ITLOTC 12-7-18

ITLOTC

(In the Life of the Church)

Advent - Peace

Jesus and Expectations - by Toph

This might be the hardest advent Sunday for me.  This year, there have been 325 verified mass shootings in the United States (using the definition of a “mass shooting” described as four or more individuals being shot or killed in the same general time and location).  Our political systems, and our country, seem to be as polarized as ever, consistently finding a way to make the “other” a villain.  We have seen misogyny and racism consistently in the public sphere; often with people we know defending the perpetrator of such language.  We have also witnessed the separation of children from their families, the use of violence against children; all while some religious leaders defend these actions.  

I know these types of things happen every year, but I think I have been more acutely aware this year, and thus more concerned.  This is a generalization, but I believe the root of many of these things can be found in our fear of the “other,” an unwillingness to listen to the “other,” and our immediate vilification of those who don’t agree with us.  We wear our convictions with a sense of justice and arrogance; so much so, when those convictions are challenged we are unable to have a conversation with someone who disagrees with us.  This happens in the public/political sphere, and in the Church as well.  This also happens at UBC, although I like to think not as often.

When we worked through some conversations about belonging and taking ownership of faith at UBC, we began with what does it mean to call UBC home.  One of the things the group discovered, is that at UBC, deep within our ethos, is this desire to be a place that we can disagree and still pursue the Kingdom of God together.  This is our first statement of the final document we created about being a UBC’er: At UBC we encourage you to be yourself.  You will not be marginalized because of your past, your questions, your look, and political/social/theological views.  We celebrate how God has uniquely crafted you through your journey.

In this season of advent, and as we wait for the Prince of Peace to be born, are we willing to engage the “other?”  David Dark says in his book, The Sacredness of Questioning Everything: “When we go public with our convictions and opinions, are we up for counter testimony?  Or have we developed a habit of rendering hasty verdicts?  Do we find some people inadmissible? Have we made space in our heads for a wide variety of hearts and minds?  Do we want fellowship or submission?  Do we remain capable of conversation?”

Peace will come to us in the form of a baby in a few weeks, in a way that shattered the expectations of many in the time of Jesus.  And it is the Jesus of the gospels that shatters the religious leaders expectation of the messiah, as he consistently engaged and had conversations with people they deemed “other.”  Later in his book, Dark quotes W.H. Auden, and offers a brief commentary: “”One thing, and one thing only, is serious: loving one’s neighbor as one’s self.”  An especially difficult task for those who are primarily offended by people other than themselves.” 

We do not seek peace with those we are already in agreement with.  We seek peace with those in whom we disagree, have conflict with, or with those have hurt us.  UBC, may we question on our own offendedness, may we seek to engage and listen to those we might deem as “other,” and may we recognize the Kingdom of God often takes form in people and places and spaces that shatter our own expectations. 

Leadership Team Member

UBC is looking for a new leadership team member. If you this is something you are interested in or would like to nominate someone in our community for please use the following link to do so.

Here is some information from our bylaws about the leadership team.

Section 1.  Leadership Team

(A) Purpose.  The Leadership Team shall be the primary decision-making body of UBC.  The Leadership Team will oversee all the business and property of the church, as well as make the final decisions regarding hiring and dismissal of staff and the acquisition and selling of assets that are beyond budgetary provisions.  

(C) Qualifications.  Each member of Leadership Team shall have been a member of UBC for at least one year, exhibited an understanding and commitment to the mission and values of the church, and be willing to fulfill all responsibilities in the Leadership Team job description.

(E)  Term.  Members of Leadership Team may serve for a duration lasting up to three years.  While they are encouraged to remain the full three years, members may voluntarily remove themselves from their position at any time.  Members serving as student member commit to a year with the chance to renew up to three years.  

Random Pic To Generate Clickbait Traffic

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Parishioner of the Week

Chef Jeff Walter for heading up the pancake brigade for the 17th time!

Announcements

  • Sermon Text: Luke 3:1-9

  • 12/24 Christmas Eve Service 5:30 P.M.

Work is Worship

Greeters: Ricky and Rose

Coffee Makers: Bella Sacco

Mug Cleaners: Aleigh Ascherl

Money Counter:  Hannah Kuhl

Welcome Station:

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

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 12-2-2018

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 learn to wait
for the Light in the Darkness

to tune our hearts to hope

to step into God’s story

and find our own stories transformed

that our lives might bear wonder and love
in the midst of uncertainty and fear 

like flames against the gloom

 

Amen

Hope Candle Liturgy

On this first Sunday of Advent, we are reminded that we live by Hope.  Hope in the coming of the Messiah.  Hope that God will bring Light into our present darkness.  Hope that those pinned in by anxiety will find rest. Hope that those who feel worthless will find their true Value.  Hope that the poor, the homeless, the refugee, and all those trampled by systems of power will be caught up in the mercy and justice of God.  And hope that Love will cast out every fear.

For now, we wait, trusting that God is faithful and at work redeeming all things.  

[Light the Hope candle]

Hear God’s promise of hope from Isaiah 2:2-4: 

In days to come
   the mountain of the Lord’s house
shall be established as the highest of the mountains,
   and shall be raised above the hills;
all the nations shall stream to it. 
   Many peoples shall come and say,
‘Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord,
   to the house of the God of Jacob;
that he may teach us his ways
   and that we may walk in his paths.’
For out of Zion shall go forth instruction,
   and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. 
He shall judge between the nations,
   and shall arbitrate for many peoples;
they shall beat their swords into ploughshares,
   and their spears into pruning-hooks;
nation shall not lift up sword against nation,
   neither shall they learn war any more.

Scripture

Jeremiah 33:14-16

The days are surely coming, says the Lord, when I will fulfill the promise I made to the house of Israel and the house of Judah. In those days and at that time I will cause a righteous Branch to spring up for David; and he shall execute justice and righteousness in the land. In those days Judah will be saved and Jerusalem will live in safety. And this is the name by which it will be called: "The Lord is our righteousness."

Luke 21:25-36

Jesus said, "There will be signs in the sun, the moon, and the stars, and on the earth distress among nations confused by the roaring of the sea and the waves. People will faint from fear and foreboding of what is coming upon the world, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken. 

Then they will see 'the Son of Man coming in a cloud' with power and great glory. Now when these things begin to take place, stand up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near."

Then he told them a parable: "Look at the fig tree and all the trees; as soon as they sprout leaves you can see for yourselves and know that summer is already near. So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that the kingdom of God is near. 

Truly I tell you, this generation will not pass away until all things have taken place. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.

"Be on guard so that your hearts are not weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and the worries of this life, and that day catch you unexpectedly, like a trap. For it will come upon all who live on the face of the whole earth.

Be alert at all times, praying that you may have the strength to escape all these things that will take place, and to stand before the Son of Man."

Setlist 12-2-2018

Yesterday was the first Sunday of Advent.  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:

O Come, O Come Emmanuel

Wayward Ones by The Gladsome Light

Come Thou Fount

Afternoon Sun by Jameson McGregor

Hope (There Will Come A Light) 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. 

O Come, O Come Emmanuel: We sang this song to begin Lent with a plea for God to enter as a Light into our dark world.

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

Come Thou Fount: This song invites us to look back on who God has been for us in order to tune our hopes of who God will be for us, which is a primary theme of Advent.

Afternoon Sun: This song raises a question into the thin days of December of whether or not we will see mercy and truth meet, righteousness and peace kiss, and justice flow like a gushing stream, in the coming of Christ, and whether or not we would truly have eyes to see if something so monumental occurred.

Hope (There Will Come A Light): This song proclaims the coming of a fundamental shift to the world where the newborn cries of Light beat back the darkness that plagues our existence.

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 11-30-18

ITLOTC

(In the Life of the Church)

Advent

At the end, a beginning (by jamie)

Greetings.

As we near the end of the year, we find ourselves at the beginning of the Church Calendar.  It’s fitting that these calendars are offset in this way.  As we wrap up another year of life, of work, and the complexities of the world, the days are shorter and the light takes on a thin quality as winter draws near.  It’s as if the same sort of weight that we might carry from the past 365ish days is reflected in the environment around us.  It’s fitting that the Church Calendar begins here because this is the sort of darkness that might be in need of a Light entering in.  

And we are reminded that it is in our worn thin places that God comes to us.

There’s an N.T. Wright reading that pops up in our Advent liturgy that more or less talks about this season as a time to look around and see how dark the world is, and how very badly it needs a Light.  It’s a season of waiting, of longing, of preparation, of hope. 

These are all qualities of a condition of not-yetness.  And though we are always living in this not-yet existence, Advent invites us to step back and truly notice it as such.  It’s worth noting that the point of noticing this not-yetness is not to cultivate despair, but rather to be better situated to notice the Light that we so easily gloss over. Put differently, in taking the time to notice the not-yetness, we reminded to look for what is to come. 

There are many ways to do Advent well, and as you discern how you want to engage Advent 2018, I want to offer you a few videos for reflection.

The first two are from Richard Rohr’s Center for Action and Contemplation (the privacy settings won’t let me embed them, but you can stream them at vimeo):

Richard Rohr

https://vimeo.com/246331333

James Finley

https://vimeo.com/245457996

The third is an interview with Fleming Rutledge over at Work of the People.  You have to make an account to view the whole thing, which I get feels like a pain, but sometimes you have to do a little bit of work to access quality content (and it’s worth it).

Fleming Rutledge

https://www.theworkofthepeople.com/acknowledge-the-dark

As always, if you want to talk further about any of this, feel free to email me at jamie@ubcwaco.org.

Arrow Christmas Partnership

Friends, as you may remember, last year UBC partnered with Arrow Child and Family Ministries to provide Christmas presents for foster children. We are going to do that again this year. Starting this Sunday we will have tags available for people to take. We need 25 family units who’d be willing to spend $25 to make Christmas better for 25 foster kids this Christmas. Please consider being one of those champions.

UPDATE:

Thank you UBC champions. All 25 gift needs were claimed and we had people waiting who did not get a tag. What a great and generous problem to have. Those gifts are due this Sunday December 2nd.

Study Hall - December 4/5 - 10am-midnight

It’s the most wonderful time of year: finals!  Just kidding, it’s UBC’s guaranteed way to improve your grades.  We will be open from 10am till midnight on Tuesday and Wednesday of next week.  We will have snacks, drinks, coffee, and shenanigans.  We will also be serving up the best pancakes in the world at 10pm Wednesday night.  This is a quote from a professor in maths at Baylor: “I have 20 students in my class, and 4 of them studied at UBC for my final.  I gave these students extra points for making wise decisions, but they didnt need them because they all got an A.”  #facts

Random Pic To Generate Clickbait Traffic

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Parishioner of the Week

Matthew Palmer for doing a great job on his sermon!

Work is Worship

Greeters: Blaylock

Coffee Makers: Bella Sacco

Mug Cleaners: Andrew S-C

Money Counter: 

Welcome Station:

Announcements

  • Sermon Text: Luke 21:25-36

  • 12/5 Pre-Pancake Party Mens and Women’s 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

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 11-25-2018

Yesterday was Christ the King Sunday.  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:

Crown Him With Many Crowns by ubcmusic

Death In His Grave by John Mark McMillan

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

Inbreaking by Jameson McGregor

Hope 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. 

Crown Him With Many Crowns: We sang this song to begin our time together celebrating the reign of Christ in the Kingdom of God.

Death In His Grave: This song invited us to rehearse the story of the death and Resurrection of Christ.

All Creatures of Our God and King: We sang this song to practice an awareness of our interconnectivity with creation under the care of our Creator and Sustainer.

Inbreaking: This song is a plea for the Slaughtered Lamb to form us in the way of Christ and form our world in the way of the Kingdom.

Hope: This song celebrates the redemptive work of Christ in the life of the world as the light in the darkness the darkness did not overcome, and grasps for the hope that one day every broken piece will find its place again.

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 11-23-18

ITLOTC

(In The Life Of The Church) 

Gratefulness - by Taylor

As previously discussed here on the blog a fan favorite thought exercise among the UBC staff is to ask the question, “What is saving your life right now?” (this comes to us via another fan favorite Barbara Brown Taylor – aka ya girl BBT). It seems to me that this is the perfect question for a day-after-Thanksgiving blog post. Because at the heart of that question is, “What are you grateful for?” and maybe even, “What are you desperatelygrateful for?”

I do my best to develop gratefulness in my life every day – but there is something about the holiday season that really brings it out of me. Maybe it is the extra time spent with family or the number of shared meals – maybe it’s the colder weather or maybe it’s listening to my uncle watch football (it’s the funniest things I’ve ever heard – the best entertainment you could ever want). But I have found that gratefulness comes easy this time of year. And I’d like to bottle it and carry it around with me for the rest of the year.

So without further ado – here are the things I’m grateful for on this day-after-Thanksgiving:

-       For shared meals with friends and family

-       For my house – for keeping me warm and dry and also for being a place where I can spend time with family and friends

-       For the person who invented stuffing (and also the person who added it to the Thanksgiving menu)

-       For a job that I love and enjoy and work that I feel challenged by – and for coworkers who challenge and support me as I do that work

-       For UBC Thanksgiving LoveFeast – and everyone who came! It was such a fun, lovely, dreamy evening!

-       For a car that works and takes me the places that I need to go

-       For the kids of UBC – who make every Sunday so much fun and who bring me so much joy and life. They are truly the best part of my job.

-       For UBC and a church community that is imperfect but constantly striving to love and care for each other as we work together to figure out what it means to be formed into the image of Christ.

I am so thankful for each and every one of you! And 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.

Arrow Christmas Partnership

Friends, as you may remember, last year UBC partnered with Arrow Child and Family Ministries to provide Christmas presents for foster children. We are going to do that again this year. Starting this Sunday we will have tags available for people to take. We need 25 family units who’d be willing to spend $25 to make Christmas better for 25 foster kids this Christmas. Please consider being one of those champions.

UPDATE:

Thank you UBC champions. All 25 gift needs were claimed and we had people waiting who did not get a tag. What a great and generous problem to have. Reminder if you did take a tag. We are allowing 2 weeks to return your gifts. So please have them at UBC by Sunday December 2.

Post-Thanksgiving Workout/Benefit

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Lost and Found

We will be purging the lost and found at the end of this month. So if you have been missing a favorite water bottle, iPhone, bible, sweatshirt or whatever, please make a point to stop by the lost and found soon. It is located in copy room behind Kim’s office.

Random Pic To Generate Clickbait Traffic

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Parishioner of the Week

Gerhard Stueben and Kelsey and Luke Stehr for helping clean up the sewer back up problem. Yeah, that’s love right there.

Work is Worship

Greeters: Blaylock

Coffee Makers: Kim and Toph

Mug Cleaners: Emmy

Money Counter:  Catherine Ballas

Welcome Station:

Announcements

  • Sermon Text: John 18:33-38

  • 12/5 Pre-Pancake Party Mens and Women’s 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

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



2014TheOffspring_Getty469257435280514.jpg

ITLOTC 11-16-18

ITLOTC

(In The Life Of The Church) 

Ordinary Time

Youth Sunday

Joan of Arc turned a war around at the age of 17.

Blaise Pascal developed a calculator at the age of 19.

Mozart wrote his first symphony at age 8.

Nadia Comaneci achieved a perfect 10 at age 14.

Louis Braille invented the Braille system at age 15.

Malala Yousafzai won the Nobel Peace Prize at age 17.

Laura Dekker sailed around the world (solo) at age 14.

Nick D’Aloisio sold an App to Yahoo! for $30 million at age 17.

Saira Blair was elected into government at age 18.

Jordan Romero climbed Mt. Everest at age 13.

Alexander the Great founded his first colony at age 16.

Pele won the world cup at age 17.

Flynn McGarry had his own pop-up restaurant at age 13.

Bobby Fischer was a chess grand master at age 15.

Mark Zuckerberg founded Facebook at age 19.

Jacob Barnett gave one of the most popular TED talks at age 14.

Annie Oakley was a champion sharpshooter at age 15.

Mary queen of Scots ruled two nations at age 18.

Wayne Gretzky was a professional hockey player at age 17.

Josh Carney finished 3rd in the Knight of Columbus free throw contest when he was 11.

Come see what God will do this Sunday through our youth. It’s youth Sunday.

Arrow Christmas Partnership

Friends, as you may remember, last year UBC partnered with Arrow Child and Family Ministries to provide Christmas presents for foster children. We are going to do that again this year. Starting this Sunday we will have tags available for people to take. We need 25 family units who’d be willing to spend $25 to make Christmas better for 25 foster kids this Christmas. Please consider being one of those champions.

Lost and Found

We will be purging the lost and found at the end of this month. So if you have been missing a favorite water bottle, iPhone, bible, sweatshirt or whatever, please make a point to stop by the lost and found soon. It is located in copy room behind Kim’s office.

Thanksgiving Lovefeast - November 18th - 5:30pm

It’s everyone’s favorite time of year!  Our annual Thanksgiving Lovefeast is coming up, and it promises to be delicious.  We need you all to bring the side dishes to help compliment the turkey and ham.  If you would like to bring a dessert, please sign-up on Sunday in the foyer.  If you have any questions, please email toph@ubcwaco.org .  

Random Pic To Generate Clickbait Traffic

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Parishioner of the Week

Cody Beeler for hosting the UBC youth boys for an extravaganza with woods, fire, deer sausage and other festive items on Saturday.

Work is Worship

Greeters: Richardsons

Coffee Makers: Joneses

Mug Cleaners: Cooleys

Money Counter:  Ballas

Welcome Station: Erin Nolen

Announcements

  • Sermon Text: Youth Sunday!

  • 12/5 Pre-Pancake Party Mens and Women’s 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 11-11-2018

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 heaven and earth
the seas and all that is in them

the One who gives justice to the oppressed
and food to those who hunger

to enter the Story of God,
and find the Eternal One there

the One who loves the righteous,
cares for the stranger,
and sustains the orphan and widow,
but frustrates the way of the wicked

hoping that the Spirit of the Living God

would form us in the way of Christ
and teach us to live to the fullest.

Amen.

Scripture

1 Kings 17:8-16

The word of the Lord came to Elijah, saying, “Go now to Zarephath, which belongs to Sidon, and live there; for I have commanded a widow there to feed you.” So he set out and went to Zarephath.

When he came to the gate of the town, a widow was there gathering sticks; he called to her and said, “Bring me a little water in a vessel, so that I may drink.”

As she was going to bring it, he called to her and said, “Bring me a morsel of bread in your hand.” But she said, “As the Lord your God lives, I have nothing baked, only a handful of meal in a jar, and a little oil in a jug; I am now gathering a couple of sticks, so that I may go home and prepare it for myself and my son, that we may eat it, and die.”

Elijah said to her, “Do not be afraid; go and do as you have said; but first make me a little cake of it and bring it to me, and afterwards make something for yourself and your son.

For thus says the Lord the God of Israel: The jar of meal will not be emptied and the jug of oil will not fail until the day that the Lord sends rain on the earth.”

She went and did as Elijah said, so that she as well as he and her household ate for many days. The jar of meal was not emptied, neither did the jug of oil fail, according to the word of the Lord that he spoke by Elijah.

Mark 12:38-44

As Jesus taught, he said, “Beware of the scribes, who like to walk around in long robes, and to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces, and to have the best seats in the synagogues and places of honor at banquets! They devour widows’ houses and for the sake of appearance say long prayers. They will receive the greater condemnation.”

He sat down opposite the treasury, and watched the crowd putting money into the treasury. Many rich people put in large sums. A poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which are worth a penny. Then he called his disciples and said to them, “Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the treasury.

For all of them have contributed out of their abundance; but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, all she had to live on.”

Prayer

This week’s prayer was from An Iona Prayer Book (p. 102):

Spirit of God,
your power alone
can lead us from death to life.
Hover over the chaos of our lives
and create a new moment
for each of us
in which we hear your call
to live again

Fill us with the breath of life
when we are immersed
in human heart
and cosmic pain.

Then raise us
in baptismal joy
to proclaim
your resurrection day.

Setlist 11-11-2018

This past Sunday was the twenty-fifth 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:

Heart Won’t Stop by John Mark and Sarah McMillan

Fall Afresh by Jeremy Riddle

There by Jameson McGregor

Anthem by Leonard Cohen

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. 

Heart Won’t Stop: This song finds its place in late ordinary time as a proclamation of God’s enduring love for us which breaks past the defenses we construct and is unfazed by the depths we might descend in the mire of life.

Fall Afresh: We sang this song to maintain an awareness of our dependence on the Spirit of God to form us in the way of Christ, inviting the Spirit to continue to make all things new in us.

There: This song offered us language to praise the One who is constant throughout all measure of uncertainty, and to anchor ourselves to the Eternal One.

Anthem: We sang this song to maintain a grip on hope in the midst of brokenness.

Pulse: We sang this song to look over our shoulder at last week’s songs. This is what we said about Hope then: 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.

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 11-9-18



ITLOTC

(In The Life Of The Church) 

Ordinary Time

Listening

In 2003 I went to Boston for spring break.  My most vivid memory of that trip was sitting in a hotel room with college friends watching CNN report live on the campaign “shock and awe.”  It was the first time in my very young adult life that the US was “at war,” and that notion was overwhelming for me.

But what turned out to be the most jarring reality for me was not what was happening thousands of miles away in Iraq, though that was certainly important (more important in fact), but what was happening back in Arden Hills, MN, on my campus.  On the first Monday after spring break, I made my way to Bethel University Benson Great Hall to attend chapel, and there in the foyer I was greeted by a group of about forty protesting Christians. Those protesters were both students and faculty. They held candles and signs that denounced the war and called for peace.  What was more jarring for me was that they were using Bible verses to do it.

Some of you reading may have just scoffed at my response. My own shock. That Christians shouldn’t have been in that war or any war is a foregone conclusion for you. The war is not the point of this post for me. The point is what I learned.

One of the signs that I still remember from that day was one that introduced an Aristotle quote to me. Aristotle said, “The mark of an educated mind is when one can entertain an idea without accepting it.”  

Knowing when and how to hold your convictions is an art. I’m often haunted by a story that Peter Rollins tells in his book Fidelity of Betrayal. Rollins tells of Christians during WWII who, when gathered in churches, would sing their hymns more loudly to drown out the nearby cries of Jews being hauled away in train cars to concentration camps. That was not a moment for entertaining an idea. It was a time for action. Action is important.

Being crucified was an action, not an idea. It was THE Action that changed history. But Jesus was crucified in one day; he spent 33 year ministering in the flesh.  

It strikes me that so much of life is listening. It is entertaining ideas without accepting them. It is learning to love those who persecute you and disagree with you. It is picking the right moments to speak so that when you do speak, you have a chance to be heard. What I learned in the foyer of Benson Great Hall that day was that different ideas didn’t threaten my formation, they enabled it.  

As I was listening to Dr. Tran’s sermon, I thought about this during the part where he talked about the middle. Those of us trying to hold a space of unity in a world that doesn’t seem to have the patience for that space or kind of conversation. To listen patiently is to love. And to love is to suffer. This is the way of the cross, and this is the way of Jesus.

Youth Sunday

Sunday 11/18 is our second annual youth Sunday! Join us for a service led by our very own youth group, the Order of the Phoenix. The Youth will lead us in a song, scripture readings, and share their stories. This year our focus has been the early church, and the students will discuss what the church means to them and how they have been the church to one another.

Thanksgiving Lovefeast - November 18th - 5:30pm

It’s everyone’s favorite time of year!  Our annual Thanksgiving Lovefeast is coming up, and it promises to be delicious.  We need you all to bring the side dishes to help compliment the turkey and ham.  If you would like to bring a dessert, please sign-up on Sunday in the foyer.  If you have any questions, please email toph@ubcwaco.org .  

Lost and Found

We will be purging the lost and found at the end of this month. So if you have been missing a favorite water bottle, iPhone, bible, sweatshirt or whatever, please make a point to stop by the lost and found soon. It is located in copy room behind Kim’s office.

Random Pic To Generate Clickbait Traffic

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Parishioner of the Week

Michael Heinz who assisted Bridget Heinz in a state of the art family weekend breakfast.

Work is Worship

Greeters:  Ricky and Rose

Coffee Makers: College Women’s Group

Mug Cleaners:  Andrew S-C

Money Counter:  Kuhl

Welcome Station: Broadesses

Announcements

  • Sermon Text: Mark 12:38-44 “The Most”

  • 11-18 Youth Sunday

  • 11-4 Bring Parents to Church Day

  • 12/5 Pre-Pancake Party Mens and Women’s 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 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

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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

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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.