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FROM THE PASTOR
The waiting drove me mad,
you're finally here, and I'm a mess.
Pearl Jam, Corduroy
Jesus gonna be here,
he's gonna be here soon
and you know I've been so good,
except for drinking,
but he knew that I would.
Tom Waits, Jesus Gonna Be Here
Sometimes, when we just drop down to see what condition our condition is in (to paraphrase another great old tune), we see that the human condition is beset by anxiety and pain, that human suffering takes multiple forms, and that no human is immune from it. While a gnawing hunger afflicts empty-handed folk who cannot eat, a gnawing emptiness eats away at those who are full. Illness and addiction strike at rich and poor, liberal and conservative. Families fight and break apart in housing projects, suburban developments, and trophy homes. Young and old alike feel unloved, unappreciated, unrecognized, and unwanted. Everyone who is born eventually dies. No one is immune.
Perhaps Mickey Rourke is right in the movie, Barfly: "everybody suffers, but nobody suffers like the poor." I agree. Poverty inflicts a heavier burden on those without the means to remedy their pain. But everybody suffers. Every human heart, and every human body, feels anxiety and hurt, grief and loss.
Thank God, that's not all we experience. Hopefully, we experience joy as well. Joy in our encounters with the transcendent/immanent Spirit. Joy in simply being alive. Joy in loving and being loved. Joy in finding meaning and purpose to our lives. Joy in our relationships and accomplishments. Joy in being healed and comforted, and in being healers and comforters. Joy in a truly peaceful moment. These are authentic experiences of joy. They can help us endure our pain, empower us to prevail with dignity over our hurt, and even move us to enter into another person's suffering.
Manufactured joy is another story. Manufactured joy is fake joy. Fabricated joy. Pretend joy. It actually accentuates our hurt and anxiety, and it's especially insidious during the weeks that lead up to Christmas. It's the phony smile and counterfeit cheer around the eggnog bowl. It's the red frosting and sugar sprinkles layered over our hurting hearts and aching bones. It's the gigantic "holiday spirit" stage production that takes over our televisions, radios, newspapers, shopping malls, and grocery stores. It's Bing Crosby singing I'm Dreaming of a White Christmas and the Vienna Boy's Choir singing Joy to the World millions of times a day to millions of shoppers spending millions of dollars on millions of goods promising to fill millions of households with millions of smiles. It's the powerful cultural expectation that we'll all deck the halls with ho ho hos and fa la la la las because tis the season to be jolly. And if we're not jolly, it's because something's wrong with us. We are scrooges. Bah humbug.
Authentic joy is fantastic. It's liberating and life-renewing. Manufactured joy is a cheap imitation. It's oppressive and deadly.
The authentic Spirit of Christmas can bring us authentic joy. Christmas is about the loving, forgiving, liberating, healing, and reconciling God entering our human condition, with all our sadness, compulsions, addictions, brokenness, loneliness, conflicts, frustrations, anxieties, and messiness. No need to put on a fake smile just because it's Christmas. Don't pretend to be joyful if you're feeling pain. God knows what condition your condition is in. Don't try to hide it. In fact, one path to experiencing the authentic joy of Christmas is by opening your suffering up to the healing touch of God.
I hope and pray you experience the true gift of authentic joy this Christmas.
TOM
VISION PROCESS UPDATE
It's time for the rubber to hit the road!
In September and October, fifty people participated in our church's vision process by attending a series of vision discussion groups. Twenty-eight people completed Priority and Commitment sheets identifying where they believe our church needs to prioritize its energy, and where they themselves are committed to work. The discussions focused on a number of areas of our church's ministry: worship, evangelism, fellowship, location, organization, Christian education and spiritual development, mission outreach, stewardship, and building. The three top areas people identified as priorities and commitments were Christian education and spiritual development, mission outreach, and the building.
There were a variety of responses within each area. For example, some who identified Christian education and spiritual development as a priority and personal commitment believed we should focus more attention on Bible study and spirituality for adults, while others believed we should focus more attention on elementary and high school youth. In the mission outreach area, some believed we should choose one or two mission projects and focus all our attention on them, some believed that all of our mission outreach should be local, and some believed that we should have a wide array of projects. In respect to the building, many were concerned with the issue of accessibility, while others focused more on parking and safety.
Now we're ready to take the next step. We're going to organize meetings around these three priority areas, with a special effort to recruit those who identified these areas as their top personal commitment. We're going to make the notes recorded during the group discussions available for the participants to study. The participants will then delve deeper into these issues to further discern how we can effectively respond to them.
Some of these gatherings may divide into smaller, more focused ministry groups as they proceed with their work. For example, the Christian education and spiritual development group may divide into a group focusing on adult spirituality while another group focuses on children's spirituality. The mission outreach group may divide up to focus on particular projects, like homelessness and Latino resettlement (two issues identified in the discussion groups). The groups may merge at times to discuss common areas of concern, like the relationship between hand-on mission outreach and spiritual development, or the use of our building and mission outreach.
The goal is to the have the "rubber hit the road," to develop concrete and effective Christian ministries that people will commit to, find fulfilling, and see as authentic expressions of their Christian faith.
Thanks to all who took the time to participate in these discussion groups, especially the hosts, facilitators, and recorders. You did a fantastic job! Thanks to all who will continue to offer your time and talents to discerning the church's vision. May we all be open to God's guidance and power!
ADVENT AND CHRISTMAS OFFERINGS
Advent Candles, Christmas Pageant,
Evening Worship, Fellowship at the Oakes' Home,
Christmas Communion, Community Meal
During Advent, as we prepare ourselves to encounter God who enters our human condition in Jesus of Nazareth, we'll once again light Advent candles each week. These candles represent HOPE, PEACE, LOVE, and JOY.
On Sunday, December 22, during our 11:00 am morning worship service, the Sunday School will offer a Christmas pageant.
On Sunday, December 22, we'll prepare for Jesus' birth with an evening Advent worship service at 7:00 pm, and then make our way to Pat and Mel Oakes' home for their annual Advent gathering.
On Wednesday, December 25, Christmas Day, we'll celebrate with a Christmas communion service at 12:00 pm, and then serve a Christmas Community Meal in the Appel Room.
CHRISTMAS COMMUNITY MEAL
Authentic Joy For All
Last year, we celebrated our first Christmas Community Meal. It was a modest beginning, as we served a ham dinner to around 20 hungry people who showed up at our door. Though the numbers were not high, the Christmas Spirit ran deep. All who participated from our church, and all who showed up to eat, had a god time and a meaningful experience. It was great to see church members and street kids sit down together around a plate of ham and dish of mashed potatoes to break bread and talk. The Deacons have decided to give the Christmas Community Meal another go.
Last year, John Moore served as our on-site kitchen coordinator, which means he got to wear the ceremonial Santas hat. He showed up around 11:00 am to turn the ovens on, and to pop in the pre-cooked hams to warm them up. Other folks from church showed up around the same time, more came around 12:00 noon for worship, and more came throughout the day to help serve and then clean up.
John Moore, because of family obligations, will not be able to serve as the on-site kitchen coordinator, which means the ceremonial Santa hat will have to pass to a new person. Please let Tom VandeStadt, or Joe McMillan know if you are able to take on this task.
Here's what we need to make the Christmas Community Meal a success.
--Christmas spirit: the desire to offer the gift of love and service to other people, and the desire to experience authentic joy in doing so!!.
--On-site Kitchen Coordinator: someone to show up around 11 am to turn on the stoves, heat up the food, and generally coordinate the food preparation and service. There will be people to help, the pressure will be low, and you'll experience authentic joy!!
--Folks to help the Coordinator, serve food, and sit with the guests. You too will experience authentic joy!!
--Folks who can prepare food in advance, and then drop it off at church prior to the meal. Food can include potluck fare like vegetables, salads, breads, and desserts. You too will experience authentic joy as you prepare this food, knowing that hungry brothers and sisters will be eating and enjoying it.
--Folks willing to offer some money for the purchase of pre-cooked hams and beverages. No doubt, this will bring you authentic joy as you conjure up visions of hungry brothers and sisters going back for a second and third helping of the ham and cranberry juice cocktail that you provided.
WHEN LESS IS MORE
Few of us venture up to the third floor and even fewer do so during week days. Nevertheless, there is much fur flying. As some of you know all of the archive records have been moved up to the third floor, and are being worked on by our conscientious archivist, Sharon Brown. She is engaged in a difficult and continuing task of sorting through church records to winnow out no longer useful materials.
Why is this continually necessary?
As many of you know, the constitution and by-laws ask that the church boards submit minutes and other vital records of their boards' work at the end of each calendar year. Other important projects, such as the centennial celebration, also merit inclusion. However, often times those contents need to be separated into essential and non-essential materials.
Sharon also points out that often pictures are taken at various church events. She encourages members to contribute pictures taken at meaningful events and celebrations. Simply leave them with Trish for Sharon at the church office.
The Publicity Committee wishes to thank Sharon Brown for her dedicated commitment to her tasks. During this past fall she has been spending one morning a week working on the job.
DIRECTORY CHANGES
Rev. Sarah Bentley, Ph.D.
901 Valley View Dr
Austin, TX 78733-2569
512-402-0405
Suzanne Bradford
S work: 328-0884X109 Fax: 328-0886
Rev. Wilmer & Hulen Brown
2401 Bienville St
New Orleans, LA 70119-5605
Martin Bukasa & Judith Karasi
207 Eastern Avenue Apartment 2
Manchester, NH 03104-4685
603/647-9328
Ken & Jen Harker
7009 Fireoak Drive
Austin, TX 78759-3730
512-401-2543
Nicole Harter
4305 Duval St Apt 130
Austin, TX 78751-3907
512-458-8090
Loretta Lewis
580 Manassas park
Conroe, TX 77302-3058
John Moore
jrmoore.atty@mindspring.com
Doyal & Tommie Pinkard
pinkarddw@earthlink.net
tompinkard@earthlink.net
Chester Rosson
Chester: Editor (7/21)
Robin Rosson
Robin: Student (12/8)
Mr & Mrs Weldon B Scheel
msche5@aol.com
Maggie Smith
512-331-0949
Jeri Winter
4305 Duval St Apt 130
Austin, TX 78751-3907
WELCOME NEW MEMBERS
Rev. Whit & Betty Bodman
805 Leonard St
Austin, TX 78705-3211
512-472-4706
wbodman@austinseminary.edu
John & Lois Drachenberg
138-B Greyoak Dr
Bastrop, TX 78602-6905
512-321-3493
David & Kathi Foster
8011 Isaac Pryor Dr
Austin, TX 78749-1860
512-288-7586
Reul & Liz Nash; Ellie, Annie, Becky
9712 Llano Estacado Ln
Austin, TX 78759-7764
512-231-0045
reuelnash@austin.rr.com liznash@austin.rr.com
Marilyn Vache & Graylin Grissett
Olivia Vache
7010 W Hwy 71 Ste 340 PMB 323
Austin, TX 78735-8331
Our Christmas Gift to Austin
Please take note that we will have our next quarterly clean-up of Mount Bonnell on Saturday morning, December 7th from 9:00 a.m. until 1:00 p.m. Bring your work clothes and tools. We will plant some Austin Native plants. Please advise Mark McCoy, Co-chair of the Building and Grounds committee, who will be coordinating this facet of the clean-up if you have some favorite plants you wish to nominate for us to purchase. We will have lunch furnished.
Our Childrens' Dream Has Been Realized
We are fortunate to have some lawn space for our children on which they can run and play. Have you noticed that that area has been completely renovated with a brand new fence and the ugly air-conditioner and fencing around it have been rejuvenated with a matching paint job. Further, the gates, which have endured 30 years of children swinging on them, have now been re-welded and reattached to their brick moorings. In short, the whole area has received a makeover. It's there for all of us to enjoy.
Status of Our Overnight Porch Guests
To avoid confusion hopefully this brief message may be of benefit to the congregation. The Board of Trustees has been torn between its desire to be compassionate to the homeless, and its concern for the property damage and the refuse that is left behind by our homeless overnight guests. For the past several months we have relaxed our 'no trespassing' policy to permit individuals to sleep on our porch.
We have recently rescinded that privilege due to unacceptable conduct by our visitors including breakage of a large window, drug dealing and most recently, injury to a staff member by a visitor. We are hoping, by this recent action, to teach an important truth: All of us must take responsibility for the consequences of our behavior.
November 3 was a day of great joy at the church as five new families became a part of our community. Whit and Betty Bodman are from Franklin, MA, where Whit was pastor at the Franklin Federated Church for a number of years. He then decided to go back to Harvard Divinity School. At that time they transferred their church membership to the Original Congregational Church of Wrentham, MA.( where Pat Oakes' grandparents were members years ago). Whit is now Professor of World Religions, specializing in Islam, at the Austin Presbyterian Seminary. Betty is a nurse practitioner who is in the process of getting licensed in Texas. She stayed in Franklin, sold their house there, and only recently arrived in Austin. They are parents of a son who is a senior at Colorado College (majoring in geology and mountain biking!) and a daughter who is a senior at a boarding school in New York. Whit enjoys reading and sailing (ocean sailing) and Betty enjoys reading and walking.
John and Lois Drachenberg certainly win the prize for the longest commute to church. They have retired from Oakland, CA, to Bastrop (right next door to Lois' daughter). It is 42 miles each way from their door to the church! John was the minister of visitation at First Congregational Church of Oakland. Lois sang in their church choir for 42 years and she and John have now both joined our choir. John was not ordained until he was 70, having worked in pharmaceutical sales and real estate earlier. John has 4 children and Lois has two. They have been married 25 years. Lois is a storyteller and has recorded stories on tape that were used in Head Start schools. She particularly enjoys sharing her storytelling telents with senior citizens. In 1996 she started restoring faded European tapestries (talk to her about the technique she uses). She enjoys thrift shopping and John loves to read.
Kathi and David Foster read a letter to the editor that Tom wrote to the Austin-American Statesman and decided from that that our church would be an interesting place to visit. They did come and have decided to stay! They have been in Austin for 15 years. Kathi is a retired paralegal and David is the president of the Austin Board of Realtors. They have 2 daughters and 2 grandchildren. Both grandchildren live in Austin (are they lucky or what!). Kathi and David both enjoy golf and travel.
Marilyn Vache and Graylin Grissett recently moved here from Tempe, AZ. Marilyn is a psychiatrist at the Austin Diagnostic Clinic and Graylin, a former electrician, is a househusband. Their daughter Olivia is a sixth grader at the Austin Waldorf School. Marilyn is a volunteer at the community radio station, KOOP--91.7 on your radio dial) and is developing ideas for a radio program on that station based on religious ideas. Olivia loves handicrafts like crocheting and knitting and Graylin stays very busy keep everything organized. One thing they do not do is watch TV as they do not have one!
Reuel and Liz Nash, both originally from Waco, recently moved to Austin from Newark, CA, with their three daughters. They were members of the Niles Congregational Church in Fremont and had been in that area since 1980 with three years out for Liz to serve as the associate minister at First Congregational in Houston. She has been an ordained minister since 1989. Reuel is a software engineer with Intrinsic Graphics which is based in Mountainview, CA. He goes out there periodically and works here on line the rest of the time. Liz is trying to finish her thesis for her Ph.D. in ethics from the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley and is busily working on a spring deadline. They have 3 daughters, Becky, 10, in fifth grade at Laurel Mountain, Annie, 12, in seventh grade at Canyon Vista, and Ellie, 14, in the ninth grade at Westwood. All three girls will be dancing in the Nutcracker this holiday season, Becky with Ballet Austin and Annie and Ellie with another ballet company.
Dave Ross had a pleasant surprise upon his return from the annual American Physical Society meeting in Orlando. As he entered the airport he heard a choir singing and by the time he got to baggage claim he heard an unmistakable voice. He followed the crowd and came to the place where they were dedicating the statue of Barbara Jordan--and who should be singing but our own wonderful Melanie Wilkinson. The next time you are at the airport, look for the statue in baggage claim, placed there so that many, many more people can see it.
Chester Rosson had a busy Sunday on the 17th. Despite the fact that he was not at church, he did help with the refreshments--guacamole and salsa and chips and a vegetable tray. Barbara Burnham (who also filled in at the last minute on the piano for ailing Florence Castle) and Matt Blackstock provided the rest and filled in for him in the cleanup He got everything to the fellowship hall by 9 a.m., and then left for Houston to hear Susan Graham sing Adolante at 2 p.m. with Neville Marriner conducting.
Florence Castle is recuperating from an intestinal upset which put her in the South Austin Hospital. She got sick on Saturday at her beauty shop and the folks there insisted that she could not drive home. They took her to the emergency room and then she was admitted overnight for observation. Feel better soon, Florence.
Don and Sharon Brown's good news is that their younger son Andrew passed the bar and was being sworn in as an attorney on November 18. Congratulations, Andrew!.
To Clark and Cathy Hubbs, Bolivia is no longer a landlocked spot on the South American map. In October they joined a group of Nature Conservancy personnel to explore the work being done by FAN (Fundación Amigos de la Naturaleza), which manages the four million acre Noel Kempff Mercado National Park. Among the most vivid memories are motor boating on the Iténez River with Bolivia on one side and Brazil on the other, black night over them, becalmed without gasoline until twinkling lights brought friends--herons, butterflies, macaws, caimans, one lone fox--in the jungle seeing leaf-cutter ants making long trails, capybaras and black spider monkeys overhead. Clark finished by heading for Lake Titicaca (altitude too high for Cathy). He went out with a fisherman, found the fish known only in that lake, and ate it for lunch. Their scrumptious last dinner in Santa Cruz was prepared by students from a school for chefs, partially financed by a grant from the government of Spain.
Mary Sinclair returned safely to Sydney on Friday, November 15th, having spent ten days in Tasmania, where she now wants to retire (!?!). Ask Richard if he is enthsued about this. She and herfriend Pauline Wykoff now plan a tour of the wineries and Mary will visit her long lost cousin who lives near the Blue Mountains west of Sydney. We'll be glad to have you back home, Mary.
It was wonderful to see long-ago members Steve and Jeanine Neuse in church on the 17th. They were passing through Austin after visiting their son Jonathan and his family in San Antonio. Both Steve and Jeanine have retired in Fayetteville, AK.
Sunday, December 8, 4:00 pm: Interfaith Prayers for Peace
The National Council of Churches has designated the weekend of December 6-8 as a Weekend of Prayers for Peace in Iraq. As we approach both the celebration of the nativity of the Prince of Peace and the real possibility of war, please plan to attend this interfaith prayer service. Details to be announced.
FROM FUN & FELLOWSHIP Please mark your calendars and join us for the following events.
Saturday, December 14, 3:00 pm: Trip to Burnet for Main Street Bethlehem, an authentic recreation of the Palestinian village at the time of Jesus' birth. See how ordinary people lived in addition to a moving nativity scene. This event, which takes place the first two weekends of December, is only publicized through churches and now attracts thousands of people each year. Admission is free, although donations are welcome. Main Street Bethlehem opens at 6:00 pm near the First Baptist Church and town square, but we will allow time for browsing at the unique shops and eateries around the square. This is truly a very special Christmas event, well worth the trip. We will organize carpools for the drive to and from Burnet. We had hoped to offer the alternative of the Austin Steam Train excursion trip, but learned they were sold out by November 1. Please contact Suzanne VanderPoel at 302-1970 or Lynne Lemley at 336-1720 to arrange transportation.
Sunday, December 22:Christmas Cookies Swap at the Fellowship Time
The idea is that everyone makes/brings some cookies to church, we share some after worship, and we swap the remainder so that everyone leaves with an assortment of goodies. This only works well if lots of people bring cookies, so please join in and share with us.
Saturday, December 21: If anyone is interested in making cookies at the church on Saturday afternoon for the Christmas Cookies Swap, please contact Suzanne VanderPoel at 302-1970. It's more fun and more economical to share the baking. Children of all ages are welcome!
Sunday, January 5: Epiphany Potluck
DECEMBER BIRTHDAYS
1 Sarah Moore
3 Sally E. Tomasek
6 Lisa Miriam Kirch
8 Robin Rosson
7 Jeffrey Lemley
10 Hester Novotny
12 Jennie Peet Ashton
Sarah Clarissa Kirch
13 Carol Ann Burlinson
Audrey Loomis
14 Jake Burlinson
15 Sara Ross
Gedeon Karasi Bukasa
20 Carol Barrett
28 Larissa Pickens
29 Lynn Loomis
30 Mouloud Randal Sennour
Opportunities are available to help with the Sunday Service in December!
Please Sign Up on "The List" in the Fellowship Room.
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