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On Tuesday, June 21, the chrysalis the children at church were watching for several weeks finally cracked open at my house. The butterfly inside split the shell in two, unfurled its black and indigo wings, and flew off into the sky. Watching the butterfly free itself from the cocoon and soar skyward was like witnessing a symbol of our Christian faith in real time. It turned out to be an omen for events that would unfold over the next two weeks.
Two days later, Robin and I joined 60 other people from churches, labor unions, the Religion and Labor Network, the Central Texas Immigrant Worker's Rights Center, the Equal Justice Center, and Casa Marienella who had gathered to collect the wages a local contractor owed two of his immigrant employees. Working with the Immigrants Worker's Rights Center, the workers successfully filed legal charges against the contractor for theft of services, and a judge issued a warrant for his arrest because of his failure to appear in court. The Texas Workforce Commission froze one of his bank accounts and withdrew money from it to partially pay one of the workers, but he still owed them a total of $1,435.50.
We gathered at Our Lady of Guadalupe Church in East Austin and marched peacefully to the contractor's home. Rev. Fred Krebs, Rev. June Wilkins, Julian Ross from the Immigrant Worker's Rights Center, Juan (one of the workers), and I went to his front door while the rest of the delegation sang quietly in the street. When the contractor opened the door, we explained who we were, and asked him to pay his workers the money he owed them. Noticing a Jesus plaque on his house, I asked him to allow Jesus into his heart so Jesus could lead him to do the right thing. In a rather contrite manner, he agreed to bring a check to the Equal Justice Center the following day. Contrary to everyone's expectations, and much to everyone's surprise, he showed up with check in hand. The workers were overjoyed.
A few days later, our church work group headed off to Back Bay Mission in Biloxi, Mississippi. We painted a home in nearby Gulfport that was suffering from serious disrepair. Paint was pealing, wood siding was warped, flashing was rotten and crumbling to pieces. We scraped until our shoulders ached and our clothes dripped with sweat. Junior used his carpentry skills to replace the rotten wood. We sealed all the cracks, filled all the holes, and covered everything with several coats of fresh paint.
What an incredible transformation! A run down house suddenly enjoyed a new lease on life.
During the week, Don Morgan, one of Back Bay's staff, explained that the extensive repairs needed to renovate the home of a low-wage family--new paint job, repairs to the siding, new roof, landscaping, plumbing, electrical work--can become so overwhelming and expensive that a family can lose all hope in ever improving its home. Work groups provide the hope, sweat, and energizing boost a family sometimes needs. Back Bay staff members often follow up with advice and encouragement for further repairs, and when possible, provide supplies. We saw a family putting a new roof on a home that a previous work group had recently painted. Back Bay Mission provided the shingles.
Soon after returning home from Back Bay, I learned that the United Church of Christ passed a resolution at General Synod in Atlanta calling for "equal marriage rights for couples regardless of gender." This resolution expresses the belief that a covenant relationship based on mutual love and commitment between two men or two women is as blessed under God's reign as that between a man and a woman. It expresses our church's affirmation of their covenant relationship, and advocates that civil authorities and society-at-large recognize their covenant relationship as a marriage.
All three of these events--recouping stolen wages for workers, restoring a home that was falling to pieces, and affirming the rights of gays and lesbians in the face of political and religious hostility currently directed towards them--were manifestations of the hope, liberation, transformation, restoration, and new life the butterfly symbolizes. After witnessing the symbol come to life, I was thankful that I witnessed the reality it symbolizes manifest in the real world.
The butterfly symbolizes that Christ lives. Because Christ lives, we can split open the protective shells we wrap around ourselves, and we can emerge as agents of transformation in a world that desperately needs to be transformed. We can turn injustice into justice, brokenness into wholeness, and inequality into equality. With the spirit of the living Christ, we can be agents of hope and new life.
Tom
Board to Evaluate Outreach Ministries
The Board of Christian outreach has been very active in its 2+ years of existence, embarking on a number of new ministries and drawing upon the tremendous energy of our church. The board members feel that it is time we pause and reflect on our efforts.
In August and September the Board of Christian Outreach is going to critically evaluate our outreach ministries by addressing a number of questions. First, we wish to identify the goals of each ministry: What are they? How do they fit within our larger purpose as a Christian church? Then, we will examine how well we are meeting those goals: How successful are we? Are the members supporting the ministry? Are we spreading ourselves too thin?
During this period of reflection we invite your thoughts and comments, which can be sent in confidence to John Goff or Tom, on the outreach ministries of our church: Is there something that worries you? Is there something we've spent too much of our effort on? Is there something we are missing that would make us more fully disciples of Christ?
Trustees: Pam Tucker
Deacons: Liz Nash
Christian Education: Marilyn Vaché
Christian Outreach: John Goff
Happy Hot Summer! Have you noticed that the wood restoration on the stained glass windows is finished and painted?! Hooray and thanks to everyone's help on this project to keep our building in good shape. Also, a big thank you to Reuel Nash who has taken over building and grounds and is doing a fabulous job. Things are getting done and the place is looking good. Please let Reuel or any trustee know if there are maintenance issues. If you would like to assist Reuel or want to volunteer for a small project, Reuel can assign you one--anything from weeding or watering the garden to replacing light bulbs to painting. Please contact him directly. Have a great summer!
Mary and I realize how fortunate we've been ever since she developed ovarian cancer the last of April, fortunate in benefiting from the love, kindness and generosity of the many friends in church, in so very many forms and expressions, more than I can possibly spell out. It comes down to your being God's gift to us, so here is our frail attempt to say thank you to all of you, our church family and to our Ultimate source of love and goodness. I could write a lot about the way our priorities have changed, e.g., that hanging out around home has become very satisfying and so very important to us. So again THANK YOU to the so very many of you who have nurtured and sustained us these many weeks. With our deep love and gratitude, Mary and Matt Blackstock
Gathered in Austin over the 2005 Memorial Day weekend, Paul and Ellen Deisler had all their kids, the spouses of those of their kids who have them, and almost all of the kids of all espoused couples present, and they decided it would be a good time to celebrate that complex fact and two others: slightly late, their 160 joint person-years on Earth and, slightly early, their 110 joint, married person-years. So they had a very fine dinner at the Siena Restaurant with fourteen present in all. During the dinner they were given a large, photographic collage of some of their wedding pictures. Inspecting the "objet d'art", Ellen said: "That couple is way too young to get married!" She was right - but it worked out anyway and either Paul or Ellen will tell you that the couple is no longer too young for anything but that they are too old for many things. A good time was had by all present, young, old and undecided. Paul further reports, "I'm not a long-time Austinite but I am an experienced Texan. My biggest problem coping with summers as hot as Austin's but more humid was before my time in the Navy in WWII, in the early forties, during the wartime summer terms at Texas A&M. We had no fans and the only place in College Station that was air-conditioned was the Campus Theater. The playbill was of no consequence: only the sign saying "20° COOLER INSIDE" mattered. If you had the time and the money, that's where you went for a little relief. Given the time but no money, the Hayden Natatorium (now gone) was the other place to go where you were lucky to call nine square feet of pool surface your own. Summer hit like a hammer toward the end of May. For me that meant coping with major headaches for about 10 days until my system adjusted. After that it was plenty of sweat and plenty of bugs. My dorm had no screens but the windows had to stay open to avoid death. All the bugs in Brazos County not already busy with someone else's student lamp swarmed around mine and around me. Keeping the sweat and the smears of dead bugs off my homework, especially engineering drawings, became a major task each evening. But we were young and we didn't know any better. We didn't even know we were coping: it all seemed natural. We just got used to it and we went on with studying, playing sports, taking exams and having the fun that comes with youth. Come to think of it, I really have become a softie. And I like it!"
Your faithful reporter was so excited last month about an upcoming tip to England that she forgot to report on the second triumph of the Congregational-Presbyterian spelling team (The Spell Checkers). Team members Kathy Blackburn, Susan Richter, and Pat Oakes won the second annual Great Grown-Up Spelling Bee, held at La Zona Rosa, which benefits the Literacy Coalition of Central Texas. The team was organized by Rich and Jane Thompson. It was a real cliffhanger and lots of fun for participants and the audience too. Check out the trophy which is on the mantel above the fireplace in the fellowship room.
Karl and Andrea Putz had their baby at 4:37pm on June 14th in Chicago--named Murphy Reed. The baby may have arrived 5 days late, but he was a fast labor (only 7 hours of labor and 22 minutes of pushing!). They report that he was tiny, only 6.5 lbs. but long, 19.75 inches. You can check out the family's Web site at http://family.ringroadphoto.com. They are all doing well.
Happy eleventh birthday to Julia Adams. She celebrated with a birthday party on July 7th--birthday on the 8th. Julia and her dad Michael are keeping cool by swimming laps this summer. As of early July, they were only up to three eighths of a mile. They started at about one eighth, but expect to be doing a mile, by the time the pools close in mid -August. Michael went to Atlanta, Texas, to visit his parents the last weekend in June. He left directly from his nursing case, which has moved to Bastrop County, drove all night, with a couple of naps by the road, and arrived at about eight AM. His parents aren't doing well. In fact, his mother had to go back into the nursing home a few days after Michael left. For coping with Austin heat, Michael reports, "When Kerry and I got married, in 1972, there were still a lot of houses that weren't air-conditioned, including ours. I worked nights at Austin State Hospital, and slept in the cooler part of the morning. We put a fan in the window, but we'd forget to turn it off when it started blowing in hot air. So, I'd wake up, and sleep some more, after dark. Fortunately, there was no daylight saving time then, so I got a couple of hours more sleep, before I went to work. Kerry was really scared at night, alone, and kept all the windows closed, so it was just mainly hot the first couple of summers. We went swimming a lot."
Rizer Everett says, "Now that we have days with the thermometer at one hundred degrees I remember Austin before air-conditioned homes were common. My father had constructed a stone patio and a tile-topped table with tile benches at the west side of our home in the 900 block of West 31st Street. During the summer months my parents, three brothers, and I ate most of our breakfasts and evening meals outdoors. We also took picnic supplies for swims at Deep Eddy or Barton Springs swimming pools. Sometimes in the evenings we would make the trip to view outdoor movies shown on a screen near the old law building at the hill just west of Speedway. My present way of keeping cool is to view the Wimbledon tennis games and golf tournaments on the television set and watch the wild birds at the squirrel-proof feeder outside my cottage window." Rizer lived on West 31st St. from 1921 until 1937.
Sarah Kirch was given a farewell party at church and is visiting her dad for the rest of the summer. Lisa sold her house and finished up several projects in Austin after taking Sarah to Florence, Alabama, where they house-hunted. Lisa will be an assistant professor of art history at the University of North Alabama. It is Alabama's oldest institution of higher education (1830) and where her grandfather got his teaching certificate. Sarah got to tour her new school and met two little girls who will be in her fourth grade class. Sarah convinced her mom to get her a dwarf hamster (instead of the rat she had been insisting on). While in Alabama, Sarah learned about kudzu which she calls "cuddlyzu", because it cuddles with the trees. Lisa also had the pleasure of attending a conference in Chicago on the Inspiration of Astronomical Phenomena (InsAP 5), a get-together that examined astronomy from all sorts of humanistic aspects, mostly having to do with the arts. Lisa says, "It sounds like the geekiest meeting in the world, but it was the most fun five days I've had in years. Our sponsoring institution was the Adler Planetarium, celebrating its 75th anniversary, and the Adler's director had arranged all sorts of special events for us. We were the first audience to see their new statue of Jim Lovell--even before Mayor Daley and the press the next day. They'd also brought in the Kronos Quartet to play a piece, "Sun Rings," by Terry Riley, in a building designed by Frank Gehry. We had fabulous seats, and after the concert, the Kronos guys came back on stage for a Q&A session. How often does anyone ever get that chance? Invited speakers included historians of astronomy, art historians, and a woman whose team at the National Center for Super-computing Applications had made most of the animations people see in planetaria and in films on PBS. Very cool. I hung out for days on end with physicists, not one of whom was wearing a pocket protector, and all of whom were really nice, charming guys with unquenchable curiosity and a lively sense of humor. I can't wait for the next conference." Lisa's new address is 510 Wilson Dam Ave., Sheffield, AL 35661.
Speaking of summer heat, Fran Briggs, when she was at UT, lived on the west side of Scottish Rite Dormitory when it was not air-conditioned. She wonders now how she survived. She also remembers when the church was not air-conditioned. Before air-conditioning, summer church was at 9:30 on Sunday mornings--and then many members adjourned to West Enfield pool to cool off. It hasn't been that long since the church put in air conditioning--maybe 30 years!.
Mary Blackstock is doing well so far with her chemotherapy to treat ovarian cancer. Continuing a tradition of more than 30 years, she gets up a dawn and walks three miles--and, in spite of surgery and two chemo treatments, in early July, she was still continuing that regimen. Keep up the good work! You and Matt are both in our prayers, Mary!
Mel and Pat Oakes had a marvelous two week trip to England in May. While there they attended two United Reformed churches, the UCC equivalent across the pond. The first church was in Henleaze, a part of Bristol, where they visited long-time friends. Mel and Pat met Don Kimber, whose father was an English Congregational minister, at the Congregational church group at FSU, and they have remained friends with him and his wife ever since--more than 40 years. They stayed 9 days with Don and Ann and saw wonderful castles, cathedrals, abbeys, gardens, etc. They tried to re-connect with former member Tania String who is on the faculty at the University of Bristol, but the phones were not working properly. The second church was in Leatherhead, near Gatwick Airport, where they saw Eunice Paul and sat in church with her and listened to her son-in-law Dean Tapley lead the service and her daughter Lydia sing in the choir. Dean and Lydia spent a summer here some years ago when they did a pulpit exchange with John and Eleanor Towery. Dean is now at the church where Eunice's husband, the late Bob Paul, was the minister from 1949-1954. Pat and Mel also had a lovely visit with Allison and Chris Cole-Stutz and their two children, Hazel, 4, and Violet, 2 months. They live in Richmond, just outside of London. Garry and Judy Cole were due to make a visit the week after the Oakeses were there.
Marilyn Gaddis and George Carruthers joined a group of retired officers from San Antonio for a trip to Granbury for an old fashioned 4th of July Parade and fireworks. They also saw a fine performance of "Gypsy" at the Opera House and Granbury's Live Theater production of "God Bless Texas" - a must see says Marilyn!
John Towery and his brother Bill (who lives in Georgetown), both retired pastors, had a wonderful time going to the Towry Family Reunion which was held in Fayetteville, TN. Even though the names are spelled differently (Towery--Towry), they all come from the same ancestors. Bill is the president of the organization and John is the chaplain. Two to three hundred folks were there for the 3 day event. They then went to see their cousin Carolyn Reid who lives in Cleveland, near Chattanooga. She is quite ill, so they were glad to be able to see her. They drove Eleanor's old Cadillac which hadn't been on a road trip in quite a while. The first few tanks of gas were only getting them 15 miles per gallon, but later in the trip they were getting up to 25.
Flo Chiles enjoyed a 4th of July weekend visit from her daughter Barbara and 2 of her grandchildren from Bryan. They came to visit while Barbara's husband Randy Haynes was on a World War II history tour of Normandy. Barbara and the kids melted in the heat at the fireworks at Zilker Park while remembering their last 4th of July in very cold weather in Minnesota. Flo is still making progress on getting her hip to heal, but hasn't quite gotten up enough steam to get her to Minnesota for her annual trek. Too many more days of this heat and she will be on her way!
Frances Alford has bought a house in Grafton, Vermont. She spent all her childhood summers in Grafton at her grandparents' house. She was there recently with John, his care-giver, Annie, and their two Yorkies. They have had two or three hot days but mostly chilly mornings and evenings with low 80s mid day. That was the best way they could think of to avoid the Texas heat. John has loved it there. They have taken great rides and have really enjoyed the scenery. Her 83-year-old aunt is there and they have spent a good amount of time with her enjoying her company. Frances goes on to say, "Now, about that Texas heat prior to air-conditioning. We were not able to spend ALL of the summer here as children. We would get back in the station wagon and drive back to Houston. This was a five day drive without AC. I always had a brown right arm because my assigned seat was on the right. I have no idea how my mother did this. I think she just drove until she was cross-eyed. Then we would find a motel for the night and cool off with tub baths and cotton night gowns. At home in Houston, we read for hours under fans, playing in the early morning and in the cool evening. We had a sprinkler that we called the 'fit-fit' because that is the sound the water made coming out of the brass ring that attached to the hose. When air-conditioners became more common we got a window unit for my parents bedroom. We were so excited about this the first day that we had our lunch on a table cloth in that room, sitting on the floor and pretending we were sitting by a cool brook. My mother made us some net tutus one year for Christmas. They were so popular that we were still wearing them when summer came. Several nights a week my mother would ask if anyone wanted to go to Finer's Drug Store for ice cream. We would rush to put on our tutus, sometimes with only underpants and shoes. We would get back in her station wagon and my parents would take turns going in to give the ice cream order. We would sit in the parking lot of the Finer's Drug Store which still seems like Nirvana. We would slowly lick our single scoop and feel like the luckiest people in the world. On the Fourth of July, we had sparklers and watermelon. We wore sun suits that my mother made out of feed sacks. I think the most important thing prior to air-conditioning was that we did not know we were missing it because we did not have it."
We have missed the Tucker family, but they have been quite busy. Harrison had tubes put into his ears a few weeks ago and has made dramatic leaps in activity and alertness and sounds. He couldn't hear much from all the infection in his ears. He is not crawling, but drags himself anywhere almost as fast as crawling. Savanna is loving swimming this summer and is getting better all the time. Pam has been involved with soccer which often happens on Sundays which explains why we haven't seen them much. Pam went by herself to Hawaii over Memorial Day weekend and met two friends there from Japan. They took her to a Buddhist temple, to a Buddhist worship service, and to the lantern floating ceremony on the beach among other things. She reports that it was absolutely wonderful. She was very impressed with Hawaii and Hawaiians and the beauty of the island. It was good to see her friends, too. She has been doing some reading (although not much time for reading these days) on mindfulness to try to understand a little about Buddhism.
Fred and Juditha Buchstad and their 7-year-old son Gus were in the area for a week from Massachusetts, but not in town on Sunday so were unable to see folks at church. It is hard to believe, but they have been in the Boston are for more than ten years now. They were able to see John and Eleanor Towery and Pat and Mel Oakes and send their best wishes to one and all. Juditha is now a full professor at Salem State College in Salem, MA, and Fred continues as a librarian at Widener Library at Harvard. Gus was having a wonderful time getting to know Texas--went to a ranch or tow, Wimberley, Lampasas--and announced that he really liked Texas. Come back again soon!
CENTRAL TEXAS IMMIGRANT WORKERS RIGHTS CENTER
PRESENTATION AT CHURCH ON AUGUST 14
On Sunday, August 14, the Central Texas Immigrant Workers Rights Center (CTIWoRC, pronounced "city work") will offer a presentation at church after worship. CTIWoRC supports immigrant workers who encounter discrimination and illegal practices on the job. One of the most common problems they face is non-payment of wages. Several immigrant workers and CTIWoRC staff will share experiences and describe the strategies they use to recoup stolen wages. Our church supports CTIWoRC through our involvement with the Religion and Labor Network of Austin. Please come to learn more about this ministry.
THE TSUNAMI RELIEF EFFORT:
AN EYE-WITNESS ACCOUNT OF MARC D'SILVA
Catholic Relief Services Country Representative in India
TUESDAY, JULY 26, 7:00 PM
ST. AUSTIN CATHOLIC PARISH,
HECKER HALL
2026 Guadalupe Street
Parking available in the lot at MLK and San Antonio
Sponsored by the St. Austin Social Justice Ministry and JustFAITH
As a fellow member of the Micah 6 Coalition, St. Austin Catholic Parish invites you to attend a presentation by Marc D'Silva, Country Representative for Catholic Relief Services in India. Marc has supervised Tsunami Relief in India since the beginning of the disaster and will offer first hand information and an update on those efforts. After providing life-saving materials in the immediate aftermath, CRS transitioned into long-term strategic engagement to restore livelihoods and ensure protection for the most vulnerable groups from increased exposure to dangers such as human trafficking, child labor and HIV/AIDS. Marc will be able to share his insight on the importance of this unique kind of integrated emergency response and how those affected are planning for the future.
For more information contact Ed Gifford at 453-9742 or egifford@austin.rr.com.
CONGREGATIONAL MEETING TO DISCUSS AND VOTE ON PROPOSED
BY-LAWS CHANGE POSTPONED FROM JULY TO OCTOBER
Due to concerns that too many church members will be absent because of vacation plans, the Deacons and the Coordinating Council have decided to postpone the Congregational Meeting to discuss and vote on a proposed By-Laws change from July 24 to October 2. The proposed change addresses our church's procedure for accepting new members. On the Sunday before the Congregational Meeting, September 25, the Deacons and Coordinating Council will host a Forum to discuss the proposed By-Law change. Please make every effort to attend the Forum and the Congregational Meeting.
JULY BIRTHDAYS
1 John R. Gage
2 Enid Ross
4 Kay Lewis
5 Ellen Ryan
7 Sarah Murphy Sennour
David Pinkard
8 Julia Adams
9 Betty Phillips
11 Katelyn Lemley
15 Jonathan Ashton
17 Andy Ross
19 Joseph P. McMillan, Jr.
21 Chester Rosson
23 Gary Barrett
24 Brenda Tingle
26 Eric Deisler
28 Doyal Pinkard
Andrea Putz
31 Lillie Kate Webb
AUGUST BIRTHDAYS
5 Sharon Brown
6 Steven Hawes Domingue
10 Debbie Catherine Sennour
11 David Ross
Marty Gooding
13 Sarah Ashton
21 Loretta A. Lewis
22 Cecile L. Ervin
24 Mike Ross
26 Travis Moore
CHANGE THE LIFE OF AN ABUSED CHILD
Each month in Travis County there are more than 1,200 children living in foster care because of abuse and neglect. CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocate) of Travis County connects these innocent victims with caring individuals who want to impact and improve a child's life. A CASA volunteer can add safety, friendship, and hope for a new future to the life of an abused child - things they may have never had before.
Attend a CASA Open House to learn how you can change the life of an abused child in our community. Open House is an opportunity for you to come meet some of our staff and ask any questions you may have.
Upcoming Open House dates:
Aug. 1, Sept. 7, Oct. 3, Nov. 9
All Open Houses are held from 11am - 7pm at the CASA office located at 6330 Highway 290 East. Please call for directions or visit www.casatravis.org for a map.
If you are unable to attend an Open House, please feel free to call us at 459-2272 or email us at volunteer@casatravis.org. Attending Open House is not mandatory for becoming a volunteer.
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