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December 18, 2013
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Christ Chapel News
A Campus Ministry for ALL Students, Supported by the Episcopal and Lutheran Churches
Sunday and Wednesday Worship: 7:00 p.m., free suppers at 6:15
510 N. Guadalupe (across from the Tower Garage)
Our Purpose: In gratitude for God's mercy in Christ, we shall be a community of worship, service, and hospitality.
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A Blessed Advent and Christmas to you!
Christ Chapel won't be having services on December 22, 29, or January 5, so we need to get our Christmas greetings in through this newsletter. We've some important news to share about some changes next year, so please read ahead.
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God is God and God is Good: 2013 in Review
We began the year right where we left off, with cooking for the homeless of San Marcos' Southside Community Center. That organization provides supper every night for 60 or more who are the most vulnerable among us. Even as Christ Chapel students are fed weekly by area churches and others, we want to pass on that blessing with a good meal for the homeless. Ours have gotten a reputation for being among the best meals provided, because our students cook with a lot of love. We continued our regular programming throughout the semester in the form of events such as "God Goes to the Movies," (wherein we watch a film and discuss together its theology), "Jesus on Tap," (coffee or otherwise at a local establishment, where we do Bible study and reflection together), and experiential events for our Wednesday evening worship, such as "Evening Prayer with a Professor" and baking communion bread. April took us to Corpus Christi for a beach clean-up, wherein we picked up several dozen bags of trash from the area near the Texas Aquarium. April also saw us reinstate the annual Crawfish Boil, a fundraiser for the Hays County Food Bank. We held our annual retreat at Wessendorff in October and took part in "The Hunger Bowl," a joint campus-ministry effort to raise hunger awareness and money for the Food Bank. We welcomed many new active participants, some of whom have not been connected to a faith community in many years. One of our students has recently entered the discernment process, a lengthy period of self-reflection and examination to determine readiness for entering seminary and eventually ordination in the Episcopal Church. Everywhere we turn, we find God blessing us, and you who are reading this are one of those blessings, so THANK YOU!
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What's Ahead for 2014? Some Changes and Challenges
First, some changes. We will be instituting a Monday lunch program in January; offering students a free lunch has proven an effective means for other ministries to get students to return for later events. We are excited about the possibilities and will be sharing this work with our friends at UCM-Wesley, the owners of the former St. Mark's and from whom Christ Chapel has a 38 year lease. If the lunch is successful, we may move our Wednesday worship to Tuesday, as it is easier for students to remember on a Monday that worship is the next night, not two nights later.
Christ Chapel has also received a grant from the Southwest Texas Synod of the ELCA, which will allow Pr. Bouzard to teach up to 20 students some basic cooking skills. Those students will then be better able to help in our feeding the homeless and with the new lunch program. Once students have their work and school schedules set, the classes will begin, with what we hope will be delicious results. There will be challenges, though, as Pr. Bouzard will be moving to 3/4 time status. Why? Read on...
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Funding Changes for 2013
DWTX Takes New Direction
Pr. Bouzard to 3/4 Time, Programming Still Intact
The Diocese of West Texas has been in partnership with the Southwest Texas Synod of the ELCA in forming and directing Christ Chapel for the past eleven years. Recently, however, the Department of College Missions has been moving toward a new model, one with which there has been success at Incarnate Word and St. Mary's Universities in San Antonio. In the Fall of 2014, the Diocese will implement this model at Texas State. It can't financially support both ministries, however, and so its funding for Christ Chapel will continue only through May 31, 2014. That said, we do look forward to a continued ecumenically shared ministry with those churches engaged in campus ministry through the Christ Chapel facilities. What this shared ministry of space and, perhaps, some programs looks like will be determined as the transition occurs.
Following the plan outlined by the Strategic Plan developed by the Department of College Missions, the diocese is restoring its historic partnership with St. Mark's Episcopal Church for missions work on the campus of Texas State through the Elijah Initiative. This initiative is a partnership between the Diocese and a local congregation to place recent college graduates on campuses and raise them up as campus missioners.
One of the modifications brought about by the change in our funding is that Pr. Bouzard will move to 3/4 time in his work, rather than full-time. While concerted fund-raising efforts could enable him to remain full-time, he is at a place in life where 3/4 time is adequate, and he would prefer not to spend that other 1/4 time in fundraising. The budget for programming will not be affected, so most students will not notice a change. And given that students are the purpose and object of the ministry, this is exactly as it should be.
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IN THE MEANTIME
This is a Christmas newsletter, so in light of the news above, we ask for your continued support in prayers and dollars. You may like to know what your gift would buy, so here are a few things that have been "priced out" to give you an idea of where the money goes...
"God Goes to the Movies," Movie rental, popcorn and drinks: $10
Higher Grounds Coffee House, a favorite place for students of all backgrounds to come and experience hospitality, a quiet place to study, and some really good coffee. One week operation: $50
Worship materials for a year, from bread to wine to candles, bulletins, and linens. $120
Tuning our baby grand piano, a gift from a faculty member to Christ Chapel: $150.
Annual Wessendorff retreat rental: $225
Food for 20 for that retreat: $250
One peer minister for one semester: $500.
We've made it easy to give; go to our webpage for the PayPal link, and thank you in advance.
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| And in the Near Future: Friends of Christ Chapel
Plans are being made even now to form something like a "Friends of Christ Chapel" organization that will be at work keeping the spotlight on Christ Chapel and the amazing things God is doing through this place. We are especially interested in garnering support from our Episcopal friends, as we intend to carry on our liturgically-grounded, theologically-rich tradition through a worship style that is perfectly comfortable for Episcopal students. While our tagline now says, "A Ministry for ALL Students Supported by the Lutheran and Episcopal Churches," we will be changing it to, "A Ministry for ALL Students, Supported by Lutherans and Episcopalians."
Look for more information in the Spring about this new organization and what it will look like. Among the things planned will be more regular newsletters such as this one or through e-mail, and annual events such as a "Thank You Banquet" for those who have a stake in this ministry. We will also be promoting easier ways to give, such as through direct drafts and through PayPal, which is currently available on our website. Our long-term hope is that gifts from a "Friends of Christ Chapel" will enable a full-time ministry in the future as our endowment fund is allowed to grow.
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Quad Squatting, or One Reason Why This Ministry Matters
That's what Pr. Jaime calls the work he does two or three days each week for two or more hours at a time. He sits at a table on the Quad with a sign that invites students to stop and ask questions or just share a prayer concern. Sometimes the time passes slowly with few conversations, but sometimes the conversations make all the difference in the world. Late in the semester, one of the important kind happened, later to be blogged by the student with whom Pr. Jaime met. The link is http://slyon93.wordpress.com/2013/11/25/a-messenger/ , but the last paragraph sums it up:
"It was as if Jaime, the pastor... standing at a humble table on the edge of the quad was speaking directly for God relating that He is good. He is always going to be happy to have you. He's fighting for you and He is your ever-present champion and advocate regardless of your actions and of what you think you deserve. We will never be able to run too far from God and He will never grow tired of relentlessly chasing after you."
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Our New T-Shirts
Are Here! Only $5
We have a brand-new T-shirt, designed by alum Emily Harper and made possible to sell at a discount through a gift from her. Emily grew up Lutheran and now attends St. Mark's Between the Bayous Episcopal Church in Houston. If you'd like a shirt and are nearby, bring $5.00. If you want one mailed, send us $8.00 and we'll make it happen. Include your size!
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| Other News to Pass On
Recent alums know that Brad Eubanks served as Program Assistant here for three years. He's now the lay Episcopal Chaplain for the University of Northern Arizona, Flagstaff, so he's happy to be back doing what he loves.
Steven "Bear" Vacek, a fixture at Texas State and Christ Chapel and its predecessors for many years, is happily married and has beautiful twin girls, Grace and Mary. Bear, Heather, and their girls will be moving to Buda in the near future.
Long-time mentors David and Judy Sherrerd experienced flooding again in their home after the Halloween Flood of 2013. They are rebuilding and could use our prayers.
We grieve with Susan Hanson at the loss of her brother, Charles, but rejoice at her continued freedom from back pain after her surgery and for her active life, which includes snorkeling the San Marcos River picking up trash, and more recently, bee-keeping.
Brandon Ricks received his commission as an Air Force Lieutenant and is now stationed at Keesler AFB in Biloxi, Mississippi.
James Derkits has rejoined the Diocese of West Texas and is now serving Trinity by the Sea Episcopal Church in Port Aransas.
Billie Tweedie is now serving at Episcopal Church of the Resurrection in Austin.
Lutheran chaplain Lou Flessner is still happily retired and will soon be living in Lawrence, Kansas.
So many of our alums are doing so well that we can't list them all, but if you've got a story or news, let us know so that we can include in in future issues and on the website.
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Our campus mission is to be a welcoming spiritual community, a place for people of any gender, race, national origin, and sexual orientation. Growing together in faith, we seek the unity that Christ envisions for His church through learning, liturgical worship, service, and fellowship. |
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