Bring last year’s palm crosses and place in basket in the entryway, to be burned for making ashes.

with the Rev. Janne Alro Osborne

Saturday, February 25

8:30 am – 1 pm

Come for a morning of prayer, conversation, Bible study and reflection, icon and prayer bead making – come enjoy the friendship of other women and get your Lent off to a lovely start.

Attendance is limited to 25. $10 includes breakfast and all supplies. Please sign up in entryway or contact Janne.

A church columbarium returns us to the ancient practice of burial in or around the church and allows us to experience the communion of saints in a very real and practical way. Each Sunday, as we gather around God’s Table to join our voices with “…Angels and Archangels and all the company of heaven,” we will literally be joined with those who are now in the nearer presence of God. The cross from the Chapel at St. Michael’s previous location will be hung above the Columbarium.

St. Michael’s Columbarium will serve as a lovely final resting place of the faithful departed, and is a place to honor and remember the lives of members of St. Michael’s and their immediate families, and to celebrate the glory of God. An interment in St. Michael’s Columbarium is handled with love and dignity, whether it is “The Committal” which concludes the Burial Service (Book of Common Prayer, p. 501) or a separate memorial service you have planned with our clergy.

We offer other ways of remembering loved ones: Ashes of loved ones may be scattered (almost) anywhere on the grounds of St. Michael’s. Please speak with one of our clergy to arrange an appropriate location and committal service. Memorial Pavers are also available, and are placed around the edge of our courtyard garden.

For more information, please talk to the clergy or contact Nell Dale who chairs our Columbarium Guild. ]]> http://www.st-michaels.org/the-columbarium-at-st-michaels/feed/ 0 http://www.st-michaels.org/so-what-is-lent-really-all-about/ http://www.st-michaels.org/so-what-is-lent-really-all-about/#comments Mon, 13 Feb 2012 20:09:12 +0000 Mary Healy http://www.st-michaels.org/?p=3114 The word “lent” comes from the Anglo-Saxon lencten, for the time of year when the days “lengthen.” Lent begins on Ash Wednesday and ends at the Great Vigil celebrated late Saturday night before Easter Day. Lent thus covers 40 days, excluding Sundays. Every Sunday of the year is a “little Easter,” celebrating the resurrection; thus Sundays remain feast days throughout the solemn Lenten season. The five Lenten Sundays are followed by the Sunday of the Passion (Palm Sunday), which begins Holy Week when we relive the events of Jesus Christ’s suffering and death. 

In the early church, Lent was the time of preparation for Easter baptisms of converts to the Christian faith. Over the centuries others traditions have arisen; we often think of “giving up” something for Lent. The point of giving something up is to pay attention to those things and behaviors to which we have become attached, and which may distract us from paying attention God’s presence in our lives and in the world. Lent allows us time to let go of that which gets in the way of grace providing us the opportunity to be attentive to God’s surprises, healings, and mercies that surround us on every side. We remember that we are creatures brought forth from dust. We are the beloved creatures of the very God whose spirit moves in our breath, moment to moment. Lent reminds us of who we are, and it invites us to let go of what does not enhance our true identity in Christ. Lent beckons us to accept the offer to be made new.

So we begin on Ash Wednesday (Feb 22), when we remember our mortality. We hear again God’s promises in Christ to forgive sins, and we are charged to forgive one another. We are invited to be quickened by the life of God moving within us. Just as the trees and plants are nurturing new buds and foliage, so our hearts and souls are harboring new life within, which will come forth in due time. May this Lenten time be that time for each of us.

The Rev. Janne Alrø Osborne

The Interfaith Hospitality Network (IHN) is a highly successful and much needed program that assists homeless families. In Austin, IHN is overseen by the Foundation for the Homeless.  IHN consists of a group of churches that provide meals and overnight shelter to families on a rotating basis. Families move from church to church one week at a time and are typically in the program for a total of about 3 months.  The foundation actively supports the families as they seek employment and  search for permanent housing. The program is unique in Austin in that it allows families to stay together as families.

To see families who have been helped by IHN, click here.

St. Michael’s acts as a host church twice a year and also helps with two sessions at WUMC.  For more information, contact Lesley Margerrison (phone 512-919-4727).

Hebrews 13:2.  Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.

• praying with (and for) the sick
• practicing the presence and power of God
• having confident expectation that God hears us, and will answer
• preparing for a time of prayer with the sick
• our own prayer lives

This workshop is open to anyone interested in prayer — and participation is good preparation for those who wish to be part of our Sunday morning healing ministry.  Please contact the Rev. Janne Alro Osborne to register (we need to order lunch and have enough materials on hand) or if you have questions.

So I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.  Mark 11:24 ]]> http://www.st-michaels.org/prayer-workshop/feed/ 0 http://www.st-michaels.org/all-boy-scouts-and-leaders-are-invited/ http://www.st-michaels.org/all-boy-scouts-and-leaders-are-invited/#comments Wed, 01 Feb 2012 18:26:44 +0000 Mary Healy http://www.st-michaels.org/?p=3104  

Camp Allen is the diocesan retreat center off of Hwy 6 between Navasota and Hempstead (approx. 2 hours away). Last year, more than 40 people from St. Michael’s gathered together for food, fun, and fellowship in the Piney Woods.

Each cabin sleeps 10 people, so families will be sharing cabins. Children who sleep in a bed are counted toward your family number (Pack N Play kiddos are free).  All food/snacks as well as swimming, pavilion volleyball/basketball, and trails/parks are included in the price of the weekend.

The cost for the retreat is:

• Family of 2    $100
• Family of 3    $130
• Family of 4    $160
• Family of 5    $190

There are several activities that are available at an additional cost. These include: canoeing, guided nature hikes, horseback riding, hayrides, kayaking, and skeet shooting.

Sign-up now! A $50 deposit holds your spot.  Mark your calendars and plan to join in the fun! Please contact Rachel Ham if you have any questions! ]]> http://www.st-michaels.org/third-annual-family-retreat-at-camp-allen/feed/ 0 http://www.st-michaels.org/annual-parish-meeting-2/ http://www.st-michaels.org/annual-parish-meeting-2/#comments Wed, 18 Jan 2012 19:54:47 +0000 Mary Healy http://www.st-michaels.org/?p=3089 Mark your calendars for Sunday, January 29, 10:05 – 10:55 for our annual Parish Meeting.  This year’s meeting will include the presentation of future vision, the end-of-year financials for 2011, Budget for 2012, installation of new vestry members, announcement of Senior Warden, and more.  Please join us!

• Middle School and High School Youth should attend the Parish Meeting and sit at the Youth Tables with Mary Conkling.
• Kid’s Intermission for K – 5th graders will be in Room 4.
• Childcare for Infants through Pre-K will be in the Nursery.

6:00 – 9:00 pm

Sign-up Deadline:  January 22

Don’t miss this fun evening for Moms and Daughters (8 years and older). It’s a great way to get to know other women in our parish family and their daughters. Our time together will include dinner, an outreach project, games, pillowcase designing, delicious dessert and a closing time together at the Labyrinth.

Sign up on the bulletin board in the worship entryway. $10.00 per person.

Questions? Contact Debbie Vickery.

Our book for February will be Holy Ghost Girl by Donna M. Johnson, a memoir of a woman raised on the evangelical tent revival circuit.

Please join us!  For more information, please contact Jackie King.

If you are willing to work hand-in-hand with others in our St. Michael’s family, please contact Beth Michaels.

“Growing food itself is medicine: not only for the body, but for the soul, for the spiritual connection to history, ancestors, and the land.”  - Winona La Duke

The Rev. Linda Shelton, Diocese of Texas Liaison for Refugee Resettlement and Deacon of Palmer Memorial Episcopal Church, Houston, Texas will be speaking to the St. Michael’s Outreach Commission on Saturday, January 28, 2012, at 9:30 a.m. about opportunities for members of St. Michael’s to donate their time and talent to the Episcopal Migration Ministries in Austin, as the greater church works to relieve suffering through refugee resettlement and assistance to immigrants.

Everyone is invited to hear Rev. Shelton as she discusses the variety of opportunities available to the St. Michael’s community to serve in this important ministry.  Please contact Outreach Coordinator Alice Hall if you would like to attend.

Additional programs are available for the children and youth between our 9 am and 11 am services from 10:10 till 10:50:

• VIP (3-5 yr. olds)
• Kid’s InterMission (K.-5th graders)
• Breakfast Club (6th-12th graders)

We have nursery for those younger than three yrs. old every Sunday.

If you are interested in being part of a one-hour small group experience where men read and reflect on scripture, share their lives with each other, and enjoy fellowship, then please consider becoming a part of one of our new “Brothers” groups.

Groups will meet for about one hour weekly, covering a study series over 12-13 weeks.  We plan to have groups meeting on Sundays between the 9 and 11 am worship services as well as in the mornings before work and perhaps evenings, too, during the week. Groups will be formed based upon shared interest in terms of preferred meeting days/times and topics.

If you would like to join one of our Brothers groups and/or if you would like to lead a group, please contact Mary Healy.

Our book for February will be Holy Ghost Girl by Donna M. Johnson, a memoir of a woman raised on the evangelical tent revival circuit.

For more information, please contact Jackie King.

For more information and/or to sign up, please contact Jean Perdicaris, Choristers director.