ANDIE’S POST
“Just take a breath,” I said to myself yesterday morning as I walked out of my house on the way to the church. Busses had been missed, the nanny’s car wouldn’t run, and Jeremy got stuck at work. Meanwhile, I had a meeting first thing and two of the most delightful toddlers who can’t stay home alone, despite their strong belief that we should leave them to their devices unattended. I needed to be in two places at once, and if you’ve ever tried it, you know firsthand that it doesn’t work. I shared a couple of weeks ago that my Lenten practice is to PUT DOWN THE WORK COMPUTER AND WALK AWAY, and when I do that, redirect my attention to the presence of God. Thanks to a chaotic Monday, I’ve recognized that not only do I want to more fully notice the Divine in my life, I want to notice my life in every single moment. I want to work on taking in the good, the hard, and yes, the chaotic, so that I can be present with myself and with others in increasingly meaningful and tangible ways. For me, that looks like slowing down, taking a breath, settling in, and finding the glimmers of light and goodness that surround me. It is a complicated thing to seek delight in the simple things after having “be grateful for everything” weaponized to silence hurt, abuse, and discontent. Yet little by little, the Spirit is weaving beauty over those wounds as I awaken more to the sweetness of a life arched to see Jesus where I hadn’t seen him before. There is grace in those spaces, my friends: The spaces where we notice, the spaces where we breathe, the spaces where we have the courage to experience joy. In the wilderness of Lent, may we journey into those spaces and allow the Spirit to surprise us with glimmers and with life.
THIS WEEK
Youth Group - Wednesday, 6pm
Note: if you are a parent of one of our youth group kids, you can sign up for the youth mailing list by emailing emily@ubcwaco.org.
Pints with Toph - Wednesday, 6pm, Pinewood Public House
UBCYP Meetup. - Thursday - 6-8pm
Hello! Well, sometimes your fire pit gets thrown away by apartment management, and sometimes you have to pivot. We will no longer be having a hang by the fire this week, we are going to try something new: happy hour at Cricket’s. Join us from 6-8pm at Cricket’s this Thursday. Email toph@ubcwaco.org by Thursday at 4pm to let me know your coming, so I can get us a table. Hope to see you there.
No Lectio Divine Class this Sunday (3/3)
The group will resume on 3/10.
GIVING
UBC survives on the generosity of our congregation. Your financial contributions allow us to continue to create a space that is welcoming to all, embraces beauty, and seeks to live life to the fullest.
You can give, as you’re able, on Sunday mornings or set up a single or recurring online gift here.
If you ever have trouble with giving online or have a question about how to give, feel free to email administrator@ubcwaco.org.
CHURCH NEEDS
NEW BABY MEALTRAIN ALERT
Elysa and Marcus Franklin welcomed a new baby this week! Let’s keep them fed for a few weeks while they become acquainted with parenthood: https://www.mealtrain.com/trains/lo9yq4.
Youth Group Dinner Sign Ups
Part of our youth’s weekly gathering is eating together, which is of course important for the growth of both community and teenagers. You can help foster this growth by signing up to bring food some time. You’ll find more info and a sign up sheet here.
Tech Booth Volunteers
We are looking for a few more folks to volunteer in the tech booth on slides, lights, and the livestream. Previous experience isn’t required—we can train you! Contact jamie@ubcwaco.org if you’re interested.
Kids Volunteers
We are so thankful for our UBC Kids Volunteers, and are always on the look out for more! If you are available to help on Sunday mornings or other times this semester please email kids@ubcwaco.org
Leadership Team, Finance Team, and HR Team
All of our teams will have people rotating off later this year and early next, and we are currently accepting nominations for people to serve on one of those three teams. If you know someone who would be a good fit, and would like to serve on LT, FT, or HR, please email your nomination to any team member or full-time staff member. If you have any questions, please contact toph@ubcwaco.org
GROUPS
March Madness Bracket Tourney
It’s the most wonderful time of the year (toph’s opinion), March Madness is here. If you want to join the fun and enter a bracket, follow this link for the men’s tourney and this link for the women’s.
Group name: UBC Satan Slayers!
Password: nottodaysatan
The winner of each group will get to select their lunch establishment of choice, and Toph will take you out. Who do you have cutting the nets down this year?
Lent Group - Wednesdays, 6:15-7:30, beginning Feb 14
Lent is an invitation to make space in our hearts, minds, and lives for the mystery of Easter. This group will share with and support one another as we experiment with the three traditional pillars of Lent: fasting, prayer, and giving. Together we'll also consider Lent's historical context and what it offers to the life of faith today.
Lectio Divina Group - Sundays, 9:30-10:30
(not meeting 3/3)
Lectio Divina (translated "sacred reading") is a way of opening ourselves to God by praying with scriptures. Together, we'll experiment with different approaches to this ancient/future way of drawing near to God. We'll share with and support one another as we practice entering the story of God and finding our own stories reimagined so that we might be formed more fully in the way of Christ.
Micasas
Micasas are designed to build more intentional community within the larger community of UBC. They meet on either Sunday, Monday, or Tuesday night. If you would like to get plugged into a Micasa, sign-up in the foyer or contact toph@ubcwaco.org for questions.
Woven Book Club
The Woven book group will meet one last time on April 21 right after church. We'll be covering the final section of the book and overall thoughts. If you're interested in nurturing a faith our kids don't have to heal from but haven't been able to join us before now, this is a great chance to jump into the conversation. Please email Brooke@ubcwaco.org to RSVP.
UPCOMING EVENTS
College Hangout - March 19th - 7-9pm
Join us for our next college hangout on March 19th from 7-9pm. We will be heading to Top Golf. UBC will pay for the bay, you just pay for whatever food and drinks you want! Email toph@ubcwaco.org with any questions or to sign-up.
Palm Sunday Picnic - March 24th - after church
After church, grab some food and meet up at Miss Nellie’s Pretty Place in Cameron Park for a picnic.
Maundy Thursday Potluck - March 28th - 5:30pm
We’ll remember the last dinner Jesus had with his friends by having a potluck. Bring a dish to share.
Good Friday Liturgy - March 29th - 5:30pm
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Find more details and our full calendar of events on our website. This calendar is updated frequently, so check back often!
PREACHING SCHEDULE
3/3 - Andie
3/10- Liz Andrasi Deere
3/17- Jamie (St. Patrick’s Day)
3/24- Andie (Palm Sunday)
3/31- Andie (Easter)
WANT TO CHAT?
Share Your Feedback
Have feedback for us? Feel free to reach out to staff directly with any praises, curiosities, or concerns. You are also invited to submit feedback to the HR team and allow them to pass it along! You can do that with this form: https://forms.gle/1ovkBXSx1Lu3CR448
Pastoral Staff
Andie Pellicer, Lead Pastor
(andie@ubcwaco.org)
Toph Whisnant, Community Pastor (toph@ubcwaco.org)
Jameson Mcgregor, Worship & Arts Pastor (jamie@ubcwaco.org)
Leadership Team (leadershipteam@ubcwaco.org)
Ben Raley
Britt Duke
Andy Clark
Aleigh Ascherl
Marcus Franklin
Shelly Taylor
Katie Robinson
Margo Shanks
HR Team (hrteam@ubcwaco.org)
Craig Nash
Kristen Howerton
Abbey Mackey
Jim Wren
Betsy Bracken
Finance Team (finance@ubcwaco.org)
Colton Towns
Ethan Cohen