The Banner                            April 2014
In This Issue
Calendars
Rector's Corner
Head of School Selection
Real Stories Real People
Safe Place Ministry
St. George's History
 

ST. GEORGE'S EPISCOPAL CHURCH

 

4301 N. IH 35
Austin, TX 78722  
 

Phone: 512.454.2523    

stgeorgeaustin@gmail.com

 

Church office hours:  

Monday - Thursday 

9 a.m. - 2 p.m.

 

www.sgchurch.org  

 

Sunday Schedule

8:00am - Holy Eucharist Rite I
9:00am - Contemplative prayer
9:45am - Choir rehearsal
10:30am - Holy Eucharist Rite II  
                   with Kids Word

4:00pm - St. Hildegard's Worship


The Rev. Kevin LJ Schubert

Rector

The Rev. Judith Liro

Assistant Priest & Minister to

St. Hildegard's Community

 

The Rev. John Brewer

Deacon 

Anne Weaver 

Music Minister 

Vanessa Nering
Newcomer Minister/
Office Administrator


Kate Wright

Interim Day School Director

Vestry

Melissa Eason Brackin

Patsy Chandler

Mark Casstevens

August Dolan-Henderson

Spencer Gordon

Stephanie Meldrum

Mary Stewart Miller

Alice Nelson

John Rickard

 

Patsy Chandler

Senior Warden

John Rickard

Junior Warden

Melissa Eason Brackin

Financial Secretary

 

Frances Rickard, Treasurer

 

August Dolan-Henderson, Clerk

 

Mark Casstevens, Day School Liaison  

Josh Shipman
Seminarian

Ashley Urquidi 
Seminarian

Laurence Wainwright-Maks

Seminarian  

 


MARK YOUR CALENDARS!
Click on the following links to find:
April Lay Ministries Schedule
April Activities Calendar

Click here to sign up to be a reader or intercessor during our Rite I & II services.

May Banner Submissions
Deadline for news for the next issue of
The Banner is Wednesday, April 23rd.
Please e-mail information, schedules, photos and articles you would like included in next month's edition to stgeorgeaustin@gmail.com .

  
On Palm Sunday, April 13th, the service will begin outdoors in front of the day school room 5 (purple door) of the school wing. Here we will take part in the Liturgy of the Palms. Palm branches are available for carrying in the procession into the church. This procession is done in remembrance of Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem. 

  
 
 
 
 For those families whose children who will be participating in the egg hunt after the 10:30 service on Easter Day (April 20th) please leave at least one dozen plastic eggs in the designated box in the church office before the service begins.  Beginning this Sunday, you may leave your eggs in the church office.


Rector's Corner
Dear St. George's Family,

I pray that you have had a meaningful and prayerful Lent so far.  We are fast approaching the conclusion of our Lenten discipline, as we await the day of Easter in a few weeks.  The previous two Wednesdays the community has enjoyed an excellent lecture and discussion led by The Rev. Dr. Kathleen Russell at our Lenten Grace Series.    Kathleen has guided us towards recognizing the ways in which the Holy has entered our story from the very beginning.  The following two Wednesdays will be just as inspiring and thought provoking.  I hope you are able to attend these great evenings from 6:30 to 8:00 pm in Kleberg Hall.  

 

Leading up to Easter Sunday the St. George's community will participate in Holy Week.  I pray that you may find the services during the week a discipline of love and devotion to God.  Each and every one of the services affords an opportunity to follow in the steps of Christ's Passion; from his triumphant entry into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday, to washing the disciples feet at the last supper on Mandy Thursday, to surveying the cross on Good Friday, to recounting the vast array of God's goodness in the stories of old and celebrating the dawn of resurrection at Saturday's Easter Vigil.  Finally we will come to celebrate the greatest gift ever received in Christ's salvific resurrection on Easter morning.  

 

I look forward to Holy Week and Easter Sunday each and every year.  I am so very thankful for each and every one of you, and am blessed to be a part of this wonderful community.  May God bless you and keep you this day and always.  

 

 

Peace, 
The Rev. Kevin LJ Schubert  

Easter Lilies

 

In celebration of the Resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ, St. George's will be adorned with Easter lilies at the Easter Vigil and Easter Day services. If you wish to make an offering for the lilies, please complete the yellow form that can be found in your bulletin on Sundays in Lent. Place it with your cash or check in the alms basin during the offertory or you may also mail it to the church office at 4301 N. IH -35,  Austin, TX 78722. Names of donors, along with memorials or thanksgivings (optional), will be published in the Easter Vigil and Easter Day service bulletins. Please turn in your card by Palm Sunday, April 13th to have your name appear in the Easter Vigil and Easter Day bulletins. 
The suggested donation is $15 per plant. If you have any questions, please call the church office (454-2523).

Please join us as we prepare for and celebrate the Resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ

 

April 13                  PALM SUNDAY

Regular services: Holy Eucharist Rite I at 8:00am and Holy Eucharist Rite II at 10:30am*. The 10:30 service will begin outdoors.  Here we will take part in the Liturgy of the Palms and process with palm branches into the church. The service includes a reading of the Passion Gospel.   

April 14                MONDAY IN HOLY WEEK

              12:00 p.m.  Holy Eucharist Rite II

April 15                 TUESDAY IN HOLY WEEK 

              12:00 p.m.  Holy Eucharist Rite II

April 16                WEDNESDAY IN HOLY WEEK

      12:00 p.m.  Stations of the Cross, No Holy Eucharist

April 17                 MAUNDY THURSDAY 

7:00 p.m. Service in the church with foot washing (optional), Holy Eucharist, shared meal of fruit, bread and cheese, followed by the stripping of the Altar. Bring fruit, bread, wine or juice to share at the agape meal.

 

April 17-18            GETHSEMANE VIGIL

From the end of the Maundy Thursday service until the start of the Good Friday service, you are invited to keep watch with the sacramental bread and wine reserved from the Maundy Thursday service, in remembrance of Jesus' plea to his disciples to "stay awake for one hour with me." A sheet will be available on which you may sign up for one-hour shifts during the hours of the vigil.

 

April 18                   GOOD FRIDAY

12:00 p.m. Good Friday service, with Eucharist from the reserved Sacrament followed by lentil soup lunch in silence.

April 19                   EASTER VIGIL 

7:00 p.m. Our first celebration of the Resurrection is this ancient liturgy, in which we recall by candlelight our salvation history through the Old Testament stories, renew our baptismal vows, and proclaim "Alleluia" at the news of the risen Christ. We will begin the service outside, just east of the church, to celebrate the new light liturgy. Bring bells to ring!

 

April 20                   EASTER DAY

Regular services of Holy Eucharist at 8:00am and 10:30am*. The 10:30 service will include choral music, the flowering of the cross, and possibly baptisms. The service will be followed by a children's Easter egg hunt and reception.

Children may bring flowers for the cross. Also, those children who will be staying for the egg hunt should leave at least one dozen plastic eggs in the designated box in the church office before the service begins.

 

* Childcare available for these services 

 


Grace Lenten Series
Wednesdays 6:30- 8:00 pm
Apr. 2nd & 9th 
 
The Grace Lenten Series continues for two more Wednesdays this month- April 2nd and 9th - from 6:30 to 8:00 pm. Each evening begins at 6:30 pm with a potluck meal in Kleberg Hall, followed by a lecture. This year, the program is being led by The Rev. Kathleen Russell, Associate Professor of Pastoral Theology at the Seminary of the Southwest.  The Rev. Russell will lead a discussion around a Theology of Imagination.  Through the various forms of art: poetry, song, images and story, we grow in our relationship with God.  Come and be inspired through our imaginations! 

Permanent Head of School selection

The Board of Trustees of St. George's Episcopal School is excited to announce our
new permanent Head of School, Ms. Jerri Thompson.  
 
The hiring of Ms. Jerri marks an exciting transition as we progress in our mission to inspire preschool children to love learning by nurturing each child's mind, body, and spirit. Please see below for more information about Ms. Jerri.
 
Jerri Thompson, M.Ed
 
 I was born in Houston, but grew up in New Braunfels, Texas.  As an adult, I lived in Houston for just over 20 years, and then moved to Austin, three years ago, where two of my four siblings reside.  I have a son, Marcus, and a daughter, Taylor, 42 and 21 respectively.  Both of my children are living in College Station.  It was over 30 years ago that I fell in love with this field of early childhood and have been involved with it ever since as a teacher, administrator, educator, trainer and consultant.  Aside from my passion for my career, I love the outdoors and look for any excuse to be outside, as long as it isn't during the winter.  I am always looking for ways to improve children's lives and look forward to new opportunities at St. George's Episcopal School.  Go Dragons!! 
 

Hallelujah Hour
 
 
In observance of Lent, we will not meet for 
Hallelujah Hour this month.  
Make sure to read the May Banner for information 
on our next gathering!

Women's Book Club
 
The Women's Book Club will be discussing "The Luminaries" by Eleanor Catton on Saturday April 12th, from 3-5 p.m. at Carolyn Moreau's home.  Please contact Carolyn Moreau at carolynmoreau@austin.rr.com for directions and information.
 
Members of the Women's book group will be attending a retreat on April 25-27 at the Well-Spring Center at Wessendorff Ranch near Blanco.  For further information, please contact Alice Nelson at mzlsnlsn@gmail.com or Stephanie Meldrum at  stephanie.meldrum@hotmail.com
 

The Good Friday Offering
 
During our traditional silent lunch after the Good Friday service will be a basket available for you to donate funds towards the Episcopal Church of the United States Good Friday Offering. For 90 years, the Episcopal Church has consistently provided solidarity with, and financial support for, our sisters and brothers throughout the Episcopalian-Anglican Province of Jerusalem and the Middle East. The funds we collect at the lunch will be sent to ECUSA for this shared mission. 

Real Stories Real People
 

Real Stories Real People is back! Thanks so much to August Dolan-Henderson for sharing some powerful insights along his spiritual journey in last month's issue. I hope you've had a chance to read it by now; if not, be sure to take some time to do so in the near future. 

Real Stories Real People is the continuation of a publication St. George's offered in 2011-12 as a way to share our stories and encourage each other in our journeys with God along life's path. As Sarah Campbell noted in the inaugural issue in March 2011, "the stories of fellow journeyers is a powerful witness and encouragement, a reminder that what counts is the direction of the journey and the incremental positive change in our relationship with God. . . in honesty and vulnerability we understand each other and we draw closest to God."

You are invited and encouraged to consider writing your story in a future issue of Real Stories Real People - whatever part of the path you would like to share with us. I can provide examples of past issues and other directions if you would like. And, don't worry about being a great writer! There are some ways around that that we certainly can explore. 

I'm grateful to Kevin for encouraging me to serve as coordinator of Real Stories Real People, and I look forward to many great issues ahead! Don't hesitate to let either of us know if you have questions, ideas, or suggestions, or would like to offer your own story. Look for Real Stories Real People in your email inbox about the 15th would like a print copy, please contact the church office.                                                                  - Frances Rickard

"It's My Turn" Coffee Hour

April 27th is the next "It's My Turn" Sunday.  This is an opportunity for parish members to host the coffee hour that follows the 10:30 service.  You can also team up to make it a group effort!  An additional opportunity to host coffee hour will be June 22nd. To sign up, please let the church office administrator know, who will add your name to the on-line calendar (stgeorgeaustin@gmail.com). For any questions or clarifications, please contact Martha Paull, mpaull@grandecom.net
 

Spring Lifelong Learning Class: 
Sundays, April 27th - May 18th
 
During this Easter season the St. George's community will join together for a four week class dedicated to instruction and interaction centered around our common Christian obligations and devotion in life. Beginning 15 minutes after the conclusion of the 10:30 am service we will gather in Kleberg Hall for this 30 to 45 minute class. All ages are encouraged to participate. 

Seminarian's Last Sunday - May 4th

Come and celebrate the ministries of our seminarians! 
Over the past two years we have been blessed to 
have Laurence as our seminarian, and it is fitting that we send him off to his new position in style. We will have a special blessing for him during the 10:30 service and enjoy refreshments in Kleberg Hall in his honor. We will also celebrate Ashley & Josh's time with us and wish them both a fruitful summer during their time off. They will join us again at the beginning of the Fall seminary semester.
 
 

Safe Place Ministry

We are excited about our new opportunities to serve Safe Place, a refuge for women and children seeking asylum from family violence.

 

We have 27 comfort bags made. On a Sunday during coffee hour, the bags were stuffed with comfort items. Thank you to all the people that helped with sorting, buying and sewing.  It was a comfort to see such a great participation. Father Kevin blessed the bags on March 30th and Chuck Webb  will deliver them to the shelter. 

 

We are planning to do one more collection May 4th. We will need more bags sewn and a few more items (a list of items will be coming soon). The comfort bags will be delivered by Mother's Day.  We will continue to collect diapers for the shelter, so please consider adding this item to your next grocery store list and placing them in the collection bin underneath the table in the narthex of the church.   If you are interested in making the bags and/or providing items, let us know.

 

Sarah Campbell                                   Hollie Gordon 

cowmarket2@gmail.com                     gordonhollie3@gmail.com

512.569.3081                                      512.922.2190                                                


Celebrating Our Graduates

St. George's will offer a special liturgy at the 10:30 service on Sunday, June 1st to celebrate those graduating or moving forward in their educational journey. We will offer a blessing for all who are graduating from high school, college, technical schools, certification programs and/or programs of formation (i.e. Education for Ministry). All students are invited to attend this service, but if you (or your child) is graduating from one of the education institutions listed above, please inform Vanessa Nering at the church office (454-2523 or stgeorgeaustin@gmail.com) so we can honor him or her in the service. 

News from


April Events 

  

* No School on Good Friday, April 18th 
 
* A Knight for St. George's is on Sunday, May 4th, from 6-9 pm 
Ticket opportunities coming soon!
 If interested in making a donation, please contact 
Robyn Koplin at robynkoplin@gmail.com

* Gathering Wait List for future enrollment at St. George's School!  
If interested, please email Erin Johnson at erin.stgeorges@gmail.com 
 

St. George's History
St. George's office has received some historical documents of our great church! The files we received are invaluable to understanding our past. 
The history of St. George's is rich and interesting, and should be shared with all!  So, each month Father Kevin will choose a piece of that history to include in the monthly Banner. Please click on the link below for the retyped historical piece. We hope you enjoy these installments of our history, and gain insight into our beloved church.     

 

 Historical account of St. George's Episcopal Church

 


April Birthdays and Anniversaries

We wish the following parishioners a very happy April birthday:
Judy Wilkerson (Apr. 4), Michelle Irving (Apr. 6), Ralph Hausser (Apr. 8), Bill Wilkerson (Apr. 12), Walter Long (Apr. 13), Anne Weaver (Apr. 15), Ian Irving (Apr. 17), Chloe Carrera (Apr. 28), Claire Jones (Apr. 29)


And a very happy anniversary to:
Kelly & Suzette Puckett (Apr. 1)
Louann O'Bannion & Tom Sethre (Apr. 3)
Sarah Campbell & Charles Webb (Apr. 6)
Belinda & David McGhee (Apr. 17)
Carolyn Porter & David Stuart (Apr. 30)

Congratulations!

Hildegard's Illumination:  God of Love

St. Hildegard's Servant Leadership School spring class has been a deepening of  our understanding of the three Abrahamic faiths using Mirabai Starr's recent book, "God of Love: A Guide to the Heart of Judaism, Christianity and Islam" as well as Huston Smiths, "Islam: A Concise Introduction," as our focus.  Starr's fluid, skillful, writing both engages and elucidates with equanimity three great paths to knowing God, with the additional lens of the mysticism found in each faith.  Using her own unique path of practicing and studying mystical religious traditions, she is able to guide us to see those aspects more clearly.  The book is also deeply personal as she shares widely from her diverse and sometimes traumatic life experiences.  In addition to sharing our experiences of the material in the book, we also gathered to watch a movie on the life of Mohammed, hosted a Turkish Muslim couple who spoke with us about their faith, and some of us visited in their home for more conversation about religion and cultures while sharing traditional foods. 

 

Mirabai Starr will be in Austin May 3rd, at Unity Church of the Hills, leading a workshop "Opening to Love." 

          

Peace,

      Carol Mischke


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