In a Hassidic tale, a young man fleeing the authorities knocks on a rabbi's door late one night. The rabbi opens his door and allows the young man to enter his home. The young man explains that the authorities are searching for him and will execute him should they find him. Will the rabbi hide him?
The rabbi's heart pounds with anxiety. What should he do? He quickly whisks the young man down into his cellar and hides him in a dark corner behind an onion barrel. Now what? Should he hide the young man indefinitely or turn him over to the authorities? He returns to his little bedroom, pulls out the sacred texts, and begins searching them for clues. He stays up all night hunched over the words on the well-worn pages. When the morning sun rises, he's startled by a loud knock on his door. The authorities have arrived. Has he seen a young man on the run? The rabbi leads them down into the cellar and hands over the fugitive.
Later that day, an angel appears to the rabbi and asks him, "why did you hand the young man over to be killed?" The rabbi replies, I was scared and I didn't get a clear answer from the texts.
"Did you talk to the young man?" the angel asks, did you look into his eyes?"
"No," the rabbi responds.
"If you had only looked into his eyes," the angel tells him, "you would have seen this young man was the Messiah."
Like any rich story, this one offers a variety of meanings. One that I discern is the importance of personal presence and availability. If the rabbi had only made himself present and available to the young man hiding out in his cellar, he may have recognized the Messiah sitting behind his onion barrel.
As I preached in a sermon recently, availability is a pressing spiritual issue in our time. We must all ask ourselves, how do I make myself available to God? How do I make myself available for Christian discipleship? How do I make myself available to other people?
Making ourselves present and available to God can take many forms, including prayer, meditation and reflection on scripture. According to my favorite definition of prayer, prayer is becoming consciously present to the presence of God. I also like Ted Loder's preparatory words for prayer in his book, Guerillas of Grace: I would be silent, now, Lord, and expectant, that I may receive the gift I need, so that I may become a gift others need.
In our Christian spiritual tradition, making ourselves present and available to God translates into making ourselves present and available to other people, especially those in need. Loder's words communicate this Christian spirituality beautifully. Jesus Christ communicated this spirituality of presence and availability by offering his life to God and all God's people. We not only recall Jesus' self-giving presence when we celebrate Holy Communion (take, this is my body, this is my blood), we seek to participate in his self-giving presence by offering our lives and making them available to God and others through Christian ministry.
This Fall at church, we'll have the opportunity to become more focused in our spirituality of presence and availability through prayer gatherings and opportunities to minister unto others.
We'll once again offer the Reflection on the Text gatherings (the fancy name is Lectio Divinas). In these gatherings, we reflect prayerfully on scriptural texts in a way that reveals our own lives to be sacred texts through which God communicates love, grace, forgiveness, hope, healing, reconciliation, meaning and all the other fruits and movements of God's spirit. We'll also begin to plan our Freeze Night ministry, wherein we not only open our building to homeless youth but make ourselves personally present and available to them as well.
I know you are all busy people, many of you with demanding jobs, family responsibilities, civic duties, and other circumstances life has tossed your way. I know how hard being present and available to so much can be. My hope and prayer is that you will know how present and available God is to you, and how spiritually enriching it is to be present and available to God and God's people.
OCTOBER BIRTHDAYS
1 Ann Horner
Frances Alford
2 Gary Pickens
3 Marie Scheel
7 Catherine Hubbs
10 John Burlinson
15 Marguerite White
18 Muriel Deisler
19 Beth Oakes
George Carruthers
Conrad Deisler
Don W. Brown
25 Michael Sparkman
26 Mark McCoy
Sanctuary Flowers
The Board of Deacons invites the cooperation and support of the congregation in a renewed emphasis on weekly adornment and adoration of our sanctuary with flowers. Flowers given in honor or in memory of someone or some event provide the opportunity for the congregation to share in the celebration and recognition of special moments, such as anniversaries, birthdays, etc., in the lives of our members.
Each week the Sunday bulletin will acknowledge the donor(s) and the persons or events that the flowers honor, commemorate, or memorialize. Following the morning worship service, the donor(s) may either take the flowers home, or donate them to a hospital, hospice, or retirement home, or send them to a person who may be ill or shut-in.
There can never be too many flowers to adorn our sanctuary. We can provide space in the sanctuary to accommodate as many flower arrangements as there may be on any given Sunday, as well as adequate space in the bulletin to recognize all donors. Ideally, there would always be flowers in our sanctuary. Thus, we request that prospective donors will sign-up in advance on the sheets in the fellowship hall or call the Church Office to register your request. Each week, Mrs. Trish Karli, Church Secretary, will review the sign-up sheet and note the appropriate recognition in the bulletin.
Flower arrangements at Central Market, HEB, or Albertson's range in price from a few dollars for a simple bud vase, to $25.00 - $35.00 for an adequate, medium-size arrangement, to $50.00 or more for an abundant arrangement. Garden flowers from your yard or neighbor's are also welcome, as are potted plants. Ideally, the donor will acquire the desired flower arrangement and either bring it or have it delivered to the church by 10:30 AM on the chosen Sunday.
During the Christmas and Easter seasons, we will welcome numerous seasonal flowers to adorn the sanctuary. We plan to announce in advance a special opportunity for members of the congregation to order one or more plants (poinsettia and lilies, respectively), and provide the opportunity for members to designate throughout the season for whom the flowers honor or memorialize.
We thank you for your cooperation. If you should have questions or concerns, please call Joe McMillan, Chair of the Board of Deacons, at 301-1466.
We Have a New Toy
The Church Office now has a new way to keep information all in one place for our members and friends. That means that we can easily and quickly fix "goofs" that you might notice in anything that pertains to you. Also, please check your family listing in the Directory. If there is not a complete birthdate (month, day, year) for your child in your listing, please let the church office know so we can identify our young people for Sunday School and other events.
Dennis Murphy has been generously providing us with mailing labels. We now have the ability to generate those labels here in the office. Please check your 'Visitor' right now to make sure that your mailing label looks exactly as you would have it look. If anything needs changing please call or e-mail the church office so it can be fixed. All of the information was typed in, so there is a good chance of a typo here or there!
Personals by Pat Oakes
Cathy Hubbs reports that Clark is out in the field almost every weekend these days--whenever student help is available--working on his contract with the state to find out what is happening to Texas springs (in a nutshell: too many people, not enough water). But they got away in August to attend two back-to-back fish meetings in Baltimore. The weather was beautiful and the meetings were interesting. They enjoyed wonderful crab cakes, and used the water taxi service at the harbor to visit the site of Fort McHenry which, during the Revolution, held off the British ships coming upriver to take Baltimore, causing Francis Scott Key to compose the national anthem. The final barbecue for one of the meetings was held at the marvelous aquarium at Baltimore's harbor--and yes, seafood was on the menu.
For Rizer Everett, happiness is making a trip to visit the McNay Art Museum in San Antonio on a beautiful day (12 September) with one of his friends as a companion. They were impressed with the fountains, beautiful patios with tiled floors, and the attractive wrought iron railings. Rizer had forgotten that the recent article in Texas Highways had told about the Rodin statues, and they enjoyed the surprise of viewing his free-standing sculptures up close. They then had a good lunch on an outdoor patio at Cappy's restaurant on Broadway. These trips with his octogenarian widow friends are a very pleasant way to permit Rizer to become better acquainted with them.
Mary and Matt Blackstock were in Nova Scotia, the home of her Cajun ancestors Sep. 6 -14. Matt reports that it's a very different world with not many people other than tourists, and that the terrain is heavily wooded, "Crown Land." There's a short stretch of arable coast on the N. W. edge of the peninsula and a long rocky one along the S. E. edge. They enjoyed lectures on the tides (some go up to 50-odd feet), the history of the expulsion of the Acadians , the story of the whales and the rest of marine life. There were many other things to do and they found themselves over-saturated with new information and experiences.
The Bradford-Moore family has temporarily relocated to a rental house across Mo-Pac from where they have lived for the past several years. The reason for this upheaval is the discovery of toxic mold in their old house, which was making Suzanne sick. Recently Habitat for Humanity came to the to-be-redone house and, as John says, "cherry-picked" the house for items that Habitat could use in their housing efforts. John reports that there are still useful items that Habitat did not take (a 5 ton HVAC system and a dishwasher, for example) that folks are welcome to. They are still in destruction mode on the old house and in the process of designing the replacement house. On a more cheerful note, John reports that Sarah (8th grade) is having a great volleyball season at O. Henry and that Travis (4th grade) is having a spectacular soccer season with the River City Rangers--a select team of mostly 5th graders that is undefeated at this writing.
Joe McMillan had a houseful of relatives the first two weeks in August, 2 nieces, a great-niece, and a nephew. Niece Tabia and her daughter Maryam came in from Chicago and joined niece and nephew, Kaia and Jamall, from Plainfield, NY. They had a great time swimming, going to the movies, eating out almost every night, and even got great-niece Maryam to the Austin Children's Museum. Everyone enjoyed meeting them at church and made them most welcome. Joe had a wonderful time playing host to them all.
Marilyn Gaddis and George Carruthers boarded Amtrak July 4th. They missed their California Zephyr connection and spent the night in Chicago at Amtrak's expense. They caught the Zephyr the next day for Salt Lake City. From there they rode a bus to Idaho Falls to visit George's sister. Back on the bus, they met the Zephyr for Sacramento. There was another bus ride to Chico, CA. to visit George's USAF buddy and wife in Paradise. They caught the Coastal Starlight in Chico and then they were back on the Starlight to Seattle for a bus to Vancouver, BC. They reached the Vancouver Terminal at 2 a.m. and the building was closed until 5:00 a.m. Then they boarded a Canadian Greyhound for a trip up the Alcan Highway to Whitehorse. After a day of exploring the area, they boarded an Alaska direct bus to Anchorage where they picked up a rental car and headed to Homer, AK, to help Marilyn's cousin celebrate his 75th birthday. It was a grand party with over 100 friends. After a month of trains and buses, Marilyn and George flew back to Austin! Unfortunately, the Guadalupe River went on a rampage while they were gone and the "lake house" in Seguin was flooded again - only 4 feet of water this time. Contractors will handle the major renovation but much of the cleanup is still the family's responsibility. Fortunately, there was enough warning so that the boat, jet ski, furniture, etc. were moved to higher ground (i.e., San Marcos!).
Beth Oakes and Eugene Buck are expecting their second child in late February. Daughter Emily (22 months) is currently having a great time with group music classes and gymnastics. The Maia Quartet based at the University of Iowa (Beth is the violist) has a new cellist which necessitated new publicity pictures. Beth had quite a time finding appropriate garb so that she would not look pregnant in the pictures!
Lisa Kirch reports: "I am still in Munich, although I just got back from a conference in Speyer, where I stayed at a hotel just around the corner from a church built to the memory of the German lords who protested Charles V's treatment of his Lutheran subjects--thus the word 'Protestants.' That happened at an imperial diet in Speyer in 1500-something. I was there for a conference on the prince I'm writing about, a two-day affair that was very nice. I was touched at the end of the conference, when its organizer introduced me as 'an international guest who gives us additional significance.' We all ended up at the Speyer Rathaus, posing for pictures with the mayor.
It's Oktoberfest here as of Friday, and Munich has turned into a madhouse in which the patients are all wearing Lederhosen and Dirndl. I should go to the Oktoberfest, I guess...as long as it doesn't take away from time in the archive, reading letters from the 1530s. I sit there all day, reading and transcribing, and I have no idea what's going on in the world. On September 11th, I took the train to Kassel with Andreas--the world's sweetest Copernicus expert--and missed most of the news. Kassel is home every five years to the Documenta, a gigantic exhibition of contemporary art. Andreas and I ate in the Ratskeller there, and when we came out found a spontaneous 'altar' of flowers and votive candles on the Rathaus steps,with a hand-lettered sign about 'In memory of the victims of Sept. 11th.' I hope Americans do not forget that the Germans are our good friends, even when they disagree with us."
Former long-time member Eunice Paul (widow of Bob Paul who was on the faculty at the Presbyterian seminary here in Austin for many years) spent five weeks in the States and saw all her family there except Ian who is in college in Colorado and was working there this summer. It was son Tim and Ann's 25th wedding anniversary (they are the Pittsburgh family) so son Martin and Eunice drove from Connecticut to celebrate the occasion. Lydia (her daughter) and Dean (editorial note--our summer exchange pastor here during the Towery years) also flew over to surprise them so they all had a great time. They even managed to go to a baseball game in the new stadium in Pittsburgh. Martin and Eunice then drove to Martin and Sali's cottage in Michigan on the shore of Lake Huron (Sali and Oliver had flown there as they decided a round trip of nearly 2,000 miles for a rather short vacation was too much.) She also had a round trip to Vermont to collect Oliver from camp just after she arrived in Connecticut at the beginning of August. The only bad weather they had was Labour (Eunice's spelling) Day weekend when they were visiting friends in Southampton on Long Island. The day after she arrived she tripped on the front door-step and ended with a cast on her left wrist. Fortunately, after a week, the cast was changed to a removable brace as she had a series of hair-line fractures, not a major break. However it excluded Eunice from lots of chores! Back home in England , the whole family celebrated Dean's birthday. Nathaniel and Joshua, both with steady girl-friends were there. They were little boys the summer they spent here in Austin. Nathaniel is writing and working on some internet stuff which Eunice doesn't pretend to understand and Joshua is working for a commercial TV company - editing, she thinks. Lydia is head of the Middle School at Caterham School (the equivalent of American junior high) and is still teaching French. Dean continues pastoring at Crawley though on Sept. 22, he was preaching at his old church at Burnham-on-Crouch and they were there for the weekend. If you would like to e-mail Eunice, her address is empaul@btopenworld.com.
Louise Whitworth, longtime church secretary (13 years), is still struggling with shingles, which, through a series of complications, came about after her initial problems with temporal arteritis diagnosed last December. She served as secretary for all of Yoshi Kaneda's tenure and into Tom's first few months. Louise, get well soon so that we can give you a proper retirement party! She welcomes cards and calls, so do keep in touch.
Women's Book Group
Will meet at Mary Sinclair's home on October 14th at 7:30 p.m. The book is "Wild Swans", by Jung Chang, and people who have already started reading it say it's very good. Happy reading!
FROM FUN & FELLOWSHIP
Saturday, October 12
6:00 pm to Midnight - MedFest
Several of us have enjoyed MedFest, a fundraiser for St. Elias Orthodox Church, in years past and would like to get a group together to go this year. There will be wonderful Ethiopian, Greek and Lebanese foods, children's activities, guided tours of the church, music from the Eastern Mediterranean, and Greek and Middle Eastern dancing. Admission is $5.00 (children under 12 free). It's very child friendly and lots of fun for all ages. If you would like to join the group, please contact Suzanne VanderPoel at 302-1970 or Julia Deisler at 452-4384. Location: St. Elias Church, 408 East 11th Street.
Sunday, October 27 International Potluck
Celebrating United Nations Day, Oktoberfest, and Halloween. Please mark your calendar now and sign up on the easel in the Fellowship Room.
MEMORIAL SERVICE FOR CORLISS GASPARRI
OCTOBER 13, 4 PM
On Sunday, October 13, we'll gather at church at 4 pm to honor Corliss Gasparri's life, to give thanks for all the gifts she offered us, and to seek strength from the God who filled her with love, hope and courage as she confronted cancer in her life. During the service, we'll offer time for you to share your personal thoughts and reflections. Please join us on this special day to honor and celebrate Corliss' courageous and faith-filled life.
REFLECTION ON THE TEXT
LECTIO DIVINAS
Last year, a small group of people gathered weekly to prayerfully reflect on scripture and the movement of God's spirit within their own lives. We'll start gathering again in October, with our first meeting on Thursday, October 17. At that time, we'll decide how often to meet this year.
In this gathering, we use a format that's a bit different from other Bible Studies in which you may have participated. We're not as interested in applying the tools of historical and textual criticism to the scripture as we are in allowing it to open up our own lives as a text that reveals God's presence. While many Bible Studies provide illuminating information about the life and times of people who lived in Palestine long ago, the manner in which particular scriptural texts may have been written, shaped and edited, and whether or not Jesus really said this or that, this format focuses more attention on how scripture can illuminate God's movement in the fabric and texture of our own lives. Through reading, brief group reflection and silent prayer, we become more present and available to the God we discern as present and available to us. We ask where and how God's spirit may be guiding our lives, and we seek to be supportive of one another's journeys.
Please join us on Thursday, October 17, at 7:30 pm.
FREEZE NIGHT SHELTER
Robin and I were commenting the other day on how nice autumn is way down here in Texas. A real nice autumn day in Austin is equivalent to a real nice summer day in upstate New York. Robin did say, however, that she missed the autumn in upstate New York, where the daytime temperatures hovered around in the 40s and 50s, and the nights dipped just below freezing. I cheered her up by reminding her, "you still have that here, its called winter!"
We're approaching that time now, which means prayerfully asking ourselves whether we're up to hosting another freeze night shelter for homeless youth. As we all know, hosting freeze night shelter means more than opening the doors, it means being personally present and available to our guests. I'm hoping that a number of you will prayerfully consider making yourself personally present and available for freeze night shelter this winter. It means a lot to the young people that we open our doors to them. It means even more when they see us downstairs to welcome them. I realize it can be a bit anxiety-producing and inconvenient, but Christian discipleship is all about confronting our anxieties and putting ourselves out for other people. Please consider involving yourself personally in freeze night shelter this winter!
I'll be meeting with the other freeze night host churches soon to discuss possible schedules. I'm also trying to include United Christian Church and Highland Park Baptist Church in our freeze night ministry. It's also possible that other University-area churches may send some folks over through our Micah 6 organization. I'll provide you with more details as they become available. Please consider making yourself available for this ministry.
A WELCOMING GET-TOGETHER FOR GUESTS, VISITORS, AND PROSPECTIVE NEW MEMBERS
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 27
On Sunday, October 27, the Deacons will host a welcoming get-together for all guests, visitors and prospective new members. This is an opportunity for non-members who have been worshipping with us and participating in the life of our church to learn more about the Congregational Church of Austin UCC and its ministry. The Deacons, the pastor and other members of the church will share information about our church and answer any questions you may have regarding our church or the denomination with which we are affiliated, the United Church of Christ. They will also provide information and answer any questions regarding church membership. This is a friendly and informal get-together, a time for you to learn a bit more about our church, and an opportunity for us to get to know you a bit better. If you are a new-comer to the Congregational Church of Austin, we invite you to this gathering, and we invite you to prayerfully consider membership with the church.
SATURDAY LUNCH MINISTRY
OCTOBER 12
The next gathering of our Saturday Lunch Ministry will be October 12. We meet at the University Methodist Church on the corner of Guadalupe and 24th Streets at 10:15 am to prepare and serve lunch to over 100 people. We're generally done by 1:00 pm. This is a great ministry and we've had a good turnout from the Congregational Church. Youth are definitely encouraged to participate! Future dates are November 30 and January 18.
Second Adopt-A-Park Workday A Success
Saturday morning September 21st a crew of more than 25 stalwart church members climbed the 107 steps to the summit of Mt. Bonnell and performed a much needed clean-up of summer litter, weed growth and needed watering. They were well rewarded by a picnic lunch which followed.
Opportunities are available to help with the Sunday Service in October ! Please Sign Up on The List in the Fellowship Room
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October 6
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October 13
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October 20
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October 27
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Ushers
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Lighting Candles
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Lynn & George Lemley
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Don & Sharon Brown
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Time with Children
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Scripture Reader
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Hosts for Fellowship Hour
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UN Day International Potluck, Oktoberfest, Halloweeen, Dia de los Muertos
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Sanctuary Flowers
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