Each Fall, St. George's gathers for a time of rest, relaxation, and community building at the

beautiful Well Spring Retreat Center on Wessendorff Ranch in the Texas Hill Country.

This year's retreat will be held from Friday, November 14 - Sunday, November 16.

 The retreat is dedicated to enriching our communal bonds as we enjoy times of worship, family and individual recreation, social activities, community building activities, and great food! There will be plenty of dedicated free time to enjoy the beautiful scenery of the Texas Hill Country, including the spectacular sight of the famous 'narrows.' Accommodations for families with children will be in motel style rooms with a dormitory arrangement for others when the motel rooms fill up. There are no single occupancy rooms. You are asked to bring your own bedding, beverages and snacks to share.

Registration forms will be mailed shortly. 

(Family Maximum cost is $125)
Friday - Sunday Adults: $45
Friday - Sunday Children: $25
Saturday Only Adults: $15
Saturday Only Children: $10

From Hollie Gordon:

The Outreach Ministry for September is the Storybook Project, which I became involved the spring of 2012. The mission of the Storybook Project is to connect children with their incarcerated mothers through literature. The first time I heard about the organization was from a customer at my clothing store. She was volunteering at the Gatesville prison and thought St. George's Outreach might be interested in participating.

Matthew 25:26

I was naked and you gave me clothes. I was sick, and you cared for me. I was in prison, and you visited me.

Whenever I read this passage, I thought about how I typically donated to charity. Yes, I could give clothes or money to the poor. Yes, I could care and visit the sick. However, I didn't know how I could contribute to those in prison. I also had no skills to help the offenders; I was not a social worker, minister, teacher, doctor, or nurse.

The more I found out about Storybook, the more I realized how important an organization like this is to help rehabilitate incarcerated women and allow them to maintain a connection to their children, who are suffering most of all. It is our goal to allow for mothers, who may have made some bad decisions, to still provide love and support to their children, so the healing can begin even before their sentence is over. There are several ways you can make a difference by donating your time or dollars.

Here are some suggestions for donating dollars and time:

• $25.00 will buy two new books, a mailer and postage for two children
• $50.00 will pay for gas for one month volunteers to travel to prisons
• $100.00 will purchase 8 digital recorders
• $400.00 will purchase a laptop with a cd burner
• Host an open book party
• Become a volunteer to go to the prisons
• Donate your time during the holiday book drive
• Organize a new book drive
• Organize classroom or scout projects

Did you know that people are more likely to attend church if they are invited by someone they know?

God calls us to share the good news of Jesus Christ and one way to do that is to offer an personal invitation to join the St. George's community in worship. 

On Sunday, September 21st, all are encouraged to invite family, friends, and neighbors to visit St. George's in the hopes that many who might not feel comfortable coming alone, will attend. Welcome cards with service time and information are available in the sanctuary.

Take a moment to prayerfully consider who in your life 

God may be preparing to  receive and accept an invitation to church. 

Altar flowers and candles are donated by parishioners in honor or in memory of a loved one or in thanksgiving for a blessing in your life. The candles are donated monthly, the flowers weekly. If you would like to sign up for one of the two Sundays available this year for flowers, either Sept. 28 or Nov. 23, simply add your name to the flower chart hanging in the Narthex of the church.  Be sure to print your name clearly and note their purpose so it can be acknowledged in the Sunday service bulletin.

A tax-free donation of $35.00 is requested for either flowers or candles. 

The donation can be made by check to St. George's Episcopal Church with "Altar Flowers/Candles" clearly noted on the memo line. Checks are preferable but If paying by cash, place it in an envelope marked "Altar Flowers/Candles" with your name clearly printed on the front for accurate accounting and place it in the alms basin. Please do not mail cash. Checks can be placed in the alms basin or mailed to the church office at 4301 N. I-35; Austin, Tx. 78722.

Sister Helena Marie, CHS, one of the 4 Sisters from Bluestone Farm in Brewster, NY, is visiting St. Hildegard's September 10-15.  The Community of the Holy Spirit is one of the sixteen traditional religious orders recognized by the Episcopal Church.  Besides the farm, they have a house in Manhattan where six Sisters live in a 'green' convent.  Since 1952 their charism has been education-originally elementary schools and, for the last decade, their organic farm has allowed a shift in focus to Earth education offered through retreats and opportunities to work the farm.  Cindy Ybarra and I had a wonderful retreat at Bluestone Farm in July 2013.   Besides being delighted with chanting the daily offices and the hands-on farming experience that included extracting honey, making wine and cheese, planting and harvesting diverse crops, and caring for chickens and cows, we found soul-sisters with common theology and interest in creative, inclusive liturgy and interspirituality.  The Constitution workgroup has been using the CHS constitution as a model as we've worked on writing ours this year.  With long experience as an Episcopal religious order, they can offer wisdom about life in community, the spiritual meaning of profession, formation and preparation, as well as listening to the Spirit guiding our journey.  Obviously there are significant differences between a traditional order and a Community, yet she can give both spiritual and practical help as we explore our call.  If you are curious see their website www.chssisters.org.  There's a profile of Sr. HM and the other sisters as http://holyspirit.squarespace.com/sisters-profiles/.  Her visit will be a 4-day retreat (a stay-retreat instead of a staycation) for St. Hildegard's.  Besides prayer, silence and group work, we'll be learning basic Gregorian chant, mutually sharing liturgies and music, and exploring other common interests. 

The journey continues.  We will soon send a draft of our Constitution for input from members and turn to writing our Rule of Life and Vows.  There is a still a lot of organizational work left, including making a bridge from our current membership structure to the new one and writing by-laws.  I am actively contacting bishops looking for one with time and interest in being our Bishop Visitor.  Focusing on the structure can be tedious so it's important to stay in touch with their reason for being-holding sacred space for the living water of God's love.  We're hoping that time with Sr. Helena Marie will help us weave both important strands together and that the Holy Spirit will fill us with grace and energy to continue on our adventure of God's call to community.

Thank you for your ongoing encouragement and prayers!

Blessings and peace,

Judith