May 30, 2024

Change To Communion Schedule

Please note: starting this Sunday, we are experimenting with shifting our regular communion schedule from the 1st and 3rd Sundays of the month to the 2nd and 4th Sundays. So, there will be no service of communion on Sunday the 2nd, but communion will be served on June 9th. 

Dementia Caregivers Support Group - Join Us June 1st At 10 AM!

Many of us have (or have lost) loved ones with dementia. A group of supportive UPC members and non-members meet each month via Zoom and share experiences, listen to each other, and provide insight as we navigate various challenges. Our June meeting is this Saturday, June 1st at 10am CT. Please join us or share the Zoom link with anyone you think might benefit from some friendly folks walking a similar journey. The Zoom link is listed below and to learn more, feel free to reach out to Joyce Davis at (512)563-4359 or joyceanndavis@yahoo.com.

Join Zoom Meeting here

Meeting ID: 918 6494 6367

Passcode: 841708

Property Vision Team Poll - 2 Days Left To Participate!

Your input is vital to this work and our future! The Property Vision Team will be spending the next six months with the congregation exploring our space needs in the future and how this will impact our overall mission, working from broad concepts down to narrow ones. Much of this work will be done by utilizing a polling/survey system and "round table" discussions with members. To begin our work, we will first take a look at our CORE - our UPC Needs - a sanctuary, meeting, office, education & gathering spaces, UPLift+. We will then move to MISSION – including Micah 6 & other collaborative missional works and lastly to NEIGHBORHOOD - including UT and our West Campus neighborhood.

We ask that you participate by filling out this poll linked here by THIS Friday, May 31st. We will be using this polling data from our members at the congregational gathering this Sunday, June 2nd following worship (also available via zoom here) where we will have an Update Report and engage in round table discussions based off our polling results. If you are unable to attend, please note we will host a zoom gathering with this same information on Thursday, June 13th at 5:30 PM. We will also be gathering at Westminster on Monday, June 10th from 12:30-2:00 PM in the Private Dining Room.

Should you have questions or comments, please email UPCpropertyvisionteam@gmail.com or Stephanie Morris at stephanietmorris@sbcglobal.net or 512-415-9797.

Living The Gospel In An Unjust World

MEETING TIME 10:00AM

Please join us for our UPC discussion class facilitated by Jon Eddison

Thursdays 10:00am-11:00am   ZOOM ONLY.

• Our class discussions include: Climate change (global heating), Christian nationalism, government control of healthcare (reproductive freedom, transgender care, access to care), insurance company control of healthcare, and the gun culture in America. We continue to address the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Please join us for this class as you are able. 
• Join us as we discuss major issues often avoided in church in this safe and supportive space.
• Class interest guides our choice of topics. (No homework, no required reading, and no tests.)  
• We discuss major issues, and how we as Christians can respond in these challenging times.  
• Living the Gospel is an obligation. It is lifelong learning. 
• We're all entitled to our own opinions, just not to our own facts. 
• You are very welcome in this group, you are welcome to invite friends, and you are very welcome to propose topics for discussion. 

Session Update & Commendations

During the May Session meeting, the new officers of the church were examined and will be installed/ordained at the Congregational Meeting following worship on

Sunday, June 2. The members of Session also reviewed March's financial statements with UPC's financial manager Loree Misch. Overall, UPC is on budget for the year thus far. 

Commendations:

• The entire PVT team for their work thus far.
• Rey Leggett for his tireless efforts to find an insurance option for UPC, as well as his commitment to other issues with maintaining UPC's facilities.
• Karl Spock for all of his work on policy updates related to Insurance.
• Trudi Capostosto for her years of dedication and commitment to UPC.
• Chancel Choir for providing consistently beautiful music, notably Easter and Easter Lessons and Carols.
• Max Werkenthin for donating a piano in Fellowship Hall.
• UKirk students who led worship on April 21, 2024.
• Session for supporting the nominating committee.
• Officers of the church who have served and are rotating off. 
• Those new coming on as officers of the church and their willingness to serve.
• Johnnie and the other nominating committee for all of their efforts.
• Johnnie for her spiritual involvement during Session meetings and at UPC.
• Claire Cummiskey for graduating with two master's degrees from Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary and University of Texas.
• David Angulo for graduating with his master's degree from Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary.
• Stephanie, Shelley, Dan, Sergio, John, Kate who have served the Session and UPC so faithfully over the past 3 years as they rotate off as Elders. 

UPC Bids Farewell To Antwan Pitman

This week, UPC’s Facilities Manager, Antwan Pitman, has left us in order to care for some family responsibilities, which may necessitate relocating out of Austin. We are so grateful for Antwan’s service with us, particularly for his work upgrading some of our key building systems, and we wish him nothing but the best. 

Going forward, the UPC Staff & Strategy and Facility Operations Committee are conferring on plans to find our next Facilities Manager. In the interim, we are grateful for the work that Luke Oglesby is already doing to clean and care for the building, and we are also soliciting bids from professional cleaning crews to ensure that we maintain a hospitable space.

Meet Our New Summer Facilities Assistant!

We are thrilled to introduce Luke Oglesby, our newest addition to the UPC team.

Luke will be working as a Summer Facilities Assistant and helping out with many UPC projects, please give Luke a warm welcome when you see him. 

A note from Luke:

Hello god loving and god-fearing people of UPC.

My name is Luke Oglesby and I will be helping out around the church as needed for the summer. I am a rising sophomore at Quinnipiac University studying computer information systems.

If you have attended long enough you may remember that I was confirmed at UPC and performed a rap song about my faith and beliefs. I can't wait to meet all of you around worship and develop eternal connections.

Luke. 

Come Join Summer Choir!

Summer choir starts Sunday June 2. Summer choir means no Wednesday rehearsals, no robes, no folders, no long-term commitment, nothing fancy or complicated or difficult, and you can sit with your family and friends in the congregation. Just show up any Sunday at 10am to review and then sing in worship an easy anthem supported by experienced choir members and section leaders all around you.

If you're thinking you can't join because you're not a "good" singer - that's not true! We're just a family in the church who loves learning, singing, and praising God in worship through song. And we can provide the music and a listening link ahead of time if you'd like. So...... we'd love to have YOU with us! For more information, contact Director of Music Kim Vitray, 512-658-8587, kim@upcaustin.org.

Runoff Elections On

May 28                                    

One election is to decide the winner of the Democratic Primary for the 3rd Court of Appeals, one of 14 intermediate appellate courts in Texas. The Court is composed of a Chief Justice and five justices that have jurisdiction of both civil and criminal cases appealed from lower courts in 24 counties of Texas. The winner of the runoff will face GOP candidate John Messinger, who currently works in the Office of the State Prosecuting Attorney, in November.

The other election is to decide the winner of the Republican Primary for U.S. Representative of District 35. The winner will face incumbent Greg Casar, D-Austin in November.

Note that voters who previously cast a ballot in either the Democratic or Republican primary on March 5 must vote in the same party’s runoff. Vote early May 20-24. Get a list of voting locations in Hays County, Travis County or Williamson County.

UPC Needleworkers                            

You are invited to join the UPC Needleworkers. We meet on the first Thursday of the month from 7:00 to 9:00 pm in the Fellowship Hall. Bring your current project—whether it be knitting, crocheting, embroidery, or any other type of handcraft—and enjoy chatting with other needleworkers.

Contact Liz Wright at elisabethw2013@gmail.com if you would like to be added to the email list for reminders.

Do You Have A Truck?

Micah 6 is seeking a dedicated volunteer with a truck or van to assist with weekly pickups at the food bank on Montopolis road. Every Thursday morning at 8:00 a.m., we collect over 3,000 pounds of fresh, refrigerated, frozen, and room temperature food. However, certain items like peanut butter are not always available. To maximize our collection efforts, we aim to gather as much as possible when these items are in stock and store them in the basement. Additionally, we are looking to introduce another pickup on Fridays at 11:30 a.m. If you have a large capacity vehicle and can spare time on either of these days, please contact Suzi Parker at 512-789-9368 for further details and to get involved. 

And don't forget to add a few items to your shopping basket - especially canned meats - and bring them on Sundays or any time you're near the church.

Small Ways To Make A Big Impact

UPLift, UPC’s ministry for our neighbors, has many ways to contribute besides financial. Just ask the folks who sit at the back table every Tuesday morning.

They’re the behind-the-scenes crew. What do they do? As with any other organization, there’s always paperwork: reviewing requests for help or preparing envelopes for the check writers, for instance. And there’s a bit of manual work, too, such as helping with setup and takedown.

If you have the time and interest, prayerfully consider how you might help. Then visit us any Tuesday morning starting at 9:30 to learn more. You can make a difference in others’ lives.

UPLift has many opportunities for generosity. This Sunday, please consider donating food and hygiene products (see the latest list below) and gift cards ($10 or $15 cards from

H-E-B and Walmart for prescription copays or from Goodwill).

This week’s food needs include:

This week’s food needs include:

• Oranges and apples
• Peanut butter – creamy
• Oatmeal
• Plastic bags - sandwich size
• Pinto beans

Hygiene needs include:

• Mosquito repellent
• Feminine pads
• Disposable razors
• Hand sanitizer and lotion
• Reading glasses

Thank you for making this life-changing ministry happen every Tuesday.

Flower Ministry

The new flower calendar for the second half of the year has been posted in the hallway.

Current Prayer List

Please continue in prayer this week for our entire prayer list of congregation members and friends 

linked here. This list will be continually updated to reflect submitted prayer requests from the past few weeks.