ITLOTC 10-28-16

ITLOTC

(In The Life Of The Church) 

Pentecost

Leadership Team Meeting Update

10-23-16 Leadership Team Report

This last Sunday night, October 23rd, the leadership team met for their quarterly meeting.  I wanted to share a few things that came out of that meeting.

First, after serving his three year term David Wilhite rotated off of the leadership team.  Adam Win has been selected as his replacement.  Per our bylaws, Adam was nominated by our community and selected by the leadership team.  To read more about Adam see below.  

Second, the leadership team proposed and voted to add two more members to the team.  The two additional spots will be for university students.  Those two additional members will take our team total from 7 to 9.  The following are the stipulations for the student spots.

1. The spots will ideally be filled by one male and one female student.

2. The students will commit to a one year term with the option to renew up to 3 years.

3. The students, as is the case with all leadership team members, will have be required to have been a member (see the current bylaws) for at least two academic semesters.  

Third, the leadership team voted to make the children’s pastor position full time.  After taking a month to listen to the community and looking over the data provided by the finance and HR teams the team thought it best to make the position full time.  I’ve asked the team to compose a letter explaining some of their thoughts and what went into their decision.  This letter was crafted by our chair Jon Davis and edited by the rest of the team.  

Dear UBC,

During the Leadership Team’s October meeting we discussed all of the potential options for the Children’s Pastor position. We have decided that a 40hr full-time position is in our best interest.

By moving to a full-time position, we believe it will attract stronger candidates and give them the time do their best work possible. We also discussed this position transitioning to more of a Children and Families Pastor, absorbing some of the family oriented pastoral duties that currently fall under the Lead Pastor. Since Josh is currently taking on the youth group and children are part of families, this seemed like a good fit. The extra time would also allow them to grow and maintain a solid volunteer base.

It is our hope and prayer that our new Children’s pastor can continue to grow the program. By giving them the proper resources and support from the church we can only encourage that outcome.

After reviewing the data that the finance team provided, we a realize that this choice is a risk. That being said we are moving forward with a full time children’s pastor for a few reasons.  First, this ministry is the fastest growing in our church.  We feel that failing to increase the position full time puts the new children’s pastor at a disadvantage.  Secondly, we have accumulated a sizable savings account.  If giving trends stay stagnant and we permitted ourselves to borrow from savings to meet the budget, we could do so for a substantial period of time.  Thirdly, we feel that an investment in this specific ministry has the largest chance of producing a return on an investment.

Warm Regards,

Jon Davis (chair) and The Leadership Team

Meet Adam Winn our newest leadership team member

Why are you in Waco:  I am Waco because I wouldn't want to live anywhere else . . . I happen to work at UMHB as well.  

Best Restaurant in town: Chuys

Fav. Tv show:  Homeland

fav. book of the bible, verse or chapter: Luke 7:36-50

something we may not know about you:  in junior high I played football and starred in school theater productions . . . got started on that renaissance thing early. 

Slayer Basketball

You don't see it all the time, but when you do it's inspiring.  It was the 2004 Pistons and the 2014 Spurs.  It's team basketball at it's finest.  Normally when I write these articles I naturally find a stand out performance.  Tilson's guard play.  Wilhite presence under the hoop neutralizing the drive.  Carlson's turn around jumper.  Begnoche's defense and ability to glide across the court.  And of course MVP hopeful Jonathan White's clutch sooting from the 2 spot.  But after last night's first round playoff win, i'm forced to mention all of them or none of them including the 6th man play off the bench. 

When the whole team plays well, domination happens.  And that's what was on display last night in a sold out SWCC stadium.  The Slayer's opponents, the 6th seeded Episcopalian Infant-Baptizers, didn't get into double digits until time had almost expired.  And what can I say of the offense.  The Slayer's shot an astounding 64% from the field.  I've seen people be more inaccurate throwing pennies into a wishing well.  

Hopefully some of that juju will hang around next week as the 5-2 Slayers take on the 6-1 AME Rocks.  A game that promises as much excitement as the regular season buzzer beater held.  When asked about their second matchup against the 2 seed Coach Whisnant had this to say:  "To AME we got make shots and get rebounds.  We got to dribble well and pass the ball.  They'll press us and so we have to make good decisions."  One would think an inordinate amount of pressure will fall to Tilson.  We caught up with at Chick-fil-a by Baylor earlier today.  Here are his comments.  "Am i worried about the press?  Was Gideon afraid of the press?"  Wasn't sure what do with that cryptic comment, but we are excited about Slayer action this Thursday night at SWCC Stadium.  Hope to see you there. 

UBC in Thailand

This Sunday, October 30, we have an interest meeting after church in the Red Room.  Join us to learn more about UBC’s partnership in Thailand, and about our trip May 14-28, 2017.  If you have any questions, please email toph@ubcwaco.org

Made in Waco

We are about a month away from Made in Waco, ubc's handmade market.  If you are interested in being a vendor, please email jamie@ubcwaco.org for more info and an application.

Work is Worship

Greeters: Evie & The Walters 

Coffee Makers: 

Mug Cleaners: Madison 

Money Counter: Doug McNamee 

Announcements

• Sunday Sermon: Luke 19:1-10 "The Small Self" 
• Made in Waco: Nov 5th 
• Order of Phoenix Game Night: Nov 11th 
• The Middle Ages at the Wine Bar: November 12
• Thanksgiving Love Feast: Nov 20th 
• Advent Workshop: Nov 27th 
• Backside Event: Dec 2nd 
• Order of Phoenix Dallas Event: Dec. 3
• Study Hall: Dec 7th 
• The Middle Ages Christmas Party Dec. 17

Do you have an emergency and need to talk to a pastor? 

254 413 2611

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- Jon Davis: jdavis83@gmail.com

Joy Wineman: joy.wineman@gmail.com

Stan Denman: Stan_Denman@baylor.edu

David Wilhite: David_Wilhite@baylor.edu

Bridget Heins: bheins@hot.rr.com

Sharyl Loeung: sharylwl@gmail.com

Emma Wood: emmaj.wood@yahoo.com

UBC Finance Team

Do you have a question about UBC’s financial affairs? Please feel free to contact any of your finance team members.

Josh McCormick: Josh.McCormick@dwyergroup.com

Hannah Kuhl: HannahKuhl@hotmail.com  

Justin Pond: pondjw@gmail.com

Anna Tilson: Anna_Tilson@jrbt.com

Doug McNamee: douglas_mcnamee@baylor.edu

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.

Maxcey Blaylock: maxceykite@gmail.com

Mathew Crawford: mathewcrawford@yahoo.com

Rob Engblom: Rob_Engblom@baylor.edu

Ross Van Dyke: Ross_Vandyke@baylor.edu

Jared Gould: jared.gould1@gmail.com

Liturgy 10-23-2016

This blog is a record of the call to worship, Scripture readings, and prayers from our Sunday liturgies.  If you are interested in writing something for the liturgy, please email jamie@ubcwaco.org.

Call to Worship

You Who are quick to forgive and slow to anger,

we have come seeking mercy
for the good have left undone
and the wrong we have done.

Teach us the humility of Jesus

so that we can embrace our true selves,

and fill us with Your Spirit

so we never walk alone.

Amen

Scripture

Jeremiah 14:7-10, 19-22

Although our iniquities testify against us,
act, O Lord, for your name's sake;

our apostasies indeed are many,
and we have sinned against you.

O hope of Israel,
its savior in time of trouble,

why should you be like a stranger in the land,
like a traveler turning aside for the night?

Why should you be like someone confused,
like a mighty warrior who cannot give help?

Yet you, O Lord, are in the midst of us,
and we are called by your name; 
do not forsake us!

Thus says the Lord concerning this people:

Truly they have loved to wander,
they have not restrained their feet;

therefore the Lord does not accept them,
now he will remember their iniquity
and punish their sins.

Have you completely rejected Judah?
Does your heart loathe Zion?

Why have you struck us down
so that there is no healing for us?

We look for peace, but find no good;
for a time of healing, but there is terror instead.

We acknowledge our wickedness, O Lord,
the iniquity of our ancestors, 
for we have sinned against you.

Do not spurn us, for your name's sake;
do not dishonor your glorious throne;
remember and do not break your covenant with us.

Can any idols of the nations bring rain?
Or can the heavens give showers?

Is it not you, O Lord our God?
We set our hope on you, 
for it is you who do all this.

Luke 18:9-14

Jesus told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous and regarded others with contempt: "Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee, standing by himself, was praying thus, `God, I thank you that I am not like other people: thieves, rogues, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give a tenth of all my income.' But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even look up to heaven, but was beating his breast and saying, `God, be merciful to me, a sinner!' I tell you, this man went down to his home justified rather than the other; for all who exalt themselves will be humbled, but all who humble themselves will be exalted."

Prayer

This week's prayer was from An Iona Prayer Book, and is credited to Brother Roger:

You are the God of every human being
and, too dazzling to be looked at,
you let yourself be seen as in a mirror,
shining on the face of Christ.
We are eager to glimpse a reflection of your presence,
so open in us the gates of transparency
of heart.
Come and refresh the dry and thirsty ground
of our body and our spirit.
Come and place a spring of living water
in the lifeless regions of our being.
Come and bathe us in your confidence
to make even our inner deserts
burst into flower.

Amen.

Setlist 10-23-2016

This was the twenty-third Sunday after Pentecost, and our songs around the theme of breaking/mending.  Below, you’ll find the list of the songs and artists. Clicking the song titles will take you to the lyrics. Below the songs, you can find recordings from Sunday morning of a few of them, and below the recordings, there is an example of one way you might think of these songs in light of this week's theme. If you want to talk about any of these, feel free to comment at the bottom of this page or email me at jamie@ubcwaco.org.

Songs:

Just A Closer Walk With Thee

SMS [Shine] by David Crowder* Band

Come Thou Fount

Anthem by Leonard Cohen

Be Thou My Vision

Doxology

How They Fit In:

There are many ways to think about the significance of songs and the way they fit together–-this is simply one way you can look at these songs in light of this week’s theme. 

Just A Closer Walk With Thee: We sang this song to express a simplified version of what our aim is as we gather: namely, to follow Jesus more closely on the road he has walked before us.  As is typical when we sing this at ubc, the second verse holds particular significance in its underscoring of the significance of Jesus' sharing our burdens with us.  We are prone to falter in our approaches to faith, but that does not devalue our journeys.  This journey is fundamentally difficult, wrought with pain and failure and the pursuit of reconciliation.  Which makes sense because this journey is ultimately a relationship, and relationships are marked by all of those things.

SMS [Shine]:  This song is an exercise in seeking God in the midst of affliction.  It places the truth on our tongues that God is still "Light" when we don't see light, and that we have a sign of life from God in the Person of Jesus, his story and his resurrection.  This story is good news for broken people, though it is at times difficult to call to mind and embrace when we need it most.  Singing these words helps us develop a habit of claiming this hope that may make it easier to remember when we need it most.

Come Thou Fount: This song asks that God would tune our hearts to sing the story of God's presence in our lives, as well as confesses our proneness to wandering.  Perhaps it is in having a clear understanding of the way that God has entered the broken places in our lives in the past that we are able to make it through brokenness in the future.  So, like the prayer offered before we sang this song (that will be posted with the Liturgy blog on Wednesday), we has God to flood the dry and broken places within us with a renewed understanding an appreciation of who God has been for us in our lives.

Anthem:  There's a lot going on in this song.  In light of the other songs this week, we might think of it like this: it begins with a call-back to what Jesus said about birds and worry in Matthew 6, then develops a sense of how the world continues to be an uncertain and imperfect place.  In the midst of this development, however, we find the chorus: ring the bells that still can ring//forget your perfect offering//there's a crack, a crack in everything//that's how the Light gets in.  It is in the midst of the mess--the brokenness and uncertainty--that the Light makes its way in.  

Be Thou My Vision: We sang this song to look over our shoulder at last week's songs.  This is what we said about Be Thou My Vision then: We sang this song to practice asking God to override the false, shame-driven, narratives about ourselves that we replay time and again in our heads.  

Doxology: We close our time together each week with this proclamation that God is worthy of praise from every inch of the cosmos.

-JM

ITLOTC 10-21-16

ITLOTC

(In The Life Of The Church) 

Pentecost

Farewell Friend (5 Things to Love About Emily Nance)

As you know, our champion children’s pastor, one Emily Nance, finished her employment with UBC last weekend.  Emily served as our children’s pastor for the past four years, and during her time the ministry went from about 30 kids to about 120.  Emily is clearly talented and creative, characteristics that retrospectively are obviously apparent, but I wanted to share a few other things about Emily as she departs from this role. 

5. Jeopardy

That is the nickname I would sometimes use to refer to Emily.  There is only one other person I know (Matt O’Brien) who possessed such a comprehensive and accurate understanding of the world.  Emily is full of an astounding amount of information about various topics.  At first, when she would disclose her knowledge of such topics with such nuanced and exhaustive detail, I would call BS and charge her with making it up.  Then, when Wikipedia proved her right, I would reason that she must have recently seen a NOVA program or by chance read an article in Wired.  But that skepticism began to diminish when she was correct all the time.  That hurt me a little bit.  I fancy myself a kind of trivia junky, but I would get destroyed by Emily.  

4. Cake Boss

To say that Emily is creative is an almost frivolous statement at this point.  “Duh, Emily is obviously creative,” but being creative and being an artist are not the same thing.  I want to show you the extent of Emily’s creativity by including a small sample of a her cake-baking portfolio.  Emily could compete in—and win—a competition against the Cake Boss and his team.  Don’t believe me?  Check out these photos. 

3. She’s Got Some Pipes 

Muscles?  Yes, maybe, but I’m talking about her lungs.  Emily can sing.  You may or may not have known that her maiden name, “Perry,” is one and the same with the country musical extravaganza “Perry.”  That is because they are related.  It turns out that there is a kind of melodic aptitude that runs through the Perry veins, and I know it because I’ve heard one Emily Nance sing - so much so that our former rock and roll pastor, one Tye Barrett, would frequently pull Nance on stage for an occasional soprano backup.  And it was top-notch.  

2. Emily Is A Good Theologian

Emily grew me in my understanding of children’s ministry, both in terms of pedagogy and of the importance and function of children in the larger life of the community.  But she also developed my theology, not with lessons, but with her persistent witness and subtle actions.  Over her four years here, Emily developed a kind of companion curriculum for the lectionary.  There were several weeks when the kids would be learning and engaging the same Bible verses that we were in the adult part of worship, so we would have conversations about those verses and how to interpret them.  I was consistently surprised by Emily’s insight.  I also admire the way she prays.  She is thoughtful and uses her words effectively.  

1. She Loved Our Kids Well 

This is essentially what I said on Sunday, but it is worth saying again.  When Lindsay and I were pregnant with Roy, I was talking with a friend about finding a babysitter that you trust.  We were about to have our first kid, and as we neared that moment, the gravity of trusting another person with what was most precious to me loomed large.  In response to my question, my friend said a few things and then punctuated his reasoning with this statement: “You don’t just want someone to take care of your kid; you want someone who loves your kid.”  I thought that wise, and so, perhaps naively, that is what Lindsay and I have hoped and expected for all of our children’s mentors, be they teachers, piano teachers, coaches, or babysitters.  Emily was our children's children’s pastor - and as our children’s pastor, she loved our children fiercely.  And that is what I have loved most about her pastoring.

Meet Jess Engblom

Jess Engblom has graciously agreed to serve as our interim children's pastor.  So we thought we introduce her. 

Why are you in Waco: We moved here from Grand Rapids, MI in 2012 for Rob to work at Baylor.

Best Restaurant: Torchy's, I love the Brushfire taco

Best Movie or TV Show: You've Got Mail

Fav. verse, chapter or book of the Bible: Ruth

Fav. Book: The Poisonwood Bible

Something we wouldn't know about you: I used to be a backstage security guard at a huge concert venue in Indiana.  I have a thousand random memories from it, the barenaked ladies guy taught me how to juggle, Susan Tedeschi owes me money from losing a game of horse, I stole a pack of Tom Petty's pink carefree gum, to name a few.

Leadership Team Meeting

Our October leadership team meeting is this Sunday, October 23rd at 7:00 PM. Among other things, at this meeting the leadership team will select a new member and make a decision about the future of the children's pastor position.  If you'd like one last opportunity to given input on that decision please contact any of the leadership team members listed at the bottom of the newsletter. Also, please be in prayer for our team as they listen to the voice of the Spirit in this decision making process. 

Design Survey (CLOSING SOON)

The aesthetics team is gearing up for a re-design of the foyer and hallways.  Since these spaces are the first you experience when you enter the building, we want to hear about what you value most about the current design so we can maintain those elements in the new design.  You will find a design survey at ubcwaco.org/designsurvey, and it will be active until Monday, October 24. 

Made in Waco

We are about a month away from Made in Waco, ubc's handmade market.  If you are interested in being a vendor, please email jamie@ubcwaco.org for more info and an application.

The Middle Ages Cookout

Have the kids flown the coop?  Do you find yourself asking about elderly discounts? Are you finally able to take that vacation you and the Mrs. have been planning for 30 years?  You might be a Middle Ager.  UBC's wise group of 50's on up is getting together for a cook out tomorrow Saturday October 22nd at 6:30 PM.  For more directions and more information email terijan@gmail.com. 

Thailand Mission Trip

If you are interested in learning more about work in Thailand, and/or going on the trip, there will be an interest meeting after church, on November 6th.  UBC partners with a missionary couple who ministers to/with South Asian immigrants to northern Thailand.  We will be taking a team May14-28, 2017.  If you have any questions, please contact toph@ubcwaco.org.

Work is Worship

Greeters: Carson, Rachel & Christian 

Coffee Makers: Chad 

Mug Cleaners: Leah

Money Counter: Hannah 

Announcements

• Sunday Sermon: Luke 18:9-14 "Sinners and Saints" 
• Made in Waco: Nov 5th 
• Order of Phoenix Game Night: Nov 11th 
• The Middle Ages at the Movies: November 12
• Thanksgiving Love Feast: Nov 20th 
• Backside Event: Dec 2nd 
• Order of Phoenix Dallas Event: Dec. 3
• Study Hall: Dec 7th 
• The Middle Ages Christmas Party Dec. 17

Do you have an emergency and need to talk to a pastor? 

254 413 2611

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- Jon Davis: jdavis83@gmail.com

Joy Wineman: joy.wineman@gmail.com

Stan Denman: Stan_Denman@baylor.edu

David Wilhite: David_Wilhite@baylor.edu

Bridget Heins: bheins@hot.rr.com

Sharyl Loeung: sharylwl@gmail.com

Emma Wood: emmaj.wood@yahoo.com

UBC Finance Team

Do you have a question about UBC’s financial affairs? Please feel free to contact any of your finance team members.

Josh McCormick: Josh.McCormick@dwyergroup.com

Hannah Kuhl: HannahKuhl@hotmail.com  

Justin Pond: pondjw@gmail.com

Anna Tilson: Anna_Tilson@jrbt.com

Doug McNamee: douglas_mcnamee@baylor.edu

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.

Maxcey Blaylock: maxceykite@gmail.com

Mathew Crawford: mathewcrawford@yahoo.com

Rob Engblom: Rob_Engblom@baylor.edu

Ross Van Dyke: Ross_Vandyke@baylor.edu

Jared Gould: jared.gould1@gmail.com

Liturgy 10-16-2016

This blog is a record of the call to worship, Scripture readings, and prayers from our Sunday liturgies.  If you are interested in writing something for the liturgy, please email jamie@ubcwaco.org.

Call to Worship

We have gathered to worship the Living God

Bringing our whole selves:
The good and the bad,
The broken and the mended.

We are seeking to be formed by the life and empathy of Jesus,

To learn to love God,
 to love each other,
and to embrace those different from us.

Holy Spirit, who weaves every story into One,

Draw us further in
to Your redemptive work
and transform our hearts
to be like Yours

Amen

Scripture

Jeremiah 31:27-34

Look! the days are coming when I will plant anew the house of Israel and the house of Judah. I will repopulate the land with people and animals. Just as I watched over them in order to uproot and stamp out, to upend and destroy, and to bring disaster from the north, so now I will watch over them as I rebuild and replant them.

This is what I, the Eternal One, declare. In those coming days, people will no longer speak the proverb, 

    Fathers have eaten sour grapes,
       and their children’s teeth are set on edge.

No, now it will be that each one will die for his own sins. If you eat sour grapes, then it is your own teeth that will be set on edge.

Look, the days are coming when I will bring about a new covenant with the people of Israel and Judah. It will not be like the covenant I made with their ancestors long ago when I took them by the hand and led them out of slavery in Egypt. They did not remain faithful to that covenant—even though I loved and cared for them as a husband.  This is the kind of new covenant I will make with the people of Israel when those days are over. I will put My law within them. I will write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be My people. 

No longer will people have to teach each other or encourage their family members and say, “You must know the Eternal.” For all of them will know Me intimately themselves—from the least to the greatest of society. I will be merciful when they fail and forgive their wrongs. I will never call to mind or mention their sins again.

Luke 5:8-10 

Simon’s fishing partners, James and John (two of Zebedee’s sons), along with the rest of the fishermen, see this incredible haul of fish. They’re all stunned, especially Simon. He comes close to Jesus and kneels in front of His knees.

Simon says: I can’t take this, Lord. I’m a sinful man. You shouldn’t be around the likes of me.

Jesus replies: Don’t be afraid, Simon. From now on, I’ll ask you to bring Me people instead of fish.

1 Peter 1:13-25

So get yourselves ready, prepare your minds to act, control yourselves, and look forward in hope as you focus on the grace that comes when Jesus the Anointed returns and is completely revealed to you. Be like obedient children as you put aside the desires you used to pursue when you didn’t know better. Since the One who called you is holy, be holy in all you do. For the Scripture says, “You are to be holy, for I am holy.” If you call on the Father who judges everyone without partiality according to their actions, then you should live in reverence and awe while you live out the days of your exile.

You know that a price was paid to redeem you from following the empty ways handed on to you by your ancestors; it was not paid with things that perish (like silver and gold), but with the precious blood of the Anointed, who was like a perfect and unblemished sacrificial lamb. God determined to send Him before the world began, but He came into the world in these last days for your sake. Through Him, you’ve been brought to trust in God, who raised Him from the dead and glorified Him for the very reason that your faith and hope are in Him.

Now that you have taken care to purify your souls through your submission to the truth, you can experience real love for each other. So love each other deeply from a [pure] heart. You have been reborn—not from seed that eventually dies but from seed that is eternal—through the word of God that lives and endures forever. 

For as Isaiah said,

All life is like the grass,
and its glory like a flower;
The grass will wither and die,
and the flower falls,
But the word of the Lord will endure forever. 

This is the word that has been preached to you.

Prayer

This week's prayer was from An Iona Prayer Book, and is credited as an "Australian Aboriginal Prayer."

Rainbow God,
you have created people of many different colors,
and given us different cultures.
But in you
each has its source and fulfillment.
In Jesus Christ you have made us one,
breaking down the walls we make to protect ourselves.
By your Holy Spirit you have joined us in one body,
giving to each part its special gift.
We pray that in the church and in the world,
we may experience, more and more,
the love of your Holy Spirit,
love which honors and respects each one,
which is sensitive to our hurts and hopes,
which values the gifts we bring,
and shares its own treasures with us.
And, to you, O God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit,
be all honor and glory, now and to ages of ages.

Amen

Setlist 10-16-2016

This was the twenty-second Sunday after Pentecost, and our songs around the theme of shame.  Below, you’ll find the list of the songs and artists. Clicking the song titles will take you to the lyrics. Below the songs, you can find recordings from Sunday morning of a few of them, and below the recordings, there is an example of one way you might think of these songs in light of this week's theme. If you want to talk about any of these, feel free to comment at the bottom of this page or email me at jamie@ubcwaco.org.

Songs:

Heart Won't Stop by John Mark McMillan

Be Thou My Vision

Death In His Grave by John Mark McMillan

Noise by Jameson McGregor

There's A Wideness in God's Mercy by Jameson McGregor (adapted from F. Faber)

Doxology

How They Fit In:

There are many ways to think about the significance of songs and the way they fit together–-this is simply one way you can look at these songs in light of this week’s theme. 

Heart Won't Stop: This song is centered on the idea that nothing can sever use from the love of God.  The shame we carry is a false narrative about who we are that is shattered by the love of God.  The true narrative about who we are says that we are God's beloved children.  That's not to say there is not a place for guilt when we do what we should not, but instead that we are not capable of amassing a guilt that cancels out the love of God.

Be Thou My Vision: We sang this song to practice asking God to override the false, shame-driven, narratives about ourselves that we replay time and again in our heads.  

Death In His Grave: We sang this song to proclaim the story of Jesus' death and resurrection, reminding ourselves in a more particular way why our shame narratives are false.  The things we do are not able to change who we are in light of what Jesus has done for us. 

Noise: This song made an appearance because of this line in the chorus: when i was a broken promise, You made me another one. There are several ways you could interpret that line, but for the sake of this week, let's go with this one: God does not leave it up to us to reconcile the rift in the divine-human relationship.  God is reconciling us to Godself, and our inconsistent leaning-in to this doesn't get to override what God is doing.

There's A Wideness in God's Mercy: We sang this song to look over our shoulder at last week's songs.  This is what we said about There's A Wideness in God's Mercy last week: This song confronts our tendency to try to talk ourselves out of any confidence in God's faithfulness to be God-for-us--as though we could disqualify ourselves.  Instead, it reminds us that the love of God is not limited by our own sense of what kind or degree of mercy we deserve.

Doxology: We close our time together each week with this proclamation that God is worthy of praise from every inch of the cosmos.

-JM

ITLOTC 10-14-16

ITLOTC

(In The Life Of The Church) 

Pentecost

Special Homecoming Edition:  The Best 5 Current Coffee Mugs @ UBC

One of my (Josh's) jobs at UBC is to wash the coffee mugs during the week.  I go to the back, take the mugs that are in the dishwasher, put them on our coffee cart, and load the next bunch of mugs.  It usually takes three to four cycles.  I used to hate the job.  I thought to myself, "I don't even drink coffee. Why am I doing this?"  Now, it's become a kind of catharsis.  Instead of stressing about finances, or trying to think of something to say in a sermon, or processing a complaint about something that was said during worship, I escape for ten minutes and do the mindless work of taking the mugs out of the dishwasher and filling it back up with dirty mugs.

I have been doing mugs for a long time now.  As such, I consider myself an expert on UBC coffee mugs.  A few years back, we opened the door for donations. Now there seems to be a steady stream of new mugs, which is great because I can toss the bad ones, and it keeps our supply diverse and spicy.  So I thought a great homecoming post would be for me to name my five current coffee mug favorites (I use the term “current” because we've had some awesome ones in the past that are no longer with us.)

5. The Trivial Pursuit Mug

I love trivia.  I love Jeopardy.  I love games that require me to recall what I know.  I also know that I've preached some god-awful sermons.  How awesome would it be if, during one of the really bad sermons, you were consuming your cup of joe from a piece of Hasbro's finest?  Sermon's going nowhere ... that's fine, you just check out for five minutes and ponder "What disc jockey appeared in American Graffiti?"

4. Harriscreek.org Mug

I'll tell you a secret.  All of us pastors in Waco know each other.  We also know that, sometimes, you guys move around.  You stretch the proverbial ecclesiological arms and see if the worship is better is on the other side.   This phenomenon is not unique to Waco, but it's especially prominent in Grand Rapids, MI, Colorado Springs, CO, and Waco, TX, where religion reigns supreme.  I'll admit that we have a few church mugs.  An Episcopal church in Ohio. A Catholic church from south Texas. But this mug is from downtown.  I love the fact that, at some point, a certain someone said, "I need more cabinet space. What should I do with this church mug?  I know, I'll take it to another church for them to use."  Brilliant.

3. Darth Vader Mug

Here the "current" qualifier in my title becomes relevant.  One of the all-time greats, one of the hall of fame mugs at UBC, was the Yoda mug.  After years of use Yoda's ears got chopped off, and his nose got chipped and, eventually, when we still had the Hobart, Yoda's nooks and crannies just got too dirty.  He couldn't be cleaned anymore and was tossed.  At one point, we had a C3PO mug, but currently the top of our Star Wars mug game is Vader.  Fierce eyes.  Steady face.  This guy delivers coffee with force.  

2. Davey Crockett Mug

From the outside looking in, Texas is interesting, but it also looks arrogant.  This came to a kind of culmination for me when in the early years of Survivor, contestant Colby was allowed to bring one item to the island, and he picked the Texas flag.  The most recent example would be the constant updates from people in my Facebook feed showing how Texas was rivaling the rest of America in the summer Olympics medal count.  But after you live here, this arrogance wears you down.  I don't believe Texas is the best in many categories, but it's certainly got moxie.  That moxie, though repulsive at first, kind of grows on you.  My conversion to my affection for Texas was slow, helped in large part by the tv series Friday Night Lights, which is a rare kind of awesome.  Then there's this magic moment when the outsider language disappears, and even if only subtly, you begin to emotionally align yourself with Texas’s superiority complex.  Nothing expresses this sentiment better for me than the Davey Crockett mug that was donated.  Does it include a quote that contains an expletive?  Yes, yes it does, and Texas does not care.  

1. Tweedt Mi Casa Mug

Two awesome things were at one time brought together at a UBC extravaganza.  1. There was this sitcom called Arrested Development, a show narrated by Ron Howard in which a dysfunctional family is quintessentially hilarious.  It's smart humor.  2. The Tweedt Mi Casa.  Led by all-American philosophical giant turned business guru Chris Tweedt and his lovely wife Melinda, an enneagram six who can move through numbers like an accountant, the Tweedt Mi Casa showed up for one of our trunk-or-treats dressed as the cast from Arrested Development.  What's more, they made coffee mugs with their pictures to commemorate the event.  What's more still, they ordered an extra mug to donate to UBC.  Every once in awhile, I think about what the day will look like when I hang up the jersey and call it quits at UBC.  I imagine I will reflect on the moments that have made me proud as a pastor.  This coffee mug will find itself near the top of the list.  

Fall Retreat (Juniors/Seniors)

If you are an upperclassmen, we would love for you to come on our Fall Retreat this year.  We still have a few spots open, but you have to sign-up on Sunday.  We will leave Thursday night, October 20th, and you can come back Saturday evening or Sunday evening.  The cost of the retreat is $20.  Space is limited, so the first 19 who sign-up and turn in their money will be given priority.  If you have any questions, please contact toph@ubcwaco.org.  Sign-up sheets will be in the foyer this Sunday.  

SWCC Halloween Festival

The festival is this coming Wednesday, please bring your family out to celebrate.  The festival will be at the South Waco Community Center, and is kids of all ages.  The festival will be from 5:30-8pm, so put on your best Halloween Costume, and come support the community.  If you have any questions, please email toph@ubcwaco.org

The Middle Ages Cookout

Have the kids flown the coop?  Do you find yourself asking about elderly discounts? Are you finally able to take that vacation you and the Mrs. have been planning for 30 years?  You might be a Middle Ager.  UBC's wise group of 50's on up is getting together for a cook out on Saturday October 22nd at 6:30 PM.  For more directions and more information email jeff_walter@baylor.edu. 

Made in Waco

We are about a month away from Made in Waco, ubc's handmade market.  If you are interested in being a vendor, please email jamie@ubcwaco.org for more info and an application.

Slayers Slay

The Satan Slayers brought their regular season to an end with a 4-2 record.  That fourth win came last night off the hot hands of small forward Jonathan White who hit the go ahead three with seven seconds left.  

The Slayers looked lax until they were inspired by a monster block from the likes of One Andy Clark who set the team ablaze with his tenacious denial.  After that it was back and forth and forth until White sealed the victory late.  But all the joy might have come at a costly price for Slayer fans.  Point guard Adam Tilson is questionable for the tournament.  

This blurb was lifted from local sports writer Flip Majkowski's Facebook page. "Adam is the fearless point guard for our church basketball team "the satan slayers." Last evening, with seven seconds left, small forward Jonathan White hit the go ahead three pointer. In a valiant effort to set the game winning pick, Tilson absorbed the brutal blow of White's cover man to free White up for the shot. Pundits are still debating what was more impressive, the 3 point bank shot from 47 feet out or Tilson's courageous pick. Unfortunately his ankle was a casualty in the process. After the game Tilson had this say, "what's more important you ask, my ankle or the team victory? The team victory. And while my ankle might have suffered long term damage requiring years of surgery, it was worth it because satan was slayed. Would i do it again? Is the pope Catholic?" mic drop."

The Slayers will get ready for tournament action next week from the luxury of the 3 seed spot where they will take on a stout AME squad.  

Leadership Team Nomination

Friends, one David "Doctor" Wilhite's stint on the leadership team is coming to an end.  During his term, David got Wil-Care passed, helped balance the church budget and was instrumental in shaping for our foreign policy in Thailand as we withdrew from the Dominican Republic.  Thanks for the years of service Doctor.  That means we are looking for leadership team nominations.  If you would like to nominate someone for the leadership team, please note the following and send nominations to josh@ubcwaco.org.   

(A) Purpose.  The Leadership Team shall be the primary decision-making body of UBC.  The Leadership Team will oversee all the business and property of the church, as well as make the final decisions regarding hiring and dismissal of staff and the acquisition and selling of assets that are beyond budgetary provisions.  

(C) Qualifications.  Each member of Leadership Team shall have been a member of UBC for at least one year, exhibited an understanding and commitment to the mission and values of the church, and be willing to fulfill all responsibilities in the Leadership Team job description. 

(E) Term.  Members of Leadership Team may serve for a duration lasting up to three years.  While they are encouraged to remain the full three years, members may voluntarily remove themselves from their position at any time.

Work is Worship

Greeters: The Richardsons 

Coffee Makers: Joy & Ryan 

Mug Cleaners: Dilan & Shane 

Money Counter: Anna Tilson 

Announcements

• Sunday Sermon: Special Guest Preacher, UBC founding pastor Chris Seay.  "Shameless" Luke 5:8-10/1 Peter 1:13-25
• Fall Retreat for Juniors and Seniors: October 20-23
• Made in Waco: Nov 5th 
• Order of Phoenix Game Night: Nov 11th 
• The Middle Ages at the Movies: November 12
• Thanksgiving Love Feast: Nov 20th 
• Backside Event: Dec 2nd 
• Order of Phoenix Dallas Event: Dec. 3
• Study Hall: Dec 7th 
• The Middle Ages Christmas Party Dec. 17

Do you have an emergency and need to talk to a pastor? 

254 413 2611

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- Jon Davis: jdavis83@gmail.com

Joy Wineman: joy.wineman@gmail.com

Stan Denman: Stan_Denman@baylor.edu

David Wilhite: David_Wilhite@baylor.edu

Bridget Heins: bheins@hot.rr.com

Sharyl Loeung: sharylwl@gmail.com

Emma Wood: emmaj.wood@yahoo.com

UBC Finance Team

Do you have a question about UBC’s financial affairs? Please feel free to contact any of your finance team members.

Josh McCormick: Josh.McCormick@dwyergroup.com

Hannah Kuhl: HannahKuhl@hotmail.com  

Justin Pond: pondjw@gmail.com

Anna Tilson: Anna_Tilson@jrbt.com

Doug McNamee: douglas_mcnamee@baylor.edu

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.

Maxcey Blaylock: maxceykite@gmail.com

Mathew Crawford: mathewcrawford@yahoo.com

Rob Engblom: Rob_Engblom@baylor.edu

Ross Van Dyke: Ross_Vandyke@baylor.edu

Jared Gould: jared.gould1@gmail.com

Liturgy 10-9-2016

This blog is a record of the call to worship, Scripture readings, and prayers from our Sunday liturgies.  If you are interested in writing something for the liturgy, please email jamie@ubcwaco.org.

Call to Worship

We have gathered to worship the Creator

The One who sees through
the masks we wear,
and loves us completely.

In gathering, we seek to be shaped and healed
by the story of Jesus,

To see our wounds replaced with hope
and our fear with love

Spirit of the Living God,

Repair what is broken in us
And teach us how to truly live.

Amen.

Scripture

Psalm 66:1-11

Be joyful in God, all you lands;
sing the glory of his Name;
sing the glory of his praise.
Say to God, "How awesome are your deeds!
because of your great strength your enemies cringe before you.

All the earth bows down before you,
sings to you, sings out your Name."
Come now and see the works of God,
how wonderful he is in his doing toward all people.

He turned the sea into dry land,
so that they went through the water on foot,
and there we rejoiced in him.
In his might he rules for ever;
his eyes keep watch over the nations;
let no rebel rise up against him.

Bless our God, you peoples;
make the voice of his praise to be heard;
Who holds our souls in life,
and will not allow our feet to slip.
For you, O God, have proved us;
you have tried us just as silver is tried.

You brought us into the snare;
you laid heavy burdens upon our backs.
You let enemies ride over our heads;
we went through fire and water;
but you brought us out into a place of refreshment.

Luke 17:11-19

On the way to Jerusalem Jesus was going through the region between Samaria and Galilee. As he entered a village, ten lepers approached him. Keeping their distance, they called out, saying, "Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!" When he saw them, he said to them, "Go and show yourselves to the priests." And as they went, they were made clean. Then one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, praising God with a loud voice. He prostrated himself at Jesus' feet and thanked him. And he was a Samaritan.

Then Jesus asked, "Were not ten made clean? But the other nine, where are they? Was none of them found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?" Then he said to him, "Get up and go on your way; your faith has made you well."

Prayer

This week's prayer was from the Iona Community Worship Book:

O God, gladly we live and move and have our being in you.
Yet always in the midst of this creation-glory,
We see sin's shadow and feel death's darkness:
Around us in the earth, sea and sky, the abuse of matter;
Beside us in the broken, the hungry and the poor,
The betrayal of one another;
And often, deep within us, a striving against your Spirit.
O Trinity of love,
Forgive us that we may forgive one another,
Heal us that we may be people of healing,
And renew us that we also may be makers of peace.

Amen.

Setlist 10-9-2016

This was the twenty-first Sunday after Pentecost, and our songs around the theme of healing.  Below, you’ll find the list of the songs and artists. Clicking the song titles will take you to the lyrics. Below the songs, you can find recordings from Sunday morning of a few of them, and below the recordings, there is an example of one way you might think of these songs in light of this week's theme. If you want to talk about any of these, feel free to comment at the bottom of this page or email me at jamie@ubcwaco.org.

Songs:

Wandering by Jameson McGregor

Amazing Grace by Citizens & Saints

There's A Wideness in God's Mercy by Jameson McGregor (adapted from F. Faber)

Breathe For Me by Jameson McGregor

Lord, I Need You by Matt Maher

Doxology

How They Fit In:

There are many ways to think about the significance of songs and the way they fit together–-this is simply one way you can look at these songs in light of this week’s theme. 

Wandering:  We sang this song to celebrate God's faithfulness to us, even though our faithfulness to God is inconsistent, at best.  With the theme of healing in mind, we might think of God's relentless choice to be God-for-us as the method of God's healing us.  God is actively healing us of our brokenness all the time, though this process is slow.  And, because God has chosen to redeem what God has made, we can trust that God will be faithful to do exactly that.

Amazing Grace: This song is an exercise in looking back to look forward.  The saving work that God has enacted in our lives is not a one-off event, but instead is indicative of the way God acts toward us in general.  So, looking back at the glimmers of hope or healing in our stories, we move forward knowing that there will be more.

There's A Wideness in God's Mercy: This song confronts our tendency to try to talk ourselves out of any confidence in God's faithfulness to be God-for-us--as though we could disqualify ourselves.  Instead, it reminds us that the love of God is not limited by our own sense of what kind or degree of mercy we deserve.

Breathe for Me: The healing we experience in our lives of faith tends to cycle--that is, we usually break again in one way or another.  This song is a record of re-breaking, and a plea for healing: for God to start over with the dust and ash of what is left, form it clean, and breath into it again.

Lord, I Need You:  We sang this song to look over our shoulder at last week's songs.  This is what we said about Lord, I Need You Then: This song voices our need for God's help in all aspects of life, but particularly when it comes to doing the things that we should do.  Left to our own devices, we have a tendency to disappoint--or, worse, harm--ourselves and those around us.  Over time, we might find ourselves more permanently formed by the Spirit, but we never get to the point where we do not in fact need God's presence.

Doxology: We close our time together each week with this proclamation that God is worthy of praise from every inch of the cosmos.

-JM

ITLOTC 10-7-16

ITLOTC

(In The Life Of The Church) 

Pentecost

St. Francis

This past Tuesday was the Feast Day of Saint Francis of Assisi on the Church calendar.  Historically, ubc has not, to my knowledge, gathered for a liturgy on that day.  Which is weird, because we have no less than 3 statues of Francis in our building.  Have you ever noticed them? 

Here are some photos: 

We have them around because in the life and legacy of Francis we can be challenged and/or inspired to follow Jesus the way he did, and the statues serve to remind us of that.  The problem is, we never talk about him, so there’s a good chance that many of you have nothing to be reminded of when you see them.  That’s not your fault.  But let’s remedy that a little bit.

We’ll start with what I refer to as the “animal stuff.”  Francis is said to have preached to birds, negotiated peace between a wolf and a village, and had a wild hare jump into his arms.  He was named the patron saint of animals and ecology (he called the sun and moon his siblings, and had a deep love for “Sister Mother Earth”), and is usually depicted either holding a bird or with one sitting on his shoulder.  Francis knew that animals were significant in the heart of the Creator, and treated them accordingly.  This is why we included a blessing of the animals in our St. Francis liturgy.  To those of us who have pets, it is no secret that their companionship serves as a source of comfort and/or joy—they are blessings to us.  The blessing of the animals is our opportunity to return the favor, and to make a theological statement about what they mean to God.  If you didn’t have a chance to attend the liturgy, here is the prayer of blessing that we offered:

Blessed are You, Lord God
Maker of all living creatures.
On the fifth and sixth days of creation,
You called forth fish from the sea,
birds in the air, and animals on the land.
You inspired St. Francis to call all animals
his brothers and sisters.
We ask You to bless this animal.
By the power of Your love,
enable him/her to live according to Your plan.
May we always praise You
for all Your beauty in creation.
Blessed are You, Lord our God,
in all Your creatures.
Amen.

The next time you see an animal that you care for, give him or her a big hug and pray something like that over them. 

But the animal stuff wasn’t the only significant thing about Francis.  Here are some thoughts from the Franciscan Order of the Divine Compassion that underscore this:

Unfortunately, given the extent with which he's loved, few Saints are less understood than Francis is. To the modern mind, Francis is a caricature. He is the simple, loveable, man who preached to birds, tamed wolves, talked to fish, and was so gentle that wild hare leapt into his arms.

But, he's so much more than that.

Of Francis' early life, one of his biographers, Thomas of Celano, in the First Life of St. Francis, would later write, "almost up to his twenty-fifth year, he squandered and wasted his time…He was…very rich, not greedy but prodigal, not a hoarder of money, but a squanderer of possessions, a cautious businessman but an unreliable steward. On the other hand, he was a kind person, easy and friendly…Overwhelmed by a host of evil companions, proud and high-minded, he walked about the streets of Babylon until the Lord looked down from heaven and for His own name's sake…and for His praise bridled Francis lest he should perish. The hand of the Lord came onto Francis and a change was worked by the right hand of God, that through Francis an assurance might be granted to sinners that they had been restored to grace and that Francis might become an example to all of conversion to God."

Conversion, or rather living in a state of constantly being converted, is what Francis' life was about. Drawn by the love of God, drawn away from worldly ambitions for glory, Francis instead found his treasure in the total surrender of self to God.

For those of us who follow Jesus in the footsteps of St. Francis, the example of conversion to God, of living each day in a deeper state of conversion, to die to self a little more each day that we might live entirely for God, this is the important thing to see in Francis.

When I read this in preparation for Tuesday’s liturgy, I started to better understand why it is important for Francis to be around the halls of ubc.  Learning to live in a constant state of being converted--stumbling together down the path of seeking to be more fully formed in the way of Christ--is at the core of our approach to discipleship.  In Francis, we also find a person whose eyes were tuned to find God in beauty and to embrace the divine there, allowing this embracing to foster a deep love for God that overwhelms the love of self to the point that it overflows into a love for others.  The life and legacy of St. Francis form a lens that is well-calibrated for ubc to use in our worship and formation.  It is currently my intention to offer a Sunday School class in the Spring about the life of Saint Francis.  If that sounds like something you'd be interested in, send an email to jamie@ubcwaco.org.

Homecoming Soccer Tailgate

Next Friday, October 14, the UBC families will be tailgating before the Baylor/TCU women's soccer game.  The tailgate will be located in the Ferrell Center parking lot by the men's baseball fields.  The game is free and a limited number of fans will receive a Baylor Soccer scarf.  The game starts at 7, but myself and Josh McCormick will probably start setting up and grilling around 5.  If you'd like to come please email josh@ubcwaco.org so I can get a count.  Please bring a side to share and your own drinks.  

Made in Waco

We are about a month away from Made in Waco, ubc's handmade market.  If you are interested in being a vendor, please email jamie@ubcwaco.org for more info and an application.

Leadership Team Nomination

Friends, one David "Doctor" Wilhite's stint on the leadership team is coming to an end.  During his term, David got Wil-Care passed, helped balance the church budget and was instrumental in shaping for our foreign policy in Thailand as we withdrew from the Dominican Republic.  Thanks for the years of service Doctor.  That means we are looking for leadership team nominations.  If you would like to nominate someone for the leadership team, please note the following and send nominations to josh@ubcwaco.org.   

(A) Purpose.  The Leadership Team shall be the primary decision-making body of UBC.  The Leadership Team will oversee all the business and property of the church, as well as make the final decisions regarding hiring and dismissal of staff and the acquisition and selling of assets that are beyond budgetary provisions.  

(C) Qualifications.  Each member of Leadership Team shall have been a member of UBC for at least one year, exhibited an understanding and commitment to the mission and values of the church, and be willing to fulfill all responsibilities in the Leadership Team job description. 

(E) Term.  Members of Leadership Team may serve for a duration lasting up to three years.  While they are encouraged to remain the full three years, members may voluntarily remove themselves from their position at any time

Work is Worship

Greeters: Ricky & Juliet 

Coffee Makers: Emmy & Stephen 

Mug Cleaners: Cooleys

Money Counter: Josh M. 

Announcements

• Sunday Sermon: Luke 17:11-19 "Healed Body/Healed Heart" 
• SWCC Halloween Bash: October 19th ***VOLUNTEERS NEEDED***
• The Middle Ages Cookout: October 22nd 
• Fall Retreat for Juniors and Seniors: October 20-23
• Order of Phoenix Game Night: Nov 4th 
• Made in Waco: Nov 5th 
• The Middle Ages at the Movies: November 12
• Thanksgiving Love Feast: Nov 20th 
• Backside Event: Dec 2nd 
• Order of Phoenix Dallas Event: Dec. 3
• Study Hall: Dec 7th 
• The Middle Ages Christmas Party Dec. 17

Do you have an emergency and need to talk to a pastor? 

254 413 2611

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- Jon Davis: jdavis83@gmail.com

Joy Wineman: joy.wineman@gmail.com

Stan Denman: Stan_Denman@baylor.edu

David Wilhite: David_Wilhite@baylor.edu

Bridget Heins: bheins@hot.rr.com

Sharyl Loeung: sharylwl@gmail.com

Emma Wood: emmaj.wood@yahoo.com

UBC Finance Team

Do you have a question about UBC’s financial affairs? Please feel free to contact any of your finance team members.

Josh McCormick: Josh.McCormick@dwyergroup.com

Hannah Kuhl: HannahKuhl@hotmail.com  

Justin Pond: pondjw@gmail.com

Anna Tilson: Anna_Tilson@jrbt.com

Doug McNamee: douglas_mcnamee@baylor.edu

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.

Maxcey Blaylock: maxceykite@gmail.com

Mathew Crawford: mathewcrawford@yahoo.com

Rob Engblom: Rob_Engblom@baylor.edu

Ross Van Dyke: Ross_Vandyke@baylor.edu

Jared Gould: jared.gould1@gmail.com

Liturgy 10-2-2016

This blog is a record of the call to worship, Scripture readings, and prayers from our Sunday liturgies.  If you are interested in writing something for the liturgy, please email jamie@ubcwaco.org.

Call to Worship

We have gathered to worship the One in Whom all things hold together

Seeking, ourselves,
to be held together

In our gathering, we hope to be more fully formed in the way of Christ

That narrow way
of loving God
and loving the Other

In all of this, we seek the transformation of the Holy Spirit

that we might be made into collaborators
in the movement of the Kingdom.

Amen.

Scripture

Psalm 137

By the rivers of Babylon—
    there we sat down and there we wept
    when we remembered Zion.
On the willows there
    we hung up our harps.
For there our captors
    asked us for songs,
and our tormentors asked for mirth, saying,
    “Sing us one of the songs of Zion!” 

How could we sing the Lord’s song
    in a foreign land?
If I forget you, O Jerusalem,
    let my right hand wither! 
Let my tongue cling to the roof of my mouth,
    if I do not remember you,
if I do not set Jerusalem
   above my highest joy.

 Remember, O Lord, against the Edomites
    the day of Jerusalem’s fall,
how they said, “Tear it down! Tear it down!
    Down to its foundations!”
O daughter Babylon, you devastator!
    Happy shall they be who pay you back
    what you have done to us! 
Happy shall they be who take your little ones
    and dash them against the rock!

Luke 17:5-10

The apostles said to the Lord, "Increase our faith!" The Lord replied, "If you had faith the size of a mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, `Be uprooted and planted in the sea,' and it would obey you.

"Who among you would say to your slave who has just come in from plowing or tending sheep in the field, `Come here at once and take your place at the table'? Would you not rather say to him, `Prepare supper for me, put on your apron and serve me while I eat and drink; later you may eat and drink'? Do you thank the slave for doing what was commanded? So you also, when you have done all that you were ordered to do, say, `We are worthless slaves; we have done only what we ought to have done!’"

Prayer

This week's prayer was read by David Wilhite, and it was written by St. Basil the Great

We bless Thee, O most high God and Lord of mercy, Who art ever doing numberless great and inscrutable things with us, glorious and wonderful; Who grantest to us sleep for rest from our infirmities, and repose from the burdens of our much toiling flesh.We thank Thee that Thou hast not destroyed us with our sins, but hast loved us as ever, and though we are sunk in despair, Thou hast raised us up to glorify Thy power. Therefore we implore Thy incomparable goodness, enlighten the eyes of our understanding and raise up our mind from the heavy sleep of indolence; open our mouth and fill it with Thy praise, that we may be able undistracted to sing and confess Thee, Who art God glorified in all and by all, the eternal Father, with Thy only-begotten Son, and Thy all-holy and good and life-giving Spirit, now and ever, and to the ages of ages.

Amen.

Setlist 10-2-2016

This was the twentieth Sunday after Pentecost, and our songs around the theme of our need for God, and God's faithfulness to us.  Below, you’ll find the list of the songs and artists. Clicking the song titles will take you to the lyrics. Below the songs, you can find recordings from Sunday morning of a few of them, and below the recordings, there is an example of one way you might think of these songs in light of this week's theme. If you want to talk about any of these, feel free to comment at the bottom of this page or email me at jamie@ubcwaco.org.

Songs:

All Creatures of Our God and King

Lord, I Need You by Matt Maher

Up On A Mountain by The Welcome Wagon

For Those Tears I Died by Jameson McGregor

Wayward Ones by The Gladsome Light

Doxology

How They Fit In:

There are many ways to think about the significance of songs and the way they fit together–-this is simply one way you can look at these songs in light of this week’s theme. 

All Creatures of Our God and King: We sang this song to begin our time together acknowledging our interconnectedness with all of creation through our mutual praise of God.  This song was born out of the writing of Saint Francis of Assisi.  He is memorable for many things, but one overarching theme of his life was an awareness of our siblinghood with creatures that are not human.  He extended this familial relationship even to the sun and the moon.  Every created thing bears witness to the work of the Creator, and sings a song in praise of God's sustaining work.  God's sustaining work is ongoing, and we are ever-needful of it.  This song allowed us to begin our liturgy by practicing the correct orientation of our attention.

Lord, I Need You:  This song voices our need for God's help in all aspects of life, but particularly when it comes to doing the things that we should do.  Left to our own devices, we have a tendency to disappoint--or, worse, harm--ourselves and those around us.  Over time, we might find ourselves more permanently formed by the Spirit, but we never get to the point where we do not in fact need God's presence.

Up On A Mountain: This song recalls the story of Jesus in the garden of Gethsemane, allowing us to meditate on the inner anguish he faced as the time of his death approached.  The point of it is that, when faced with this horror, he was at no point interested in forfeiting the outcome of his death.  He knew it was a long way down.  He knew what was at stake.  And now he is our advocate, and sent the Spirit to be our Comforter.  Because of this, we are not alone, but are held in the mind of God.

For Those Tears I Died: I've played this song once before.  It's consists of equal parts confession, despair, anger, and hope.  When I wrote it, I thought I knew what tragedy it referred to, but it now points to an ever-growing list of tragedies.  I recently recorded an acoustic demo of it, which you can stream here:

this song was written in the summer of 2016 in the wake of a series of tragic events that continues to grow. it is loosely inspired by the Martha Stevens hymn by the same name and includes most of that hymn's chorus.

Wayward Ones: We sing this song every time we take communion to remind ourselves of a couple of things.  First, we are a broken people--though we are seeking to become more like Jesus, we often fail at this.  Second, Christ has given Himself for us despite our brokenness.  We take communion to remember the sacrifice of Jesus on our behalf, even though we did not, and do not, deserve it.

Doxology: We close our time together each week with this proclamation that God is worthy of praise from every inch of the cosmos.

-JM

ITLOTC 9-30-16

ITLOTC

(In The Life Of The Church) 

Pentecost

The Importance of Owning a Mistake

I wrote these first two paragraphs back in January of 2014.  I’d like to reclaim them and issue another apology.

As a child, I grew up tucked away on three acres on Mabel Lake.  Cable television would have never (and still hasn't) reached that remote part of the universe, and a satellite dish was, at the time, about 13 feet in diameter and a luxury that a small town pastor's family could not afford.  Our sole chance at being entertained was provided by a spotty antenna that delivered ABC, CBS, NBC, and PBS in the spring.

As antennas improved, I was able to watch CBS on a small TV in my room.  Though it was scrambled, I could hear clearly and made a habit out of listening to David Letterman.  It became a ritual for me.  Though I generally thought Leno had better guests, I loved Letterman's timing even if I didn't understand the socio-political state of the world was sometimes required to get his dry humor.

Ever since then, I have been a Letterman person, and, so I was disappointed back in 2009 when he was accused and found guilty of having an affair.  I'll never forget, though, when he went on the air the weekend after the story broke and apologized.  He was direct and to the point.  He didn't try and pad the news or offer an excuse.  He just owned it.  Though his mistake remained, his apology was an anomaly in the world of celebrity.  I found it inspiring.  With professional athletes denying performance enhancing drug allegations and politicians covering up scandals, here was a guy who completely accepted his problem fully and publicly from the get-go.  Growing up, when I'd witness something similar, I'd note to myself how I felt and determined that if I was ever in a position to offer an apology, I would.

This last Sunday I included information from a New York Times article to make the point that listening to those who disagree with us is an act of love.  The article is about a book written by a Berkeley sociology professor who leans left in her politics.  The subject of her book is a group of Tea Party supporters.  I was moved by her generosity in writing about and in understanding them.  Her research and writing stands out to me as an act of love in what seems like an otherwise loveless political climate.  

To set up this example in my sermon, I made the following statement, “I picked this example because my guess is that most of the people here will either vote for Hillary Clinton or against Donald Trump.”  I’m aware of how contentious politics can be and how important it is for the church to be a place that rises above that tension.  For that reason, I usually give a lot of thought and am very specific in the language I use when I do talk about politics which is, in my recollection, rare.  That being said, I didn’t put a lot of thought into my statement.  I just jotted it down on Thursday afternoon trying to keep up with the stream of consciousness unfolding in my head.  

Friends are people who care enough about you to help you see what you did not or cannot.  I had a conversation with one of those friends this week.  She told me that she thought the statement, however I might have intended it, probably had the effect of isolating folks in our community who will vote for Donald Trump.  I had not considered that, so I sat with that thought for 24 hours, and after reflecting on it, decided she was correct.  I could have preached the same point without that qualifying statement.  UBC has entrusted me to speak about God.  That is a gift I never want to take for granted.  While I wish that meant I never got it wrong, that is not possible.  What is possible, though, is for me to apologize.  So I would like to apologize.  I am sorry for not handling that moment with more thoughtfulness and care.  I would also like to thank you all for listening patiently and for making room for me to grow in my own discipleship.  

Leadership Team Nomination

Friends, one David "Doctor" Wilhite's stint on the leadership team is coming to an end.  During his term, David got Wil-Care passed, helped balance the church budget and was instrumental in shaping for our foreign policy in Thailand as we withdrew from the Dominican Republic.  Thanks for the years of service Doctor.  That means we are looking for leadership team nominations.  If you would like to nominate someone for the leadership team, please note the following and send nominations to josh@ubcwaco.org.  

(A) Purpose.  The Leadership Team shall be the primary decision-making body of UBC.  The Leadership Team will oversee all the business and property of the church, as well as make the final decisions regarding hiring and dismissal of staff and the acquisition and selling of assets that are beyond budgetary provisions. 

(C) Qualifications.  Each member of Leadership Team shall have been a member of UBC for at least one year, exhibited an understanding and commitment to the mission and values of the church, and be willing to fulfill all responsibilities in the Leadership Team job description.

(E) Term.  Members of Leadership Team may serve for a duration lasting up to three years.  While they are encouraged to remain the full three years, members may voluntarily remove themselves from their position at any time.

St. Francis Day/Blessing of the Animals

On Tuesday, October 4, at 5:30 PM, we will have a short liturgy in observance of Saint Francis Day in the Backside.  As a part of that liturgy, we will have a blessing of the animals.  Since the service will be inside, we will not ask you to bring you animals in the flesh.  Instead, you can either bring a photo of your pet, or email one to jamie@ubcwaco.org. 

Design Survey

The aesthetics team is gearing up for a re-design of the foyer and hallways.  Since these spaces are the first you experience when you enter the building, we want to hear about what you value most about the current design so we can maintain those elements in the new design.  You will find a design survey at ubcwaco.org/designsurvey, and it will be active until October 16th.  

Parents Night Out

Was George W. Bush still president the last time you and your sig other had a night to yourselves?  Do yourself volunteering to take the kids to practice just so you can sleep in the car?  You need a night out.  UBC is hosing a parents night out on Friday October 7th from 6-9 P.M. There will be sign up in the church lobby this Sunday or you can email josh@ubcwaco.org to let him know you are interested.  

Made in Waco

We are just over a month away from Made in Waco, ubc's handmade market.  If you are interested in being a vendor, please email jamie@ubcwaco.org for more info and an application.

Free Health Care

CASA 5K

We don't normally advertise for outside organizations, but we're including this one.  CASA, which stands for court appointed special advocate, is an organization that develops leaders to lobby for the welfare of foster children in our judicial system.  They, the good people at CASA, are hosting an extravaganza that is laid out in the nifty picture below.  Please consider going.  

Work is Worship

Greeters: Blaylocks 

Coffee Makers: Chad

Mug Cleaners: Chase Potter 

Money Counter: Justin Pond 

Announcements

• Sunday Sermon: Psalm 137 "The Place for Anger in Discipleship" 
• Family Tailgate at the Soccer Game Night: Oct 14th 
• SWCC Halloween Bash: October 19th 
• Fall Retreat for Juniors and Seniors: October 20-23
• Order of Phoenix Game Night: Nov 4th 
• Made in Waco: Nov 5th 
• Thanksgiving Love Feast: Nov 20th 
• Backside Event: Dec 2nd 
• Order of Phoenix Dallas Event: Dec. 3
• Study Hall: Dec 7th 
• We are gearing up for another school year which means we will resume our work with Cesar Chavez middle school.  If you would like to mentor a student or serve the middle school in another capacity email marshall@ubcwaco.org 

Do you have an emergency and need to talk to a pastor? 

254 413 2611

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- Jon Davis: jdavis83@gmail.com

Joy Wineman: joy.wineman@gmail.com

Stan Denman: Stan_Denman@baylor.edu

David Wilhite: David_Wilhite@baylor.edu

Bridget Heins: bheins@hot.rr.com

Sharyl Loeung: sharylwl@gmail.com

Emma Wood: emmaj.wood@yahoo.com

UBC Finance Team

Do you have a question about UBC’s financial affairs? Please feel free to contact any of your finance team members.

Josh McCormick: Josh.McCormick@dwyergroup.com

Hannah Kuhl: HannahKuhl@hotmail.com  

Justin Pond: pondjw@gmail.com

Anna Tilson: Anna_Tilson@jrbt.com

Doug McNamee: douglas_mcnamee@baylor.edu

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.

Maxcey Blaylock: maxceykite@gmail.com

Mathew Crawford: mathewcrawford@yahoo.com

Rob Engblom: Rob_Engblom@baylor.edu

Ross Van Dyke: Ross_Vandyke@baylor.edu

Jared Gould: jared.gould1@gmail.com

Liturgy 9-25-2016

This blog is a record of the call to worship, Scripture readings, and prayers from our Sunday liturgies.  If you are interested in writing something for the liturgy, please email jamie@ubcwaco.org.

Call to Worship

Holy God, we have come to learn to trust in Your protection

Teach us to find rest
under Your wings

We have come to learn to have faith in Your promises

Teach us that fields
from which we will not reap
are not a sunk cost

We have come to learn to live in Your provision

Teach us to open our hands
so that we may take hold of the life
that really is life.

Amen

Scripture

Amos 8:4-7

Hear this, you that trample on the needy,
and bring to ruin the poor of the land,
saying, "When will the new moon be over
so that we may sell grain;
and the sabbath,
so that we may offer wheat for sale?

We will make the ephah small and the shekel great,
and practice deceit with false balances,
buying the poor for silver
and the needy for a pair of sandals,
and selling the sweepings of the wheat."

The Lord has sworn by the pride of Jacob:
Surely I will never forget any of their deeds.

Luke 16:1-16

Jesus said to the disciples, "There was a rich man who had a manager, and charges were brought to him that this man was squandering his property. So he summoned him and said to him, `What is this that I hear about you? Give me an accounting of your management, because you cannot be my manager any longer.' Then the manager said to himself, `What will I do, now that my master is taking the position away from me? I am not strong enough to dig, and I am ashamed to beg. I have decided what to do so that, when I am dismissed as manager, people may welcome me into their homes.'

So, summoning his master's debtors one by one, he asked the first, `How much do you owe my master?' He answered, `A hundred jugs of olive oil.' He said to him, `Take your bill, sit down quickly, and make it fifty.' Then he asked another, `And how much do you owe?' He replied, `A hundred containers of wheat.' He said to him, `Take your bill and make it eighty.' And his master commended the dishonest manager because he had acted shrewdly; for the children of this age are more shrewd in dealing with their own generation than are the children of light. And I tell you, make friends for yourselves by means of dishonest wealth so that when it is gone, they may welcome you into the eternal homes.

"Whoever is faithful in a very little is faithful also in much; and whoever is dishonest in a very little is dishonest also in much. If then you have not been faithful with the dishonest wealth, who will entrust to you the true riches? And if you have not been faithful with what belongs to another, who will give you what is your own? No slave can serve two masters; for a slave will either hate the one and love the other, or be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth."

The Pharisees, who were lovers of money, heard all this, and they ridiculed him. So he said to them, “You are those who justify yourselves in the sight of others; but God knows your hearts; for what is prized by human beings is an abomination in the sight of God.

Prayer

This week's prayer was written by Val Fisk:

Lord God, you are Mother of our souls, Giver of our passions, Forgiver of our sins, Healer of our hurts. 

Teach us to be dangerously vulnerable. 

Forgive us for our refusal to show our brokenness to one another. Forgive us for our refusal to see the brokenness that lies behind the eyes of those across the table, across the aisle, and across the room from us. Forgive us for our refusal to acknowledge the brokenness that looks back at us from the mirror. Forgive us our failure to ask for help, and our failure to ask how we can be helping. 

Mother God, teach us to be dangerously vulnerable with you and with your people. Teach us to admit our failings, our pain, and our fears, to you and to those in this community whom you have placed as vessels of your loving care. Teach us to shout, “I’m not okay!” so that someone else can catch us as we fall. Teach us to catch the weight of brokenness tenderly, with the willingness to sooth one another’s tears the way a parent soothes the cries of their young child. 

Our souls are tired, Lord. Tired of pretending “No, really, I’m fine.” Tired of pretending that we have it all handled. Tired of the death, the destruction, and the insensitivity of the world surrounding us. Tired of hearing human lives compared to inanimate objects like poisoned candy, tired of seeing men murdered because of the color of their skin, tired of seeing children’s broken bodies in ambulances after bombs rip through their homes, tired of hearing women shout “I SAID NO” while others ask “But what were you wearing?” Teach us to lament for and with these people, breaking our hearts for each broken person, each made in your image. 

My soul is tired, Lord. My heart is broken. I feel wobbly. On days when I feel wobbly, teach me to trust you. Show me your presence through your people – these people of UBC. Teach me to be dangerously vulnerable with my hurt, my anger, my frustration, my brokenness, and my sin. Teach me to stand for you by standing alongside of your community, shoulder to shoulder, arm in arm, holding one another up with tender care. If I stand, let me stand on the promise that you will pull me through. If I can’t, let me fall on the grace that first brought me to you. And teach me to give that grace to each person I meet, each soul I encounter, and each broken heart that is entrusted to me by you. 

Lord, have mercy. Christ, have mercy. Teach us to embrace the beauty of brokenness today by embracing one another. 

Amen. 

ITLOTC 9-23-16

ITLOTC

(In The Life Of The Church) 

Pentecost

From Movement to Institution

In 1984, Roxanne Quimby found Burt Shavitz on the side of a Maine country highway.  Shavitz was selling honey out of the back of his truck.  Shavitz was an earthy hippie, Quimby an ambitious entrepreneur who wanted to get into the candle-made-from-beeswax business.  The two formed a friendship and a business relationship.  Shavitz turned out to be the perfect image for the product line.  Burt’s Bees would eventually develop several market segments ranging from personal care items to household decorations.  

Their progress was remarkable.  They started in a one-room school house they rented from a friend for $150 a year.  That space quickly became insufficient.  The company’s value went from $200 at the Dover-Foxcroft Junior High School craft fair to $20,0000 by the end of the first year.  In 1989, Quimby and Shavitz got a huge break when the New York boutique Zona ordered several hundred of their beeswax candles.  

The business continued to grow, and then four years later in 1993, Burt decided it had grown too much.  The business had gotten too far from his truck on the side of a Maine highway.  For Shavitz, the integrity of the product was called into question.  Quimby didn’t feel the same way; she wanted to keep growing.  So Shavitz called it quits.  Quimby went on to become a multimillionaire.  

On Sunday, I voiced something that I saw developing in the room during the town hall. All the conversations were derived from the same place.  UBC is growing.  

We’ve never put a premium on growing.  We’ve never had a church marketing plan. We’ve never talked about strategies to grow or increase giving.  All of that seemed inconsistent with who we said we are.  With time, though, our reluctance for using those kinds of mechanisms has probably dwindled.  In a lot of ways, we’ve found that there are some pretty good wheels that don’t need reinventing.  Something is happening and has been happening at UBC for a long time.  Another Burt—Burt Burleson—gave the language to understand it a long time ago.  He said every movement eventually becomes an institution.  

On Sunday, we talked about redesigning and managing our space, our increased need for volunteers, our need to improve systems within the church, and our need for more resources to be put toward the children’s ministry, including the possibility of hiring a full-time children’s pastor.  If you weren’t able to attend the town hall this last Sunday and have strong opinions on any of that, we invite you to email someone from leadership, finance, or HR.  

In some ways, UBC finds herself in the place Burt Shavitz was in 1993.  We have to decide if these changes take us too far from our ethos.  

I want to submit that UBC’s gift has always been an ability to do old things in new ways.  We find the language and the narrative framework to renew our sense of wonder and worship as we pick the color of the carpet.  I think it is possible to grow and grow with our existing identity, but we need to do it thoughtfully and prayerfully.  So please join me, the staff, and our teams as we prayerfully move through these decisions.  

Fall Retreat (Juniors/Seniors)

If you are an upperclassmen, we would love for you to come on our Fall Retreat this year.  We will leave Thursday night, October 20th, and you can come back Saturday evening or Sunday evening.  The cost of the retreat is $20.  Space is limited, so the first 19 who sign-up and turn in their money will be given priority.  If you have any questions, please contact toph@ubcwaco.org.  Sign-up sheets will be in the foyer this Sunday.  

SWCC Halloween Festival

It is that time of year again, our annual Halloween Festival with the South Waco Community Center is fast approaching.  Be sure to put October 19th down on your calendar.  We will have sign-ups starting this week, and we will need close to 100 volunteers this year.  If you have any questions, please contact 

Backside

We are hosting the first of two Backside open mic/open wall events tonight at 7pm.  If you are a musician, poet, storyteller, visual artist, etc., this is a night for you to share your gifts with the community.  If you aren't a creative type, this is a night for you to engage the beauty that our congregation is creating.  Also, there will be coffee and baked goods.  So if you roast coffee or bake things, feel free to showcase those arts as well!  If you have questions, or want to sign up, email jamie@ubcwaco.org.

Satan Slayer Basketball

he Slayers bounced back from a disappointing loss last week with hard fought overtime victory, 90-78, over the Episcopalians.  The 1 - 3 play of point guard Adam Tilson and small forward Jonathon White was reminiscent of Westbrook and Durant when they were still together in OKC.  Tilson looked like General George Washington controlling tempo, pace, and delivering the seasons first triple double.  And what can we say about Jonathon White?  To quote assistant coach David Wilhite, "he's (White) the next Larry Bird."  We'll see, but White's three point shot ability the penetrate had the Slayers flying.  

The Slayers will be back in action this next Thursday night as they take on a though Presbyterian team.  Their motto?  "Predestined to win!" 

CASA 5K

We don't normally advertise for outside organizations, but we're including this one.  CASA, which stands for court appointed special advocate, is an organization that develops leaders to lobby for the welfare of foster children in our judicial system.  They, the good people at CASA, are hosting an extravaganza that is laid out in the nifty picture below.  Please consider going.  

Work is Worship

Greeters: Rachael, Carson, Christian 

Coffee Makers: Emmy & Stephen 

Mug Cleaners: Dilan & Shane

Money Counter: Anna Tilson 

Announcements

• Sunday Sermon:  Luke 16:19-31 "when will you hear?" 
• Backside Event: Sept 23rd 
• New UBCer Luncheon: Sept 25
• St. Francis Feast Day/Blessing of the Animals: Oct 4th 
• Parents Night Out (Date Night): Oct 7th
• Family Tailgate at the Soccer Game Night: Oct 14th 
• SWCC Halloween Bash: October 19th 
• Fall Retreat for Juniors and Seniors: October 20-23
• Order of Phoenix Game Night: Nov 4th 
• Made in Waco: Nov 5th 
• Thanksgiving Love Feast: Nov 20th 
• Backside Event: Dec 2nd 
• Order of Phoenix Dallas Event: Dec. 3
• Study Hall: Dec 7th 
• We are gearing up for another school year which means we will resume our work with Cesar Chavez middle school.  If you would like to mentor a student or serve the middle school in another capacity email marshall@ubcwaco.org 

Do you have an emergency and need to talk to a pastor? 

254 413 2611

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- Jon Davis: jdavis83@gmail.com

Joy Wineman: joy.wineman@gmail.com

Stan Denman: Stan_Denman@baylor.edu

David Wilhite: David_Wilhite@baylor.edu

Bridget Heins: bheins@hot.rr.com

Sharyl Loeung: sharylwl@gmail.com

Emma Wood: emmaj.wood@yahoo.com

UBC Finance Team

Do you have a question about UBC’s financial affairs? Please feel free to contact any of your finance team members.

Josh McCormick: Josh.McCormick@dwyergroup.com

Hannah Kuhl: HannahKuhl@hotmail.com  

Justin Pond: pondjw@gmail.com

Anna Tilson: Anna_Tilson@jrbt.com

Doug McNamee: douglas_mcnamee@baylor.edu

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.

Maxcey Blaylock: maxceykite@gmail.com

Mathew Crawford: mathewcrawford@yahoo.com

Rob Engblom: Rob_Engblom@baylor.edu

Ross Van Dyke: Ross_Vandyke@baylor.edu

Jared Gould: jared.gould1@gmail.com

Liturgy 9-18-2016

This blog is a record of the call to worship, Scripture readings, and prayers from our Sunday liturgies.  If you are interested in writing something for the liturgy, please email jamie@ubcwaco.org.

Call to Worship

We have gathered seeking a Healer,

One who might mend
the most broken parts of us
And restore our failing loves

So that we can fully love God and all people

And spread our healing beyond ourselves

Though it may take a lifetime,

We have come today
to learn to follow Christ
And to be formed in his way

Amen.

Scripture

Amos 8:4-7

Hear this, you that trample on the needy,
and bring to ruin the poor of the land,
saying, "When will the new moon be over
so that we may sell grain;
and the sabbath,
so that we may offer wheat for sale?

We will make the ephah small and the shekel great,
and practice deceit with false balances,
buying the poor for silver
and the needy for a pair of sandals,
and selling the sweepings of the wheat."

The Lord has sworn by the pride of Jacob:
Surely I will never forget any of their deeds.

Luke 16:1-16

Jesus said to the disciples, "There was a rich man who had a manager, and charges were brought to him that this man was squandering his property. So he summoned him and said to him, `What is this that I hear about you? Give me an accounting of your management, because you cannot be my manager any longer.' Then the manager said to himself, `What will I do, now that my master is taking the position away from me? I am not strong enough to dig, and I am ashamed to beg. I have decided what to do so that, when I am dismissed as manager, people may welcome me into their homes.'

So, summoning his master's debtors one by one, he asked the first, `How much do you owe my master?' He answered, `A hundred jugs of olive oil.' He said to him, `Take your bill, sit down quickly, and make it fifty.' Then he asked another, `And how much do you owe?' He replied, `A hundred containers of wheat.' He said to him, `Take your bill and make it eighty.' And his master commended the dishonest manager because he had acted shrewdly; for the children of this age are more shrewd in dealing with their own generation than are the children of light. And I tell you, make friends for yourselves by means of dishonest wealth so that when it is gone, they may welcome you into the eternal homes.

"Whoever is faithful in a very little is faithful also in much; and whoever is dishonest in a very little is dishonest also in much. If then you have not been faithful with the dishonest wealth, who will entrust to you the true riches? And if you have not been faithful with what belongs to another, who will give you what is your own? No slave can serve two masters; for a slave will either hate the one and love the other, or be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth."

The Pharisees, who were lovers of money, heard all this, and they ridiculed him. So he said to them, “You are those who justify yourselves in the sight of others; but God knows your hearts; for what is prized by human beings is an abomination in the sight of God.

“The law and the prophets were in effect until John came; since then the good news of the kingdom of God is proclaimed, and everyone tries to enter it by force.”

Prayer

This week's prayer was:

God, in the midst of uncertainty, teach us to cling to You.

In a world afflicted with various kinds of violence, teach us to mourn with those who mourn and to love our enemies.

When we find ourselves hemmed in by darkness, tune our eyes to see the beauty that You have woven into the world, and teach us to embrace it and lift it up.

And as the tides of life threaten to wear us thin, we ask that Your Spirit would renew us that we might learn to live fully.

Amen.

Setlist 9-18-2016

This was the eighteenth Sunday after Pentecost, and our songs around the theme of discipleship.  Below, you’ll find the list of the songs and artists. Clicking the song titles will take you to the lyrics. Below the songs, you can find recordings from Sunday morning of a few of them, and below the recordings, there is an example of one way you might think of these songs in light of this week's theme. If you want to talk about any of these, feel free to comment at the bottom of this page or email me at jamie@ubcwaco.org.

Songs:

Just A Closer Walk With Thee

Death in His Grave by John Mark McMillan

Fall Afresh by Jeremy Riddle

Heart With No Companion by Leonard Cohen

Pulse by Jameson McGregor

Doxology

How They Fit In:

There are many ways to think about the significance of songs and the way they fit together–-this is simply one way you can look at these songs in light of this week’s theme. 

Just A Closer Walk With Thee:  We sang this song to begin our time together by expressing a desire to be more fully formed in the way of Christ. Of particular note is the second stanza, which highlights that we are not left to carry the burden of our failures in following Christ alone.  

Death In His Grave:  This song rehearses the story of Jesus' defeat of death.  We sang it because the whole of the Christian faith hinges on the resurrection of Jesus.  Within this song, we celebrate the self-emptying of Jesus for our sake, showing us what love looks like, as well as the power of the resurrection to break the fundamental cycle of life and death.  This is the story that we are seeking to model as followers of Christ, constantly dying and rising in different ways, hoping to learn something about life and love.

Fall Afresh: We sang this song to acknowledge our dependence upon the renewal of the Spirit to grow as followers of Jesus.  Be it on a great or small scale, we all experience the cycle of renewal and stagnation in the life of faith--the cycle in which our brains seek out an easier status quo than we are called to--and we thus continually need the help of the Spirit to pull us forward.

Heart With No Companion: This song is a love letter from God to the afflicted that offers the shattered Love of God to those who feel like their lives lack meaning. It carries within it a promise that those who experience the existential anguish of not being able to be what they know they have been created to be have not been forgotten.  Furthermore, it is a message that who you are and what you do are two very different things (in the song, you have a captain with no ship, a mother with no children, a prima ballerina with no dancing, etc.).  Within the context of this week's songs, it is a word to the person who feels like they aren't "good" at being a follower of Christ, reminding them that they carry an identity that transcends their religious prowess.

Pulse: We sang this song to look over our shoulder at last week's songs.  This is what we said about Pulse then:  We sang this song to acknowledge the presence of the Spirit in every living thing, to petition God to reconnect our awareness to this interconnectivity, and to show us what this means for the way we love one another.

Doxology: We close our time together each week with this proclamation that God is worthy of praise from every inch of the cosmos.

-JM

ITLOTC 9-16-16

ITLOTC

(In The Life Of The Church) 

Pentecost

Town Hall Agenda

UBC holds quarterly leadership team meeting (July, October, January, April).  We hold a town hall a month before where we give up to date information about what will be discussed at that meeting.    That October meeting town hall will be this Sunday after church.  Here are the items on the agenda.  

Finance Update

We will give numbers thus far in the 2016-17 budget year. 

Children's Pastor Search Update

We will give you an update on the future of this of this position both in regards to whether or not it should be expanded and also what the search process will look like.  We would also like for you to give feedback on these matters.  

Discernment Team Update

The discernment team has done a bunch of great work and research.  Our chair Breck Gamel would like to share some of those findings with you. 

Aesthetics Update

Jamie will lead us in a discussion on how to give input on some of the changes being proposed for our building. 

Sabbatical/Mission Update

Toph will share a few things he learned on sabbatical and give us an update on UBC mission work. 

Family Weekend Breakfast

Sunday is our annual family weekend breakfast.  If your parents are in town visiting for the weekend, we would love to meet them. This is a chance to say: "look mom dad, I have already found a church. Aren't you proud of me?!"  So, if you are student, being your parents to breakfast. Breakfast will at 9:30 on Sunday morning.

If you are not a student, we need your help.  There will be a sign-up list in the foyer on Sunday with items we need: juice, milk, pigs n a blanket, fruit salad, yogurt, etc...  We need you all to help provide the breakfast, so make sure to sign-up.  If you have any questions please email 

Backside

We are hosting the first of two Backside open mic/open wall events on Friday, September 23rd, at 7pm.  If you are a musician, poet, storyteller, visual artist, etc., this is a night for you to share your gifts with the community.  If you aren't a creative type, this is a night for you to engage the beauty that our congregation is creating.  Also, there will be coffee and baked goods.  So if you roast coffee or bake things, feel free to showcase those arts as well!  If you have questions, or want to sign up, email jamie@ubcwaco.org.

CASA 5K

We don't normally advertise for outside organizations, but we're including this one.  CASA, which stands for court appointed special advocate, is an organization that develops leaders to lobby for the welfare of foster children in our judicial system.  They, the good people at CASA, are hosting an extravaganza that is laid out in the nifty picture below.  Please consider going.  

Slayers Converted to a loss by Missionary Baptists 

The Slayers dropped a game to Antioch Missionary Baptist Church, 82-71, bringing their record to an even 1-1.  Coach Toph Whisnant complimented the squad on a valiant effort, but was also forthright about their sloppy play.  "We had some turnovers, we got to get better."  Conditioning may also have been a concern, couple of the slayers, namely the older ones, looked like they needed an oxygen machines.  AMB scored a number of points on fast breaks.  Their blistering pace reminded some Paul Westmead's 89-90 Loyla Marymount squad.

Highlights for the Slayers included the defensive play of Justin Begnoche who is an early front runner for church league DPOTY.  Shane Ward found his stroke early on lighting it up from 19.9 throughout the game and at one point hitting a critical 3 to bring the slayers within striking distance with a minute left.  When asked about what would be done in practice this week Coach Whisnant said,  "The guys are going to run this week.  We might get beat again, but not because of conditioning.  Except for Dimitri Peterson, he hustled."  

The Slayers will be back in action next Thursday as they prepare for a stout Episcopal team.  Their motto, "if the sacraments don't sanctify you, our game will."

Work is Worship

Greeters: Will & The Richardsons 

Coffee Makers: Madison

Mug Cleaners: KT and Yakob

Money Counter: Josh M 

Announcements

• Sunday Sermon:  Luke 16:1-13ish "wait, what did Jesus say?"
• Mi Casa Leader Training: Sept 18
• Family Weekend Breakfast: Sept 18
• Town Hall: Sept 18
• New UBCer Luncheon: Sept 25
• Backside Event: Sept 23rd 
• St. Francis Feast Day/Blessing of the Animals: Oct 4th 
• Parents Night Out (Date Night): Oct 7th
• Family Tailgate at the Soccer Game Night: Oct 14th 
• SWCC Halloween Bash: October 19th 
• Fall Retreat for Juniors and Seniors: October 20-23
• Made in Waco: Nov 5th 
• Thanksgiving Love Feast: Nov 20th 
• Backside Event: Dec 2nd 
• Study Hall: Dec 7th 
• We are gearing up for another school year which means we will resume our work with Cesar Chavez middle school.  If you would like to mentor a student or serve the middle school in another capacity email marshall@ubcwaco.org 

Do you have an emergency and need to talk to a pastor? 

254 413 2611

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- Jon Davis: jdavis83@gmail.com

Joy Wineman: joy.wineman@gmail.com

Stan Denman: Stan_Denman@baylor.edu

David Wilhite: David_Wilhite@baylor.edu

Bridget Heins: bheins@hot.rr.com

Sharyl Loeung: sharylwl@gmail.com

Emma Wood: emmaj.wood@yahoo.com

UBC Finance Team

Do you have a question about UBC’s financial affairs? Please feel free to contact any of your finance team members.

Josh McCormick: Josh.McCormick@dwyergroup.com

Hannah Kuhl: HannahKuhl@hotmail.com  

Justin Pond: pondjw@gmail.com

Anna Tilson: Anna_Tilson@jrbt.com

Doug McNamee: douglas_mcnamee@baylor.edu

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.

Maxcey Blaylock: maxceykite@gmail.com

Mathew Crawford: mathewcrawford@yahoo.com

Rob Engblom: Rob_Engblom@baylor.edu

Ross Van Dyke: Ross_Vandyke@baylor.edu

Jared Gould: jared.gould1@gmail.com

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Liturgy 9-11-2016

This blog is a record of the call to worship, Scripture readings, and prayers from our Sunday liturgies.  If you are interested in writing something for the liturgy, please email jamie@ubcwaco.org.

Call to Worship

Create clean hearts in us, and renew our spirits,

You who are quick to forgive
and slow to anger.

Make us into new creatures

With eyes calibrated with compassion
And tongues tuned to Your song.

Shine Your love on us

teach us to reflect it
toward one another
and back to You,
until nothing is the same.

Amen

Scripture

Exodus 32:7-14

The Lord said to Moses, "Go down at once! Your people, whom you brought up out of the land of Egypt, have acted perversely; they have been quick to turn aside from the way that I commanded them; they have cast for themselves an image of a calf, and have worshiped it and sacrificed to it, and said, `These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt!'" The Lord said to Moses, "I have seen this people, how stiff-necked they are. Now let me alone, so that my wrath may burn hot against them and I may consume them; and of you I will make a great nation."

But Moses implored the Lord his God, and said, "O Lord, why does your wrath burn hot against your people, whom you brought out of the land of Egypt with great power and with a mighty hand? Why should the Egyptians say, `It was with evil intent that he brought them out to kill them in the mountains, and to consume them from the face of the earth'? Turn from your fierce wrath; change your mind and do not bring disaster on your people.

Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, your servants, how you swore to them by your own self, saying to them, `I will multiply your descendants like the stars of heaven, and all this land that I have promised I will give to your descendants, and they shall inherit it forever.'" And the Lord changed his mind about the disaster that he planned to bring on his people.

Luke 15:1-10

All the tax collectors and sinners were coming near to listen to Jesus. And the Pharisees and the scribes were grumbling and saying, "This fellow welcomes sinners and eats with them."

So he told them this parable: "Which one of you, having a hundred sheep and losing one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness and go after the one that is lost until he finds it? When he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders and rejoices. And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and neighbors, saying to them, `Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that was lost.' Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance.

"Or what woman having ten silver coins, if she loses one of them, does not light a lamp, sweep the house, and search carefully until she finds it? When she has found it, she calls together her friends and neighbors, saying, `Rejoice with me, for I have found the coin that I had lost.' Just so, I tell you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents."

Prayer

This week's prayer was written by Mike Robinson:

Lord, on this 15th anniversary of the 9-11 attacks, we pause to remember, mourn, and plead.  We pause to remember those thousands of innocents who died on this day so long ago (as well as those not so innocent); we pause to remember that they were more than names or even faces on computer screens, or televisions, or printed pages; like us, they were living, breathing, laughing, hoping, seeking human beings—women and men, girls and boys, who died because of tainted ideologies and disregard for human life.    We also remember the thousands upon thousands who have died since that time for similar reasons, in the Middle East and beyond—and for those who have been and continue to be injured, displaced, disenfranchised, ignored, and hated.  Lord, we remember them this day.  Forgive us when we forget.

We also pause to mourn—to mourn for those who died or who continue to suffer.  Lord, at UBC, we seek to love you, to embrace beauty, and to live life to the fullest; yet we lament our own failure and the failure of others to love; we grieve over the ugliness that often scars your world; and we cry out against the brokenness that interrupts abundant living—the hatred, selfishness, obsessions, and violence within ourselves and others.  Lord, help us grieve as you grieve for this world you love. 

God, we also plead; we plead for your salvation, your healing, your forgiveness, your peace, your righteousness, your justice.  We petition you for our own redemption, and the redemption of our communities, our nation, our world.  We even pray for our enemies—the perpetrators of these crimes in the past and in the present.  (God, these words are not easy to say and even harder to mean; but we say them and seek to mean them for your glory).  Redeem our enemies from their own violence, their selfishness, fear, poverty, and hopelessness—even as you are redeeming us from these sins and their consequences.  May our enemies come to love you (and others), embrace beauty, and live life to the fullest!  And may we do the same.  Amen!

Setlist 9-11-2016

This was the seventeenth Sunday after Pentecost, and our songs were gathered around the theme of reconciliation.  Below, you’ll find the list of the songs and artists. Clicking the song titles will take you to the lyrics. Below the songs, you can find recordings from Sunday morning of a few of them, and below the recordings, there is an example of one way you might think of these songs in light of this week's theme. If you want to talk about any of these, feel free to comment at the bottom of this page or email me at jamie@ubcwaco.org.

Songs:

How Great Thou Art

Pulse by Jameson McGregor

There by Jameson McGregor

Hope by Jameson McGregor

There's a Wideness in God's Mercy by Jameson McGregor (adapted from F. Faber)

Doxology

How They Fit In:

There are many ways to think about the significance of songs and the way they fit together–-this is simply one way you can look at these songs in light of this week’s theme. 

How Great Thou Art: This song is essentially three pairs of observations about how God chooses to be God for us and a response of praise.  In it, we find language that helps us marvel at the scope of God's redemption project--from the inception of the cosmos to the moment where things are finally set right.  In singing this song, we rehearsed identifying greatness for what it is, and in this case that means seeking to draw near to one's enemies and repair broken relationships (that's one of the running themes throughout the story that God is telling).

Pulse: We sang this song to acknowledge the presence of the Spirit in every living thing, to petition God to reconnect our awareness to this interconnectivity, and to show us what this means for the way we love one another.

There: This song establishes God as standing apart from every source of anxiety or conflict that we encounter.  Though God is in fact with us in our affliction, God is anchored outside of it.  This means that we have a well-founded hope when we root our hope in God.  As Reconciler, God is drawing us into the place of security where God dwells.

Hope: We sang this song to affirm that God has set a light in the darkness that the darkness did not overcome.  We hang our hope on this light, carrying it into the darkness, knowing that the story that God is telling does not end in darkness, but light.  

There's A Wideness in God's Mercy: We sang this song to look over our shoulder at the songs from two weeks ago (I was on vacation last Sunday).  This is what we said about There's A Wideness in God's Mercy then: We sang this song to begin our time together by thinking about the wideness of God's mercy and the breadth of God's love.  More specifically, in terms of the theme that unites this week's songs, the fact that our deficiencies are precisely what place us in the path of God's love.  Despite our tendency to attempt to construct boundaries around the love of God, the love of God transcends our limitations and reaches those who deserve it least by even the most generous human standards.

Doxology: We close our time together each week with this proclamation that God is worthy of praise from every inch of the cosmos.

-JM