The Church's Identity and Mission
Inform our Vision
The tradition that Christ confided to his church is not a museum of souvenirs to preserve. It comes, indeed, from the past and is to be loved and preserved faithfully, but always with a look to the future. It is a tradition that makes the church fresh, up-to-date, and effective in each epoch of history. It is a tradition that nourishes the church's hope and its faith so that it can keep on proclaiming and inviting all toward the "new heaven and earth" that God has promised
...the church is the body of Christ in history. By this I mean that Christ has wanted the church to live in every period of history. The church's founding is not to be understood in a legal, juridical manner, as though Christ had got a few men together to entrust them with a teaching and given them a charter, while remaining himself separate from the organization. Rather, the origin of the church is something much deeper. Christ founded his church in order to keep on being present himself in the history of human beings, precisely through that group of Christians who form his church. The church is thus the flesh in which Christ incarnates throughout the ages his own life and the mission of his person
...the church's duty is to lend to Christ through history its voice so that Jesus can speak, its feet so that he can walk the world of today, its hands to work in the building of the kingdom in today's world
...as the body of Christ in history, the church must do what Jesus did in his life" proclaim the reign, or kingdom, of God."
--Archbishop Oscar Romero of El Salvador
These reflections on the church's identity and mission are excerpts from a pastoral letter Archbishop Romero published when El Salvador exploded with violence in 1977. In his letter, Romero clearly articulated his views on the church's relationship to Jesus Christ and it's purpose in human history. While consistent with Roman Catholic doctrine, Romero's letter was more than a reiteration of the official party line. It reflected his personal encounter with Christ through prayer and the church's ministry to the poor, and his identification with Christ who was killed by the rich and powerful. In 1980, a government assassin killed Romero as he said Mass.
This September, we will begin our church's vision process. While this process will focus most of our time and energy on questions regarding our particular church's ministry, our reflections will yield more faithful and effective results if we can first answer some fundamental questions regarding the Christian church's identity and purpose, questions like those Archbishop Romero addressed in his time and place.
Our vision process will thus begin by asking you to reflect on questions like:
--Why does God call the church into being?
--What is the church's relationship to Jesus Christ?
--What is the church's purpose or mission in God's creation?
--As a community called together by God, existing in relationship with Jesus Christ, and called for a particular mission, what are the church's highest values?
--How and why have you experienced a call to this particular church, the Congregational Church of Austin, United Church of Christ?
The Vision Process will then continue by asking you to reflect on and discuss ministries and issues particular to our church. The topics for reflection and small group discussion will include worship, evangelism, fellowship, location, organization, Christian education, spiritual development, mission outreach, stewardship, the building, priorities, and commitments. At the end of these initial discussions, you'll be asked to identify which ministries and issues you believe our church needs to prioritize for more in-depth reflection, discussion and action. The goal of the vision process is to help us respond faithfully and effectively to God's call to be the church.
I find Archbishop Romero's reflections on the church's identity and purpose to be profoundly meaningful. How would you articulate the church's identity and purpose in your own words? How does this inform your thoughts and feelings about our church's ministry?
I'll leave you with a few more thoughts to ponder as you reflect on the church.
"If anyone is in Christ, he or she is a new person; the old has passed away, behold the new has come. All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to God and gave us this ministry of reconciliation." --The Apostle Paul
"The Church exists to set up in the world a new sign which is radically dissimilar to the world's own manner and which contradicts it in a way which is full of promise." --Karl Barth
"The living Christ is the Christ of love who is always generating love, moment after moment. When the church manifests understanding, tolerance and loving kindness, Jesus is there. Christians have to help Jesus Christ be manifest by their way of life, showing those around them that love, understanding and tolerance are possible. This will not be accomplished just by books and sermons. It has to be realized by the way we live". --Thich Nhat Hanh
"Educated and spiritually serious Christians are turning to the new age largely because mainstream Christianity is not watering the spirituality of those who seek beyond conventional levels. This can be remedied, of course, if the Church itself undertakes serious and widespread spiritual renewal." --Jim Marion
"What we know about God is important, but what we do with what we know
about God is even more important." --Richard Rohr
Tom
There is much sadness in the church at the end of this summer of 2002. Corliss Gasparri died on August 9 after a valiant struggle against breast cancer. She was a CPA who ranked among the top ten in the state when she took her exams and received special honors at that time. She had earned her M.Div from Austin Presbyterian Seminary and was nearing ordination. She and Mary Sincliar had recently been to Houston and M.D. Anderson in search of further treatment. Corliss led the celebration of communion at the church the last Sunday of her life. It was clear then that she was not feeling well, but no one expected the end to come so fast. Her parents did arrive from New Mexico bore she died. She had served on the Board of Deacons and had become an integral member of the church in her short time with us. A memorial service is being planned for October 13, her birthday, and the day that she had hoped to be ordained.
Another loss to our church community is the passing of Marilyn Jordan. Many of you knew her as Marilyn Stephens, but several years ago she changed her name to Jordan, a name from her father's side of the family. She also very much admired Barbara Jordan. Marilyn lived alone, had fallen, and was found by her work supervisor a day or so after the fall. She was hospitalized for several days and seemed to be improving, but then suffered a cardiac arrest and died on August 16. For the past year she had been attending the Unitarian Church here in Austin. She had worked at the conference office for the United Church of Christ and was most recently employed by the Veterans Administration,
On a more cheerful note, Mary and Mathis Blackstock celebrated their fifty-third wedding anniversary with a crab boil at home with their children, one of the best family meals in a long time according to Mathis. They were lucky to have Mary's niece Robin Dickson and her family nearby, adding to the family size.
On 20 June Rizer Everett flew to Oakland, CA where he rented a car and drove to Berkeley where he had a good visit with his brother, Richard, who lives in San Francisco. On 21 June Rizer drove to Santa Rosa, CA and then on to Bodega, CA where he spent several days with three generations of his descendents. They had a very enjoyable visit where he met one new grandson-in-law and one new great granddaughter. Later in the week he drove through various parts of California visiting friends he had known when he and Hildegard lived in Indonesia. Some sections of rugged terrain were enhanced by the groves of redwood and other trees. He was able to turn the rent car in with all four wheels still properly attached. The traffic was harrowing, but he recovered fully with 2 nights' sleep back at home
He also had a nice visit with his daughter Dot who arrived from Albuquerque on 3 August. They ate supper at THE OASIS on Lake Travis and had the pleasure of being protected from the moderate rainstorm by a roof at one of the small dining areas. The clouds cleared just at sundown so the customers had the opportunity to applaud as the sun sank below the horizon. While Dot was in Austin she helped Rizer with various projects including serving dinner to guests at his cottage on 5 August. One of the guests, who was one of Rizer's classmates in highschool, was so impressed with the fireplace in the living room that he is thinking about moving from his retirement facility and making a reservation for a cottage at Englewood Estates.
Lisa Kirch and her daughter Sarah were in Munich most of the summer. Lisa did research, and Sarah got her ears pierced and learned lots more German than she was willing to admit to, as Lisa discovered the hard way. She also found that German professors who teach history of science and edit Copernicus and correspond with Karl Galle can be very nice men.
Cathy Hubbs has done a stellar job of compiling the personals column for the past 15 years. She decided to retire from the position and since I have just retired from teaching at St. Andrew's for 16 years, I asked if I could try to fill her shoes. Mel and I had a wonderful summer--Mardie's graduation (M.B.A) from Harvard, Old Sturbridge Village, time with Emily and Beth at Interlochen in Michigan, and then a week's visit from Beth, Eugene, and Emily over the July 4th holiday. Things slowed down considerably when I had a total knee replacement on July 29th.. I was in the hospital and rehab for a week (I will always cherish the visit from Corliss and Mary and others while I was ther) and then came home to excellent care provided by Mel and our daughter Sarah. I look forward to hearing from you with news for the Visitor in the coming months.
Robin Rosson is currently in training for his new position as a patient care technician at a Capital Dialysis Center clinic. He will also be continuing as a student at ACC in the evenings. Somewhere he will fit in rehearsals with his band, StoneKracker. Ah, to be young again and successful at burning the candle at both ends! Mom Barbara Burnham is planning to take a course in conversational Italian this fall, in hopes of returning to Italy one day.
Frances Alford is a board member for the National Peace Corps Association which is an alumna group for the Peace Corps. The association was invited to have a retreat at the Rockefeller Brother's Fund Pocantico Retreat Center, 20 miles north of Manhattan. They were treated to state of the art technology and beautiful surroundings all at once. Frances stayed in the main house,Kykuit which was John D. Rockefellers's home. Frances notes that it was amazing to be in a bedroom with a fireplace and using a bathroom with 30's fixtures.
The NPCA board got a lot of things accomplished and Frances was glad to be part of such a dynamic group.
-- Pat Oakes
Heroes, Healing, and Hope: A Remembrance
On September 11, 2001 our country felt the pain of our brothers and sisters in New York, Washington, and Pittsburgh.
Austin Area Interreligious Ministries (AAIM) wants to recognize the love and kindness that surfaced that day last year. For this purpose, AAIM is holding an event this September 11th to honor local heroes. If you would like to nominate a hero who has made a difference in the Austin community, please send his or her story and photograph to us. Send a short narrative (300 words or less) to elliottb@aaimaustin.org. A few of these heroes will be publicly honored at a special dinner, and many of the heroes' stories will be shared with our community.
Our Next Mt. Bonnell Workday
About a month ago the congregation approved our committing ourselves to a quarterly clean-up of Mt. Bonnell. Considering the heavy Summer traffic at Mt. Bonnell, we've selected Saturday September 21st as our Fall Clean-Up time. The Fall Clean-Up times will be from 8:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. We hope you will put it on your calendar and plan to be there.
It was remarkable how much we were able to accomplish last May in just one morning's work. Some visitors to the park were so impressed that we would do this that they gave us donations to help fund any costs. You may recall that we decided to do no planting during the heat of summer. Since it will still be very hot the Building and Grounds committee has decided to defer for one more quarter the planting of Texas native Xeriscape plants. Nevertheless, there still will be plenty to do in weeding and watering existing flower beds as well as refurbishing the compost and mulching of the flower beds. Of course we'll be bringing many plastic bags to accommodate all the trash we expect to find. Last May we filled 28 bags.
Recognizing Austin's summer heat, the workday will be from 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon, followed by a picnic lunch. We hope you will feel the same way about the importance of this effort as does the Building and Grounds Committee. This is one of the few projects we are involved in which demonstrate our tangible concern for serving our Austin community. This is a special opportunity to enhance the Number One tourist attraction of Austin. Join us!
Womens Book Club
The September selection, "Come Hell on High Water: a Really Sullen Memoir" by Gregory Jaynes is available on half.ebay.com or amazon.com - lots of cheap copies.
Both sources also have a book with a similar title, but it's a history of steamboating (not that there's anything WRONG with that, but that one's the wrong book) so order carefully.
I believe October's selection is "Wild Swans" by Chang
Womens Book Club meets the second Monday of the month.
Opportunities are available to help with the Sunday Service in September ! Please Sign Up on The List in the Fellowship Room.
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Mark McCoy & Craig Headley
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Dick Jackson & Mary Sinclair
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Hosts for Fellowship Hour
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John Goff & Gail Christeson
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Dies y Seis Tex-Mex Potluck
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Sunday School
A big THANK YOU to our 'Sunday School Lite' volunteers: Lynn Lemley, John Goff, Doyal Pinkard, Robin Chapman, Vic Appel, Catherine Hubbs, Lisa Kirch and Michael Adams
Elementary and pre-school Sunday School is held during the 11:00 service, beginning after the "time with children." Children will be escorted to the second floor (exterior stairway) Christian Education room and can be picked up from there after the service is over. Infant and toddler child care is available throughout the service, and children's bulletins and crayons are available during the service on the table in the back of the sanctuary.
Beginning September 8th Middle School and High School students will meet before church at 10:00 am to enable them to attend the 11:00 service.
The Bukasa-Karasi Family in New Hampshire
On July 16, I went to Manchester, NH to spend a week with Martin & Judith and their family. Many of you will remember our church's sponsorship of this Congolese family through the Refugee Resettlement Program and remember how difficult it was for them to leave Austin for better job opportunities in the north. I'm really pleased to be able to tell you that the children are doing very well, speaking English fluently and looking forward to starting school again in September. They are growing so tall and baby Mary (who will be two in September) is speaking in English, French and Swahili, depending upon her audience. Martin is working night shift in a factory, which makes automobile gaskets and until recently, Judith was also working full-time.
Judith has had to stop working due to the complications of chemotherapy, which she is taking for breast cancer. She was diagnosed with stage-two, estrogen-positive breast cancer in early July and had a lumpectomy at that time. On July 18, she had another surgery to enlarge the margins around the lumpectomy site and I was able to be with her for the procedure. After four sessions of chemotherapy, Judith will have to undergo radiation treatment, followed by five years of drug therapy. We spent a great part of the week together visiting doctors and trying to put together a support group to help them through this ordeal, but they are very worried about paying for Judith's medical care. Martin has insurance on the family through his work, but there is a large deductible and some prescriptions are not covered.
Our Deacon's have put forth an appeal to aid the family and you will be receiving a letter on the subject soon so please be as generous as possible.
Despite the worry of this visit, it was wonderful to be with my other family again and to find that they are still enthusiastic about the opportunities of living in the US and thankful that Judith can get good medical care, which would not be available in Congo.
Church Renewal Efforts
Our church is not only undergoing a spiritual renewal process but a continuing physical plant renewal effort. Our very active Building and Grounds Committee always seems to be able to find something about the church that requires our attention. Nevertheless it occurred to us at our last meeting that members of the congregation might have items they wish to add to our list. So ----- if there is something bugging you about our facility please contact Mark McCoy or Vic Appel or call Trish to offer your suggestion.
A Great And Successful Trip To Honduras
Our church's mission work team had a great and successful trip to Honduras in July. Jake Burlinson, Lynne Lemley, Ned Murphy, Allisa Parsley and Tom VandeStadt made it up the mountain to San Jose de Machigua (some by mule, some by foot - all had fun!). We worked for four days with our new friends Cristobal, Primo and Isidro mixing concrete, and then making and stacking blocks. We didn't finish building the house, but we got a good start on it. It should be complete within a matter of weeks.
Future projects for the village include doing a census and needs assessment, completing the medical clinic and then staffing it and stocking it with medicine, a water project and an agricultural project. Hopefully, we'll be able to develop a long-term relationship with the community through on-going contacts and support.
The participants on the trip will be creating a new photo display for Fellowship Hall and sharing their experiences with the congregation one Sunday in September. Thanks to all who have supported this project!
Micah 6 University-Area
September 29 Worship Event
For the past several months, representatives from nine University-area churches have been developing a plan to coordinate our social outreach and justice ministries. We have been working under the banner of Micah 6, a program developed by the Economic Justice and Domestic Hunger Program Ministry of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the USA. The passage Micah 6:8 is fundamental to our Christian faith: God has shown you what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God.
On Sunday, September 29, the nine participating University-area churches will be gathering at University Presbyterian Church at 3:30 pm for a joint worship service. This is the first time in a very long time (if ever) that all the University-area churches have gathered together under one roof for worship. Our theme will be the text of Micah 6:8, and we'll affirm our common commitment to love, justice and humility. Please plan on participating in this joint worship event. Show your commitment and support for this vital new ministry.
September 11 Observances at
University Baptist Church
And Huston-Tillotson College
Austin Area Inter-religious Ministries is organizing a special worship event commemorating the one-year anniversary of the September 11 attack. University Baptist Church will be hosting the event and area religious leaders from a variety of faith communities will be participating. The worship event will be held at 8:00 am on Wednesday, September 11.
Huston-Tilliston College will also host a worship event that evening at 7:00 pm. Tom V. will be participating and offering a message entitled "From Chaos to Meaning."
University Methodist Saturday Outreach Program News
Thanks to the many Congregational Church of Austin members who have been participating in the University Methodist Church's Saturday Outreach Program, which serves lunch every Saturday to folks who need it. We've recently been asked to take primary responsibility for a Saturday in a regular rotation, with other volunteers will be scheduled to assist our 'core' group. University Methodist Church will supply the food, but we will be responsible for providing a solid core of 6-8 people, and for coordinating the meal preparation, service, and clean-up on our scheduled days. This is a great opportunity for us to increase our membership's direct involvement in outreach ministries, and to get to know some of the people we are serving. Please make it a priority in your life and join us! We will post information about the rotation as soon as it becomes available so that you can mark your calendars well in advance and commit to taking part in this ministry. Thank you very much.
--Robin Chapman
Some Reflections on Team Honduras
From your intrepid field reporter,
Lynne R. Lemley
As most of you know, myself, our pastor Tom, Ned Murphy, Jake Burlinson, and Alissa Parsley set out on July 22 for the remote Honduran mountain village of San José to help build a house for a recently widowed woman and her children who were surviving in a dwelling which in my view greatly resembled the house of sticks once erected by Pooh and Piglet for Eeyore. Because I have long suffered extreme voyage-deprivation and am definitely not the outdoorsy, athletic type, the whole experience of preparation, travel, and time spent in Honduras comprised such a compendium of 'firsts' for me that I am still attempting to process the trip one month later. First time to go further away than Mexico City, first time to get a passport, first time to shop at REI for first-time acquisition of all sorts of accoutrements necessary to 'roughing it,' first time to get exotic medication to guard against the microbes of a first-time immersion in rural Hispanic culture, first time to spend 5 days and 4 nights in very close and fairly public quarters with people (three of whom were teenagers) who were not family members nor close female friends, first time to do any extended hiking, and of course, first time ever to ride a mule. So when Tom asked me if I would write something about our experience for The Visitor, I took it as a heaven-sent therapeutic opportunity for a little catharsis.
Right from the start and at every level, Honduras and its people will tug at your heartstrings and present countless paradox. I was always feeling caught up in the contrast between the beauty of the mountains and the poverty of the people, in the juxtaposition of their poverty and personal dignity. I also laughed with Tom and the kids as we pulled up to an intersection in the city of San Pedro Sula in which were simultaneously and enigmatically planted a stop sign and a green light. (Tom decided to take this as tangible evidence of the unwritten Honduran driving code - stop if you absolutely have to, but go quickly whenever and wherever possible after honking your horn.) I mourned with Alissa the plight of the widowed Honduran woman's baby, who is now eleven months old and could easily be mistaken for a skeletal two or three-month-old infant. We fear that he will not live to see a second birthday. I smiled with Jake, who as a Korean-American, was a constant source of curious delight for the population in general, and who cheerfully endured innumerable exclamations of "¡Miren el chinito! ¡Eh, chinito!" [Y'all look at the Chinese guy! Hey, Chinaman!] I worried at first about Ned, who on the morning of our first day on the mountain woke up violently ill and spent all morning throwing up. Fortunately, he felt better later that day, and subsequently did a lot of work. Ned's red hair and white Irish skin attracted the wrath of the sun and local attention, as did a spectacular fall that he took (for which the Hondurans gave him a round of applause) during a soccer game he and Jake played with the village team. They play every evening, weather permitting, on the village soccer field, which inclines down the side of a hill at an angle of approximately 35 degrees. Every morning at around 5:30 or 6:00 Tom and I would climb that hill to our cook's house, and sit in semi-darkness in a tiny, warm, dirt-floored kitchen, with omnipresent chickens milling inside and out, wondering how it was that we could get no sleep but felt mostly fine, while she brewed some of the strongest, sweetest coffee I ever tasted. We all admired the stamina of our amiable Honduran crew of house builders, and all felt a particular affinity for one of them named Primo, a man of very small stature and enormous reserves of physical strength and endurance: pleasant, placid, monosyllabic, and meditative.
Let me just tell you that Team Honduras made a whole lot of blocks and acquired intimate knowledge of the manually operated block-making apparatus and the process of incorporating cement into the piled sand mixture, then rapidly shoveling in water into a well made in the middle of the pile. It's all pretty brutal work, and Tom more than paid his dues with a shovel. The teenagers worked and did not whine (I complained more than they did, and I don't think I complained all that much); all three young people displayed an impeccable graciousness and maturity of spirit in their dealings with the people of San José. I was so proud of them. Ned (who does not speak Spanish) used his recuperation time that first day to play with the village children and bonded with them to the point that when we arrived on the scene later, he paused in his soccer game to look at us and think to himself, "Oh, wow, look at those gringos." Jake deserves Honorable Mention because he worked so hard that I think he was probably an ox in a previous life. Alissa availed herself of every opportunity to practice her Spanish and charmed the people she met. Let me also tell you that Team Honduras broke the Gringos-Spending-The-Night-On-The-Mountain record by two nights. Tom said that the most time spent by any group he had taken up there was two nights. We spent four. Hah!
Should you consider making such a trip yourself? Yes, many of you should and could, and toward that end I will now give you my own Top Ten list of personal requirements that would enhance your experience.
You too belong on Team Honduras if you possess:
- A flexible, easygoing attitude toward life in general.
- An excellent sense of humor.
- A flexible, easygoing attitude toward life in general.
- An excellent sense of humor, three bags of Cheezits, and a big bag of Jolly Ranchers.
- A desire to participate in a 'concrete'(hahaha) hands-on way to improve another person's lot in life. That Honduran widow and her children will now have the best house in the village. They have a radically greater chance of making it in life thanks to our team's effort, the Honduran work crew, and the money donated to our cause.
- A spirit of adventure and a willingness to share adventure with people who are not necessarily those you would hang with at home!
- An ability to experience very first-hand the people and customs of another culture and not freak out entirely. Some freaking out is permissible.
- An openness to the idea of foregoing nearly all personal grooming niceties for around 4 days. This was a hard one for me. Just forget it and deal with it.You'll live.
- A level of physical prowess that exceeds mine (which is abysmal) and will allow you to hike uphill for an extended period of time without losing consciousness.
OR(and this in my opinion is crucial)
10. A tolerance for close association with mules, which are now my favorite animal, and whose company will be a given for me during my next visit to San José. They are fun to ride! I'm flirting with the idea of keeping one near at hand there at all times, so that I do not even have to suffer the twice-daily mini-hike to and from the work site which, like everything in San José, is reached by hiking up, then down, then up, then down. Even though he does not say anything, I know Tom thinks this is very silly of me, but I do not care. I have no wind, and by that I mean I HAVE NO WIND. I was not at all sore after my mule ride. Those animals move up the mountain with a gratifying sureness of hoof and staidity of gait.
Would I do it again? I certainly would. It was an alternately exhilarating, depressing, satisfying, exhausting, uplifting, humbling experience, and I finally got to express myself all day long in Spanish! Well, as usual, I could go on and on, but I will stop and this will probably cure Tom of ever asking me to write anything for The Visitor again.
NOTES FROM FUN & FELLOWSHIP
We've been asking the congregation for feedback on F&F events for some time now and are finding the usual diversity of viewpoints. Some people feel we have too many potluck dinners, while others think it's just about right. Rather than deprive those who enjoy frequent potlucks by eliminating some, we have decided to continue having about seven a year. Please remember that these events are for fun. They are NOT compulsory and you will not be graded on attendance. Feel free to skip one if you like.
We are also planning some F&F outings and welcome suggestions from church members. Among these are: getting a group together to go to the St. Elias Orthodox Church MedFest for Mediterranean foods, music and dance in October; participating in the AAIM city-wide Thanksgiving celebration on Thanksgiving Sunday; a trip to Main Street Bethlehem in Burnet in December; and a tour of the painted churches of Texas during the winter months. All of these are family-friendly events. Please watch for future notices in the church bulletins and The Visitor.
For those who would like, we will celebrate Diez y Seis with a Tex-Mex Potluck after worship on Sunday, September 15. If you wish to come and bring a Tex-Mex or Mexican dish to share, please sign up on the easel in the Fellowship Room.
After previous_issues.html that, the next scheduled potlucks will be our International Potluck to mark U.N. Day, Oktoberfest, and Halloween on October 27 and our Epiphany Potluck on January 5.
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