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Dear friends,
As always, there are so many wonderful things to celebrate at UCC Austin. We are celebrating the end of the school year, especially for our graduates. We have new members, a full sanctuary with lots of children and VBS around the corner, a robust online worship, and new opportunities for community gatherings. There is a new playground in the works, and our recent property workday has our building looking refreshed for the spring and summer. At the same time, your Executive Committee has been hard at work behind the scenes. We are working to update policies and best practices that are outdated or not yet created, focusing especially on financial, personnel, and safe church policies. We are also actively working to update our bylaws to better align with our new church staff and governance structure and to make some clarifications in sections that are vague. If you would like to be among the first to give feedback on the proposed changes, please contact Jon Kinder (vicechair@uccasutin.org). We plan to have a full proposal ready for review before the November congregational meeting. We are also happy to report that 19 people have joined our church in the last year, and we will have our next new/potential member gathering on June 4 and an opportunity to officially welcome new members on Pentecost Sunday, June 5. At the end of April our finances, both giving and expenses, are tracking our approved 2022 budget very closely. We received over 80 pledges last year. Currently there are forty-three households contributing that did not pledge last year. Fourteen of these households are new to UCC. It’s exciting to see participation grow in all areas, including giving, in our church. We joyfully celebrated Rev. Anna Kreisle being selected as our settled Sr. Minister, and great strides have been made to find outstanding new team members to support UCC. Since last October we have welcomed Ethan Roberts as Audio Visual Technician, Paula Snyder as Bookkeeper, Kelley DeCleene as Church Administrator, and Jose Hernandez as Facility/Groundskeeper. We are now actively seeking talent for our Accompanists ongoing and substitute opportunities, and we will soon begin searching for our new Director of Music to be on board in time for our fall programs. Our recent Workday at the church was a big success. We were able to get most of the high priority items completed (or close to complete). The property committee would like to make the congregation aware of two new links on our website. The first link is a form that allows any congregant to let us know about maintenance issues. Our Maintenance Request form (uccaustin.org/ticket) allows you to identify the issue and provide a picture of the problem. The property committee also encourages congregants to sign up for a lawn mowing day. The lawn schedule can be found at uccaustin.org/lawn. We’re not looking for a long term commitment (unless that’s what you want) - we just need people to volunteer one or two times during the year. Mowing our own lawn saves our church $700 every month. In closing, friends, United Christian Church is thriving. Your continued commitment to work with and within our church community to spread the Good News is evident in every area of our life together. Thank you! ~ UCC Church Council Executive Committee
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From Pastor Meghan, Director of Youth Ministries
This Sunday, May 15th, we will take time to hear from and celebrate our 2022 graduates. We have eight high school seniors this year, possibly the largest graduating class to date for our church. While personally, I am sad to see them all go, I am also so glad to share with you this group of faithful youth who have worked hard to be the hands and feet of Christ in this world. Please join us in person or online Sunday morning to help us celebrate our seniors, and please continue to hold them in prayer as they prepare for the next steps in their journey. From Emily, Director of Children's Ministries Please join us on Sunday after the worship service for the Playground presentation. For almost two years, Logan DeCleene has led the Playground Committee in planning and designing a play space for the children of United Christian Church. Last fall, we were able to have the border fence installed and the area is now ready to have a beautiful playground built, but we need your support. We need YOUR help to get this project finished! Come and hear about the important work this committee has done to envision a playground that our children will be able to enjoy for years (and years) to come. Slides, caves, climbers…and monkey bars, here we come!!! Help us make this beautiful playground happen for our children! Friday, May 6, 2022 TEACHERS BLOOD BEDS REPRODUCTIVE JUSTICE DEATH PENALTY Last time I counted, we had 17 teachers and staff affliated with our congregation. And there are even more retired educators amongst us. The last two years of pandemic, poor funding, and political strife have taken a toll on educators to the point that over half are seriously thinking of finding a different profession. Yet, a new NPR poll shows that most parents feel their children are in good hands in the schools their children attend. To see the results of this poll go to https://www.npr.org/2022/04/29/1094782769/parent-poll-school-culture-wars. So, we asked our teachers what we could do to support them. Surprisingly, an immediate need is copy paper. Are you shocked? I know I was. Budget cuts have left our teachers buying their own copy paper to provide their students with the tools they need to be successful. Please take a ream of copy paper to your child’s teacher or bring one to church - the cost for one ream is about $7.50 and can be purchased at your local grocery or office supply store or online. If you bring copy paper to church, we will make sure it gets to a teacher. If you want to go further in supporting our educators, letter writing, voting on May 7th, going to school board meetings, and joining groups who support our schools could make all the difference to combat the very small group of loud voices who have agendas to hurt public education. In Round Rock ISD, one such support group is Access Education RRISD, but there are PTAs and parents groups in all our school districts where you could make a difference. If you want to find our more about being an advocate, talk to Rebecca Molis who has been attending and speaking at board meetings all this year. This should matter to everyone because we all pay school taxes in one way or another and an educated citizenry is vital to our democracy. Blood supplies are low all over our area due to a lull is giving blood and an increased need for blood during the pandemic. All who can are encouraged to give blood in our informal blood drive at any blood bank during the weekend of May 14-15. Leslie Guerrero Collins and I have signed up at We Are Blood on May 15th at 1:00 pm, and they had many openings on that day that need to be filled. Take pictures and post it on our In-House Facebook group. People need places to sleep and one of the biggest purchases needed to furnish apartments for refugees are for new mattresses and frames. Through May 15th, we are taking donations to purchase two twin beds (three would be even better) for Refugee Services of Texas. As of last week, we were more than half way to our goal of collecting $500. We take credit cards and any of our other means of donating. Make sure you put Twin Beds in the memo line of your donation. As we have all heard this week, the Supreme Court seems to be ready to put an end to abortion rights. We wouldn’t think to dictate to you how to feel about this, but no matter how you feel, it is definitely the time to make your thoughts known to your elected representatives. Post cards, letters, emails need to go out immediately. Voting for representatives who support your views is imperative. We have a primary runoff coming up which will be your first chance to express your voice. May 13 is the last day to apply to vote by mail. Early voting runs from May 16-20 and the election is May 24th. The next chance you will have to make a difference is in the November 5th midterm elections. To find out the important deadlines for voting in this election go to https://www.sos.state.tx.us/elections/voter/important-election-dates.shtml. Non-partisan information for elections can be found at vote411.org. I can help you register to vote or update your voter information. The death penalty came into focus with the recent case of Melissa Lucio. We were asked to participate in a letter writing campaign, but her case has recently been sent back to the court where she was prosecuted - same DA and same judge - so the disposition of her case is in question right now. This is not the end of her situation and to find out more information, go to https://innocenceproject.org/melissa-lucio-9-facts-innocent-woman-facing-execution/. Again, you can voice your opinion about the death penalty or this case by writing letters, speaking up, and voting. You may think that you are just one small voice, but the many individuals who wrote letters and spoke out made a difference in this case. There never seems to be an end to the need for justice in this world and it can seem overwhelming at times. One letter, one postcard, one vote, one bed, one pint of blood, one ream of copy paper can make all the difference. Your voice is important. Let us join together as members of UCC to make a difference. Diane Baker Social Justice Team Lead April 22, 2022
Dear Church Family, During this year’s Lenten series, Holy Week, Easter Sunday, and the resumption of church traditions (including various children’s activities and congregational singing), I have been struck most by the number of different children and adults participating in our worship services. It has been especially meaningful after 2 years of the pandemic, to see so many people—new and familiar— leading prayer, playing instruments, reading the call to worship, waving palm branches, and more. This Eastertide also marks 10 years since I had my first opportunity to read scripture before a church congregation—making this season even more special to me. Ten years ago, I was in high school, and though I had attended church nearly every week of my life, I had yet to see anyone other than a man or teenage boy address the congregation from the podium on a Sunday morning. The Sunday I served as the scripture reader for the first time, I was the first female that church had ever allowed to walk up to the podium and address the congregation. Ever since, serving as liturgist has remained one of my favorite ways to connect with my church family during worship. These past several weeks, I’ve been reminded again and again of how inviting everyone in the church to be involved in all the elements of worship makes for a much richer and fuller shared worship experience. And after two years of anticipation, this Easter Sunday, the church felt more vibrant than it has felt in a long time. I could feel the joyful energy even as I watched online. I am so grateful to this family—for how it welcomes all to participate and for the array of people that have volunteered to plan, lead, and participate in worship during the buildup to Eastertide (whether from the stage, the pews, from home). Family, thank you for helping to make worship such a beautiful experience each and every Sunday! Happy Eastertide, Caitlin Oliver UCC Executive Committee Recording Secretary/Historian April 14, 2022
Dearly Beloved, There has been a thought rolling around my mind the past week or so: "I have nothing left to say about Easter. We covered the resurrection of Christ last Easter, the Easter before that, and the Easter before that... What could I possibly say that hasn't been heard a million times before?" I shared this thought with my clergy group last week and one of my friends joked, "I think this is finally the Sunday for a 15-minute 'Litany of Silence' in place of the sermon! I'm just going to tell people to 'sit and ponder the wonder of resurrection for 15 minutes' and then call it." We all laughed. But truly, how could a sermon ever encapsulate the wonder of the resurrection anyway? Shouldn't we just stand at the tomb in awe? Human language attempts to point toward the Divine, but it can only approximate in metaphors; it will forever miss the mark. After all, the Holy is, by its very definition, "the Ineffable One;" God's name in the Hebrew Scriptures (YHWH) is a word that cannot even be pronounced! It can only be described as "the sound of breathing." And in our Christian tradition, we believe that the characteristic action of the Ineffable One is something akin to loving/forgiving/saving/resurrecting -- all at the same time! It's something as fresh as white Easter lilies and as resounding as a chorus of trumpets. It's something that illuminates your life like a sunrise and joyfully surprises like a duckling breaking forth from her egg. It's something that warms the heart like the softest baby bunny and transforms you like a caterpillar transforms to a butterfly. Most of all, this grace is something that happens again and again and again, just like the return of Spring. And so yes, beloved, my humble words could never adequately proclaim the Resurrected One, but these things point in its direction. Much heart, Rev. Anna Dearly Beloved,
Holy Week is upon us, and this year, it is full to the brim with opportunities for worship and fellowship. This Sunday is Palm Sunday, but this year, I'm so excited to share with you the tradition of beginning Holy Week with a Passion Play. The entire congregation is invited to participate in a dramatic reading of the Passion of Christ which includes candles, drums, bells, and Taize singing. Join accompanist Julie at 9 AM for an Intergenerational Pickup Drum Circle. You'll learn a simple rhythm to play during our Children's Palm Processional at the beginning of the service. No drumming experience is needed, and all ages are welcome! There's also great stuff happening after worship; Emily will be holding a short "Worship Workshop" for any children interested in serving as an acolyte at 11 AM. Children younger than 2nd grade will learn more about communion. And finally, we'll end the morning by going to Aviator Pizza at 11:30 AM for the return of our monthly "Second Sunday Socials," in which we all meet at a family-friendly restaurant after worship for lunch. Holy Week will continue with a Maundy Thursday Potluck Soup Supper at 6 PM, followed by a Foot-Washing Worship at 7 PM. On Good Friday, we invite you to experience Intergenerational Prayer Stations of the Cross during an Open House any time between 6-8 PM. Finally, come celebrate Easter Sunday here at the church! Welcome the dawning of Easter at our Easter Sunrise Bonfire Service outside at 7 AM. If that's too early for you, join us in person or online for our Traditional Easter Worship at 10 AM. This will be our first Easter in the sanctuary since 2019! This service will be followed by a family Easter Egg Hunt. Beloved, come and fill your Holy Week to the brim with God's love, Worship, and Easter candy as we celebrate that resurrection is happening all around us! Much heart, Rev. Anna April 1, 2022
Did you feel the buzz this past Sunday morning? It was like an energy was coursing throughout the church. Children were in the Sanctuary and Education wing doing in-person activities, adults were helping and worshipping and SINGING – it felt exciting and overwhelming and beautiful. And while it might feel new and unfamiliar for the children (for them, 2 years is an ETERNITY!), there is an element of comfort for them, too. The songs, the people, the elements of worship that we continued on-line when we couldn’t be in-person…these things brought comfort and continuity to adults and children these past two years. Please allow me to use some water references, in keeping with our Lenten theme, of course :). Even though schedules and activities may look different than they did 2 years ago, we are not facing totally uncharted waters, friends. We are swimming in a familiar ocean – the wind is calming down, the clouds are clearing off, and we’re ready to put on some sunscreen and dip our toes in the waves! After the last two Sundays, it’s clear that our children are jumping in feet first and it’s up to the rest of us to swim with them! Here’s how you can support our children’s ministries programs:
Most importantly, the best way to support our children’s ministries program is to continue doing what you always do – share love, show kindness, and give our children time to grow. What beautiful and important people they (and you ALL) are. And what a privilege it is to be with them each week. With gratitude and love, always, Emily Jamison Guerrero :) Director of Children's Ministries Dearly Beloved,
The most sacred week of the Christian year is almost upon us. Recently, I learned that the first Christians saw all of Holy Week as one long worship service, so no benediction was given, no postlude played, and no words spoken as worshippers left the sanctuary from Palm Sunday all the way until Easter morning. This makes sense to me because each day's liturgy builds upon the next, advancing the passion narrative like an act in a play. And in the same way the end of a play cannot be understood unless all the prior acts are seen, the dramatic arc of Holy Week is hard to appreciate unless we're there to experience it through worship. Otherwise, we jump straight from the high of a Palm Procession to the high of Easter Morning, and the surprise of resurrection is lost on us. To truly experience the miracle of resurrection, first, we must walk through the valley of the shadow of death. Because it is only by darkness we can recognize light, by grief we can experience the fullness of joy, and by the tomb we can appreciate the gift of life. So I invite you, this Holy Week, to experience the miracle of resurrection for yourself by participating in the entire story of Jesus' last week. Through waving of palms, the breaking of bread, the washing of feet, and the stations of the cross, we take on up our cross and participate firsthand the miracle of resurrection. Much heart, Rev. Anna March 25, 2022
Dearly Beloved, There are 23 days left until Easter, but resurrection has already been begun sneaking up on us. The tree outside my office window is beginning to bud. The sunshine has been inviting me to sit again on my back porch. Most surprising of all, however, is that “normal life” seems to be resurrecting herself too. As of yesterday, the city of Austin officially lifted all COVID orders and restrictions as case numbers and hospitalizations reach early pandemic lows. The city is no longer requiring masking in city facilities, with a few exceptions, such as the airport, clinical settings, and jails. And for the first time since March 2020, when COVID-19 arrived in Texas, Austin hospitals reported no new COVID related hospitalizations. Praise God from whom all blessings flow! Beloved, there were times over the past two years when I was convinced that joys like parties, travel and group singing were all dead and gone. To my delight, however, my faithlessness has been met by God’s grace. Even so, I admit that part of me hesitates to get “too excited.” I remember that this time last year, our Lenten theme was “cocooning” because we assumed that, by the time Easter arrived, we would all be busting out of our confinement to flit and fly around the post-COVID world. But things didn’t turn out the way we expected. And yet, I dare to hope again. I vow to jump back into the world with joy, fully knowing that my heart may be broken once again by another surge or another loss, but at least if it does, this time I will take solace in the fact that I lived my life full to the brim while I had the chance. This must be God’s dream for us, to live our one, precious life full to the brim. Why else would God have created delights like bluebonnets, stumbling fawns, fresh watermelon, and baby belly laughs? Our lives are simply too short to abstain from the joys God has laid at our feet. Through the abundance of Spring rising up all around us, Creation invites us to rise to new life. Through the outpouring of grace we hear in scripture, God invites all of us to fill our cup to the brim at the welcome table. Through the love that abounds in the spaces between us, the Trinity invites us to join in the divine dance. The only question left for us is, do we dare answer God’s invitation to live our life full to the brim? Do we dare dive in with a holy “yes?” Much heart, Rev. Anna To Those with a Heart for Social Justice,
The Social Justice Team is responding to the many local, state, national, and international situations that seem to be rocking our world right now and we want to update you on what is going on. After a lengthy time of planning, preparing, collecting, and postponing our Period Party, action has been taken. It is not quite what we originally planned, but nonetheless, we are helping the community we have wanted to serve. A huge thank you goes out to Olivia and Katherine Griffin-Erickson who have taken this project under their wings and have expanded it beyond our wildest imaginations during this difficult time. We had so many products and felt the community need was great so we switched gears, cancelled the Period Party, and donated all the products to the Austin Diaper Bank, Flo Code, and the youth to make period packets. The youth produced packets will go to Leander ISD Title 1 schools and into our Little Free Food Pantry. The $400 donated will be split equally between the YWCA and Austin Diaper Bank. These donations were multiplied by giving them on Amplify Austin Day. Our project has inspired many outside our church to either give products and money or start projects of their own. We will try to get the Period Party back on track in its normal September time slot. The team is rightly concerned about the recent executive orders and attorney general opinions concerning trans children and their families. Thank you to Andrea Pena-Curran and Patrick Curran for wanting to get accurate information for families especially those who are now thinking of relocating their families because of these orders. We have many resources for accurate information including Texas, Out Youth, and Equality Texas which we will post for the community as we find them. Texas Impact also has lobbying training each year and we will find out the date for that so that those interested can learn to effectively lobby our legislature. Equality Texas has an upcoming training and other actions and you can find them at https://secure.everyaction.com/p/eQOu4QtQP0i19Rk7OjbMZw2. Four organization are supporting a website with accurate information at https://www.txtranskids.org/toolkit. Our apartment setup with Refugee Services of Texas has been postposed until later in March or in April due to a family commitment by our primary contact with Refugee Services. In the meantime, Refugee Services of Texas says that they have been so successful in settling Afghan refugee in apartments that they have run our of twin bed frames. If you have a twin bed to donate, contact Lauren Rizzo, Community Engagement Coordinator, 512 640 2972, lrizzo@rstx.org or you can order one for them at https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/24VJEHW19YK7O?ref_=wl_share. Our Little Free Food Pantry continues to be used regularly – so much that it often is empty. Caitlin Oliver is making a collection box for Fellowship Hall so we can replenish items as needed and Meghan Dever will store overflow in the risers in the youth room. This way we can space out the offerings to those in need of food. The UCC family enthusiastically supported the 2022 Virtual Austin CROP Hunger Walk this year with donations so far of $2084 making us the 9th largest donor church team in Austin. So far the Walk has raised $58,000 but that total will grow as cash and checks are tallied. Not only did we donate, we walked on our grounds on Sunday, March 6th after worship! People of all ages joined in a walk down to our outdoor sanctuary where we had a prayer and shared some information and many stayed to walk the grounds and the labyrinth in prayer for the hungry. It is never too late to donate to our team at https://events.crophungerwalk.org/2022/team/united-christian-church-of-austin or by any of our other means of giving to UCC. Make sure you note that gifts are for the Crop Walk. Meghan Dever reported that action for the community garden is in full swing. A master gardener from the dental office in our complex will be working with the youth to plant and maintain the garden this spring. The fall garden produced 3 offerings of fresh lettuce to local food pantries. Isn’t it wonderful that in many of our projects we are able to engage folks in our wider community? The situation in the war in Ukraine is disturbing and frustrating. It is hard to know what to do. Right now the best way individuals can help is to donate. Donations to Church World Service (through the Austin CROP Hunger Walk), Global Missions, Disciples Home Missions Refugee and Immigration Ministries are vetted ways we can help. Please join us at our next meeting on March 28 at 7 pm on Zoom, where we are going to plan out our action for the rest of the year. We love new and imaginative ideas. Diane Baker, Social Justice Team Lead |
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