THE EPISTLE
Dec. 7, 2009 -to- Dec. 14, 2009
St. Luke United Methodist Church
1306 West Lynn Street
Austin, TX 78703
Sarah Currie, Pastor
E-mail:
Pastor’s cell: 699-7164
Church Office: (512) 476-8164
E-Mail:
Web site: www.stlukeumcaustin.org
Please be Praying for:
+ Celebration of Sarah Cooke’s life, prayers for her family
+ Virginia McNabb
+ Max & Marilil Rychlik
+ Martha Ramsay
+ Lucille Barrick
+ Lucille and Walter Timberlake
+ Karol McMahan
+ Adam Hinman
+ Frances Hall
This Sunday,
December 13, 6 p.m.
Administrative Board Meeting
Everyone is Welcome!
Childcare will be provided
Thursday, December 17
No Trustees Meeting
INVITE A FRIEND
AND JOIN US
FOR THESE SPECIAL ADVENT SERVICES
SUNDAY, DEC. 13, 10:50 am
Lessons and Carols
SUNDAY, DEC. 20, 10:50 am
Season’s Readings
THURSDAY, DEC. 24,
6:30 pm
Christmas Eve Service
Of Candlelight
& Holy Communion
Special Note:
We’re mailing postcards to neighbors for Christmas Eve.
Send us info on anyone you’d especially like us to invite!
Dancing the Days...
Hello, Friends!
Our family, along with so many others, is simplifying things this Christmas, and scaling back a bit on our usual holiday expenditures. We hadn’t planned on it, but as it turns out, our Ficus volunteered to save us a bit by stepping into the role of Christmas tree.
She’s a bit of a snowbird—migrating outside for the warm months, and inside to the toasty warmth of the parsonage when the weather turns frosty. We’ve done this for years, and every year she gets a bit taller and broader, and
her placement becomes a bit more problematic.
Last week we barely got her inside before the first freeze happened, and realized she was too big to fit anywhere but the living room space in front of the window—exactly the spot where our Christmas tree was to have been installed.
Looking at her all green and full, with her tallest branch touching the ceiling, she seemed to say—“See? I’m beautiful—why buy a pricey old tree that will just shed needles and die in a few weeks? You have me—I’m part of the family. Dress me up for Christmas!”
So this week I’m sorting through our ornaments to find the light-weight ones that won’t overburden her delicate limbs—the tin ones from Mexico are perfect, as are the various hand-crafted ones from our children’s young years. With a string or two of lights (the flamingo ones, perhaps?) and some tinsel, she’ll do just fine.
I’ve written about Ficus before. She’s been with us through all our years together, and she was with John for some years before that—we’re thinking she’s at least thirty years old. During her lifetime she’s
gone through near-death experiences (something about the south Texas heat), loss of limbs, many sequences of leaf-droppings and regenerations, and climate changes.
It took us awhile to catch on to the fact that she really does like being outside—that’s why she’s grown so much in the last few years. She gets to hang out with the real plants, get fed, take baths, experience the air with them—she even puts out little roots through the bottom of her pot, to soak up extra good stuff.
And she also seems to thrive indoors in the winter—as long as we remember to give her a little misting and extra nourishment, from time to time.
For John and me she’s a talisman of our journey together, and of our capability not just for survival, but for adaptive, regenerative, creative life in the Spirit.
So it is with all our journeys in the light of Christ.
I look forward to all the green and growing times we have in store, this Sunday and all our days to come.
Shalom,
Sarah+
MATHEWS ELEMENTARY
VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES
SPRING 2010
WE ARE CONTINUING AN EXCITING AFTER SCHOOL PROGRAM, “PRIME TIME”, THAT STRESSES THE IMPORTANCE OF ACADEMICS AND PROVIDES ENRICHMENT CLASSES FOR ALL STUDENTS AT MATHEWS. WE HOPE THIS WILL BE AN ACTIVITY THAT WILL PARTICULARLY iNTEREST YOU.
WE NEED TUTORS
THE HOMEWORK CENTER IS OFFERED EVERY MONDAY, TUESDAY AND WEDNESDAY.
IT WILL PROVIDE SUPERVISED TUTORING, AVAILABLE SO THAT EVERY STUDENT CAN COMPLETE UNFINISHED CLASSROOM WORK AND HOMEWORK. THE TIME COMMITMENT IS ONE DAY A WEEK 3:00 PM - 4:00 PM.
SPRING SEMESTER JANUARY 11 - MAY 12 (17 WEEKS)
WE NEED INSTRUCTORS (& INSTRUCTOR ASSISTANTS) FOR ENRICHMENT CLASSES
CLASSES MEET ONCE A WEEK
ON MONDAY, TUESDAY, OR WEDNESDAY. THE TIME COMMITMENT IS ONE DAY A WEEK 3:OO PM - 4:00 PM. IT IS POSSIBLE TO TEAM TEACH THIS (ALTERNATE WEEKS, ETC.) IF PREFERABLE. SPRING SEMESTER
FEBRUARY 1 - MARCH 10 (6 WEEKS)
IF YOU HAVE EVER THOUGHT YOU WOULD LIKE THE OPPORTUNITY TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE IN A CHILD’S LIFE, THIS IS YOUR CHANCE!
PLEASE CONSIDER AND GIVE US A CALL - WE NEED YOU!
RUTHANN RUSHING - 841-1516
MATHEWS COMMUNITY LIAISON
IF SCHEDULING IS A PROBLEM,
WE ALSO NEED MENTORS WHO MEET WITH A STUDENT
WEEKLY DURING LUNCH AND SERVE AS ROLE MODELS & FRIENDS
EVENT VOLUNTEERS, ANYTIME VOLUNTEERS.
PLEASE JOIN US AS WE COMMIT
TO MAKE MATHEWS AN
EXCITING AND CHALLENGING PLACE FOR EACH AND
EVERYONE OF OUR STUDENTS.
http://www.mathews360.com
“The Texas Christmas Carol”
Long Center
Dec. 29-Jan. 3
This is a great opportunity to help raise funds for Mathews, and other local organizations.
The show will feature The Biscuit Brothers and Tish Hinojosa. Also joining the celebration will be an Austin All-Star cast including the Amazing Grace Gospel, Austin Classical Guitar Association, Austin Lyric Opera, Ballet Austin, River City Brass Quintet, St. Martin's Ringers, Tapestry Dance Company, the Zachary Scott Theater Showstoppers and a special video visit from KVUE's Mark Murray.
Here’s a special opportunity for St. Luke folks:
Wednesday, December 30th is "Mathews Night" and proceeds will also go to helpthe Austin Children's Shelter in addition to the 20% donated to Mathews Elementary. Let all your friends and family get in on the fun and have them use the "MathewsPTA" code, too. The organization with the most sales under their ticket code wins a $10,000 donation!
Contact Sarah if you’d like to get together with other church folk and go as a group on Wednesday, Dec. 30!