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I suppose that most of us think of maturity as simply a matter of timing. Seeds grow into seedlings, seedlings into plants, and plants bear fruit. All living things develop naturally and people do too, coming to a stage of possibility, competence, or ripeness when they are ready to. Of course we grow up. Time passes, the body changes, the mind changes, the emotions change. We become adults.
But this natural maturity, though basic and important, doesn’t really make us grown-ups. It is only a beginning, a necessary foundation. Beyond this there must also be emotional maturity, spiritual maturity, and maturity of character. This deeper sort of maturity doesn’t come naturally. Many of us never develop it for it takes a particular type of thoughtfulness and care beyond what is natural and socially established as a minimal standard for adulthood. —Norman Fisher
The kingdom of God is like a mustard seed… —Jesus of Nazareth
Psycho-therapist David Brazier writes, “In each life there is a big story and a little story….The other day I was asked: ‘What was the little story of Jesus Christ?’ I suppose the answer is that he was a carpenter’s son who never managed to get himself either a wife or a proper job and finished up being executed for a rather trivial offense. If this were all there was to it, history would not have noticed.”
In each life there is a big story and a little story. Most of us, if not all of us, create a narrative for our life. From the rich fabric of our lives, from the vast catalogue of things we have done, things that have happened to us, and people we have known, we select particular events and experiences—some major, some minor—and use them to construct a coherent and meaningful story about ourselves. The story of our life. This story explains who we are, how we got this way, and where we are going. We project our stories from the past and present into the future through our hopes and dreams, our anxieties and fears, our strategies and plans.
According to Brazier, we also consciously or unconsciously integrate our lives into a bigger story. We see our lives influenced by, defined by, or perhaps controlled by a story that surrounds us and shapes the contours of our personal story. We’re not sure how Jesus saw himself, but there’s little doubt that he saw himself as more than a guy who couldn’t get a wife or a job, and there’s absolutely no doubt that his followers saw him as the central character in a really big story—the story not only of Israel’s redemption but the salvation of the world. Without that bigger story, Jesus truly was insignificant.
When I reflect on the big story that is currently informing and shaping the contour of my personal story, my mind conjures up some of the kingdom of God parables we read this summer in which Jesus compares the kingdom to seeds sown in the soil and leaven mixed in the dough. To me, these parables share the theme of growth, development, and transformation. The seeds sown in the soil grow, develop, and transform into crops ready for the harvest, despite the weeds sown amongst them. The tiniest of seeds, the mustard seed, grows, develops, and transforms into a shrub and then a tree in which birds take refuge. The leaven spreads through the dough, expands, and transforms the dough.
All of this growing, developing, and transforming describes change that is not only quantitative but qualitative in nature. The field at harvest is qualitatively different from the seed planted in soil months earlier. The mustard tree filled with nesting birds is qualitatively different from the tiny spec of a mustard seed. Hot, fluffy, leavened bread fresh out of the oven is qualitatively different from a cold lump of unleavened dough.
Since these are kingdom of God parables, this process of qualitative growth, development, and transformation points to the qualitative growth, development, and transformation we human beings must undergo in order to live in the kingdom of God or manifest the kingdom of God in our lives and amongst ourselves.
Qualitative growth, development, transformation. In short, maturing. Jesus is telling folks that to live in the kingdom of God, to manifest the kingdom of God, humanity must mature. We are not yet ready for the harvest. We have not yet fully matured. We must continue to grow, develop, and transform. We must continue to mature spiritually, emotionally, psychologically, socially, politically, economically. As individuals, as communities, as a race of creatures living within God’s creation.
So the big story for me right now is posed in the form of a big question: what does it mean to mature as a human being, how shall I go about the process of growth, development, and transformation that will bring about greater and deeper maturity in my life, and how shall I contribute to the maturation of the communities in which I live?
Stephen Batchelor writes that “the destination of a path depends on the kind of questions that propel one along it.” I don’t have clear answers to the big question propelling me down my path right now, but I do believe maturing as a human being is not possible all by one’s self. It can take place only in relationship with others within the context of community, and in relationship with God, the spirit of life who animates our growth and development.
All of this leads me to ask you: what is your big story right now, what kind of questions are you currently asking yourself, and which path are you travelling through this life?
TOM
FROM THE DEACONS
Mark Sunday, September 21, on your calendars!
That’s the day we will be hosting an official meeting of the congregation to take up the question of how our church will celebrate the Easter season next year, with particular attention given to whether we should schedule a sunrise service on Mt. Bonnell.
Our goal, as a board, is to gather ideas churchwide and to determine the wishes and preferences of the entire congregation. There will be time at the meeting for discussion – and we will be listening carefully to all opinions.
However, we know that some members of our church family will be out of town that day, and that some of those who do attend may not have or take the opportunity to speak. Accordingly, we will not attempt to reach a decision at the meeting.
Instead, after the topic has been introduced and there has been discussion of worship service options, we will distribute a brief survey that we will ask everyone to take home, think over, and complete at leisure. This survey, consisting of ten or so agree/disagree questions, should give us a better understanding of everyone’s opinions and priorities.
After the surveys have been returned to us, we will report all findings, and on the basis of those findings we will propose worship service plans for next Easter. At a meeting in mid-October there will be an opportunity to discuss the findings and vote on the proposed plans.
We need everyone – we need you – to get involved in this important decision-making process. Please plan to attend on September 21!
Chairs of our Boards
Trustees: Reuel Nash
Deacons: Betty Bodman
Christian Education:
Christian Outreach: Dan Jeffery
Moderator: John Goff
The Trustees have finalized arrangements with the Gracepoint Fellowship. The group will have the use of our Sanctuary, Fellowship Hall, Nursery, and restroom each Sunday afternoon from 2 p.m. until 6 p.m., and use of the Sanctuary, Nursery, and restroom each Tuesday evening from 6 p.m. until 10 p.m. They may start setting up early if it doesn't interfere with our program.
If you have any feedback or would like to be on a liaison committee, get in touch with a Trustee.
CHOIR NOTES
Our choir reconvenes Sunday, September 7 at 9:30 a.m. in the choir room in the basement of the Towery wing. If you would like to sing with us, please see Nodie Murphy, or call her at 255-4602 or e-mail her at nodie@austin.rr.com--or show up and sing!
Linda Berard began exploring a new vocation on September 2 at Seton Hospital. She has been accepted into their CPE residency program where she will receive on-the-job training in hospital chaplaincy. Prior to embarking on this new journey, Linda took a short vacation on Labor Day weekend to visit her great aunt Martha and some dear friends in southern California. Linda will also be back in the pulpit in September on Sunday the 14th to fill in during Tom's absence.
Cathy Hubbs had an exciting start to August. Daughter Laura and granddaughter Aidan came down from Oklahoma for a wonderful five-day visit. You may have seen them when they dropped by church right after the service to say hi to everyone. They now belong to the Eastern Orthodox Church, but they attended early service so they could say hi to everyone at the Congregational Church. They stayed five days, and Aidan wowed everyone at Lynne Lemley's Spanish class by showing all the pictures she took in Latin America during her undergraduate work and talking about it in rapid Spanish for two hours! Then after they left, Cathy flew out to San Francisco to meet her son John and wife Doris. They visited Cathy's brother and his wife, Robert and Alice Faye Symons, and they all drove down the coast for a family reunion on a ranch near Santa Cruz with members of the Atkins family--Cathy's mother's side of the family. Her mother's brother and his wife had a ranch on the ocean there, where they raised seven children, and every August their multiple descendants have a wonderful time together. They still own a stretch of Pacific beach!
Many of you may recall meeting Carol Barrett's mother, Marylyn Ferguson, who worshiped with our congregation on many occasions during the past twenty years. Marylyn passed away in Knoxville, TN, on July 14th surrounded by her three daughters and other members of her family. The service was on Monday at 5:00 p.m., just a few hours after she passed away. Carol's husband Gary, and sons Craig, and Whitney were all there at the hospital and Craig and Whitney participated in the service. Whitney had been especially kind and had flown from San Francisco to Los Angeles to sit next to Carol on the flights back to Tennessee.
Savanna, 6, Harrison, 3, Pam Tucker and Alison Goodgame went to Six Flags in late July and the kids had a great time. Harrison was just tall enough to drive the little bumper cars by himself, and Savanna was fearless on those terrifying roller coasters, Rattler and Boomerang. She surprised some high school seniors by going on them at such a young age. It's a good thing Alison was there because Mom won't go on those things! Pam's mom is in the process of moving here. She found a house in their neighborhood and sold her house in Kansas. She had lived there for about 50 years! Despite everything involved in moving to a new place, she was charging forward step by step. She was planning to be in church with us starting August 17.
Steve and Jeanine Neuse were really being cruel when they reported that they were at cool Lake Clear in New York. They have friends whose family has a place in the Adirondacks. They had been inviting them to visit for years, so this year they decided to go. They left Arkansas on the 5th of August and were to return on the 24th. They toured the USAF Military Museum, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and Niagara Falls. They left for home on the 15th heading to Cooperstown, Lancaster,PA; Blacksburg,VA; and Rock Hill, SC; Nashville, TN, and home. They really enjoyed the cooler weather.
Matt Blackstock wants us to know about Harvey and Rose Sab who are long-time friends of his. Harvey generously gives us time serving lunch to the kids on alternate Thursday noons and was manager of the Cadeau for a long time, before it moved from Guadalupe. Rose has served as an RN through much of her professional life, at least part of that time at Seton Hospital on 26th. They're important people in Austin. Matt is hoping that they will be able to attend a church function soon so that we can say hello and thank-you in person.
Congratulations to Doyal and Tommie Pinkard who celebrated their 59th wedding anniversary in August!
Jack Harris-Bonham flew to Denver in August where he and his sister Kathy met to drive to Anaconda, Montana, where Kathy's partner's sister and husband run a bed and breakfast. Kathy and Jack grew up as Air force brats, so being in a car on long trips is for them is like most people sitting around the family hearth and roasting marshmallows. Jack says, "There's something about that road slipping by beneath us that turns our imaginations loose. Tom said it sounds like a road movie - well, maybe it is." He was also planning to visit with Tom Rehling, Conference Minister for the Rocky Mountain Conference UCC. He and Rehling were to have lunch on the 26th of August to discuss the possibilities of Jack's coming to that region as a full time minister. Katie, Jack's church puppy who has cancer, was still going strong in mid-August. She was oblivious to her illness and just kept fighting and biting like she always has. It makes Jack think there's a lesson in there for all of us. Jack preached in Waco on the 10th of August at the Waco UU Fellowship and was to preach at the Kerrville Church of the Hill Country on the 31st of August. He was to be back in church reading scripture on the 7th of September. Jack was also planning on helping out with the EYES WIDE OPEN exhibit from the Quakers on the 12-14th of September and would encourage all UCC from the Congregational Church of Austin to take part in this wonderfully tasteful exhibit that emphasizes the human cost of war.
Mel and Pat Oakes had a wonderful 8 nights and 9 days at Interlochen, MI, at the end of June and early July. Their daughter Beth was teaching at the amazing music festival there with the Maia Quartet for 2 weeks. Daughter Sarah went for the first week and was "aunt/nanny extraordinaire" for Emily, 7 and Ethan, 5. They were joined for the second week by Pat and Mel, son-in-law Eugene, and Nodie and Dennis Murphy (who wonderfully joined the family when daughter Mardie and son-in-law Tony could not come at the last minute). Everyone enjoyed walks, cooler temperatures, good food, great music, lots of bingo, and--did we mention cooler temperatures? A highlight of the week was having lunch at the lake home of the author Ethan Canin and his wife Barbara. Beth and Eugene know the Canins from the Iowa Writers Workshop at the University of Iowa. Canin has a great new book out--AMERICA AMERICA. Beth and Eugene presented Pat with an autographed copy signed that day by the author beside beautiful Elk Lake. Beth was home for just a few weeks before she, with the rest of the quartet, flew to China for two weeks to participate in the Great Wall Music Festival just outside Beijing. Eugene had the tough job of taking the two kids with him to Honolulu to visit his brother Charles and his family. Charles Buck is the UCC conference minister for the state of Hawaii.
Eunice Paul reports from England that her son-in-law Dean Tapley (who served our church for a summer exchange program with John Towery some years ago) baptized Eunice's second great-granddaughter Eleanor Rose Tapley, daughter of Nathaniel and Zoe. Nathaniel's brother Joshua his wife Martina and two-year-old Jessica came from Austria for the occasion in early August. They stayed for two weeks so Eunice's daughter Lydia and Dean had the opportunity to enjoy the role of grandparents. An unprejudiced Eunice says that Jessica is a joy - switching effortlessly from English to German depending on whom she is talking to. Nathaniel is appearing for three weeks in a daily TV late-night comedy show for new talent - the Tapley clan thinks the show itself is not great, but Nathaniel is excellent (no bias there at all!). It's a satirical talk show based on current news and written and filmed a couple of hours before it is aired. Nathaniel is also one of the writers on the show and has had a second radio play accepted for production. Lydia, Dean and company were going to the studio to be part of the audience for one of the performances. Joshua, living in Graz, is taking a civil engineering degree in German - not knowing a word of German when he went to visit a friend in Austria four years ago! He and Martina are expecting a brother or sister for Jessica in September. Eunice sends her greetings to all,
Frances Alford was still in her summer house in Vermont in mid-August and was enjoying some very cool weather. She had actually been able to have a fire in the fireplace on a good number of evenings She said, " It seems strange to do this in August, knowing how hot it is in Texas now." The heat had to have been a terrible shock when she came home in late August. This summer, she rested and tried to regroup after her husband John's death. She had no idea how tired all this had made her. She is now setting goals for the things that she will want to do in the immediate and further out future. The world looks bright. She has enjoyed her two female Yorkies, Daffney and Daisy have been up in Vermont with her all summer. She got Daisy as a puppy just before John died and it was nice for her that he got to enjoy her a few times.
The Rosses report their summer camping trip was a little different than in previous years - less hiking and more sightseeing of other kinds. "We began in Palo Duro Canyon and Canyon, Texas, where we visited the celebrated Panhandle Plains Museum. A traveling exhibit on Samuel Colt featured more different revolvers and rifles than you can imagine. The museum has extensive displays on oil exploration, ranching, and paleontology. We found the people of Canyon to be exceptionally friendly and helpful. A pharmacist gave his full attention to replacing a forgotten medication and verifying insurance coverage. Traveling across New Mexico, we stopped at the Rio Grande Wild and Scenic River, one of Tom's favorite places, and hiked down into the canyon. From Chama, New Mexico, we took a steam train excursion, a welcome respite from driving. Moving through Colorado, we sampled Colorado State Parks and commercial campgrounds as well as our usual National Forest favorites. One of those is near Silverton, where we repeated an earlier hike but found the wildflowers not as resplendent as in other years. We chose a commercial campground near Gunnison called "The Tall Texan" which proved to be the nicest we have seen. After re-visiting and hiking in a couple more of our favorite National Forest areas, we stopped at the Florissant Fossil beds near Colorado Springs, which features a forest of petrified tree stumps as well as specimens in cases of small creatures and plant material. Finally, after brief stops at the Great Sand Dunes National Park and the Muleshoe National Wildlife Refuge, we made our way home. Altogether, a satisfying if not spectacular trip. Photos of the trip can be found at http://gallery.me.com/saradave#100018&bgcolor=black&view=grid "
One thing you learn about this church if you are part of our community for any length of time--we manage to stay connected even if folks move to other areas. Zona and Omer Galle, who now live in Liberty Hill, were part of the church family 25 or so years ago. They reported that they made the trip back to Kansas a couple weeks ago to visit family, but timed it when they knew that Laura Camden (who also grew up in this church) would be there. She was presenting her photography and making a presentation at the Kaufmann Museum at Bethel College (where Omer and Zona went to school). This is her photography work titled Mennonites in Texas that she did at U.T. She is a very good photographer. They had not seen her since she was a child and it was fun to get together several times. She was there for a couple weeks staying with very good friends of theirs whose cousin is her dean and boss at Arizona State in Flagstaff. That is how they had found out some time ago that she was going to be there. They got home and had an e-mail from Betsy Russell saying that she and Rollin (also part of our church familiy years ago) were going to be in the Wichita area visiting an aunt of Rollin's. So they immediately phoned them and told them that Laura was there. They got an e-mail later that they had gone to Laura's exhibit at the museum. Laura had left for Oklahoma and on to Arizona the day before they were able to get there. (They had figured that would happen when they talked.) Stephen Russell (Rollin and Betsy's son) and his partner Scott Neeley were also there with them. After a short while at home, Omer and Zona left in mid-August to make the drive to New Haven, Conn., to get their granddaughter Kaitlyn moved in at Yale. Their daughter Kristin, son-in-law Brent and Kaitlyn were going to fly. They drove and took a car full of Kaitlyn's things. It was also a good excuse to visit friends all along the way there (the northern route) and the way back (the southern route). They also spent a few days with son Karl in D.C. He had just found out that his USAID assignment is to be in Egypt. Now he will need to learn Arabic. They stopped to see the Russells on their way back home. While in the northeast they hoped to visit Seneca Falls and the John Brown farm in northern New York -- both places they had not been and have often talked and read about.
SEPTEMBER BIRTHDAYS
7 Marilyn Pickens
8 Ava Jean Deisler
9 Alessandra Herrera
10 Tamya Isenberg
Bill Phillips
13 Seth Murphy
Chris Pinkard
21 Ellen Deisler
Reuel Nash
22 Larbi Sennour
Giovanni Fracasso
Stella Fracasso
24 Allison Cole Stutz
Mary Halladay
27 Rambie Briggs
Brazos Association News
For the past several years, the Brazos Association has set aside money in its budget to fund scholarships to the UCC National Youth Event (NYE) that is held every four years. Because of the foresight of those of you who made and approved this effort, 32 youth and adults from the Brazos Association had a magnificent and unforgettable experience with some 2900 others who came from around the USA and nearly 100 (including our Brazos group) from the South Central Conference at the NYE held this year from July 24-27 at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville. Each person from the Association received $300 in scholarship money, which paid for most of the registration/room and board and made the trip possible for much of our group. In addition, the South Central Conference donated $2000 toward the two buses (leaving from Dallas and the San Antonio area, with about half of our Association group on each bus) carrying conference youth and adults back and forth to Knoxville. Several of our churches who sent folks contributed substantially, as well. All of us dug more deeply into ourselves, our faith, and our identity as Christians in the United Church of Christ as we were part of this event. It will shape the lives of many who attended in years to come.
Here is the list of youth and adults who attended:
From St. John’s, Burton: Katrina Barnett, Cody Bozarth, Terry Busby, Kaylee Busby, Kady Felder, Chris Gandy, Caleb Goldberg, Savannah Kinsek, Emily McGarity, Chase Muehlbrad, Jordan Parrish, Dalton Roberts, Denton Shippey, Lyssa Wilke
From Weimar UCC: Kathy Janak, Sam Janak, Kallie Fuchs, Kendall Baumbach
From United Christian, Austin: Ken White, Amelia Mook, Lawrence Jacobs, Megan McAllister, Katy Colvin, Hannah Gray, Becca Owen, Cathy White, John Mata
From St. John’s, Richland: Rieta Boone, Frank Horak
From Congregational, Austin: Liz Nash, Annie Nash, Becky Nash
For those of you who want to know more about the outstanding speakers, worship, music, and program, go to http://www.ucc.org/youth/ . Special thanks to Laurie Doyal-Lampman from the Redeemer UCC in Marion and Beau Heyen from Cathedral of Hope in Dallas for their many hours spent arranging buses, and to all of our adult chaperones. And to the Brazos Association, THANKS for helping us go!
Congratulations to Faith United Church of Christ and to Rev. Karl Tewold, their new pastor. Rev. Tewold comes to Faith from his last church in Baytown, and has served several Methodist churches over a number of years. In coming to Faith, he is fulfilling a call to start or revitalize a church, matching with Faith as that church is embarking on a new life in a new location.
St. John’s Richland and their pastor, Rev. Michael Vaughn, are in transition, too. Michael has accepted a call to Zion United Church of Christ in Womack, Texas in the North Texas Association – very close to Clifton and not far from Waco. Michael will conclude his ministry at St. John’s on September 21. Michael has been a wonderful presence in our Association, serving St. John’s and the wider church in many ways. We will miss Michael and Laurie, and we know St. John’s will, too.
Be sure to set aside the date for the Brazos Association Fall Meeting, Saturday morning, October 18th, at St. John’s UCC in Burton. Join us! Everyone is invited.
A HUGE THANK YOU
Many thanks to Rhys Ulerich for doing the leg work, and the actual work, to restore Tom’s computer to a more workable arrangement AND changing out the computer here in the office. Things work much faster now.
Yet more thanks to Rhys, and to MANY of you. To Rhys for “fixing” the internet here in the office and to many of you who very generously offered perfectly good routers to replace the broken one here in the office. Thanks to all of you, Tom has internet in his office again and our computers are able to “talk” with each other.
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 OCTOBER VISITOR — September 15
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