October 7- October 14, 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.
Coffee & Conversation: If you are visiting or new to St. Matthew’s, we invite you to join members of the Newcomers Council this Sunday for "Coffee & Conversation" at Noon, in Room B6 (directly below the Sanctuary). This will be a time for you to gather in a casual setting, ask questions and express your needs. We look forward to seeing you there!
*Environmental Stewardship: You are
invited to join the Environmental Stewardship movement on October 7th following
the 10:30am service in
B-18. Please join us in brainstorming ideas on contributing positively to our
environment. If you have any questions contact Gloria Bankler at Gloria@Bankler.com
*St. Matthew’s Youth Group: Tonight we will have our “At Church Activity,” full of games, dinner and worship from 5:30 to 7:30 in Huffman Hall. Don’t miss the “Off Campus Activity” on next Sunday, October 14th. We are in the process of organizing a friendly kick-ball game against the youth of St. Michael’s Episcopal Church. We hope to have some fellowship, dinner, and worship with St. Michael’s youth group on that day. For more information concerning the youth group at St. Matthew’s please contact The Rev. Kevin Schubert at 345-8314 ext. 232 or email kevin@stmattsaustin.org
Men's Fellowship Event with Olympic Swim Coach Eddie Reese ,
Tomorrow night, 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. 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.
*Daughters of the King: The October meeting of DOK will be Tuesday, October 9th at 5:30 pm in B14. Please remember to enter in silence.
*KAIROS NEWS: Kairos Prison Ministry is alive and well at St. Matthew's. On October 10th, Susan Barnes, Mary Lou Henshaw, Peggy and Steve Ryder, Janice Watkins and Margaret Carpenter will be on the Lane Murray Kairos #5 team. Each of us needs to supply 50 dozen home baked cookies. St. Matthew's parishioners have been so generous in the past by providing cookies, prayer and financial support. We thank you and we are asking for help again. If you are willing to bake cookies, please bring them to the church kitchen. We need the cookies by Tuesday, October 9th. Thank you in advance for your help, without which this very important ministry would not happen. Each inmate (all 1300) receive 1 doz home baked cookies. Remember the slogan "nothin' says lovin', like something from the oven"? Well, these cookies let these inmates know that God loves them and through God's love people come to minister to them.
*Discovery Class – for Visitors and Newcomers Beginning Sunday, October 14, I will lead a class designed for visitors and newcomers to St. Matthew’s. It will be held in the basement below the Sanctuary in Room B-18, during the 9:15AM Sunday school time. This class is designed to prepare those attending to join St. Matthew’s and to be confirmed or received into the Episcopal Church, if needed, when our Diocesan Bishop, the Rt. Rev. Don Wimberly, is present at our 10:30AM service on Sunday, December 16, 2007. This class will run weekly, with a few breaks, from October 14 until December 16. If you are new to the church and want to learn more about me personally as the rector, St. Matthew’s Church or the Episcopal Church, this is a good orientation. You do not have to be committed to join the church to enroll in the class. Please email me and let me know if you are interested or need more information.
*Women Story Circle: October 14. "Choose to Live an Abundant Life" will be the topic of speaker Sally Byrom at the Women’s Story Circle October 14 luncheon in Huffman Hall following the 10:30 a.m. Sunday service. The Women’s Story Circle is a monthly luncheon (donation $5) and fellowship event for women of all ages, featuring a woman from our parish telling her spiritual story. Babysitting is always provided.
*Is your child starting to ask "hard" questions about church? Is your child asking to receive communion? Perhaps your child has been receiving communion since they were very young, but has never been in a setting where the "hows" and "whys" and "what ifs" were openly invited. St. Matthew's will offer Children's Communion Classes during the month of November to create an environment where children can "wonder" together about the mysteries of God's grace and love, and ask those important questions that brew in their hearts. All baptized children are invited to receive communion at St. Matthew's, regardless of age and whether or not they have had formal communion instruction, but formal instruction is important when the time is right for your child. If this is the right time for your child to explore this "next step" in your child's life, or if you have questions about whether or not the class might be right for your child, please contact Kathy Dugat (343-7989 or kdugat@austin.rr.com).
Classes to be held Nov. 4th, 11th and 14th, 5:30 PM - 6:15 PM
Children's Communion Celebration Sunday, Sunday, November 18, 2007
~~~~ooo~~~ooo~~o~~ooo~~~ooo~~~~
We're still dancing! We have three weeks left in our "Let's Dance" Children's Sunday School session. We are using the lyrics of that wonderful song, Lord of the Dance, by Sydney Carter to help us discover what it feels like to dance with joy as we follow Jesus, THE Lord of the Dance! We've discovered that some of us dance fast and some dance slowly...some of us dance gracefully and some of us dance a little more awkwardly...but we can ALL dance for JOY and Jesus invites us to join him in the dance every day of our lives. What a wonderful feeling it is to know that we are loved and that we have so much to dance about! Children ages 3 years through current fifth graders are invited to join us each Sunday morning at 9:15 in the basement of the sanctuary to do a bit of dancing for themselves.
*To All Who Love to Read: Join the 3rd Monday Book Group in reading The Witch of Cologne by Tobsha Learner. Its a little bit of historical fiction , a little bit of Harry Potter and a little bit of a faith journey. Start reading now. We will meet on October 15th to discuss this book. For questions, contact Susan Robertson, srobertson44@austin.rr.com or 453-4115.
*Outreach at St. Matthew’s: Sharing Christ’s Love: St. Matthew’s Outreach ministries provide financial and volunteer support to programs that include shelter and services to those in need. Casa Marianella offers food, clothing, English classes and a safe, temporary homelike environment for refugees and immigrants. The clients at Casa Marianella aim for self-sufficiency. This agency will receive $2,700 from the Outreach budget. Mary Lou Henshaw and Sarah Williams lead this ministry, organizing monthly meals and providing much needed support. Safeplace is another program that also provides a safe, temporary haven and a compassionate continuum of services for victims of rape, sexual abuse and domestic violence. Safeplace will receive $3,000 this year from the Outreach budget. A special thank you to Joan Carter for her work at SafePlace and her commitment to women and children in need of peace and safety. Thank you to everyone at St. Matthew’s for your support of SafePlace. Capital Outreach Funds: Thanks to your generosity and continued spirit of giving, funds are available for capital outreach projects from donations pledged through the Building on Our Sure Foundation Campaign. Parishioners are invited to submit an application on behalf of your favorite ministry or non-profit agency. Applications will be accepted for capital needs only. Applications are available in the office or on the St. Matt's website www.stmattsaustin.org and due by November 15. If you have questions, please contact Esther Garcia, emgarcia@austin.rr.com at 918-3359.
St. Matthew’s Gratefully Acknowledges
Commemorative Gifts
to St. Matthew’s Permanent Endowment Fund in the past 7 days:
In Loving Memory of
Carol Graham Ramsey, aunt of Kelly Rizk, by
Nedaye and Doug Potts
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.
*Diocesan ECW Annual Meeting Oct. 26: Women of St. Matthew’s: mark your calendars to attend the 106th Annual Meeting and Retreat for the Episcopal Church Women of the Diocese of Texas on October 26-27, 2007, at Palmer Memorial Episcopal Church, 6221 Main St., Houston, TX. Registration should be made by Oct. 12 for the two-day Annual Meeting and Retreat. Cost is $75. On-line registration is available through the Diocesan website (www.epicenter.org) by clicking on the Diocesan Calendar; Visa and Mastercard are accepted. Come enjoy the fellowship of women from churches throughout the diocese at this wonderful weekend retreat.
*BOX TOPS: St. Matthew’s Day School is off to a great year. Let’s support their fundraising efforts by participating in their Box Top Project to raise money for library books. Just clip Box Tops from your favorite brands such as General Mills, Kleenex, Ziploc, Betty Crocker, Pillsbury and place them in the box in the Commons. If you have questions, please contact Lauren Rosprim at 342-8099 or at laurenrosprim@sbcglobal.net
Anderson High School Choir to Sing with St. Matthew’s Choir, Sunday, October 21 at 10:30 Service!
A psalm-anthem based on Psalm 121, written by Carlton Young and commissioned especially for the Choir of Anderson High School, will be sung with our Parish Choir at our 10:30 worship service, Sunday, October 21. The AHS choir will also bring their handbell choir to play in a section of the anthem, which features a German chorale tune from our hymnal – If Thou But Suffer God to Guide Thee.
The AHS Choirs will again perform on Dec. 6 at the premiere of the Advent Noonday Concert series Thursdays in December beginning at 12:05 p.m. and ending at 12:40 p.m. in the sanctuary.
On Dec. 13, Vista Ridge High School Concert Chorale will perform and the third concert, December 20, will feature baritone David Small and Company.
These choral concerts will feature great choral literature, sacred and classical, for the Advent season as well as Christmas favorites. Please mark your calendars to attend the New Advent Noonday Concert series this December at St. Matthew’s. For more information, please call Jean Fuller – 345-8314.
*This year All Saints’ Day is Thursday, November 1, and a special service will be held at 7:00 p.m. in the Sanctuary. At that time, and again on Sunday November 4th, the annual list of our saints (family members or close friends who have died) will be printed in the service leaflet. In the Commons today you will find a basket containing cards where you may print the names of those in your family you wish to have listed. Just fill out a card and return it to the basket. All names received by 5:00p.m., Tuesday, October 30, will be included. Please write legibly and include your own name so we may call if we can’t read your writing. Or better yet, just email your names to betty@stmattsaustin.org
*Our next Baptism Sunday will be on Sunday, November 4, at the 10:30 a.m. service. 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 email betty@stmattsaustin.org or give her a call at 345-8314 x 215. She will then get in touch with you to gather the information needed for Baptism.