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PEOPLE OF THE NEW GARDEN
In John's Gospel it is Mary Magdalene who first encounters the risen Christ. Outside the empty tomb she sobs and weeps her heart out. Then she notices a man standing beside her. The gardener she supposes.
"Woman, why are you weeping?" this gardener asks. "Who are you looking for?"
Mary responds, "Sir, if you have carried him away tell me where you have laid him and I will take him."
The man says, "Mary!" She says to him, "Teacher."
Jesus and Mary are reunited.
Some interpreters of John's Gospel have noted that the presence of a man Mary believes to be a gardener implies the presence of a garden. Mary and the risen Christ are together in a garden where new life has miraculously sprung up. According to this interpretation Christ is the new Adam and the garden is the new Garden of Eden. The risen Christ is the Lord of a whole new creation, a whole new way of life, a whole new experience of being alive on this side of the grave.
In this reading of the story God doesn't destroy the old garden as God did in the story of Noah. Rather, God creates a brand new garden in the midst of the old one, a new creation in the midst of the old creation, through the body of Jesus Christ whom human beings destroyed.
And now, fueled by God's power to create anew in the midst of the old, even in the midst of human darkness and the power of death, this new Garden of Eden will spring up and spread over the earth wherever people are made new by their encounter with the risen Christ. This new creation will grow in the very midst of the old as the new community of those who encounter the risen Christ grows. Love, righteousness, justice, peace, and joy will be the defining characteristics of this new creation. This new creation will not be imposed on people through coercion and force like the kingdoms of the old creation. No, people will be invited into this new creation through their transforming encounter with the risen Christ.
A brand new creation emerging in the midst of the old. Light and new life arising in the midst of darkness and death. This is our identity as Christians. Or as Karl Barth put it, "The Church exists to set up in the world a new sign which is radically dissimilar to the world's own manner and which contradicts it in a way which is full of promise."
May we be people of the new garden. May we experience light and new life arising within us. May we be a living sign unto others seeking light and new life in a world that desperately needs light and new life.
Christ is risen, indeed!
Tom
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FROM THE TRUSTEES
The Trustees were very happy with the turnout for March 7th's church work day. We had 29 volunteers from our church and an additional 15-20 members of Gracepoint Fellowship come to lend a hand. You've probably noticed the cleaning and rearranging done to the fellowship room, the library, and the sanctuary. Lots of work also went into organizing the second story classrooms and repairing non-slip pads on the stairwells. We very much appreciate everyone's help in taking care of our beautiful building.
Also, all of last summer's storm damage has been repaired, and the Trustees have received and paid the last of the contractor invoices. May our new roof stay on for many years to come.
FROM THE DEACONS
The annual Lenten Luncheon will take place at the church on March 27. We will gather at 11:00am for a short worship service and then sit down to lunch together, ending around 1:00pm. Anyone who would like a ride to the church in order to attend should contact one of the Deacons (Bill Beardall, Marilyn Vache, Barbara Burnham, Greg Futch, Jennifer Howitz, or Pat Oakes) or put your name on the sign-up sheet in the fellowship hall.
This years' Easter sunrise service will take place at the Memorial Grove located on the north side of Lady Bird Lake, just east of I-35. Look for maps and further detail at upcoming Sunday services and on the church website.
At a Congregational Meeting following the church service on March 22, the congregation voted to approve a recommendation to hire a Sunday school teacher. The Deacons will proceed to solicit applications and interview prospective candidates. If you have suggestions, please contact one of the Deacons.
Preparations are proceeding for the church's spring retreat at Slumber Falls Camp in New Braunfels on April 25-26. The theme of the retreat will be "Mindful Citizenship." The retreat is being organized by Deacon Marilyn Vache and will be led by Rebecca McIlwain, an experienced community organizer who is now offering workshops on spirituality and civic life. The retreat promises to be an enriching and empowering experience. Please see Marilyn for more details or to register to attend.
Chairs of our Boards
Trustees: Jaime Hadley & Rhys Ulerich
Deacons: Barbara Burnham
Christian Education:
Christian Outreach: Dan Jeffery
Moderator John Goff
Good Friday service--Friday, April 10, 7 pm
Easter Sunrise service--Sunday, April 12 at sunrise, on the northeast shore of Lady Bird Lake. Light refreshments will follow the service.
Easter Sunday service--Sunday April 12 at 11 am, followed by our traditional Easter brunch.
PERSONALS
by Pat Oakes
It wasn't supposed to be this way. The Round Rock Chorale, made up of members of the Round Rock Community Choir and the choir members from the First Methodist Church of Round Rock, were anticipating a wonderful trip to Washington, D.C., with an opportunity to sing in the National Cathedral on Sunday, March 1, with Melanie Wilkinson as soloist. Then shockingly, suddenly, Melanie was killed in an auto accident just days before their departure. With heavy hearts the group went ahead as planned, joined by Mike Ludlum, a longtime friend of Melanie's, a movie producer now, but also with an amazing voice. Mike flew from Los Angeles to D.C. at his own expense and sang Melanie's solo while the choir members did their best to sing while shedding tears of sorrow.
Of course, Nodie Murphy was along on the trip. While it was very sad, there were moments of joy and laughter. Nodie particularly remembers their tour guide with the strong Hungarian accent--she had folks on the tour scratching their heads trying to figure out what they were seeing (Ambazero--Embassy Row, for example). Most of the choir members came back after 4 days, but Nodie was gone for 16 days. She was delighted (as the oldest of 8 children) to be able to see her 3 youngest siblings and their families in New Jersey, Philadelphia, and Richmond. She was also able to squeeze in a visit with former church choir member Sarah Gourlie who sends her love to one and all here. Nodie's biggest hassles were having three planes canceled out from under her, but she found that her excursions on the train worked very well. Nodie was so pleased that Norma Hawes kept the choir going beautifully while she was gone.
Spring cleaning was the order of the day on Saturday, March 7. Folks arrived bright and early at 9 a.m. and folks were still there by late afternoon. A great deal was accomplished and the place simply sparkled on Sunday. There were 29 workers from our church and almost 20 from Grace Point Church which rents space from us each week. It was a delight to get to know them and to share a communal lunch with everyone. Many thanks to Jaime Hadley for his excellent organizational skills and to Dave and Sara Ross, Don and Sharon Brown, Gail Christeson and John, Megan, and Cameron Goff, Barbara Sterling, Nancy Edison, Suzanne Vanderpoel, Robin Chapman, Rhys Ulerich, Jim Howicz, Steve Domingue, Pam Tucker and Allison Goodgame, Doris Williams, Pat and Mel Oakes, Betty Bodman, Sam Bean, Cathy Hubbs, Jaana Rehbein, Adam Dzubas and Julie Hasselmeier, Greg Futch, and Dan Jeffery.
So, this is Jaana Rehbein sending y'all best greetings from Germany to where I have returned after three wonderful weeks in Austin. It made me so happy to see you all again at church! My spouse, Oliver Freiberger, who is in Religious Studies at UT whom I visited travels to Europe pretty often and has always brought me all the mailed "Visitors" in the past months so that I could at least read Tom's texts in print. But to worship together with y'all "live" is of course a much greater thing! So, thanks for those three great Sunday mornings I could spend with you and thanks so much for every kind word and the nice little chats we had. How nice also to meet new people. And how beautiful the little front yard has become; and the new kitchen! So, I have returned to Germany with all these pleasant pictures in my mind but also with the very sad news for those people with whom I had planned to invite Melanie over for concerts here in Hannover and also in Berlin. When I last met Melanie she said she would be very excited to go abroad for the first time. Equipped with her phone number and e-mail address, I arrived to get in touch with her again real quick but had to leave with the saddest news one can think of. I still cannot believe it is all true. In Austin, we live just five minutes from Evergreen Cemetery. We went to see Melanie's grave a couple times after the funeral and tried to rearrange the flowers the pretty strong Texan wind in the past weeks had kind of blown away. Thank you so much that I could be part of the gathering at church that night for Melanie. I was really touched by the way it went. It was a special experience. I will keep Melanie and you all in my prayers and hope to see you again soon. All the best for y'all! From Germany, your friend Jaana.
Matt Blackstock was not able to be at the church work party on March 7 as he was attending a birthday party for Peyton, his three-year-old great-grandson. Matt says he seems to learn of new descendants in the family every so often which makes life more interesting. Peyton is the son of Justin, the son of Matt's son Greg, and the oldest son in seven generations going back to James David Blackstock of GA, Matt's great-grandfather.
Dennis Murphy was also absent from the work party but with good reason. He went to San Antonio to visit daughter Sarah and her family--especially eighteen-month-old grandson Ryan who was scheduled to get his first big boy haircut soon. Dennis wanted one last glimpse of Ryan while he was still sporting a few curls.
It was a joy on Sunday, March 15, to see Vic Appel back in church after a 3 week sojourn (at a skilled nursing center near daughter Debbie) in New Jersey to recuperate from the effects of a stroke. He is making good progress although he is still using a walker to be sure he stays upright as his balance was affected. Vic is expecting to be at Heartland Healthcare Center, 11406 Rustic Rock Rd., Austin, 78750, for about a month. His cell phone number is the same--he would enjoy cards and calls (801-4328).
Also on the 15th it was wonderful to see John and Lois Drachenberg in church, Lois has been having some health problems and has been unable to come to church, but she is doing better.
Folks also enjoyed visiting with Sam Bean's mom, Holly who was visiting from NYC and with Jim Maser and his wife Mona who was visiting from the West Coast. Jim, who was assigned to Austin for his job several months ago, had hoped that he was going to be able to go back home, but now it looks like that is not going to happen. Jim is hoping that Mona will be able to relocate here soon.
Mary Sinclair read the query for April news while visiting a friend in Laguna Beach, CA. Husband Richard Jackson had to come out to Oakland on business, so she tagged along for a short vacation away from dreary late winter snowmelt in Ontario. She reported that it was lovely to do away with winter boots, coats and gloves - even if just for a few days. She and Richard are both well and looking forward to finally starting the house renovations; did she really say they were looking forward to all that disruption? She really meant they're looking forward to the end result. They've been planning this rebuild so long she hopes there won't be too many surprises. Mary says, "Come and see it when it's done!"
Beth Placek always enjoys April. She is planning a 10K run in Burnet and looking forward to visiting one of her favorite bookstores there where several years ago she found some wonderful old classroom books from England on English literature. She was wishing the books could talk and tell her how they got to those dusty shelves in a corner of a tiny store in Burnet! She took a trip to D.C. early in April to see the cherry blossoms and to enjoy a run on the Mall and then was off to Lafayette, LA, for the international music festival which features all kinds of folk dancing.
The Burlinson household has had an interesting month of March. John was hospitalized with viral pneumonia late February, but is doing better. He was temporarily assigned to the Austin office so, for the time being, is no longer having to commute to Temple. The most exciting news was that Jake passed the first portion of helicopter school at Ft. Rucker, Alabama, and is now learning to fly by instruments alone. He will most likely finish his training in December.
David Cleaver-Bartholomew, an intern at our church a number of years ago under John Towery and now a pastor of his own church in Ohio, met Whit Bodman at a UCC polity meeting in Cleveland in early March. David was delighted to have a real live connection back to Austin and he told Whit to tell everyone here hello.
Priscilla Perkins Grew in snowy Nebraska was delighted to see pictures of the church work party in early March. She commends everyone for taking such good care of our lovely old church. Priscilla's mom and dad were members of the church years ago and Dr. Perkins was on the faculty at Huston-Tillotson.
APRIL BIRTHDAYS
2 Ellen Luna
3 Mary Tomasek
4 Ricky Masters
5 Sarah Oakes
Katherine Anderson Ashton
7 Ellie Nash
9 Julia Deisler
10 Lynne R. Lemley
12 Pam Tucker
14 Susan Ashton
16 Eleanor Towery
David Foster
22 Suzanne L. Bradford
24 George Lemley
28 Sarah Bentley
WELCOME NEW MEMBERS
Welcome to new members Joan and Bill Mueller who joined with Doris Williams in January. Both are native Californians though Bill spent his early life in Maries, Idaho. It was an idyllic life for a boy with a lumber mill and logs floating on the river. Later he lived in California and attended UC Berkeley where he got his doctorate in electrical engineering. Joan was born in Sacramento and lived her first three years in a railroad car called an outfit car since her father was hired at the end of the Depression to manage a crew replacing rails that had been neglected. Joan was an avid dancer but changed majors several times in her year and a half at Berkeley before marrying Bill and moving to southern CA where Bill got his first job. Joan continued at UCLA but left early to have their first child, Elizabeth, who lives here in Austin with her husband and son. Both parents are professors in the Urban and Regional Planning Department at UT. Joan and Bill's son Bill lives and works in Zurich as a computer programmer. Matt, the late baby, lives in Signal Hill, CA, has a day job, but is passionate about music. Both sons have bachelor's degrees in music from UCLA. Joan went back to college in the mid-1970s and received a bachelor's degree in political science at UCLA 20 years after entering Berkeley as a freshman. She then had her late baby and went back to college again Her first course was at the Graduate School of Theology at Claremont in Old Testament, but then she went on to Cal. State in Long Beach as a graduate student in studio art and finished with an MFA and has worked as a professional artist since that time. Both retired, the Muellers enjoy music of all kinds. Bill has sung in a number of choruses. They both enjoy reading and ballroom dancing (especially Argentine tango!). Having spent most of their lives as active Presbyterians, both were inspired by the vitality and openness and social involvement at the Long Beach UCC church and joined them wholeheartedly about ten years ago. Joan says, "We are very pleased to be connected with this small, vibrant UCC church here in Austin and appreciate the leadership Tom brings."
Do you shop at RANDALLS (Safeway, Simon David, Tom Thumb)?
Our church receives one percent of all purchases made at RANDALLS grocery stores. If you go to customer service and sign up for a RANDALLS Remarkable card and ask them to assign the Good Neighbor program to the Congregational Church of Austin, UCC (Good Neighbor #475), we will get some additional cash every few months. If you already have a RANDALLS card, you can still ask them to link our church to your card number. THANKS!
Pam Tucker, Financial Secretary
BRAZOS ASSOCIATION NEWS
The first piece of news I have to report this month is one of sadness at a church leaving us. In February, St. John's Evangelical Lutheran, Richland, voted to leave the United Church of Christ pending a future vote requiring a 2/3 majority on denominational affiliation with either the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) or the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod (LC-MS). St. John's remains in the Brazos Association of the UCC until there is a 2/3 vote on affiliation. The church anticipates meeting to vote in March to resolve this issue. Currently, the church is in an interim period after former pastor Rev. Michael Vaughn accepted a call to the UCC church in Clifton early last fall. At that point, St. John's decided to explore denominational affiliation with the understandable intent of resolving this issue before searching for a pastor. Our Conference Minister, Douglas Anders, and I visited with their search and denominational affiliation committees last fall, and Brazos Association Moderator Rev. Tim Tutt and I led a discussion with the church about the UCC in January. They have also had similar forums with representatives from the two Lutheran denominations. We anticipate they will make a decision soon, and we ask God's blessing on their ministry as they discern their calling as a church, search for a new pastor, and go forward in their ministry. We are grateful for their many years in the UCC, and we are grateful for the steady guidance of their current interim minister, Rev. Elroy Haverlah, a recently retired ELCA minister who has worked faithfully with the church and with us on this issue. We will miss them.
I also report with joy that representatives from the Brazos Association recently met with the pastors of a new church start already in progress in Austin. This church is very interested in becoming part of the UCC, and we are going forward with plans to meet with church representatives. We anticipate that they will attend our spring Brazos Association. More news will be coming as we continue with this process.
Remember that all are invited to our Brazos Association meeting on Sunday, April 26, 3 pm, at United Christian Church in Austin (near Parmer Lane and MoPac). The theme of the meeting will be the exciting mission activities of our churches and mission opportunities for us as we seek to serve in the name of Christ. Dinner will follow. Look for information about the meeting and the dinner at your church. Remember, too, that our South Central Conference Annual Meeting is being hosted by the Brazos Association in Austin, June 5-7, at Huston-Tillotson University. Come to hear there about the mission of the UCC as members of the UCC-Disciples Global Missions team will be with us to preach, speak, host workshops, and host a pre-meeting gathering to train church members to share about the global mission of the UCC. Look for registration information at your church or on the SCC website.
Blessings in Christ, Liz Nash, Brazos Association Minister
COFFEE HOUR
Please sign up in the Fellowship Room to be coffee hour hosts on an upcoming Sunday. The coffee hour time is such a good opportunity to visit old friends and meet visitors. We keep coffee and ginger ale and some punch fixings in the pantry in the kitchen. There are usually paper napkins, and we use coffee mugs and punch cups to avoid wasting natural resources. Your menu can be as simple or complicated as you want. Cookies and/or chips and salsa are just fine! If you have questions, talk to Pat Oakes, Tommie Pinkard, or Lynne Lemley.
Deadline for May VISITOR -- April 15
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