The Congregational Church of Austin, UCC
United Church of Christ

In Guatemala, there's a Tzutuhil Mayan community called Santiago Atitlan. The folks who live there are called Atitecos, and many continue to practice the rituals associated with Mayan religious beliefs. According to cultural anthropologists, Robert Carlsen and Martin Prechtel, the central religious concept held by Atitecos is jaloj-k'exoj. Jaloj and K'exoj are two Tzutuhil words that denote types of change. Jal refers to change that occurs as a living being evolves through its individual life cycle of birth, childhood, adulthood, old age, and death. K'ex refers to the generational change that occurs when death generates new life. Jal is thus a life cycle that begins and ends within the continuous cycle of k'ex.
This belief is expressed through the following Atiteco myth, called Flowering Mountain Earth. Before there was a world, there stood a solitary deified tree. As the world's creation approached, this deity became pregnant with life. From its branches sprouted one of everything that exists. Not only were there physical objects like rocks, maize and deer hanging from the branches, but elements such as lightening and individual segments of time. Eventually, this abundance became too much for the tree to support, and the fruit fell from the branches. Smashing open, the fruit scattered seeds, and soon there were numerous seedlings at the foot of the old tree. The tree provided shelter for the young plants, nurturing them until it was finally crowded out by the new life. Since then, this tree has existed as a stump at the center of the world. This stump is what remains of the original "Mother/Father," the source and endpoint of life.
This deified tree is symbolized on the main altar in Santiago Atitlan's Catholic church as a mountain with a maize plant sprouting on top. Traditional Atitecos believe that as long as this tree is fed and cared for, it will continue to regenerate life. A number of rituals are associated with caring for the tree, and some Atitecos feed it by placing offerings into a hole in the ground they call a r'muxux, which means "umbilicus."
Atitecos view the life cycle of maize as a metaphor for the human life cycle. Seeds are planted in the ground, and with proper care, they sprout and become small plants, which are addressed as tak ai', which means "little one" or "child." The plant eventually matures, flowers, dries up and dies. This death produces numerous seeds, which are returned to the earth to renew the cycle of life. New plants grow in the image of their ancestors. As with maize, Atitecos believe that after death, a person's life essence is regenerated in his or her descendants, specifically within the grandchildren. By custom, a grandchild is given the grandparent's name, and is referred to as k'exel, which means, "my replacement." The grandparent's replacement becomes the symbolic parent of the child's biological parent, and males address their fathers as nuk' jol, which means "my son."
Obviously, such a religious belief makes for a strong bond between the generations. From my own travels to Guatemala, I've seen that, generally speaking, families are close, generational ties are strong, and communal life highly valued. Of course, this doesn't mean that family and communal life is always hunky-dory in "traditional" Mayan culture. Family problems exist, and much anthropological ink has been spilled describing the generational conflicts that have swept the Mayan highlands over the past 50 years. Nevertheless, I would venture that Atitecos have something that we generally lack in our culture, strong positive role modeling and intentional mentoring of the young by the old in daily and communal life.
The Atiteco myth and lifestyle reflects the growth and maturation of Christians in the church. As Stanley Hauerwas and William Willimon write in their book, Resident Aliens, we don't become Christians because we learned how in a class, we become Christians "by looking over someone else's shoulder, emulating some admired older Christian, saying yes to and taking up a way of life that was made real and accessible through the witness of someone else."
The continuity of Christian life in the church depends upon the older generation spending time with and mentoring the younger generation. Being a living, breathing, active, and visible example, or epiphany, of the Christian faith plants the seeds of faithful Christian discipleship in the generations that follow. Plant with love and care, and the tak ai' will grow.

On February 22, University Baptist Church will host a major Conference entitled, Love Welcomes All. A number of keynote speakers from the fields of psychology and theology will offer perspectives on homosexuality that counter the views put forth by the Christian organizations, Focus on the Family and the National Association for the Research and Therapy of Homosexuality (NARTH). Focus on the Family and NARTH claim that homosexuality is a psychological or emotional illness that can be cured through reparative therapy, and that homosexuality is a sin committed against God's natural order. Love Welcomes All, supported by the research of every major psychiatric, psychological, social work, and medical association in America, rejects the notion that homosexuality is an illness in need of a cure. It advocates a theology that claims homosexuality is a natural part of God's diverse creation, and therefore not a sin.
The Love Welcomes All Conference is geared toward professionals in the fields of psychology and social work, people of faith--both lay and clergy, people affirming or struggling with their sexual identity, and the parents of children who may be affirming or struggling with their sexual identity. The goal is to create a climate of tolerance and acceptance within the city Austin, including the faith communities. Please consider supporting this important Conference by attending. More information will be made available on the website and in fellowship hall.

Our all church Annual Meeting will be held following the worship service on Sunday, January 19. All Boards and Committees are asked to submit written reports no later than Sunday, January 5, for the Annual Report Booklet, which will be distributed prior to 19th. In addition to voting on the 2003 budget, the Deacons will be proposing a change to the Memorial Gifts section of the By Laws. The proposed changes were sent to all members in December. Please be sure to attend the Annual Meeting on January 19.

On Thursday, January 16 and 30, at 7: 30 pm, we'll be gathering in the sanctuary for our prayerful reflection on scripture. We usually reflect on the gospel lesson for the upcoming Sunday. We read the passage through several times, and respond to several questions regarding how this passage is speaking to us. The goal is not so much to pick the passage apart with modern critical biblical scholarship techniques (though we can't resist doing some of that!), but to allow the passage from scripture open up our own lives as a text where we may encounter the Spirit of the Living God. The fascinating thing is, by the time we hear and reflect on the passage the fourth or fifth time, we often have a different impression of it than after hearing it the first time. Please join us.

A group of folks who participated in the Vision discussion groups and selected Christian Education and Spirituality as their priority for the church and their own ministry met in December. Some were more concerned with youth education, while others were more concerned with adult education. As the conversation progressed, it tilted toward adult education, with an emphasis on the need for more education on the Bible, and the life and ministry of Jesus Christ.
We decided to look into purchasing the PBS Frontline Series, From Jesus to Christ, and to show it at church. The series is a high quality exploration of the life and times of Jesus, and how the Jesus story was recorded in the gospels. The series is educational and a great foundation for discussion. The producer, Dr. White, teaches at UT, and we decided to see if he would be available to lead a discussion at our church. We also decided to choose several books for group reading and discussion. These books will focus on Jesus' life and ministry, and contemporary issues of Christian discipleship. In addition, we'll continue our lectio divinas Bible reflection on Thursday evenings.
This group, a loose-knit ad hoc group of members interested in Christian Education and Spirituality, will continue to meet, brainstorm, and propose ministries for adults and youth. If you would like to participate--just show up. It's an open group.

Is there a gently used filing cabinet cluttering up your life? If so, consider donating it to the archives. More storage is needed and frankly the filing cabinets now in use have seen better days and could stand to be replaced. Contact Sharon Brown at 459-1984.

Don't forget the Epiphany Potluck on January 5th. Call or e-mail the church office to sign up.

1 Bob Breihan
Suzanne VanderPoel
18 Brad Ferguson
Betsy Ferguson
Paul Deisler
Kaitlyn Newell
22 Mary Masters
23 Danny Masters
28 Yoshikuni Kaneda
30 Robin Chapman
31 Joe Nordstrom

Covert Park at Mt Bonnell received an early Christmas present. On Saturday, December 7th more than 20 Congregational Church members gathered at Covert Park at Mt. Bonnell for our quarterly visitation -- this time things were a little different. As part of this Church commitment as the official Adopt-a-Park sponsor we not only gathered up multiple bags of trash, but for the first time we also planted a wide array of native plants in the three flowerbeds of the park. Equipped with planting tools, potting soil, mulch and the plants themselves, we planted various varieties of Salvia, Lantana, Sage and Cacti, making an observable and now permanent contribution to the Park. What a difference those plants made!
What was especially remarkable was that the 24 hardy workers (David Adams, Vic Appel, Matt Blackstock, Sharon Brown, David & Kathi Foster, Ken Harker, Richard Jackson & Mary Sinclair, Brita Jenquin, Jeff Lemley, Mark McCoy, Sara Moore, Reuel & Becky Nash, David and Sara Ross, Chester Rosson, Ben White, Suzanne Vanderpoel, Robin Chapman, Tom & Alex VandeStadt and Jeri Winter) not only picked up trash but planted the plants, weeded along the trail and cut substantial dead tree limbs and bushes along the parking area. Amazingly, they did so in record time. They were finished by 11:30. This allowed for our customary lunch -- but there was even something different about that: we had birthday cake for dessert. We celebrated Jeff Lemley's 14th birthday along with the traditional singing of the Happy Birthday song. All were pleased with the transformation that 2 1/2 hours of collaborative effort had accomplished.
Our next Mt. Bonnell Adopt-a-Park clean-up day will be on March 15.

Congratulations to John Burlinson. He reached the magic number of 80 for State retirement (his age plus years of service) and has retired, but not for long! After a month off, he is going back to a different job in January as Risk Manager. He will be involved with workman's compensation, safety and security, and business continuity (disaster recovery). John, we all feel better knowing you are in charge.
John Moore and Suzanne Bradford had a very quiet Thanksgiving, with the kids in Amarillo with their mom. Their biggest excitement was taking care of the neighbor's dogs, one of which kept escaping and creating a panic each time she got out. One morning, she even greeted them with a rat that she had caught and eventually killed in the process of playing with it. They are looking forward to a break from work just in time for Christmas. They will be hosting John's parents from Colorado, Suzanne's parents from El Paso, and her brother from Dallas over the Christmas holiday. And, of course, Sarah and Travis will be with them. They are looking forward to playing some golf and volleyball, and doing lots of cooking. Travis is having a great time taking on the additional responsibilities of 4th grade, and his grades are terrific. He's also very busy with soccer. He and John will be heading to Houston on December 13th for a tournament there. Sarah is really blossoming in eighth grade. Not only has she made honor roll (which she does every year), but she was recently selected to attend a special party of "math nerds" because she was ranked first in her math class. She was also selected to join a special group of high potential kids in English class. One of the things they do is get together and share their written work with one another. Keep up the good work, Travis and Sarah!
Eunice Paul sends Christmas Greetings to all her friends at the Congregational Church of Austin from grey, damp, chilly England. She hopes to be with her Connecticut family for Christmas; her older son and his family from Pittsburgh will join them there for a few days. Then she plans to be with friends in Naples, Florida until the end of January. Dean and Lydia Tapley join her with greetings and all good wishes for 2003.
Lisa Kirch and Sarah went to Arkansas to spend Thanksgiving with Sarah's grandfather and a bunch of aunts and uncles and cousins. Sarah didn't remember going to Arkansas when she was three, so she was very curious about the place. "Do they speak English there?" she wanted to know. When she heard that they had to go shopping, she said, "Goody! I like shopping in countries I've never been to before!" Lisa notes that she would like to think Sarah was simply exhibiting the attitude proper to a native Texan, but it seems more likely that she's just too used to being in Europe--also not a bad thing.
Rizer Everett has been seeing a lot of Central Texas and ensuring that a number of women residents at Englewood Estates, the retirement community where Rizer lives, have a lovely time, too. He and a companion enjoyed eating out and museum hopping in Fredricksburg and Kerrville. He took another one of his companions, who had taken painting lessons from his dad in 1934, to the Webb Middle School where a mural depicting the history of Texas is mounted on the east wall of the library. Another day another companion and Rizer visited the Hindu temple on highway 1826, a few miles southwest of Austin. They were impressed with the beauty of the distinctive architecture of the building and with the maps and photographs inside the building. He also attended the December luncheon meeting of the Exxon Annuitant Club of Austin held at the Austin Country Club. The meetings are held four times a year where annuitants and their spouses have the opportunity to keep in touch with former Exxon employees.
Clark and Cathy Hubbs had Laura and John for Thanksgiving with all their families except for Aaron, who had to stay in Stillwater for his job. Ann and her David found it hard to travel with Adam but offered to digitize the Christmas picture and add themselves to it. Cathy picked up their Christmas cards, which will include David and Ann who is holding Adam, and even their dog! Fun! Cathy reminds us to be careful about what we see in pictures nowadays!
Weldon and Marie Scheel, long-time members of the church, have entered the digital age and gone on line! Marie claims that she is a neophyte with the gadget, but she and Weldon decided this summer that it was high time (after mulling it over for a couple of years) for them to get with it. She says that she is struggling with it and learning the ins and outs. They miss being in church, but find it hard to get going in the morning. You can keep in touch with them by e-mailing them or giving them a call. Their e-mail address is MSche5@aol.com.
Norma Hawes, who teaches music at Eanes Elementary, attended an AISD school board meeting recently and spoke out against plans to cut music programs in AISD. She knows whereof she speaks because this year Eanes School District implemented similar cuts and she has found them to be very detrimental. Norma knows the world needs music! Daughter Kathleen Hawes-Domingue also knows this as she auditioned for Region band and made second chair (oboe) and will audition for Area and State soon. The Region concert will be in January.
New Yorkers David Pinkard and his friend Suzanne Connole will be visiting Doyal and Tommie Pinkard over Christmas week. They are looking forward to visiting favorite restaurants in town and just hanging out and enjoying Austin's relaxed atmosphere.
David and Edith Scott write from Scotland that they are doing well. They were here as members of the church for several years about 16--18 years ago. Young David is now 6 feet 4 inches tall and is in college at Glasgow University. Sarah is all grown up and is living on her own now. Edith is working as a stewardship consultant for the national church and recently visited Ethiopia where her local church is funding a project. We will try to get the article in the next Visitor.