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very four years, United Methodist clergy are allowed a four-week leave for continuing education and spiritual growth. The purpose is to allow uninterrupted time away from the daily and weekly responsibilities of pastoral ministry, in order to go deeper into study and prayer. I am now serving my fourth year as Berkeleys pastor. The Staff-Parish Relations Committee has reviewed the provisions for this leave in our Book of Discipline and we have scheduled it for March 7-April 5, 2014. During this time, Rev. Barrett Renfro, a retired pastor in the Southwest Texas Conference who belongs to our charge conference, will provide pastoral care as needed and requested. If you need to contact Barrett, you can call him at 512-4975543. I am grateful for his willingness to insure that your needs are met during this time. On the first four Sundays in Lent (March 9 through 30), guest preachers will provide leadership in our worship services: On March 9, Mike Crevier, chair of our SPRC and former student local pastor in the Northwest Texas Conference;
on March 16, the Rev. John McMullen, recently retired as pastor of First UMC, Austin; on March 23, the Rev. Don Brewington, campus minister at Huston-Tillotson University in Austin; and on March 30, Clayton Karrer, currently a student at Perkins School of Theology and husband of our former pastor, Rev. Cynthia Kepler-Karrer. As always, our music will be capably led by Vikki Schwarz and Tyler Mabry. In March 2009, I had my last continuing education and spiritual growth leave while I pastored Trinity UMC in San Antonio. The congregation and I were reassured by the experience, during which time worship and pastoral care continued uninterrupted. I appreciate the support of our SPRC and I trust I will return on Sunday, April 6 ready to provide refreshed leadership as your pastor. Our Staff-Parish Relations Committee members in 2014 are: Mike Crevier, chair; Julie Burns; Jeff Cecil; Teresa Errington; John Finley; Brenda Johnson; and Carolyn Brown, ex-officio as lay leader. Your Pastor, Jeanne Devine
BERKELEY STAFF
PASTOR Rev. Jeanne Devine revjeanned@sbcglobal.net DIRECTOR OF MUSIC Vikki Schwarz vlschwarz@aol.com
MINISTERS Members of the Congregation PIANIST Dr. Tyler Mabry tgmabry@gmail.com ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT Niki J Torres bumc78745@sbcglobal.net
YOUTH DIRECTOR Devan Gartman devanfaygartman@gmail.com CHILDCARE DIRECTOR Allison McGillicuddy bumc.childcare@sbcglobal.net
They devoted themselves to the apostles teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. - Acts 2:42
CHURCH HAPPENINGS
BIRTHDAYS
3/04 Glenn Dunn 3/05 Carol Denton 3/06 Marilyn Wasson 3/10 Patty Gaston 3/12 Ineke Dunn 3/15 Chris Burnett 3/24 Marshall Trudell 3/31 Linda Green
ANNIVERSARIES
3/20 Rich and Teresa Errington
Brother Emmanuel, a monk from the Taize community in France, will be joining Berkeley UMC for an evening of prayer and information on Monday, March 17 at 7pm. We invite everyone to come worship, meet Brother Emmanuel, and learn about the Pilgrimage of Trust in the Austin area. Additionally, hosts are needed for some of the young adults who will be coming to Austin for the large Taize gathering March 21-23. You would be accommodating them for two nights, two breakfasts and travel needs. See Vikki Schwarz for a housing form.
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1 10am Lifetouch (FH) 6:30p Amen Austin! Church (FH)
2 Communion Sunday 4p Tai Chi (FH) 5p Covt Grp (9) 5p Youth Fellowship (Manchaca UMC) 9 Daylight Savings Tme Begins! 4p Tai Chi (FH) 5p Covt Grp (9)
4 Shrove Tuesday 5:30pm Pancake Breakfast Dinner (FH) 6:15p Childcare Board (7) 11 5:30p Prime Timers (FH)
8 7:30am Emmaus Team Mtg. (FH & Sanc.) 6:30p Amen Austin! Church (FH)
10 10a Womens Group (9) 5pm Outreach (7) 7p Worship Design Team (Sanc.) 17 10a Womens Group (9)
12 9:30a UMW Women in Action Circle (CLC) 6p Handbells 7p Choir 19 6p Handbells 7p Choir
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15 7:30a UMW Women in Gods Grace Circle (7) 6:30p Amen Austin! Church (FH) 22 7:28a Mens breakfast (FH) 9a Trustees (9) 6:30p Amen Austin! Church (FH) 29 7:30am Emmaus Team Mtg. (CLC & Sanc.) 6:30p Amen Austin! Church (FH)
16 12p Youth Fellowship (FH) 4p Tai Chi (FH) 5p Covenant Grp (9) 23 12p Youth Fellowship (FH) 4p Tai Chi 5p Covenant (9) Newsletter deadline 30 12p Fifth Sunday Potluck (FH) 4p Tai Chi 5p Covenant (9) 5p Youth Fellowship (Manchaca UMC)
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Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. Its not. Dr. Seuss, in The Lorax
REACHING OUT
We can spend our lives putting things off until tomorrow or waiting for someone else to do it. But the truth is, we can all make a difference even if it is done in the most humble way. Here are some ways you can make a difference:
Thanks to all UMW members and others in the congregation who have supported United Methodist Women mission projects for 2013. Support includes buying Fair Trade coffee, tea, and cocoa; donating school supplies for students at Cunningham Elementary and Widen Elementary; donating and putting together sewing kits for Mission U; making crafts and baked goods for Cookies and Crafts; purchasing items at Cookies and Crafts; and a generous Holiday Tea love offering for local flood victims. The UMW executive committee met on Saturday, February 15 and voted to support these mission outreach programs: $200 $500 $125 $125 $125 $125 $125 $300 $400 Berkeley UMYF and Family mission trip support (already given) Raise the Roof at Montopolis Friendship Community Centerroof repair (already given) *Southside Community Center in San Marcoshousing, homeless shelter, emergency assist *Good Neighbor Settlement House in Brownsvillehot meals, emergency assist, food, etc. *Holding Institute in Laredooccupational and vocational classes for adults *Wesley Community Center in Robstownchild care center Austin Region Justice for Our Neighborslegal assistance for immigrants Partial scholarship for secondary student in Honduras thru Honduras Outreach Inc. (HOI) Miles Scholarshiphelp with post-secondary schooling/training for those living in the Montopolis neighborhood $200 Montopolis Friendship Community Centersupport of Thrift Store, childcare, other center needs * Indicates a UMW district or conference-supported mission project
The UMW will present another fair trade coffee and tea sale from March 16 23. By doing this, UMW makes money for our mission work as well as benefits the Equal Exchange program the United Methodist Church supports. We will have coffee (whole beans or ground) and tea (in tea bags) for sale. To learn more about fair trade and the Equal Exchange program that sponsors fair trade, go to www.equalexchange.coop and read more.
...lead lives worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him, as you bear fruit in every good work and as you grow in the knowledge of God.Colossians 1:10
SPIRITUAL GROWTH
Killing Jesus
By Bill OReilly & Martin Dugard; Submitted by Kathy Beth Stavinoha, Spiritual Care
For my birthday, my brother and sister-in-law gave me the book Killing Jesus: A History by Bill OReilly and Martin Dugard. I stared at the cover. Im not a Bill OReilly fan. I read the flap. It sounded interesting, but it referred to the book as a fact-based account. Really? So what is the Bible? Fiction? I began reading, looking for problems. My greatest difficulty with the book was that it frequently wrote what people were thinking, or the order in which certain things happened; unrecorded events, such as when Mary and Joseph searched the temple for 12-year-old Jesus. I was also turned off by detailed descriptions of the depravity of certain leaders of the time. I had put the book aside when someone from my Sunday school class endorsed it. I respect her opinion, so I decided to give it another try. At some point it became a page-turner! It used vivid imagery which brought events from the Gospels to life. Most heart-wrenching was the descriptions of Jesus suffering and death. Sure, I believed Christ had died for my sins, but this book made me feel that each sin I commit is ripping his flesh anew. As I finished the last page, I was very glad I had read the book through to the end.
Everyone is invited to join in a study of prayer this Lenten season. Beginning Sunday, March 9 from 3:30-5pm in Room 7, there will be an opportunity to delve into various approaches to prayer. Each week will explore a different prayer style. Here is an overview of the study: March 9 We will discuss the Who, What, Where, When, Why, and How of prayer. March 16 Using the book A Bead and a Prayer, we will explore Protestant prayer beads; we will also make our own beads during this session. March 23 We will learn more about our Methodists prayer roots by studying John Wesley and his views on a strong spiritual prayer life. March 30 We will practice praying Psalms. April 6 We will approach prayer from a physical view point by walking the neighborhood and praying. April 13 We will take a closer look at the Labyrinth going into Holy Week. The classes will be led by Letha Peters, Mike Crevier, Vicki Schwarz, and others in the congregation who will share their spiritual gifts as we explore ways to enhance our spiritual lives through prayer and deepening our relationship with God. Our hope is that many of the Berkeley family will participate in all or even a few sessions as you are able you do not have to commit to the entire series. A sign-up sheet will be in the narthex beginning Sunday, February 23 for anyone who is interested.
Austin is fortunate to be among the U.S. cities that receive first-run movies dealing with Christian themes. Recently shown was Gimme Shelter, the story of a homeless girl who finds salvation because Christians show her compassion and love. The film stars Vanessa Hudgens, James Earl Jones, and Brendan Fraser. Gimme Shelter is an excellent depiction of the power of Christianity to shine Jesus light in a culture grown dark. During the past year, other excellent Christian films have run in Austin: Restless Heart, Mary of Nazareth, Philomena, and The Christmas Candle. These movies often go unnoticed because they dont have the huge promotional budgets of Hollywood movies that often glorify licentiousness, criminality, and the drug culture. A new movie, Son of God, opened February 28 in Austin. Son of God is the biography of Jesus, a derivative of the hugely popular television miniseries, The Bible, that garnered record-setting sales and audiences worldwide. Roma Downey (star of Touched by an Angel) stars as Mary, the mother of Christ. Roma and her husband, Mark Burnett, are staunch Christians who produced the miniseries and the new movie. Your patronage of these Christian-message movies will enable moviemakers to continue shining the light of Jesus into the mainstream culture.
The Spiritual Care Ministry thanks those who participated in the Secret Prayer Pals during Valentines Week. There is so much more involved in this than just a pretty basket of pink and red paper hearts in the Narthex. This event connected us in the circle of shared prayer. It allowed a designated time of one week with a primary prayer focus, for the one praying over that offered heart. What an opportunity to be a vessel of that flow of Grace on behalf of another. It also gave the opportunity for folks to offer a desire or plea from their heart, to open up in trust to an unknown person, in faith their burden would be daily cared about and prayed over. The secret, private, prayer heart-sharing is a tangible way of experiencing faith-filled connectedness, knowing we do not walk alone in this body of Christ. Now we want to take it one step further. As we enter the Season of Lent, a time we generally reflect on giving up something for 40 days, we ask you to take on a 40 day task: praying daily for Berkeley church; that the work and mission of our church continue to thrive and grow, that each attendee find their part of the body in which to serve; that the gifts of the Holy Spirit flow generously throughout our church, and that our church bear fruit in the way that the Lord intends for us. So, to keep those prayer hearts beating, we suggest that each of us take some time at noon (even a brief moment) each day during Lent, to offer a prayer for Berkeley. It is exciting and uplifting to think of the whole church sharing daily prayer for its lifes work and future - what a powerful way to feel connected each day!
BERKELEY UNITED METHODIST CHURCH 2407 Berkeley Ave. Austin, TX. 78745 (512)447-6633 Email: bumc78745@sbcglobal.net ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED
Connected to God
Submitted by Kathy Beth Stavinoha, Spiritual Care
I recently told my Sunday school class about a visit my husband I had with Tommy, my mother's first cousin. Tommy was in a health care facility due to dementia. He talked about things that made no sense, but seemed to enjoy our visit. As we prepared to leave, knowing that he was a man of faith, I asked him if he wanted to pray. I was prepared to say the prayer, but as soon as I asked my question, he strongly gripped my hand and all signs of dementia vanished as he communed with God in fervent prayer. This touched several of us in the truth that the Holy Spirit resides within us no matter the condition of our temples (bodies and minds), ever ready to reach out to God the Father...as well as the message that even in dementia, even as we become like small children (which is what Jesus called us to be like), our connection to God is ever-present! Ever-ready! AVERAGE ATTENDANCE JANUARY WORSHIP SUNDAY SCHOOL 2014
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