October 21- October 28, 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.
*TODAY WE WELCOME OUR GUEST CHOIRS FROM ANDERSON HIGH SCHOOL and their director, Patrick Dill. Instead of reciting the psalm today, AHS Choir and our Parish Choir will sing a psalm-anthem based on Psalm 121, which is the psalm indicated for today. This particular anthem was commissioned by the Choir for the AHS Choral Department and was recently performed on their New York City tour last spring. We are delighted to have all of them and their parents in our service today. Please introduce yourselves to them out on the porch where our youth will be serving them lemonade after the service. You can hear The Choir perform again on Thursday, Dec. 6 at the premiere of the ADVENT NOONDAY CONCERT Series beginning at 12:05 p.m. in the Sanctuary.
*Tonight, October 21, the youth group will meet in the Church for a youth service at 5:15 pm. This service is designed specifically for the youth, but we invite anyone to attend. After the service we will gather in Huffman Hall for a meal and movie. The movie we will watch is an edited version of Monty Python’s The Life of Brian. For more information concerning the youth group at St. Matthew’s please contact The Rev. Kevin Schubert at 512-345-8314 ext. 232 or via email kevin@stmattsaustin.org
*Open Meeting – Community Building at St. Matthew’s:
I invite you to gather with me this evening, October 21, from 6:00 – 7:00PM in Room B-13 for an “open meeting” to discuss ways to create fellowship, intimacy and small group support at St. Matthew’s Church. Please email me at merrill@stmattsaustin.org if you would like to help in this effort. The idea of the meeting is simply to share ideas and to better understand what barriers we might be facing in building strong bonds throughout the church. All are invited.
Rise and Shine! Breakfast is waiting! That's right...we're fixing breakfast for you next Sunday, October 28th! Make plans now to join us in Huffman Hall for breakfast and fellowship during the Sunday School hour (9:15 - 10:15) on the last Sunday of the month. Thanks to the "Sunday Morning Book Group" for being our hosts this month. We hope you will join us for breakfast, a cup of coffee and lots of "catching up" with family and friends. (Donations to the breakfast fund gratefully accepted on the morning of the breakfast!) And by the way...a HUGE "THANK YOU" goes to the Discovering Christian Community Adult Sunday School class for hosting breakfast in September.
*Sign up NOW for Children's Communion Class...Our children's communion class will begin in just a couple of weeks. Communion instruction is an important step in the life of a child. St. Matthew's will offer a children's communion class on Nov. 4, 11 and 14, with Children's Communion Celebration Sunday to be held on November 18th. There will be a class for "younger children" offered from 5:15 - 6:00 PM in B16, and a class for "older children" from 6:00 - 7:00 PM in B17. Children's Communion Class is an "intermediate step" to assist a child in the discovery and discernment process as they begin to grow into an awareness of the presence of the wonder of God, the love of Jesus Christ, their own uniqueness, the importance of worship and what "church" means 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. If your child is at least four years old, has not yet been part of a formal Communion Class and is asking good “church” and “God” questions, think about enrolling them in this class. It is not necessary for the child to be able to read, but young children do need to be ready for a “classroom environment” (listening and following directions). Remember that ALL baptized children are invited to 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. If you have questions or would like to register your child, contact Kathy Dugat (343-7989 or kdugat@austin.rr.com).
* Registration began Oct. 7th for the
ECW 2008 Annual Women’s Spiritual Retreat This year’s retreat
will be held again at Camp Allen on Feb 15-17, 2008. This is a great time
after the holidays to rejuvenate body and soul and to prepare for the Lenten
season. Our guest speaker, Kathleen Whitten lives in San Antonio and has been
sharing God’s Word and presenting His Son, Jesus Christ for 15 years. Her
topic is DEEP DOWN CHANGE. Registration deadline is December 21, 2007. Look
for the registration table in the Commons after the Sunday worship services or
contact Debbie Marshall
(ph: 926-5424) or Kathy Morris (ph: 918-9373).
*Outreach In Action: Sharing Christ’s Love: Children’s Hope Chest is a ministry at St. Matthew’s that supports orphaned children, ages 6 through 17 years of age, housed at the Maharya orphanage in Russia. Janie McMahan lovingly leads this ministry. Children’s Hope Chest is allocated $500 from the Outreach budget for sponsorship and needed items for the children. Please contact Janie McMahan at jmcduncan@aol.com, if you interested in sponsoring a child. Thank you St. Matt’s for your support.
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.
*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.
*They are coming! they are coming! what are they? look for more next week. you won't want to miss them!
*Boy Scout Troop 511 Presents: Holiday Greenery Sunday morning November 4thLook for our table between the Sanctuary and Huffman Hall.
Personal delivery the week of December 3rd. Checks to “Troop 511” or cash.
*All items can be shipped to out-of-town family and friends for an additional fee. Thanks for your continued support of Troop 511. Any questions, please call Karen 250-2923 or kmflanagan@sbcglobal.
Discovery Class led by The Rev. Merrill Wade meets weekly at 9:15 a.m. on Sunday mornings in Room B-18. If you seek answers and information about St. Matthew’s or the Episcopal Church or would like to be confirmed/ received on December 16, when the Bishop is here, you are urged to attend this class.
Outreach: Please join the Outreach Commission as we welcome Kathy Culmer, Sr. Director of Mission Funding with the Diocese of Texas to St. Matthew's. Ms. Culmer will share the Mission Funding story and explain how and where our mission dollars are distributed. Ms. Culmer will be making her presentation in the sanctuary on Tuesday, October 30th at 7 pm.
Parish Get Acquainted Luncheon, Sunday, November 4
Have you seen all the new faces at St. Matthew’s? Who are all these new people? Many of them are the newest members of our St. Matthew’s Family. As a community, let’s welcome them into our church family at the Parish Get Acquainted Lunch to be held after church on Sunday, November 4. The Newcomers Council hosts the Parish Get Acquainted Lunch every six months for the entire parish to welcome and honor the newest members of our parish family. If you’ve never attended a Get Acquainted Lunch before, you are in for a treat - - delicious food at an affordable price ($5 per person / $10 per family) and the opportunity to get acquainted with a new member or others in our parish family that you don’t know! You will also receive a free New Member Profile book, giving photos and brief biographies about each new member. Look for the sign up sheets at the Welcome Table after church or email your RSVP to Betty Mitchell (betty@stmattsaustin.org). If you joined St. Matthew’s during the last year and have not yet been honored at a luncheon, we would like to introduce and welcome you to the rest of the parish family at this luncheon. Please contact Betty Mitchell to arrange a time to have your picture taken for the New Member Profile that will be distributed at the luncheon. If you are a new member, you should have received your invitation letter in late September. If you did not receive your luncheon invitation, please contact Betty Mitchell (345-8314, betty@stmattsaustin.org).
SAFEGUARDING GOD'S CHILDREN AT ST. MATTHEW'S
Saturday, November 10, 9:00 a.m.-12 Noon, B-18. Knowledge is the best prevention for child sexual abuse. We can make sure that St. Matthew's and all our church's are safe places for our children if we take the time to learn how to recognize predatory behavior and stop it. This excellent training, created by the Diocese of Texas, is mandatory for all people who work as staff or volunteers with children or youth. Your clergy recommend it for everyone who would like to help make St. Matthew's a safe place. Susan Barnes will lead the training. To register, log on:
http://www.epicenter.org/edot/CF_Safeguarding_Gods_Children.asp?SnID=1117969974.
Save Gas - Lessen Pollution - and Reduce your Transportation Costs
A Tip
from your Environmental Stewardship Council
St. Matthew’s paper recycling effort has blossomed into a full environmental stewardship movement. A Council has been formed and in the weeks to come we will be publicizing environmental stewardship tips and providing supporting programs. This first tip focuses on burning less of that costly gasoline that also worsens our pollution problems.
* By keeping your auto tires properly inflated you can improve gas mileage by more than 3%. Learn more at: www.tinyurl.com/n7xw9
* Next week at our monthly breakfast in Huffman Hall your Environmental Stewardship Council will introduce our first recycling and conservation programs. These will include a recycling center in Huffman Hall. A Ride Share program will be introduced to provide a mechanism to connect people interested in carpooling to church, thus reducing the cars driven and pollution generated. Learn more at: Ride Share. Council members will be present to answer your questions on the programs and recycling center.
