|
E-Link Newsletter
News from Metropolitan Community Church of Austin |
|
 November 30, 2011
|
| From Your Pastor | | |
I love Christmas movies. I love that the Hallmark Channel and Lifetime Movie Network among others are showing 6-8 hours of Christmas movies every single day already. Christmas movies make me feel better, smile more, grumble less, and expect miracles constantly.
I judge how good a Christmas movie is by how often I'm willing to watch it (especially with a zillion commercials) and how many things I notice about the movie with each successive viewing. Based on that criteria, the best Christmas movie has to be A Christmas Carol. (If you've never read A Christmas Carol but have only seen film adaptations, you're missing out on a great deal of humor and a great deal of practical theology.)
For the first dozen times that I read or watched Dickens' classic, I saw it as a brilliantly simple story about Scrooge's conversion and resulting generosity....
|
|
|
E-Link Submissions
| |
If you have information to share through our E-Link, please email it to the editor no later than Monday evening of the week you would like it published.
|
|
Our Sponsors
|
|
|
|
| What's Happening at MCC Austin | |
|
| Sunday Morning Worship | | December 4 at 9:00 and 11:00 a.m.*
"Lessons and Carols: Come, Thou Long Expected Jesus"
Rev. Karen Thompson
Isaiah 40:1-11
0 Comfort, O comfort my people, says your God. Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and cry to her that she has served her term, that her penalty is paid, that she has received from the Lord's hand double for all her sins.
A voice cries out: "In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Every valley shall be lifted up, and every mountain and hill be made low; the uneven ground shall become level, and the rough places a plain. Then the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all people shall see it together, for the mouth of the Lord has spoken." A voice says, "Cry out!" And I said, "What shall I cry?" All people are grass, their constancy is like the flower of the field. The grass withers, the flower fades, when the breath of the Lord blows upon it; surely the people are grass. The grass withers, the flower fades; but the word of our God will stand forever.
Get you up to a high mountain, O Zion, herald of good tidings; lift up your voice with strength, O Jerusalem, herald of good tidings, lift it up, do not fear; say to the cities of Judah, "Here is your God!" See, God comes with might, and God's arm rules. God will feed the flock like a shepherd; God will gather the lambs in God's arms, and carry them in God's bosom, and gently lead the mother sheep.
*ASL Interpretation for the 11:00 service will be available upon request. Please send your requests via email to the church office.
Back to Top |
|
Advent and Christmas at MCC Austin
|
| | This year we anticipate and welcome the birth of Jesus through the theme of "Lessons and Carols." Each Sunday in Advent, both Christmas Eve services, and our Christmas Day worship will be focused on the meaning and message of one of our best-loved Christmas carols. We hope you will join us for every opportunity to celebrate the "reason for the season"!
Advent 1 - November 27 9 & 11
"O Come, O Come, Emmanuel"
Advent 2 - December 4 9 & 11
"Come, Thou Long Long Expected Jesus"
Advent 3- December 11 9 & 11
"O Little Town Of Bethlehem"
Advent 4 - December18 9 & 11
"The First Noel"
*MCC Austin Christmas Concert and Open House 6:00 p.m.
Christmas Eve - December 24 6 & 8 p.m. "O Holy Night" Christmas Day - December 25 10:00 a.m. "O, Come All Ye Faithful"
|
| Soul Connections Luncheon | | 
December 4 following the 11 a.m. service
Soul Connections gathers on the first Sunday of each month after the 11 a.m. worship service. Please join us for lunch on December 4 at Macaroni Grill, 701 East Stassney Lane, Austin, TX 78745. Please plan to join us.
Future activities for Soul connections are available on the Soul Connections website. If you have any questions regarding this event, please email Dana McVey.
Back to Top |
| Call to Prayer | | 
As has become our tradition, we will join together in prayer for our 2012 stewardship campaign. Our desire is to have a 24 hour prayer vigil that leads right up to the dedication of our 2012 Estimates of Giving on Sunday, December 4.
This year our prayer vigil will be a vigil "without walls." We are asking each person to sign up to pray for the ministry, mission, and generosity of MCC Austin from their homes, during the 24-hour period from 9:00 a.m. on December 3 to 9:00 a.m. on December 4.
Thanks to all who have agreed to surround our church in prayer through that 24 hour period. We are truly thankful for all God has done for and through us in 2011 and all God will do in 2012!
|
|
Christmas Poinsettias
| | 
Order a Poinsettia
You can purchase your poinsettia in honor or in memory of someone special in your life and help us complete our holiday decorating of the sanctuary at the same time. If you would like further information, please email or call the church office at 291-8601.
|
|
|
|
Children's Sunday School Christmas Presentation
| | 
The Children's Sunday School Choir is beginning practice for their annual Christmas Presentation. The children's choir will sing on Sunday, December 18 during the 11 a.m. service.
If your child wants to be part of this fun, praise-full experience, they need to attend Sunday School as much as possible between now and then. Our classes are for ages 3-Kindergarten, Grades 1-4 and Grades 5-8. Please join us as we practice for this Christmas event.
Back to Top
|
| Annual MCCA Christmas Concert | |  Sunday, December 18 at 6 p.m.
MCC Austin's Music Ministry ensembles are hard at work in preparation for the annual Christmas Concert on Sunday, December 18, at 6 p.m. in the Sanctuary. The program will feature special readings and musical numbers presented by the Sanctuary Choir, Chime Choir, and various soloists. Please join us afterward for refreshments and fellowship.
Back to Top
|
| Photo Romp Silent Auction Fundraiser | |
 | |
Photographer: Bob K.
Title: Bleeding Hearts
|
November 20 through December 11
Photo Romp was one of many Growth Groups offered this fall at MCC Austin. We focused on exploring unique ways of viewing the world through our eyes, heart, soul, and digital cameras. We are offering photographs from our Group as a fundraiser for MCC Austin.
Six photographs were produced on 12"x16" wrapped canvases and are on display in the Fellowship Hall of MCC Austin for this silent auction fundraiser. The gallery display
continues from November 20 through December 11. All proceeds, minus the cost of
production, will go toward supporting the ministry of MCC Austin.
Each photograph is titled and bids will start at $38. The auction continues until Sunday, December 11 at the end of the 11 a.m. service.
These unique, one-of-a-kind, canvas prints are a wonderful way to support our community while encouraging the gifts in each other...procrastinate and you may lose out. Thank you for your support!
Meet the photographers on December 11.
 | |
Photographer: Nancy G. Title: Lighthouse
|
| |
Photographer: Dell L. Title: White Sands
|
 | |
Photographer: Gail W.
Title: Covered Bridge
|
 | |
Photographer: Toni L.
Title: Sunset
|
 | |
Photographer: Becky B.
Title: UT Tower
|
|
| Our Prayers... |
|
- For all who hunger in our world, especially those areas affected by famines.
- For our GLBT brothers and sisters around the world who live in fear of violence and discrimination because of their sexual orientation or gender identity.
- For our church as we discern next steps for our building process.
- For all who do not know where they will sleep tonight.
- For all who struggle with heart disease in its various forms.
Back to Top
|
| From Your Pastor, continued | | |
I finally realized last year that I was being too simplistic in my interpretation. Scrooge's generosity may have been the result of his conversion. But Scrooge's conversion was the result of his gratefulness. Scrooge didn't undergo a conversion because he was scared by the ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, and Future. He didn't undergo a conversion because he was shamed by his nephew or his employee or even Tiny Tim. The conversion began when Scrooge became grateful for life, family, and wealth. That was the point at which he began to give generously... not out of obligation, but out of joy.
As you complete your Estimate of Giving cards and prepare to bring them to worship with you on Sunday, I invite you into the joyful giving that comes from a place of deep gratitude. I invite you into joyful giving that is another step in your journey toward spiritual maturity. I invite you into joyful giving in which you and others are blessed beyond measure by your good stewardship of God's abundance. I invite you to:
- Give as an act of worship and thanksgiving for God's movement in your life. There is one answer to the question "How much should I give?" Give whatever is a faithful response to God's faithfulness to you.
- Give regularly. Regular weekly or monthlygiving keeps you in a "generous space." Regular giving keeps you mindful that you are not giving to a church. You are giving to God and taking part in Christ's ministry.
- Give generously. In Genesis 28:18-22, Jacob vows to offer a tithe (one-tenth) of everything he receives back to God. Some think Jacob's example is no longer relevant because of the new covenant in Christ. If you believe that way, then consider what Jesus says about giving in Mark 12:41-44 and Matthew 19:16-22.
- Plan your giving. Research shows that more than 50% of people have no idea what percentage of their income they return to God in offerings. Use a calculator to figure the percentages that you spend or give in different areas. What do your spending/giving percentages say about your life's priorities?
Some people wonder why they should bother to fill out an Estimate of Giving. They think it feels too "businesslike" to turn in an estimate card. If that's your feeling, I would ask you to try to imagine running your household and paying your bills without having any idea what your income will be for any given month. By making a good faith estimate of your giving for the coming year, you allow the Board and Staff to create a budget that will not only sustain but also expand our ministry in the coming year.
Some people worry that if they write down an estimate of their giving and then are not able to meet it, they will be failing the church. Again, the amount that you give is a very personal discernment which is made in keeping with your faith in and gratefulness to God the Provider. If your circumstances change and you are not able to meet your estimate, your church will feel only gratefulness for what you do contribute towards supporting God's work through the church.
Please come and worship with us Sunday, bring your Estimate of Giving cards, and plan to join us for a wonderful "Thank You" reception hosted by our Stewardship Team. Also, remember that we are holding a 24-hour prayer vigil beginning at 9:00 a.m. on Saturday morning and continuing until our early worship service on Sunday. If you have signed up for a prayer time, thank you. If you would like to sign up for a prayer time, please give us a call at the church and we'll get you signed up.
Friends, our God is good and generous! May we continue to live as people made in God's image.
Blessings,
Rev. Karen Thompson
Senior Pastor
Back to Top |
|
|
|
Beyond Our Walls: News from MCCs Around the World
| | |
MCC Headline News - December 2011
|
|
Beyond Our Walls: Community News & Events
| | |
World AIDS Day Service of Remembrance & Hope
The 14th annual Central Texas area World AIDS Day Interfaith Service of Remembrance and Hope will be held on Thursday, December 1st at St. David's Episcopal Church, 301 E. 8th Street, beginning at 7:00pm.
The community is invited to gather for this annual World AIDS Day service of remembrance, which marks one of many World AIDS observances for 2011. This service consists of reflection, music, drama, poetry, prayer and the annual AIDS Bell banner. The Care Communities sponsors this along with other HIV/AIDS organizations and the St. David's community. If you know someone who is living with HIV/AIDS or has died from complications, please join in this annual Service.
If you want details about the Service, please call Roger Temme, Outreach Director by email or at 512.459.5883.
|
|
|
