JAMIE’S POST
I invite my Death and Dying students to begin each week in class by noting what made them feel particularly alive since we last saw each other and also what they noticed in the world that shaped their awareness of death. I don’t always take a turn in the discourse, but when we met the day after Wendell Berry died, I took advantage of the captive audience to put a couple of his poems before them. And now I'm doing it again:
When despair for the world grows in me
and I wake in the night at the least sound
in fear of what my life and my children’s lives may be,
I go and lie down where the wood drake
rests in his beauty on the water, and the great heron feeds.
I come into the peace of wild things
who do not tax their lives with forethought
of grief. I come into the presence of still water.
And I feel above me the day-blind stars
waiting with their light. For a time
I rest in the grace of the world, and am free.
In a dream I meet
my dead friend. He has,
I know, gone long and far,
and yet he is the same
for the dead are changeless.
They grow no older.
It is I who have changed,
grown strange to what I was.
Yet I, the changed one,
ask: "How you been?"
He grins and looks at me.
"I been eating peaches
off some mighty fine trees."
EMBRACE BEAUTY FUND
As we’ve navigated changes and created a new vision for Ubc, we have found that we have an increasing need for meeting our budget goals. Would you consider establishing a recurring donation to our community? Recurring donations allow us to have a sense of how much money we are working with each month, which as you might imagine is extremely helpful in budgeting. We are of course open to one-time donations as well :). Please feel free to share with your friends, loved ones and social media as we work together to meet this need.
You can donate and read more about the giving campaign here.
THIS WEEK
Youth Group- Wednesday, 6pm
Small Group Fall Launch- Friday, September 18th, 6pm
Sunday Liturgy- Sunday, 10:45am
Nübcer’s Coffee Hour- Sunday, September 20th, 12pm
Pizza & Pints @ Shorty’s Woodway- Monday, September 21st, 5:30pm
GIVING
UBC survives on the generosity of our congregation. Your tithes and offerings allow us to continue to create a space that is welcoming to all, embraces beauty, and seeks to live life to the fullest.
You can give, as you’re able, on Sunday mornings or set up a single or recurring online gift here.
If you ever have trouble with giving online or have a question about how to give, feel free to email administrator@ubcwaco.org.
CHURCH NEEDS
ubcYouth needs
Hey friends! Greer here! UBC's Youth Group has grown in recent months, and we are finding ourselves in need of more helping hands on Wednesday Youth Nights. The dream is to have two volunteers every Wednesday night to help with setup, discussion time, and cleanup afterwards. Youth Night ends at 8pm, so cleanup should be completed by 8:30pm if there are enough hands on deck! Eventually, we would also like to have volunteers facilitate a small group of students for more intentional discussion after lessons, but at this point, we need clean-up help and crowd assistance with the larger group of students. If you're interested, let me know, and we can set up a time to talk over next steps!
The Youth Ministry typically feeds about 25 students along with the volunteers every week, and this thrives with incredible volunteers that prepare meals. We are also looking for those who are willing and able to help continue making this happen for our kids that come into the church!
Interested in either or both of these opportunities to help? Fill out these forms or email greer@ubcwaco.org
UPCOMING EVENTS
Pinewood Pub w/ Andie- Thursday, September 24th, 7pm
The Book Club @ ubc- Monday, September 28th, 7pm
We are reading The Farewitch of FoxeHoller by Ellen Pauley Goff.
St. Francis Brunch Church!- Sunday, October 4th, 10:45am
Church is brunch! Brunch is church! Ubc will provide coffee, mimosas, and a bunch of scrambled eggs. Bring a dish to share! This is the feast day of St. Francis, so we’ll share a meal and participate in an adapted version of our annual St. Francis liturgy.
Ubc Pumpkin Patch Meetup @ Western Belle Farm- Sunday, October 4th, 12pm
Save the Date: All Church Retreat- October 9-11
All Church Retreat is happening this fall. We are headed back to Meridian State Park with GTG Outdoors October 9-11.
This retreat will be for the campers & the glampers. We’ve reserved some of the indoor shelters & the indoor dining hall! If tents aren’t your thing, you can choose one of these instead. GTG provides gear, meals and their expertise, and we get a fun fall camping trip together (and s’mores. Always s’mores!)
Keep an eye out for registration! And email nicole@ubcwaco.org if you have any questions.
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Text Updates Now Available
You can now receive text updates from ubc! If you haven’t already, please fill out this consent form (also, if you haven’t updated your email/phone with us in a while, probably a good idea to do anyway).
Find more details and our full calendar of events on our website. This calendar is updated frequently, so check back often!
PREACHING SCHEDULE
9/20- Annie Wilde
9/27- Andie
10/4- St. Francis Brunch Church
CONTACT INFO
Pastoral Staff
Andie Pellicer, Lead Pastor
(andie@ubcwaco.org)
Jameson McGregor, Worship & Arts Pastor (jamie@ubcwaco.org)
Nicole Dizdar, Kids Pastor, Community Engagement Coordinator
(nicole@ubcwaco.org)
Greer Rutt, Youth Pastor (greer@ubcwaco.org)
Leadership Team
Maggie Griffin
Adam Moore
Travis Cheatham
Mary Ellis
Brooke Reich
Staff Support Team
Jim Wren
Betsy Bracken
Finance Team
Brandon Glover
Jonathan Hill
Ben Rose