ITLOTC
(In The Life Of The Church)
Ordinary Time
Recognizing God
Sunday I preached a sermon on idolatry and the modern notion of family … about how God’s vision for family is expansive and not predicated on progeny, but rather on the generous acceptance modeled for us by the gospel. A generosity that the church is called to participate in and embody. I then interviewed my friend Kareem who is single. I asked him what it is like to be single in the church. I asked him what it felt like to be lonely and in what ways he wished he was included.
Then, after the sermon concluded, the sermon in which I both criticized and built up the notion of family, I called us to a time of silence to listen to the voice of the Spirit as we do every week. If you were there, I wondered if you noticed what happened next. I sat down and somewhere to my left a baby cried almost the whole time during the silence. My first instinct was to feel bad for that/those parent(s). I’ve been there. One time when I was flying from San Francisco to Dallas I sat next to a family of three. A couple with a newish baby. The baby cried most of the flight. Not ear piercing crying, but crying nonetheless. They apologized profusely and repeatedly. Every team I tried to match their energy of concern with my energy of acceptance. I haven’t always been a really great person like that, but I have four kids. What the parents didn’t know about my absorbing their crying baby was that I was just so incredibly grateful that it wasn’t my kid because I have been in the circumstance where it was and nothing is worse.
I return from my airplane story thought in the moment of silence/crying baby at UBC and then I had a thought. What if that is the voice of the Spirit speaking in the silence. What if God broke the silence through the baby?
My friend Craig posted this on Facebook. 4 shares, 38 comments and 209 likes. Pretty good for a non-celebrity. It resonated with a lot of people.
My senior year of college I took what turned out to be my favorite college class: The Plot Thickens, Character Development In Life and Literature. In that class I was introduced to Wendell Berry, Stanley Hauerwas, and Flannery O’Connor. Not an insignificant cast of characters. I remember our professor teaching us how to read O’Connor. As sheltered evangelicals, mostly seniors, many of us were emerging from the exoskeleton we had just shed through the molting process of worldview development through higher education. We were suspicious of Catholics, especially southern gothic ones. Our professor pressed us: “Read for the moments of grace,” she coached. I did, and I found them. Sometimes. Years later I reassigned myself, O’connor’s entire volume of short stories during my semester of seminary mentoring. This time I was much better at spotting the moments of grace. O’Connor’s work has been described as grotesque, but if you read it, I think you’ll just find that it is real. And if you read with intention, you’ll find that it’s redeemed.
God comes to us in the most unexpected places. In the grotesque. In the mundane. In the annoying. In the baby cry when there’s supposed to be silence after a sermon on expanding our notion of family.
UBCmyphoto contest
UBC has recently assembled a marketing team to address internal and external connection barriers. As part of the effort, the UBC marketing team (AKA the righteous gemstones) is sponsoring an instagram photo contest. Here are the rules. UBCers are encouraged to take a photo at UBC that is swanky and hip and then hashtag it with #ubcmyphoto. The winner of this contest will either get Lizzo tickets or a $20 Pinewood gift card.
Image to Generate Clickbait Traffic
Meet Our Newest (Student) Lead Team Member
Our leadership team met on Sunday October 27th and selected the remaining vacant spots for leadership team. Last week and next week we’ll introduce you to them.
Name: Maddie O’Shaughnessy
Why are you in Waco?: Student @ Baylor
TV Show: New Girl
Best Movie: Ferris Bueller's Day Off
Waco Restaurant: Alpha Omega
Bible verse/chapter/book you like: Gospel of Luke
Something we'd never know about you: I love to knit!
Thanksgiving Lovefeast - 11/24 - 5:30pm
Our annual Thanksgiving Lovefeast is around the corner. If you would like to volunteer to cook a turkey or ham (UBC will provide the turkey and ham), please contact toph@ubcwaco.org
Jesus Said Love and Pies!!!!
We are looking for some volunteers to donate some pies! We need your help for JSL’s annual pie outreach, will you sign-up using link? You can either sign-up as an individual sign up or sign-up with friends. Either way we would so appreciate any help you can provide! We need them by 11/14 and in individual boxes. They can be homemade or store bought! Here is the sign up link: https://jesussaidlove.com/pie-donations
If you have any questions, contact toph@ubcwaco.org
Night Of Belonging - 11/14 - 8pm
We are having our last gathering for college students and young adults this semester next Thursday night at 8pm. Come join us as we discuss hospitality and immigration and the call of the church. If you have any questions, please email toph@ubcwaco.org
Youth Word of the Week
The word of the week was “preposterous.” I used the word preposterous when I described the nature of the Sadducees question to Jesus about remarriage in the resurrection.
Parishioner of the Week
Rachel Caldwell, for volunteering to help with the youth lock in.
Announcements
Sermon Text: Luke 21:5-19; Psalm 98 (special guest preacher Taylor Post)
Christmas Eve Service December 24th, 5:30 PM
Work is Worship
Greeters: Richardsons
Coffee Makers: Clark and Co.
Mug Cleaners: Kyle & Kristen
Money Counter:
Leadership Team
If you have a concern or an idea for UBC that you’d like to share with someone that is not on staff, feel free to contact one of our leadership team members.
Chair: Kerri Fisher: Kerri_Fisher@baylor.edu
Byron Griffin: byrontgriffin@gmail.com
Jeremy Nance: Jeremy.J.Nance@L3T.com
Joanna Sowards: jo.sowards@gmail.com
Kathy Krey: kathykrey@gmail.com
Jose Zuniga: jzgrphix2002@yahoo.com
Taylor Torregrossa: Taylordtorregrossa@gmail.com
Student Position: Davis Misloski
Student Position: Maddy O’Shaughnessy
UBC Finance Team
Do you have a question about UBC’s financial affairs? Please feel free to contact any of your finance team members.
JD Newman: JD_Newman@baylor.edu
Catherine Ballas: catherine@refitrev.com
Jen Carron: jen.carron78@gmail.com
Mike Dodson: financeteammike@gmail.com
George Thornton: GeorgecCT1982@gmail.com
UBC HR Team
If you have concerns about staff and would like contact our human resources team, please feel free to email any of the following members.
Erin Albin: erin.albin1@gmail.com
Sam Goff: samuelgoff92@gmail.com
Rebekah Powell: rpowell671@gmail.com
Kristen Richardson: wacorichardsons@gmail.com