Dear Friends,
I am Laurie Thornhill and I am writing to you as Elder Chair. My family and I have been members of United Christian Church for almost 19 years. Bryan and I got married in the church building before the children’s wing was added. We have witnessed many other changes in UCC- from staffing to flooring to stewardship campaigns (I think I remember one about toilet paper?). But a constant in this church is the relationships. From the folks who greet at the door to waves at the cameras for those who are worshipping virtually, there is a genuine kindness and caring spirit at UCC. Our Elder Team is an extension of this loving care. We are a team of members who strive to extend care to folks who are asking for prayers, experiencing illness or life struggles, or grieving a lost loved one. We send cards and make calls and visits. We are working with Meghan, UCC's Pastor of Youth and Pastoral Care Ministries, to reach more folks who need care or just a kind hello. This is where we need your help. We invite you to request care for yourself or someone else. You may choose to share a reason, or just request prayers and/or a visit. There are many ways to do this:
I am blessed and honored to serve as an Elder alongside Rev. Jane Perrine, Letty Tomlinson, Andrea Simoneau, and Rev. Jenny Veninga. Pastor Meghan Dever is our Pastoral Care Extraordinaire and we have additional volunteers who are helping in our caring endeavors. We look forward to another year of caring for our UCC family. Blessings, Laurie Thornhill
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Greetings to all, in the name of Christ our brother, our example, and our daily inspiration.
I hope that you are doing well physically, mentally, and spiritually during this unusual and challenging week. Another winter storm has disrupted our lives for the second time in the last few years and we find ourselves in a liminal space, in a state of waiting. Waiting for the lights to come back on. Waiting for warmth. Waiting for a return to normalcy. At the root of our Christian faith is the story of a God who somehow chose to enter our imperfect world and to suffer alongside us. In all of life’s calamities, both great and small, I find this paradox comforting. I hope that you do as well as you face the challenges of this season and beyond. I am so pleased to begin my second year serving as your Worship Team lead. As you know, our church offers many opportunities to contribute to the rich and creative worship experience that we have come to expect at UCC. From thematic chancel décor to stewardship video shorts to special music, our Worship Team is fortunate to be able to tap into the talents of so many willing volunteers to help enrich our Sunday mornings together. For that we are very grateful. In the Book of Revelation, Christ says “Behold, I make all things new.” Although UCC Austin has been the spiritual home of our family for almost 15 years now, I still catch myself at times thinking of it as our “new” church. Indeed, Christ does make all things new. The years and seasons do not roll by with drudgery and sameness. Each comes with new perspectives, new challenges, and new opportunities. I would like to focus on this last category to help keep our Sunday morningworship running smoothly. We are in particular need of additional volunteers to assist our Audio-Visual technician Ethan Roberts in the sound room. Having a helper ensures that the AV aspects of the service, including slide transitions during hymns, go smoothly. If you are interested in helping in this capacity, Ethan will be conducting a training on Sunday, February 19, starting at 9:30 sharp. We are also on the lookout for volunteers to serve as acolyte. If your child is of elementary-school age please encourage them to consider becoming an acolyte, an important role as the acolyte symbolically brings the light of Christ into the midst of the congregation at the start of each worship service. If your child would like a short training before the service, please contact me using the email listed below and I will arrange that. Thank you for the ways that you are already contributing to our church family and thank you for considering new ways that you might serve the Body of Christ. I count myself as truly blessed to be able to serve this loving community of faith. Clark Thompson Worship Team Lead 2023 worship@uccaustin.org Dear Friends ,
My name is Leslie Guerrero Collins and I’m pleased to be serving as the Social Justice team lead for 2023. My family and I have been members of UCC since 2016 and I was previously in this role from 2019-2020. Returning to this special work is very exciting as I know that an opportunity to serve this community though teams or volunteering will surely lead to a rich season of deepened friendships and strident faith-building. This year, we’ll see the continuation or return of some of our most meaningful missions work such as: an apartment set-up for a refugee family planned for this spring, discovering new ways to celebrate Pride this summer, and the return of the highly anticipated Period Party in September. And of course we’ll be supporting our ongoing missions with our on-site micro pantry and contributions to the Bethany Faith Food Pantry in East Austin. Our first 5th Sunday Project is this Sunday 1/29, and you are invited to join us after the service as we prepare sack lunches in the Fellowship Hall for you to distribute all over Austin to folks in need. In addition to our missions projects, we have an opportunity and responsibility to dive further into the more clarified definition of “social justice” by being a force for systemic and restorative changes within the larger governing systems of our city and state. The Texas Legislature is currently in session and over 2 dozen bills have been proposed targeting the LGBTQ community. Our calling to radical love and acceptance, and our proximity to the statehouse put us in a unique position to be front row activists in the months ahead. Look for opportunities to march, meet, and speak out as the legislative process moves forward. I’m excited to collaborate with this family of faith, standing shoulder-to-shoulder as we see what God has in store for 2023. With love, Leslie Greetings, Church Family!
I am excited and honored to write you today in celebration of all we accomplished this past year and to share in the hope and promise of 2023. First and foremost, we invite you to come to this Sunday’s service where we will highlight and thank our leaders from last year and commission our leaders for 2023. On that note, this Sunday gives us an opportunity to reflect on our growth, both as a church and in numbers. Our accomplishments are many and impressive. We consistently held in-person worship. Our congregational numbers and involvement continue to thrive. We designed and installed a remarkable playscape. Not only that, but also PAID for the playscape in a matter of weeks. And we started up small groups again. And we introduced a new governance structure for the church. And, and, and. There are too many accomplishments to list, but I know we are just warming up. (Watch out, 2023!) To celebrate our accomplishments, we will be honoring the incredible service of our 2022 leadership, especially those stepping down. Please join us in body, spirit, or virtual presence for this Sunday’s service. Together we will honor those who honor the church. Let us unite in gratitude for their effort and sacrifice to make our church body what it is. As our 2022 leadership steps down, we extend welcome and hope to our leadership in 2023 through commissioning. We are a congregational church, meaning we thoughtfully and prayerfully direct our church’s future together. Our leadership was voted upon at the end of last year, and Sunday’s commissioning will mark the start of this year’s service. My friends, it is a pleasure to serve with you and be the body of Christ together. Jon Kinder 2023 Council Chair Dearly Beloved,
Christmas Eve is just around the corner, and I know that so many of you feel bogged down with gifts left to buy, parties to attend, and family functions. My prayer for you is that our church might be a place of refuge for you this holiday, where you can lay down your burdens and find an hour of peace. For many of us, Christmas is a time mixed with both joy and grief. We grieve for the people that are no longer around our Christmas tree, and the way the holiday has changed for us over the years. If you’re feeling that way this year, I encourage you to attend our worship for The Longest Night, led by Rev. Dr. Jenny Veninga and Pastor Meghan, in which all the feelings of the season will be held in grace. It will be held at church and online on Wednesday, December 21st, at 7 PM. Just a few days later is Christmas Eve. We’ll celebrate the coming of Christ with candlelight services at both 4 PM and 8 PM. The earlier service will be aimed more towards families with children, with more singing and a simple “Posada” of sorts in place of the sermon. The later service will be our traditional evening candlelight service and will be live-streamed online as well. Both Christmas Day and New Year's Day fall on Sundays this year, so we will continue holding a family-friendly 4 PM service for those two Sundays. Come on Christmas Day for a brief worship service of lessons, poetry, and carols, followed by cookies and cocoa. On New Year’s Day, Carol Barrett and Meghan Hatcher will lead us in an 4pm Epiphany worship service including rituals for the new year and journaling. I pray that amid all the lists and obligations, you find in our worship together that Christ is still being born in our midst, eternally. Much heart, Rev. Anna Christmas is fast approaching and the excitement is overflowing in our children!
As we make our way through this season, we talk about Advent in Godly Play as being on a journey, together, to Bethlehem. There is so much beauty in the idea of being on a journey, together. We can share, lean on each other, help carry loads, guide and encourage one another. All are invited to journey to Bethlehem, where we find the hope of Jesus - a newborn babe in a stable. It is not an easy journey, but it is a journey of hope and peace, joy and love. In a little over a week from now - on Sunday, December 18th - we will journey to Bethlehem together as we share the Christmas Story in worship during our annual Children’s Christmas Pageant. We will remember familiar words, but we might hear them differently. That’s one of the beautiful things about the Christmas Story – even though the words are the same, we may come to understand them in a new way. Children of all ages (and we mean ALL of God’s children, of any age!) are invited to participate in any way that is comfortable. We will share the story together, within the worship service, in the form of readings and carols and a Nativity Tableau. Costumes will be available – animals, shepherds, and townspeople – however Biblical-era costumes are not a requirement. Come as you are, and be a part of sharing the Christmas Story. If you do want to dress up, please come to Room 2 between 9:10 and 9:40 a.m. to select your costume. While we will not be rehearsing the Pageant ahead of time, we do have readings that some might like to practice before worship. Please let us know if this is how your family would like to be involved. There will be readings available on the morning of the Pageant, for those who would like them. And then, after Worship on December 18th – let’s celebrate our Dream Playground! At 11:30 we will gather for a time of thanksgiving and blessing. We hope you will join us in celebrating our amazing volunteers and remembering the journey we have all been on together in building this incredible playground. After a short presentation in the Sanctuary, we will gather outside on the playground for a blessing and dedication, followed by cookies and cocoa! I am grateful to be on this journey with all of you! With love, always, Emily :) For me, there is so much to love about Advent and Christmas Time. I love the cooler weather, peppermint mochas, decorations and lights, family traditions, and of course, youth group traditions.
In a few weeks we'll have our annual ugly sweater Christmas party, accompanied by some sort of silly games and likely lots of candy. But leading up to this fun event, we've been working to build relationships among our youth. We do this through weekly meetings, meals around tables, and service to others. Three weeks ago we held our fall Lock-In where we focused on service to our direct church community, our local neighborhood community, and the broader Austin community. Our youth assembled 100 boxes and packed them with 500 canned goods, as well as other food items. The youth also purchased items to help stock the Little Free Pantry, made blankets for those experiencing homelessness, and finished moving the mulch into the playground area. Also this fall, the youth have served at a playdate for LGBTQ kids and their families, and packed poinsettias at Down Home Ranch. All of this relationship building and service work throughout the year leads to our biggest event: our Mission Trip. In 2023 our youth will serve for a week with Appalachia Service Project doing home repair and learning about poverty. In order to fund these mission trips, we rely on parent contributions for each youth and fundraising. We currently have two fundraisers going on, if you would like to support our youth. Through this Sunday, 12/4, you can purchase poinsettias. Our poinsettias come from Down Home Ranch and are absolutely gorgeous. You may order in person or online, and can also choose to order one to be delivered to one of our homebound members. Poinsettias will be available for pick-up after worship on 12/11. Through that Sunday, 12/11, you can also order gift cards. Gift cards are available through many popular retailers, and make a great gift or stocking stuffer! The gift cards will be available for pick-up on Sunday, December 18. All information about gift card ordering is available online, or in person. Thank you for loving and supporting our youth! Meghan ‘Which of these three, do you think, was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of the robbers?’ He said, ‘The one who showed him mercy.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Go and do likewise.’ + Luke 10:36-37 Dearly Beloved,
Over the last several weeks, we’ve been exploring what “Grace in Action” looks like, for God and for us. We’ve considered God’s generosity in building the home of creation, and our call to be world-builders and homemakers, too. We’ve thought about God’s prodigal, neverending welcome, and about our own hospitality and celebration. This week, as we approach Giving Sunday, October 23rd, we’d like to ask you to reflect on the grace that appears when we least expect it. That’s what Jesus’ parable of the Good Samaritan is all about, since Jews and Samaritans didn’t get along in those days: imagining someone from the “other side” – of the aisle, of the debate, of the conflict – whose actions beautifully reflect the grace of God. And then going and doing likewise. When the image of God shines brightest through our lives, we find ourselves building bridges, showing and receiving mercy, and learning from supposed “enemies.” Through our youth planting sea grass to restore Texas marshes, our Social Justice team providing feminine hygiene products and school supplies for students in need, using our building to host open and affirming ministries like Gender Hope, demonstrating at the State Capitol to support sensible gun control, and supporting many local nonprofits like Austin Coalition for the Homeless, we’ve been a part of God’s merciful work of justice and reconciliation. United Christian Church of Austin has a long history of “Grace in Action,” and with your help, we can do even more. So be sure to join us this Sunday for Giving Sunday, when we’ll celebrate and reflect on all the ways God’s “Grace in Action” has shaped our community, as well as all the ways we seek to be more gracious in our lives and work together. If you haven’t pledged online already at uccaustin.org/pledge, be ready in worship to fill a pledge card out with grace upon grace! See you Sunday, Rev. Anna Kreisle (Senior Minister), Letty Tomlinson (Stewardship Team Lead), Jan Keeling (Financial Secretary), and Sarah Donohoe (Treasurer) Dear Friends,
We have two active collections as we continue in hurricane season and look toward the holiday season. We are collecting items for Hygiene Kits with Church World Service. These kits go to those who are recovering from disasters or are in a refugee situation. Needed items are:
Each year in October, we collect canned food for Thanksgiving Boxes at Bethany Food Pantry. Bethany asks us to collect canned corn, green beans, and yams, and we have made it easy by suggesting you grab the cans based on your last name. Last Name A-G: 15 oz. Canned Corn Last Name H-O: 15 oz. Canned Green Beans Last Name P-Z: 29 oz. Canned Yams After worship on October 30th for our 5th Sunday Social Justice project, we will prepare the cans to go to Bethany who will hand them out to their clients, and we will assemble the hygiene kits and ship them directly to Church World Service for distribution. Thank you for giving where you can to our neighbors experiencing needs. Dearly Beloved,
We’re so excited to launch this year’s annual giving campaign, “Grace in Action.” Throughout the month of October, we’ll reflect together on how God generously puts grace into action through us. Here at United Christian Church of Austin, we’ve been hard at work putting grace into action. For example, through our Little Pantry and work with Bethany Food Bank, we are feeding the hungry every day. Through our radical hospitality and LGBTQ+ welcoming, we’ve made a spiritual home for adults, youth, and children who have been elsewhere excluded. Through our contributions to organizations like Coalition for the Homeless and our denominations’ Global Missions Office, we’re empowering people near and far. Through our weekly Children’s Collection, 5th Sunday Service Projects, and our annual Youth Mission Trip, all generations at UCC come together to make God’s grace real in our world today. This month, you’ll hear and read brief testimonies from pledging members of our community. You’ll hear why they’ve committed their time and resources to this amazing family of faith and its mission, and we hope you’ll find your place to give, too. You'll have your own opportunity to make a pledge on Giving Sunday, October 23rd. No matter how you choose to pledge to the mission of UCC in 2023, know that your commitment is putting God’s grace into action, creating a more just and peaceful world for all. Grace and peace, Rev. Anna, Senior Minister |
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Worship at 10am each Sunday In-Person and Online
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