CWS is currently running a campaign to fill 3,000 buckets by the end of the year. The buckets were all donated; we’re asking for monetary donations to fill a bucket.
The cost of one Clean-up Bucket is $75. Right now, individuals can fill a bucket for $25. Thus, the campaign name: 3-in-1- Bucket Challenge. These buckets provide assistance to families and communities affected by flooding, tornados, fires and other disasters.
For more information. https://cwskits.org/3-in-1-bucket-challenge/
Rev. Brooks Berndt UCC Minister for Environmental Justice
Feeling bruised, battered, or fatigued by this election season? Looking for a source of uplift down the home stretch to November 3rd? Then, this digital event is for you.
This will be a time to renew our energies and our focus as we approach an election day with so many profound implications for those who care about the climate crisis and the many interconnected issues of justice that we face today.
Our three featured speakers will include: Karenna Gore of Union Theological Seminary, the Rev. Lennox Yearwood, Jr. of the Hip Hop Caucus, and the Rev. Gerald Durley of Interfaith, Power & Light. The webinar will be co-hosted by the Rev. Dr. Brooks Berndt of the UCC’s Environmental Justice Ministry and the Rev. Michael Malcom of Alabama Interfaith Power & Light.
Even if you can’t make its scheduled time on October 14th at 1 pm ET, still sign-up, and we will send you a recording of it.
The date of the Heart of Texas Association Fall Meeting has been moved to Saturday, October 24 at 10 am to noon (a shift from the original date of October 10) on Zoom. The reason for the change in date is to allow us to prepare for a presentation on the proposed formation of a Conference level Fitness Review Committee. The formation of this committee has been a project of the South Central Conference Board of Directors, and would be a joining of Associations (rather than a taking over by the Conference) in the work of ministerial fitness reviews. I will explain a little more about what this means below.
Our Association Executive Board will be putting the agenda together before the Fall Meeting, but we expect that we will have an emphasis on sharing from the churches about how we are doing our ministry during this time of enormous change, an opportunity to give toward needs generated by the pandemic, an update on what the work and needs of Slumber Falls are, and our normal financial/budget approvals and other brief reports. The leadership of the Heart of Texas Association believes that it is perhaps more important than ever to share from our lives as churches in this time of change.
One of the most difficult, detailed, and time consuming tasks of our Committee on Ministry is a fitness review. This work happens when a complaint regarding the fitness for ministry of one of our ministers is raised in a substantial way. There is currently a thorough and demanding process for raising, investigating, and considering these types of complaints that the Association Committee on Ministry uses, as outlined in the United Church of Christ Manual on Ministry and supporting documents. Since fitness reviews do not occur often, Committee members must be trained to understand and to work with this process when one does happen. Additionally, the Committee often needs to do quite a bit of follow up work after a fitness review occurs. Normally, our Committee on Ministry has a full load of work for its meetings working with our Members in Discernment and ministers before the major addition of fitness review work. An ongoing committee, composed of members elected from all of the Associations in the Conference, could do the demanding work of fitness reviews with members who are trained and experienced in this work. That proposed ongoing committee, as well as a process to be able to join it, will be what will be presented at our Fall Meeting. We would not vote on joining this committee until the Spring of 2021. However, it is important for us to hear what is being proposed, to understand what we would be voting on, and to share feedback about it at this time.
We will be sending out the Fall Meeting Zoom link, the agenda and instructions to all of our churches, to our ministers, and to as many people on our email list as we can once we are closer to the meeting date. It is my hope and prayer that this meeting will be uplifting, informative, and a time of bonding and mutual support in our faith as we continue to do the work Christ calls all of us to do. I hope many of you will join us.
Blessings in Christ, Liz Nash, Association Minister
Due to COVID-19, the Comal County Senior Citizen Foundation had to cancel our Festival Of Trees fundraiser scheduled for December. The decision was made to cancel this fundraising event for the safety of the general public and our senior population. The CCSCF is now attempting to raise funds with our Online Holiday Wreath Auction. We are requesting your donation of a Christmas Wreath and also hoping you will check out our online selection to purchase for yourself. All funds will be used for our Senior Wellness programs which includes our multi-county Meals on Wheels program.
Please review the information below and contact me if you would like to be part of our FIRST Online Holiday Wreath Auction & Sale.
Thank you for any support you can give us at this time. I’m looking forward to hearing from you.
Linda Null
Membership & Activities Director
655 Landa St. New Braunfels Tx 78130
830-629-4547
Slumber Falls Camp 2020 Fall Work Weekend 10/23-10/25
Having two work weekends worked out so well in 2019, we are excited to do again this year!
Please join us for fun, good food, hard work and fellowship in this season of pandemic. We will of course be practicing social distancing and mask wearing when doing projects inside but most things will be outside.
We will be finishing up transitioning from summer camp mode to retreat group / family group mode and prepping the property for winter. We are currently compiling the project list and will share it soon.
Please remember if you or someone in your family needs volunteer hours for school, college applications or court mandated community service hours…this counts! There is no cost for the weekend, but Love Offerings are always appreciated. Lodging, Saturday breakfast, lunch and supper and Sunday breakfast are all provided.
Water of Life – Well #1 Repairs
While SFC is currently running a COVID Campaign to mitigate the financial state of the camp as a result of the pandemic, we also are seeking donations to cover the expenses of repairing Well #1. In mid-August, both wells on the property went down. While we were able to repair Well #2 in house, Well #1 faced more serious issues. The pump on Well #1 seized up and burnt a section of electrical wiring. We called in Kutscher Drilling in to replace the pump, a section of pipe, and wiring, which amount to $2,800. A day before they came, the water reservoir tank in Well #1 sprang a leak. David Lamensky is helping us repair the tank, but we are reaching out for donations to cover this non-budgeted repair expense. If you have a passion for water, bathing/showering, or even drinking it in some form or fashion, consider giving a donation to the Water of Life effort so that others may experience the joys that come from fresh well water.
Usually when a pastor leaves a church he or she is going to another church and so they leave the area and are not available to do weddings and funerals, etc. I am planning to retire and stay here in New Braunfels. Even though I will still be in the area. PLEASE do not ask me to perform any pastoral/professional functions. The UCC “A Pastoral Vacancy: Guidelines for the Departing Pastor and the Governing Board” is quite clear on this:
“The personal relationships established within a parish setting sometimes make it difficult for both the pastor and the people to remember that the role is a professional one governed by a professional code of ethics. And that code of ethics mandates that the professional relationship cease at the end of the term of service in a church. As a pastor, you have an ethical obligation not to ‘intrude upon the ministry of my successor.” Intrusion includes performing pastoral services (funerals, weddings, baptisms) as well as conversing with members about church life or decisions the church is considering.”
As you can see the guidelines are quite clear on this and I would ask your help in helping me honor these guidelines. When my predecessor, Rev. Lee Zillmann left Faith UCC to take up a position as a chaplain in the local hospital he followed these guidelines and it made my transition to being the pastor of Faith UCC much easier. I want to do the same for whoever follows me, for both the interim and whoever the settled pastor will be.
This also means that I will not be attending Faith UCC when I retire. Instead, I will be attending other UCC churches in the area.
Please understand that this does not mean I won’t continue to care about you individually or for the church, far from it. I value my relationship with each and every one of you highly and will continue to do so. I will also continue to care very much about Faith UCC church. I’ve only served four churches in my career and it is not an overstatement to say that God has blessed me greatly by allowing me to serve Faith UCC these last 15 years. In many respects God saved the best for last. I will continue to pray for you and for Faith UCC church. I am reminded of the Apostle Paul’s words to the church in Philippi, his favorite church, “I thank God every time I remember you, constantly praying with you, because of your sharing in the gospel from the first day until now. I am confident of this, that the one who began a good work in among you will bring it to completion by the day of Jesus Christ.” (Phil 1:3-6)
Grace and Peace, Pastor Scott
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