ITLOTC 5-31-15

ITLOTC

(In The Life Of The Church) 

Easter 2015

Missions Update (exciting news locally and an update on our global initiatives)

As people on an intentional journey toward Christ, we are to be active participants in bringing the kingdom of God on earth as it is in heaven. We strive to be missional, to be the incarnate Christ immersed in the world, without becoming a product of it. In each situation we find ourselves in (i.e. - work, home, school, church, the grocery store, the pub, etc.), we seek to actively love those around us through word and deed, and to consistently seek out opportunities to live and be caught up in the life Christ embodied.

Exciting News with CCMS

Recently, UBC received some exciting news: we are being given the “Award of Excellence – Secondary,” through the Waco ISD Adopt a School Program.  The program coordinator asked us for a little more information on what we do with CCMS, and our response is below. 

“We are honored to be able to attend the Partnership Recognition Breakfast, accept the Award of Excellence - Secondary, and have loved another year of partnering with CCMS.  We have two main areas with which we help, then a few one-time things we did this year.  In our lunch buddy program, we had 12 mentors who began meeting with their kids the first week of October 2014, through the beginning of May 2015.  These mentors committed to being at school for at least one lunch a week to meet with their student, and spend some time investing in them.  We also had 8 tutors who began about the same time, and they spent 1-2hrs a week, from 4-5 on Tues/Thurs. afternoons working with students on Reading and Reading Comprehension.  Each week, we probably put in 10-14hrs combined at the school, working with students.  

CCMS is our longest standing community partner, and we love working with the school and administration to help the families in our neighborhood.  UBC has been in our current location, 1701 Dutton, since 1997, and our goal has always been to be invested/involved in the neighborhood, and to love those around us.  Partnering with CCMS allows us to help in some unique ways, as does partnering with the South Waco Community Center and Jesus Said Love.  Each year we seek not to propose programs to the school, but to talk with Ms. Ash and Mrs. Garcia, and others in administration, to see how we can help them this year.  The tutoring program was started this year out of those conversations that happened last summer.  

UBC also tries to be a resource anytime the school needs help with one time projects.  Recently Ms. Ash called to see if we would be willing to collect school supplies for kids who might need them, and this was an immediate “yes” from us.  When we helped out with greeting during STARS testing, we had 12 volunteers who showed up early, energetic, and ready to interact with students.

Lastly, having partnered with CCMS for several years, we know how draining/demanding the STARS testing season can be on teachers as well, so we decided to encourage them.  I worked with the staff at CCMS to collect the names/job of each person at the school, and our UBC community spent time writing personalized notes to all 90+ faculty and staff at CCMS.  Inside each note we put a $5 gift card to either Shipleys, Starbucks, Common Grounds, etc…  During one of the days of STARS testing, we placed the notes in the teacher’s boxes’ in their workroom, along with some cookies from Lula Janes.  Our why: we simply wanted to remind the teachers that they are not forgotten during this season, that we love you and are praying for you.  

If you include all those who helped with teacher encouragement, tutoring, greeting, and mentoring, we had over 100 volunteers this year at CCMS.”  

Update on UBC Global

As our partnership with Batey 50, Dominican Republic, was coming to a close in the Spring of 2014, we began exploring potential new partnerships in Asia.  Since UBC began engaging the work of the kingdom overseas, we focused on Kenya first, then, most recently, the Dominican Republic.  Through research, prayer, and discernment, the Leadership Team directed staff to begin pursuing a 3/4yr intentional partnership in Asia.  After much conversation and prayer, we did a scouting trip to India in February 2014 to discern working with one of two organizations there.  Upon completion of the trip, everything looked promising for UBC to begin a partnership in India starting May 2015, but over the course of a few months, doors began to close on our potential work in India. 

In early October 2014, we made the decision that India would no longer be a viable option for our next partnership, and we went back to the drawing board, while still keeping our focus in Asia.           Over the last few months, we have researched potential partnerships in Cambodia, Thailand, Malaysia, and Indonesia, and we have been prayerful about what next steps to take concerning UBC’s next international partnership.  Through connections with missionaries in Thailand, we pursued a potential one-time opportunity that we advertised in the Spring of 2015, but there was not significant interest in the trip at the time.  Over the course of the last few months, as we have been in conversation with potential partners in Cambodia, Thailand, Malaysia, and Indonesia, we discerned that our next partnership will be in Thailand.        

On Monday, Melissa and I will head to Chiang Mai, Thailand, to spend a week doing ministry and scouting logistics for UBC to begin taking teams in May 2016.  The missionaries we will be working alongside work with SE Asian immigrants in Chiang Mai, and UBC will come alongside of them to assist in their outreach to the immigrant community surrounding the Night Market in Chiang Mai.  Please pray for Melissa and I as we travel to Chiang Mai and set the framework for UBC to begin our next international partnership in May 2016. If you have any questions concerning our philosophy of missions, how we moved from Kenya, to the Dominican Republic, to India, and now to Thailand, please contact toph@ubcwaco.org .  We look forward to giving you a full update on our partnership in Thailand in June when we return.

Meet Our Newest HR Team Member 

Rob Engblom

Vocation: (could be your job or something you love doing/believe you were made for): I am the Associate Director for Resident Learning in the office of Campus Living & Learning at Baylor University.  That’s a fancy way of saying I help run the residence halls.

favorite movie:  Aliens.  Bill Paxton is the greatest actor of our time.

best restaurant in Waco: Chuy’s

Bible verse/chapter/book that has been meaningful for you: I’ve always found Hebrews 11 to be encouraging…

best television show: Ever?  Lost.  Currently?  I enjoyed Daredevil on Netflix.

favorite holiday: Christmas.

something you might not know about me: I’ve never had coffee before, but I have been a judge in a coffee brewing contest. 

Office Manager Position

We are excited to announce that Michelle has landed a full time position in her field of social work.  Michelle begins working for Hillcrest Hospital on June 21st.  Yeah Michelle!  That means we will be taking applications for the UBC Office Manager position.  

The office manager position is a part time position that is paid for 20 hours a week.    The Office Administrator performs the daily administrative needs of the church and staff as well as maintains responsibly of all financial duties.  The Office Administrator oversees building rentals and maintenance needs of the church. Interested persons can find more information by clicking here. 

Garage Sale

A few people have asked me about garage sale.  We have decided to not do the the garage sale this year.  The decision was made for several reasons. 

1. there was conflict in staff schedules this summer.  said differently because one or more of us are gone at different points we feared that the majority of the work would fall on one or two people. 

2. in recent years we've found that the garage sale has accumulated junk.   Often we end up being a dumping grounds for getting rid of things that can't be sold and in some cases we even need to pay to get rid of. 

3. the biggest and most important reason is lack of participation.  last summer that week before garage sale we didn't have many volunteers.  part of the garage sale has been about galvanizing participation and community.  that has been a steady decline for a few years.  

a few follow up comments.  if you have already made a donation to UBC for the garage sale and would like your stuff back please contact us and we would be glad to arrange that.  

we are not doing away with the garage sale permanently.  we are simply taking a break this year and will reevaluate next spring. 

we are still financially dependent on fundraising income.  in that regard you should know that we are planning a few other fundraising events.  the first will happen his fall.  we are hoping to partner with a few local organizations to host a comedy and magic show.  

A Children's Ministry Update from Emily 

It's that time of year again!  If you have a child who is currently in the Roots class or who will be entering 1st grade next year, mark your calendars!  On June 5th we will hold our annual Roots Camp-In Sleepover to welcome our new Roots kids!  We will kick off at UBC at 6pm Friday evening and have fun together until 9am Saturday morning! Dinner, snacks, games, crafts, movies, breakfast and awesomeness will be provided...but they will need a sleep stuff and toiletries!  More information will come this week, but feel free to email Emily at emily@ubcwaco.org if you have any questions!  Thanks!

As I said last week, we are currently looking for extra hands to help with UBCKids this summer!  We have Volunteer opportunities available in each age group, as well as Sunday School, so it's time to put aside your fear of tiny people and sign up!  To whet your appetite a little, here's a teaser of the awesomeness that will be happening in UBCKids this Summer:  Babies and Toddlers (Nurture and Sprout Rooms) will be loving life and loving each other as they learn about God's love through play!  Our curriculum rooms will be finishing out the trifecta of UBC Values by learning about Discipleship!  We will be looking at the model that Jesus gave us for Disciples ship and focusing on Scripture, Relationships and Service.  To do this, Bloom (older 2's-young 4's) will be exploring the fundamentals of who Jesus was and what He taught us about how to live, while Branch (older 4's-Kindergarten) and Root (1st and up) will meet together to explore Jesus' life and relationships that show us how we should carry on His Message.  In Sunday School, our 1st-4th graders will be researching and investigating those people in the Bible who had close encounters of the Jesus-kind and how they were changed!  After we do a little digging, we will break into teams and use technology to create stop-motion videos that re-tell the story of their choosing!  

Room Volunteers (during the service) will be on a once-every-4-week team rotation (that means 3 times, at most, over the Summer), while the Sunday School team will meet with 1st grade and up each week during the Sunday School hour (9:30-10:15).  If you are interested in helping out with kids over the Summer, we would love to have you!  Please email Emily at emily@ubcwaco.org for more information!  Thanks!

If you are a parent who DOESN'T feel called or otherwise inclined to hang out in a room with kids, but you value the UBCKids program, we have the opportunity of a lifetime for you!  This Summer we will be starting our PG-13 Team! (No, silly, this doesn't mean that we will use bad language...)  PG-13 is a group of 12 parents (there's the P!), plus the Children's Pastor (see...13!), who help guide the UBCKids program towards success (and there's the G...are you with me now?!)  We will work together to do things like, keep the rooms organized, decorated and updated, greet families, old and new, to make them feel welcome and cared for, show appreciation for volunteers, help with child check-in/check-out and anything else that we find will help UBCKids be more effective and fulfilling for our kids, families and volunteers!  If you are interested, I'd love to hear from you!  Please email me at emily@ubcwaco.org!  

Not this Sunday...but next Sunday...(June 7th) will be promotion Sunday!  Because kids stay for at least 2 years in most of our rooms, this is a big change for our kids who are promoting!  If your child has turned 2, 4 or 6 during this school year, they will be promoted to the next class up, so help us out by discussing this in the coming weeks and tell them how excited we are that they are growing up SO fast!  We will be having a fun-filled, celebratory Sunday in the three biggest rooms (Bloom, Sprout and Root) to welcome our new friends and to help them get acclimated to their new classroom!  Let me know if you have any questions or concerns!  Thanks- Emily emily@ubcwaco.com  

A Call for Artists (of all kinds)

Jamie is mulling over some future projects for the community that would enlist the use of art.

so ... 

If you are a visual artist of any kind, and are interested in creating things for UBC, we want to know! Please contact Jamie (Jamie@ubcwaco.org)

Empty Nester Event

Our next empty nester event will be Tomorrow, May 30th, at the Haines house.  Fajitas will be provided.  Please plan on bringing a side, dessert or drink to share.  If you would like more information please email josh@ubcwaco.org.

Work is Worship 

Greeters:   The Haines, Jana Parker, & Bonny Dennis 

Coffee Makers:  Jacob & Hopefully Somebody Else ... 

Mug Cleaners:   Team Kuhl 

Shutdown Team: The Golden Glitter Girls 

Announcements:

• Sunday Sermon Text: Luke 12:13-21.  We are beginning a Six week series on the Words of Jesus.  Here are the texts that will be used in worship for preaching over the next several weeks. 

  • 5-31 The Rich Man and the Barns - Luke 12:13-21

  • 6-7 Laborers in the Vineyard - Matthew 20:1-16

  • 6-14 The Pharisee and the Publican - Luke 18:9-1
  • 6-21 Weeds and the Grain - Matthew 13:24-30
  • 6-28 The Closed Door - Luke 13:22-30
  • 7-5 the Good Samaritan - 10:25-3

• Summer Sunday School Begins June 7th

• Grillz and Chillz will take place at the Carney household on the evening of June 10th.  We will meet at the Carney Casa to enjoy food, fun, and fellowship.  We will provide the main dish (hamburgers and hot dogs), you bring a side and drinks.  This is open to everyone who wants to come: college, young professionals, grad students, families, etc...  Please sign-up in the foyer if you can make it, so we can know how many burgers/hotdogs to buy.  If you have any questions, please contact toph@ubcwaco.org . 

• Waco dives will start this June.  Our first one will be June 3rd.  We will meet at Taqueria Arandas, at noon.   Please email toph@ubcwaco.org if you have any questions. 

• UBC Summer Party Jun 28th - directly after church - we will provide the food and drinks.  More information coming soon...

• School Supply Drive - starting this Sunday, we are partnering with CCMS to collect school supplies for kids in Waco.  There will be a box in the foyer through the month of June to collect the supplies, and attached to the box is a list of supplies needed.  If you have any questions, please contact toph@ubcwaco.org . 

• Justice Conference - June 6th - is being simulcast for free at Baylor University.  You can find more information, and register for free here: www.justiceandmercy.engineering 

Do you have an Emergency? Do you Need to talk to a Pastor?:

254 413 2611

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- Kristin Dodson: kschwebke@prodigy.net

Jana Parker: jparkerslp@gmail.com

Stan Denman: Stan_Denman@baylor.edu

David Wilhite: David_Wilhite@baylor.edu

Byron Roldan: Byron_Roldan@baylor.edu 

Sharyl Loeung: sharylwl@gmail.com

Jon Davis: jdavis83@gmail.com

UBC Finance Team

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

Tom Haines: thomas_haines@baylor.edu

Josh McCormick: Josh.McCormick@dwyergroup.com

Chris Kim: chris_kim@alumni.baylor.edu

Hannah Kuhl: HannahKuhl@hotmail.com  

Justin Pond: pondjw@gmail.com

Lacy Crocker: lacykcrocker@gmail.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.

Maxcey Blaylock: maxceykite@gmail.com

Mathew Crawford: mathewcrawford@yahoo.com

Callie Schrank: Callie_Schrank@baylor.edu

Jeff Walter: Jeff_Walter@ubcwaco.org

Rob Engblom: Rob_Engblom@baylor.edu

 

Setlist 5-24-2015

This week, we were fortunate to have our friend Liz Andrasi preach to us from Acts 2:1-13.  Our songs were gathered around the theme of Pentecost.  Pentecost is when we remember the coming of the Holy Spirit to the Church in Acts 2.  Josh wrote about Pentecost in the newsletter this week, so be sure to check that out if you haven't yet.  Below, you’ll find the list of the songs and artists. Clicking the song titles will take you to the lyrics. Below the songs, there is an example of one way you might think of these songs in light of this week's theme. If you want to talk about any of these, feel free to comment or email me at jamie@ubcwaco.org.

Songs

Fall Afresh by Jeremy Riddle

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

Holy Spirit by Jesus Culture

Oceans by Hillsong United

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.

Fall Afresh: When we come to Pentecost each year, we are celebrating the coming of the Holy Spirit in Acts, thanking God for blessing the Church with the Gift of God's continual presence.  We are also reminding ourselves that this Gift has been given to us as well.  In reminding ourselves of this, we are hoping for a renewed awareness of the Spirit's presence.  We shouldn't reduce Pentecost to a yearly refilling station for caring about the Spirit, but we also should not pretend that we live lives that are fully aware of the Spirit at all times.  Pentecost is a time to remember that we are a people who have been given a Gift, and to live into that reality.

All Creatures of Our God and King: Pentecost is significant for the Church, yes, but it is also significant for the whole of the cosmos.  When we think about the Holy Spirit, we should think of the Spirit of Life who mediates God's love to the things that God has made--people, plants, animals, subatomic particles, etc.  God is active and present in the farthest reaches of space, and is weaving a multitude of smaller stories into one great story.  

Holy Spirit: This song focuses more on the personal encounter of the Spirit.  I'd like to note a few unrelated things about this song.  First, it is not an accident that we gather together to sing this song.  The Spirit is certainly able to influence us when we are alone, but it seems like the Spirit is much more active among a community.  As Liz pointed out in her sermon, the focus of the Acts 2 narrative is what the Spirit does through people.  Second, I want to clarify that, while this song centers around expressing an openness to the Spirit, we should not fool ourselves into thinking that the Spirit needs our permission or invitation to move among us--as if we could conjure the Spirit.  Third,  I've had a few people tell me that they didn't like a few lines of this song, specifically "come flood this place and fill the atmosphere."  Let me confess: I don't like that line either.  It feels like a forced rhyme with "welcome here." I find it within myself to sing this song because I ultimately do want to express an openness to the Spirit, and to petition for a greater awareness of the Spirit's presence and power.

Oceans: We sang this song to look over our shoulder at the songs we sang last week.  Here's what we said then: Before Jesus' ascension, He promised the disciples that the Holy Spirit would come empower them to continue His work.  In His leaving, Jesus called His followers to stay the course.  We too are called to continue His work--and seeking to do this can be equal parts confusing and overwhelming.  Oceans uses the image of walking on water to illustrate at least two things: doing things that we are literally incapable of doing without God's aid, and entering into chaotic and unknown territory.  As we contemplate what it means for us to be Jesus in the world, we must not lose sight of the fact that we are neither able nor expected to do it alone.

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 5-22-15

ITLOTC

(In The Life Of The Church) 

Easter 2015

The Spirit 

I've probably said about 50 times in sermons over the years that I grew up in a charismatic church.  People often say to me, "that's right you grew up Pentecostal."  I used to try and correct them, but I stopped.  No one cares about the theological nuance and difference between your average community church with an emphasis on the gifts of the Spirit and a Pentecostal church.  To them it's all the same and had I not grown up in the church I did, I'd probably see it that way as well. 

This Sunday is Pentecost.  That's the day we read from Acts chapter 2 and are reminded that our western suppositions about what's normal may not be completely normal.  I would think, that growing up the way I did, Pentecost would be one of the highlights on the church calendar for me.  And it is.  But I sometimes avoid preaching it.  In fact, this is the  eighth time I've been a preacher on Pentecost and including this Sunday I've managed to preach it only five times. 

I think that's in part because it's difficult to preach about the Spirit even if you think you know the Spirit intimately.  My friend Brian preached at UBC one time and said, "you don't get the Spirit, the Spirit gets you."  I think that's right.  The Spirit can't be controlled and the movement of the Spirit is unpredictable.  In this regard it's difficult to say what we know about the Spirit because the Spirit is better experienced than talked about.  

Still there are lots of things we can say about the Spirit.  One of my favorite theological books that I've ever read is a book about the Holy Spirit: Flame of Love by Clark Pinnock.  To give you an idea of the scope of the ministry of the Spirit I'm going to include his table of contents below. 

1. Spirit & Unity: The face of the Spirit in the communication of the Holy Trinity. 

2. Spirit in Creation: The Spirit as Lord and giver of life, who touches creation and moves it toward completion.

3. Spirit & Christology: The Spirit anointed Jesus of Nazareth to heal human brokeness from the inside and bring about atonement. 

4. Spirit & Church: The Spirit indwells the church and is present sacramentally and charismatically to endow it for mission. 

5. Spirit & Union: The goal of salvation is to live in loving union with God and to participate in the triune nature through the Spirit 

6. Spirit & Universality: God desires all to be saved and is found graciously present with every person in every place by the Spirit. 

7. Spirit & Truth: The Spirit leads the church into truth along the path of mission enabling it to be timely and fruitful in ministry. 

I'm sure other books on the Holy Spirit might add a point or two and others might subtract, but you get the point.  The Spirit has a critical role in the life of the believer.  

And yet, for some reason, it has always struck me that the church has struggled to relate to the Spirit.  In a conversation with friends the other day we were trying to remember scriptures in which the Spirit is the recipient of the prayer.  If you include the jussive cases of speech you might have something.  In talking with Jamie this week we identified a few songs in which the Spirit is addressed.  But again ... we rely on the Spirit for so much, both as a church and individually. 

I get the skepticism.  Holy Spirit people can sometimes be weird and  unthoughtful.  Both of those attributes can do damage.  And yet I sometimes find myself longing for the church at large to do a better job of engaging the Spirit.  I'm just not entirely sure what that would look like.  

When I was little I went to a children's church camp and prayed to receive the gift of tongues.  I was praying with words I knew and then I began to utter ones i did not.  My "prayer language"  is just a few syllables.  Since that moment I've gotten a seminary degree and become much more skeptical ... even of myself.  Here's what I know.  I know that I've amended my theology many times.  And yet God never seemed more or less available based on my right theology.  What I've learned from this is two things.  My theology is not perfect right now and my imperfect theology has never kept God from relating to me.  Included in my working theology is my prayer language.  I'm not entirely sure what to think about it other than God in His generosity has consistently met me through it.  Perhaps in the same way he meets some of you in the act of gardening and others in walks on the beach or in the woods.  

One time I preached my ambiguity in thinking regarding this gift of the Spirit.  In that sermon I said I was unsure how to read 1 Corinthians 12 and 14.  I suggested that perhaps you can't find biblical grounding for a prayer language.  My friend who has Ph.D. in New Testament disagreed with me.  I was glad he did.  

I do think the Spirit gives gifts like that, gifts that can make church a crazy unpredictable place.  I also think the Spirit gives us gifts that make the church a completely predictable and safe place.  

I've also shared in a sermon another formative Holy Spirit moment.  One time I was struggling with this idea of the baptism of the Holy Spirit.  Some people say tongues are evidence of this, others call that into question.  With that debate in my head I approached my charismatic father and asked him how do you know if someone has the Spirit.  He told me, "They are teachable."  The more I grow in the Spirit the more that seems true.  

Pentecost is the day when all that crazy stuff started happening.  Pentecost is also the day when real discipleship became possible.  It's the day when the church became teachable.   I'll conclude by leaving you with a quote from Stanley Hauweras's book War and the American Difference that speaks to this point. 

"The gift of Pentecost entails slow, hard work.  We must not only learn to suffer one another as Christians; we must learn how to suffer others whose stories might make us vulnerable.  Indeed the gift of Pentecost is but the beginning of hard and painful lessons in failure.  Yet even failure turns out to be a gift if through failure the church is reminded that others are included in God's promises.  At best the church learns to receive the stories of different linguistic communities and in the process discovers that our own speech requires constant revision."    

Meet Our Newest Leadership Team Member 

Sharyl Loeung

Vocation:

I currently work for Baylor University in the Department of Multicultural Affairs. I also supply preach here and there, and mentor a covenant group at Truett. 

Favorite movie:

I use the "can watch over and over" bright line

Which somehow lands me with.....

The Step Up movies, RENT, Pirates of Penzance, and While You Were Sleeping

Yeah, I don't know.

Best Restaurant in Waco:

Homestead Cafe, no question

Bible verse/chapter/book that has been meaningful to you:

Philippians 2 has always been a favorite, but I found a new fondness for it after a summer working for a camp that used The Message version of the passage for a lectio divina exercise.

 At Truett, I took a Hebrew Reading course on Lamentations. After spending a couple of months translating the most depressing, disturbing book, I got to Lamentations 3:22-24. I had seen it on greeting cards and that kind of thing, but I had never realized the context. It sits in the middle of this crisis of a book and offers this incredible hope. 

Best television show:

This is a cruel question.

West Wing, Parenthood, Friday Night Lights, The Wire, Grey's Anatomy, Sports Night, Newsroom

OH,and So You Think You Can Dance

Favorite Holiday:

Thanksgiving, or whichever one is next

Something you might not know about me:

I'm left-handed.

I love cats. A lot.

I rearrange my schedule around the Women's College World Series, the Little League World Series, and the Olympics. I had a newborn last Olympics, which was great because I was home all day and could watch all of it. I was also sleep deprived enough to watch the same events re-air, and be confused enough to think I had gotten really good at predicting the winners. It was an excellent confidence boost. 

Children's Ministry Info from Emily 

It's that time of year again!  If you have a child who is currently in the Roots class or who will be entering 1st grade next year, mark your calendars!  On June 5th we will hold our annual Roots Camp-In Sleepover to welcome our new Roots kids!  We will kick off at UBC at 6pm Friday evening and have fun together until 9am Saturday morning!  Dinner, snacks, games, crafts, movies, breakfast and awesomeness will be provided...but they will need a sleep stuff and toiletries!  More information will be provided later, but feel free to email Emily at emily@ubcwaco.org if you have any questions!  Thanks!

The Summer is coming quickly and many of the college students (and faithful volunteers!) are headed home for break, but our UBCKids are staying put!  I know that no one wants to do the math this late in the school year, but I'll go ahead and tell you...it means we need some more help!  If you are interested in helping out with kids over the Summer, we are organizing volunteers now and we would love to have you on our team!  Please email Emily at emily@ubcwaco.org for more information!  Thanks!

A Call for Artists (of all kinds)

Jamie is mulling over some future projects for the community that would enlist the use of art.

so ... 

If you are a visual artist of any kind, and are interested in creating things for UBC, we want to know! Please contact Jamie (Jamie@ubcwaco.org)

Empty Nester Event

Our next empty nester event will be next saturday, May 30th, at the Haines house.  Fajitas will be provided.  Please plan on bringing a side, dessert or drink to share.  If you would like more information please email josh@ubcwaco.org.

Summer Help

As you might suspect maintaining our volunteer base in the summer is difficult for 2 reasons.  1. A large percentage of our students leave and 2. schedules even for those who live here full time become very erratic.  In that regard we are looking for summer volunteers.  I've identified three areas of ministry that we could use your help. 

1. Greeters:  Greeters serve the mission of UBC by offering a friendly hello, answering questions for visitors and helping people find rooms and other connections when needed.  If you are interested in serving as a greeter please email Maxcey @ maxceykite@gmail.com.

2.   Coffee Makers/Mug Cleaner: CM's and MC's serve the community by providing tasty coffee and clean mugs and carafes for serving coffee in.  if you are interested in serving as a CM or MC email josh @ josh@ubcwaco.org. 

3. Children's ministry:  Children's ministry workers serve our community by teaching #champions4thelord about Jesus.  We have opportunities at all age levels.  If you are interested email emily@ubcwaco.org. 

Work is Worship 

Greeters:   Haylee Loudenslager

Coffee Makers: 

Mug Cleaners:   Haines Family 

Shutdown Team: The Blue Flames 

Announcements:

• Sunday Sermon Text: Acts 2:1-12.  Please be in prayer for our friend Liz Andrasi who will be preaching this weekend.  

• Summer Sunday School Begins June 7th

• Grills and Chills will take place at the Carney household on the evening of June 10th.  Put that on your calendar. More information to come. 

• Waco dives will start this June.  More information to come.  Please email toph@ubcwaco.org if you have any questions. 

• UBC Summer Party Jun 28th ... more information to come

Do you have an Emergency? Do you Need to talk to a Pastor?:

254 366 9779

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- Kristin Dodson: kschwebke@prodigy.net

Jana Parker: jparkerslp@gmail.com

Stan Denman: Stan_Denman@baylor.edu

David Wilhite: David_Wilhite@baylor.edu

Byron Roldan: Byron_Roldan@baylor.edu 

Sharyl Loeung: sharylwl@gmail.com

Jon Davis: jdavis83@gmail.com

UBC Finance Team

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

Tom Haines: thomas_haines@baylor.edu

Josh McCormick: Josh.McCormick@dwyergroup.com

Chris Kim: chris_kim@alumni.baylor.edu

Hannah Kuhl: HannahKuhl@hotmail.com  

Justin Pond: pondjw@gmail.com

Lacy Crocker: lacykcrocker@gmail.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.

Maxcey Blaylock: maxceykite@gmail.com

Mathew Crawford: mathewcrawford@yahoo.com

Callie Schrank: Callie_Schrank@baylor.edu

Jeff Walter: Jeff_Walter@ubcwaco.org

Rob Engblom: Rob_Engblom@baylor.edu

The Best Books You Read Last Year

For the past few weeks, you've been listing the best books you read last year on the Embrace Beauty bulletin board. Here's the finished list!

View fullsize

Here are Amazon links to all the books. See what other UBCers are reading!

Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson
The Smartest Guys in the Room by Bethany McLean
Elegy on Kinderklavier by Arna Bontemps Hemenway
Till We Have Faces by C.S. Lewis (x2)
Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer (x2)
Daring Greatly by Brene Brown
The Martian by Andy Weir
The Cross and the Lynching Tree by James Cone (x2)
The Illusion of Separateness by Simon Van Booy
The Unvanquished by William Faulkner
The Christian World of the Hobbit by Devin Brown
The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin
Let the Great World Spin by Colum McCann
Everything Is Illuminated by Jonathan Safran Foer
The Neptune Project by Polly Holyoke
Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad
Tattoos on the Heart by Gregory Boyle
Return of the King by J.R.R. Tolkien
Scary Close by Donald Miller
The Pursuit of God by A.W. Tozer
Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
Dork Diaries by Rachel Rene Russell
Middlemarch by George Eliot
Pastrix- Nadia Bolz-Weber (x2)
Moo, Boo, La La La by Sandra Boynton
The Bible by (Various)
So, Anyway... by John Cleese
Act of War by Brad Thor
Afternoon on the Amazon (Magic Treehouse Series) by Mary Pope Osborne
Marbles: Mania, Depression, Michelangelo, and Me by Elen Forney
Evangelical Theology by Karl Barth
The Maze Runner by James Dashner
All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr
Fearless by Eric Blehm
The Meaning of Marriage by Tim Keller
Night by Elie Wiesel
Rump: The True Story of Rumplestiltskin by Liesl Shurtliff
Understanding Power by Noam Chomsky
Eating Animals by Jonathan Safran Foer
Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers
The Stranger by Albert Camus
The Witness by Dee Henderson
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
Ready Player One by Ernest Cline
Carry On, Warrior by Glennon Doyle Melton
The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky
Bonhoeffer (No book was specified. SO HERES A LINK TO EVERYTHING THE MAN WROTE)
House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski

Did you forget to add a book? Feel free to post yours in the comments on this page.

Setlist 5-17-2015

This week, Josh preached from Acts 1: 15-26.  Our songs were gathered around the theme of the Ascension.  The Ascension is the moment when Jesus "was taken up" and "hidden by the clouds" in Acts 1.  Below, you’ll find the list of the songs and artists. Clicking the song titles will take you to the lyrics. Below the songs, there is an example of one way you might think of these songs in light of this week's theme. If you want to talk about any of these, feel free to comment or email me at jamie@ubcwaco.org.

Songs

Come Thou Fount

All the Poor and Powerless by All Sons and Daughters

Oceans by Hillsong United

Up On A Mountain by The Welcome Wagon

Doxology

How They Fit In:

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

Come Thou Fount: We sang this song to think again about the work of Jesus in light of the Ascension and to begin anticipating the coming of the Spirit at Pentecost (next week). This song can be understood to be firmly planted between the Ascension and Pentecost--especially when we look at the stanzas out of order.  The second stanza talks about raising an "Eben-Ezer"--a throw-back to the time Samuel made a monument to signify God being with Israel in a battle against the Philistines (1 Sam 7:12)--to remember what God has done for us in Jesus.  The third stanza looks back on the work of Jesus as well in acknowledging the fact that we stand as debtors in light of what Jesus did for us [Note: We are not debtors in the sense that God has a cosmic ledger that shows us in the red--Jesus wiped that ledger clean.  We are debtors in that we know that Jesus did something for us that we can in no way repay, and our gratitude drives us to respond in love.] Ok. So. We look back before the Ascension in the second two stanzas.  In the first stanza, we look forward to the coming of a "Fount of Every Blessing" that can "tune our hearts" and teach us a song sung by "flaming tongues above." This fount that we call for is the Holy Spirit.  

All The Poor and Powerless: In the Ascension, we see that Jesus did not simply rise from the dead for a time, only to die again.  Instead, He stepped beyond the realm that we might call physical to be with the Father.  He didn't die--he left.  The power of the resurrection held true.  This means that the hope of the resurrection and the hope of the Kingdom movement that entered the world through the ministry of Jesus live on, even in the absence of Jesus walking among us.  This is means that the poor, the powerless, the lost, the lonely, thieves, cowards, and all those who society would quickly rid itself of if given the option, can find their Hope.

Oceans: Before Jesus' ascension, He promised the disciples that the Holy Spirit would come empower them to continue His work.  In His leaving, Jesus called His followers to stay the course.   We too are called to continue His work--and seeking to do this can be equal parts confusing and overwhelming.  Oceans uses the image of walking on water to illustrate at least two things: doing things that we are literally incapable of doing without God's aid, and entering into chaotic and unknown territory.  As we contemplate what it means for us to be Jesus in the world, we must not lose sight of the fact that we are neither able nor expected to do it alone.

Up On A Mountain: This song reminds us of the dread that Jesus had before the crucifixion (like any of us, he did not want to die), and that He was aware of what would ultimately become of the human race if he did not die.  Despite all of this, the third verse points out that the work of Jesus for us did not cease after the cross.  Though Jesus is no longer among us in flesh and blood, Jesus is still intimately concerned for the human race--He is praying on our behalf and is with us through the Spirit. Though Jesus ascended, He is not wholly gone--we are not alone.

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 5-15-15

ITLOTC

(In The Life Of The Church) 

Easter 2015

The Best Thing About East Texas 

 

Outsiders Invited In

The calendar had just turned to September.  It was 2004 and Lindsay and I found ourselves at the Crowder's house having been a part of UBC for all of two weeks.  David and Toni Crowder hosted a welcome party for the all the freshman.  Why were we there?  A week earlier we attended an event at UBC called Mass.  One of the objectives of Mass was to help new people find a way to serve.  We choose to be on the assimilation team.  Lacy McNamee and Harris Bechtol were both serving on the leadership team and told us that our first team assignment was to greet freshman at the Crowder's house.  So we, who ourselves were learning to assimilate, were now helping other new people assimilate. 

After most of the freshman had made their way through the food line we watched to see if the other volunteers got in line.  They did, so we joined them.  There I was greeted by Kyle Lake.  Kyle was finishing his book of God's will and discovered that I had just come from a church in Minnesota that Greg Boyd pastored.  That's noteworthy because Greg has interesting things to say about God's will.  So Lindsay and I were invited to sit by Kyle.  After about five minutes of talking with Kyle, Craig Nash sat down.  That's when I met Craig ... on the porch of the Crowder's in the fall of 2004.  I remember Craig being warm and genuinely interested in us.  In those sorts of environments it's easy to keep all the exchanges superficial.  But Craig had no interest in that. He wanted to know about us and where we were from.  

A few weeks passed and I noticed that Craig would invite Lindsay and me to a gathering here and there.  I remember one night that Fall we got together to play "the name game" and eat a pot of chili that he made.  I was always moved not just by the invitation to come, but that we were included so frequently without really being known.   That is one the things I admire about Craig the most, he pulls those on the margins into the center.  

Teenage Boy (hereafter TB)

Back in the summer of 2011 UBC gained a new member of a different kind.  He was/is a teenage boy that lived across the street.  Literally, across 17th.  I'm not sure about the legality of using his real name so just be content to read "TB."   After a few times of coming over to use the phone, or get a soda, we figured out that TB planned to come around a lot.  It became a regular part of our summer to listen to his embellished stories and police his chip and cookie consumption. Though TB could be annoying, I think we all felt good about him coming around.  The truth was his mom loved him, but couldn't care for him the way he probably needed.  I think she was glad for him to spend time at the church.  

Eventually we learned that TB had larger problems than we first knew. He was regularly seeing  a doctor for his issues and because we had become a dependable source of help in the form of rides and other forms of logistical assistance ...  we (the staff) became a part of that process.  But no one more than Craig.  It was soon clear that Craig had emerged as TB's confidant.  In fact Craig was invited to join TB in some of his doctor's appointments.  

Eventually TB's mom became so sick that she needed professional help and could no longer care for TB.  TB moved away.  Our relationship with him began to dwindle and I had nearly forgotten about TB until one day Craig sent an email asking if one of us could give TB a ride because Craig had a conflict. 

Helping people can be a self gratifying endeavor.  Eventually the sexiness of doing good works wears off and you have to decide if you're really in it for the long haul ... willing to do gospel work.  In that moment I learned that Craig was.  That is one of the things I admire most about Craig, he is a person of deep conviction.  

The Worship of God

I came to Truett wanting to get a Ph.D.  I was an arrogant snot.  I had a distorted understanding of scripture and cared only for an esoteric form of theology that has little to no impact for the world.  Because of this I begrudgingly took some of my required courses from Truett including Christian Worship.  My first thought was why does everyone have to take that class, surely that's just something for the music majors to worry about.  I did not understand what worship was.  

Grace and patience grew me.  It's still not something I would identify as one of my gifts, but at least now I have a proper understanding what was meant.  On the surface level, it's easy to identify that Craig is gifted at writing liturgy and ordering services.  What's more profound is discovering that those gifts are Craig's because he's spent a life time cultivating a worshiping life.  

I had begun using the lectionary and tried my hand at planning a few worship services on the church calendar before Craig arrived.  Those attempts were mediocre at best.  It was Craig's presence that gave meaning and shape to those rhythms within our community.  Craig's slow persistence and long suffering commitment is what grew my understanding.  Craig taught me how to worship God. 

There have been many mornings and afternoons over the last several years when Craig would faithfully lead a small group from our community through  communion service.  Craig has never been flattered or discouraged by attendance numbers because Craig worships God to worship God.  That is the one of the things I admire most about Craig, he worships God. 

Writing Words 

One of the ways that the human resources team serves our community is by encouraging staff. I remember one occasion when I walked into our meeting space which had been filled with all kinds of eatable goodies and a makeshift tree with about 60 encouragement notes attached to it.  The notes had been written by people in our community.  Toph ensured that all of them were read out loud for all of us to hear.  

When Craig's turn came up, one after another reported how much they appreciated Craig's words.  How Craig's words had been a balm of healing.  How Craig's writing had been a lifeline.   Paul tells me that we are all part of the body.  Craig is undoubtedly the three points of contact comprised by the thumb, middle and pointer fingers that hold the pen.  Craig is not just entertaining (though he can certainly be that), Craig writes with a piercing truthfulness and a captivating thoughtfulness.  Craig is a voice for so many who have trouble finding their own.  

In Eugene Peterson's book The Pastor he writes, "I began to understand the sacred qualities of language.  My work as a pastor was immersed in language.  There was hardly anything I did that did not involve language: the Word of God provided not information but revelation." That is the one of the things that I admire most about Craig, he pastors with words of meaning.  

The Ground Beneath Your Feet

In Exodus 3 God, in the form of a burning bush, tells Moses to kick of his sandals because he is on Holy Ground.  There's a rabbinical tradition that says that the bush was always burning, it's just that Moses was able to finally see it.  No one has more consistently reminded me that the bush has always been burning than Craig.  I used to think that Craig prided himself on finding extraordinary things in the seemingly mundane.  I would later learn that this conviction came from his belief that there is no sacred secular divide.  The places we exist are full of the Glory of God. 

Jose Ortega y Gassett once said, "Tell me the landscape in which you live, and I will tell you who you are."   I suspect that is true of all of us. In Jeremiah 29, the prophet delivers a startling message to the would be exiles of Israel, "get comfortable in this foreign land ... in fact learn to love it."  Very often I run into people who all but curse the places that they have come from.  Craig is not that person.  He has heeded Jeremiah's words so that he's never far from home.  I'd say Craig is one of the those rare people who is able to tell the landscape who it is.  

As far as I can tell Craig Nash has lived in two places for most of his life.  Chandler, Texas and Waco, Texas.  I'm going to go out on a limb and suggest that no one has loved Chandler and Waco more than Craig.    His contagious affection for place has taught me to love place. That is one of the things that I admire most about Craig, he has an eye for seeing the burning bushes wherever he is.

As Craig gets ready to leave for his journey I'd ask that you take the time to share with him what you have learned from him.  Either send him an email craig@ubcwaco.org or come this Sunday share with all of us his celebration lunch.   

Meet Our Newest Leadership Team Member 

Jon Davis 

Vocation:

Event Technology Coordinator for Baylor Institutional Events, but really I just enjoy helping people understand and enjoy media technology…especially the audio side of it.

Favorite movie:

This is a cruel question for someone who lives/breathes media. I have seen many great films and I am sure I will see many more. Currently I have been really enjoying the DC Animated Universe. Specifically Batman: Year One and Batman: Under the Red Hood. 

Best Restaurant in Waco:

Clay Pot will forever be my go to place, but I have recently been digging what Portofino’s has been doing. There are some excellent choices here in Wacotown! (The pasta station at Penland cafeteria is always reliable too.)

Bible verse/chapter/book that has been meaningful to you:

Proverbs 27:17. My older sister asked me to make a piece of art based on this scripture for her when I was in 5th grade (probably to secretly help me with my calligraphy class) but it has stuck with me for years. As I get older, it continues grow in meaning each time I gain (or lose) friends and family. It says “As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.” Those relationships you have are so much more than just conversation and time shared. They are formative moments in your life. Who you will become and who you will influence depend upon these interactions.

Best television show:

This again…ok, let me break it down into categories:

Animated: Avatar: The Last Airbender

Comedy: 3 way tie: Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Big Bang Theory, Moone Boy

Drama: Gotham (DC usually has a lighter side in TV á la The Flash or Smallville, but Gotham has the dark, gritty aspect of the stories, and I like it.)

However, if I had to have a "desert island” show it would probably be Chuck. Action, adventure, romance, comedy, drama…Chuck has it all.

Favorite Holiday:

Anything in the cold. I’d rather bundle up by a fire than be sweating away in the heat with no way to cool down.

Something you might not know about me:

Confession time. I am a pretty big nerd…though if you have gotten this far you may have already figured that out, but let me put it into perspective for you. I listen to a podcast that analyzes the Star Wars films one…minute…at…a…time. That’s right, each episode covers one minute of the Star Wars universe. Starting with Star Wars (or as some might call it "Episode IV" or "A New Hope”) and currently through ROTJ (that’s shorthand for "Return of the Jedi.”) With good reason the podcast creators have a general disdain for the prequels, and I doubt there will be a podcast on Phantom(I), Attack(II), or Revenge (III). I am OK with that decision.

Craig's Thank You Party

We are having a thank you party for Craig after church this Sunday May 17th.  UBC will provide the food and drinks.  We are asking you champions to plan on bringing a side.  

Also if you could help us set up after church we need help moving the chairs back and setting up tables and chairs in the sanctuary.  

UBC Financial Update 

UBC Financial Status
as of: May 13, 2015

THE PLAN:  Our fiscal year 2015 (July 1, 2014 through June 30, 2015) budget is $353,126.  Fixed expenses (staff salaries, and building and office expenses) accounts for $302,441, or 85.6% of the total, and ministry expenses (the many things our church does for our community and for those who attend) accounts for $50,685 or 14.4%.

OUR EXPENSES:  Between the end of March and the middle of May, we spent about $24,793; for the year, our expenditures total a little over $267,000.

OUR INCOME:  Our income from tithes and offerings between the end of March and the middle of May was about $17,228; our annual income from tithes and offerings through the middle of May totals $259,583.  Income from other sources (building rental, the garage sale, and some designated gifts) totals about $19,000.

If you would like to making partnering with UBC a part of your regular giving a great way to sign up for that is through easy tithe.  

Summer Help

As you might suspect maintaining our volunteer base in the summer is difficult for 2 reasons.  1. A large percentage of our students leave and 2. schedules even for those who live here full time become very erratic.  In that regard we are looking for summer volunteers.  I've identified three areas of ministry that we could use your help. 

1. Greeters:  Greeters serve the mission of UBC by offering a friendly hello, answering questions for visitors and helping people find rooms and other connections when needed.  If you are interested in serving as a greeter please email Maxcey @ maxceykite@gmail.com.

2.   Coffee Makers/Mug Cleaner: CM's and MC's serve the community by providing taste coffee and providing clean mugs and carafes for serving coffee in.  if you are interested in serving as a CM or MC email josh @ josh@ubcwaco.org. 

3. Children's ministry:  Children's ministry workers serve our community by teaching #champions4thelord about Jesus.  We have opportunities at all age levels.  If you are interested email emily@ubcwaco.org. 

In Family News ... 

Meet Our Newest UBCer 

Dominic Paul Webb-Morgan

Birthday: 5/10/15

Birth Weight: 7 lbs. 1 oz. 

Birth Height: 20 1/2 inches 

Enneagram Number: 5

Amazing Blog:

Our friend and champion for the Lord Kaley Eggers writes a blog post once in a while.  she wrote one this week I think you should read if you haven't already seen it.  

Work is Worship 

Greeters:   Jeff & Teri Walter

Coffee Makers: Jacob and "hopefully someone else" <-- his words 

Mug Cleaners:    Sarah and Sayla 

Shutdown Team: The Cavemen 

Announcements:

• Sunday Sermon Text:  Acts 10:44-48

• Summer Sunday School Begins June 7th

• UBC Summer Party Jun 28th ... more information to come

• Empty Nester Event: Our next empty nester event will be May 30th at the Haines house.  Fajitas will be provided.  Please plan on bringing a side, dessert or drink to share.  If you would like more information please email josh@ubcwaco.org.  

Do you have an Emergency? Do you Need to talk to a Pastor?:

254 366 9779

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- Kristin Dodson: kschwebke@prodigy.net

Jana Parker: jparkerslp@gmail.com

Stan Denman: Stan_Denman@baylor.edu

David Wilhite: David_Wilhite@baylor.edu

Byron Roldan: Byron_Roldan@baylor.edu 

Sharyl Loeung: sharylwl@gmail.com

Jon Davis: jdavis83@gmail.com

UBC Finance Team

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

Tom Haines: thomas_haines@baylor.edu

Josh McCormick: Josh.McCormick@dwyergroup.com

Chris Kim: chris_kim@alumni.baylor.edu

Hannah Kuhl: HannahKuhl@hotmail.com  

Justin Pond: pondjw@gmail.com

Lacy Crocker: lacykcrocker@gmail.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.

Maxcey Blaylock: maxceykite@gmail.com

Mathew Crawford: mathewcrawford@yahoo.com

Callie Schrank: Callie_Schrank@baylor.edu

Jeff Walter: Jeff_Walter@ubcwaco.org

Rob Engblom: Rob_Engblom@baylor.edu

Podcast 5-10-2015

ubcwaco 5-10-2015

Setlist 5-10-2015

This week, Josh preached from Acts 10:44-48.  Our songs were gathered around the theme of the love of God. Below, you’ll find the list of the songs and artists. Clicking the song titles will take you to the lyrics. Below the songs, there is an example of one way you might think of these songs in light of this week's theme. If you want to talk about any of these, feel free to comment or email me at jamie@ubcwaco.org.

Songs

Your Love is Strong by Jon Foreman

Wandering by Jameson McGregor

How He Loves by John Mark McMillan

The Sun Will Warm Your Heart by Sarah Dossey Keilers

Holy Spirit by Jesus Culture

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.

Your Love Is Strong: This song uses the Lord's Prayer to explore the ways that God provides for us out of God's abundant love.  This is a love we can count on to carry us when everything else seems to fall away.

Wandering: This song explores the fact that God continues to want to be God for us even when we misunderstand our role in this relationship: we try to do things our own way--to manipulate God into giving us what we want--yet God remains faithful to us.  This is a love that we can count on to carry us even when we fall away.

How He Loves: I would encourage you to go watch this video to hear John Mark McMillan talk about this song. This is a love that we can count on to be our light when everything else seems like utter darkness.

The Sun Will Warm Your Heart: I've long known Sarah to be a great songwriter, so I asked her if she would be interested in sharing one of her songs with us during the Offering.  She agreed! I asked her if she would write a few sentences about what this song means to her. This is what she said: 

I adapted the words for this song from a William Cowper poem that I first read just a few months ago in the book Suffering and the Sovereignty of God. 

In darkness, sometimes the only light that can truly break through for me are those little spiritual nuggets of truth about God's character -- His omnipotence trumps my fear and lack of trust every time. So, during this time of some serious struggle and heartache in my life, I've found Cowper's simple and solid words to be encouraging and empowering - both upon first read, and now each time I get to sing them. 

Holy Spirit: We sang this song to take a look over our shoulder at last week's songs. I would encourage you go back and read what we said about it in that post, but it has a different significance in light of Josh's sermon this week (the podcast will be up on Thursday, so be sure to listen).  Because the Spirit dwells within us, we are given the chance to extend the love of God to those around us in creative and imaginative ways.  When we ask that God would make us more aware of the Spirit's presence, we are asking that God would help us express the love of the living God.

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 5-8-15

ITLOTC

(In The Life Of The Church) 

Easter 2015

Reading the Scriptures Again

Lindsay got Roy and Lilli Bibles for Easter.  They now have a few Bibles, but for some reason this one took.  Roy occasionally requests to read it with me before bed.  I'm grateful he desires to read it and glad to accompany him in his reading.  

On the first night that he began reading, Lindsay read with him.  Before they started she yelled from his bedroom, "Where should we start?" Without much thought I yelled back, "John."  John is the stock answer to this question.  I remember receiving a Bible handout that included the Psalms and John.  Apparently those are the nonnegotiable of the canon.  I don't have an objection to this notion and could offer you a few reasons in support of it that you probably don't care about.  So I won't. So again I answered, "John" without much thought.  

John has been said to be the gospel in which children can wade and elephants can swim.  Different readers can read and digest the same story and find the waters 14 inches deep or 14 feet deep.  Let me give an example that I've used in a sermon on a few occasions.  In John 3 Jesus is chatting with Nicodemus.  The punchline of that conversation is 3:14, "And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up."  

The greek word for "lifted up" is hypso.  It can mean to lift up, as a crane might lift a beam or a cross as to a criminal or it can mean to exalt and glorify.  John is ambiguous on purpose.  The choice is yours. John's clever use of symbol and double entendre are all over his gospel.  Hence the comment about the varying waters. 

Now that I've spent some time reading John with a pretty rational eight year old, I for the life of me, cannot figure out why anyone would suggest that you begin reading with John.  After we read the text with the woman at the well in John 4, I spent about 35 minutes talking about real water and living water and what Jesus means.  In chapter 6 we read about bread of life.  Add the complexities of the church's understanding about communion and I found myself confused by my own explanations.  

I would now like to add that John is the gospel in which children can wade, elephants can swim and pastors with a seminary degree and 8 years preaching experience can drown.   

That reminds me of a story I was told by a professor during my stint at Truett.  He told us about a time when one of his mentors (probably the most significant bible scholar at Baylor at the time) was approached by an undergraduate student.  This student was concerned having just been exposed to some theories about the Bible that challenged his suppositions.  The students protested the professor, "I just need to know that you stand firmly on the scriptures if I'm going to learn from you." The professor replied, "why heavens no, I stand beneath them."  

I found that reply helpful.  The scriptures stand over me, not vice versa. As difficult as it has been reading with Roy, i find it exhilarating. Perhaps it's his enthusiasm or his virgin eyes which are able to see things that I have long forgotten, but I have found that, more than any other setting in which I read the scriptures, I'm formed by this.  

A few summers ago Craig led our community in a reading of Lauren Winner's Still.  In it she has a chapter called, "reading the bible in eight places."  The chapter is about how where you read the bible effects how you hear what's being read.  An example would be reading Jesus' words about money out loud inside of a bank.  I've found that a place that helps me hear again is in bed beside my eight year old son.  

Paul Ricoeur is a philosopher who has given me a helpful framework to understand reading the bible over and over.  He talks about what he calls the second naïveté.  It's a re:reading of what you've read before with new eyes.  Usually those shaped by criticism and/or skepticism.  I would add that there's a third, fourth, fifth and sixth naïveté.  This is what it means to be a student to the scriptures.  It's being present to the constant reality that the Spirit might teach me something new.  It's being present to the reality the scriptures are living and active and that in my efforts to read them, I get read by them.  It's being present to the reality that we are never done reading.  

Meet the Newest Leadership Team Member ... 

Stan Denman 

Vocation: (could be your job or something you love doing/believe you were made for): Professor and Chairman of Theatre at Baylor.  Love doing this.  Wouldn’t want to do anything else.

favorite movie:  SO many, can’t even begin to decide.  One that people always seem to be shocked that I like is BOYZ IN THE HOOD.

best restaurant in Waco: Texas Roadhouse, Ninfas, Chipotle, Smashburger, soon-to-be Twisted Root!

Bible verse/chapter/book that has been meaningful for you: Exodus and the calling of Bezalel and Oholiab; the first half of Ezekial—the original performing artist

best television show: Breaking Bad, Homeland, West Wing, Buffy the Vampire Slayer

favorite holiday: Thanksgiving

something you might not know about me: I love Zombie movies and video games, and I’ve had a machete since I was 10 years old--two things that will make me a survivor in a Zombie apocalypse. 

Pastoral Associate Applications

If you are part of our UBC community and are interested in serving a pastoral associate, you can apply by clicking here. Applications are due by 5:00pm on Friday, May 15th. Pastoral associates serve the mission of UBC by serving along full time staff to complete pastoral work as determined by the needs of our community and the desires of the applicant.  Associates will be selected by the staff.  Associates will make a commitment from June 1, 2015 through June  30, 2016.  If you have questions for clarification please email Liz @ andrasi.e@gmail.com.  

Craig's Thank You Party

Friends, Mark your calendars.  We are having a thank you party for Craig after church on Sunday May 17th.  UBC will provide the food and drinks.  We are asking you champions to plan on bringing a side.  More information in next weeks newsletter. 

In Family News ... 

Tonight!!!!!  our good friends from Lomelda will be playing their "Farewell Drewsky" show at UBC.  Drewsky describes Andrew Hulett.  Andrew is a long time UBCer, member of the UBC musical worship squad, Lomelda BGV's / guitar and film actor.  You may remember him from films such as "Easy Tithe" and the "Toss: The Andrew Hulett Story (a mi case olympics promo)" video.  Drewsky will be getting married and moving to Portland.  There will be a $5 cover at the door, and advance copies of the upcoming critically acclaimed Lomelda album "Forever" are $10.

Work is Worship 

Greeters:   

Coffee Makers: Kelsey & Haylee

Mug Cleaners:    

Shutdown Team: The Golden Glitter Girls 

Announcements:

• Sunday Sermon Text:  Acts 10:44-48

• Summer Sunday School Begins June 7th

• UBC Summer Party Jun 28th ... more information to come

Do you have an Emergency? Do you Need to talk to a Pastor?:

254 366 9779

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- Kristin Dodson: kschwebke@prodigy.net

Jana Parker: jparkerslp@gmail.com

Stan Denman: Stan_Denman@baylor.edu

David Wilhite: David_Wilhite@baylor.edu

Byron Roldan: Byron_Roldan@baylor.edu 

Sharyl Loeung: sharylwl@gmail.com

Jon Davis: jdavis83@gmail.com

UBC Finance Team

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

Tom Haines: thomas_haines@baylor.edu

Josh McCormick: Josh.McCormick@dwyergroup.com

Chris Kim: chris_kim@alumni.baylor.edu

Hannah Kuhl: HannahKuhl@hotmail.com  

Justin Pond: pondjw@gmail.com

Lacy Crocker: lacykcrocker@gmail.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.

Maxcey Blaylock: maxceykite@gmail.com

Mathew Crawford: mathewcrawford@yahoo.com

Callie Schrank: Callie_Schrank@baylor.edu

Jeff Walter: Jeff_Walter@ubcwaco.org

Rob Engblom: Rob_Engblom@baylor.edu

Setlist 5-3-2015

This week was our Commissioning Service for all of our graduating students. Our songs were gathered with this in mind, but also in light of the Resurrection (this was the fifth Sunday of Easter). Below, you’ll find the list of the songs and artists. Clicking the song titles will take you to the lyrics. Below the songs, there is an example of one way you might think of these songs in light of this week's theme. If you want to talk about any of these, feel free to comment or email me at jamie@ubcwaco.org.

Songs

Amazing Grace by Citizens & Saints

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

Holy Spirit by Jesus Culture

Future/Past by John-Mark McMillan

Wayward Ones by The Gladsome Light

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.

Amazing Grace: As we part ways with a number of our community who are moving on to another a phase of life, we sang this song to rejoice in the grace that we share. Remember also that we sang this on Easter to proclaim that, because of the Resurrection, we are no longer trapped in our brokenness. 

All Creatures of Our God and King:  We sang this song to look over our shoulder at last week's songs.  Last week we said: God does not plan on abandoning the world. God is making all things new. The Resurrection means that the created world--plants, dirt, animals, people--have the hope of being made new.  This song is one of those songs that says "oh, praise him," a lot, but there's not much else to say in light of that kind of news. This is all relevant to this week as well--especially as many of us prepare to enter new chapters of our lives.  If God is worthy of our praise, God is just as worthy of our trust as we enter the unknown.

Holy Spirit: Some variation of "God doesn't have an A team and B team among Christians" was mentioned several times today.  We firmly believe that God is calling all Christians to be ministers--not just pastors.  We sang this song about acknowledging the presence of the Holy Spirit and longing for a greater awareness of the Spirit's presence because it is the transforming power and imaginative guidance of the Holy Spirit that we need the most for finding ways to live as Christ in the world.

Future/Past: This song dwells on the scandalous truth that the infinite God has chosen to have an interpersonal relationship with finite creatures in time and space.  In part, this song uses the image of a human(who experiences time) being swallowed up in a Love (that is not limited by time) that is not subject to change from one moment to the next.  This is the Love that our graduates carry with them as they move to the next phase of life, and its the Love that we maintain as we say goodbye to them.  

Wayward Ones: We always sing this song when we do communion, and we always have communion on the first Sunday of the month.  We sing this song as Resurrection people remembering the events that led up to our Hope (the Resurrection).  We are broken, wayward people with the hope of being made new.  Part of taking communion is to identify ourselves as part of a community of Resurrection people much larger than ours--a community that our graduates will not be leaving.  

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 5-1-15

ITLOTC

(In The Life Of The Church) 

Easter 2015

Holy Work

I remember when I first got to UBC back in 2004.  I was ripe for what she had to offer.  I had not heard anyone using the language that was being used.  I had not seen other churches using the subtleties that were happening in worship.  I had not seen other churches reading what UBCers were reading.  I have discovered two things since that honeymoon period.  First, a lot of what made UBC seemingly avant-garde since then has been proliferated and mainstreamed by the masses.  Second, other churches were doing these things, just not in the spaces I existed. 

When I think back to that time, two things in particular grabbed me. One, UBC and Kyle's relationship to beauty was captivating.  Later I would discover the churches long history not just of loving, but also of promoting beauty.  Two, I loved how the sacred and secular were being talked about.  I grew in an evangelical church that taught me to be in the world and not of it.  They had missed that God created it good and that Jesus came to restore that goodness.  

On our new website you can still find that conversation.  If you click on the top right link "connect" a pull down menu will reveal a link titled "new here".  If you click on that link you are taken to what is essentially a UBC lexicon.  The first item is "sacred/secular."  I'd like to share what's there: 

Also known as “the Sacred/Secular conversation,” this is used to describe our belief that in God’s story of creation-redemption-restoration, the division between what is sacred and what is secular is a false division.  This conversation plays out in many ways, but especially in the areas of vocation and art.  Concerning vocation, the sacred/secular conversation implies that in the church there is no “Varsity” and “Junior Varsity” careers, with ministry jobs being the “A” team and non-ministry vocations being the “B” team, but that every person within the body of Christ has an equally important role to play.  Concerning art, the sacred/secular conversation frees us up to seeing the beauty of God’s creation in more than just forms of art (movies, music, etc.) that is created from within the Christian entertainment industry.  

I want to tell you a story about my friend, Kristin Dodson.  Kristin is the chair of leadership team.  She has the added benefit of being a Green Bay Packers fan.  She and her husband Mike have been going to UBC for a long time ... longer than me so I can't really tell you exactly how long.   Kristin is also a veterinarian. She lives her life for God by caring for some of his animals.  

My friends Jeff and Teri are also part of this story.  They have a few dogs.  A few years ago it became clear to Jeff and Teri that they were going have to put their dog Trampis to sleep.  Trampis was a mix of a poodle and a terrier.  Teri tells me he was named after the cowboy on the Virginian.  I'll have to google that later.  Anyway, Trampis had lived a good life, but was now 17 and nearing his end.  Jeff and Teri told me they were going to have to do a hard thing.  

I can't remember if they invited me or if I invited myself, but somehow I ended up at their house the day Trampis was to be put down.  I was honored that they let me come.  Kristin is Teri and Jeff's vet.  I got there before she did.  The weight of the knowledge of things to come was heavy and so I used the opportunity to try and be pastoral.  I'm not sure I did a great job.  But I was there and I hoped that mattered.  

When Kristin got there I saw in her an energy I had not seen in other environments.  She was alive.  She was direct.  She was compassionate.  She explained what she would do and how Trampis would respond.  She answered a few questions and proceeded.  We watched together as Trampis breathed his last breath.  Jeff and Teri sobbed.  I cried the few small tears that well up when you watch your friends hurt.  It was a holy moment.  At some point during all of this I realized that we were at church even though we were miles away from UBC or any other church building.  I think the reason it took me so long to catch on to that fact was because I was not the pastor in that moment ... Kristin was.  

Mixed in with our observance of the church calendar are a few holidays that mark the time and place here and now.  This Sunday is one of the UBC church calendar days.  It is Mr. Rogers' Sunday.  If that doesn't mean anything to you, it will soon.  It's one of my favorite days on our calendar year.  It's the Sunday we honor our graduates.  

One truth of which we are reminded by Mr. Rogers is that there not sacred jobs and secular jobs.  We all have the opportunity to do holy work.  It is not true that I have a Christian job and Kristin does not.  We are both Christians that do our work.  

Probably the most famous quote about vocation comes from Frederick Buechner.  He says, “The place God calls you to is the place where your deep gladness and the world’s deep hunger meet.”  Aristotle allegedly said something similar, "Where your talents and the needs of the world cross; there lies your vocation."

That is what Mr. Rogers' Sunday is about.  Reminding our graduates that they have a passion that could meet the world hunger.  They are called not just to do jobs, but rather the holy work of a Christian.  They have talents that the world needs and we'd love to see them use them in the name of Jesus.  

Sunday School

Our last Spring Sunday School will happen this Sunday. More information on our summer opportunities will come soon. 

Kids Update from Emily 

Hello parents of UBCKids in the Branch and Root classes (older 4's-4th grade), we will be joining the bigger UBCer's during the service to take part in the commissioning of our graduates and to hear the ever-important message about our uniqueness and God's equally unique purpose for us through the story of Mr. Rogers.  There will be no color sheets, as the majority of the service will be a documentary of Mr. Rogers' discovery and pursuit of God's call on his life, so your children will be well entertained!  

For the Nurture, Sprout and Bloom classes, (Newborn-Young 4's) it will be life-as-usual!  The Bloom class will be celebrating the letter V and the "Vine and Branches" analogy for our relationship with Jesus!  We hope to see you all on Sunday and we can't wait to take time to delve into God's amazingly personal and absolutely essential love and purpose for each of us!

Pastoral Associate Applications… 

If you are part of our UBC community and are interested in serving a pastoral associate, you can apply by clicking here. Applications are due by 5:00pm on Friday, May 15th. Pastoral associates serve the mission of UBC by serving along full time staff to complete pastoral work as determined by the needs of our community and the desires of the applicant.  Associates will be selected by the staff.  Associates will make a commitment from June 1, 2015 through June  30, 2016.  If you have questions for clarification please email Liz @ andrasi.e@gmail.com.  

Study Hall 

The church will be open from 10am-midnight, May 4 and 5, for you to study for finals.  As always, we will have snacks and coffee throughout the day for you to enjoy.  At 10pm on Tuesday nights, we have our special pancake extravaganza, this year with a Cinco De Mayo twist you won’t want to miss!  If you have any questions, contact toph@ubcwaco.org

In Family News ...

UBC Truett students put on a clinic on being awesome this week. Truett gives out a few annual awards to recognize the academic work of it's best students.  Award winners include: 

• Sean DelBaccaro: outstanding student award. 
• Sean DelBaccaro: outstanding preacher award. 
• Joanna Sowards: outstanding preacher award. 
• Jamie McGregor: outstanding greek award.
• Heather Mooney: Addie Davis Excellence in Preaching Nominee
• Elizabeth Andrasi: Addie Davis Outstanding Leadership in Pastoral Ministry Nominee 

You may have seen our very own Arna Hemenway mop up the award circuit in the world of literature.  Arna recently won 2015 PEN/Hemingway Award, and was a finalist for the Barnes and Noble Discover Award.  Of those you should know that the former is like winning "rookie of the year" in any major professional sport.  You can watch his acceptance speech here. (jump to minute 20)

Work is Worship 

Greeters:  Gerhard & Evie 

Coffee Makers: Steve & Emmy 

Mug Cleaners:   Haines Family 

Shutdown Team: The Blue Flames 

Announcements:

• Sunday Sermon Text: Mr. Rogers Sunday!  Get Excited!!!! 

• On May 8th our good friends from Lomelda will be playing their "Farewell Drewsky" show at UBC.  Drewsky describes Andrew Hulett.  Andrew is a long time UBCer, member of the UBC musical worship squad, Lomelda BGV's / guitar and film actor.  You may remember him from films such as "Easy Tithe" and the "Toss: The Andrew Hulett Story (a mi case olympics promo)" video.  Drewsky will be getting married and moving to Portland.  There will be a $5 cover at the door, and advance copies of the upcoming critically acclaimed Lomelda album "Forever" are $10.

Do you have an Emergency? Do you Need to talk to a Pastor?:

254 366 9779

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- Kristin Dodson: kschwebke@prodigy.net

Jana Parker: jparkerslp@gmail.com

Stan Denman: Stan_Denman@baylor.edu

David Wilhite: David_Wilhite@baylor.edu

Byron Roldan: Byron_Roldan@baylor.edu 

Sharyl Loeung: sharylwl@gmail.com

Jon Davis: jdavis83@gmail.com

UBC Finance Team

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

Tom Haines: thomas_haines@baylor.edu

Josh McCormick: Josh.McCormick@dwyergroup.com

Chris Kim: chris_kim@alumni.baylor.edu

Hannah Kuhl: HannahKuhl@hotmail.com  

Justin Pond: pondjw@gmail.com

Lacy Crocker: lacykcrocker@gmail.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.

Maxcey Blaylock: maxceykite@gmail.com

Mathew Crawford: mathewcrawford@yahoo.com

Callie Schrank: Callie_Schrank@baylor.edu

Jeff Walter: Jeff_Walter@ubcwaco.org

Rob Engblom: Rob_Engblom@baylor.edu