag each and every Sunday!
If
you need a new nametag, please visit the Welcome Table in the Commons right
after church.
Personal Prayer Teams are available during Communion at Prayer Stations on either side of the sanctuary. One is located on the east side by the windows, and the other one is on the west side in the gallery. Prayers will also be offered immediately after church by the team near the windows. All prayer requests and discussions 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 Weekly Word deadline is Noon on Wednesdays. If you have an article for the Weekly Word please email them to Office@StMattsAustin.Org and JeriM@austin.rr.com
Be in the know! Subscribe to the St. Matthew's Email Notification Service. On average, you will receive only one email per week. The parish email keeps you informed about all the important events happening at St. Matthew's. Subscribe yourself by sending a blank email to: StMattsEmail-subscribe@yahoogroups.com You can unsubscribe yourself at any time.
*Items marked with an asterisk (*) are run for the first time today.
*Environmental Stewardship Meeting: You are invited to join the Environmental Stewardship movement today following the 10:30a.m. service in B-14. Please join us in brainstorming ideas on contributing positively to our environment. If you have any questions contact Gloria Bankler at Gloria@Bankler.com
Adult Education Meeting -- an open meeting will be held on Monday evening, September 17, at 5:30 p.m. in Room B-18. All interested adults are invited and encouraged to meet with the Rector to continue planning our adult education classes and to evaluate those in progress now. If you would like to attend, please email Betty Mitchell, betty@stmattsaustin.org and let us know.
*Come Celebrate! The entire Parish is invited to join the children of St. Matthew’s Day School for a special Chapel service to bless the newly renovated playground, Wednesday, September 19 at 9:10 a.m. in the Sanctuary. There will be a brief reception immediately following in the Cauley Bell Tower Courtyard.
*REMINDER: No 8:00 a.m. service next Sunday, September 23.
St. Matthew's Day
Next Sunday, September 23, 2007
10:30 AM Service followed by Lunch in Huffman Hall
What a glorious day we have planned on Sunday, September 23! On that day at the 10:30 AM service, we will glorify God by bringing our pledge cards to the altar and offer them and all they mean to our future as servants of Christ. St. Matthew's day is our great festival day. We will have a glorious Eucharist, pulling out all the stops in music and ceremony, followed by our customary lunch and celebration for all ages in Huffman Hall. The service music will include some wonderful traditional hymns of the church, as well as some well-loved praise songs.
Special thanks go out to the Holy Smokers and the work team led by Stefani Minnear, members of the Brotherhood of St. Andrew and the Daughters of the King, for preparing for this fun and happy day together.
Children's Communion Classes: Communion instruction is an important step in the life of a child. St. Matthew's will offer a children's communion class during the month of November, with Children's Communion Celebration Sunday to be held on Nov. 18th. All children are welcome at the communion rail at St. Matthew's, whether they have had "formal" communion instruction or not, and the parent makes the decision about when is the "right" time for a child to begin to take communion. Children's Communion Class is an "intermediate step" to assist a child in the discovery and discernment process as they begin to grow into a awareness of the presence of the wonder of God, the love of Jesus Christ, their own uniqueness and the importance of worship and "church" in their every day lives. The class will offer instruction in technical specifics (what to do when you get to the altar), theology and symbolism, and heritage and tradition on a child's level, supported with stories and scriptures from the Bible. The course will consist of early evening sessions, culminating with a celebration at the 10:30 Holy Eucharist on Sunday Nov. 18th. If you have questions about the Children's Communion Class, or would like to register your child for the class, please contact Kathy Dugat (343-7989 or kdugat@austin.rr.com).
St. Matthew’s Youth News
The participation of St. Matthew’s youth has been wonderful for the last few events we have had! It has been great to begin building the strong bonds that hold us together as a Christ centered community of youth who are committed to celebrating God in the world! I encourage all the youth of St. Matthew’s to join the group and celebrate with us. This evening we will not have a meeting, but next Sunday (September 23) the youth group will enjoy our once a month Movie Night. Come and join us for a great movie named, “Driving Lessons.” Because of the length of movies we will be meeting a bit longer than normal. Please arrive in Huffman Hall promptly at 5:30. Our evening together will end at 8:30 pm and pick up will be in Huffman Hall. During the movie we will eat together and then after the movie we will have some discussion and a worship service. For further information regarding the youth program at St. Matthew’s please contact The Rev. Kevin Schubert by phone at 512-345-8314 ext. 232 or through e-mail at kevin@stmattsaustin.org
THE DANCE GOES ON! Have you seen our St. Matthew's children dancing in the halls and aisles? That's because we are taking lessons from "THE Lord of the Dance" each week in Sunday School! Come join us in Sunday School each Sunday at 9:15 as we explore the stories and themes captured in Sydney Carter's wonderful song, Lord of the Dance...and before you know it, YOU will be dancing too! 3 & 4 year olds meet in B16, Kinder & first graders meet in B17, second & third graders meet in B13 and 4th & 5th graders meet in B12. Questions? Contact Kathy Dugat (343-7989 or kdugat@austin.rr.com)
Sure Foundation Update As of July 26, 2007
Receipts Received for Capital Projects,$491,860
Future Pledge Receipts for Capital Projects, $1,234,147
Total Pledges for Capital Projects, $1,726,007
Costs to Date
Air Conditioners Sanctuary, $59,140
Lighting Upgrades Sanctuary, $43,717
Two 10-Ton Units on Education Building, $21,381
Ed Bldg/Yth Cntr Addition, $75,205
Fund Raising Consultants and Related Costs, $99,533
Misc. Costs, $36,042
Projected Capital Costs (tentative)
Ed Bldg/Yth Cntr Addition (St. Matthew's Portion), $1,024,796
Roofing Replacement Budget, $215,000 (Bids pending)
Mesa Parking Lot, $110,000
Five - 5 Ton Heat Pumps for Basement, $30,000
Total Costs, $1,714,813. Net Pledge Receipts Over Capital Costs, $11,194
Total costs for the 8,100 sq. ft. Youth Center Education Building Expansion are projected to be $2M (the Church share is $1.1 M). This includes fixing the long-standing drainage problems for the campus, all design and engineering, permitting and construction costs, moving the children's playground and other estimated costs. This is a cost approximation based upon preliminary estimates by Braun and Butler, the construction company chosen by the Vestry to plan and building expansion. The Church will ultimately have a "Guaranteed Maximum Price" that will be published when the contract is executed. The roof replacements are for the Sanctuary, Huffman Hall, Administration Building and the Bell Tower. Assuming that acceptable bids are received, roof replacements are estimated to begin within two months. The Building on our Sure Foundation pledges totaled $1,813,797.75. Of this amount, $87,790.00, or about 5% of the total, was allocated by the donors to be divided equally between Special Outreach projects that will be determined by the Vestry and the Permanent Endowment. Submitted by Tom Canby
*Join other Laity Lodge devotees on Thursday, Sept. 27, at 6:30PM in Bethel Hall at St. David’s Episcopal Church to celebrate with Howard Hovde the publication of his book, A Dream That Came True, which is the history of Laity Lodge Retreat Center. On tap will be not only stories about Laity but also light hors d’oeuvres, music, and time to visit with Howard and Carole. An added attraction will be the opportunity to meet Laity Lodge’s new director Steven Purcell, who will share his visions for the future. Do come!
*Baptism Scheduled for September 30, the next date scheduled for the Sacrament of Holy Baptism will be Sunday, September 30. If you or someone you are close to, infant or adult, desires to be baptized, you are urged to contact the Church Office soon. Please call or email your name and contact inormation to Betty Mitchell, betty@stmattsaustin.org or give her a call at 345-8314 x 215. She will then call you back to gather the information needed for Baptism. Baptisms on September 30 will take place at the
10:30 a.m. service.
*Outreach in Action: Each week, the Outreach Commission will inform the parish about the 20 ministries we are currently supporting, including the people involved, the financial contributions you make and the way in which St. Matthew’s supports each organization. The budget for 2007 is $36,000, which is 18% of the total church budget. One ministry that is close to many of our hearts is Habitat for Humanity, a project that St. Matthew’s has helped for many years. The Outreach Commission allocated $5,000 for the 2007 Episcopal build. Thank you Tim Gray, Jeff Darby and Andrew Bushong for your leadership and for the many volunteers for making the 2007 Episcopal Build a great success. El Buen Samaritano is another great effort supported by so many loving people at St. Matthew’s. This year, in addition to the many hours devoted to El Buen, the Outreach Commission committed to contributing $2,500 to this worthwhile organization. Thank you St. Matthew’s for your dedication to outreach and for sharing Christ’ love.
Stewardship Corner: 17th Week after Pentecost,“Everything I have is yours.” Luke 15:31. Our Heavenly Father gives us everything, including the chance to share in His eternal kingdom. Yet, like the Prodigal Son we are often lured away by the materialism of our society. Do we really want to turn our backs on all that God offers in exchange for a material wealth that has no lasting value?
St.
Matthew’s Gratefully Acknowledges
Commemorative Gifts
to
the St. Matthew’s Permanent Endowment Fund in the past 7 days:
In Loving Memory of Henno Keskkula by
Rose and John Nieman.
In Loving Memory of Gordon Hughes by
Rose and John Nieman.
If
you desire to honor or commemorate a loved one, the envelopes styled
“Permanent Endowment Fund” are provided in the seat back in front of you.
*Men's Fellowship Event with Olympic Swim
Coach Eddie Reese ,
Monday,
October 8, 7 PM in Huffman Hall. On Monday, October 8, at 7 PM in Huffman
Hall, Coach Eddie Reese, current swim coach of the University of Texas and the
Head Swim Coach of the United States Olympic Swim Team, will be our speaker for
a St. Matthew's Men's Fellowship Event sponsored by the Brotherhood of St.
Andrew. In a conversational format directed by our Rector, Coach Reese
will address questions about his history as a coach, ways he has been shaped by
mentors in his life, his understanding of human flourishing relative to
motivation, perseverance, endurance, expectation and coping with loss.
Coach Reese is the 6th consecutive fall speaker from the sports world to come
and address our Men's Fellowship. Past speakers were Coach Augie Garrido,
Lawrence Sampleton, Randy Peschel, Jerry Sisemore and Lance Gunn.
All men of the church are invited to attend and are encouraged to bring their sons and friends. Light refreshments will be served. Please email the Rev. Merrill Wade merrill@stmattsaustin.org with any questions you would like to ask Coach Reese. This Men's Fellowship event is sponsored by the Brotherhood of St. Andrew chapter of St. Matthew's, a men's group devoted to a rule of prayer, study and service.
COMMUNITY BREAKFAST SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 30
Everyone
is invited to the monthly breakfast on Sunday at the
Education hour, 9:15. Join us for fellowship and food in Huffman Hall.