Our Blog: "The Ministry Minute"
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Dear Friends,
We hope that you and yours had a safe and happy Thanksgiving yesterday. There are many things happening this Sunday, November 26, and we hope you can be a part of many! On Sunday, our Community Connections Team is hosting a church potluck. Since it's the weekend after Thanksgiving, this will be our "UCC Friendsgiving" of sorts. All are invited to bring a finger food snack to share (savory or sweet) and the church will provide lemonade and tea. All - children and adults - are also invited to bring an ornament to place on the "Church Family Tree" in the Fellowship Hall. These can be ornaments that kids have made, picture frame ornaments, ones that are special to you for any reason. We look forward to seeing the beautiful tree go up, and sharing the memories and meanings behind the ornaments. Following the 10am worship service, the building will undergo the Advent transformation! Decorator Extraordinaire John Schwartz will be leading the efforts, but we need all hands on deck to put up the tree, wreath, garland, lights, and more. In addition to that, the Children's Ministry is sponsoring an Advent Craft Workshop for all ages. We will have supplies out in the Fellowship Hall for making beautiful Advent wreaths, calendars, and more. The youth group will join us for the Friendsgiving Potluck and will then drive down to Elgin, Texas, to the beautiful Down Home Ranch. There they will be packaging up the hundreds of poinsettias that the Ranch has been growing since the summer. The Down Home Ranch Gardens Team empowers the lives of people with disabilities, both through a positive financial impact for the entire organization and as a vocational training program. A portion of the poinsettia sale then goes to benefit our Youth Group's Mission Trip next summer. Click here to order poinsettias! Come be a part of all of the wonderful, meaningful things happening this Sunday, and beyond, at UCC. Love, The Church Staff
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As we approach the Thanksgiving holiday, we pause to give thanks for the good work of our congregation. We may feel the joyful anticipation of gathering with friends or family this week. We may also feel anxious or alone. We may not understand what is happening in the world, or even with our neighbors. Sometimes we struggle to feel grateful.
But this Thanksgiving, we choose gratitude. We are grateful for the work of our congregation and the caring love we share in relationship with each other. We choose to accept life as a gift from God, from the unfolding work of all creation. We choose to be grateful for the earth from which our food comes; for the water that sustains us; and for the air we breathe. We choose to see our ancestors, those who came before us, and their stories, as a continuing gift of wisdom for us today. We choose to see our families and friends with new eyes, appreciating them for who they are, thankful for our homes whether humble or grand. We will be grateful for our neighbors and strive to love them as we love ourselves. We choose to see the whole planet as our shared commons, the stage of the future of humankind and creation. God, this Thanksgiving, we do not give thanks. We choose it. These words, inspired by a Thanksgiving prayer by author Diana Butler Bass, ask us to strengthen our resolve and pledge to give thanks. As we approach Advent and invite each of you to engage in the wonderful activities planned for our church, we recognize we are collectively the church and give thanks with courageous hearts. We all are guests at God’s hospitable table around which gifts are passed and received. Love rules this table and is inviting and accepting of any who seek it. We choose to open our eyes to see grace and the gifts of life everywhere and serve alongside each other in love. In this choosing, we will share gratitude in the world, in our lives, and in the life of our church. Blessings to you this Thanksgiving holiday! Your Church Family Greetings Friends in Christ,
I’ve not had the chance to meet most of you yet, but I want to introduce myself and let you know that I hope to see you soon. A bit about myself. I’ve been a member of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) all my life. I studied at TCU and Duke, was ordained in 1988, and I’ve served in various settings over the years. I will travel with you for the next 18 months as your interim. During this time I will ask everyone three questions: 1. Who are we as a congregation? 2. Who are our neighbors? 3. What is God calling us to do/to be? All of these questions are shaped by five areas that are reviewed during an interim period.
This dynamic reflection will help you as you develop your congregational profile and begin your search for a settled pastor. You are a wonderful congregation. Thank you for allowing me to explore with you for a while. Rev. Janet Maykus Interim Senior Minister |
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Worship at 10 am CST each Sunday in-person and online (email us for link)
We are proudly affiliated with both the United Church of Christ and the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)
3500 West Parmer Lane, Austin, TX 78727
512-218-8110
We are proudly affiliated with both the United Church of Christ and the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)
3500 West Parmer Lane, Austin, TX 78727
512-218-8110
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