Weekly Word for November 22-28
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
WEEKLY WORD FOR NOVEMBER 22-28 WEEKLY WORD DEADLINE FOR THE NOVEMBER 29 ISSUE With the shortened work week due to the Thanksgiving holiday, the Weekly Word deadline for the Sunday, November 29 issue is Monday, November 23 at 12:00 pm. Please email announcements to [email protected]. Anything submitted after this deadline will appear in the Sunday, December 6 issue. Thank you! Submitted by Nooshin Ghanbari VIRTUAL EVENTS ON OUR WEBSITE Stay up to date on all of our online offerings — like Adult Formation, Noonday and Evening Prayer, and events for families — by visiting our Virtual Events page. On the red overhead Navigation bar of our website, there is a tab that says “Virtual.” Simply click on the page that drops down, titled “Virtual Events.” Make sure you have the URL bookmarked, too: www.stmattsaustin.org/virtual/events.html. ADULT FORMATION: SUNDAYS AT 9:15 AM VIA ZOOM Rounding out our November Adult Formation lineup, join us on Sunday, November 22 for “Faithful Conversations with Indigenous Communities” with the Rev. Dr. Bradley Hauff, the Episcopal Church's Missioner for Indigenous Ministries. Then, on Sunday, November 29, we kick off our Advent Contemplative Series with Daniel Hope, Director of Formation at Seton Cove. All Zoom information can be found at www.stmattsaustin.org/virtual/events.html. FAMILY SERVICE AT A NEW PLACE AND TIME Our Sunday morning Outdoor Family Eucharist Service has moved back to 10:30 am. This in-person offering takes place on the Day School Outdoor Classroom, which can be found behind (south of) the church offices. It is best to park on the far side of the Steck Parking lot and come into the classroom via the fire lane. Staff will roam the campus starting at 10:15 am in case you need help locating the service. SECURE A SPOT FOR OUTDOOR EUCHARISTS Our Outdoor Eucharists in the Memorial Garden are going great, and we invite you to join us Wednesdays at 5:00 pm, Thursdays at 8:00 am, or Sundays at 8:00 am. In addition, a Family Service Sundays at 10:30 am will be held in the Day School Outdoor Classroom; all are welcome, but please bring your own chair to that service. To find out more about these outdoor services and reserve your spot, head over to www.stmattsaustin.org/worship/reservations.html. Submitted by Doug Webster, Senior Warden NO OUTDOOR EUCHARISTS ON NOVEMBER 25 AND 26 In observance of Thanksgiving, and as a little breather for your clergy, we will not be having our regular Wednesday evening and Thursday morning Outdoor Eucharists in the Memorial Garden next week. VIRTUAL ANGEL TREE IN 2020 Children in our communities are counting on us to make Angel Tree possible! Will you help connect children with their incarcerated parents through Virtual Angel Tree? This year, St. Matthew’s will sponsor 120 children throughout the state. Here is your link to get started: https://vat.angeltreetool.org/6a9b6d41-67e7-44c8-92ba-6b83101aad50. Your access code is RHG05. After entering the code, you will see virtual tags with the names of children assigned to our church. Just browse through the tags, select the child(ren) you want to sponsor, and click checkout! With just a few clicks, you can show a prisoner’s child the love of Jesus — the greatest Gift of all. Questions can be addressed to Linda Noy at [email protected] or Stephanie Koller at [email protected]. Submitted by Linda Noy EL BUEN SAMARITANO EPISCOPAL MISSION: HANDS FOR HOPE It’s been a tough year, and some families in our community have been disproportionately affected by COVID-19, increasing the need for community resources like El Buen Samaritano’s emergency food pantry. El Buen provides families who have been hit hardest by COVID-19 with food assistance. This year, as many families struggle to put food on the table, they are expanding their Hands for Hope event to reach 1,750 families over three distribution days. Interested in contributing? Read the full announcement at s3.amazonaws.com/dfc_attachments/public/documents/3284644/HandsforHope.pdf. Submitted by Gladys Valles 12 UPCOMING YOUTH MINISTRY EVENTS This Sunday, November 22 from 6:00-7:00 pm, Youth Group will be checking in with Justin and Fr. Christian about school stress and discussing the church’s relationship with Indigenous peoples. In observance of Thanksgiving, we will not meet the following Sunday, November 29. For additional information, please refer to the most recent Youth Email Blast or contact [email protected]. IACT’S 36TH INTERFAITH DAY OF THANKS: SUNDAY, NOV. 22 AT 3:00 PM All are invited to virtually attend the 36th Annual Interfaith Day of Thanks Service and Celebration this Sunday afternoon at 3:00 pm via Zoom and Facebook Live. If you have never attended one, it’s a wonderful introduction to the Central Texas faith communities that comprise iACT; St. Matthew’s, for example, has been a partner faith community with iACT since 2011. This year’s theme is “Love Has No Distance,” and the Austin Buddhist Community will be our host. Free and family-friendly, this event and is a wonderful way to introduce your kids to different expressions of faith, as the service spotlights music, dance, and readings from many traditions. Register at www.interfaithtexas.org/dot36 to receive a link. Submitted by Ann O’Connell, Outreach Commission ADVENT DEVOTIONAL: PRACTICING HOPE WITH ALL YOUR HEART, SOUL, STRENGTH, AND MIND Copies of our Living Compass Advent Devotional are available in the church office during regular business hours. This year's devotional includes reflections from the Rt. Rev. Jeff Fisher, the Rev. Cathy Boyd, and many other notable spiritual leaders in the realm of whole-person wellness. ADVENT CONTEMPLATIVE SERIES | NOV. 29, DEC. 6, AND DEC. 13 AT 9:15 AM VIA ZOOM All sessions will begin with a mindful practice followed by a clergy-led discussion on our Advent Devotional. Nov. 29: Join Daniel Hope, Seton Cove's Director of Formation, for a session on Centering Prayer; Dec. 6: Join Sarah Pendergraft, Yoga Instructor, for a session of mindful movement you can do in your chair at home; Dec. 13: Join Fr. Christian for a session of three meditations to calm your mind, body, and soul before Christmas. There will not be class December 20 – January 10. ST. MATTHEW’S 2020 CHRISTMAS SCHEDULE December 24 at 4:00-5:30 pm — In-Person Nativity Walk on campus December 24 at 8:00 pm — Virtual Choral Concert via YouTube Live December 24 at 8:30 pm — Virtual Festival Eucharist via YouTube Live December 25 at 12:00 pm — In-Person Christmas Hike at St. Edward’s Park NATIVITY WALK HELP NEEDED This year, instead of a Christmas Pageant, we will be doing a campus-wide, outdoor Nativity Walk on Christmas Eve, complete with live animals. Socially distanced groups will participate in a self-guided tour with prayers and scriptures through eight different stations: the Annunciation, the Journey to Bethlehem, the Inn (Posada), the Shepherds in the Field, the Choir of Angels, the Magi, the Creche, and the Light of the World. Each station will also include live actors and some sort of "bit." Clergy and staff will take care of the Choir of Angels and Light of the World, but we need your help with the other six stations. If you and your family (or friend pod) are interested in adopting, setting up, and manning a station, please contact Fr. Christian with your name and idea for the station. 2021 STEWARDSHIP UPDATE Thank you to everyone who has turned in pledge cards for next year — not just for your stewardship of your parish, but also for helping the vestry to better plan during this unique time. As of mid-week, we have received 164 pledges for a total of $857,622, compared to this stage in the campaign last year when we had 189 pledges for a total of $933,356. If you haven’t yet been able to mail in your pledge card or register your 2021 pledge online, the earlier you are able to do so, the more insight the vestry will have in their budgeting process. If you don’t know yet, that’s fine too; please submit it with an “I don’t know yet” and follow up when you have more visibility. Any and all participation is valued and appreciated. Many thanks again! Submitted by Kasey Gilliam, Chair of Stewardship Committee, and Doug Webster, Senior Warden LOVE NOTES CHORUS WINS HIDDEN HEROES CAREGIVER GRANT Love Notes Chorus was recently a winner of the Alzheimer’s Texas Hidden Heroes Caregiver Grant Award! Each of the ten winners received a $1000 grant to help them continue making the lives of others better through thought, word, and action. Congratulations, Love Notes! 13 VIRTUAL EVENING PRAYER SERVICE Evening Prayer services have been held every day at 6:00 pm in the Bell Tower for many years. Before the pandemic, a dedicated team of leaders would conduct the service in person, and we would lift up our prayer concerns, along with every name listed on the St. Matthew's Weekly Word Prayer List. Now, we meet every day at 6:00 pm for a virtual Zoom Evening Prayer service. It has been a wonderful time of connection, prayers, and fellowship, and people can come and go as their time allows. If you would like to participate, there is always room for more on Zoom! Join us at www.stmattsaustin.org/virtual/events.html. It's a beautiful way to end your day.