But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, without uncertainty or insincerity. And the harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.
--James 3: 17-18
And they came to Capernaum; and when he was in the house he asked them, "What were you discussing on the way?" But they were silent; for on the way they had discussed with one another who was greatest. And he sat down and called the twelve; and he said to them, "If any one of you would be first, he must be last of all and a servant of all."
--Mark 9: 33-35
On Sunday, September 24, we read the scripture lessons cited above. I reflected on how the church had saved my life through the mercy, compassion, and wisdom of people I encountered in the church--people who were serving Christ and God's people in and through the church when they touched my life, people for whom I am now exceedingly grateful. Then we recognized and gave thanks for people in our own church who have spent the better part of their lives serving Christ and God's people, people who have no doubt touched other people's lives in deep, profound, and positive ways. Then, as we are prone to do on such celebratory occasions, we ate Pat Oakes' carrot cake.
The folks we recognized are listed below. Each has served Christ and God's people in and through the church for many years and in many ways. Some of these ways have been highly visible, others less noticeable. Some of their contributions we will never know. You have (hopefully!) heard me say many times: "we don't go to church, God calls us to create the church." The living saints in our midst who are listed below, led by and inspired by the living spirit of Christ, have invested much of their life's time, talent, and resources into creating Christ's church. With all our heart, mind, soul, and strength...we thank them.
Vic Appel Jesse Binford Lolita Binford
Mat Blackstock Cora Gordon Ben White
Paul Deisler Ellen Deisler John Drachenberg
Lois Drachenberg Nancy Brown Florence Castle
Rizer Everett Clark Hubbs Cathy Hubbs
Tommie Pinkard Doyal Pinkard John Towery
Eleanor Towery Marie Scheel Mary Tomasek
Stella Morrison Flo Chiles Mary Charles Williams
May God's spirit continue to guide this church and lift up ministers in Christ's name! To this may we all say, Amen!
Tom
FALL SUNDAY SCHOOL STARTS WITH GREAT KIDS AND TEACHERS
We began our regular Fall Sunday School classes for our elementary school kids at the end of August. As always, there was good food and company at the Sunday School Breakfast on August 20th. Nodie planned wonderful music geared toward the children's presence with us in worship that day. The following Sunday, Jennifer Howicz started up the class with the debut of our new Sunday School curriculum, Bible Quest, which uses a cross-age approach to focus on Bible stories and a central biblical theme. John Goff has been continuing the class as the children have an added activity: assembling the school supply backbacks for the 400 Voices Project in Kosovo. Nancy Binford rounds out our three person team in this class. We have wonderful teachers and kids!
Our Youth Class continued through the summer - no need to start up again this fall with different activities. Teachers Marilyn Vache, John Burlinson, Mel Oakes, Reuel Nash, and Liz Nash alternate Sundays. The curriculum right now is a fairly long-term project. Each Sunday, we watch a segment of the movie, The Gospel of John, and read the corresponding passage. The movie is a complete version of John's Gospel made in 2003. It was overshadowed by The Passion at that time in public attention, but it is a thought-provoking interpretation that reflects real understanding of the fourth gospel. Thank you to John Burlinson for supplying this excellent resource.
Trustees: Reuel Nash
Deacons: Betty Bodman
Christian Education: Nancy Edison & Doyal Pinkard
Christian Outreach: John Goff
Interfaith Care Alliance/The Care Communities
Care Team Training
Sunday, October 22, 1-3 pm
In late August, Rev. Roger Temme from the Interfaith Care Alliance (recently renamed The Care Communities) participated in one of our worship services and shared information regarding the Care Teams that ICA/CCA organize and support. Care Teams provide emotional support and companionship to people with illnesses who might otherwise be isolated and alone. Specific Care Team tasks may include housekeeping, meal preparation, shopping, child support, transportation, or yard work.
Several folks from our church expressed an interest in inviting Roger back to lead those who feel called to this ministry in a Care Team training. Care Team training covers items like boundary issues, infection control and universal precautions, and spiritual, social, and emotional issues related to life-threatening illness.
After talking to the folks in our church most interested in this training, we set Sunday, October 22, as the date for the training. The training will follow worship from 1:00 to 3:00 and we will provide lunch. Anyone is welcome, even if you are not quite ready to commit to a Care Team but would like more information. If you have any questions, please see Tom.
OUTREACH ALERT
Folks, You have all been generous in donating extra dollars for good causes this year (like the Centennial Project), and here's one more for your consideration: Micah 6 needs more money than has been pledged by the nine churches in the University area that sponsor this activity. The food pantry will be moving from University Baptist to University Presbyterian Church in January. This will allow Micah 6 to accommodate more people who need our aid. But before January, a good deal of renovation needs to be done at Univ. Pres, including changing partitions, widening a hallway, and building ramps to accommodate wheelchairs. Also, the number of the needy in this area is increasing, and the number of recipients served seems to go up each month.
If you can dig down and find a few extra dollars, please send them in an envelope marked "Micah 6" to our treasurer, David Ross, or just send him a check with that notation. He'll see that it gets to the right place. Thanks for your help from the Christian Outreach Board.
PERSONALS
by Pat Oakes
Jesse and Lolita Binford are very, very happy to be home after seven weeks in Houston. The 2nd and 3rd generations of Binfords living in Austin brought them back in a whirlwind trip on the Saturday and Sunday after Labor Day. They report that it's not exactly fun living in an extended stay hotel for all that time but they could look forward to coming home. They were greatly encouraged by all the support they received from family (including the California and Navasota branches) and all their friends at the Congregational Church of Austin. They had visits, e-mails, letters, phone calls and a packet of get-well art from the Sunday School class. They thank you one and all. Jesse's doctors were very pleased with the radiation treatments on his brain tumor. It was a blessing not to have headaches or serious side effects. Jesse will have an MRI scan made in six week followed by another six months later, but no more extended stays. Hopefully Jesse will be cleared for driving again after the six weeks visit. It was so good to see them back in church, looking fit and fine, on September 17.
Congratulations to Brita and Jerry Jenquin. Konrad Alexander joined the Jenquin family on Monday, Aug. 14 at 2:49 a.m. He weighed 7 lbs. 4 oz. and was 20 in. long. Jerry and Brita are both thrilled and adore him to pieces. Brita misses everyone and hopes everyone is doing well. She would love to hear from you (her e-mail is brita_jenquin@hotmail.com) .
Jennifer Howicz just finished her first year of Physical Therapist Assistant school at ACC. Starting this fall she will have 3 more semesters that each begin with a few weeks of study in specialized areas, and finish with a clinical internship. It's been great, but she's really looking forward to getting out into the "real world." Jim, Emily and Tess have been real troupers during this time!
Eunice Paul, her daughter and son-in-law Lydia and Dean Tapley, had an amazing 16 days in August at their home in Leatherhead, England. During that time they hosted a blessing of a civil wedding held in Austria the year before (Joshua and his wife Martina and their baby Jessica), a wedding, and two wedding receptions. Many members of Martina's Austrian family came for the occasion. Baby Jessica was also christened during the visit. The second wedding was Zoe and Nathaniel Paul's which was held at Mansfield College, Oxford. Eunice sent quite a lively description of all of the events. Contact Pat Oakes if you would like the whole story and she will send it to you.
Whit Bodman took his father sailing in Maine which turned out to be a most eventful trip in August. The many delays and non-starts (the boat engine broke, there was no wind) turned out to have a silver lining because it meant they were at dock (awaiting an engine part) when Whit's father had his heart attack. As it was, the ambulance only had to island hop to reach them; it would have been worse had they been under sail off the Maine coast somewhere. Well, excellent medical care and bypass surgery later, Whit's dad is home in North Carolina and recovering well. Whit is also recovering well. Betty had a great time visiting their son Noah in Missoula, MT. They visited Glacier National Park, hiked up to a (fast vanishing) glacier and did NOT see any grizzly bears. Noah has started law school and Whit and Betty both hope this turns out to be a career he loves.
Jeri Winter is enjoying living and working in Woodstock, IL, just over an hour from Chicago by train. She reports madly missing Austin these days, but is also loving the time spent with her family. Every other Sunday they get together at somebody's place (they all take turns), and that person cooks a meal that they've never eaten before. She made chicken tagene, hummus, pita bread, and cucumber salad... all from scratch! Her first roommate in Austin - and her husband - came to visit her in mid-September and they went to a Cubs game. The next weekend Jeri and her family went on a weekend biking trip in northern WI. Along with all her other radical views on life, Jeri reports becoming a bit of a feminist these days. She really does want to make it to be a journeyman at work (she paints houses), but as she become more skilled in the trade, she has come to see that the real task is dealing with the men she works with.
Fran and Rambie Briggs, daughter Paula, and grandchildren Giovanni and Stella were at Slumber Falls for Family Camp Sept. 8-10. There were 50 people in attendance (almost half of them children). The largest group was from Cosmopolitan UCC in Carrollton. Everyone had a wonderful time getting acquainted, playing, doing crafts, and studying "Peace Talks." Just imagine this--everybody, children included, walking the labyrinth in absolute silence. Fran suggests that we visit the Slumber Falls Camp Web site to see pictures of the weekend activities and learn more about the camp.
Pam Tucker and kids Savanna and Harrison have moved in with friends while they build their house. Pam is working with Texas Help-U-Build so she can be the general contractor for the project. Things are moving slowly, but actual cutting of the lot was to be in mid-September. She is planning to use many of the latest energy efficient building products such as low e insulated glass, radiant barrier in the attic, a tank-less water heater, 16.5 SEER A/C, blown in rather than batt insulation, but no wind energy or solar panels yet. Pam misses the incentives offered by Austin Energy (the new house will be in Round Rock) and encourages everyone in Austin to utilize the Austin Energy programs. They are really good.
Cara and Jim Firestone are enjoying their new baby son Gavin. They report that they are all doing well and hope to get back to church soon.
Rizer Everett has been pleased by his recent doctors' checkups--got good reports on his blood work and his eyes. He and his companions have enjoyed eating at the new Hyde Park Restaurant at Ben White and West Gate. He really enjoyed viewing the baseball games and the tennis matches on television recently. Rizer attended the ExxonMobil Retiree luncheon at the Oasis Restaurant that has been recently repaired after the lightning strike last year. The talk by one of the men on the ExxonMobil management committee was well illustrated with power-point slides showing the extent of the operations of the company world-wide. When Rizer asked the speaker if the company has plans to explore areas where gas can be produced from coal beds, oil can be produced from oil-bearing sands in Canada, and oil can be produced from oil bearing shales in Colorado and Wyoming, the speaker replied that plans now include the exploration of areas for non-conventional sources of oil and gas.
Mel and Pat Oakes completed their busiest summer ever by taking a trip to Chicago--their first ever to Chicago (other than passing through or being stranded in the airport). They stayed in a friend's condo and commuted by train from Wilmette into Chicago. While there they had a great dinner with former members Andrea and Karl Putz and their son, year old Murphy, at the original Pizzeria Uno. They also saw the King Tut exhibit at the Field Museum, went to the huge Museum of Science and enjoyed the fabulous art at the Art Institute of Chicago. They then drove to Iowa City where they were to baby-sit for the grandchildren while the Maia Quartet (with Beth Oakes) was in Croatia for several performances. The trip ended up coming at the same time as the serious August terrorist threats--and that, combined with the first violinist's lengthy recuperation from a terrible case of the chicken pox, meant that they cancelled their trip, driving back in a van to Iowa City from Atlanta where they had been working at a clarinet congress (who knew clarinetists had congresses?). Aunt Sarah had been with the Ethan and Emily the week before while the group was in Atlanta and she missed seeing Beth, but Pat and Mel enjoyed having Beth home. The quartet got to work on extra music--and Pat and Mel kept the kids for the weekend while Beth and Eugene went to Chicago. A week after the Chicago-Iowa City adventures, Pat and Mel were off again for 6 days--this time to a wedding in Trinidad and Tobago. The groom is the son of dear friends of the Oakeses--also the brother of Beth's best friend since the 4th grade. None of the Oakes daughters could go, so Pat and Mel just had to--and it was wonderful, indeed. In addition to a enjoying a beautiful wedding, they snorkeled, saw scarlet ibises landing at sunset in a mangrove swamp, and celebrated Trinidad and Tobago Independence Day (August 31), complete with outstanding fireworks.
Ellie Nash is off to a wonderful start at TCU as a freshman majoring in honors political science. Mom Liz reports that there is a definite space in the household, but that everyone is doing fine.
Frances Alford reports that she is fine and that John is doing pretty well, too. She thinks getting him back home back in the spring was a good plan. He still has some issues with moving around, but he wasn't ready for assisted living. And Frances definitely wasn't. Frances bought the house next door to the one she already has in Grafton, Vermont ,because it has a downstairs full bath and a room that can be used as a bedroom. They plan to start using it next spring. Frances just got back from four days in Washington, DC, on September 18. She was in Amsterdam in May, France in June, Vermont in July and has just barely kept her suitcases unpacked. Welcome home, Frances. We've missed you.
OCTOBER BIRTHDAYS
1 Ann Horner
Frances Alford
Emily Grace Knowlton
2 Gary Pickens
4 Marie Scheel
6 Kiana Pinkard
7 Catherine Hubbs
8 Samuel Jon Knowlton
10 John Burlinson
15 Marguerite White
18 Olivia Deisler
19 Beth Oakes
George Carruthers
Conrad Deisler
Don W. Brown
25 Michael Sparkman
26 Mark McCoy
SAY "CHEESE"
This is a heads-up everyone - heads up and say, "cheese"!! You may remember a project was started to create a picture directory. Unfortunately, Betty Bodman's face broke the camera and things were put on hold for a while. Now the deacons are hoping to make that long awaited picture directory a reality and plan on taking (or re-taking if you wish) pictures of the congregation this fall. Start practicing that big smile
ASSOCIATION MEETING
The Fall Meeting of the Brazos Association of the South Central Conference, UCC will be held on Saturday, October 21st at the Friends Congregational Church in College Station. There will be workshops and worship. All are invited to represent our church and meet our brothers and sisters in the UCC. You will enjoy the friendship and spiritual nurture there, so join us! Exact time details coming later. Contact Liz Nash for more details.
STEWARDSHIP 2006
Pledge Sunday, Sunday October 29
This Fall, our Stewardship Committee, made up of Sara Ross, Fran Briggs, Lynne Lemley, and Tom VandeStadt, is following up on the Centennial Committee's very successful summer campaign. While our Centennial Committee invited you to pledge time, effort, and resources to support the renovation of where we gather as a Christian community, our Stewardship Committee is now inviting you to pledge your time, effort, and resources to why we gather as a Christian community (see Tom's reflections on the front page). During the month of October, Board members will be sharing with you their vision for our church's ministry in 2006, and inviting you to pledge your support for this ministry. On Sunday, October 29, the Stewardship Committee will invite you to pledge your financial support for our 2006 budget. If at all possible, please pledge your support on Pledge Sunday as it will help the Budget Committee in its planning for 2006. Thank you for your generosity.
FRIENDSHIP SUPPERS
The idea of Friendship Suppers has been presented to the Board of Deacons as a great way for us to get to know each other better. The suppers will give you a chance to talk to other members of the congregation while sharing good food and fellowship in a setting other than the church since they will be hosted in people's homes.
- The primary purpose is to build community and friendship
- All adults are welcome to participate - members, non-members, young, old, single, married
- We ask you to commit to attending as many as four dinners over the course of the year, one of which you could host in your home if you wish
- If you don't think you can manage to host a dinner alone, we'll help you find a co-host
- Hosts would provide (besides their home) a main course and would assign others to bring appetizers, salads, etc.
- The groups of 6-10 people will change for each dinner
- You don't need a "house beautiful" to participate - or even an "apartment beautiful"; informal works for many of us
- If you don't drive, we'll help you find a ride
The dates for the dinners will be:
November 4 December 2
January 20 March 10
There are sign-up sheets on a clip-board in the Fellowship Hall.
COFFEE HOUR
Please sign up in the Fellowship Room to be coffee hour hosts on an upcoming Sunday. The coffee hour time is such a good opportunity to visit old friends and meet visitors. We keep coffee and ginger ale and some punch fixings in the pantry in the kitchen. There are usually paper napkins, and we use coffee mugs and punch cups to avoid wasting natural resources. Your menu can be as simple or complicated as you want. Cookies and/or chips and salsa are just fine! If you have questions, talk to Pat Oakes, Tommie Pinkard, or Lynne Lemley.
Deadline for November VISITOR -- October 18
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