BERKELEY UNITED METHODIST CHURCH 2407 Berkeley Ave. Austin, TX. 78745 (512)447-6633 Email: bumc78745@sbcglobal.

net ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED

February 2014

Berkeley Buzz

ears ago, Gary Smalley wrote Love Is a Decision, a great book with a great title. Since Valentines Day comes every February, I like to remember that, especially for Christians, love is indeed a decision. Didnt St. Paul tell the Corinthian Christians that very thing, 20 centuries ago? Love is patient; love is kind; love is not envious...It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful...It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things...Faith, hope and love abide; and the greatest of these is love. So often, these words are read at weddings. Isnt love all about feelings? No, not for the long haul, as marriage is meant to be. Feelings come and go. Love is a decision. Marriage is a decision to go through life together, in mutual love, encouragement and support, sharing joys and sorrows, in all circumstances. Couples who ask Gods blessing in their wedding and seek Gods leading throughout their marriage understand the commitment that is made and kept with Gods help.

Jesus also told us what God wants from us, citing the Hebrew Bible: Love the Lord your God with all your heart and soul and mind and strength, and your neighbor as yourself. Those are decisions, not feelings. Loving God sometimes counters our feelings and natural inclinations, if we are to live Gods way. Loving neighbors, including those in our homes and church as well as beyond, can be challenging. Its a decision to do it, based on our faith in the Lord who commanded it and makes it possible with grace and mercy shown to us. In 2013, Americans spent an average of $130.97 on Valentines Day. Maybe you will, maybe you wont spend that kind of money demonstrating your love. There are so many ways, and money is far from the only one. How we decide to use our money is one indicator of the love we bear God and our neighbors. Thank you for the generosity you show, through your church and other ways, as you decide to put love into action this year. May the love of God enfold you, sustain you and rejoice your heart! Your Pastor, Jeanne Devine GIFTS AS OF DECEMBER 31

Schedule Your Berkeley Directory Photo Today!

When was the last time your family came together to take a group photo? For your church family, it's been three years time for an update! Lifetouch will be here to capture the Berkeley family in photos February 26March 1. Sign-ups may be conveniently made online anytime, or in person on Sunday mornings. Sign up online right now! Just visit our homepage at www.berkeleyumc.org and click on the phrase, Click Here to Schedule Your Appointment. You will be asked to create a login and password in order to secure your appointment. All online sign-ups will receive a link to a portrait coupon at the time of their appointment reminder. There is no cost to you for participating in the directory photography; you may choose to purchase portraits, but there is no obligation. We want to include everyone who participates in worship and ministry here; you do NOT have to be a church member.

AVERAGE ATTENDANCE DECEMBER WORSHIP SUNDAY SCHOOL 2013

119 41

YTD
124 35

2012
-

MONTHLY INCOME MONTHLY EXPENSES YEAR-TO-DATE INCOME YEAR-TO-DATE EXPENSES

$ 29,156 $ 23,784 $ 279,445 $ 267,385

BERKELEY STAFF
PASTOR Rev. Jeanne Devine revjeanned@sbcglobal.net DIRECTOR OF MUSIC Vikki Schwarz vlschwarz@aol.com

MINISTERS Members of the Congregation PIANIST Dr. Tyler Mabry tgmabry@gmail.com ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT Niki J Torres bumc78745@sbcglobal.net

YOUTH DIRECTOR Devan Gartman devanfaygartman@gmail.com CHILDCARE DIRECTOR Allison McGillicuddy bumc.childcare@sbcglobal.net

They devoted themselves to the apostles teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. Acts 2:42

CHURCH HAPPENINGS

Financial Highlights for 2013

Submitted by Rev. Jeanne Devine

BIRTHDAYS
2/02 Abbey Triggs 2/04 Catherine Waltman 2/05 Kate Noll 2/09 Jimmie Dittlinger 2/14 Karen Carlton 2/15 Howard Tomerlin 2/16 Sarah Youngquist 2/18 Kim Royal 2/20 Donna Bostick 2/24 Dorothy Rittenberry 2/27 Doyce Holsenbeck
2 Communion Sunday Groundhog Day 12p Youth Fellowship (FH) 4p Tai Chi (FH) 5p Covenant Grp (9) 9 12p Youth Fellowship (FH) 4p Tai Chi (FH) 5p Covenant Grp (9) 3 10a Womens Group (9) 4 6p Congregational Care (7) 5 6p Handbells 7p Choir 6 5:308p Saint Louise House (CLC) 7 8 6:30p Amen Austin! Church (FH)

The Finance Committee thanks everyone who supported Berkeleys ministries during the past year. Those who made estimates of giving (totaling $226,674) paid them in full and even beyond ($230,862), a 102% fulfillment rate. It makes a significant difference to you and to your church when you have a plan for your giving. Our total income in the general fund was $279,445; our expenses were $267,385. Therefore we ended the year $12,060 ahead of our starting point. Our income in the capital asset fund was $21,753. Not only did we complete payments on the CLC, we also covered the expense of two new air conditioning units in the sanctuary. Beyond our apportioned giving to the general United Methodist Church and the Southwest Texas Conference, we also contributed a total of $8,716 to emergency relief in the US and around the world, ministries of justice and mercy, education and missionary support (Advance Special gifts).

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1 6:30p Amen Austin! Church (FH)

ANNIVERSARIES
2/14 Dale and Doris Lyon 2/27 Bill and Charlotte Campbell

With your continued faithful financial support, we will continue to serve God and our neighbors with a strong financial base in 2014. Thank you again.

10 10a Womens Group (9) 7p Worship Design Team

11 5:30p Prime Timers (FH)

12 9:30a UMW Women in Action Circle (CLC) 6p Handbells 7p Choir

13 5:308p Saint Louise House (CLC)

14 Valentines Day

Lay Leadership for 2014

Church Council and Ministry Leaders: Chair: Steve Collins Vice-Chair: Jim Barnes Recording Secretary: Letha Peters Lay Leader/Lay Member Annual Conference: Carolyn Brown SPRC Chair: Mike Crevier Finance Committee Chair: Letha Peters Endowment Chair: Greg Lasley Trustees Chair: Brian Peters Church Treasurer: Ray Curtis Childcare Chair: Myrna Cavender UM Men President: Rich Errington UM Women President: Myrna Cavender Family Ministry Chair: Polly Aranda Spiritual Care Chair: Rachel Trudell Worship Ministry Chair: Nina Huitt Congregational Care Chair: Claudia Wenzel Outreach Team Leader: Ginger Wahlers
16 12p Youth Fellowship (FH) 4p Tai Chi (FH) 5p Covenant Grp (9) Newsletter deadline 23 12p Youth Fellowship (FH) 4p Tai Chi (8) 5p Covenant (9) 17 10a Womens Group (9) 7p Finance (7) 18 19 6p Handbells 7p Choir 20 5:308p Saint Louise House (CLC) 21

15 7:30a UMW Women in Gods Grace Circle (FH) 9p UMW Executive Committee (7) 6:30p Amen Austin! Church (FH)

22 7:28a Mens breakfast (FH) 7:30am Emmaus Team Meeting (FH & Sanc.) 6:30p Amen Austin! Church (FH)

24 10a Womens Group (9)

25 5:45p Spiritual Care (9) 7p Church Council

Church-512-447-6633 Childcare Center-512-443-3509 bumc78745@sbcglobal.net

2407 Berkeley Ave. Austin, TX 78745 www.berkeleyumc.org

26 2-8:40p Lifetouch Photography 6p Handbells 7p Choir

27 2-8:40p Lifetouch Photography

28 2-8:40p Lifetouch Photography

10a-4p Lifetouch Photography 6:30p Amen Austin! Church (FH)

Spiritual Growth
A Bead and a Prayer
Submitted by Roz Hodson, Spiritual Care

Community Assistance in 2013

Submitted by Rev. Jeanne Devine

Houses of worship in Austin have the choice to direct the drainage fees charged by the City of Austin to aid community agencies through the Religious Coalition to Assist the Homeless. Berkeley has done this for several years. We pay $2200 per year to RCAH to help 17 agencies, including Caritas, Foundation Communities, LifeWorks, SafePlace, Saint Louise House (received $52,000), and the Salvation Army. Caring for our neighbors in need is a shared ministry which we are pleased to support.

A Bead and a Prayer was written by Kristen Vincent, wife of a Methodist minister, who founded this ministry to deepen the prayer life of Protestants. Hand-held devotional items are not new; some form of beads have been used to quiet the heart and mind since the Egyptians began using them long before Christs birth. They have been used by every faith since then (while Jews do not use beads they do use knotted fringe on their shawls). It may seem like a new idea, but it is another old practice reintroduced to help us gain spiritual insights, such as our labyrinth or Taize worship services. The beads are intended to use our God-given senses of touch and sight to coax prayer from our heads deep into our hearts. They are simply a tool for anyone on an intentional journey to God. I am grateful that Ginger and Michelle Miller are willing to teach us how to make them. They helped me make my own set using old family jewelry, which makes it particularly meaningful to me. There is a pattern for the beads, but there are unlimited ways of modeling the prayers. The first step is holding the cross as a reminder of Gods presence. The first bead invites us to a time of prayer; the next bead reminds us of eternal life and all the saints who have gone before us. The four sections of remaining beads can be called the full circle of prayer: the first praising God, then confession and asking for forgiveness, followed by beads of intercession, and finally beads of thankfulness for Gods blessings. Simplified ones have been used by children. For those of you who purchased them at the UMW sale, we hope you will have experiences to share with us by the time of our study. The Spiritual Care team would like to offer an opportunity to explore this method of praying in March during Lent. The book will be available for each participant as we share in a Bible study and lab experience. Contact Roz Hodson if you would like more information, 512-447-2080.

Secret Prayer Pals

Submitted by Ginger Wahlers, Outreach

Spiritual Care ministry invites the congregation and friends to participate in the annual Secret Prayer Pals Valentines event. Look for the basket and new Valentines box in the narthex. Take a heart from the basket, write your prayer request or concern on it, and place it in the Valentines box. Hearts will be drawn at random following both services on February 9, and then the secret pal will intentionally pray about that concern/request for the remainder of the week, which includes Valentines Day. You may participate with a prayer request, as a praying Secret Pal, or both. Please share your time and your love for others this Valentines week.

Why Attend Berkeley

Submitted by Jim Barnes; Originally published in 2007

I wanted to share some thoughts about why (and how) to attend Berkeley. I hope it gives some food for thought. Paul gives the Colossians some good guidelines about how to live our lives and why we should live in ways pleasing to God. And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and joyfully giving thanks to the Father who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light. - Colossians 1:10-12, NIV I believe two important parts of those instructions are growing in the knowledge of God and joyfully giving thanks to the Father. To me that translates into going to church, and for me that means attending Berkeley. One Sunday Betty and I were visiting our daughter when she lived in Dallas, and we all attended a Methodist church there. We decided wed go to the contemporary service. The service was nice, the band and song leaders were enthusiastic, and the sermon was engaging and thought provoking. Worship ended exactly at 10:45, and by 10:47 we had shaken hands with the preacher on our way out the door and were on our way. The first thing I thought was, why would someone want to do that every week? We had followed Pauls instructions, but it somehow seemed empty and not fulfilling. It seemed like just another brief stop in our busy day. Then, I thought about the week before at Berkeley. Betty sang in the choir at the early service and then came home to pick me up so we could go to Sunday school together. We met a number of friends out in the courtyard when we arrived and talked and laughed and shared news about our weeks over coffee and donuts. Dashing off to Sunday school, we met more friends and shared our thoughts about the lesson Steve Collins led us through. We discussed what it meant to us and how our lives could better model the example of Christ. We shared more concerns and joys with that group as we closed in prayer. Before the worship service, the narthex was full of more friends when we arrived there. There were hugs and handshakes and laughter before we settled in to hear Tyler, Vikki, the choir, and Jeanne, who always make worship special. We watched the children of families we know learn about Christ from Carol Dentons stories. We shared more prayers for members of the congregation, their families and friends in a way that makes us feel more like a family than just an audience. There was more laughter and fellowship in the narthex before we headed out to lunch with a group of our friends from the church. Im sort of lukewarm about having an experience again like the one in Dallas, but I cant wait for next Sunday at Berkeley. What is Sunday morning like for you? Are you in and out as quickly as you can be, or are you coming to a feast of fellowship with your church family that you look forward to each week? If youve been coming once in a while, or if its been a while, come join the feast every Sunday!

Lenten Prayer Study

Submitted by Letha Peters

Please be looking for information about the upcoming Lenten study of Prayer and learning different ways to pray. Explore various ways to pray using traditional methods as well as new and different insights.

Lay Ministries Class

Submitted by Carolyn Brown, Outreach

Consider registering for the Basic Lay Ministries Class at Crestview UMC, March 22 and April 5. This 2-day class is being offered by the Austin District Lay Servants. It is open to anyone who is considering becoming a Lay Speaker. The cost is $40. To register, call Arlene Smith at (512) 345-6717, or e-mail her at arlenesmith@austin.rr.com.