Category: February 2020

      Bethany Congregational UCC in San Antonio has called  Rev. Dr. Jacqueline Moncrief to serve as their minister. Pastor Jacque will be moving to San Antonio from the Virginia side of the Washington, DC area.   She begins her ministry there on April 1st.  We rejoice with Bethany at the beginning of this new era in their ministry and look forward to welcoming Pastor Jacque into the Heart of Texas Association.

     Bethany is also saying farewell to their interim minister of the past three years, Rev. Tom Robison.  Tom, who has been “on loan” to us from the Lutherans, has served Bethany with grace and wisdom.  He has helped the church through its long search process and has been a key part of the welcome and partnership Bethany has had with the pastors of our new church start, Rev. Billie Watts and Pastor Kerry Kirtley, as they have come into the UCC and started Touchstone Community Church.  Tom has been a friend to me personally, and I am grateful for his ministry at Bethany.

     Our Heart of Texas Committee on Ministry, at its January meeting, welcomed Brett Hart as a Member in Discernment.  Brett, a member of St. Peter’s Church of Coupland, has served as a pastor for many years.  After being the pastor of several Assembly of God congregations,  he served for a number of years at Hope Chapel in Austin and as the senior pastor of Doxology Church, a church plant associated with Hope Chapel. In addition, Brett has significant experience teaching, starting schools and an education-related business, and in spiritual direction.  Currently, he and his wife, Kay, have started the Serene Disciple Project (with videos available on YouTube) at their home at Egret Isle Farm near Coupland.  As a child, he was part of a Congregational Church, and he has now come “full circle” in finding a home in the UCC.  Brett brings a deep and varied Christian ministry experience, and we welcome him as a Member in Discernment.

     Our Committee on Ministry also welcomed Dr. Gus Lott as a Member in Discernment.  Gus is currently a Master of Divinity student at Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary.  He is a member and a student minister at Trinity Church of Austin.  Gus comes to us with a background in neuroscience and robotics, having earned his PhD in biophysics.  He comes to us with a creative, seeking faith as he continues on his path in the synthesis of science and theology.

     Finally, our prayers are with Rev. Jacqueline Lamensky as she recovers from a recent car wreck.  Her car was totaled, but as of the time I write this article, it appears that her injuries are not major.  Several members of her congregation, Evangelical Church of Lyons, came right away to help her. I am grateful for the care that her church has shown her, and hope that she will be fully recovered very soon.

Blessings in Christ,

Liz Nash, Association Minister

     Dear Friends,  Our Board of Directors would like to thank you for all of your support during 2019.  Our Spirit of Sharing Food Bank has been able to help those in need with help from contributors like you.  This has been our mission since June 1 1988.

     We distributed 259,704 pounds of food to clients and low income centers in 2019.  We are able to do this with the help of approximately 300 volunteers who are not financially reimbursed for their work.  It is our belief that we all have a mission to feed the hungry among our community.

     We also receive food throughout the year from the Letter Carrier’s Drive, Wurst Drive by both school districts, drives by churches, clubs, the radio station, organizations and businesses.  This provides 60% of food above the purchased food.  This is a true Spirit of Sharing.  Our community is outstanding.

    You are invited to visit us any weekday from 1-4 p.m. or the first three Saturdays from 9-11 a.m.  This is when our volunteers are serving clients.  Our Board meets every month on the third Monday at 9 a.m.

May God Bless You,  SOS Food Bank,  Sandy Buck, President

Join us for this 6 week study using Rev. Jim Antal’s book “Climate Church, Climate Change: How People of Faith Must Work for Change”.  Archbishop Desmond Tutu says of Jim Antal’s book,   “Jim Antal shows how the church can engage the urgent moral crisis of climate change. This book will inspire both the courage and conviction people of faith need to provide the leadership necessary to realise [sic] God’s dream of a just world in which humanity is reconciled to all of creation.”

    We will not have time to read the whole book.  We will focus on the first six chapters.  Please read the chapter before coming to the Lenten Study.

March 4: Ch 1   The Situation We Find Ourselves In p. 9-29
March 11: Ch 2  A Loving God for a Broken World p. 31-40
March 18: Ch 3   The Church’s Vocation Today p. 47-62
March 25: Ch 4   The Marks of the Church In a Climate Crisis World p. 65-78
April 1: Ch  5   Discipleship: Reorienting What We Prize p. 81-99
April 8: Ch 6   Worship as a Pathway to Freedom p. 101-118

Pastor Scott will provide the books or you can go online and get an ebook.  We will gather at 6:30 for soup and bread and take turns providing these.  The study will run from 7-8:15 p.m.

Check out Jim Antal’s website at   https://www.jimantal.com/book