THE EPISTLE May19, 2009 to May 25, 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

UPCOMING EVENTS

+ Carl Ball, Dianna’s father, who is recovering from eye surgery + Max and Marilil Rychlik + Lucille and Walter Timberlake + Cecil Hale Thursday, May 21 + Adam Hinman Trustees, 7 pm + Lucille Barrick + Frances Hall

Saturday, May 23 Violin Academy recital rehearsal 10 am-2 pm Gonzalez wedding rehearsal 3 pm

To all who participated in our work day last Saturday: Saturday, May 30 Lisa Adkins, Dick & Anita Barrick, Gonzalez wedding, 3 pm Gale Houston, Louise Schmitz, Richard Reception in fellowship hall & Joanne Macon, Doug & Francis Mitchell, George & Martha Ramsay, Sunday, May 31 Bob Suder, Walter Timberlake, and 10: 50 am Fifth Sunday Worship Mary Word with special music from the Suzuki The church looks great, and so Academy very welcoming to all, thanks to your hard work. We appreciate you!! Luncheon after worship Suzuki Academy Recital, 3 pm Recital Reception, 4:30 pm children’s learning process. Shana’s studio is at the end of the upstairs hall, and she usually has her door open for lessons. Over the months since they’ve begun learning at St. Luke, Dianna and I have marveled at how each one has Hello, Friends! improved in sound quality and Some of you have been around capability of making beautiful during the week, but most of you music. only come on Sunday, so you may What’s even more inspiring is not know about the signs of new life hearing how Shana teaches—always transforming our church spaces gently in charge, always these days. encouraging, always affirming and The Infant Care Center has delighting in each one’s progress— adapted our downstairs classroom always for a spill-over class of two-year- olds who are in between graduating from SLICC and moving on to a new school. So every day, we have seven beautiful young ones and their teachers coming and going from class to playground, and filling the atmosphere with childhood liveliness. modeling the joy at the heart of One of our favorite sights is the creating beauty—God’s own joy, I gang en route somewhere, walking would submit. single-file holding onto a colorful Next month we’ll be welcoming rope with different shapes, led back our friends from the Austin before and behind by loving teacher Children’s Shelter for some days people—laughing, talking, during the summer months, so our observing, pointing, taking in their church house will be even fuller of world and delighting all who young life, being nurtured and encounter them. guided and helped to grow, with our Yesterday I was on my way blessing. upstairs, and my heart leapt with Some might question what any joy at the sound of babies’ belly of these things have to do with laughs (the teachers were laughing, “our” church? I would say too), at something silly and too everything. In every instance, we funny for words. Nick closed the are affording space in which young classroom door, probably not ones can discover more of how wanting to “disturb” the adult loved, how capable, how important goings-on outside, but I wanted to they are—and our community can hear more—can there be too much experience us as a hospitable, children’s laughter? creative, caring environment for And upstairs, our friend and new young people. St. Luke member Shana Essma has Meanwhile, we have our acolyte begun a Suzuki violin academy for trainees’ class well underway, and young musicians. You’ll be hearing plans in the works for on-going more from Shana about the Suzuki summer Sunday School, a meeting method and philosophy, but what I with young parents, and possible can tell you from my experience as shared programs with Sweet Home a parent of former Suzuki student, Baptist Church—and my sense is, and from my observations of what God is just getting started! Shana has been fostering here, is Some of you will remember that it is a beautiful, valuable, life- several years ago, when faithful enhancing thing. ones undertook the heroic work of Her students range in age from transforming a storage room into a toddlers to teenagers, and they beautiful nursery, even though at come with their parents, who are active participants in their the time we didn’t have any babies around. We’ve all been actively working, praying, dreaming, and envisioning St. Luke as a thriving, lively, welcoming church, with young life in abundance. Here it is—and more is coming, I have no doubt—especially if our hearts stay open, our spirits trusting, our energies channeled through the Source—the Love that will not let us go, and will bless every moment of our being, no matter what—and that will, I believe, dance, sing, and rejoice with us, as we grow. I look forward to rejoicing with you this Sunday, and all our days to come.

Shalom, Sarah+