408 W. 23rd Street, Austin, TX 78705-5214 (512)472-2370
Fax: (512)472-1175 e-mail: ucausti@SWBell.net
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Haven't seen you in quite a while
I was down the hold, just passing time Last time we met it was a low-lit room We were as close together as a bride and groom We ate the food, we drank the wine Everybody was having a good time, Except you You were talking about the end of the world I took the money, I spiked your drink You miss too much these days if you stop to think You led me on with those innocent eyes And you know I love the element of surprise In the garden I was playing the tart I kissed your lips and broke your heart You, you were acting like it was the end of the world In my dream I was drowning my sorrows But my sorrows they learned to swim Surrounding me, going down on me Spilling over the brim In waves of regret, waves of joy I reached out to the one I tried to destroy You, you said you'd wait until the end of the world U2 Until the End of the World I've been pulling the U2 Compact Disc, Achtung Baby, from my CD collection a lot lately. When nobody else is home but the two dogs, I get liberal with the volume knob and crank up song # 4, Until the End of the World. It's a great song for Lent. If you didn't quite catch it, the song is about Judas and Jesus--the last supper, a kiss of betrayal in the garden, suicidal regret...forgiveness and the promise of reconciliation. It's now time to revisit all the Lenten characters and stories once again. Peter denies Jesus must die, then denies knowing Jesus before he dies. Judas dips his bread into the cup Jesus brings to his lips, then betrays Jesus in the garden with a kiss from his own lips. The disciples fall into a deep sleep as Jesus prays, then find the energy to flee for their lives when he's captured. There's quite a bit of fear, cowardice, betrayal, and abandonment in these stories. There's also a lot of anguished despair, and many tears of regret. I imagine the disciples beating themselves up pretty badly inside after denying, betraying, and abandoning Jesus. The days between Jesus' arrest and his resurrection must have been hell on earth for those guys. I can't imagine how they felt as they reflected on what they had just done. Lent is the time for us to reflect on our own lives and relationships with Jesus. Perhaps our fear, cowardice, betrayal, and abandonment are not as significant as that displayed by the original disciples. Perhaps our anguished despair and tears of regret are not as intense. But if we examine our lives closely and honestly, we'll find bits and pieces of the original twelve within us. There's a bit of Peter, even a bit of Judas, in each one of us. But the story doesn't end with the disciples' failure, nor does it end ours. After his death, Jesus returns and promises to be with us....until the end of the world. Tom Outreach Alert Child Sponsorship The Calvert Foundation Chairs of our Boards Trustees: John Moore & Pam Tucker CLEAN UP DAY!!! John Moore, co-chair or the Board of Trustees and chair of the Building and Grounds Committee, has scheduled a clean-up day for March 13. The area to be tackled will be the downstairs storage area (the dreaded tool closet!). This is a chore we've needed to complete for some time. Please come lend a hand. We'll announce the time as the day gets closer, but it will most likely be in the morning. CROP Walk Come Celebrate the 26th annual CROP Walk on March 7, 2004 at the new location in Roy Guerrero Colorado River Park on the 2 mile nature trail. Times are: registration at 1:45 p.m. and step-off at 2:30. Seventy-five percent of the money goes to international hunger work with 25% staying right here in Austin to fight hunger. For more information see the website at http://www.main.org/cropwalk/ or call the church office for more information. Women's Book Club March 15: Schlink, Bernhard, THE READER Hosted by Betsy Tylka
PERSONALS The Moore / Bradford family has finally moved into their new home at 4707 Hilwin Circle, Austin, TX 78756 (that is John's office address as well). The house was rebuilt practically from the ground up after mold was found in it almost 2 years ago. Grateful appreciation goes to the many of the church family who helped them make the move. Thanks to: John Goff, David Ross, Mel Oakes, Cathy Hubbs, George, Jeffrey and Lynne Lemley, Mary Sinclair and Richard Jackson, Tom and Alex VandeStadt and Robin Chapman, Pam Tucker, Victor Appel, and Dennis Murphy. The move itself went really well, mostly due to all the wonderful help they received. But after all that moving and after installing their yard and cleaning up the old house, they are all worn out. They tell us that the house-warming party may be a while in coming. Mary Charles Williams really wishes that she had stayed for the church annual meeting on January 25. Instead she decided to go home after church. Just 2 blocks from her home she made a left turn and the passenger side of her car was hit by rapidly approaching van driven by a man driving 4 children. Fortunately, even though Mary Charles' car was totalled, no one was hurt--although Mary Charles was pretty shaken up by it all. She was just so relieved that the children in the other car weren't hurt that the problems involved with getting a new car have been put into perspective. She is in the market for a new car and in the meantime has been walking to stores in her neighborhood and taking a senior citizen van to the grocery store. At press time Lisa Kirch was thinking about her upcoming job interviews in Seattle. We all wish Lisa well, but we will certainly miss her when she gets her dream (we hope!) job. We will also miss Sarah stories. Sarah was out at 7:45 a.m. on Valentine's Day (the day of Austin's BIG snow--1 1/2 inches) aiming snowballs at the roof. They landed on the porch instead and scared the dickens out of the cats. Sarah told her mom, "This is the first time it's ever snowed in America!" Lisa says she has the true Texan's sense of US geography. Bee Polomé Weiss got bad news at her last oncology check-up. The cancer has spread to her bones and lymph nodes. There is now no chance for a cure, but there is hope for a remission. She will be involved in a clinical trial which is combining a more standard chemotherapy with a new drug. She decided to be optimistic and went ahead with her shoulder surgery to correct a rotator cuff injury. It was while doctors were doing X-rays on her shoulder that the doctors found the shadow on her lung which was then diagnosed as lung cancer. Daughter Marilyn Harris, former church cellist, came from L.A. to help Bee after the surgery. The Tomasek family is grieving the loss of Jim's mother, ninety-four-year-old Lula Tomasek-Smith in Nebraska in mid-February. Jim was unable to travel home for the funeral service, but daughter Dorcas represented the Austin branch of the family. Jim's brother was at the bedside when she died. Jim and Jennifer Howicz want to express their thanks to the church family for all their support as they have dealt with fifteen-month-old daughter Tess' scoliosis diagnosis and treatment. Tess will be wearing a body cast (shoulder to hip) for four months (actually she will get a new cast in 2 months to account for growth). The curve in her spine was first noticed at 6 months, but between September and January of this year the curve went from a 40 percent curve to a 70 percent curve. At that point they knew that the body cast was coming. Her pediatric orthopedist sedated her, put her on a special table, straightened her spine to a 30 percent curve and put on the cast. Jim is calling Tess his"little linebacker" as she looks like she is wearing football gear. Big sister Emily has been very supportive and helps right Tess when she tips over. Tess has adapted very well to this new apparatus. Vic Appel has a new address. He has moved from the home where he and his late wife Jean lived for 31 years, so this is a big change. Thanks to realtor Maggie Smith, he is delighted with his new home, which is off of Oak Knoll at 183 on the south side. The address is 6704 Manzanita (78759) (perfect for Vic as Appel is apple in German and manzanita means little apple in Spanish). He is down-sizing a bit to a 3 bedroom, 2 bath home so that there is room for his offspring when they come to visit. He has been hard at work clearing out years of accumulated goods, especially books. Both Goodwill and Habitat for Humanity have benefited from his move. He is busy working in the yard pruning long-neglected oaks. He has, however, given up climbing on ladders--and not just for Lent. His new phone number is 249-6617 On 29 Jan. Rizer Everett made a trip to the Texas Memorial Museum, and visited with the Museum director, Dr. Ed Theriot before attending the cake eating birthday party (88th) for Dr. Clyde Ikins. He was one of Rizer's college classmates who, with another classmate, discovered the mosasaur skeleton in the Onion Creek bed in 1936. That mosasaur has been recently remounted in the museum basement where many large fossils are now displayed at low levels where children can view them without difficulty. Two days later he drove to Sun City where Clyde Ikins showed him slides of the beautiful water lilies that he spent about nine years raising on his ranch near Bandera, TX. Clyde says that the usual time for the blooms to remain fully open is only about three days. That is better than the night blooming lily Rizer and Hildegard had in Palembang, Indonesia, that only displayed a full bloom one night of the year. Marilyn Gaddis reports, "Nothing new from San Marcos. George is still scraping and painting the outside of the house. " Sounds like a lot of work! We miss you! It was birthday celebration time at the Blackstocks on February 15 as Mathis celebrated his 79th. Gathered for the evening were Mathis and Mary's children, their granddaughter Mary Kathryn, and their great-granddaughter Lazeyah, a little over a year old. Later that week they continued celebrating with Mathis' brother David (his 74th birthday) and his wife Marjorie. Liz Spencer is the Chaplain and Bereavement Coordinator for SouthernCare, a hospice located in North Austin. Liz facilitates monthly bereavement groups which often feature guest speakers. The guest speaker in mid-February provided very helpful information to the group about how to talk to children who have experienced the death of a loved one. The group meets the second Thursday of every month from 11:00 a.m. to 12 noon at the SouthernCare office. Please call or e-mail Liz for more information: 336-0170 or revliz65@netzero.net . Florence Castle continues to recuperate from her fall last August. She has driven herself to church and around the neighborhood where she lives. She is still using a cane, but not all of the time. Keep up the good work, Florence. John and Frances Alford's pleasure trip to Miami turned out to be not a pleasure at all. Several days after their arrival, John was diagnosed with a strangulated hernia which required emergency surgery. He was admitted to the hospital on the 30th of January and had surgery on Feb. 2. On Feb. 9th John came home in an air ambulance. He was home for a few days until a bed opened up at Cornerstone Hospital at the former Austin Diagnostic Center on North MoPac. He is doing pretty well so far, but will probably be at the Cornerstone for a month or so. Frances says he would love cards or visitors. You can send cards to the Alford's home and she will deliver them. Pat Oakes attended the national United Church of Christ Partners in Education event, Feb. 4-8, in Mesa, AZ, representing the Brazos Association of the South Central Conference. Tommie Pinkard and Ernie Dean some months ago persuaded Pat that even though she had not taught Sunday School in almost 20 years, that she would be a good representative, so she accepted with some fear and trepidation. There were about 300 professional and lay Christian educators there from all over the U.S. and a few from Australia. Pat met folks who knew her Aunt Peg and cousin Phil from Vermont, her daughter's brother-in-law from Hawaii, and a good friend of Joe McMillan's from New York. The seminars were most interesting, the dancing and drumming by the Lost Boys of Sudan was amazing, the worship services were uplifting, and the new promotion for the United Church of Christ is very exciting. She reports that it was such a marvelous experience to be a part of such a diverse, open, and welcoming group of people. In addition, the field trip to Taliesin West, Frank Lloyd Wright's winter studio was a religious experience in itself. Pat also had the opportunity to stay the weekend after the conference with a junior high school friend she had not seen in 20 years--and to celebrate the 75th birthday of Beth's mother-in-law who was in Phoenix from Oakland, CA, to visit her twin daughters, son-in-law, and 2 grandchildren. Pat's job now, as an informed Partner in Education, is to share resources and ideas with churches in the Brazos Association. Pat urges everyone who is on line to check out this web-site to learn more about our denomination, THE AUSTIN FORUM Our guest presenter for the evening will be Beverly S. Silas, Executive Director of the Envision Central Texas project. Beverly Silas was presented the Governor's Award as an Outstanding Texas Volunteer in 1993, elected to the Austin Community College Board of Trustees in 1998, and received the 2002 Award of Merit from the National Women of Achievement. The population of Bastrop, Caldwell, Hays, Travis, and Williamson Counties now surpasses 1.4 million people. In the next 20 to 40 years, it is expected to exceed 2.5 million. Envision Central Texas is assisting in the public development and implementation of a regional vision addressing the growth of Central Texas, with emphasis on land use, transportation, and the environment. The goal is to preserve and enhance our region's quality of life, natural resources, and economic prosperity. Our interviewer for the evening will be Rev. Liz Nash. Liz is a member of the Congregational Church of Austin, United Church of Christ, and is completing her Ph.D. at the Pacific School of Religion at Berkeley, California. One topic her dissertation addresses is urban sprawl. Please note the new location for the Austin Forum: The Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary, located on 27th Street, with plenty of parking!! Though the location has changed, the Congregational Church of Austin is still the sponsor and organizer of The Austin Forum. Please come to learn more about future scenarios for Austin's growth, and support our church's ministry. CHRISTIAN EDUCATION MATTERS Mark your calendars: 10 am Sundays: Adult Sunday School classes led by Rev. Tom VandeStadt Kids helping kids: During lent, the children will, for the second year, be preparing Easter basket gifts during Sunday School which will be used to fill their own hand-woven paper Easter baskets assembled for youth who are at the Seton psychiatric hospital on Easter. The kids also spread their love to members of the Congregation for Valentine's Day, distributing "Loving Hearts" kits to those in attendance on February 8. Please continue to actively support these outreach efforts of the youth and children of the Congregational Church of Austin. Bereavement Group SouthernCare, a hospice located in North Austin, hosts bereavement groups and seminary facilitated by The Rev. Liz Spencer. The group meets the 2nd Thursday of each month from 11:00 a.m. - 12:00 noon at the SouthernCare office, located in the Lake Creek Festival Shopping Center on Highway 183 North (just south of the intersection of 183 and 620) right next door to Payless Shoe. Throughout the year, guest speakers will enlighten the group on a variety of topics related to bereavement. If you have questions or if you would like more information, please contact The Rev. Liz Spencer at 336-0170, or e-mail at revliz_2000@yahoo.com. Registration is not necessary. Please remember that anyone in the community is welcome to attend, regardless of whether or not your loved one was served by SouthernCare. Position Available: Austin Area Interreligious Ministries is seeking a full time Victim's Chaplain. Applicants should be ecclesiastically certified, in good standing and endorsed for Chaplaincy by a recognized religious body. They should have a minimum of 3 years experience, with a broad background in working with people, and with good communication and analytical skills. Responsibilities include recruiting, training, and coordinating the efforts of volunteer victim chaplains and lay people. Send resumes to Austin Area Interreligious Ministries, 701 Tillery St., Ste. 8, Austin, Texas 78702; or fax to 385-1430. SPRUCIN' UP MT BONNELL FOR EASTER SUNRISE Our next sprucin' up Mt. Bonnell day will be Saturday, April 10, the day before Easter. We'll gather as usual in the morning, pick up trash and neatin' up the mountain. We want it to look real nice for our Easter Sunrise Service the following day. Please put April 10 on your calendar now.
The next gathering for those of us reading Kazantzakis and reflecting on God's incarnation will be after worship on Sunday, March 21. So far we've looked at some of the philosophical and theological influences on Kazantzakis. We've read and reflected on his view of incarnation, that is, his view of the relationship between spirit and matter, spirit and flesh. We've talked a bit about theism and panentheism, and we've briefly considered some recent theological attempts to articulate God's relationship to the world. With the next meeting, we'll continue these discussions, and hopefully, get a bit more personal by discussing our own views of the incarnation, and our own experiences of God's Presence. See you on the 21st! Cancel your golf date, hang up the soccer shoes, put away your garden trowel, and make the easy drive to Slumber Falls ( clstark@slumberfalls.com ) for our spring camping trip. You can stay for one or both nights, or just make a day trip on Saturday for play, fellowship, and youth-led worship. The overnight cost for a family will be capped at $40, and we will cook our own food in order to keep costs at a minimum. If you have questions about the weekend or the costs, call Marilyn Vache at 567-0227. Or register now with Sara Ross at 451-1114 or e-mail her at saraross@austin.rr.com. |
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