Setlist 2-3-2018

Yesterday was the fifth Sunday of Epiphany, and 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:

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

Wayward Ones by The Gladsome Light

Rise Up by BiFrost Arts

Family Band 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. 

All Creatures of Our God and King: This song invites us to join our voices with the rest of creation in celebrating the Creator and Sustainer of all that is.

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

Rise Up: This song is a petition for God to come to the aid and defense of people who are trampled by our systems of power.

Family Band: This song is a plea for God to draw our withered selves into God’s family.

Wideness: We sang this song to continue to remind ourselves on our Epiphany journey that our most grandiose views of God’s mercy and love are in fact minimizations.

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 2-1-19

ITLOTC

(In The Life Of The Church)

Epiphany

The Lens in My Glasses (by jamie)

yes, hello.

hope this finds you well.

not sure how it’s february, but here we are.

some of you are going to hate the format I chose for this post

BUT ITS TOO LATE

so, sorry about that.

if it bothers you, you can copy and paste it into paragraph form, but we both know you’ve got better things to do.

let us begin:

people are amazing.

every person who isn’t you has lived an entire existence to which you have no direct access.

those existences are varied, of course.

some of them are drastically different.

others are suspiciously similar.

but even those suspiciously similar ones are actually mind-blowingly different.

have you ever given that some serious thought?

the particularity of it all?

have you considered that even people who have similar interests, tastes, opinions, etc. to your own have perhaps come to those by a path that is different from yours?

that sometimes the “whats” are similar, but the “whys” are different?

or that people who have very different interests, tastes, opinions, etc. to your own have perhaps come to those by a path that is similar to yours?

that sometimes the “whys” are similar, but the “whats” are different?

what is this madness?

humanity, i guess.

weird.

anyway.

if you’ve been at ubc for any amount of time, and if you have been paying attention, you will probably have noticed that we have quite a range of theological ideas floating around.

and it’s no surprise.

that’s what happens when you gather a group of people together and offer them the nicene creed as a “what we believe” statement.

have you read the nicene creed?

it primarily talks about God and what God has done (is doing?) in history.

in the process, it says some important stuff, but it doesn’t say very much stuff at all.

so even if we relentlessly recited it together with the expectation that everyone could claim each phrase with absolute certainty (we don’t, and that’s not really the point of creeds, but you get the idea), there would still be innumerable opportunities for us to disagree about beliefs we hold strongly.

and yet, here we are.

held together.

rolling into year 24 of here-and-held-together, actually.

amazing.

i say this to say that we’ve been banking on the One in whom all things hold together to hold us together for as long as we’ve existed.

as you might imagine, i’ve been thinking about our theological diversity a lot lately; specifically, wondering what value it might offer us.

there was a time where I would have said the value of theological diversity in our community is that it affords us ready-access to lively debates.

that in our engaging in conversations with people with whom we disagree, each of us might walk away with something to chew on.

as if the presence of disagreement were some sort of safeguard to theological complacency, ever-again inviting us to do the wrestling that has accompanied the people of God since there were people and God.

i guess that’s still valuable.

i guess it still has the chance to keep us on our toes and still offers to protect us from making our ideas about God into idols.

but i’m pretty resolved now to say that this isn’t the greatest benefit of our diversity.

not the one i cherish the most.

instead, i’d say the greatest benefit is something much more passive.

it’s the fact that we gather week after week with a room full of people with whom we disagree on any number of things, and do so without the need to strike up a lively debate.

it’s our collective (subconscious) shout into the cosmos that we have gathered around One who is more real than the lines we draw in the sand of our differences.

it’s a casting off of the masks we project onto others and a coming to know the people beneath.

people who are made in the image of God.

people who know God in ways that we do not, piecing together pictures from vantages we can’t access.

people who are the body of Christ.

people to love and be loved as Christ loved us.

people with pain for us to carry, burdens for us to bear.

partners with whom we stumble further down the way of Christ, not alone, but together.

my God, what a gift.

have you noticed it?

i’m offering you this lens just in case you haven’t

because i popped it into my glasses recently, and it’s doing things to me.

Image to generate clickbait traffic

LGBTQ Conversation Resources

We’ve got a list of resources for thinking about the various ways Christians engage our current discussion at ubc. If you are interested in accessing any of those, or attending any of our Wednesday night workshops, you can find all that info here.

Parents Night Out

Ever feel challenged by the demands of raising kids? Need some time to do nothing? Boy do we have an opportunity for you. Next Friday, February 8, UBC will be hosting a parents night out. Sign ups will be at church this Sunday, but if you won’t be there and would like to sign up, you can contact Taylor @ taylor@ubcwaco.org.

College Women’s Group

Join us for UBC’s College Women’s Group! We meet Thursdays at 7pm in the piano room here at church. Every week, we spend time catching up with one another, walking through scripture, and praying together. Contact Emmy at emily_edwards2@baylor.edu if you have any questions.

Work is Worship

Greeters: Rick & Daniel

Coffee Makers: Hoymeyer

Mug Cleaners: Order of the Phoenix

Money Counter: 

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.J.Nance@L3T.com

Joanna Sowards: jo.sowards@gmail.com

Kathy Krey: kathykrey@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.co

ITLOTC 1-25-19

ITLOTC

(In The Life Of The Church)

Dedication

I’ve never been big on resolutions. If I had to guess why it’s because I don’t really like people telling me what to do and also I’m not very good at making decisions without outside input. (It’s a treacherous and illogical path the one I trod.) And so, because I am so other oriented I always seemed to feel like the resolutions I was setting for myself had really been set for me by other people. And I don’t like doing what other people tell me to do, as previously stated.

During and after seminary I went on the long and hard journey of finding my own voice. Over the course of this journey (one I have come to understand I will probably be on for most of my life) I learned that there are some people who know their voice so intimately that they never have to work to find it. It is always with them, as close to them as their skin. But this is not true for me. The sound of my own voice is illusive. I have over the course of my life replaced it with many other things. I have replaced it with the voice of my mother or my father, the voices of my grandparents, my siblings, my friends and my peers, the voices of my teachers at school and at church – even the voices of total strangers have seemed to me to be my own voice at times. 

And while the reality is that it is good to hear and know and understand the voices of others (this is, in fact, the work that some people who are intimately acquainted with their own voice need to do) it is also incredibly important to know your own voice. Because it is only after we know our own voice - after we have done the work to unpack our own motivations and thoughts and desires - that we can use it correctly. It is only then that we can put it in it’s proper place – not above or below the voices of others, but alongside them. My voice is, of course, more important to me than it is to you – but it should still be important to you, just as yours is to me.

So I’m not much for resolutions. Although I might take them up again sometime – now that I’m more acquainted with my own voice. But until then a practice I have taken up is adopting a word of the year. And my word for 2019 is Dedication. For the past several years I have been working on being present and extending myself grace, and as I have worked through those ideas I find that I have circled back around to the need for dedication. To the need for commitment.

The Psalm in the lectionary this week is Psalm 19. Verse 14 says, “Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord, my rock and my Redeemer.” The Psalmist is specifically referring to their own words and meditations in Psalm 19. And they are good words and meditations – words that remind us that the heavens are spend every day reminding us of the glory of God, that the law of the Lord is perfect, and that the commandments of the Lord are good. But I also think that I can take these words up even further than Psalm 19. Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in God’s sight. Right now and today and forever. May I commit myself to speaking and meditating on the things that please God. On things that further love, that further reconciliation, on things that remind the world of the glory of God. May we all commit to speaking and meditation on such things.

As always if this is something you’d like to discuss, because this is a journey you also find yourself on or because this seems like the rambling of an insane person to you, feel free to reach out! You can email me at taylor@ubcwaco.org.

Meet Our Newest UBCer

Name: Kenneth "Kent" Brooks Haecker

Birthday: December 2, 2018

Birth Weight: 6 lbs 7 oz

Birth Height: 19 in

Enneagram Number: 8

Mi CASA Chili Cook Off

Come join us for first annual Micasa chili cook-off.  If you are in a micasa, or looking to join one, please join us for the chili cook-off Sunday night at 5pm.  If you have any questions, please email toph@ubcwaco.org.

Sunday School Classes

Sunday School will return this Sunday at 9:30am! These are the classes:

Attention Collection

Led by Jameson McGregor and Kerri Fisher

We all have a collection we've been curating since we were born.  It is composed of all the things that have challenged and formed us more fully into who we are--that have shaped what we think about ourselves and our neighbor; about God and the cosmos.  It is made up of movies, songs, books, places, memories....you get the idea.  Collections like this do their job best when we take the time to notice them, and perhaps to share them with one another.  So this class is going to be about that.  About sharing parts of ourselves with one another by sharing things have that been meaningful to us.  And in our sharing, we hope to come to know ourselves, our neighbors, and our God more fully.

Haunting and Holy: Conversations on Addressing Racial Injustice

Led by Liz Ligawa and Paul Fillmore

“Our only chance at dismantling racial injustice is being more curious about its origins than we are worried about our comfort. It's not a comfortable conversation for any of us. It is risky and messy. It is haunting work to recall the sins of our past. But is this not the work we have been called to anyway? Is this not the work of the Holy Spirit to illuminate truth and inspire transformation? It's haunting, but it’s also holy.”

-Austin Channing Brown, From “I’m Still Here: Black Dignity in a World Made for Whiteness”

This group will provide a space to explore and discuss the harm that racial injustice has caused in America, and the ways we might participate in healing and restoration. We feel that this work begins with honest conversation, and we want to be a place for curiosity and learning about these issues, in which we allow the Holy Spirit freedom to work on our hearts, in her own time and in her own ways. Following the example of the parable of the Good Samaritan, this group will help identify ways to: 1) Notice what has happened (and is happening) in regard to racial injustice in our communities and spaces, 2) Move toward (rather than away from) this legacy of injury and harm, with the goal of increased empathy and understanding, and 3) Learn about ways to show compassion (“suffer with”) and mercy where harm and injury has occurred, and think about pathways for meaningful action. To pursue the haunting and the holy requires courage and risk, but we believe there is much beauty and healing to be found in this process, and that it is vital work for the Body of Christ to be in the midst of. 

Reading Someone Else’s Mail: A Study of Paul’s Letters

Led by Matthew Palmer

In this class, we will read the letters of Paul together and labor to understand who the Apostle was, the communities he formed, and the development of early Christianity decades following the death and resurrection of Christ.

End of the Year Giving Statements

Will be available for pick up starting after church this Sunday and will run through the end of January. If you have not or are unable to pick up your giving statement before then, it will be mailed. If you have had a change of address this last year and need to update that information, please email kim@ubcwaco.org.

Parishioner of the Week

Matthew Palmer for filling in as the new pastoral associate.

Announcements

• Sermon Text: 1 Corinthians 12:12-31a; Special guest preacher Toph Whisnant

• Spring Sunday school starts on 1-27

• Mi Casa Chili cook off 1-27

• Parents Night Out 2-8

Work is Worship

Greeters: Blaylock

Coffee Makers: Jillian H & Lindsey R

Mug Cleaners: Allie Ascherl

Money Counter:  Hannah

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.J.Nance@L3T.com

Joanna Sowards: jo.sowards@gmail.com

Kathy Krey: kathykrey@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 1-13-2019

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 who was, who is, and is to come,
revealed in the Word who became flesh
and dwelt among us

with our attention, our songs,
our prayers, and our listening

that we might be formed in the way of Christ,
the One in whom all things hold together

hoping that this same one might hold us together

in the great mosaic family of God

Amen

Scripture

Isaiah 43:1-7

Thus says the Lord,
he who created you, O Jacob,
he who formed you, O Israel:
Do not fear, for I have redeemed you;
I have called you by name, you are mine.

When you pass through the waters, I will be with you;
and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you;
when you walk through fire you shall not be burned,
and the flame shall not consume you.

For I am the Lord your God,
the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.
I give Egypt as your ransom,
Ethiopia and Seba in exchange for you.

Because you are precious in my sight,
and honored, and I love you,
I give people in return for you,
nations in exchange for your life.

Do not fear, for I am with you;
I will bring your offspring from the east,
and from the west I will gather you;
I will say to the north, "Give them up,"
and to the south, "Do not withhold;
bring my sons from far away
and my daughters from the end of the earth—
everyone who is called by my name,
whom I created for my glory,
whom I formed and made."

Colossians 1:15-19

He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation; for in him all things in heaven and on earth were created, things visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or powers—all things have been created through him and for him.

He himself is before all things, and in him all things hold together. He is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that he might come to have first place in everything.

For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him God was pleased to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, by making peace through the blood of his cross.

Prayer

This week's prayer was from An Iona Prayer Book, and is credited as an "Australian Aboriginal Prayer."

Rainbow God,
you have created people of many different colors,
and given us different cultures.
But in you
each has its source and fulfillment.
In Jesus Christ you have made us one,
breaking down the walls we make to protect ourselves.
By your Holy Spirit you have joined us in one body,
giving to each part its special gift.
We pray that in the church and in the world,
we may experience, more and more,
the love of your Holy Spirit,
love which honors and respects each one,
which is sensitive to our hurts and hopes,
which values the gifts we bring,
and shares its own treasures with us.
And, to you, O God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit,
be all honor and glory, now and to ages of ages.

Amen

ITLOTC 1-18-19

ITLOTC

(In The Life Of The Church)

Epiphany

My Favorite UBC Thing in 2018

This has probably been one of the most rewarding weeks of pastoring in my life. If you don’t know why, see the next item on this newsletter titled “1/13/19.” It was a good week filled with hard and beautiful work. I will talk more about that on Sunday, but in this newsletter I actually want to take a break from the hard and beautiful and talk about something that was just beautiful to me in 2018.

December 24, 2018 marked just the third time UBC celebrated Christmas Eve by having a service. In that regard I think we are still finding our legging. It’s a hard day in that staff is already busy with the normal Sunday worship schedule both before and after that date and are also usually playing catch up on finishing our own personal Christmas needs. To be frank, sometimes Christmas Eve doesn’t get my best effort. A few months ago Taylor mentioned doing something like a Christmas Padget with the kids. I was immediately intrigued but remembered my own Christmas play experiences that took what seemed like months of weeknight practices, parents sewing ridiculous costumes at all hours in the night and a collective reluctance from the cute little kids who were forced to do it.

I forgot about this suggestion until about the 2nd week of Advent when the costumes came in. Taylor was excited and I was confused. We had costumes, but I hadn’t heard of any Padget practices or been stressed by midnight runs to Wal-Mart to buy glitter. Surely, I thought, Taylor has miscalculated the preparation needed to pull this off. Taylor, being the cool cucumber she is, gave me a Calvinist like assurance that this was all going to be fine.

So I decided not to sweat it. Jamie then reported that he was going to be gone. “Who cares,” I thought, this is going to be a disaster anyhow. Then lo, an angel of the Lord descended on our Christmas Padget process. Ryan Richardson, Jen and Paul Carron came through on music. I created a worship guide with Taylor’s directions, three brief group emails and the no idea of what was really happening. And THEN a group of about 40 of your wonderful children and youth showed up on Christmas Eve. Somehow the thing blew my apart my expectations in the best way possible. We sang carols and told the Christmas story. Your adorable children put on donkey hats, Christmas stars and angel halos and the presence of God spread through the sanctuary.

1/13/19

In the event that you were unable to make it to church last week we would like to reiterate the imporantance of last Sunday. During the worship service last week UBC announced that she will be engaging a conversation about her relationship with the LGBTQ community. The formal letter that was crafted by the leadership team can be found here. The podcast that includes the reading of that letter and a sermon that address the topic can be found here.

Meet Our Newest UBCer

Name:  Jude Thaddeus Balk

Birthday:  September 22, 2018

Birth weight:  8 lb 5 oz

Birth height:  20 3/4 in

Enneagram Number: 1

End of the Year Giving Statements

Will be available for pick up starting after church this Sunday and will run through the end of January. If you have not or are unable to pick up your giving statement before then, it will be mailed. If you have had a change of address this last year and need to update that information, please email kim@ubcwaco.org.

Parishioner of the Week

Kathy Krey for saying yes to be on leadership team even after she heard what we are doing right now.

Announcements

• Sermon Text: Daniel 3 “But even if He does not …”

• Backside 1-25

• Spring Sunday school starts on 1-27

• Mi Casa Chili cook off 1-27

• Parents Night Out 2-9

Work is Worship

Greeters: Richardsons

Coffee Makers: Clark & Co.

Mug Cleaners: Cooleys

Money Counter:  Ballas

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.J.Nance@L3T.com

Joanna Sowards: jo.sowards@gmail.com

Kathy Krey: kathykrey@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 1-13-2019

Yesterday was the second Sunday of Epiphany, and the beginning of an important conversation in the life of our church.  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:

Wild One by Jameson McGregor

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

Fall Afresh by Jeremy Riddle

The Word Is Yet Flesh by Jameson McGregor

Wayward Ones by The Gladsome Light

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 sang this song to begin our time together to focus our attention on the God who is greater than our most polished theological systems can account for.

All Creatures of Our God and King: This song invites us to contemplate our familial relationship and unity with all of creation.

Fall Afresh: We sang this song to invite the Spirit to refresh the dry places within us and to reinvigorate our being formed in the way of Christ.

The Word Is Yet Flesh: This song is a plea for the One in whom all things hold together to hold together the fractured body of Christ.

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

Pulse: We sang this song to petition the Spirit to reawaken us to our interconnectivity and to teach us to love one another as Christ loved us.

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

-JM

January 13th Letter

UBC Leadership Team Building Use and Pastoral Autonomy Statement

In August the current leadership team began a conversation and a discernment process regarding building use and pastoral autonomy related to marriage ceremonies for all people regardless of their sexual orientation. We are aware that many local churches, and churches throughout history, have taken up this conversation and have come to different theological and practical conclusions. We are aware that as individuals in this congregation we might hold a range of ideas, beliefs and convictions on these matters. And, we are interested in hearing what those ideas, beliefs and convictions are as a part of our discerning.

UBC has always been a place that welcomes intellectual and theological diversity, and as such many of our policies on many items are intentionally or incidentally ambiguous.  In many cases this is fine and even good, however we have come to fear that the current ambiguity about the use of our building and the autonomy of our pastors to marry, or not marry, whomever they feel led, can have the unintended consequence of creating confusion and pain for those who identify as a part of the LGBTQ community. To avoid such pain and confusion we feel the need to produce and provide clarity on these two particular policies.

It is always our desire as a leadership team to act in a manner that reflects grace, truth, and most importantly love-- for God and for one another. We are honored to try and hold many realities in tension at UBC. We know and love that this congregation is home to people who identify as gay, straight and other—individuals who see themselves as advocates, scholars, theologians, overcomers, all-and-none-of-the-above. We are grateful for those here who remind us time and again of the importance of tradition in forming us in the way of Christ. And we are grateful for those among us who continually cry out for change in the name of Jesus. We love that so many different and complex people who bear the image of Christ, call this place home.

And as a leadership team who takes seriously the importance of community, we feel that it is right to articulate some of the potential stakes of our eventual choices regarding building use and pastoral autonomy. Our decision will impact all of us, but some in very particular ways. Some congregants both gay and straight will be hurt and potentially unable to see a way of remaining at UBC if we make a decision that conflicts with their deeply held convictions or identities, though our intention would be for all to remain welcome. Congregants who identify as LGBTQ could find themselves hurt, displaced and/or left with limited church options as a result of our decision. Congregants who are affiliated with the Baptist General Convention of Texas (BGCT) for their education or job could be displaced and/or hurt by our decision as well. And so, it is with faith in God and one another that we as the decision-making body at UBC endeavor to use our best collective theological reasoning and convictions to make our decision on these matters. With this in mind, we would like to offer three ways for you to share your voice with us regarding our policy decisions.

First, as always you can reach out to any of us on leadership at any time using our emails printed in the weekly newsletter,

Second, if you would like to speak with a team member one on one or in a small group here at the building,  meeting times with team members will be posted in the foyer. You may sign up for a slot there with the leadership team member of your choosing. These meetings are primarily an opportunity for you to speak and for us to listen.

Finally, if you would prefer to write your thoughts down on paper you may do so by writing your thoughts on the cards provided in the foyer and leaving them in the box nearby.

We will use your feedback to help inform our decision-making process.

Understanding and succumbing to the reality that God’s timing is not always our own, it is our sincere hope to work hard and come to a decision on these matters sometime this Spring. Thank you for listening. We look forward to being with you in person and in prayer.  

—

This letter was read during the liturgy on Sunday, January 13th, 2019. If you would like to contact anyone from the leadership team or pastoral staff, you will find the contact information below.

Leadership Team
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.J.Nance@L3T.com
Joanna Sowards: jo.sowards@gmail.com
Kathy Krey: kathykrey@gmail.com
Samuel Moore (student position): samuel_moore2@baylor.edu
Anna Carol Peery (student postion): anna_peery@baylor.edu

Pastoral Staff
Josh Carney (Lead Pastor): josh@ubcwaco.org
Taylor Post (Children & Families Pastor): taylor@ubcwaco.org
Toph Whisnant (Community Pastor): toph@ubcwaco.org
Jameson McGregor (Worship & Arts Pastor): jamie@ubcwaco.org

ITLOTC 1-11-19

ITLOTC

(In The Life Of The Church)

Epiphany

An Important Conversation For Our Church

There is a moment in our marriage that just won’t work.  No matter how badly I want it to work it doesn’t. Here’s how it unfolds.  I search for an unsuspecting moment to ask my wife, “Hey babe, are you busy tonight?”  The conversation is not unusual yet, so her reply matches the seemingly innocuous nature of my question, “No, just have to pick up Lilli from dance, but that’s it.”   My reply is the trigger, “Cool, can we plan on chatting for 15 minutes?” Not sure how it works in your house, but now her spidy sense is tingling. Suspiciously she asks in reply, “Umm … yeah, but can we just talk now?”  Now I’m trapped. Crap. “It will work better if we talk tonight,” I reply. Now Lindsay speaks directly, “I’m having feelings about this. Just tell me what it’s about.” I try and be diplomatic holding out hope that the impossible just might happen.  I say, “I’d rather not start the conversation. We need time to do this well. Let’s just plan on chatting at 8:30 when the kids go to bed.” But then my wife finds this tone and determination that is rivaled only by threatened grizzle mothers and Ursula from the Little Mermaid “No, you are going to tell me now.”

The reason that made up moment doesn’t work is because in the natural whimsical nature of everyday life I don’t schedule times to have serious conversations with my wife.  I just have serious conversations with my wife when they arrive. So, as the narrative implies, trying to schedule a moment is a kind of cue. A cue suggestion that there is something that looms large in our life and I need to prepare you for the moment by designating it.  

We’re not married.  You, me and UBC … well ... that kind of metaphor is offered to us by the scriptures to describe our relationship to each other in the church, so let’s split the difference and recognize that we all exist in a relationship as members of our community and that, that’s really important.  And now I’m telling you that we have to schedule a time to talk about something really important. Yes, I’m going to do to us the thing I’m not allowed to do in my marriage. I’m going to ask you to come to church this Sunday if at all possible. Like, if you a little sick and you’d normally stay home because that’s easier, but in all honesty you could go to church … you should come to church.  Or if it’s raining and cold and the seductive power of your comforter and season two of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel is calling your name, you should get up and come to church because this is important.  

We are going to talk about something that will affect the life of our community.  Do you see what I just did? I introduced the cue that causes you to want me to blurt out the thing right here and now.  It’s causing you to want to call up the staff person you are closest with and ask, “Hey, what’s going on?” or make that same phone call to your mi casa friend to ask the same thing.   Don’t do that. Instead pray with me. Pray for me. Pray for the staff. Pray for the leadership team. Pray for UBC. I’m not telling you on purpose. I’m asking you to come Sunday so we can worship and honor each other by talking about it together.  I’m asking you to trust me. I am asking a lot.

Meet Our Newest UBCer

Name: Charis Grace King

Birthday: 9/5/2018

Birth Weight: 7 lbs 15 oz

Birth Height: 20 inches

Enneagram Number: 5

End of the Year Giving Statements

Will be available for pick up starting after church this Sunday and will run through the end of January. If you have not or are unable to pick up your giving statement before then, it will be mailed. If you have had a change of address this last year and need to update that information, please email kim@ubcwaco.org.

OOTP Parent Update for Spring Semester

The Spring Semester is here and Youth group is starting back up again next week! The 5-6 graders will start this Sunday the 13th and the 7-12 grade students will first meet next Wednesday 1/16.

Both groups will meet at UBC, 5-6 students from 4:30 - 6:00. and 7-12 students from 6:00 - 8:00. 
Hannah and I are currently prepping for Mid Winter Retreat, but we will send out a schedule of events and meetings next week. 

We will be covering the book of Exodus, and we cannot wait to get started!

Parishioner of the Week

Our fearless youth leader volunteers Tedi and Wesley Iley who were married over the holidays. Good job friends on getting married and serving our youth.

Announcements

• Sermon Text: Colossians 1:15-20; “all things held together”

• Backside 1-25

• Spring Sunday school starts on 1-27

• Mi Casa Chili cook off 1-27

Work is Worship

Greeters: Rick & Loronas

Coffee Makers: Hoymeyer

Mug Cleaners: Glovers

Money Counter: 

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.J.Nance@L3T.com

Joanna Sowards: jo.sowards@gmail.com

Kathy Krey: kathykrey@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 1-7-2019

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 direct our attention to the Light of the World

to orient our hearts and minds
toward the Word-made-flesh

that in our singing, our praying,
our silence, and our listening

we might be caught up in the Story of God

and be formed more fully in the way of Christ

bearing the radiant love of God in our ordinary lives

amen

Scripture

Isaiah 60:1-6

Arise, shine; for your light has come,
and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you.
For darkness shall cover the earth,
and thick darkness the peoples;

but the Lord will arise upon you,
and his glory will appear over you.
Nations shall come to your light,
and kings to the brightness of your dawn.

Lift up your eyes and look around;
they all gather together, they come to you;
your sons shall come from far away,
and your daughters shall be carried on their nurses' arms.

Then you shall see and be radiant;
your heart shall thrill and rejoice,
because the abundance of the sea shall be brought to you,
the wealth of the nations shall come to you.

A multitude of camels shall cover you,
the young camels of Midian and Ephah;
all those from Sheba shall come.

They shall bring gold and frankincense,
and shall proclaim the praise of the Lord.

Matthew 2:1-12

In the time of King Herod, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, asking, "Where is the child who has been born king of the Jews? For we observed his star at its rising, and have come to pay him homage."

When King Herod heard this, he was frightened, and all Jerusalem with him; and calling together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born.

They told him, "In Bethlehem of Judea; for so it has been written by the prophet:

`And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;
for from you shall come a ruler
who is to shepherd my people Israel.'"

Then Herod secretly called for the wise men and learned from them the exact time when the star had appeared. Then he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, "Go and search diligently for the child; and when you have found him, bring me word so that I may also go and pay him homage." When they had heard the king, they set out; and there, ahead of them, went the star that they had seen at its rising, until it stopped over the place where the child was.

When they saw that the star had stopped, they were overwhelmed with joy. On entering the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother; and they knelt down and paid him homage. Then, opening their treasure chests, they offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they left for their own country by another road.

Prayer

This Sunday’s prayer was from Thandiwe Dale-Ferguson:

Quietly the New Year slips in.
Are we now more fearful, the radio asks?
More careful?
More tired?
Are we now more aware of the suffering, the violence,
the inequality, the injustice in our world?

Holy God,
In this New Year,
We seek you
As we have always sought you.
We need you
As we have always needed you.
We hunger for your presence, your peace, your justice and your love.

Open our hearts afresh and anew.
Open our minds that we may know you.
Open our hands that we may care for you.
Open our ears and eyes that we may hear and see you
In our neighbor, in the foreigner, in the refugee,
Even in our enemy,
And, perhaps especially, in ourselves.

That we may know in the deepest part of ourselves
That you call us
And that we are capable
Of seeing and naming, doing and being
Your love, your peace, your hope and your justice
In this your world.

Amen.

ITLOTC 12-21-18

ITLOTC

(In the Life of the Church)

On Mary and the Magnificat - by Taylor

I have been obsessed with Mary this Advent season. I just can’t stop thinking about her. Which – admittedly – is a little strange because before this Advent season I hadn’t spent much time thinking about Mary at all. For a handful of class sessions in seminary maybe – but not much outside of that. 

I very rarely remember talking or hearing about Mary in church much growing up – and if we did talk about Mary it was mostly just to mention that she was the mother of Jesus. Maybe to mention her involvement in the “water into wine” miracle. There was very little talk about who Mary was – about how Mary might have been thinking or feeling about being the mother of God. Was she scared? Was she excited? As she watched Jesus grow up was she anxious? (I don’t know any parents who don’t bear some anxiety about their children – so I imagine she was.) Did she understand what she was getting herself into? Or was she winging it – taking it day by day?

When I was younger I had a tendency to read books with strong female characters – Jo March in Little Women, Matilda in Matilda, Anne Shirley in Anne of Green Gables, and Hermione Granger in Harry Potter. As I have gotten older I have undertaken a concerted effort to seek out female characters (in books or in films) that are full, round characters – characters who remind me of actual women that I have met in real life. Women who are smart and strong and kind and angry and capable and competent. Women who make mistakes and apologize for them – who care for the people around them and women who are passionate about their work. Women who look like me or my mom or my sister or my friends.

But I think for much of my life I have struggled to find myself (or women who seem familiar to me) in the biblical narrative. And it is not because they’re not there but because I have not been given a lens through which to see them. But this Advent season when I read the Magnificat (sometimes known as Mary’s Song – which she sings after being greeted and blessed by Elizabeth in Luke 1) I thought, “This is a woman that I know. This is a woman who is familiar to me.” In her song Mary says:

“My soul glorifies the Lord
  and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
for he has been mindful
   of the humble state of his servant.
From now on all generations will call me blessed,
for the Mighty One has done great things for me—
   holy is his name.
His mercy extends to those who fear him,
    from generation to generation.
He has performed mighty deeds with his arm;
    he has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts.
He has brought down rulers from their thrones
    but has lifted up the humble.
He has filled the hungry with good things
    but has sent the rich away empty.
He has helped his servant Israel,
    remembering to be merciful
to Abraham and his descendants forever,
    just as he promised our ancestors.”
Luke 1:46b-55

And I’m not exactly sure what it means that I am just now beginning to find the women within the biblical narrative – because I’m sure that if you’d asked me 10 years ago I would’ve confidently been able to tell you plenty about the role of women in Christianity. But I’ll tell you this – I am glad to have Mary as my guide on this leg of the journey. I am beginning to see that I have much to learn from her – and I’d love it if you want to learn together.

You can let me know if you have any questions or if you’d like to talk about any of this by shooting me an email here.

MiCasa Chili Cookoff - January 27

Get ready for our first ever Micasa Chili throw down.  If you are in Micasa, you are invited to our Chili Cook-off on Sunday, January 27th, at 5:30pm.  We will have special guest judges, and a prize for the best chili.  Look for more information in the new year.  If you have any questions, please contact toph@ubcwaco.org

Christmas Eve Service

Christmas Eve service will be at 5:30. There will be no child care at the service, but that is because the children are going to be a significant part of the service. We hope that you’ll make UBC part of your worship plans on this holiday season because we think it’s going to be awesome.

Christmas Eve Service - Parents and Kids

Hey UBC Families! It’s Taylor. We are going to be doing a Kid’s Nativity with our UBC Kids this Christmas Eve! If you are planning on being there could please shoot me an email at taylor@ubcwaco.org so that I can have a general idea about how many kids we are going to have present and participating! All kids 4yo-6th Grade will have an opportunity to participate and I would love to have some youth helpers! So if your kids are any of those ages and want to participate or help please let me know! Thanks!

ITLOTC Break

ITLOTC, our beloved newsletter, which many have argued is on par with The Onion in entertainment value, will be taking a two-week break. So please step away from your computer screens on Friday December 28 and January 4 and quit holding your breath. We will be back with riveting material on Friday January 11. Should information arise within our community that needs to be shared before then, we will commission someone to produce a special edition of ITLTOC.

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 Image Used to Generate Clickbait Traffic

Parishioner of the Week

Val Fisk for winning outstanding student at Truett Seminary and for landing a sweet pastoral associate gig in Knoxville, TN. Thanks for all that you have done or us Val. Go in the power of the resurrection.

Announcements

• Sermon Text: Luke 2:39-55

Work is Worship

Greeters:

Coffee Makers:

Mug Cleaners:

Money Counter: 

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 12-16-2018

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 direct our attention
to the One who made all things

to worship the One
who is making all things new

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

and find our own stories transformed

into places where the dry land is glad,
where the desert rejoices and blossoms

where a Lights shines in the darkness
and the darkness does not overcome it

Amen

Joy Candle Liturgy

Here in the middle of the darkest days of the year, our Advent journey invites us to grasp for Joy; to embrace the truth that reality precedes and reaches beyond the present darkness.  The joy of Advent is a way of seeing where we stubbornly refuse to call the way things are “the way things will always be.” It’s a way of looking back to look forward, knowing that God is still working to reconcile all things to Godself, and raising this as a light in defiance of the dark.  It is for this joy that we light a candle this week.

[Light Joy Candle]

Hear now of the Lord coming into the darkness of Exile to lead us home in Isaiah 35:1-10.

The wilderness and the dry land shall be glad,
the desert shall rejoice and blossom;
like the crocus it shall blossom abundantly,
and rejoice with joy and singing.
The glory of Lebanon shall be given to it,
the majesty of Carmel and Sharon.
They shall see the glory of the Lord,
the majesty of our God. 

Strengthen the weak hands,
and make firm the feeble knees. 
Say to those who are of a fearful heart,
‘Be strong, do not fear!
Here is your God.
He will come with vengeance,
with terrible recompense.
He will come and save you.’

Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened,
and the ears of the deaf unstopped; 
then the lame shall leap like a deer,
and the tongue of the speechless sing for joy.
For waters shall break forth in the wilderness,
and streams in the desert; 
the burning sand shall become a pool,
and the thirsty ground springs of water;
the haunt of jackals shall become a swamp,
the grass shall become reeds and rushes. 

A highway shall be there,
and it shall be called the Holy Way;
the unclean shall not travel on it,
but it shall be for God’s people;
no traveller, not even fools, shall go astray. 
No lion shall be there,
nor shall any ravenous beast come up on it;
they shall not be found there,
but the redeemed shall walk there. 

And the ransomed of the Lord shall return,
and come to Zion with singing;
everlasting joy shall be upon their heads;
they shall obtain joy and gladness,
and sorrow and sighing shall flee away. 

Scripture

Zephaniah 3:14-20

Sing aloud, O daughter Zion;
shout, O Israel!
Rejoice and exult with all your heart,
O daughter Jerusalem!

The Lord has taken away the judgments against you,
the Lord has turned away your enemies.
The king of Israel, the Lord, is in your midst;
you shall fear disaster no more.

On that day it shall be said to Jerusalem:
Do not fear, O Zion;
do not let your hands grow weak.
The Lord, your God, is in your midst,
a warrior who gives victory;

the Lord will rejoice over you with gladness,
the Lord will renew you in his love;
the Lord will exult over you with loud singing
as on a day of festival.

I will remove disaster from you,
so that you will not bear reproach for it.
I will deal with all your oppressors
at that time.

And I will save the lame
and gather the outcast,
and I will change their shame into praise
and renown in all the earth.

At that time I will bring you home,
at the time when I gather you;
for I will make you renowned and praised
among all the peoples of the earth,
when I restore your fortunes
before your eyes, says the Lord.

Luke 3:7-18

John said to the crowds that came out to be baptized by him, "You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Bear fruits worthy of repentance. Do not begin to say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham as our ancestor'; for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children to Abraham. Even now the ax is lying at the root of the trees; every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire."

And the crowds asked him, "What then should we do?" In reply he said to them, "Whoever has two coats must share with anyone who has none; and whoever has food must do likewise." Even tax collectors came to be baptized, and they asked him, "Teacher, what should we do?" He said to them, "Collect no more than the amount prescribed for you."

Soldiers also asked him, "And we, what should we do?" He said to them, "Do not extort money from anyone by threats or false accusation, and be satisfied with your wages."

As the people were filled with expectation, and all were questioning in their hearts concerning John, whether he might be the Messiah, John answered all of them by saying, "I baptize you with water; but one who is more powerful than I is coming; I am not worthy to untie the thong of his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fork is in his hand, to clear his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his granary; but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire."

So, with many other exhortations, he proclaimed the good news to the people.

Setlist 12-16-2018

Yesterday was the third 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:

Joy (Brightest) by ubcmusic

Hope (There Will Come A Light) by ubcmusic

Peace (Change Everything) by ubcmusic

After the Dust Clears by Jameson McGregor

There by Jameson McGregor

Doxology

**Note: You can stream ubc’s advent ep from a few years ago here.

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. 

Joy (Brightest): This song explores the expectation of Advent Joy, wondering what sort of thing might be that star just out of sight and what changes it might bring to the world as we know it.  What might it tear down, and what might it lift up?

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.

Peace (Change Everything): This song is plea for God to bring peace into the chaos of our world, from the systems within which we operate, to the cells that compose our bodies.

After the Dust Clears: I don’t really want to talk about this song.  Not because I don’t have anything to say, but because I think it invites you to find your own connecting point within it.  I suppose it might be worth pointing out that it’s about the way that we carry conflict and the way we embrace reconciliation, but beyond that, I leave it to you.

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 song to confess the transcendence of God, and to anchor ourselves to the peace of God in the midst of chaos.

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 12-14-18

ITLOTC

(In the Life of the Church)

Advent - Joy

And Now for Joy

I’ve been out of sorts with Advent this year.  This might be a clergy problem. By this I mean we are always preparing a week ahead of everyone else.  Before Advent began I was thinking about hope. Once hope arrived I started writing my sermon about peace.  Now, during our peace week, I’ve skipped ahead to joy. So all week I have been thinking about joy. Here’s a sneak peak (but not really if you’ve heard me talk about joy before), joy is intrinsically tied to surprise.  Joy is unexpected.

This is easy for me to see with four kids in the house.  My ability to anticipate their development consistently fails and so I’m constantly being surprised by their ideas, vocabulary, and abilities.  Often the focal point of parental surprise is the hilarious stuff of toddlers and small children. It’s the same stuff that makes Steve Harvey’s show, Little Big Shots, funny.  Most kids default mode is funny.    The kinds of surprises in our house range from Wendell having the emotional intelligence to smooze, to Mabel utilizing deadpan humor, to Lillian’s self confidence on the stage.  But there’s a different kind of a joy that comes from surprise. It’s not a joy that makes me laugh, it’s a joy that makes me appreciate.

Lately, I’ve found that joy in my interactions with Roy.  I’m not sure if this is unique to me, but when I was a kid I always appreciated when adults talked to me like I was an adult.  If I was given inside information I felt important. If I was taken seriously, I wanted to do my best to honor that and offer maturity in response.  So I’ve taken some risks with Roy recently by engaging him in complex conversations. I have been surprised by his capacity for meaningful conversation.  It’s strange … delightful, to find wisdom in such an unsuspecting source.

This experience has me thinking about UBC.  I think I would like joy for UBC in 2019. So I’m praying for God to surprise me.  To surprise all of us.

Christmas Eve Service

Christmas Eve service will be at 5:30. There will be no child care at the service, but that is because the children are going to be a significant part of the service. We hope that you’ll make UBC part of your worship plans on this holiday season because we think it’s going to be awesome.

Christmas Eve Service - Parents and Kids

Hey UBC Families! It’s Taylor. We are going to be doing a Kid’s Nativity with our UBC Kids this Christmas Eve! If you are planning on being there could please shoot me an email at taylor@ubcwaco.org so that I can have a general idea about how many kids we are going to have present and participating! All kids 4yo-6th Grade will have an opportunity to participate and I would love to have some youth helpers! So if your kids are any of those ages and want to participate or help please let me know! Thanks!

ITLOTC Break

ITLOTC, our beloved newsletter, which many have argued is on par with The Onion in entertainment value, will be taking a two-week break. So please step away from your computer screens on Friday December 28 and January 4 and quit holding your breath. We will be back with riveting material on Friday January 11. Should information arise within our community that needs to be shared before then, we will commission someone to produce a special edition of ITLTOC.

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

Parishioner of the Week

Angela Beeler and Catherine Ballas for winning Wacoan of the year.

Announcements

• Sermon Text: Zephaniah 3:14-20 “Jerusalem’s Joy”

Work is Worship

Greeters: Richardsons

Coffee Makers: Clark Mi Casa

Mug Cleaners: Cooley

Money Counter:  Ballas

Welcome Station: Broaddaus

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 12-9-2018

Yesterday was the second 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:

Hope (There Will Come A Light) by ubcmusic

Peace (Change Everything) by ubcmusic

There by Jameson McGregor

Like It Was Then by Jameson McGregor

O Come, O Come Emmanuel

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. 

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.

Peace (Change Everything): This song is plea for God to bring peace into the chaos of our world, from the systems within which we operate, to the cells that compose our bodies.

There: We sang this song to confess the transcendence of God, and to anchor ourselves to the peace of God in the midst of chaos.

Like It Was Then: This song grasps for some sort of reassurance that Advent hope is merited in our time.

O Come, O Come Emmanuel: We sang this song to look over our shoulder at last week’s songs. This is what we said about O Come, O Come Emmanuel then: We sang this song to begin Lent with a plea for God to enter as a Light into our dark 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 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

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

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

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

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