Liturgy 11-4-2018

This blog is a record of the call to worship, Scripture readings, and prayers from our Sunday liturgies.  If you are interested in writing something for the liturgy, or if you have a concern about any aspect of our liturgy, please email jamie@ubcwaco.org.

Call to Worship

we have gathered to worship the Eternal One

to learn to love God with all our heart,
with all our soul,
with all our mind,
and with all our strength
.

to enter the story of God and the people of God

to learn to see as God sees
to embrace life’s beauty
and live fully

that we might be formed in the way of Christ

and learn to love our neighbor as ourselves

Amen.

Scripture

Ruth 1:8-18

But Naomi said to her two daughters-in-law, “Go back each of you to your mother’s house. May the Lord deal kindly with you, as you have dealt with the dead and with me. The Lord grant that you may find security, each of you in the house of your husband.”

Then she kissed them, and they wept aloud. They said to her, “No, we will return with you to your people.”

But Naomi said, “Turn back, my daughters, why will you go with me? Do I still have sons in my womb that they may become your husbands? Turn back, my daughters, go your way, for I am too old to have a husband.

Even if I thought there was hope for me, even if I should have a husband tonight and bear sons, would you then wait until they were grown? Would you then refrain from marrying? No, my daughters, it has been far more bitter for me than for you, because the hand of the Lord has turned against me.”

Then they wept aloud again. Orpah kissed her mother-in-law, but Ruth clung to her.

So she said, “See, your sister-in-law has gone back to her people and to her gods; return after your sister-in-law.”

But Ruth said,

“Do not press me to leave you
   or to turn back from following you!
Where you go, I will go;
   where you lodge, I will lodge;
your people shall be my people,
   and your God my God.

Where you die, I will die—
   there will I be buried.
May the Lord do thus and so to me,
   and more as well,
if even death parts me from you!”

When Naomi saw that she was determined to go with her, she said no more to her.

Mark 12:28-34

One of the scribes came near and heard them disputing with one another, and seeing that Jesus answered them well, he asked him, “Which commandment is the first of all?” Jesus answered, “The first is, ‘Hear, O Israel: the Lord our God, the Lord is one; you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.’

The second is this, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.”

Then the scribe said to him, “You are right, Teacher; you have truly said that ‘he is one, and besides him there is no other’; and ‘to love him with all the heart, and with all the understanding, and with all the strength,’ and ‘to love one’s neighbor as oneself,’ —this is much more important than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.”

When Jesus saw that he answered wisely, he said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.” After that no one dared to ask him any question.


Setlist 11-4-2018

This past Sunday was the twenty-fourth Sunday after Pentecost.  Our songs were gathered with this in mind.  Below, you’ll find the list of the songs and artists. Clicking the song titles will take you to the lyrics.  Below the songs, you can find a brief example of one way you might think of these songs. If you want to talk about any of these, feel free to comment at the bottom of this page or email me at jamie@ubcwaco.org.

Songs:

Be Thou My Vision

Wayward Ones by The Gladsome Light

Pulse by ubcmusic

When the Saints Go Marching In by ??? [google for theories]

Crown Him With Many Crowns by ubcmusic (adapted from M. Bridges)

Doxology

How They Fit In:

There are many ways to think about the significance of songs and the way they fit together–-this is simply one way you can look at these songs in light of this week’s theme. 

Be Thou My Vision: We sang this song to begin our time asking God to transform our vision, wisdom, security, and hope.

Wayward Ones: This is our communion hymn, and it contemplates Christ's self-giving love that is displayed and remembered in the eucharist.

Pulse: This song is a prayer that God would reawaken us to the interconnectivity of creation, and to teach us to love our created neighbors as ourselves.

When The Saints Go Marching In: We sang this song because of the proximity of this Sunday to All Saints day. It invites us to reflect on our location within a long caravan of people following in the way of Christ.

Crown Him With Many Crowns: We sang this song to look over our shoulder at last week’s songs. This is what we said about Crown Him With Many Crowns then: This song invites us to give voice to the reign of Christ above every so-called authority, whose Kingdom is and is to come, and flips the script on our ideas of power and grandeur.

Doxology: We close our time together each week with this proclamation that God is worthy of praise from every inch of the cosmos. 

-JM

ITLOTC 11-2-18

ITLOTC

(In The Life Of The Church) 

Ordinary Time

All Saints (by jamie)

Greetings.  As you may know, yesterday was All Saints Day, and we had our first ever All Saints Liturgy.  For those of you who didn’t have a chance to attend, I wanted to use the newsletter to offer you the main takeaway you missed, because, like most stuff we’d get together to liturgy about, it’s applicable outside of that 40 minute window.

All Saints Day invites us to take the time to notice what we already know to be true: our experience of Christ, both what we come to know about Jesus, and how we experience his love, is, in large part, passed on to us by other people.  Even if you had some kind of experience where you simply read the Bible on a desert island, having a Bible to read at all is possible because there were people who experienced the Event of Christ who were so-moved to talk about it, and people who were compelled to pass these stories on and preserve them.  

But this is a Story that evades mere informational transference; it poses a question to us about the way we conduct our ordinary lives.  Will we seek to set our stumbling feet on the Way of Christ or not?  And what does that feeble dance look like in our time and place?  And alongside the story itself, we are offered the ways that people have answered those questions; sometimes propositionally, and sometimes via them reflecting Christ to us in ways great and small.

We might encounter these voices from afar, benefitting from their art or thought through the written word or digital reality, or we might encounter them in the embodied presence of ordinary living.  But many, if not most, of these Lights we encounter slip past our defenses in a way that might require us taking the time to reflect upon them to notice the gift that they have been to us.

This is part of what the All Saints Liturgy invited us into.  We gathered to remember those who have gone before us and to re-member ourselves to those at our sides.  

All people die, including the ones who have been flashes of Brilliance to us.  But even absent of the body, they have a home in our memory, shaping the contours of our imagination in concert with the Spirit, still standing as beacons that invite us into the question of what it is to be the Body of Christ in the world.  In remembering, we draw what might be passive influence to the surface for renewed engagement and deliberate gratitude.

The business of re-membering is similar, and equally important.  Ours is a world full of noise, and if we aren’t careful, the flashes of Light that line the paths of our ordinary days will be lost in this aimless sea.  The All Saints Liturgy invited us to think about the voices, the relationships, and the happenstance exposures, that offer the Light of Christ to us day to day.  This act of reflection allows us to embrace the beauty around us and deliberately claim it as part of us—to re-member these voices to our selves.

So, if you couldn’t make it last night: who are the people who have reflected the Light of Christ to you?  And what will do you with the Light you have received?  

As always, if you want to talk further about any of this, you can email me at jamie@ubcwaco.org—I’d love to get together.

Cesar Chavez Halloween Festival

Friends, CCMS needs our help!  They are having their annual Halloween Festival this Tuesday, and they still need two things:

- Candy - please bring any and all candy to UBC on Sunday to help with their festival

- Pumpkins - they will have a pumpkin painting station at the festival, and they would like a pumpkin for every kid.  please bring a pumpkin to UBC on Sunday as well.

OOTP Boys/Girls Night:

Friday, November 9, from 6-8 pm the 7th and up graders will have a boys/girls night! The boys will be cooking food over fire and the girls will have a dance party (maybe even a fashion show). We can’t wait!


Random Pic To Generate Clickbait Traffic

U2-1997-portrait-billboard-1548.jpg

Parishioner of the Week

Bridget Heins for planning “My family is coming to church breakfast.”

Work is Worship

Greeters:  Walters

Coffee Makers: Clarks Mi Casa

Mug Cleaners: 

Money Counter:  Newman

Welcome Station: 

Announcements

  • Sermon Text:

  • 11-9 Youth Boys and Girls Night (7-12)

  • 11-18 Youth Sunday

  • 11-4 Bring Parents to Church Day

  • 12/5 Pre-Pancake Party Mens and Womens college group

  • 12-9 Last Sunday of the fall semester/Christmas Youth (5-6)

  • 12-12 Last Wednesday of fall semester/Christmas party Youth (7-12)

Leadership Team

If you have a concern or an idea for UBC that you’d like to share with someone that is not on staff, feel free to contact one of our leadership team members. 

Chair- Adam Winn:  adamwinn68@yahoo.com

Byron Griffin: byrontgriffin@gmail.com

Kerri Fisher: Kerri_Fisher@baylor.edu

Emma Wood: emma.wood@yahoo.com

Bridget Heins: bheins@hot.rr.com

Jeremy Nance: Jeremy Nance

Joanna Sowards: jo.sowards@gmail.com

Student Position: Samuel Moore: samuel_moore2@baylor.edu

Student Position: Anna Carol Peery: anna_peery@baylor.edu

UBC Finance Team

Do you have a question about UBC’s financial affairs? Please feel free to contact any of your finance team members.

JD Newman: JD_Newman@baylor.edu 

Hannah Kuhl: HannahKuhl@hotmail.com  

Justin Pond: pondjw@gmail.com

Doug McNamee: douglas.mcnamee@gmail.com 

Catherine Ballas: catherine@refitrev.com

UBC HR Team

If you have concerns about staff and would like contact our human resources team, please feel free to email any of the following members.

Josh Blake: joshnblake@gmail.com

Ross Van Dyke: Ross_Vandyke@baylor.edu

Jared Gould: jared.gould1@gmail.com

Rebekah Powell: rpowell671@gmail.com

Kristen Richardson: wacorichardsons@gmail.com

Setlist 10-28-2018

This past Sunday was the twenty-second Sunday after Pentecost.  Our songs were gathered with this in mind, along with the fact that the sermon would be about Deconstruction.  Below, you’ll find the list of the songs and artists. Clicking the song titles will take you to the lyrics.  Below the songs, you can find a brief example of one way you might think of these songs. If you want to talk about any of these, feel free to comment at the bottom of this page or email me at jamie@ubcwaco.org.

Songs:

How Great Thou Art

Crown Him With Many Crowns by ubcmusic (adapted from M. Bridges)

Future/Past by John Mark McMillan

Waking Life by Jameson McGregor

Wideness by ubcmusic (adapted from F. Faber)

Doxology

How They Fit In:

There are many ways to think about the significance of songs and the way they fit together–-this is simply one way you can look at these songs in light of this week’s theme. 

How Great Thou Art: We sang this song to begin our time together focusing on attention on the God who is greater than our words can capture, who spun the cosmos, entered into our suffering, and is making all things new.

Crown Him With Many Crowns: This song invites us to give voice to the reign of Christ above every so-called authority, whose Kingdom is and is to come, and flips the script on our ideas of power and grandeur.

Future/Past: We sang this song to remember that the love of God comes to us across an impossible gap between what it is to be God and what it is to be human, and this love swallows up the whole of our numbered days.

Waking Life: This song is about God breaking into the systems we make with our brain to organize the world around us. This in-breaking calls into question the ways we reduce our neighbors to empty phrases, and the way we let ourselves off the hook for dehumanizing our enemies.

Wideness: We sang this song to look over our shoulder at last week’s songs. This is what we said about Wideness then: This song proclaims that God’s mercy is more complete than our minds can handle, and offers a word of repentance for the ways in which we represent God as less merciful than God is.

Doxology: We close our time together each week with this proclamation that God is worthy of praise from every inch of the cosmos. 

-JM

ITLOTC 10-28-18

ITLOTC

(In The Life Of The Church) 

What is saving your life right now? by Taylor

One of my favorite thought exercises comes via Barbara Brown Taylor in her book An Altar in the World. It is actually a fan favorite exercise among the staff at UBC (you might’ve heard us talk about it before) – and it is the question, “What is saving your life right now?” I have found that when the world is overwhelming and my brain starts to get swirly (swirly is the professional, technical term), “What is saving your life right now?” is often the perfect question to ask.

In An Altar in the World, Barbara Brown Taylor describes her introduction to this question by telling the following story:

Many years ago now, a wise old priest invited me to come speak at his church in Alabama. “What do you want me to talk about?” I asked him. “Come tell us what is saving your life now,” he answered.  

It was as if he had swept his arm across a dusty table and brushed all the formal china to the ground. I did not have to try to say correct things that were true for everyone. I did not have to use theological language that conformed to the historical teachings of the church. All I had to do was figure out what my life depended on. All I had to do was figure out how I stayed as close to that reality as I could, and then find some way to talk about it that helped my listeners figure out those same things for themselves.

 

One of the reasons that I am so into this question is because it offers me the freedom that Taylor describes here. So often when I am in reflection or prayer I feel an old temptation to say or think just the right thing. As if saying or thinking the exact right combination of words will make my thoughts some how more holy. But the fact of the matter is that there is no combination of words or actions that I can complete that make me more holy. And the fact of the matter is that God has not asked for the holiest version of me. But God has asked for all of me, just the way that I am, and right now. And God has promised to take care of the rest.

So, with honesty in mind I’ll share you what’s saving my life right now: Dr. Pepper, my dog Ruthie, the fact that my sister puts up with the most annoying version of me and loves me anyways, the videos that the Mills have been posting of themselves singing while they drive their kids to school, an old ABC Family show called Greek, every glimpse of the sun, and the UBCMusic ep. I don’t know that that’s a particularly holy list. But I see God all the way through it. And that makes my brain just a little less swirly.

What’s saving your life right now?

As always, I’d love to talk to you about any of this if you have thoughts or questions or just want to get together. You can always email me at taylor@ubcwaco.org.

Connection Lunch

After church on Sunday, go grab some food and come back. We’re going to be eating together, getting to know each other, and discussing some of the data from this summer’s care survey.

Youth Halloween Party 

Wednesday, October 31 from 6:00 – 8:00 PM we will have our all youth Halloween party. We will have dinner, a costume contest, fall games, and a Bible Ghost story. This event is for all youths 5th – 12th grade!!

All Saints Day Liturgy

On Thursday, November 1st, we’ll gather for an All Saints Day liturgy in the Backside at 5:30pm. This will be a time of prayer, remembering the dead who have been Christ to us, and reflecting on the living in our lives who reflect the light of Christ to us.

Cesar Chavez Halloween Festival

Friends, CCMS needs our help!  They are having their annual Halloween Festival this Tuesday, and they still need two things:

- Candy - please bring any and all candy to UBC on Sunday to help with their festival

- Pumpkins - they will have a pumpkin painting station at the festival, and they would like a pumpkin for every kid.  please bring a pumpkin to UBC on Sunday as well

BYFTCD (It is our first annual Bring Your Family to Church Day)

It will be Homecoming weekend at Baylor, so we will have a lot of families in from out of town.  If you are student, what better way to show your family you are plugged into a church than to feed them!  We will be having a breakfast for families at 9:30, on November 4th.  UBC, we need your to help to provide for breakfast.  On Sunday, please sign-up to bring some fruit, pigs n blanket, etc…  There will be a sign-up sheet in the foyer, or you can email bheins@hot.rr.com for more information.  

Random Pic To Generate Clickbait Traffic

nintchdbpict000000847724-e1484344192888.jpg

Parishioner of the Week

Ricky “the dragon steamboat” Lhotan for being promoted to lieutenant jr. grade as a navy chaplain this past weekend. Ricky we are proud of you and pray that you will be a minister of peace in a violent world.

Work is Worship

Greeters:  Blaylock

Coffee Makers: Bella Sacco

Mug Cleaners:  Cooleys

Money Counter:  Kuhl

Welcome Station: Broadduses

Announcements

  • Sermon Text: Job 42:1-9 “Formation Part 4: Mysticism”

  • 10-27 Women’s college group service project

  • 10-31 OOTP Halloween Party

  • 11-1 All Saints Liturgy (Backside @ 5:30)

  • 11-9 Youth Boys and Girls Night (7-12)

  • 11-18 Youth Sunday

  • 11-4 Bring Parents to Church Day

  • 12/5 Pre-Pancake Party Mens and Womens college group

  • 12-9 Last Sunday of the fall semester/Christmas Youth (5-6)

  • 12-12 Last Wednesday of fall semester/Christmas party Youth (7-12)

Leadership Team

If you have a concern or an idea for UBC that you’d like to share with someone that is not on staff, feel free to contact one of our leadership team members. 

Chair- Adam Winn:  adamwinn68@yahoo.com

Byron Griffin: byrontgriffin@gmail.com

Kerri Fisher: Kerri_Fisher@baylor.edu

Emma Wood: emma.wood@yahoo.com

Bridget Heins: bheins@hot.rr.com

Jeremy Nance: Jeremy Nance

Joanna Sowards: jo.sowards@gmail.com

Student Position: Samuel Moore: samuel_moore2@baylor.edu

Student Position: Anna Carol Peery: anna_peery@baylor.edu

UBC Finance Team

Do you have a question about UBC’s financial affairs? Please feel free to contact any of your finance team members.

JD Newman: JD_Newman@baylor.edu 

Hannah Kuhl: HannahKuhl@hotmail.com  

Justin Pond: pondjw@gmail.com

Doug McNamee: douglas.mcnamee@gmail.com 

Catherine Ballas: catherine@refitrev.com

UBC HR Team

If you have concerns about staff and would like contact our human resources team, please feel free to email any of the following members.

Josh Blake: joshnblake@gmail.com

Ross Van Dyke: Ross_Vandyke@baylor.edu

Jared Gould: jared.gould1@gmail.com

Rebekah Powell: rpowell671@gmail.com

Kristen Richardson: wacorichardsons@gmail.com







Liturgy 10-21-2018

This blog is a record of the call to worship, Scripture readings, and prayers from our Sunday liturgies.  If you are interested in writing something for the liturgy, or if you have a concern about any aspect of our liturgy, please email jamie@ubcwaco.org.

Call to Worship

we have gathered to worship the Eternal One

the One who draws near to us but evades our grasp
the One who outshines our greatest hopes

to direct our attention to the story of God and the people of God

to enter the Story
and find our own stories transformed

seeking the Spirit of God to form us more fully in the way of Christ

to hold us together in our uncertainty
to hold us together in our love
to hold us together

Amen.

Scripture

Job 2:11-13; 3:1-10, 20-26

Now when Job’s three friends heard of all these troubles that had come upon him, each of them set out from his home—Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite.

They met together to go and console and comfort him. When they saw him from a distance, they did not recognize him, and they raised their voices and wept aloud; they tore their robes and threw dust in the air upon their heads.

They sat with him on the ground seven days and seven nights, and no one spoke a word to him, for they saw that his suffering was very great.

After this Job opened his mouth and cursed the day of his birth. Job said:

“Let the day perish in which I was born,
   and the night that said,
   ‘A man-child is conceived.’
Let that day be darkness!
   May God above not seek it,
   or light shine on it.

Let gloom and deep darkness claim it.
   Let clouds settle upon it;
   let the blackness of the day terrify it.
That night—let thick darkness seize it!
   let it not rejoice among the days of the year;
   let it not come into the number of the months.

Yes, let that night be barren;
   let no joyful cry be heard in it.
Let those curse it who curse the Sea,
   those who are skilled to rouse up Leviathan.

Let the stars of its dawn be dark;
   let it hope for light, but have none;
   may it not see the eyelids of the morning—
because it did not shut the doors of my mother’s womb,
   and hide trouble from my eyes.

“Why is light given to one in misery,
   and life to the bitter in soul,
who long for death, but it does not come,
   and dig for it more than for hidden treasures;
who rejoice exceedingly,
   and are glad when they find the grave?

Why is light given to one who cannot see the way,
   whom God has fenced in?
For my sighing comes like my bread,
   and my groanings are poured out like water.
Truly the thing that I fear comes upon me,
   and what I dread befalls me.
I am not at ease, nor am I quiet;
   I have no rest; but trouble comes.”

Mark 10:35-45

James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came forward to Jesus and said to him, “Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask of you.” And he said to them, “What is it you want me to do for you?” And they said to him, “Grant us to sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your glory.”

But Jesus said to them, “You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, or be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?” They replied, “We are able.” Then Jesus said to them, “The cup that I drink you will drink; and with the baptism with which I am baptized, you will be baptized; but to sit at my right hand or at my left is not mine to grant, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared.”

When the ten heard this, they began to be angry with James and John. So Jesus called them and said to them, “You know that among the Gentiles those whom they recognize as their rulers lord it over them, and their great ones are tyrants over them.

But it is not so among you; but whoever wishes to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wishes to be first among you must be slave of all. For the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many.”

Prayer

This week’s prayer was from Søren Kierkegaard (The Prayers of Kierkegaard, p. 30):

Father in Heaven! Draw our hearts to Thee, that our heart may be where our treasure must be, that our thoughts may aspire to Thy kingdom where our citizenship is so that our departure when Thou shalt call us may not be a painful separation from this world but a blissful reunion with Thee. Still we do not know the time or the season; perhaps it is still far from us. But when at times our strength is taken from us, when lassitude overcomes us like a kind of fog in which our visions plunged as into a dark night, when our desires, our impatience, and our anger are stirred up, when our hearts tremble in anxiety awaiting what is to come, then, O Lord our God, teach us and strengthen this conviction in our hearts, that also in this life we belong to Thee. Amen.

Setlist 10-21-2018

This past Sunday was the twenty-second Sunday after Pentecost.  Our songs were gathered with this in mind, along with the fact that the sermon would be about Deconstruction.  Below, you’ll find the list of the songs and artists. Clicking the song titles will take you to the lyrics.  Below the songs, you can find a brief example of one way you might think of these songs. If you want to talk about any of these, feel free to comment at the bottom of this page or email me at jamie@ubcwaco.org.

Songs:

Wild One by Jameson McGregor

Wideness by ubcmusic (adapted from F. Faber)

Where God Has Always Been by Jameson McGregor

Collision/Dread by Jameson McGregor

Pulse by ubcmusic

Doxology

How They Fit In:

There are many ways to think about the significance of songs and the way they fit together–-this is simply one way you can look at these songs in light of this week’s theme. 

Wild One: We began with this song as a way to speak the truth that God is greater than our greatest ideas about who God is, and crushes the idols we make our of our notions of God. It also invites us to consider the areas of our theological systems that we have elevated beyond their station.

Wideness: This song proclaims that God’s mercy is more complete than our minds can handle, and offers a word of repentance for the ways in which we represent God as less merciful than God is.

Where God Has Always Been: This song celebrates the One who is near to the weary and lifts up the lowly.

Collision/Dread: This song is a mashup of two short songs about the experience of existential anxiety, the feeling of absence that such a state brings, and suggests that God is not hiding apart from our pain, but is instead found within our pain.

Pulse: This song is a confession that our loves are fragile and selective, and invites the Spirit to reawaken us to the interconnectivity of creation.

Doxology: We close our time together each week with this proclamation that God is worthy of praise from every inch of the cosmos. 

-JM

ITLOTC 10-19-18

ITLOTC

(In The Life Of The Church) 

Ordinary Time

On Evangelicalism by Kim



Some of you may not know who I am, but I am the current office manager for UBC and am lucky enough to be on staff with our wonderful full-time pastors. Really, working in the office is super fun and I can’t imagine a better work environment. 

--

These last couple of weeks we’ve heard about Fundamentalism and Evangelicalism from the pulpit as important parts of our Christian faith. I grew up in a Southern Baptist church where my parents were both leaders, and I learned a lot. I was a professional when it came to memorizing scripture in AWANA (Approved Work[wo]men Are Not Ashamed), was the first to answer my Sunday School teachers’ questions, and knew what it meant to do the right thing. I had the fundamentals down. I also was very passionate about my faith: I joined the signing (a sign language interpretative dance) team at church, sought to talk about Jesus with my friends, sang in the youth praise team, and believed that my mission-field was my high school. 

I’ve grown since then, but I’ve realized my soul misses some of the things it grew up with. There’s a certain certainty that goes with these two traditions that I cannot grasp any longer, but it doesn’t mean I shouldn’t try (yes, I am an Enneagram 1). One of the ways that I need to feed my soul is through reading scripture, and it can be terribly boring sometimes. Even though I grew up reading and being taught the Bible by my parents and pastors throughout my life, there is something about taking the time out of my busy day to sit and read this book that has made it through centuries to be present in front of me so I can glimpse into the story of our Creator. 

I find God’s fingerprint in a lot of things: Science Fiction, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, when my cat is playing, the beauty of flowers and plants, in my family and friends, and in the puppy that is about to be a part of our family. All of these things draw me into a peace to be in the presence of God and they are important, but I would argue the Bible is a different kind of important. There is wisdom in it that is unseen today in Proverbs and Ecclesiastes. There are stories that lead us to a new understanding of God and how God has worked among God’s people since the beginning of time. There are wars, crimes, and injustices that are historical and representative of a time period that none of us would dream of living in. And there is the story of Jesus; his teachings urge us to live better, his miracles show us that God still cares, and his death leads us to die to our own selves so we can live new lives. Karl Barth says it clearest:

A professor of theology once told me that he had learned much more from his devout mother than from the whole Bible. To this our reply must be that recognition of the special dignity of the biblical witness is not a matter of one experience among others. It is all very well to realize, perhaps, that one may learn more from all kinds of greater or lesser prophets or apostles of a later period, or even of our own time, than from reading the Bible. Yet the issue is not where we learn most, but where we learn the one thing, the truth. It is not a matter of arguing that the Bible is the finest book, but that it is the standard of all fine books.

Evangelicalism, for me, is about acting out my beliefs—what I believe to be true about scripture, true about God, and true about my role in this continuing story of life in Christ. And though some things can be confusing in scripture, even the difficult things are somehow God’s words to us. And because of that, I owe it to myself and God to actively read it and try to understand it. 

I invite you to think about what you miss from your Evangelical background, if that is your background. What were things from your childhood that you enjoyed about church? Or if you converted to Evangelicalism later, what moved you about the new faith you found? And if you miss the vibrancy of your old faith, what do you think changed? 

Grace and Peace to you all. Come say hi to me on Sunday!

Kim Stübben

UBC x 7th & James Stay in Retreat

This year we are partnering with 7th and James to host our first ever fall retreat! The event will be Friday October 26 from 7:00 PM till Saturday October 27 at 10:00 PM. Worship, games, and meals will be at UBC, while the students will stay at the Eikenhort's (boys) and Burn's (girls) houses on Friday Night! The theme is κύριος, and we will study how Jesus functions as our priest, prophet, and king. Pray for the 38 students and leaders currently have signed up!

Youth Halloween Party 

Wednesday, October 31 from 6:00 – 8:00 PM we will have our all youth Halloween party. We will have dinner, a costume contest, fall games, and a Bible Ghost story. This event is for all youths 5th – 12th grade!!

Unbound

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Random Pic To Generate Clickbait Traffic

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Parishioner of the Week

Shane Ward for being commissioned and entering the Navy Chaplaincy Program.

Work is Worship

Greeters:  Richardsons

Coffee Makers: Joneses

Mug Cleaners:  Andrew S - C

Money Counter:  Ballas

Welcome Station: 

Announcements

  • Sermon Text: Job 2:10b-13 “Formation Part 3: Deconstruction”

  • 10-26/27 Stay in Retreat for youth (7-12)

  • 10-27 Womens college group service project

  • 10-31 OOTP Halloween Party

  • 11-9 Youth Boys and Girls Night (7-12)

  • 11-18 Youth Sunday

  • 11-4 Bring Parents to Church Day

  • 12/5 Pre-Pancake Party Mens and Womens college group

  • 12-9 Last Sunday of the fall semester/Christmas Youth (5-6)

  • 12-12 Last Wednesday of fall semester/Christmas party Youth (7-12)

Leadership Team

If you have a concern or an idea for UBC that you’d like to share with someone that is not on staff, feel free to contact one of our leadership team members. 

Chair- Adam Winn:  adamwinn68@yahoo.com

Byron Griffin: byrontgriffin@gmail.com

Kerri Fisher: Kerri_Fisher@baylor.edu

Emma Wood: emma.wood@yahoo.com

Bridget Heins: bheins@hot.rr.com

Jeremy Nance: Jeremy Nance

Joanna Sowards: jo.sowards@gmail.com

Student Position: Samuel Moore: samuel_moore2@baylor.edu

Student Position: Anna Carol Peery: anna_peery@baylor.edu

UBC Finance Team

Do you have a question about UBC’s financial affairs? Please feel free to contact any of your finance team members.

JD Newman: JD_Newman@baylor.edu 

Hannah Kuhl: HannahKuhl@hotmail.com  

Justin Pond: pondjw@gmail.com

Doug McNamee: douglas.mcnamee@gmail.com 

Catherine Ballas: catherine@refitrev.com

UBC HR Team

If you have concerns about staff and would like contact our human resources team, please feel free to email any of the following members.

Josh Blake: joshnblake@gmail.com

Ross Van Dyke: Ross_Vandyke@baylor.edu

Jared Gould: jared.gould1@gmail.com

Rebekah Powell: rpowell671@gmail.com

Kristen Richardson: wacorichardsons@gmail.com



10-14-18

ITLOTC

(In The Life Of The Church) 

Ordinary Time

UBC Rock and Roll Album

Today one Jamie McGregor the UBC eschatological victory choir (AKA my name for the rest of the band) dropped a new album like a hot cake. Spotify & itunes.

In light of the monumental achievement I’d like to say a few words about Jamie.

  1. Jamie is a great theologian. theology is historical. It can be pieced together systematically, but my favorite kind of theology is creative theology. Creative theology in my mind takes the tradition into account, understands the rules of the game and then says something beautiful in light of past, present and future. Good theologians do theology for today. Jamie does that.

  2. Jamie is a great lyricist. I’ve tried to love poetry my whole life. I’m more of a Miller Lite and Green Bay Packers guy. That being said I think I know enough to know what I’m not good at, so that I can marvel at it when I see it. Finding a perfect word that unlocks meaning placed along side other perfect words which as a whole become the lyrics of a song … well that’s like … well … I’ve already established that I’m not a poet, but the point is Jamie would have found the perfect simile there. Also just go listen to other Christian music, then you’ll know what I mean.

  3. Jamie is a great pastor. I think all of us that pastor at UBC have different gifts. Sometimes those blend together in similarity. In some ways Jamie and I couldn’t be more opposite. I think that makes the worship experience diverse. He understands and is sensitive to needs and themes that I can only comprehend intellectually. I’m grateful for ying to my yang.

  4. Jamie is a great intellect. I’m not sure i’m using that word correctly, but you know what I mean. I love going into Jamie’s office and striking up conversations about futurism, cultural movements, ideas, theology, philosophy, and everything that isn’t sports. In all these things Jamie will bring an “A” game and if I listen closely I usually learn something pretty interesting.

  5. Jamie is a great human. I don’t think I know many other people who think so hard about how to care for other people.

Town Hall

We will be having our town hall this Sunday after church. By way of motivation, we have an initial sketch of the building completed.

SWCC Halloween Festival - October 17th

Friends, we need your help!!!  Our annual Halloween Festival with the South Waco Community Center is coming up, and we still need around 30-40 more people to sign-up.  You will be able to sign-up this Sunday, and next, or you can email toph@ubcwaco.org  The event will be from 6-8pm, but we will need volunteers there by 5:30pm to get set up for their game or inflatable.  This year we will be handing out volunteer bracelets, so please feel free, and encouraged, to dress up!  This is going to be even bigger and better than years past, and we need you to make it happen.  #yourbesthalloweentwoweeksearly

Fall Retreat (Juniors/Seniors) - October 18-21st

Our annual fall retreat is coming up for upperclassmen, and there are some still some spots left for you to sign-up.  The cost is only $40, and we are heading to down to a front row beach house in Jamaica Beach………TX.  This will be a wonderful time of getting to know other students, some formative discussions, and lots of leisure time.  If you have any questions, please email toph@ubcwaco.org  

5th-6th Grade Lock In

On October 19th bring your sleeping bags, sugar filled candy, and flashlights because the UBC youth is having a Lock for our 5-6 grade students! This Event will be at UBC on Friday October 19th from 6:00 PM to Saturday October 20th at 9:00 AM. The giant sleepover will be full of formation time, games, food, and other shenanigans. Please email Dilan or Hannah by 10/12 to RSVP and confirm your spot. The event will be free #thankyouTacoFundraiser

Random Pic To Generate Clickbait Traffic

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Parishioner of the Week
Kerri Fisher for leading the staff in a training on humility and understanding diversity.

Work is Worship

Greeters:  Ricky

Coffee Makers: Clark Mi Casa

Mug Cleaners:  Bri Childs

Money Counter:  Kuhl

Welcome Station:  Rose & Adam

Announcements

  • Sermon Text: Job 19:23-27 “Formation Part 2: Evangelicalism”

  • 10-17 Halloween Festival at South Waco Community Center

  • 10-18/21 Junior & Senior Fall Retreat

  • 10-19 Youth Lock In (5-6)

  • 10-26/27 Stay in Retreat for youth (7-12)

  • 10-27 Womens college group service project

  • 10-31 OOTP Halloween Party

  • 11-9 Youth Boys and Girls Night (7-12)

  • 11-18 Youth Sunday

  • 11-4 Bring Parents to Church Day

  • 12/5 Pre-Pancake Party Mens and Womens college group

  • 12-9 Last Sunday of the fall semester/Christmas Youth (5-6)

  • 12-12 Last Wednesday of fall semester/Christmas party Youth (7-12)

Leadership Team

If you have a concern or an idea for UBC that you’d like to share with someone that is not on staff, feel free to contact one of our leadership team members. 

Chair- Adam Winn:  adamwinn68@yahoo.com

Byron Griffin: byrontgriffin@gmail.com

Kerri Fisher: Kerri_Fisher@baylor.edu

Emma Wood: emma.wood@yahoo.com

Bridget Heins: bheins@hot.rr.com

Jeremy Nance: Jeremy Nance

Joanna Sowards: jo.sowards@gmail.com

Student Position: Samuel Moore: samuel_moore2@baylor.edu

Student Position: Anna Carol Peery: anna_peery@baylor.edu

UBC Finance Team

Do you have a question about UBC’s financial affairs? Please feel free to contact any of your finance team members.

JD Newman: JD_Newman@baylor.edu 

Hannah Kuhl: HannahKuhl@hotmail.com  

Justin Pond: pondjw@gmail.com

Doug McNamee: douglas.mcnamee@gmail.com 

Catherine Ballas: catherine@refitrev.com

UBC HR Team

If you have concerns about staff and would like contact our human resources team, please feel free to email any of the following members.

Josh Blake: joshnblake@gmail.com

Ross Van Dyke: Ross_Vandyke@baylor.edu

Jared Gould: jared.gould1@gmail.com

Rebekah Powell: rpowell671@gmail.com

Kristen Richardson: wacorichardsons@gmail.com



Liturgy 10-7-2018

This blog is a record of the call to worship, Scripture readings, and prayers from our Sunday liturgies.  If you are interested in writing something for the liturgy, or if you have a concern about any aspect of our liturgy, please email jamie@ubcwaco.org.

Call to Worship

we have gathered to worship the Living God

the one in whom we live and move and have our being

to enter the story of God and the people of God

and find our own stories changed

hoping the Spirit of God shape our imaginations and rewire our hearts

that we might be formed in the way of Christ
and learn to be the presence of Christ in our time and place

amen.

Scripture

Job 1:1; 2:1-10

There was once a man in the land of Uz whose name was Job. That man was blameless and upright, one who feared God and turned away from evil.

One day the heavenly beings came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came among them to present himself before the Lord. The Lord said to Satan, “Where have you come from?”

Satan answered the Lord, “From going to and fro on the earth, and from walking up and down on it.” The Lord said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job? There is no one like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man who fears God and turns away from evil. He still persists in his integrity, although you incited me against him, to destroy him for no reason.”

Then Satan answered the Lord, “Skin for skin! All that people have they will give to save their lives. But stretch out your hand now and touch his bone and his flesh, and he will curse you to your face.” The Lord said to Satan, “Very well, he is in your power; only spare his life.”

So Satan went out from the presence of the Lord, and inflicted loathsome sores on Job from the sole of his foot to the crown of his head. Job took a potsherd with which to scrape himself, and sat among the ashes.

Then his wife said to him, “Do you still persist in your integrity? Curse God, and die.” But he said to her, “You speak as any foolish woman would speak. Shall we receive the good at the hand of God, and not receive the bad?” In all this Job did not sin with his lips.

Mark 10:13-16

People were bringing little children to him in order that he might touch them; and the disciples spoke sternly to them. But when Jesus saw this, he was indignant and said to them, “Let the little children come to me; do not stop them; for it is to such as these that the kingdom of God belongs.

Truly I tell you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will never enter it.” And he took them up in his arms, laid his hands on them, and blessed them.


Setlist 10-7-2018

This past Sunday was the twentieth Sunday after Pentecost.  Our songs were gathered with this in mind.  Below, you’ll find the list of the songs and artists. Clicking the song titles will take you to the lyrics.  Below the songs, you can find a brief example of one way you might think of these songs. If you want to talk about any of these, feel free to comment at the bottom of this page or email me at jamie@ubcwaco.org.

Songs:

Mystery by ubcmusic (adapted from Charlie Hall)

Wayward Ones by The Gladsome Light

Up On A Mountain by The Welcome Wagon

Mother by Jameson McGregor

All Creatures of Our God and King by David Crowder* Band

Doxology

How They Fit In:

There are many ways to think about the significance of songs and the way they fit together–-this is simply one way you can look at these songs in light of this week’s theme. 

Mystery: We sang this song to proclaim the death, resurrection, and return of Christ, and to embrace the story that this Event imposes on our reality.

Wayward Ones: This is our communion hymn, and it contemplates Christ's self-giving love that is displayed and remembered in the eucharist.

Up On A Mountain: This song reminds us that Jesus entered fully into our suffering and occupies the space of our pain through the Spirit even now.

Mother: This song makes use of maternal images to think of the ways that God cares for and protects us.

All Creatures of Our God and King: We sang this song to look over our shoulder at last week’s songs. This is what we said about All Creatures then: We sang this song to join our voices to the whole of creation in acknowledging the grandeur of the Creator.

Doxology: We close our time together each week with this proclamation that God is worthy of praise from every inch of the cosmos. 

-JM

ITLOTC 10-5-18

ITLOTC

(In The Life Of The Church) 

Ordinary Time

ubcmusic, vol. 1 (by jamie)

Hello humans. I hope this finds you well. If you were in church last Sunday, you know that the ep we have been working on is now complete and is set to release to the world one week from today (10/12).

I’m really excited for that to happen. Recording these songs has been a great experience, and it’s been cool to watch them evolve as we sat in the studio and picked them apart. There was a lot of time and sweat (i don’t think any blood or tears) invested in getting these songs fleshed out. Jack Parker took on the role of producer and pushed us to get out of the mindset of playing the songs as we always have, and move more into the headspace of what the songs could be. His lifetime of experience and immense talent were a true gift to have on this journey.

A rundown of the musicians on the record is as follows: I sang and played guitar, Natalie Ramirez sang, Byron Griffin played guitar, and Jacob Robinson (who is dearly missed) played bass, piano, and synth drums. Bwack (drummer from DC*B and The Digital Age—read: ubcmusic veteran) played drums. [Colton, our current drummer, had been in the band for about a week when we began recording drums, so we didn’t think it would be right to throw him into the scrutiny of studio time right out of the gate.] In addition to engineering and producing the project, Jack Parker also played guitar (he is very good at that, and has been playing in the band on Sundays whenever he’s not out with Chris Tomlin for most of this year).

I feel very fortunate to be called ubc’s worship & arts pastor. I’ve been doing this for almost 4 years, and it still feels like an immense gift. It is my dream job. Thank you for letting me do this.

Like I said, the ep will release one week from today. But I don’t see any reason why any of you should have to wait until then to have it. So you can download it here:

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/yhwbb4ypkmr8hp6/AACpR9QVJIYHKrH9H6P6cLoPa?dl=0

Godspell

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Baylor Theatre is in the middle of a three week run of Godspell. There will be Sunday matinees (2pm) for the next two weeks, as well as 7:30pm shows on October 9-12. It’s sure to be a fun time, but if you need any extra convincing, there are several ubcers attached to this project—Stan Denman, Reagan Seiler, and Andrew Sabonis-Chafee (apologies if I forgot someone)—and we want to support the art they’re making. Here’s the promo video:

 

SWCC Halloween Festival - October 17th

Friends, we need your help!!!  Our annual Halloween Festival with the South Waco Community Center is coming up, and we still need around 30-40 more people to sign-up.  You will be able to sign-up this Sunday, and next, or you can email toph@ubcwaco.org  The event will be from 6-8pm, but we will need volunteers there by 5:30pm to get set up for their game or inflatable.  This year we will be handing out volunteer bracelets, so please feel free, and encouraged, to dress up!  This is going to be even bigger and better than years past, and we need you to make it happen.  #yourbesthalloweentwoweeksearly

Fall Retreat (Juniors/Seniors) - October 18-21st

Our annual fall retreat is coming up for upperclassmen, and there are some still some spots left for you to sign-up.  The cost is only $40, and we are heading to down to a front row beach house in Jamaica Beach………TX.  This will be a wonderful time of getting to know other students, some formative discussions, and lots of leisure time.  If you have any questions, please email toph@ubcwaco.org  

5th-6th Grade Lock In

On October 19th bring your sleeping bags, sugar filled candy, and flashlights because the UBC youth is having a Lock for our 5-6 grade students! This Event will be at UBC on Friday October 19th from 6:00 PM to Saturday October 20th at 9:00 AM. The giant sleepover will be full of formation time, games, food, and other shenanigans. Please email Dilan or Hannah by 10/12 to RSVP and confirm your spot. The event will be free #thankyouTacoFundraiser

Satan Slayer Recap (By Sarah Hamill)

Everybody loves a good baseball movie. This week’s double header reminded me of the beloved family sports comedy-drama, Angels in the Outfield. In short, young Joseph Gordon-Levitt is told by his estranged father that if worst-team-in-the-league Anaheim Angels win the pennant, he’ll reunite their family. Seems heavy for baseball, but okay. JGL sends up a prayer. It is answered.

Unbeknownst to the crowds, a team of OG-angels led by Christopher Lloyd (old guy from Back to the Future) perform a series of “miracles” that help the baseball-angels win a few games, and eventually rise to the top of their division halfway through the season.

And it all started with a fan.

Our team has been using the first few games of the season to establish ourselves as the underdog of the church league, and not to brag, but we’ve done an exceptional job. However, we all know that the best part of any underdog story is when the angels finally show up, start pulling their own weight, and singlehandedly win every game for said team from then on out. Unfortunately, recent events have made it clear that, despite the weight of slaying Satan being placed upon our collective shoulders, we won’t reap the same benefits until our fans send up some love on our behalf, JGL-style.

So should you decide to come support us, what can you expect? First, you might be the only one sitting on our side of the stands. Well actually, I take that back. The other teams have had so many people show up that they’ve been using our side for overflow. Humiliating, but less so only to being relentlessly berated by two 8-year-olds sitting in the other team’s dugout.

Second, and most importantly, you’ll be treated to the best show of optimism and varying hand-eye capabilities that have ever coexisted on a single baseball diamond. A guy with a beard (making him easily distinguishable from the rest of the men at UBC) hit a home run. In the park, but it’s early in the season so we’ll count it. There were some near-catches that had the potential to be seriously impressive, and a few slayers fell down made diving plays (with no injuries!).  

Our pitching was consistent and received praise like, “get in the box, wait forever, and then wait a little longer” from the opposing coaches. Our offensive strategy progressed from “just make contact” to “you’re immediately out if you hit a line drive at the pitcher, how dare you, get back in the dugout.” Things are looking up.

So I depart with this- at the end of Angels in the Outfield, Maggie Nelson confronts the Angels’ skeptical CEO with the iconic line, “it’s like you’re saying it’s okay to believe in God, but it’s not okay to believe in [the UBC Waco Satan Slayers]. Now, I thought they were on the same team.”  

Well UBC, we are on the same team, we do want you to believe in us, and we will do our best to be something you can believe in.

Bottom line, come to our games.

Slayingly,

#21

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Parishioner of the Week

The youth parents who all helped make the taco thing a huge hit. Our youth raised almost $1,300!!! thank you to all of you who ate and gave generously.

Work is Worship

Greeters:  Walters

Coffee Makers: College Women’s Group

Mug Cleaners:  Glovers

Money Counter:  Newman

Welcome Station:  Kareem & Jake

Announcements

  • Sermon Text: Mark 10:2-16/Job 1ish/2ish “Formation Part 1: Fundamentalism”

  • 10-17 Halloween Festival at South Waco Community Center

  • 10-18/21 Junior & Senior Fall Retreat

  • 10-19 Youth Lock In (5-6)

  • 10-26/27 Stay in Retreat for youth (7-12)

  • 10-27 Womens college group service project

  • 10-31 OOTP Halloween Party

  • 11-9 Youth Boys and Girls Night (7-12)

  • 11-18 Youth Sunday

  • 11-4 Bring Parents to Church Day

  • 12/5 Pre-Pancake Party Mens and Womens college group

  • 12-9 Last Sunday of the fall semester/Christmas Youth (5-6)

  • 12-12 Last Wednesday of fall semester/Christmas party Youth (7-12)

Leadership Team

If you have a concern or an idea for UBC that you’d like to share with someone that is not on staff, feel free to contact one of our leadership team members. 

Chair- Adam Winn:  adamwinn68@yahoo.com

Byron Griffin: byrontgriffin@gmail.com

Kerri Fisher: Kerri_Fisher@baylor.edu

Emma Wood: emma.wood@yahoo.com

Bridget Heins: bheins@hot.rr.com

Jeremy Nance: Jeremy Nance

Joanna Sowards: jo.sowards@gmail.com

Student Position: Samuel Moore: samuel_moore2@baylor.edu

Student Position: Anna Carol Peery: anna_peery@baylor.edu

UBC Finance Team

Do you have a question about UBC’s financial affairs? Please feel free to contact any of your finance team members.

JD Newman: JD_Newman@baylor.edu 

Hannah Kuhl: HannahKuhl@hotmail.com  

Justin Pond: pondjw@gmail.com

Doug McNamee: douglas.mcnamee@gmail.com 

Catherine Ballas: catherine@refitrev.com

UBC HR Team

If you have concerns about staff and would like contact our human resources team, please feel free to email any of the following members.

Josh Blake: joshnblake@gmail.com

Ross Van Dyke: Ross_Vandyke@baylor.edu

Jared Gould: jared.gould1@gmail.com

Rebekah Powell: rpowell671@gmail.com

Kristen Richardson: wacorichardsons@gmail.com

Liturgy 9-30-2018

This blog is a record of the call to worship, Scripture readings, and prayers from our Sunday liturgies.  If you are interested in writing something for the liturgy, or if you have a concern about any aspect of our liturgy, please email jamie@ubcwaco.org.

Call to Worship

we have gathered to worship the One who made all things

the One who is making all things new

bringing the whole of our selves

our joy and our pain
our hopes and broken dreams
our hearts and our minds

  

trusting that the Spirit of the Living God is in our midst

healing us in the love of Christ
sustaining us in the hope of Christ
and forming us in the way of Christ

 

Amen.

Scripture

Exodus 2:1-6

Now a man from the house of Levi went and married a Levite woman. The woman conceived and bore a son; and when she saw that he was a fine baby, she hid him three months.

When she could hide him no longer she got a papyrus basket for him, and plastered it with bitumen and pitch; she put the child in it and placed it among the reeds on the bank of the river. His sister stood at a distance, to see what would happen to him.

The daughter of Pharaoh came down to bathe at the river, while her attendants walked beside the river. She saw the basket among the reeds and sent her maid to bring it. When she opened it, she saw the child. He was crying, and she took pity on him. “This must be one of the Hebrews’ children,” she said.

Mark 9:38-50

John said to Jesus, “Teacher, we saw someone casting out demons in your name, and we tried to stop him, because he was not following us.” But Jesus said, “Do not stop him; for no one who does a deed of power in my name will be able soon afterward to speak evil of me. Whoever is not against us is for us. For truly I tell you, whoever gives you a cup of water to drink because you bear the name of Christ will by no means lose the reward.

“If any of you put a stumbling block before one of these little ones who believe in me, it would be better for you if a great millstone were hung around your neck and you were thrown into the sea. If your hand causes you to stumble, cut it off; it is better for you to enter life maimed than to have two hands and to go to hell, to the unquenchable fire.

And if your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off; it is better for you to enter life lame than to have two feet and to be thrown into hell. And if your eye causes you to stumble, tear it out; it is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than to have two eyes and to be thrown into hell, where their worm never dies, and the fire is never quenched.

“For everyone will be salted with fire. Salt is good; but if salt has lost its saltiness, how can you season it? Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with one another.”

Setlist 9-30-2018

This past Sunday was the nineteenth Sunday after Pentecost.  Our songs were gathered with this in mind.  Below, you’ll find the list of the songs and artists. Clicking the song titles will take you to the lyrics.  Below the songs, you can find a brief example of one way you might think of these songs. If you want to talk about any of these, feel free to comment at the bottom of this page or email me at jamie@ubcwaco.org.

Songs:

Come Thou Fount

All Creatures of Our God and King by David Crowder* Band

O Love That Will Not Let Me Go by ubcmusic (adapted from G. Matheson)

Where God Has Always Been by Jameson McGregor

Rise Up by Bifrost Arts

Doxology

How They Fit In:

There are many ways to think about the significance of songs and the way they fit together–-this is simply one way you can look at these songs in light of this week’s theme. 

Come Thou Fount: We sang this song to turn our attention to who God has been for us, who God is for us, and who God will continue to be for us.

All Creatures of Our God and King: We sang this song to join our voices to the whole of creation in acknowledging the grandeur of the Creator.

O Love That Will Not Let Me Go: We sang this song to grasp for hope in the midst of abandonment. Some of us sang this first-hand, and others sang this on behalf of those who are experiencing a sense of abandonment.

Where God Has Always Been: This song is about God’s consistent identifying with the trampled up the earth, and God’s being-set-against the power structures that do the trampling.

Rise Up: We sang this song to look over our shoulder at last week’s songs. This is what we said about Rise Up then: This song offered us words with which to ask God to rise to the defense of the trampled of the world, and to remind ourselves what sort of work we are stepping into when we say we are following in the way of Christ.

Doxology: We close our time together each week with this proclamation that God is worthy of praise from every inch of the cosmos. 

-JM


ITLOTC 9-28-18

ITLOTC

(In The Life Of The Church) 

Ordinary Time

What’s It Like To Be youBCer (Jeff Walter)

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Backside

We're having a Backside tonight at 7.  If you play music, tell stories, read poetry, recite monologues, make short films, take pictures, paint pictures, bake stuff---you get the idea--we'd love to have you share something with us.  If you are interested in participating in Backside, email jamie@ubcwaco.org

St Francis Liturgy

This Thursday, October 4th, is the feast day of St. Francis, and we’ll be having a liturgy in the Backside to commemorate this day. We’ll be using the life and words of St. Francis as a lens through which to direct our attention to God, and to reflect on what it is to be formed in the way of Christ. We’ll begin at 5:30.

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Parishioner of the Week

Trevor Carlson for setting up a killer kids vs parents game night on Friday.

Thank You UBC

In case you missed it earlier this week when it was posted to our Facebook page, we’ve included a thank you video from one of our partner churches Ecclesia in Houston.


College Group Skate Night

College students! Come join UBC's College Women's Group and College Men's Group Thursday for a skate night at Skate World at 6:00pm-8:00pm.  If you haven't been to either of the groups, we would love to connect with you - text Emmy @ 214.517.1965! 

Youth Fund Raiser

Hey, Order of the Phoenix here letting you know that this Sunday 9/30 is our annual youth lunch fundraiser! For the last three years this event has been a crucial source of funding for our group, and has allowing us to do things I never thought we could in our first year or so as a group. This money is used to help take us to Camp Eagle and CBF’s Passport as well as local retreats and special events. This Sunday we will be serving Tacos with meat, lettuce, and cheese as well as chips and salsa. We will also have a black bean option for our vegan friends. You can eat with us in the backside or take it to go. The suggested donation is $5 a plate (two tacos), and we will gladly accept cash, credit, or check!


Work is Worship

Greeters:  Blaylocks

Coffee Makers: Glovers

Mug Cleaners:  Cooleys

Money Counter: 

Welcome Station: 

Announcements

  • Sermon Text: Exodus 2:1-6, “God Will Find Them …”

  • 10-4 College Womens/Mens Group Skate Night

  • 10-17 Halloween Festival at South Waco Community Center

  • 10-18/21 Junior & Senior Fall Retreat

  • 10-19 Youth Lock In (5-6)

  • 10-26/27 Stay in Retreat for youth (7-12)

  • 10-27 Womens college group service project

  • 10-31 OOTP Halloween Party

  • 11-9 Youth Boys and Girls Night (7-12)

  • 11-18 Youth Sunday

  • 11-4 Bring Parents to Church Day

  • 12/5 Pre-Pancake Party Mens and Womens college group

  • 12-9 Last Sunday of the fall semester/Christmas Youth (5-6)

  • 12-12 Last Wednesday of fall semester/Christmas party Youth (7-12)

Leadership Team

If you have a concern or an idea for UBC that you’d like to share with someone that is not on staff, feel free to contact one of our leadership team members. 

Chair- Adam Winn:  adamwinn68@yahoo.com

Byron Griffin: byrontgriffin@gmail.com

Kerri Fisher: Kerri_Fisher@baylor.edu

Emma Wood: emma.wood@yahoo.com

Bridget Heins: bheins@hot.rr.com

Jeremy Nance: Jeremy Nance

Joanna Sowards: jo.sowards@gmail.com

Student Position: Samuel Moore: samuel_moore2@baylor.edu

Student Position: Anna Carol Peery: anna_peery@baylor.edu

UBC Finance Team

Do you have a question about UBC’s financial affairs? Please feel free to contact any of your finance team members.

JD Newman: JD_Newman@baylor.edu 

Hannah Kuhl: HannahKuhl@hotmail.com  

Justin Pond: pondjw@gmail.com

Doug McNamee: douglas.mcnamee@gmail.com 

Catherine Ballas: catherine@refitrev.com

UBC HR Team

If you have concerns about staff and would like contact our human resources team, please feel free to email any of the following members.

Josh Blake: joshnblake@gmail.com

Ross Van Dyke: Ross_Vandyke@baylor.edu

Jared Gould: jared.gould1@gmail.com

Rebekah Powell: rpowell671@gmail.com

Kristen Richardson: wacorichardsons@gmail.com

Liturgy 9-23-2018

This blog is a record of the call to worship, Scripture readings, and prayers from our Sunday liturgies.  If you are interested in writing something for the liturgy, or if you have a concern about any aspect of our liturgy, please email jamie@ubcwaco.org.

Call to Worship

we have gathered to worship the Living God

to direct our attention toward the One
who liberates the trampled of the world,
and whose righteousness is everlasting

hoping to be formed more fully in the way of Christ

to learn how to relate to God,
our neighbor, and ourselves

and to embrace the Spirit of God in our midst

that we might carry the Kingdom of God
in our ordinary lives

Amen

Scripture

Psalm 54

Liberate me, O God, by the authority of Your name.
Vindicate me through Your legendary power.
Hear my prayer, O God;
let the words of my mouth reach Your sympathetic ear.

The truth is, these strangers are rallying against me;
cold-blooded men seek to slay me;
they have no respect for You.

But see now! God comes to rescue me;
the Lord is my valiant supporter.
the Lord will repay my enemies for the harm they have done; they are doomed!

According to Your faithful promises, silence them.
I will sacrifice to You willingly;
I will lift Your name by shouts of thanksgiving, O Eternal One, for Your name is good.

God has pulled me out from every one of the troubles that encompass me,
and I have seen what it means to stand over my enemies in triumph.

Mark 9:30-37

Jesus and his disciples passed through Galilee. He did not want anyone to know it; for he was teaching his disciples, saying to them, “The Son of Man is to be betrayed into human hands, and they will kill him, and three days after being killed, he will rise again.” But they did not understand what he was saying and were afraid to ask him.

Then they came to Capernaum; and when he was in the house he asked them, “What were you arguing about on the way?” But they were silent, for on the way they had argued with one another who was the greatest. He sat down, called the twelve, and said to them, “Whoever wants to be first must be last of all and servant of all.”

Then he took a little child and put it among them; and taking it in his arms, he said to them, “Whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes not me but the one who sent me.”

Setlist 9-23-2018

This past Sunday was the eighteenth Sunday after Pentecost.  Our songs were gathered with this in mind.  Below, you’ll find the list of the songs and artists. Clicking the song titles will take you to the lyrics.  Below the songs, you can find a brief example of one way you might think of these songs. If you want to talk about any of these, feel free to comment at the bottom of this page or email me at jamie@ubcwaco.org.

Songs:

Just A Closer Walk With Thee

Hope by Jameson McGregor

Rise Up by Bifrost Arts

Chasing the Wind by Jameson McGregor

There by Jameson McGregor

Doxology

How They Fit In:

There are many ways to think about the significance of songs and the way they fit together–-this is simply one way you can look at these songs in light of this week’s theme. 

Just A Closer Walk With Thee: This song offered us language to express our desire to be formed more fully in the way of Christ, despite the fact that this is a path that is difficult for us to stay on.

Hope: We sang this song as a reminder of the hope that undergirds our existence: that God’s act of re-creation in the world is not snuffed out by the darkness of the world.

Rise Up: This song offered us words with which to ask God to rise to the defense of the trampled of the world, and to remind ourselves what sort of work we are stepping into when we say we are following in the way of Christ.

Chasing the Wind: This song is about the way we seek to make ourselves worthy of love, or to numb the pain of the fiction that we are not, and grasps for the unknowing of childhood, before the fiction took hold.

There: We sang this song to look over our shoulder at last week’s songs. This is what we said about There then: We sang this to proclaim God’s constancy above and within the chaos of our world.

Doxology: We close our time together each week with this proclamation that God is worthy of praise from every inch of the cosmos. 

-JM

ITLOTC 9-21-18

ITLOTC

(In The Life Of The Church) 

On Silence by Taylor

While I was in seminary I spent quite a bit of time learning about prayer and silence. I had never practiced silence before coming to seminary and I have found that because of the type of person that I am (that is to say – the type of person who is a people pleaser and who leans a little bit towards extroversion, the type of person who really needs to be alone to be able to differentiate between my own thoughts and feelings and the thoughts and feelings of others) silence is a pretty formative and important practice for me. And so at one point I shared that on the old social medias – cause I wanted all of my friends to know. 

So I penned Facebook status that said something like, 

“I’m learning a lot about the importance of silence in my life right now.

I think that would surprise anyone who knew me in Middle School.”

And I’ll tell you what – the replies started rolling in. Turns out I have quite a few friends and family members who fancy themselves comedians because they had plenty of funny things to say. 

“Yeah!” They said, “That’d surprise anybody who knew in High School too!”

“Or Elementary School!” said someone else.

“Or college!” said another helpful friend.

“Or EVER!” said my mother. (Thanks, Mom.)

The Psalm for last week in the Lectionary is Psalm 19. V.14 says:

May the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart by pleasing in your sight, Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer.

The Bible has a great many things to say about our words. How we use them, when we use them, what they accomplish, and what the consequences of them might be. And in thinking about my own words I  have often found Psalm 19:14 helpful because it seems that the two different actions described go hand in hand. When I am careful about the meditations of my heart I often find it much easier to be careful about the words of my mouth. 

And I think that is one of the reasons that I found the practice of silence so helpful – when I am remembering to practice silence daily (or at least regularly) I find that instead of feeling the pressure of having to fill up the rest of the day with words (and occasionally say something I don’t mean) I often have less to say, or I at least have created space within my life to process what is good and important to say and what is not. Which is important. Because the words we use, and how we use them, are important.

This is definitely something I’m still working on and figuring out. So if you have any questions or if you’d like to get together and talk about this sometime please let me know! You can email me at taylor@ubcwaco.org.

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Backside

We're having a Backside next Friday at 7.  If you play music, tell stories, read poetry, recite monologues, make short films, take pictures, paint pictures, bake stuff---you get the idea--we'd love to have you share something with us.  If you are interested in participating in Backside, email jamie@ubcwaco.org

Parishioner of the Week

All the champions who volunteered so that our parents could have a date night.  

Work is Worship

Greeters: Blaylock

Coffee Makers: Hoymeyers

Mug Cleaners:   

Money Counter:   

Welcome Station:  Palmers 

Announcements

  • Sermon Text:

  • 9-28 Backside

  • 9-30 OOTP Taco Fund Raiser After Church

  • 10-4 College Womens/Mens Group Skate Night

  • 10-17 Halloween Festival at South Waco Community Center

  • 10-18/21 Junior & Senior Fall Retreat

  • 10-19 Youth Lock In (5-6)

  • 10-26/27 Stay in Retreat for youth (7-12)

  • 10-27 Womens college group service project

  • 10-31 OOTP Halloween Party

  • 11-9 Youth Boys and Girls Night (7-12)

  • 11-18 Youth Sunday

  • 11-4 Bring Parents to Church Day

  • 12/5 Pre-Pancake Party Mens and Womens college group

  • 12-9 Last Sunday of the fall semester/Christmas Youth (5-6)

  • 12-12 Last Wednesday of fall semester/Christmas party Youth (7-12)

Leadership Team

If you have a concern or an idea for UBC that you’d like to share with someone that is not on staff, feel free to contact one of our leadership team members. 

Chair- Adam Winn:  adamwinn68@yahoo.com

Byron Griffin: byrontgriffin@gmail.com

Kerri Fisher: Kerri_Fisher@baylor.edu

Emma Wood: emma.wood@yahoo.com

Bridget Heins: bheins@hot.rr.com

Jeremy Nance: Jeremy Nance

Joanna Sowards: jo.sowards@gmail.com

Student Position: Samuel Moore: samuel_moore2@baylor.edu

Student Position: Anna Carol Peery: anna_peery@baylor.edu

UBC Finance Team

Do you have a question about UBC’s financial affairs? Please feel free to contact any of your finance team members.

JD Newman: JD_Newman@baylor.edu 

Hannah Kuhl: HannahKuhl@hotmail.com  

Justin Pond: pondjw@gmail.com

Doug McNamee: douglas.mcnamee@gmail.com 

Catherine Ballas: catherine@refitrev.com

UBC HR Team

If you have concerns about staff and would like contact our human resources team, please feel free to email any of the following members.

Josh Blake: joshnblake@gmail.com

Ross Van Dyke: Ross_Vandyke@baylor.edu

Jared Gould: jared.gould1@gmail.com

Rebekah Powell: rpowell671@gmail.com

Kristen Richardson: wacorichardsons@gmail.com





Liturgy 9-16-2018

This blog is a record of the call to worship, Scripture readings, and prayers from our Sunday liturgies.  If you are interested in writing something for the liturgy, or if you have a concern about any aspect of our liturgy, please email jamie@ubcwaco.org.

Call to Worship

we have gathered to worship the One
who is righteous and full of compassion

the One who brings rest for the weary,
and whose love is stronger than the grip of the grave

to enter into the story of God and the people of God

and be formed in the way of Christ

that we might be people of the Spirit

who walk with the Eternal
in the land of the living

Amen.

Scripture

Psalm 116:1-8

I love the Lord, because the Lord has heard the voice of my supplication,
because the Lord has inclined the Lord’s ear to me whenever I called.

The cords of death entangled me;
the grip of the grave took hold of me;
I came to grief and sorrow.
Then I called upon the Name of the Lord:
"O Lord, I pray you, save my life."

Gracious is the Lord and righteous;
our God is full of compassion.

The Lord watches over the innocent;
I was brought very low, and the Lord helped me.
Turn again to your rest, O my soul,
for the Lord has treated you well.

For you have rescued my life from death,
my eyes from tears, and my feet from stumbling.
I will walk in the presence of the Lord
in the land of the living.

Mark 8:27-38

Jesus went on with his disciples to the villages of Caesarea Philippi; and on the way he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that I am?”

And they answered him, “John the Baptist; and others, Elijah; and still others, one of the prophets.” He asked them, “But who do you say that I am?” Peter answered him, “You are the Messiah.” And he sternly ordered them not to tell anyone about him.

Then he began to teach them that the Son of Man must undergo great suffering, and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again.

He said all this quite openly. And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. But turning and looking at his disciples, he rebuked Peter and said, “Get behind me, Satan! For you are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things.”

He called the crowd with his disciples, and said to them, “If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.

For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake, and for the sake of the gospel, will save it.

For what will it profit them to gain the whole world and forfeit their life? Indeed, what can they give in return for their life?

Those who are ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of them the Son of Man will also be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.”

Setlist 9-16-2018

This past Sunday was the seventeenth Sunday after Pentecost.  Our songs were gathered with this in mind.  Below, you’ll find the list of the songs and artists. Clicking the song titles will take you to the lyrics.  Below the songs, you can find a brief example of one way you might think of these songs. If you want to talk about any of these, feel free to comment at the bottom of this page or email me at jamie@ubcwaco.org.

Songs:

Holy, Holy, Holy

Death In His Grave by John Mark McMillan

There by Jameson McGregor

Just the Same by Jameson McGregor

Mystery by Jameson McGregor (adapted from Charlie Hall)

Doxology

How They Fit In:

There are many ways to think about the significance of songs and the way they fit together–-this is simply one way you can look at these songs in light of this week’s theme. 

Holy, Holy, Holy: We sang this song to orient our attention toward the Creator and Sustainer of us all, confessing the limits of our knowledge of God while also expressing wonder at the love and power of God in our midst.

Death In His Grave: This song rehearses the death and resurrection of Jesus, and we sang it to continue to immerse ourselves in the story of God’s re-creation of the world.

There: We sang this to proclaim God’s constancy above and within the chaos of our world.

Just the Same: This song swims through the dance of evolving faith, grasping for truth while knowing that whatever we find is only a piece of the whole.

Mystery: This song offers us a shorthand version of the Gospel story (Christ has died, Christ is risen, Christ will come again) as an anthem to raise in the midst of struggle, and a reminder that the way of Christ is costly.

Doxology: We close our time together each week with this proclamation that God is worthy of praise from every inch of the cosmos. 

-JM