The Weekly Word
December 23- December 30, 2007
To Know Christ, Grow in Christ, and Share Christ’s Love
Please take this Announcement Sheet home with you.
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.
*Season for Celebration, Season for Mourning At this time of year there's a festive focus as we celebrate with family and friends. It's only natural that grief comes, too, as we notice those who are absent--whether through separation or death. After the main service today, I invite all who wish to join me for a simple liturgy of prayer, remembering friends and family whom we miss. We will gather in B-18 for a bit of refreshment, Then, weather permitting, we will move out to the Memorial Garden , the beautiful place where the remains of many of our faithful departed have been laid to rest for this brief time of prayer. All who feel moved to join are welcome. By Susan Barnes
*The Flower Guild invites anyone and everyone to come and help "Green" decorate the church for Christmas at 2:00 PM this afternoon. We will have wreaths to make and hang (Men are needed for this), poinsettias to water and place, pew candles to decorate and much more. Many hands are needed. We so love all of you and appreciate you! Harriet Houston, Guild Chair. Contact me at 426-4776 if you need more info.
No Sunday School Classes for Children/Youth, December 30th.
Out
of consideration for family holiday schedules, Sunday school
classes for children and Youth will not meet on December 23 and 30.
We will resume all classes on January 6, Epiphany Sunday.
Have you ever thought about running for Vestry?
Please prayerfully consider running for vestry. It is important that the vestry be made up of different age groups with varying experiences that represent the parishioners of St. Matthew's. New members will be elected on Sunday, January 6, 2008 at the Annual Meeting. The requirements to run for vestry and the application are on the St. Matthew's web site. If you have questions please feel free to contact Vickie Blumhagen, Tom Canby, or Merrill Wade.
*The 2008 ECW Annual Spiritual Retreat
Registration Deadline
has been
extended through Dec. 23rd. The retreat will be held at Camp Allen the
weekend of Feb. 15-17, 2008. We still have rooms reserved for our group
that have not been filled. This is a chance for you to invite a neighbor
or family member to join in this very special time. If you are able and
willing, we are accepting scholarships for ladies needing a little
assistance with the registration fees. See Debbie Marshall or Kathy
Morris
after the worship service in the Commons to register
A Message from the Kitchen Guild
*THE
FRIDGE IS SHRINKING. Because use of the kitchen and
fridge have increased a lot, we have limited storage space available,
especially in the fridge. Please read on:
1. Shelves are designated and
labeled for groups that use the kitchen as often as weekly. Please do not put
anything on those shelves.
2.
We provide Ranch and Italian salad dressing; only one bottle of each should be
opened and stored in fridge; if you want another kind of salad dressing, buy it
for yourself and take what is left home with you; don’t store it in the fridge.
3.
DO NOT BUY BOTTLES OF CATSUP, MUSTARD, OR MAYO. We provide individual packets
of these condiments for your use; they are stored in the pantry. The individual
packets are more sanitary and do not take up valuable space in the fridge.
4. We
provide individual packets of oleo that are kept in a plastic tub in the
fridge; use these and do not buy large containers of oleo. Before buying
butter, look in the freezer. Thank You.
Submitted by Louise Waddill
Pack, Move, Unpack, Repeat - Each week the Interfaith Hospitality Network families move to a new church to live there while working their way out of homelessness. Won't you lend a helping hand during St. Matthew's host week, Dec 30 to Jan 6. We urgently need someone with a truck to tow the trailer which contains the families' belongings. Also we need some helpers to setup on Dec 29th and take down on Jan 6th (get a jump start on service hour requirements for the spring). To sign up, contact Amy Novak (795-8089, amy_m_novak@earthlink.net ) or Sharon Lowe (345-1990, sharonylowe@hotmail.com ) or look for us in the Commons.
*Baptisms on January 13, 2008 If you or one near you (adult or child) desires to receive the Sacrament of Holy Baptism, the next opportunity will be Sunday, January 13. Please notify Betty Mitchell in the Church Office, and she will contact you to gather the needed information. 345-8314 x 215 betty@stmattsaustin.org
St. Matthew’s Gratefully Acknowledges Commemorative Gifts to St. Matthew’s Permanent Endowment Fund:
To the Glory of God and in Loving Memory of Cammie Simons Springer by
Bargsley, Andrews and Steinbach CPA’s
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.
*End of Year
Contributions: The last Sunday of the year is
December 30th. Contributions
postmarked December 31st will be attributed to your contributions
record for 2007. All other gifts should be received in the office by Monday,
December 31st for inclusion in your 2007 contributions record.
Dave Bowman, Business Manager, David@stmattsaustin.org
Help Save Space in our Landfills and Conserve Resources -
We now Recycle Plastics and Styrofoam the city Won’t
Eleven Percent of household waste is plastic, 40% of which is bottles. The energy used to produce a year’s worth of water bottles could fuel 100,000 cars for a year. Recycling 1 ton of plastic bottles saves 1.5 tons of carbon.Our recycling effort is now accepting on a trial basis; water bottles, plastic films, all plastics marked from 1 to 6 and Styrofoam®. Plastic films include plastic bags and that molded clear “blister pack” that will be coming around many of your toys, batteries, and gizmos this Christmas. You may also be receiving gifts packaged in molded Styrofoam. Styrofoam can be as much as 30% of the volume in our landfills. Instead of trashing this packaging material, bring it to church after Christmas for recycling. Americans throw away 25,000,000,000 Styrofoam coffee cups every year. Bring a reusable cup with you to the next event where you expect disposable cups. Recycling plastics decreases the need for raw materials and, saves energy in manufacturer and hauling to market. See the ESC Programs page under Parish Community > Environmental Stewardship Council at www.StMattsAustin.org for more Plastics/Styrofoam acceptance detail and a full list of items accepted for reuse and recycling.
*Updating of Parish Directory: Please notify the Office if you have any changes to your family name, address, email address or phone number for the church Parish Directory,.Office@StMattsAustin.Org. The new directory is being prepared and will be available at the Annual Meeting, January 6, 2008. We are corresponding more by email, if you would like your email address included in your contact information, please submit it also. Changes submitted after December 31, will not appear in the Parish Directory.
Rector's Classes in Huffman Hall, January 6, 13 and 20 - 9:15AM
Sunday mornings
Class Title - "Straight Talk from the Rector"
January 6 and 13 - "Our Culture of Busyness and Anxiety - Stress Addiction and the Marginalization of God" In these two presentations I will talk about how stress and constant busyness rob us of our spiritual awareness. God is moved off to the margins of our lives as we strive harder and harder to succeed, feel secure or just "get by". I encourage you to listen to my sermon preached on December 9 as a preparation for this class. The sermon can be accessed on the St. Matthew's website at http://www.stmattsaustin.org/audio2007/2007-12-09-sermon-mw-1427.mp3. Of special interest in this class is to explore the ways families are affected by this constant motion and activity. The ministry staff at St. Matthew's wants to learn how to better serve families and in this class many ideas will be exchanged.
January 20 - "What I Believe is Essential" - this will be a frank presentation on what I believe is important for families and individuals as we look to the future together. I will give my assessment of the Episcopal Church in this time of controversy, and will, as well, tell you exactly what I think we should be focused on at home and at church. I will tell you what moves me to have faith in Jesus Christ and why I am absolutely committed to teaching about what Jesus called the Kingdom of God.
*New Adult Sunday School Class, 8:30 a.m. Starting on Sunday, January 6th, a new Adult Sunday School class will be meeting in Room B-10 . The class is open to anyone who would like to attend a class from 8:30-9:15 am each Sunday. Coffee and social time will be from 8:15 - 8:30. The format will be discussion-oriented, with facilitators Jim and Linda Fryer. Choir members will find this a convenient time and 8:00 Worship Service participants will be welcomed also.
*Creative Challenges and Crises" continues! On January 6, the Sunday Adult Education history course continues in a new location. We'll shift to B-18 as we move into the modern era with our survey of the challenges and crises that have molded the church throughout the centuries. The three weeks in January we'll be looking at the challenge posed to the Papacy by three leading figures: Calvin, Luther, and Henry VIII on January 6, 13, and 20. Dr. Suzanne Hoeferkamp will speak to us about Luther, while our own Chad McCall will teach about Calvin and Henry VIII. On February 3, The Very Rev. Durstan McDonald, Dean Emeritus of ETSS, will teach on the Elizabethan Settlement, which was the foundation of the Anglican church: Join us for this lively and informative class. Submitted by Susan Barnes
Vestry Persons for December are Susan LaValley, and Esther Garcia
Readings for December 30, First Sunday after Christmas
Isaiah 61:10-62:3,Galatians 3:23-25;4:4-7, John 1:1-18, Psalm 147:13-21
*Remember, 2008 means a new Pictorial Directory. We need your activity pictures or an idea of what you may want so we can inform the photographer. This also applies to group pictures, staff pictures and clergy pictures. The photographer arrives February 17 so please give me some ideas to present to him. Please contact Babs Clendenin at ba69claus@aol.com or 795-8854.