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.

You Don’t Want to Miss…

“ The Greatest Show on Earth”

St. Matthew’s Annual Meeting

January 6, 2008

“Greatest Show on Earth”, the 50^th Anniversary Annual Meeting of St. Matthew’s, to be held tonight Sunday evening, January 6.  This will be a celebration of life at St. Matthew’s, an evening of food and fun for the family! It is also the Annual meeting of our church.  As a member of St. Matthew’s, you are expected to gather with the entire parish once a year, to elect the leaders that will represent you in the next years. All members of the church age 16 or older are eligible to vote.

            5:15PM - Be in your seats in Huffman Hall (with popcorn) as we await the beginning of the show, which will begin at exactly 5:30PM.  It will be 30-40 minutes of wonderful fun for your family and children of all ages.

            6:00-6:10PM - I will call the Annual Meeting to order and we will immediately have an election of new Vestry, Endowment Committee and Diocesan Council representatives. Once the ballot is taken, dinner for the parish will be served. 

            6:30-7:00PM – dinner (hamburgers and hotdogs w/dessert) prepared by the Holy Smokers.

            7:00PM - annual meeting reports and election results. 

            Approximately 7:45-8:00PM -  Annual meeting adjourned.

 We will have the nurseries open and will have special projects for elementary age children during the Annual Meeting from 7:00 - 8:00PM.  They are certainly encouraged to stay with the families through dinner.  All of the youth are invited to attend the entire Annual Meeting and will hear from Kevin Schubert about their plans for the evening.

St. Matthew’s 50^th Anniversary T-Shirts

Secure your Piece of History

Limited Quantities Available during Annual Meeting

Orders will be taken once quantities are gone

Suggested donation: S-XL: $7.00/ XXL: $8.00

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.

Other Adult Education Opportunities

*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

*New Study Group to Begin . Fr. Joe will begin a New Study Group primarily focusing on the Bible but also other miscellaneous topics.  An organizational meeting is scheduled for Thursday, January 10, from 10:00 a.m.- 11:30 a.m.in Room B-14.

*Spring discussions will be focused around a book by M. Craig Barnes, Sacred Thirst. It helps those on a spiritual journey (aren't we all?) to be
sensitive to the revelation of God in our daily lives. One reviewer says the
author "gives patient, sane, wise counsel for all of us who are thirsty for God."  While the chapters provide a common theme for initiating sharing, other issues arise in the midst of the lively exchanges of ideas and thoughts. The group shares facilitation responsibilities and allows time for concerns and prayer as well as a 15-minute social time before class begins. Participants
purchase their own books.  Jim and Linda Fryer, 372.9832, fryer602@281.com

Multigenerational Game Night at St. Matthew’s  -

January 18, 2008 at 6:30PM:

Friday, January 18, at 6:30p.m., in Room B-18 downstairs below the Sanctuary, St. Matthew’s will be holding a pizza and game night for all interested players of checkers, chess, dominos, cribbage (or your favorite game!)  This is an opportunity for children to have some exposure to some of these all-time favorite games.  Everyone is welcome. In particular, it would be a great chance for some of our members to take on the role of surrogate grandparents to some youngsters who may not have grandparents in Austin and for kids and parents who are interested in gathering as families to come, eat and have some fun. A nursery will be provided for infants and children under age 4.  Please RSVP to Paul Huggins at 736-7541 or email him at paul.a.huggins@gmail.com in order that he might know how much pizza to purchase and if you need nursery care.

Santa says: Recycle your Christmas tree into Mulch

Austin residents can put their trees on the curb on regular waste collection days; residents without city garbage service can drop off trees at Zilker Park today, 1/6/08, between 10:00 am and 5:00 pm. All ornaments should be removed and trees taller than six feet cut in half. The city will grind them into mulch which residents can recover on a first-come first-served basis in mid-January.