Author: Faith UCC (Page 25 of 28)

Zoom Meet-and-Greets with the Final Conference Minister Candidate and Special Meeting of the Conference

March 30, 2021 /

Dear Siblings in Christ,

With the final candidate for the Conference Minister position being brought forward by the by the CM Search Committee, and the SCC Board of Directors voting to affirm the Search Committee’s recommendation, we are pleased to invite you to the following:

Presentation of Rev. Phil Hodson to the Conference for a vote at a special meeting of the Conference on Saturday, April 17, 2021 at 10 am via Zoom. This communication serves as official notice to the Conference as outlined in the SCC Constitution (Article V Section 1) and Bylaws (Article 11 Sections 1 and 2). The only agenda item will be for Conference members to vote on the Conference Minister candidate, Rev. Phil Hodson.  

**Please be sure to share with Conference members (authorized ministers and lay leaders from your churches) so that we can ensure that a quorum is present on April 17th for the Conference vote**

Rev. Hodson has provided an introduction statement for the Conference so you can begin to learn more about him. Additionally, four meet-and-greets have been scheduled to allow the Conference to get to know Rev. Hodson before the vote on April 17th. The first meeting was held last night.

We encourage you to be present on one of the meetings (or all) listed below. The Zoom link is the same for all of the meet-and-greets and you can contact the Conference office if you need more information. They will also be recorded if you are unable to attend any session.

  • Sunday, March 28th at 2 – 3 pm
  • Wednesday, April 7th at 7 – 8 pm 
  • Saturday, April 10th at 10 – 11 am

The purpose of the meet-and-greets is for Rev. Hodson to introduce himself, say a bit about his faith journey and share why he’s excited to serve as the SCC Conference Minister. If present, members of the Search Committee can also share why they felt called to name Rev. Hodson as the final candidate. 

Speaking of the Conference Minister Search Committee, please be sure to thank members of this committee:

Rev. Vanessa Monroe (chair)
Debra Joseph (VP of the BOD)
Rev. Joshua Lawrence
Rev. Neil Thomas 
Marilyn Reyes
Cesar Baptista
Arlene Turner
Rev. Jacqueline Lamensky
Bessie Griffin

They went above and beyond in their duties as part of this committee including conducting a mock interview to prepare, interviewing lots of candidates in first round interviews, and going on to more in depth interviews with four candidates before reaching a unanimous consensus. I have heard nothing but praises from Rev. Lee Albertson, who helped guide this team and from Rev. Hodson himself. They were organized, prepared and dedicated — asking hard questions and listening for God’s call. I look forward to celebrating them with the entire Conference soon. 

If Rev. Hodson is affirmed as the SCC Conference Minister at the April 17th meeting, he will begin in this role around July 15th. This means that we will be transitioning to saying good-bye to our Interim Conference Minister, Rev. Campbell Lovett. Rev. Lovett will be around to help with this transition. We continue to be extremely grateful for Rev. Lovett and his leadership over the past year. 

That is all that I have for now, but I look forward to seeing you all at the meet-and-greets and the called special meeting of the Conference on April 17th. I am really excited about the future of the South Central Conference and a little sad to be rolling off as President in June. 

Peace and blessings,
Rev. Nikki Stahl

From SCC Weekly e-News Submitted by Rev. Nikki Stahl

South Central Conference Header

Baby Items for Refugees – Thank You

March 20, 2021 /
El Chaparral Crossing Immigrant Camp March 17
Image Credit: Guillermo Arias / AFP

A huge thank you to everyone who participated in the last minute plea for diapers, wipes and other baby needs for the babies at the border. People responded in a big way!

Thank you to Sheila for coordinating this drive as well.

Below is an update and thank you from Chili Ornelas, Chair of the Refugee Support Network.

Hello Refugee Support Network Members and supporting agencies,

You may remember that last Monday 15 March you received a STAT message from me about a request for baby items.  We had received an urgent request from Pastor Ortiz for baby diapers, baby wipes, baby bottles, and baby clothing.  This was because more and more refugees are being allowed into the US, with a large portion of the refugees being mothers with babies or very young children.  As you know, these mothers arrive with little to nothing in their bags.  Their whole life’s possessions are often in a gym-size bag.  We put out the call for donations and you have come through!  Again!!  Thank you all for everything you have donated, with either supplies or monetary funds.  We the leaders of the Refugee Support Network are continuously amazed at your generosity.  Again, thank you.

I wanted to give you a final report on results of your efforts:

1.  All of the supplies you donated were delivered to Laredo today, Saturday 20 March.  Peggy and I, and our friends Judy and Tully Tullburg traveled to the border, being followed by Sister Mercedes and Sister Olga in a second vehicle.  Both vehicles were filled with the supplies you made possible.  We met with Pastor Ortiz’s wife and we off-loaded the vehicles and stored everything in a home in Laredo.  Pastor Ortiz was in Del Rio helping some 120 refugees with travel plans, bus tickets, etc., so he was not able to meet us.  We found out that two days ago Pastor Ortiz had hosted over 70 people in the sanctuary home / church that he is working in now.  When we arrived there was only one family left in the facility. This family was trying to find financial help to purchase bus tickets to travel to Maine.

2.  The amount of supplies collected is staggering!  We collected all sizes of diapers, totaling over 2100 diapers.  We carried over 40 packages of baby wipes totaling over 2400 baby wipes.  We also had 100 training pants, which are for the bigger toddler kids (2T through 5T).  In the baby bottle department, we had over 50 baby bottles.  Forty pairs of socks for both girls and boys, and 18 baby blankets were all also part of the load.  Clothing wise we had 5 big plastic bags (13 gal. size) full, which had some coats and sweaters.  A total of 5 medium sized boxes with clothes and toys was also carried into the home.  Lastly, we had one big plastic bag of shoes for children.  Please give yourself a pat on the back and definitely feel good about all the joy you are bringing into the world of the refugees.

3.  While we did not meet with any large number of refugees today, they are coming very soon.  The Biden administration of allowing more asylum seekers across the border will soon open up Nuevo Laredo as a MPP release station.  This may happen as early as next week.  That means more young mothers and their children will come across seeking aid from Pastor Ortiz.  Because of your donations, because of the efforts of your Refugee Support Network and many other humanitarian agencies, the first feelings of Americans by these future citizens will be a feeling they will long remember.  We do care about them, and we are here to help them on their first steps into America.

Thank you for all that you have done in the past, thank you for helping in this Baby Supplies Project, and I know you will help again in the future.  Thank You!!!

Chili Ornelas
Chair, Refugee Support Network

Where are You Gifted?

March 4, 2021 /

Lay leaders are needed to assist with the life and ministry of Faith Church.  Please let Pastor Carla ([email protected]) or Pastoral Assistant, Janet Sherman ([email protected]) know if you are willing to participate in one of these areas of service:

Building and Grounds—improving visibility, maintenance, cleaning, improvements

Pastoral Care—notes/calls to those not able to get out, those ill, those grieving, & visitors  

Education—virtually engaging children & youth; coordinating bible & book studies, & discussion groups      

Tech/Social Media—promoting Faith on FB & other platforms, helping with virtual worship

Mission—supporting & coordinating work with Kiva, Family Promise, SOS Foodbank, & more   

Worship—planning services, helping with music, preparing for special services, designing power point slides, & more

Outreach—anything as creative and crazy as we can imagine to let folks know there’s a different kinda church in town!!

            We are only limited by our imagination and desire.  Thankfully, God’s imagination is bigger than ours and God’s supply of energy and inspiration will never dwindle.  Relying on God, let’s all work together to see exactly what God can do in and through Faith Church!

One Great Hour of Sharing Special Offering—March 14th

March 4, 2021 /

Faith Church has a long, proud history of being a 5 for 5 Congregation, meaning we donate to the 5 special missional offerings of the UCC.  One Great Hour of Sharing® is one of those offerings received each year during Lent.  This offering directly supports the disaster, refugee, and development ministries of the United Church of Christ within Wider Church Ministries. 

To learn more about the impact of this offering, watch this brief video, “When Water Comes Interviews”, with villagers in Kenya describing the difference it made in their lives when clean water was provided, thanks to the support of OGHS https://youtu.be/Q9y_1U425cs

Please prayerfully consider your contribution to this special offering, which will be collected March 14th, in addition to your regular tithe to the work and ministry of Faith Church.  You may donate via the Church website (https://www.faithuccnb.org/) with a message to designate the amount to the OGHS Offering or by mail to the church (970 Loop 337
New Braunfels, TX) with “OGHS Offering” in the memo line.

Go to Camp for FREE!—Slumber Falls Spring Work Camp March 12-14

March 4, 2021 /

As most of you know, Faith Church has a close working relationship with our own UCC Slumber Falls Camp, right here in New Braunfels! 

Children and youth have camped there and made lifelong friends and memories, congregations have held meaningful retreats on the grounds surrounded by the beauty of nature, clergy (including your own!), have gone there for quiet retreats to rest.

            SFC relies on our support to remain a place of fun, learning, and connection with God and each other. 

One way we offer support is by attending the regular Work Camp Weekends where we are invited to stay at the camp for free for a causal weekend of laughter and sharing while helping with work projects (primarily Saturday) around the property at 3610 River Road.

            In the recent extreme weather of SNOVID 2021, the camp suffered significant plumbing damage and will rely on our support during this work camp, more than ever.  Please make plans to attend.  If you have special tools or expertise, please contact the camp office at 830-625-2212 for possible projects.             To register, go to https://slumberfalls.org/events/sfc-fall-work-camp/

Faith Music Update

March 4, 2021 /

Our prayers go with former Music Director, Stephanie Phillips, for her two years of service to Faith Church.  We wish her well as she continues to follow her passion for music and service.  A Music Team is being gathering to provide music for our weekly worship and plans are under way to seek and hire a new minister of music.  Stay tuned for more updates!

Calling all Young Ones (And Parents of Young Ones!)

March 4, 2021 /

Mike Ziegler and Frank Dietz are heading up our Kiva micro-loan lending program and we want our children and youth to help us! 

Some time after March 10th, these two men, along with Pastor Carla, will be hosting a Zoom session to introduce our young to Kiva, start selecting our next loan recipients together, and set up a rotation for which kiddos will help us out each month as we select new recipients. 

Parents, please reach out to Mike Ziegler ([email protected]) by 3/10/21 if your children or teens are interested in helping out.  It’s a great chance to learn about missions, the needs of others, good stewardship, and to engage with the adults of our congregation.

Blessing When the World Is Ending

March 4, 2021 /

Look, the world
is always ending
somewhere.

Somewhere
the sun has come
crashing down.

Somewhere
it has gone
completely dark.

Somewhere
it has ended
with the gun,
the knife,
the fist.

Somewhere
it has ended
with the slammed door,
the shattered hope.

Somewhere
it has ended
with the utter quiet
that follows the news
from the phone,
the television,
the hospital room.

Somewhere
it has ended
with a tenderness
that will break
your heart.

But, listen,
this blessing means
to be anything
but morose.
It has not come
to cause despair.

It is simply here
because there is nothing
a blessing
is better suited for
than an ending,
nothing that cries out more
for a blessing
than when a world
is falling apart.

This blessing
will not fix you,
will not mend you,
will not give you
false comfort;
it will not talk to you
about one door opening
when another one closes.

It will simply
sit itself beside you
among the shards
and gently turn your face
toward the direction
from which the light
will come,
gathering itself
about you
as the world begins
again.

—Jan Richardson
from Circle of Grace: A Book of Blessings for the Seasons

Acknowledging a COVID-19 Milestone

March 4, 2021 /

We acknowledge that the United States has now experienced over 500,000 COVID-related deaths, that we know of, since the beginning of the pandemic. 

Such a large number can be hard to wrap our heads around and we can easily become numb in the face of so much suffering, including our own.  This National Geographic article can help put that number into perspective.

https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/graphics/what-500000-united-states-covid-deaths-look-like

Our prayers remain with those who have died and those who mourn, those who are ill and those who are recovering, those who are fear and those in denial. 

As a people of justice, we also acknowledge the health, economic, and social disparities  that have come even further to light with the disproportionate impact COVID-19 has had on our brothers and sisters of color. 

From the article, “Deaths among Black Americans are 1.9 times higher than among non-Hispanic whites, Hispanics and Latinos 2.3 time higher, and Native Americans 2.4 times higher.”

Please pray for an awakening to the greater need for stewardship, individually and collectively, to ensure all God’s children are safe, cared for, and working to be good stewards of their neighbors’ safety.  May we listen to and follow where God may be leading us to take part in co-creating a more just and healthy world for us all.

The 2021 Faith 40-Day Gratitude Challenge

March 2, 2021 /

Folks are experiencing enough sacrifice these days, so instead of giving something up for Lent, I invite you to add a spiritual discipline.  From Feb 17-April 3, engage in at least one gratitude practice a day.  Use the notebook provided (available in the Ash Wednesday packets at the church), your own journal, or post on social media (tag us! @FaithUCCNewBraunfels).  You can write down 5 things or something you’re grateful for:

*for each letter of the alphabet

*about yourself for each letter of your name 

*about another person and consider sharing it with them

*in nature, in your house, your town, about your job or school, etc.

*every time your phone or computer dings with a call or message

*every time you hear yourself start to complain

Let’s also memorize Philippians 4:6-7 (NRSV) together as a reminder to turn to gratitude when anxiety starts to crowd our minds or we hear ourselves start to complain. 

I hope you’ll join me in reminding ourselves of the good God is doing, even in the midst of struggles.  Peace and blessings for your Lenten journey.

Pastor Carla

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