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