St. Luke United Methodist Church 1306 West Lynn Street s2

THE EPISTLE Feb. 03, 2009 to Feb. 09, 2009 St. Luke United Methodist Church 1306 West Lynn Street Austin, TX 78703 Sarah Currie, Pastor E-mail: [email protected] Church Office: (512) 476-8164 E-Mail: [email protected] Web site: www.stlukeumcaustin.org

+Norma Wood, who is experiencing back pain Blood Drive at St. Luke on + Marilil Rychlik, who is still March 11, 2009 experiencing back pain To make an appointment, follow + Mary Stensgard, friend of Joanne these easy steps. Macon, who has pre-leukemia www.inyourhands.org +Rhodes’s friend Jesse’s dad, who has leukemia 1. Go to Donate Blood + Alfred and Louise Schmitz 2. Create a Handprint (an + Lucille and Walter Timberlake account so you can make + Adam Hinman your appointment)-name & DOB 3. enter sponsor ID-stlukeumc

If you do not have access to a computer call Diane Suder, she can make the appointment for you or sign up on Sunday. We have 32 slots to fill. Ask your friends to join us. Only four appointments have been made. Two Scripture Readings for: other UMC churches have been invited so make that appointment Sunday, Feb. 08 soon to get the time you want. Isaiah 40: 21-31 Psalms 147: 1-11, 20c Happy Birthday to: 1 Corinthians 9: 16-23 Feb. 1 Corinne Hall Mark 1: 29-39 Feb. 7 Martha Ramsay Sunday, Feb. 15 Feb. 9 Helen Weicker Feb. 12 Marianne Dorman 2 Kings 5: 1-14 Feb. 13 Ben Hamill Psalms 30 Kendal Barnard 1 Corinthians 9: 24-27 Robert Worden Mark 1: 40-45 Feb. 18 Blair Hankins Feb. 20 Mary Word Feb. 21 Allison Packwood

Dancing the days,…

Hello, Friends!

“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of water, fire, flower, animals tame and wisdom.” So says the psalmist, in our wild. In that company I include a skinny reading from Sunday (Psalm 111). “All young possum who has decided to join who practice it have a good our little pride of semi-tame cats on the understanding….God’s praise endures front porch in the evenings. He shows forever.” up at dinner time, eats alongside them, Why is is that we humans always and then just hangs out for quite awhile, seem to be at the “beginning” stages of looking around and quietly communing wisdom? Sure, there are some sages out with the “family” like old folks in there (and in our midst, too) who are rocking chairs on the porch, watching speaking the truth in love, offering good the world go by. counsel, modeling mature, Okay, so the possum eating cat food compassionate ways of being. with the cats isn’t exactly lions and But for the most part, our dance on lambs, or swords into plowshares. this planet seems to be about forgetting, Maybe our human harmonies are just as messing up, remembering, repenting, undramatic and incremental too, most and trying again. So it has been since days. we began to record the journey some But there’s no denying the Spirit’s many millennia ago, so it is today, and movement in our midst, and in our so it is likely to be, until earth and nation and world—and if we remember humans are no more. to give thanks for the signs we see, we’ll Where’s hope, then? What’s the point have more energy for praying and of praying for peace and working for working for the progress toward real and justice? Why gather for worship and lasting peace we all need. learning, why pray, why give of Today I give thanks for all of you, ourselves at all? lovely and living signs of Grace in I’m not copping out when I say “it’s action that you are, exactly as you are. a mystery.” It really is mysterious how I look forward to beginning again hope persists, how compassion persists, and again with you on the wisdom path how love persists, how, in fact, peace this Sunday, and all our days to come. and justice do manifest in real and lasting ways, despite all our tendencies Shalom, to regress into the infancy of self- Sarah+ centered, self-destructive unconsciousness. I believe to my core that God is Love, that Christ is alive, that the Spirit is at work in and through our lives, and all creation. Why do I believe? Maybe it’s because I’ve been blessed my whole life long with the company of good, caring, hopeful, awake people—they’ve held the light for me, and shown Christ’s way to me, so I can try to do that for others. I certainly include neighbors and friends of the St. Luke community in that blessing. Maybe I believe because creation itself calls to me and teaches me of beauty, wisdom, and power in the life force, the blessedness of being in sky, Saturday, Feb. 07-Church Work Day Daily Devotional Booklets 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. All are welcome to come and work for We’re putting together a book of any length of time. No experience daily reflections for Lent from our necessary. Wear comfortable clothes and shoes, and bring work/cleaning members. A favorite poem, a few gloves. Donuts, kolaches, and really paragraphs (100 words or less) on good coffee will be waiting for you! your spiritual journey—anything you can contribute will be welcome. We need forty submissions, so you can offer more than one! We need these by no later than Sunday, February 15, so we can put the booklets together to be Monday, Feb. 09- Vision Team available on Ash Wednesday, Feb. Meeting 6 p.m. Light supper will be provided! Call the office if 25. Send them via email you need childcare. All are Welcome! or regular mail to the church office—ask Sarah for more info. Everyone’s voice matters!

Monday, Feb. 16- Lifeline Screening 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. at St. Luke UMC A package for four screenings (stroke, vascular disease, diabetes, and heart rhythm) is available for $139. To sign up for one or more, call Lifeline Our New Directories Screening at 1-800-324-1851. are here! Please pick one up from church or call the office to have one mailed to you. Let us know of info updates, and Thursday, Feb. 19— we’ll post new names here, as Denim Dames & Dudes will touring we continue to grow as a The Blanton Museum Anyone interested in visiting the church family. Museum, please meet at St. Luke at 5:30 p.m. We will carpool to the Museum and have dinner afterwards. Everyone is welcome! You may reach Lisa Adkins at 282-1763 who is the contact person. Friday, Feb. 20— Natural Bridge Caverns Robert Schase, author of The Trek Abouts are an adventurous Five Practices of Fruitful group who trek about the Austin area Congregations, once a month. We will meet at St. Luke will be leading a workshop on the at 9:30 a.m. to carpool to Natural bridge book Saturday, Feb. 21, at Caverns, near New Braunfels. We will University UMC, 5084 De Zavala Rd., have lunch afterwards and we will be in San Antonio. back at St. Luke by 3:30. Call Lynette Ramon for more info. Everyone is welcome! at 210/408-4515 or email her, You may reach Lisa Adkins at 282-1763 [email protected] who is the contact person. Online registration is available on the conference website, www.umcswtx.org

Feb. 24, 6 pm Shrove Tuesday Pancake Supper Feb. 25, 6:30 pm Ash Wednesday Service March 1 First Sunday of Lent

NEW GROUPS BEGINNING DURING LENT—SIGN-UPS STARTING SOON!

We’re undertaking a study of Robert Schnase’s book, Make sure you get to know our Five Practices of Fruitful newest members at St. Luke: Congregations. Karol McMahan Shana Essma Groups will meet for one hour during Genny & Ione Dalton the five weeks of Lent, beginning Sunday, March 1. Brad Bowman & Mirna Gonzalez, Sierra & Elise Group times are: Sunday morning, 9-10 am Hunger Meal Fundraiser Sunday evening, 6-7 pm to benefit Wednesday, noon-1 pm Hope Food Pantry Wednesday, 6-7 pm February 8, 2009 Contact the office, or call Sarah, at 5:00 p.m. to order your copy of the St. John's United Methodist book, @ $15 per issue. Church, 2140 Allandale Rd. Tickets can be purchased at the door for $15 each.