Category: Glimpses of Faith (Page 19 of 34)

Kiva: Update on our loan to Cotzi Ya Group

August 1, 2021 / Faith UCC

Submitted by Frank Dietz

This update on our loan to Cotzij Ya Group was written by Kiva’s Field Partner.

The 37-year-old Flora’s leadership grows daily. She seeks to consolidate the Mayan women of her community through typical weavings. She comments that when the woman weaves she occupies her mind, her hands and her spirit. That is why each typical “girdle” or belt that Flora weaves has her essence. She wants all weaving women to sell her products well. So Flora employs two people to support her in weaving typical belts that are in fashion. She says that if women weave and sell their products, they will be able to meet their basic needs and there will be fewer malnourished children. That is why last November, Flora acquired the fifth loan with Kiva. She was effectively able to capitalize on her textile business by purchasing a large quantity of high-quality yarns in various colors. Now Flora generates more income that allows her to continue supporting her parents and her 6 younger siblings.

The eight women from the “Cotzij Ya” Communal Bank continue to prepare through training provided by the “Microcredit Plus” program for loans, non-formal education and health services. They not only benefited from a Kiva loan, but also benefited greatly from training in financial, health, women, and family issues. They now know their rights, but also their obligations as wives and mothers. A nurse from the institution visited their homes every two months and performed Pap tests, blood pressure, height and weight. Flora and her companions were also informed about the importance of vaccination to prevent the spread of Covid-19. Thanks to these educational topics, the women of this communal bank acquire more knowledge that allows them to develop their capacities.

Kiva Lender, the more than 32,000 clients of Puente de Amistad, achieve their goals thanks to each one of you.

Heart of Texas Association News

August 1, 2021 / Faith UCC

The South Central Conference now has a new Conference Minister, Phil Hodson. Phil comes to us from the Wichita United Church of Christ in Wichita, Kansas. During his ministry, the Wichita church formed from two congregations that merged and entered a new period of growth. Phil brings ideas and commitment about growing our Conference, along with experience in church planting. He went to seminary at Perkins School of Theology at SMU and came into the UCC from the United Methodist Church. He has already spent time in our Conference before his official start date in addition to meeting regularly with interim Conference Minister Campbell Lovett. Phil and his wife and four children are moving to Galveston. He anticipates traveling throughout our Conference and churches to connect with all of us. He will bring new ideas and wisdom. It is an exciting time for the South Central Conference. Let’s give Phil a big Texas welcome!

I also give thanks for the wise and excellent guidance and leadership of Campbell Lovett during this challenging year in the life of all of our churches. He has given stable leadership with his deep base of experience. Campbell is continuing to help with the transition. Let us send him off with our prayers for a rich life going forward and with gratitude for his ministry.

Starting in July, Charles Stark began a second interim ministry in the Heart of Texas Association. Charles is now the interim minister of St. Peter’s Church of Coupland. In addition to his many years at Slumber Falls, Charles has served Lyons Evangelical, Faith UCC in Bryan, Friends Congregational, and, most recently (as interim), St. John’s Burton. Charles and his wife, Bonnie, will be living in Coupland. We give thanks for the ministry Charles and St. Peter’s will have together.

We also welcome Christine Tata, as I previously shared, as interim minister at Trinity Church of Austin. Christine brings an earlier background in ministry, having served in this Conference in Dallas. She has worked in business and human resources, and has done a substantial amount of supply preaching. We rejoice with Christine and with Trinity as they begin their time together.

The Congregational Church of Austin is beginning a new era in the church’s life as Amelia Fulbright begins her ministry there as the Designated Term Pastor. As some of you know, Amelia had her Ecclesiastical Council recently among us through the Privilege of Call process, supported by Congregational Church where she is a member. Earlier, she started the Labyrinth Progressive Student Ministry in Austin (for University of Texas and other college-age students) and also served as the Associate Pastor of University Baptist Church in Austin. Congregational (my home church) is excited to welcome Amelia on board.

Finally, I announce with sadness that Rev. Bill (Hudson) Phillips died recently, surrounded by his wife, Betty, and his daughters, Stephanie and Katy. Bill, a retired minister who served churches in Friona, Texas, and in New Orleans, as well as in campus ministry for a number of years, was part of marches and lunch counter sit-ins during the Civil Rights movement. He and Betty faced danger and stood firm for equal rights. Bill also served in social work for several years in Austin and was a gifted poet. I give profound thanks to God for his full and rich life.

Blessings in Christ,
Liz Nash, Association Minister

God’s Hands and Feet

August 1, 2021 / Faith UCC

Submitted by Sandy Ludwig

Mary was walking down the street with her three-year-old son, Peter. Now Peter was a happy, delightful, charming little guy who tended to smile at the world, as well as at every person he met whether he knew him or not. Mary basked in Peter’s cheerful personality and enjoyed taking walks with him around town.

One day they were in downtown New Braunfels, just strolling and sightseeing, when they came to a red light and stopped at the curb. Across the street from them was a hobo-like guy dressed in layers of clothes, with a straggly beard and a sorrowful downcast look. Mary kept a wary eye on him as they started across the street. When they were abreast of him, Peter looked up and smiled his sweet smile at the man.

“Hi!” Peter greeted him.

The man stopped in the middle of the street and stared down at the boy and seemed to come out of his moodiness for a moment. Then, to Mary’s surprise, the man smiled back at Peter.

“Why, hello, little feller,” he said and reached out his hand to shake Peter’s. Peter happily obliged.

As they went on their separate ways, Mary noticed that the man no longer walked with a droop to his shoulders and when he reached the other curb, he turned and waved to them both.

“Thank you!” he called to them. “God bless you!”

Marveling at the transformation in the man because one child greeted him without judgment or condemnation, Mary felt ashamed of herself. Looking down at her extraordinary son, she gave his hand a squeeze and told him she loved him. Then she thanked God for showing her how simple it was to show God’s love to others.

UCC Webinar – They Knew: 50 Years of the US Government Causing the Climate Crisis

August 1, 2021 / Faith UCC

Submitted by Rev. Brooks Berndt, Minister for Environmental Justice, Justice and Local Church Ministries

UCC Webinar— They Knew: 50 Years of the US Government Causing the Climate Crisis

The UCC’s next Creation Justice Webinar will feature one of the leading voices in environmentalism over recent decades: James Gustave Speth. Among his many accomplishments, Speth served the Carter administration, founded the Natural Resources Defense Council, and spent ten years as Dean of the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies. In August, he is releasing a new book entitled, They Knew—The US Federal Government’s Fifty-Year Role in Causing the Climate Crisis. Naomi Klein has described it as “a damning record that will become a potent tool for justice.”

Even if you can’t make the scheduled time of 1 pm ET on Wednesday, September 8^th, still sign-up, and we will send you a recording.

From the Pastor,

July 4, 2021 / Faith UCC

Faithful Family,

It has been a BUSY and BEAUTIFUL month of activity at Faith! Please see the Note of Thanks in this newsletter and take a moment to reach out and add your appreciation to one another for all you have each done, and are doing, to BE the life and ministry of Faith Church!

Our first Hybrid Worship Service, June 27th, was a great day of celebration with 48 present in person and another 18 with us on Zoom. We know even more watch the recordings of our services after the fact.

We had many, many guests visiting us and trust we will be a place of excitement, welcome, and inclusion helping them to all feel swept up into our Faith Family, extending the love of God to them in whatever ways we can!

We have two of these long-time visitors, Lauren and Izzy, who will be officially joining us as a members in the next few weeks as soon as we can get that scheduled in our services!! Be watching next month’s newsletter for more information about each of them, and make a point to reach out and welcome them and their loved ones into our family.

As we await the time when it is felt to be safer to sing indoors together, we will continue working to have a once-a-month outdoor Hymn Sing (with even more shade!!) after an abbreviated indoor worship service so we can blast out singing joyfully to our heart’s content. It’s also a great way to get the attention of and minister to folks waiting in line for tacos next door!

We continue to seek other ways to make our presence known in this community that needs and wants a place to live out faith through service, justice for everyone, and inclusion of all. Again and again, we hear visitors say, “I’ve been in this community for years and no idea you were here” or “How did we never know that a progressive church like Faith existed?!” It’s time to stop being the best-kept secret in town.

If you feel called to participate in a protest or speak up on behalf of some issue, let’s organize it on our property. If you have a letter to the editor about an issue of advocacy or activism you wish to write, make yourself known as a part of Faith Church.

If you have posts to share on social media that speak to the values we hold as a church, please send them to me. Let’s get creative and make our voices heard so that others can find this place that has so much meaning and so many gifts for us.

Finally, we are in the process of re-forming our Pastoral Search Committee and ask for your prayers and participation. The process of discernment during the transition of ministers is crucial to examining where Faith has been in the past, what’s currently working, what no longer serves, and where God is calling Faith to go next. That process will include asking each of you for your input into these questions. It is time to dream, to vision, and seek God’s direction and energy.

The information we collect will also help us to apply for Renewing Church Grants from the UCC this coming September that could provide a significant boost to our coming ministry! I once served on the UCC National Committee that awarded New and Renewing Church Grants and, I can assure you, even halfway decent applications stand a great chance of funding with lifetime grants (not loans, but grants that are given and do not have to be paid back!) available up to $100,000.

To find out more about this process, what’s involved, and what’s possible for us, go to https://www.ucc.org/what-we-do/justice-local-church-ministries/local-church/mesa-ministerial-excellence-support-and-authorization/ministers/ministers_local-church-leaders-2/grow-your-church/.

My friends, I need all of us partnering together to determine the future leadership, ministry, and direction of Faith Church. It cannot be upon your Designated Term Pastor, alone, to drive and direct this process.

We also cannot make the assumption that I will be remaining past the end of our contract in December, as these other steps of discernment about Faith’s past, current life, and future ministry must first occur. Only then can the conversation even begin regarding the skills, qualities, and qualifications Faith needs in whomever God will call next as your settled pastor.

As we engage in this process, together, Faith Church will only mature, deepen, become more unified and an even more powerful witness to God’s radical and wasteful love in our world. Each of you is an important part of Faith’s leadership.

No longer can today’s churches be run by a pastor who does it all, or even a small group of people who do everything. That model quickly becomes toxic to everyone involved. As each of you determines which of your gifts God is calling you to use to bolster the life of Faith Church, a rich, healthy, diverse tapestry will be woven that will prove so strong that nothing will be able to break it.

May God bless us as we walk this exciting journey of discovery and possibility together. I covet your prayers, as you have mine.

Peace,
Pastor Carla

A Note of Thanks

July 4, 2021 / Faith UCC

What a busy and beautiful month it has been as we have worked to increase our visibility in and ministry to our community with the Blessing of Hands, participation in the first ever Riverside Pride event, and resumption of in-person worship in conjunction with our on-going Zoom worship availability.

There are more thanks to hand around than can ever be fully expressed, and I hesitate to name one lest I unintentionally forget to mention another, but please take a second to express gratitude to all who have worked so hard this past month to share their time and talents and passion in so many ways:

Our Blessing of the Hands volunteers (Janet, Sheila, Joe, Mikki, Bob, Shirley, Kathy, Karen, Jan, Mike, Ralph, Sandy, Lindsey, Pam, Charlie, and Lauren)

Pastor Janet and all the members of the Pastoral Care Committee who write notes and cards and make calls (Sheila, Shirley, Mike, Karen, Val, and others)

Our newest prospective member, Lauren, who almost single-handedly put together our booth for Riverside Pride and stood in the heat all day to love on our rainbow siblings, along with Tim, Fischer, Hayes, Gage, and Sam who helped set up and take down and Janet and Charlie and Pam who also provided loving presence and help at our booth, and Val, Lisa, Michelle, Nicolle, Devyn, Grace, Cade, Quinn, and Kai for joining us, as well.

Our dedicated COVID Committee (Jim, Judith, Bob, and Nicolle) who met and discussed and prayed and researched to discern when and how best to re-engage with in-person worship in a safe and faithfully responsible way.

Our amazing tech team and jack-of-all-that-needs-to-be-done Ward family (Joe, Sam, and Mikki) quietly spending literally hundreds of hours getting us ready for hybrid worship (and welcome to Philip, the newest member of our tech team!!)

Lauren and her husband, Slim Bawb, and his bandmate, Jordan, for providing (free of charge) a beautiful and celebratory outdoor Gospel Sing after our first in-person worship June 27th and to Sam and Joe, Jim, Will, Adam, Quinn, and Kai for their help setting up and taking down chairs and canopies.

And then, there are those who help with our day to day ministries like our KIVA Microloan Program (Mike, Frank, Fischer, and Hayes), our participation in Texas Impact and the Refugee Network led by Sheila, our SOS Food Bank ministry (Mike, Janet, Weldon, Joe, Mike (friend of Joe), Judith, Karen D., and Lauren), David for putting together this newsletter for us each month, Michael for making name-tags for our members and guests, Dennis for keeping our lawn looking spiffy, our Council members (Sam, Devyn, Val, Mikki, Beth, and Carol), and so many more of you who keep this church going and growing!!

God bless you all for your service and giving of gifts and presence and time. Until there is a bigger word than thank you…THANK YOU!!

Heart of Texas Association News

July 4, 2021 / Faith UCC

The Annual Meeting of the South Central Conference (SCC) was held on Saturday, June 12th, online. Although there is a loss to us from not being together in person, it was an excellent gathering, full of joy and good sharing. All of that is thanks to outgoing SCC Board President from our Association, Nikki Stahl; the great work of the North Texas Association; and those who helped behind the scenes. At the meeting, we learned that, after this very difficult year, Slumber Falls Camp is filling up in its camps this summer, our churches have been generous in their giving to the South Central Conference (through Our Church’s Wider Ministry), and three of the four Associations in the South Central Conference have voted to participate in the Unified Fitness Review Committee. The Heart of Texas Association has not yet voted to join this committee, but we are moving forward in the process of deciding by the time it is needed next spring. Those elected to SCC committees and offices from the Heart of Texas Association include Trent Williams of Friends Congregational College Station as SCC Board Vice President, Brooke Dooley of Friends Congregational (a Member in Discernment) as the Youth/Young Adult SCC Board representative, and Sonja Phillips from Friedens UCC Geronimo to the SCC Nominating Committee. In addition, we offer thanks to Cindy Miller of St. John’s UCC Burton and Jenny Russell of Touchstone Community Church Boerne for serving on the SCC Nominating Committee this year. We also offer our support and gratitude for Debra Joseph of the New Orleans Association as she begins her term as Board President of the SCC, and give thanks for the important interim ministry work of Campbell Lovett as he finishes his time with us.

Arlene Turner, Pastor of Bethany Congregational San Antonio, will be presenting a workshop, “The Urgency and Challenges of Bible Literacy,” on Thursday, July 8th, at the upcoming virtual UCC General Synod. Congratulations, Arlene! Arlene’s workshop was also part of our SCC Annual Meeting. Arlene’s workshop, along with the other General Synod workshops, will be recorded and available for viewing by those registered for Synod from July 11th-18th. Any of us can register for General Synod at https://www.generalsynod.org/. The cost is only $100 for visitors, with the opportunity to celebrate, worship, and learn with folks from across the UCC.

Mary Wilson, retired pastor of Church of the Savior, has taken on a new position. She is the Director of ChrysalisQ.org, a support and resource group for LGBTQI+ families. We congratulate Mary. Her skills and calling will bring real gifts to this new organization.

There will be a Celebration of Life for Jewel Johnson, Pastor Emeritus of St. Peter’s Church of Coupland and longtime minister among us, at 4 pm on Wednesday, July 7th, at St. Peter’s. Jewel died on July 2nd, 2020. I know many of you knew Jewel and his years of faithful and excellent Christian ministry. Glen Schoeneberg will officiate.

Finally, as many of you know, I recently submitted my notice to the Heart of Texas Association that I am retiring. I have offered to serve until a new Association Minister is brought onboard or until the Fall Association Meeting, whichever is sooner. The new Association Minister will have a good start in working with our new SCC Conference Minister, Phil Hodson. My heart and prayers will always be with the generous ministry of this Association and our churches. You are great disciples and wonderful people!

Blessings in Christ,
Liz Nash, Association Minister

Slumber Falls Camp Looking for Summer Camp Volunteers

July 4, 2021 / Faith UCC

Hello Churches and Conference Friends:

Slumber Falls is having excellent summer camp registrations and we are now at 221 campers.

We are in desperate need of the following Volunteers:

2 female adults (over 18) to Counsel at our Streams of Faith 1 (grades 3-5) from July 4 – July 10
1 male adult (over 18) to Counsel at our Eco Camp (grades 6-8) from July 11 – July 17
3 females and 2 males (over 18) Counselors needed for our Living Waters camp (grades 3-6) from July 11 – July 17

If you are interested in volunteering for any of these openings, please contact

Stacey at [email protected] as soon as possible. Thank you for your consideration!

Category: Glimpses of Faith (Page 19 of 34)

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