Tag: newsletter (Page 2 of 32)

Coming Events and Announcements

Theology on Tap—Sunday October 16th 4 – 7pm at Hill Country Tap 5441 FM 1102 New Braunfels in the top pavilion area that will be reserved for us.  Food and both alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages available.  Come early to get food and get settled so we can begin our conversation at 4:30pm!


Realm Support—Sunday October 16th after worship.  Download the Realm Connect app on your phone or iPad and let other members help you activate your Realm account and learn to navigate around to stay in touch with your Faith family through prayer requests, events, special projects, and more.


Faithful Praise rehearsal—Monday Oct. 17th 7:15pm All welcome!


Youth Missional Giving—Help support Faith Church Youth as they raise money to wipe out predatory and unjust medical debt for families in need in Texas.  They will be in the Narthex each Sunday through December 11th offering coffee, cocoa, and cider for donations.  Our current goal is $400 and we raised $85 our first Sunday.  For each dollar they raise, RIP Medical Debt can pay off approximately $100 in medical debt, meaning we can help pay off $4000 of medical bills for families before Christmas.  Go to https://ripmedicaldebt.org/campaign/texas/faith1957? to learn more about and give to our campaign.


Souper Supper WednesdaysBeginning NEXT Wednesday, Oct 19th, 6-7pm and occurring every other Wednesday through December 14th…Come for food, fellowship, and learning around various topics led by Pastor Carla and Lisa Newman.

Our first topic will be on Love Languages and an introduction to Attachment Styles that can help or hurt our relationships. (Take the Love Language quiz here to learn yours: https://5lovelanguages.com/quizzes/love-language)

We’ll gather and get our food from 6:00 – 6:15p then hold our discussion from 6:15 – 7:00p. One soup will be vegan and grain free. The other will be fully loaded. Bring sides or snacks to compliment the meal if you wish (but not required) and your own beverage.

These sessions will be Zoomed but not recorded or broadcast on social media.  Use the regular Sunday worship zoom link to join us virtually at https://us04web.zoom.us/j/586745671?pwd=aG0wUnZTR3NIKzBXUXp1Vkh2KzJXQT09

Meeting ID: 586 745 671
Password: 008518

Series Topics:
11/2 Myers Briggs—empathy and understanding for others types and our own while not excusing behavior
11/16 Crucial Conversations
11/30 Boundaries/passive aggression v aggression, shame vs guilt
12/14 Blue Christmas—Worthiness, not alone, holiday blues, prepping to be around relatives—more of a simple service with communion

Please RSVP to Pastor Carla or Lisa Newman so we will know how much soup to make. Should this event be well-attended, we will consider adding a mid-week mini-worship service in the near future.


55+ Social at the Robinsons’ home—Oct 23rd. The 55 Plus Group will meet on Sunday, October 23, 2022 at Charlie and Pam Robinson’s home. We plan to gather on their deck at 1:30 pm. RSVP Pam Robinson at [email protected] for directions and to let her know what finger snack food you might bring.

Parking is very limited so it is suggested we arrange to carpool from the church parking lot gathering about 1 pm.


OTHER DATES TO REMEMBER:

Faith Church 2023 Stewardship Pledge Campaign coming in November
Slumber Falls S’mores Roast—Nov 4th 6-9pm
Thanksgiving Potluck after worship Nov 13th
Ecumenical Thanksgiving Worship at Peace Lutheran Church—Nov 17th 6:30pm
Monthly Youth Gathering—Nov 6th

Pastor Carla’s Installation Sunday December 11th 3:00pm

No-Rehearsal Christmas Pageant December 18th during worship

Welcome New Members to Faith Church!

Our church family continues to grow!!!

We’ve recently received these new members:
Karen Perry
The Blankenship Family
The Fox-Newman Family

Each of these are already jumping into the swing of things and pitching in to support the work and mission of Faith Church to bring peace, healing, and justice to all of God’s created. 

Please help us welcome them all and be watching this space in coming newsletters for more information about each of them! Please continue reading to learn a little about new member Karen Perry and welcome to everyone!


My name is Karen Perry.

I was fortunate to be raised in a loving Baptist home and church. I drifted away from church in my 20’s because my life was taking me on a path that diverged from Baptist beliefs. I have always had a relationship with God. I believe that God loves everyone, in an all encompassing way that would boggle our minds if we could fully understand and see. I am learning so many things in life and I am a perpetual “work in progress”. I have a wonderful career as a Nurse Practitioner and I am very blessed with my job. Faith UCC is the first place I have felt fully loved as I am and no matter who I love.


SPECIAL CALLED CONGREGATIONAL MEETING

Council has been working hard to coordinate the repair of our roof and other portions of our property in need of attention. 

All members are requested to attend a Special Called Congregational Meeting after worship November 6th to discuss and vote on our options for what repairs to make, raising funds, and taking out a loan to cover the costs. 

Be watching for more information on the options to be discussed and make plans to attend and lend your voice and vote to this important part of being good stewards of all God has given us.

NOMINATIONS FOR 2023 CHURCH COUNCIL BEING SOUGHT

Image Credit: Salt House Church

As our congregation grows, so do our leadership needs.  We will have 2 spots open on Council for 2023.  If you would like to be considered or suggest someone else for consideration, please contact a member of Council.  Council is also discussing whether to:

Option 1) develop a Programs Sub-Committee to oversee our day to day ministries (worship, fellowship, mission, pastoral care, outreach, Christian education, fellowship, outreach, etc.) which will allow Council to focus on administrative tasks (staffing and HR, stewardship and finance, building and grounds, etc.) OR

Option 2) ask the congregation to vote to change our Constitution to allow for a larger Council (from the current 6 to 10-12 Council members) that will be organized with half focusing on Programs and half focusing on Administration.

Eventually, the ideal Council will be organized like Option 2, with various Teams (a.k.a. Committees) doing research, planning, and making recommendations for Council to vote upon in both areas (Programs and Administration) rather than Council doing all the legwork and implementation.

Please prayerfully consider how God might be calling you to participate in supporting the life and ministry of Faith Church through service on our Teams and even by taking a 2-year seat on Council.

Youth Missional Giving

Help support Faith Church Youth as they raise money to wipe out predatory and unjust medical debt for families in need in Texas. 

They will be in the Narthex each Sunday through December 11th offering coffee, cocoa, and cider for donations. 

Our current goal is $400 and we raised $85 our first Sunday.  For each dollar they raise, RIP Medical Debt can pay off approximately $100 in medical debt, meaning we can help pay off $4000 of medical bills for families before Christmas. 

Go to https://ripmedicaldebt.org/campaign/texas/faith1957? to learn more about and give to our campaign.

Souper Supper Wednesdays Beginning October 19th 6-7pm

Beginning NEXT Wednesday, Oct 19th, 6-7pm and occurring every other Wednesday through December 14th…Come for food, fellowship, and learning around various topics led by Pastor Carla and Lisa Newman.

Our first topic will be on Love Languages and an introduction to Attachment Styles that can help or hurt our relationships. (Take the Love Language quiz here to learn yours: https://5lovelanguages.com/quizzes/love-language)

We’ll gather and get our food from 6:00 – 6:15p then hold our discussion from 6:15 – 7:00p. One soup will be vegan and grain free. The other will be fully loaded. Bring sides or snacks to compliment the meal if you wish (but not required) and your own beverage.

These sessions will be Zoomed but not recorded or broadcast on social media.  Use the regular Sunday worship zoom link to join us virually at https://us04web.zoom.us/j/586745671?pwd=aG0wUnZTR3NIKzBXUXp1Vkh2KzJXQT09

Meeting ID: 586 745 671
Password: 008518

Series Topics:
11/2 Myers Briggs—empathy and understanding for others types and our own while not excusing behavior
11/16 Crucial Conversations
11/30 Boundaries/passive aggression v aggression, shame vs guilt
12/14 Blue Christmas—Worthiness, not alone, holiday blues, prepping to be around relatives—more of a simple service with communion

Please RSVP to Pastor Carla or Lisa Newman so we will know how much soup to make. Should this event be well-attended, we will consider adding a mid-week mini-worship service in the near future.

Big Serve 2022 Recap

Many thanks to the 20+ Faith folx who participated in the Second Annual Citywide Big Serve Weekend!!  Thanks, also, to Lisa Newman for her servant leadership in coordinating us. 

It was a beautiful day and our bright blue t-shirts were certainly noticed.  Read more about what we helped accomplish through our support of Serve Spot and news for their events in the coming year.


Aren’t these beautiful pictures? These are two of many stories that make Big Serve Weekend so significant. One photo shows a Meals on Wheels client chatting with a Big Serve Weekend volunteer about how he can pray for her. The other is a painting of hope for our mental health facility. This weekend was a gift to the thousands of clients that YOU served throughout the New Braunfels area but also a blessing to the 1100+ volunteers that served at 60 project sites around town. God has you planted in new Braunfels for the flourishing of the city and this weekend was a great example of that!

A few highlights from Big Serve Weekend: 

  • Our city took notice and we made front page news.
  • 4000+ hours of service from 20 local congregations and neighbors
  • 3 schools beautified and teachers blessed with baskets of love
  • 500+ encouragement cards written to our police, teachers, nurses, and elderly
  • Housing, storage, and service areas cleaned or transformed for victims of sexual assault, homeless, foster kids, hungry families, and more!Error! Unknown switch argument.
  • Dozens of parks, landmarks, homes, and nonprofits beautified, renewed and restored
  • 14 nonprofits received thousands of dollars of in-kind donations
  • 100s of mastectomy pillow patterns prepared for patients 
  • 1 birthday cake shared with volunteers while they beatified the yard.

What does God want to do with a unified Church that can never be done by just one congregation? 

We saw that question being answered all weekend long. We see it happening through Serve Spot all year long.
And we will keep asking that question and praying God will do more than we could ever ask or imagine through all 80 congregations…the Church of New Braunfels! Want to join in? See dates below to get started!

Mark your calendars: 

  • New Braunfels Pastors Prayer Gathering (see graphic for dates)
  • Big Serve Weekend 2023 October 14-15, 2023 (always the second weekend of October) 

Thanks for working toward unity of the NB Church, 
Kim and the The Big Serve Planning Team

Fall Association Meeting

The Heart of Texas Association’s Executive Committee invites all authorized ministers and congregations to our Fall Association Meeting on November 12th at Weimar United Church of Christ at 10 am.

The agenda is still being developed but plan on at least the following and if you have other items please send to the HOTA Moderator, Carl Schwartz-King.

  • Ministerial Standings in the Manual on Ministry
  • State of Associations in the Conferences
  • Ecclesiastical Council

There will be a virtual option but we strongly encourage those who can attend to attend onsite!

Season of Change

Friends in Christ,

Believe it or not, Fall is here! The temperatures may not indicate the change in season but the plethora of pumpkin-spice products available won’t let us forget.

And just as the seasons change, September continued to be a season of change and transition for many of our congregations. Most congregations continue to move forward with onsite offerings for their members while at the same time continue to minister and be in relationship with those who need/want to remain online. The creativity and ways in which local congregations are staying connected and willing to do things in new ways is inspiring.

Continuing with the theme of changes in seasons, a few of our clergy/congregations are going through some significant changes/transitions:

  • Rolling Hills Christian Church called a new settled minister, Reverend Rachael McConnell.
  • Rev. Crystal Silva-McCormick has ended her call at Church of the Savior in Cedar Park.
  • Friedens in Washington continues their discernment of whether, or not, to remain in the United Church of Christ.
  • Rev. Ryan Hart and Open Cathedral are taking some intentional time of discernment (a practice we all might consider from time to time)

We hold each other in prayer as we all find ourselves in this in between time. Specifically, we hold those churches that are in the various phases of search and call/interim/transitional work (Rolling Hills Christian Church, Trinity Church of Austin, Congregational Church of Austin, Church of the Savior, St. Peter’s UCC Coupland, and Faith UCC New Braunfels).

Change is inevitable and consistent, but together we can support one another through whatever changes may come our way.

So glad to be on the journey with you!

~ Rev. Nikki Stahl, Heart of Texas Association Minister

New Free Webinars on Frontline Faith

New Free Webinars on Frontline Faith:

Rapid Response Training: Prayer & Preparation

Church Building & Loan Fund topical webinars

Abuse Prevention Webinar

Completing Your Churches Mission

We Aren’t Broken

The Value of Financial Reporting

Repurposing Resources for Mission

Capital Campaign Services

Our Whole Lives Pre-Training Sessions

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