FEBRUARY 2012
VOL 7, ISSUE 2
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Soaring Eagles

A Newsletter of Faith and Friends








The Gospel According to Thom


            The late Jewish scholar, Abraham Heschel, once argued that the commandment “Honor thy father and thy mother” is the heart of the Ten Commandments. What is there about me that might evoke honor from my children?

            First, I must be able to delay satisfaction. If I am one so shot through with gluttony that I cannot deny myself, how can my children hold any honor for me?

            Second, I must overcome my prejudice. Prejudice sticks out boldly. If I cling to it as some kind of right I have, then where is any honorableness? My children must see me do battle with my prejudice … not weak resignation to it.

            Third, there must be a sense of the holy about me. I cannot know everything. So, whether it is the life of our dogs or the life of the ideas of our friends expressed in the living room, my children must see that I reverence the holy mystery of life.

            Finally, my children must see me standing for what is noble. In the conversations we have around the table, in the money we share, in the things we are sensitive to, there must be a standing for what is noble, good, just, true, and right.


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The 40 days of Lent are traditionally a period of meditation, prayer and spiritual renewal among Christians. Our temptation in Lent is to be so impressed by our sins and failings and so overwhelmed by our lack of generosity that we get struck in a paralyzing guilt ... a guilt that leads to introspection instead of directing our eyes to God. It is guilt that becomes an idol and form of pride.

But Lent is precisely the time to break down this idol and to direct our attention to our loving Lord. The question is: “Are we like Judas, who was so overcome by his sin that he could not believe in God’s mercy any longer and hanged himself? Or are we like Peter, who returned to his Lord with repentance and cried bitterly for his sins?”

The Season of Lent begins with Ash Wednesday.

On Ash Wednesday it is worth asking, “Why Ashes? In biblical literature there are numerous references to the use of ashes (together with sackcloth) as the expression of one’s utter grief or contrition. How are ashes somehow symbolic of repentance? At least three ways suggest themselves.

First, ashes stand for our finiteness ... our ultimate powerlessness. Ashes are a form of dust. As the Psalmist reminds us, “You are dust, and to dust you will return.” Ashes upon our body serve as a simple admission of the fact that we are not God!

Second, ashes stand for our wasted strength. Ashes are the residue of something burned up. It is a confession that we have dissipated ourselves ... burned ourselves out ... that we have spent our strength for “that which is not bread” (Isaiah 55. 2).

And thirdly, ashes are a form of dirt. They testify that we are not presentable to appear before God. Through our use of tongue, mind, and body we have soiled ourselves and God’s creation. Ashes, therefore, bear witness to our desperate need for cleansing and renewal in the power of God.

Come and join us at our service of worship on Wednesday, February 22, at 7:00 p.m. as we begin our Lenten journey together.






PLEASE NOTE: If you have a pastoral emergency after church office hours or on the weekend, please call Pastor Thom on his church cell phone – 512-755-0111. Also, Pastor Thom’s email is: revthom@verizon.net and the Parsonage phone number is

512-588-6056.



Church Office Hours


Monday - Thursday

9:00 a.m. until 3:00 p.m.

Fridays

9:00 a.m. until Noon


The deadline for Sunday Bulletin Announcements is NOON Wednesdays.

The deadline for the Soaring Eagles Newsletter is the 15th of the month.






Finance Committee Report to the Congregation

Submitted by Randall Jones, Chair



In the December newsletter the Finance Committee reported on our church’s financial condition thru the end of October. We now have financial statements available through December, 2011.


For full year 2011, giving was $365,550 toward a budget of $398,000. Expenses were $386,600. The shortfall of approximately $21,000 was made up with funds from our savings at Texas Methodist Foundation and by drawing down the balance in the checking account. So, our financial problems continued through year end. We should mention that Committee Chairs and others responsible for spending church funds were asked in September to eliminate non-essential spending. Without the efforts put forth by these church leaders, our year end situation would have been even worse.


With this as background what does the situation look like for 2012? In October, 2011 the Administrative Council approved a 2012 budget of $389,000, a slight decrease from 2011. It was recognized that this budget would require an increase from the giving levels seen in the second half of 2011. So far, this hoped for increase hasn’t happened.


We are likely faced with reducing the 2012 budget in the near future. If 2012 giving continues at the rate we saw in the second half of 2011, full year 2012 giving will only be $332,000, some $57,000 below the approved 2012 budget. Obviously, we can’t operate with this kind of deficit.


The task of reducing the budget while retaining the critical ministries of the church is made very difficult by the fact that fixed costs make up 79% if the budget, some $306,000. These fixed costs include pastor and staff salary and benefits, payroll taxes, insurance, utilities and apportionments


The Finance Committee asks for your prayers as we tackle this problem and your ideas and support for the actions that have to be taken to keep our church financially sound.






UNITED METHODIST MEN

Submitted by: Jim Callaway President McAllen Dist. UMM

V/P SWTX Conference UMM



We are the United Methodist Men not the United Methodist Males. We are not just a meet, greet and eat group. We sponsor up to the minute cutting edge events at Mt. Wesley every February. Our speakers are dynamic and the topics are up to the minute and pertinent. Whether we are discussing the Islamic world and its effects on our everyday lives or the benefits of daily prayer you will not be bored.

 

Your conference UMM are now involved in hands on ministry with projects at Mt Wesley in Kerrville and Harris Chapel in Nixon. We are sponsoring a debate on March 31, 2012 that will discuss, in a no holds barred format, the proposed reorganization of the United Methodist Church and the impact that the change will have on the Conference, District and Local Church levels. In June we will again run the very popular Golf Cart Ministry at Annual Conference. Over the last 2 years we have safely transported thousands of delegates to and from the Convention Center. Inside, on the conference floor your Conference UMM leadership are now seated together and are ready to take your cares and concerns to the conference for consideration. Just let us know what you want and we will address it.

 

On another subject we are the 2nd largest sponsor of Scouting in the world. We actively support The Boy Scouts of America, The Girl Scouts, Big Brothers and Big Sisters, Camp Fire Girls and 4H Clubs around the country. We have highly interesting group Bible Studies each month in most of the districts and our reason for existing is to "Act as Christian Mentors to younger men and boys". This year we will have a car entered in the Big Bend Open Road Race, we will have our annual camping trip to west Texas and we will have the annual conference deep sea fishing event. Annual Conference will once again see a UMM table with information on upcoming events and ministries. The very popular "Silent Auction" will also be back.

 

If you wish to find out more about the UMM attend our session at this year’s Equipping the Saints event. We won't bore you. I guarantee !! Come join the adventure that is "A Man's Walk With Christ."






SOUPER BOWL OF CARING FOR LA CARE


The Souper Bowl of Caring is a food drive sponsored by HEB. For $5 you can buy a pre-filled bag with 3 tuna, 2 corn, 2 green beans, and 1 pinto beans. The program will continue until February 5th. When you purchase a bag, you have the option of taking the bag with you and dropping it off at La Care or in the “La Care” basket in our narthex.

Remember, this food drive ends FEBRUARY 5th.






A LOVE NOTE


Thank you so much for the LOVE! You started with us on October 21, 2011 and you never left our side. Thanks for your prayers, cards, phone calls, emails and visits. How much does it help? It has the power to reconfigure the situation from something potentially emotionally paralyzing into a place where you feel safe and strong and capable. GOD certainly knew what we needed when HE told to LOVE ONE ANOTHER! Thank you for your obedience to GOD’S command.

The doctor says Jerry is now good to go!

Lovingly,

Jerry & Nancy Kaufman






Tuesday, February 21st



This year the Worship Committee and Youth Group will host our annual Pancake Supper. Come join us for all the pancakes, bacon and sausage you can eat! EVERYONE is invited for an evening of food and fellowship!






FEBRUARY BIRTHDAYS


1st        Herman Johns, Adele Wilkins

2nd       Steve Claiborne

4th        Gene Cagle, Jackie Roberts, Christopher Levens, Kellis Winn

5th        David Nantz, Korey Cain

8th        Christina Hughes

9th        Kathy Grimes, Scott Hughes

10th      Donna Safarick

12th      Roger Crowder

13th      Jody Eveleth, Macyl Orman, Gene Bird, Mike McDougall

15th      Jessica Devaney

16th      Bill Neve, Brandon Dewbre

17th      Wayne Brown

18th      Helen Frady

19th      Denise Elkins

21st      Jimmie Kay Hughes, Kelly Collins

23rd      Bill Neve

24th      Katherine Cain

25th      Bobby Beckner

27th      Don Glover


MARCH BIRTHDAYS


2nd       Julie Collins

3rd        John Wing

4th        Bud Green, Ina Cooper

5th        Ruby Glover

7th        Mary Brown

8th        Korlee Carruthers, Benjamin Johnson

12th      Margaret Brown, Lori Blend, Sherrye Faulkenberry, Keegan Blake

15th      Alice Leech

16th      Jo Foulds, Hailey Hibler

17th      Josh Scott

18th      Kathy Snider

19th      Jann Barnett, Jill Ringstaff, Ethan Sethman

23rd      Keith Thurman

24th      Jeff Gastineau

25th      Tanya Blake

28th      Jessica Beckner, Dorothy James, Frank Stone

29th      Ladema Jones

31st      Mae Brown, Steve Donahue


The publisher apologizes for any birthdays left of this list. Please call or email your birthday to the church office.






NURSE MINISTRY ARTICLE
  Submitted by Marjorie Bronk 


SITTING: HAZARDOUS TO YOUR HEALTH
By Elizabeth Pope

Adapted from AARP Bulletin: January-February, 2012 


Research shows that Americans now SIT more than they sleep, spending an average of 10 hours a day in a car, at work or in front of the TV. Older adults are the worst offenders with about three-quarters being sedentary and 4 out of 10 get NO leisure physical activity. Evidence suggests that sitting for long periods increases the risk of obesity, diabetes, cancer and early death. Depression can be a direct factor, as well. When days are cold and dreary, it is difficult to make your self get up and get out. Set a schedule and stick to it! In this first month of the New Year, take the time to write down some goals and objectives. Once you put them in writing, they are hard to ignore. They do not have to be elaborate. You might start with eating a healthy breakfast every morning. Do this for a week and then add another activity like walking or exercising.


           Take an honest view of how much time you actually spend sitting every day. You sit for meals, reading, writing, working, traveling and attending meetings. For one 24 hour period, log exactly how much you sit. I think you will be shocked. Then think of ways to add physical activity to your workday and leisure time.  


           The American Institute of Cancer Research urges Americans to get at least 30 minutes a day of moderate-to-vigorous exercise. Reduce your sitting by 5 minutes an hour and you will shave an hour off of your total daily sitting time.


           Women that sit more than 6 hours a day out side of work had a 34 % higher risk of death than those who sat for 3 hours daily. Even physically active men were 64% more likely to die of heart disease if they sat more than 23 hours a week in front of the TV compared to those who sat for 11 hours or less.


           Technology has engineered physical activity out of daily life. Fifty years ago, more than half of American jobs involved moderate physical activity, often in manufacturing or agriculture. Today it is less than 20%. Older adults will remember walking to school, biking to practice, hanging up laundry and washing dishes. With the advent of personal computers, cable TV, remote controls and garage door openers, there is scarcely a reason to get out of your seat.
 

Walking is the cheapest, easiest and only exercise you will ever need. Start with short distances, just 5 to 10 minutes at a time. Slowly increase your time by a few minutes every two weeks. Warm up with 5 minutes of slow walking, then walk briskly and cool down with a 5 minute slower pace.  If your goal is 30 minutes, try a 15-minute walk twice a day. Wear a pedometer. Walking 5,000 steps or fewer in a day is considered sedentary. Work your way up to 10,000 steps a day which is considered active. Keep a daily log to follow your progress and keep yourself motivated.


           Research shows that walking regularly can protect the aging brain against memory loss and dementia, cuts the risk of heart disease and reduces developing type-2 diabetes in high-risk adults by 60 percent!!!! A daily walk will help you to feel better mentally and help you to maintain your independence and ability to perform daily tasks as you age. 
 The National Institute on Aging has launched a "Get off Your Duff" campaign called Go4Life.  Don't be a couch potato! Get out and get going!
    

HAVE A HAPPY, HEALTHY 2012! 







MUSIC MINISTRIES

WNL Choir

We welcomed back 3rd, 4th, and 5th graders with music appropriate for the lessons they will be learning this session-Baptism, Communion and other stories from the New Testament. We discussed some of the old words that were used in the hymn entitled, “Jesus, Like a Shepherd Lead Us” written back in the late 1800’s. Several songs have scriptural references such as “Let There Be Love” Ephesians 5:1 and 2. “Let Us Break Bread Together” is a traditional spiritual hymn. The students find that learning the books of the New Testament is much easier than learning the Old Testament books. Children learn a lot by participating in WNL that will carry into their adult lives. Jackie, Betty and Judy have worked with this group for several years now and are grateful that Kristine Robinson is willing to be a substitute when someone is absent. Praise the Lord for teachers!



JUBILEE RINGERS


Hooray for the Hahn family! Anson and Alexandria have stepped in to fill 2 vacant positions in the bell choir. It would be nice to have one more person so that Kristine could just direct and hot have to be a substitute for someone absent. However, we thank God for each dedicated person we already have and ask God’s blessing on the music we select and practice. Thanks to all of our church family who give us words of encouragement. Lend and then Easter will be upon us soon!







FEBRUARY 2012 Calendar