1-15-14 ST. MATTHEW'S STAFF

Church Emergency Number (512) 345-8314 x 219 Church Office (512) 345-8314 Church Office Fax (512) 346-2085 Church Office Email office@stmattsaustin.org Church Web Site www.stmattsaustin.org Day School Office (512) 345-3040 Day School Office Email www.stmatthewsschoolaustin.org

The Staff Ext Email The Rev. Merrill Wade Rector 214 merrill@stmattsaustin.org The Rev. Christine Faulstich Associate Rector 232 christine@stmattsaustin.org The Rev. Charles Huffman Rector Emeritus The Rev. Jerry Chapman Assisting Clergy The Rev. Ned Bowersox Assisting Clergy The Rev. Dorothy Robinson Assisting Clergy The Rev. Jim Williams Assisting Clergy jaarwi0112@gmail.com Chris Schumacher Business Manager 213 chris@stmattsaustin.org Lucy Boyea Minister of Senior

Activities 226 lboyea@stmattsaustin.org

Margaret Carpenter Children’s Ministry Assistant

mec1940@att.net

Jean Farris Fuller Director of Music, Organist

221 jean@stmattsaustin.org

Susan Goodman Director of Children’s Ministry/Nursery Coordinator

227 sgoodman@stmattsaustin.org

Sarah Oliver Ladd Administrative Assistant

210 office@stmattsaustin.org

Robert Mayberry Chef/Kitchen Manager

Theresa Keane Bookkeeper 229 theresa@stmattsaustin.org Betty Mitchell Assistant to the

Clergy 215 betty@stmattsaustin.org

Christy Orman Youth Minister gittysunshine@gmail.com Jose Prado Sexton Jeff Vanderlee Choral Director 221 jeff@stmattsaustin.org Francie Thurman Head of School fthurman@stmatthewsschoolaustin.org

Note: St. Matthew's general email address is: office@stmattsaustin.org. To send mail to staff on campus other than the ones with specific email addresses, just use that person’s name in the subject field. This directory of St. Matthew’s Parish is the latest edition available at print time. Check the information that pertains directly to you and, if there should be any part incorrect, please notify the Church Office right away. A corrected directory will be emailed to you upon request.

Baptisms in 2013 Sara Jane Goode

Mackenzie Rae Matthys Charlotte Ann Owens

Carter Matthew Wilson Samuel Engene Antill

Avery Gray Ancona Kylee Mae Ackerman

Rose Marie Barnes Reece Camille Barron

James Howard Davenport

Thomas Allen Hicks Charles Ryan Hicks

Samantha Claire Rizk Ryan David Tuel

Jack Baker Carden Charlotte Diana Cramer

Robin Andrew Davis Siena Joy Paricio

Zachary Stiles Schultz

Confirmations in 2013 Lori Kuhnen

Ian Lloyd Leonardo Rivadeneira

Alexander Todd Orman Charles L. Smith

Sherry Smith Jason Edward Goode

Ann C. Sherrill Michael John McMullen

Becca Sare McMullen

Erin McGeehan Jennifer Whitehill

Jeff Whitehill Camille Hughes

Julia Hughes Peyton Murphy Aubrey Nichols Kate Upchurch

Essa Garrett

Receptions in 2013 Rocco Ancona Melissa Davis

Vanessa McMillan Hugo Sanchez Maria Sanchez

Marriages in 2013

Betty Jo DiPaola and Robert Joseph Cheshire Marian Davis and Steve Wilson

Burials in 2013 Nadeane Walker Anderson

James Wirt Newman Stephanie Halff Street

Ruth Herbert Sarah Coon

Anne Lecey Clark

Betty Jo Drenkhahn Henry Driggs Joe Nuessle

Dyson (Dyke) Miller Margarette Taylor

Patricia Alice Rudloff Brock

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Warden’s Reports Wardens’ Report Jeff Hobbs, Senior Warden and Kristin Braun, Junior Warden 2013 was a true blessing for us, as we served the Vestry and the St. Matthew’s parish with excitement and humility, always grateful for the many ways in which our church family members offer their time and resources to support the life and mission of our shared lives together. The primary work of the Vestry this past year was preparation for a capital campaign, a task that comes directly from the parish’s 2012 Salt & Light long-term strategic plan. That planning effort called for long-overdue maintenance of our church buildings and other revitalization of the campus to support our ongoing ministries and enhance the inviting and welcoming nature of our parish grounds. To explore the possibility of funding those various capital improvement projects, a Vestry committee researched and interviewed outside consultants in the Spring, resulting in the Vestry’s engagement with a consultant to perform a feasibility study in the Fall. That study, largely supported by your valuable participation and feedback in personal interviews and a parish-wide survey, generated information to inform the Vestry of the possibilities and potential support for a capital campaign. Based on the consultant’s report and recommendation to the Vestry in November, the Vestry voted to move forward with a capital campaign in 2014. Please be on the lookout for more information about this in the early part of this year, and prayerfully reflect on how you might support the work of this campaign and its future endeavors. While the Vestry is excited about the fruits that a capital campaign will generate in the future, it seized opportunities to move forward with some campus revitalization projects. We approved a complete replacement of our exterior campus lighting system to add brighter and more energy-efficient LED fixtures to better illuminate our grounds in the evening hours, making our campus safer and more inviting for parishioners and visitors who use our facilities at night. We also performed significant pruning of our campus trees to reduce the overhang and improve the visibility of our campus. As with past years, 2014 presented financial challenges to our church operations, but your faithful stewardship continues to sustain us. Our operations budget continues to remain relatively flat, and although our Business Manager, Chris Schumacher, and the St. Matthew’s staff did a tremendous job managing expenses, we ended 2013 with a net operations deficit of approximately $3,300, primarily due to pledge and non-pledge revenues that were significantly below our expected budget. However, the total pledged amounts for our 2014 church operations have exceeded the 2013 pledged amounts by over $20,000, which represents your continued confidence in our future together. In addition, our endowments continue to experience steady growth, and annual earnings from those endowments allow us to fund new ministry projects throughout the year. For that, we are extraordinarily grateful to each and every one of you. As our 2013 tenure closes, we reflect upon how grateful we are for the support and fellowship from clergy, staff and parishioners. Our deep appreciation for the tireless efforts

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that Merrill, Christine and Chris bring to our Wardens Team and church leadership has only increased, and we have been blessed with their fellowship throughout the year. Additional thanks goes to our thirteen wonderful Vestry teammates, who help shepherd the business of the church and other challenges we face during the year, all while providing support for one another and a playful spirit that sustains us all. Finally, we are grateful to our families, Lisa, Lily and Ellis, and Allen, Ella and Clare, who have supported us in the time and effort needed to serve our parish. To all of you: “We always thank God for all of you and continually mention you in our prayers. We remember before our God and Father your work produced by faith, your labor prompted by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.” 1 Thessalonians 2-3.

Vestry Commissions Buildings and Grounds Commission Jim Michael, Chair Our Purpose (Why we are here) The Buildings and Grounds Commission advocates for maintenance and improvements to the campus and facilities to promote the mission of St. Matthew’s Episcopal Church. Our Mission (What we do) The Buildings and Grounds Commission oversees maintenance and improvements to the campus and facilities in support of the clergy, vestry, commissions, councils, and congregation to achieve the mission of St. Matthew’s Episcopal Church. We work closely with our Business Manager, Chris Schumacher, in oversight of maintenance and improvements for our campus and facilities. The St. Matthew’s Salt & Light Strategic Plan, prepared in 2012, continues to guide us in our work. While it was being prepared in 2012, we began a list of potential projects to maintain and renew St. Matthew’s campus. In 2013, B&G continued to develop the list of potential projects with budgets for vestry consideration in the forthcoming capital campaign. This work required the first half of 2013, culminating in their presentation to the vestry in June, shortly before the capital campaign consultant began work. In addition, in 2013 we supported a number of projects and initiatives: Two new Episcopal Church signs identifying St. Matthews, one on Mesa Dr. and one on

Steck Ave. (Invitation, Welcome, Connection Council funded) New LED moonlights over exterior major campus walkways for safety and security. Trees trimmed in the central courtyard, Memorial Garden, and along major walkways to

visually open the campus within and without (Memorial Garden Committee funded in and around Memorial Garden)

Two new benches in the Memorial Garden (In memory of Dr. Robert D. Langston and in memory of Jim and Betty Newman)

New bench outside the Wilson Room (In gratitude and in memory of the Prayer Shawl Ministry)

Two wooden St. Matthew’s signs, one on Mesa Dr. and one on Steck Ave. rebuilt. (Memorial Garden Committee member donation)

New heating, ventilating and air-conditioning unit installed serving the west side of Huffman Hall

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Fire alarm, fire sprinkler, and elevator systems in the Sanctuary updated for safety and compliance

Two conservation initiatives, one to participate in Austin Energy’s one year monitoring of energy consumption by meter and one for Pecan Street to monitor energy usage for campus buildings

Two new shade structures over the Day School outdoor play deck on the west side of the school and electronic fail secure locks on the Day School exterior doors for security (Day School funded)

Deteriorated exterior siding on the west side of the Day School building replaced. (Shared Day School funding)

Other notable items:

Stone St. Matthew’s sign at the corner of Mesa Dr. and Steck Ave. refreshed Deteriorated wood dividers in exterior walkways replaced New commercial grade backpack blower and a shredder vacuum with fuel and oil for

grounds maintenance (Building and Ground’s member donation) Bee hive from under the Sanctuary roof removed Trees watered during the drought (Anderson High school student) New color photocopier for the office Anyone who wishes may join the Buildings and Grounds Commission. We meet the second Tuesday of each month at 7:30 a.m. B&G is a very active group. While much of our work is behind the scenes, we may be best known for annual all-church work days organized by Jim Fryer, Kay Whitney, and Mary Nell Frucella. For more information, contact any member or Jim Michael, Chair, 512-345-1712, jmich@aol.com

Communications Commission Bob Ascott, Chair In 2013, St. Matthew’s Communications Commission responsibilities continued as part of the Salt & Light program. The role of the commission has been to assist other Key Result Area’s and the church staff in messaging and communications processes. The Commission has also continued in the support of the StMattsAustion.org website and in associated advertising activities. For more information, please contact: Bob_Ascott@AscottBusinessAdvisors.com or (512) 257-9328 Outreach Commission Amy Novak, Chair In 2013 the Outreach Committee oversaw the distribution of the funds from the operation budget allocated to help our community. You supported 17 ministries and 3 seminaries with direct monetary contributions. Additionally, 3 ministries (Caritas Grocery, Heifer International and Perfect Gift) receive direct support from the congregation. All ministries sponsored by St. Matthew’s must have volunteer involvement and a St. Matthew’s parishioner as a ministry lead. Two new ministries were fully established in 2013. Cooking for Caritas, led by Scott Telfer, developed a core team of cooks and food preparers to consistently provide a monthly meal for 200 people. Threads of Love, led by Georgia Tabor, created through the hands of many talents folks, hundreds of handmade garments for distribution to parents of premature infants born at local hospitals.

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The ministries supported through the Outreach Committee are: Habitat for Humanity: One house build per year.

El Buen Samaritano: Episcopal mission to the working poor.

Foundation for the Homeless: Interfaith Hospitality Network shelter program for families.

Trinity Center: Services for the downtown population experiencing homelessness.

Caritas of Austin

o Cooking for Caritas: One monthly evening meal for 200 people.

o Caritas Grocery: Support for the Food Pantry.

Kairos: Men’s and Women’s unit prison ministry.

St. James’ School: Pre-school/kindergarten and extended day enrichment in Northeast Austin.

St. Matthew’s School: Pre-school/kindergarten on our campus.

Casa Marianella: Immigrant housing and support programs.

Honduras Good Works: Education support and student scholarships in cooperation with the Episcopal Dioceses of Honduras and Deanery of Yuscaran.

Heifer International: Lenten collection to provide families with livestock or other economic opportunities to bring stability to themselves and their communities.

Hope House: Housing solution for severely disabled youth and adults.

MPACT/Care for the Caregiver: Alzheimer support services and respite care. Support options and information for caregivers.

Women’s Storybook Project: Prison ministry that seeks to strengthen the connection between mother and child through reading.

Threads of Love: Handmade garments for premature infants and support for their parents.

Disaster Support: Response to natural and man-made disasters impacting our neighbors.

Warm Heart International: Construction of wells to provide clean water in our sister Diocese of Southern Malawi.

Angel Tree: Christmas ministry to provide gifts for children with an incarcerated parent.

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Perfect Gift: Christmas ministry to provide the opportunity to give the gift of charity in place of another unneeded gadget.

Staff Reports Rector’s Report The Rev. Merrill Wade In July of 2013, I began my 12th year as the rector of St. Matthew’s. I remain deeply grateful for the ongoing service of the Rev. Christine Faulstich; as she and I share the leadership duties. I also wish to thank the non-stipendiary clergy who serve here – Jerry Chapman, Ned Bowersox, Jim Williams, Chuck Huffman, and Dorothy Robinson. They are invaluable leaders and members of the St. Matthew’s team. In 2013 we welcomed the Rev. Brin Bon to the worshiping community of St. Matthew’s. She is a deacon and will be ordained a priest in 2014. She is the full-time chaplain of Trinity Episcopal School and is with us for “Sunday training” in preparation for the priesthood. Each one of these clergy brings their own talent, and passion, to our life together. We are blessed by their presence! I am inspired by our fine music team, led by Music Director Jean Fuller, who is assisted by choir director Jeff Vanderlee, now in his second year. Of note, the student ensemble continues to grace our Sunday services with marvelous talent under their joint leadership. The Senior Activity Center, in its 18th year under the able leadership of Lucy Boyea, ministers to seniors in our community. Our children’s ministry, in its third year under the leadership of Susan Goodman, has continued to thrive, especially in this the fourth year of our 10:30AM Family Eucharist. Christy Orman is in her second year as Youth Minister and the interest and involvement is increasing, especially as we implement the Salt and Light based plans under the Diocese of Texas Youth Ministry Assessment. This past year we created a relationship with Chef Robert Mayberry that will serve us well into the future! I want to thank our office staff - Chris, Betty, Theresa, and Jose for their dedicated service to this parish. They are a hard-working, committed and faithful team. Long-time receptionist and administrative assistant Barbara Haynes retired in September of this year after 13 years of faithful service. I hired Sarah Oliver Ladd to fill Barbara’s position and she is doing a fine job! We are blessed with fine lay leadership in this parish. I am grateful to Jeff Hobbs, 2013 Senior Warden, who is a super leader with a huge heart for this parish. As well, I am grateful to Kristin Braun, Junior Warden, for her intellect, passion and leadership skills. In addition, thank you to vestry members in addition to Jeff Hobbs who will rotate off this year, Jason Bagshaw, Barbara Williams, Jim Fryer and Bill Kahlke – for faithful service. I also thank Tom Canby for serving as our church Treasurer the last three years. Tom’s term of service ended this past September and a new Treasurer will be named for 2014. In February, we launched the Soul of a Musician Series at Spicewood Tavern. An initiative rooted in the Salt and Light plan, this gathering met 34 times in 2013. It is a spiritual conversation with Austin’s finest singer/songwriters that is giving St. Matthew’s a public expression of our commitment to music, our neighborhood, and the sharing the gospel in

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traditional and non-traditional formats that will reach more people. I want to thank the Diocese of Texas for the grant monies used for this evangelism effort. Faithfully, Merrill Associate Rector’s Report The Rev. Christine Faulstich I am truly grateful for the opportunity to serve at St. Matthew’s these last three and a half years. I appreciate having the opportunity to learn from Merrill, a supportive and wise colleague. There are so many dedicated, faithful people at this church and it is wonderful to serve with you. In my work with the Pastoral Care Council and the Eucharistic Visitors, I would be remiss in not mentioning Dyke Miller’s leadership; he is truly missed. I am also grateful to Betty Daniel, for her service as the Pastoral Care Coordinator and head of the Community of Hope. In a church this size, with as many services as we do, things run quite smoothly thanks to the efforts of our worship ministry. I give thanks to Scott Murphy and Don Neely, who organize and schedule the Lay Eucharistic Ministers, to Bonnie Coleman, who heads the Altar Guild, Harriet Houston and Joyce Statz, heads of the Flower Guild, Larry Richards, in charge of the Ushers, and to Scott Telfer, for his work with the Acolytes. And I know each of these people represents dozens more volunteers who help us continue to glorify God in our worship each week. Thank you. Finally, it has been a year of consistent, significant growth in our Family Service. I am grateful to Susan Goodman and Christy Orman for the work that they do shepherding our ministry to children, youth, and families. It is an exciting time to be a part of St. Matthew’s as we grow and change, yet remain faithful to our mission of being a loving, sacramental community, welcoming all to share life’s joys and challenges as a family; to learn and grow

in Christ; and to passionately serve each other, Austin, and the world. Faithfully,Christine Children’s Ministry Susan Goodman, Children’s Ministry Coordinator

and Margaret Carpenter, Children’s Ministry Assistant 2013 was a fantastic year in all areas of Children's Ministry, Sunday School, Family Eucharist, Vacation Bible School and the pre-youth group "The Mix" (3rd, 4th and 5th graders). Susan Goodman completed her second year as Children's Ministry Coordinator in August and is excited to continue to expand the current programming with Young Families in the St. Matthew's parish. Sunday School St. Matthew’s continues to offer Sunday School classes for children ages 3 through fifth grade. 2013 saw the introduction of a variety of engaging and exciting new curricula for children of all ages. Throughout the year, we used Living the Good News, Grow!, Godly Play, Rotation Workshop and a host of other creative activities and special seasonal events. A very special Thank You to all our Sunday School teachers and Children’s Ministry leaders who faithfully teach our children! We introduced a new concept in 2013 calling Sunday School GRACE. It stands for God Reaches All Children Everywhere but it also is a beautiful word to describe children experiencing "grace" before their "meal" (communion) on a Sunday morning. In the fall, the children in K-5th grade experienced a

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semester of "retro" VBS curriculum; Rainforest Adventure (A Treetop Bible Blast) and Fiesta! (Sing and Play Ole). Family Eucharist The Family Eucharist service, introduced in 2010, continued to grow in popularity throughout 2013, with attendance often bursting the seams in Huffman Hall. We continually find the need to add chairs and welcome new faces! The Family Service was moved to Huffman Hall in 2013 in a seamless transition, to accommodate the larger crowds, and permitted the continued tradition of offering a shorter, less formal service. The Family Eucharist is held on Sunday mornings from 10:30 – 11:05, in Huffman Hall, while the 10:30 Eucharist is held in the main sanctuary. Children serve key roles in the service, as greeters, acolytes, ushers and readers. We have had amazing musical leadership in 2013 with Shannon Magee. Shannon is the current Family Service music leader and helps the young children (and their families) learn age appropriate songs for worship, while also serving as the lead music teacher at St. Matthew's Episcopal Day School. Shannon became ill in the fall and took a short leave of absence. We brought in Martha Galie parishioner and incredible musician/teacher to fill in for Mrs. Magee and she has provided lovely music and leadership with the families in the services. Vacation Bible School Close to 150 kids, ranging from ages 3 through fifth grade, participated in our week long "Everywhere Fun Fair" VBS theme this summer. VBS Director Kelli Hughes, back for another year of tireless and devoted work, organized another monumental volunteer effort, decorating almost the entire campus and leading an eager band of volunteers in delivering another amazing VBS experience for the children of St. Matthew’s. Kelli will be back in 2014, with Kristin Braun at her side to help the children Imagine and Build with God experiencing "Workshop of Wonders," The organization for 4th-6th graders, called The Mix, provided a transition group for kids getting ready to join the St. Matthew’s Youth Group. Events throughout the year included a skating outing, a “messy games” party, service activities, bowling, Movie with a Message and neighborhood Christmas Caroling. The year ended with the annual Christmas “Pick Up” Pageant, featuring a wonderful Baby Jesus, a cast of dozens, polished narrators, and a solo piano performance by one of the children of the parish. Both levels of the Sanctuary were packed with hundreds of all ages in attendance! We look forward to 2014.

St. Matthew’s Episcopal Day School Francie Thurman, Head of School St. Matthew’s Episcopal Day School had a wonderful year. We welcomed 190 children and 32 faculty and staff with an Ice Cream Social in September and have not stopped since! This campus is very busy indeed during the week and we welcome you to come and see us. We hold chapel services in the sanctuary on Wednesday and Thursday mornings at 9:05 and we would love for any of you to join in the fun. Kathy Dugat leads our service and does a masterful job. We are so grateful to Merrill and Christine for joining us and being such a special part of our service as well.

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In March, we held our second Family Day of Service. School and church families joined together to work on service projects benefiting agencies all over Austin. We also planted flowers in beds around our lovely campus. Thanks to Kristen Casaubon and Kristin Braun for chairing this wonderful event and to Susan Goodman for all of her help. We continue to enjoy unwavering support from our Board of Trustees, led so ably by Merrill Wade, who serves as its Chair. I am so grateful for his leadership and support. Our Board has been most ably led by Rhone McCall (2012-2013) and Alexis Bagshaw (2013-2014) who have served as our presidents. Their steadfast dedication to this school is incredible. Erin Brooks has served as our Treasurer and I am so thankful for her hard work and expertise. I want to thank all of our Board members for their vision and leadership: Adrian Bean, Nick Mounce, Jill Angelo, Patrick Hubbard, Megan Bloodworth, Mike McMullen, David Todd and our wonderful Vestry Representative, Barbara Williams. We are honored to be a part of the St. Matthew’s Church family and appreciate your prayers and support as we strive to provide the best pre-school program in Austin for our little angels.

Youth Ministry The Rev. Christine Faulstich This was an exciting year for St. Matthew’s Youth Ministry, which is taking many positive steps under the leadership of Christy Orman, our Youth Minister. Thanks to a grant from the Permanent Endowment Fund, we were able to undertake a Youth Ministry Assessment. Over the course of three days, a diocesan consultant met with focus groups and created an ongoing plan for our Youth Group. We have been following the plan, including creating a Youth Council. I thank Stephen Battaglia, Michael Young, Cassie Shannon, Caroline Cook, Gloria Bankler, and Lise Harding for their service on this group. We are also grateful to the entire parish for their support of the Youth Ministry, especially the way folks bought ‘stock’ in our youth, allowing them to go to Bastrop for on a mission trip this past summer.

Music Department Jean Fuller, Director of Music/Organist New additions to our choir this year include Lou and Martha Galie from Connecticut. We welcome them into the Music Ministry and value all their contributions they have made to St. Matthew's during 2013. Also, during Shannon Magee's absence, Martha worked with the Day School to produce the annual Christmas Pageant and she also is playing for the Family Service in Huffman Hall on Sundays. New section leaders in the Parish Choir are Max Parsons, baritone and Sean Lee, tenor. Both singers are University of Texas students and replace Sawyer Sellers, tenor and Trevor Heim, baritone. Jeff Vanderlee remained as Choral Director for a 2nd year. Choral Evensong during Lent (Wednesday evenings) was well received. Our first Advent Lessons and Carols was presented on December 8, Advent II, with works by Mendelssohn, Bach, Dieterrich, Bedford, and Palestrina. Our regular Advent and Lenten Noon Concerts continued on Thursdays during those

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seasons and included new performers: Erin Ivey, St. Andrew's Middle School Choirs, Martha Galie, flute, Joanne Bonnington, cello and Jeff Vanderlee, piano.

Senior Activity Center Lucy A. Boyea, Minister of Senior Activities The mission of the Senior Activity Center is to reach out to members of the community 55 and older and provide a nurturing environment in which participants may enjoy the activities offered. SAC is open four days a week,8:30 A.M. to 12:30 P.M. Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday and 8:30 A.M. to 4:30 P.M. on Thursdays. Membership is comprised of St. Matthew's parishioners and persons of other faith groups from the community at large. Community outreach activities include a bi-monthly Driver Safety Program for seniors and a monthly Alzheimer's care givers support group. Information about the Senior Activity Center may be accessed by going to the church's website www.stmattsaustin.org

Ministry Reports AED Inspection Teams (New in 2013)–Larry Richards, Chair St. Matthew’s is fortunate to have four Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs) on campus, allowing for very fast response times in any cardiac arrest situation. We have had the AEDs since 2008 and have not had to use one to revive a person, though we came close one time. Because of long intervals of non-use, it is easy to ignore them, leading to a potential failure when one is needed (there is a failure rate of at least 2% nationwide because of this tendency). In order to avoid such occurrences state and federal governments require AEDs to be inspected once a month. In 2013 we established a team of volunteers to complete these required inspections. The AED Inspectors are Ed Abrahamson, Alan Carson, Chuck Naeve, Darryl Polk and Larry Richards who took a Certified CPR/AED training course to prepare for this responsibility. Community of Hope Betty Daniel, Coordinator The Community of Hope (COH) is an international “school for God’s service,” (Prologue, The Rule of St. Benedict). It began in 1994 in the Pastoral Care Department of St. Luke’s Episcopal Hospital in Houston, and has grown to more than 86 centers in 23 states. It was a response to the recognition that we live in a society where few people really listen to others. Those who are ill, suffering, and lonely or in pain need someone to listen and respond appropriately to their spiritual needs, a critical role that can be filled by appropriately trained laity. The COH program creates communities committed to pastoral care and equips lay persons to serve in a ministry of presence.

The COH training is rooted in Benedictine spirituality, and based on classic “clinical pastoral education” model used in many hospitals to train pastoral caregivers. The essential philosophy and training remain the same from center to center, while each is allowed to adapt the program to its specific need. The lay pastoral caregivers are united in prayer and community as their ministries lead them to serve their congregation, and in some cases, their community. The program helps trainees to respond to God’s call by helping individuals discover and better understand their own spiritual gifts for ministry.

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Each participant is encouraged to make their experience a journey into wholeness, and to use the opportunity to explore a “rule of life”, practice sacred silence, Christian meditation, compassionate listening, pastoral identity and lectio divina, all within the context of Benedictine spirituality. The experience builds community and develops spiritually centered pastoral caregivers. In 2012, St. Matthew’s held its first training since 2006. A Commissioning-Recommissioning service was held for five new graduates and about twenty-five former graduates of the program. The second training started on January 12, 2013 with nine trainees. Circle of Care meetings were reconvened for all graduates with five areas of emphasis: spiritual formation, support and fellowship, continuing education, debriefing/reflection/supervision, and assessing/reporting. This group meets at 7pm on the third Thursday of each month. With the formation of the Pastoral Care Council and the Pastoral Care Coordinator, the graduates are visiting about 25 parishioners who are essentially homebound, living in long-term care facilities, temporarily living at a rehabilitation facility or hospital. Requests for pastoral care are made through the St. Matthew’s website, www.stmattsaustin.org or by leaving a message on the pastoral care hotline 512-345-7600 ext. 216. If you are interested in becoming a lay pastoral caregiver or would like more information about the Community of Hope, contact Betty Daniel, bdaniel345@gmail.com or 512-366-5016.

Cursillo in Christianity Steve Ryder, Chair Cursillo is not "the way", but one way that we can help God's people have a close relationship with our Father, Son, and Spirit. "Cursillo is NOT the Three-day weekend. Cursillo IS about those Group Reunions where two to five friends gather weekly to share and be accountable about how they are intentionally spending time with God, studying, and planning individually and together how to be the hands, face, and mouths of God in our everyday lives as we live out our Baptismal Covenant to serve Christ. The goal is to bring the world to Christ by empowering adult Christian leaders through the use of Group Reunion and Ultreya to make a friend, be a friend, and bring that friend to Christ." (From NEC 4th Day Magazine) The Cursillo Community is always eager to sponsor candidates to the Cursillo 4-Day weekend, which is held at Camp Allen. The Cursillo weekend may be the answer to your often-asked question "Is there something I can do to grow spiritually?" If you want to know more about Cursillo:- visit St Matt's Cursillo website http://www.stmattsaustin.org/parish-life/ministries-directory/cursillo.html- ask someone who has been to Cursillo St. Matthew’s has a long history with Cursillo. Since 1975, 397 parishioners have been part of Cursillo.

Daughters of the King Jane Smith and Diane Sparks, Co-Presidents Daughters of the King is an International organization of Episcopal women devoted to prayer, service and evangelism. It was founded in l885. It now accepts Roman Catholic, Anglican and some Lutherans. A Daughter pledges herself to a life-long program dedicated

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to the spread of Christ’s Kingdom and the strengthening of the spiritual life of her parish. Due to our president and treasurer moving out of state, our vice president Kay Whitney gracefully took over their duties with the help of Diane Sparks and other past presidents. In the Spring we elected Jane Smith and Diane Sparks as Co-Presidents in order to spread out the duties. Cathy Newman was elected treasurer and Janice Watkins continued her duties as Secretary. Kay continues as Vice President. Kate Canby is now our prayer chairman and updates the confidential prayer list weekly and emails it to members who pray the list daily. Daughters of the King meets monthly on the second Tuesday of the month in the Wilson Room at 5:30 pm. Interested women are invited to attend these meetings and follow up with the training meeting if they wish to consider joining. We have a dinner with a speaker in December and May held in the youth building or someone’s home. This December we enjoyed a presentation by Susan Goodman about her experiences with the diocesan children’s mission in Houston last summer. Any dues we may have unused are given to the national funds of the organization or local groups where we see a need. Many of our members attend Diocesan assemblies twice a year, annual Providence assemblies and we send at least one member to our national triennial assemblies. Information about joining Daughters of the King is in the Commons area along with our prayer box. Anyone may request prayers by placing the name in the box. Look for a member wearing a Daughters of the King cross and she will be happy to tell you about our organization. Endowment Committee Report Jack Robertson, Recording Secretary St. Matthew’s endowment funds are buckets of money the vestry can use to enhance and kick-start ministries on our own campus and also across the curbs in our wider world. The Endowment Committee that administers the expenditures (subject to vestry approval) considers applications for grants to begin new programs and give support for special activities not otherwise funded in the annual operating spending plan. The dollar amounts below carry labels of “approximately” and “about” because the 2013 accounting for all the funds is not complete at this writing. However, the figures are accurate enough to comfort this accountant’s heart and provide good information. At 1 January 2013, the Permanent Endowment Fund principal balance was $341,000, and at 31 December 2013 approximately $380,000. The vestry awarded these two grants: (1) $1,500 for Youth-And-Families Events, which financed extra activities at the Round Rock Express baseball game and at the Austin Children’s Museum, and (2) $1,200 to pay for the Youth Ministry Assessment conducted by a Diocese of Texas youth professional. The Permanent Endowment Fund carries about $6,650 forward, which will be available for grant applications in 2014. In addition, we expect about $9,000 distributable income to arise from 2013 investment earnings.

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As of 30 September 2013, the vestry closed the Kern-Smith Youth Endowment and transferred the principal balance to an account where all the money will be available to the youth ministry clergy and staff to enhance St. Matthew’s youth programs (following upon the findings of the assessment mentioned above). This youth endowment had not grown since 1999, and it produced about $220 each year for the youth program. By closing the fund, the vestry made approximately $10,000 immediately available. At 1 January 2013, the Outreach Endowment Fund principal balance was $21,400, and at 31 December 2013 approximately $23,200. By the terms of the fund, the vestry transferred $516 to the Outreach Commission to use for St. Matthew’s outreach ministries. We expect about $500 distributable income to arise from 2013 investment earnings. At 1 January 2013, the Carl Barlow Huffman Scholarship Fund principal balance was 25,000, and at 31 December 2013 approximately $27,100. The 2012 and 2013 distributable income of the fund (total $1,050) is presently being held for future distribution to the Seminary of the Southwest to help support an ordination-track student with a St. Matthew’s connection. We expect to add about $550 distributable income from the 2013 investment earnings. The Endowment Committee discussed plans for parish education and financial advice programs, but we deferred action plans to 2014.

Environmental Stewardship Susan Robertson/Marge Marshall, Co-Chairs Five years ago, St. Matthew’s members with a heart for caring for God’s creation, gathered for the first time under the leadership of Gloria Bankler. After three years, Gloria passed the chair to Marge Marshall and Susan Robertson. The Environmental Stewardship Committee specializes in making it easy for parishioners to recycle materials in a meaningful way. There is a recycling cabinet in the basement of the Sanctuary on the east end of the building. This past year, we took in, for recycling or reuse: 90 pounds of batteries, 54 CDs or DVDs, 1 small electronic device, 1 laptop, 16 cell phones and chargers, 4 cordless landline phones, 47 pair of eyeglasses and 190 ink cartridges. Did you know that an ink cartridge that is refilled and reused saves energy and resources over manufacturing a new one from virgin resources. We also have taken in 16 tons of paper in the Abitibi bin in the northwest corner of the Steck parking lot. The proceeds of $80.46 from the paper recycling went to the St. Matthew’s Episcopal School general fund. If you want to know where to recycle items that the church does not collect, there is a recycling chart on the Welcome Table in the Commons. Mark your calendars now for the UPCOMING CHURCH GARAGE SALE on May 16 and 17. You will be hearing more about this in the coming months. Remember, what you think is junk may be someone’s treasured find.

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Flower Guild Report Harriet Houston and Joyce Statz, Co-chairs Throughout the year, four teams of St. Matthew’s volunteers purchase the flowers and design the beautiful arrangements you see throughout the church sanctuary and Commons. It’s one of the most enjoyable ministries at St. Matthew’s, since we can always count on the flowers to show the beauty of God’s paintbrush. Thanks to this year’s guild members, many of whom have served for many years: Elaine Goessling, Bonnie Coleman, Barbara Williams, Babs Clendenin, Hink Johnson, Nancy Johnson, Isabel Bursk, Harriet Houston, Maly Hatheway, Lyrica Johnson, Joyce Statz, Alina Wasmuth, and Christy Wittie. There are always openings for new members of the Flower Guild, and we invite you to consider it. No experience is needed; each team has members who coach new members, and workshops are held periodically to refresh the skills for everyone in the guild. A Flower Chart is kept on the bulletin board in the Commons, providing a place for anyone to reserve a date for making a contribution for the flowers on that date. This, plus an Easter offering, is the source of money for the flowers. Please honor someone celebrating a special event or remember your friends and relatives by sponsoring a Sunday date. It’s an easy way to ensure that there will be beautiful flowers for each Sunday service! Good Faith Fund Cynthia Wilson, Coordinator The Saints of St. Matthews. Every good work at St. Matthews has its quiet crew behind the scenes. The Good Faith Fund is no exception. This year the volunteers have been Jane Bugnand, Alan Carson, Jann Cox, Rita Eccles, Jane Michael, Jill Miller, Sally Miller, Margaret Parker, Mary Kay Schultz, Jim Sparks, Jennifer Thompson, and Cynthia Wilson with the clerical assistance of Nancy Boyd and Margaret Carpenter. Under the leadership of Jann Cox, we have received utility vouchers from Austin Energy for $16,000 to assist with payment of electric bills. The Good Faith Fund received about $40,000 this year from the faithful of St. Matthew’s and has distributed assistance to more than 300 Austin neighbors who have appealed to us. Mainly, that means money to keep their utilities on and a roof over their heads. The number of people applying is steadily growing. The process begins when one calls the church office between 10 am and noon on Tuesday. A member of the Good Faith Committee is on duty to listen and explain to the very stressed caller how the system works. They then send out an application. When the application is returned with copies of the required documentation, it is given to one of the committee members. That member calls the applicant, tries to understand their needs and passes on the resource information. She then emails a recommendation to the other committee members. The Good Faith Committee meets twice a month to prayerfully distribute the available money. There is always more need than we can fill. We meet at noon on the first and third Tuesday of the month. If you feel called to be a part of this very rewarding work, please contact : Cynthia Wilson 512-346-6870 cell 512-922-2397 CynthiaWilson1040@gmail.com

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Hospitality Committee Valerie Brown, Chair The function of the Hospitality Committee is to plan and provide receptions for funerals, Sage events, confirmations, and to assist with other events as needed. Four teams make up the Hospitality Committee and each has a team leader. These incredible leaders, Jill Miller, Judy DeWitt, and Babs Clendenin have done a fabulous job. Twenty eight fabulous team members help make each of these events happen and I truly appreciate all that they do. I also want to extend a tremendous thank you to our Sexton, Jose, whose help is so very appreciated! This year the committee hosted a number of events including the Bishop’s visit, the Sage event, and six funeral receptions. Interfaith Hospitality Network (IHN)/Family Promise Amy Novak and

Lisa Ottenbacher, Primary Coordinators As part of Foundation for the Homeless’ Interfaith Hospitality Network/Family Promise program , we partner with other faith communities to provide shelter, meals and a listening presence for families experiencing the crisis of homelessness. The case managers and staff at the Foundation provide guidance and knowledge to help these families back to safe secure housing. In 2013, St. Matthew’s provided direct assistance to the 7 families who stayed at our Youth Center. Through our support of Foundation for the Homeless’ operation, we supported even more people helping avoid homelessness , helping them back to stable housing or just helping them get through the day. To provide 3 weeks of shelter and meals takes many hours of volunteer work. Over 380 hours and nearly 400 meals were logged during our summer host period and more are being tallied from our winter host week. As always, Sandy Brown does an excellent job coordinating all the meals, to prevent menu repeats, and the groceries, which can be challenging to keep up with if we have lots kids or even a few teens. Biff Tatum is our reliable trailer guy. Lisa Ottenbacher has stepped up to take a more active role coordinating our hosting. There are many of you who routinely cook or sleep or come provide companionship as evening hosts, bringing your children with you as little ambassadors. Without all the volunteers, this would be impossible to pull off. I thank you all -- those known and unknown as I am sure there are some who bring food or toys or lift the families up in prayer that never get recorded on a list anywhere.. thank you too. Job Support Group Bob Ascott, Chair In 2013, St. Matthew’s Job Support group completed its 31st year of ministry and met 43 times on Mondays at 12 noon in the Wilson Room (B14). We logged 74 seeker attendees (117 total) with some visiting only once, and others returning many times for this ministry. The improvement in the economic situation has reduced our membership further this year especially in the last quarter. While not an employment agency, we provided guidance on job hunt strategies, resumes, referrals to networking and other support organizations, and encouragement for what may be a very challenging life experience. This ministry welcomes all members of the Austin community. For more information, please contact: Bob_Ascott@AscottBusinessAdvisors.com or (512) 257-9328

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KAIROS Steve Ryder, Chair KAIROS is Cursillo for inmates of prisons. KAIROS Texas is present in approximately 35 of Texas’ 100 plus prisons. KAIROS works. If five inmates are paroled from the general population, four are coming back! For Brothers/Sisters in White who participate in small grouping, that FOUR becomes ONE! St. Matthew’s has been generous in supporting KAIROS, through financial support, both individually and thru the Outreach Commission. St. Matthew’s volunteers serve in both the Lane Murray women’s unit and the Hughes men’s unit, both in Gatesville, Texas. Both units offer two weekends per year that serve 42 Sisters or Brothers in White. Five of our members are active: Cumulatively the five contributed over $1,350, which were matched by the Outreach Commission, plus 1,200 volunteer hours. In addition other St. Matthew’s members have contributed over $1,000 and baked over 300 dozen cookies, and prayed for many hours during the weekends. . Between the weekends both units have weekly small group (“reunion group”) meetings where the main topics are 1) last week when did you feel God’s presence; 2) last week what were you studying to know God better; and 3) last week what did you do (or fail to do) to share God’s word. St. Matthew’s volunteers are “regulars” at small group meetings for both units. For more information about how YOU can support this ministry, please visit: http://www.stmattsaustin.org/caring/outreach/166-kairos-prison-ministry.html Lay Eucharistic Ministry & Lay Reader Ministry co-leaders Scott Murphy & Don Neely The Lay Eucharistic (LEM) and Lay Reader (LR) Ministries exemplify the strong Lay & Spiritual leadership for which St. Matthew’s is known. This ministry, open to all members, is a wonderful way to experience that special moment with God while serving this wonderful Sacrament to His people. LEMs are assigned for each service where the Holy Eucharist is celebrated, serving alongside our clergy, to provide the Body & Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ to parishioners of St. Matthew’s. There are generally seven LEMs assigned to each service – four to serve Wine around the Altar and two to serve Communion to the parishioners seated in the Balcony, Cry Room, and to our faithful nursery attendants. They also offer Communion to lonely souls while traveling the campus. One LEM alternate is also assigned to accommodate last minute scheduling needs. An Altar Coordinator is assigned to assist the Clergy, LEMs, and Acolytes during communion and reverently stores all Consecrated elements when Communion is finished. A single Altar Coordinator is assigned to serve as a LEM, Lay Reader, Altar Coordinator, and Acolyte for the Sunday, 8:00AM service and for other services as requested by the rector or clergy. In 2013, the number of Altar Coordinators declined by two due to the retirement of Jack Eccles and the passing of Dyke Miller. Both men are the epitome of service in the capacity of Altar Coordinator and LEM and will be missed dearly. We are pleased to note that Dineen Majcher joined the LEM ministry and serves primarily as a LEM at the 8:00AM service. This role is similar to that of the Altar Coordinator, aside from coordinating the other LEMs and Lay Readers at the 10:30AM Eucharist. We welcome Dineen to this

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ministry. Lay Readers are assigned to read Scripture Readings and Intercessory Prayers during services. LEMs and Lay Readers also serve, as needed, for any non-regularly-scheduled service, such as Weddings or Funerals. Continuing in 2013, Betty Mitchell, working with parish volunteers, schedules Epistle Readers for the weekly 10:30AM services. This is a great way to incorporate new members as well as enable anyone from the parish the opportunity to serve. In 2013, there were 26 individual Epistle Readers and of the 26, 15 were new from 2012. Epistle readers serving in 2013 were John Baker, Heather Carter, Oscar Casares*, David Coonrod, Lisa Hobbs, Richard Jones*, Kiki Kirkpatrick, Katherine Marion, Suzanne McCurley, Mike McMullen*, Renee Myrick, Hailey Nichols*, Christy Orman*, Amy Poehl*, Ann Poehl, Josh Purl*, Elly Smith, Michael Sorensen, James Strobusch*, Gladys Valles*, Barbara Williams*, Colin Wilson*, Matt Wilson*, Parker Wilson*, and Mike Young*. (* New in 2013) In 2013, the total number of LEMs held steady from 2012 to 2013 with new LEMs balancing attrition. In 2013, there were a total of 78 individuals serving as Altar Coordinators, LEMs, or Lay Readers. Of these 78, 13 joined the ministry in 2013 as LEMs. Serving in 2013 were Linda Allen, Bob Ascott, Alexis Bagshaw, Nicole Banister*, Gloria Bankler, Stephen Biles, Guy Blumhagen, Judy Bomar, Kristin Braun, Sandra Bravo, Michele Meadows, Bill Buros*, Karen Buros*, Dean Busboom, Kate Canby, John Chilstrom, Babs Clendenin, Lisa Coleman, David Coonrod*, Betty Daniel, Jim Dettmann, Judy DeWitt*, Jack Eccles, Serenity Ellis, Nora Foster, Mary Nell Frucella, Abbey Goodman*, Marvin Goodman*, Susan Goodman, Lise Harding*, Ann Hart, Tony Hatheway, Carla Hermes, Jeff Hobbs, Hink Johnson, Bill Kahlke, Carolyn Kidd, Jill Knobloch, Jeanne Langston*, Ellen Legett, Tom LeMond, Dineen Majcher*, Nancy Mallory, Tish McGillicuddy, Joe McLean, Dyke Miller, Jill Miller, Larry Miller, Keith Minwell*, Courtney Morehead, Kathy Morris, Scott Murphy, Jim Myers, Pat Naeve, Don Neely, Kathleen Niendorff, Linda Noy, Josh Purl*, Jennifer Ratterree, Larry Richards, Susan Robertson, Steve Ryder, Denman Smith, Jimmy Sparks, Billie Stallsworth, Joyce Statz, Richard Sutch, Matt Thompson, Gladys Valles*, Cynthia Valliant, Alina Wasmuth, Janice Watkins, Carol Webb, Doug Webster, Janet Williams, Blythe Wilson, Len Winter. (* New in 2013) Finally, we wish to thank the following LEMs & Lay Readers who have discontinued serving in 2013 - Sally Byrom, Michael Crowl, Bill Donnell, Jill Gilbert, Cliff Harrison, Nan Harrison, Carla Hermes, Bert Hooper, Kenny McDade, Tom Uhl, Christian vonWupperfeld. We sincerely appreciate your service. The LEM and Lay Reader teams joyfully serve God, the clergy, and parishioners of St. Matthew’s. Anyone interested in joining this ministry should contact Scott Murphy or Don Neely.

The Memorial Garden Committee Larry Richards, Chair The Billye Taegel Krystow Memorial Garden was established at St. Matthew’s in the mid 1990’s by congregants desiring a place within the church grounds where their deceased

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loved ones could be interred and honored, as has been a tradition in Anglican churches for centuries. They were then sanctioned by the Vestry as the Memorial Garden Committee (MGC) to maintain, promote and enhance the garden so that parishioners could have a quiet, safe place where they could contemplate and commune in serenity. In October, 2009 the Vestry resolved to transition the committee to a six member, permanent Vestry committee, elected by the congregation as a whole, with two members to be elected each year for three year terms. Thus the committee became a wholly elected committee in January, 2012 with David Kennedy being the chairperson in that year. The 2013 committee, only the second fully elected committee, consists of: Terms expiring in January, 2014: Larry Richards, chair and Jill Miller, secretary

Terms expiring in January, 2015:Sue Kinney Burton and A. W. (Bill) Smith

Terms expiring in January, 2016:Babs Clendenin and Shelly Kirkgard

Vestry Representative appointed by the Senior Warden each year: Doug Webster

Valuable unofficial, on-going consultant: David Barrow

During 2013 the MGC received donations from Jeanne Langston and Bruce Newman enabling the installation of two new benches in the garden making possible a bench in front of each alcove of niches. At the same time the new benches were installed, the MGC replaced the back of one existing bench to make it conform to the other benches and to replace its commemorative plaque, which had become unreadable. The MGC oversaw the extensive trimming of the trees in and adjacent to the garden in accordance with the recommendations of landscape consultant Carolyn Kelley. The MGC contracted to have several “moonlights” installed to significantly enhance the lighting in the garden and another to waterproof the garden walls to keep water from seeping into the niches. These projects will be completed in early 2014. The MGC has a continuing project, started in 2012, of compiling a history of the key people and noteworthy events that have transpired in the existence of the Memorial Garden – this is being done by Bill Smith along with Sue Burton and Babs Clendenin, all of whom remain on the committee. Unfortunately, the MGC was not able to make progress in providing better access to the garden for handicapped persons, improving the sprinkler system, eliminating some safety concerns and most of all, completing the garden wall along Steck Ave (a strong recommendation of landscape consultant Carolyn Kelley). Challenges remain for the next Memorial Garden Committee! Submitted by Larry Richards, honored to be the MGC chairperson this past year. Order of St. Luke (Prayer and Share) Bob Ascott, Co-Chair In 2013, the Order of St. Luke met every Saturday morning in the Wilson Room for prayer, study, and safe sharing. Our focus is on the ministry of healing originally demonstrated by St. Luke the physician. Our chapter is part of the International Order of St. Luke. Meetings are typically small (less than 10) and we welcome anyone with an interest in, or need of this healing ministry. The Rev. Jim Wilson serves as our chaplain. We also serve as the

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prayer community for the prayer teams on Sunday morning. For more information, please contact: Sandy Lanier at Sandy07@flash.net or 512-462-9301. Prayer Shawl Ministry Valerie Bray, Chair Approximately 9 years ago, Ernestlea Williams received a prayer shawl from an Episcopal church in Houston. This served as her inspiration to start the Prayer Shawl Ministry here at St. Matthew’s. (Since 2004), over 2,500 pieces of handiwork have been sent to not only parishioners, but to the Interfaith Hospitality Network, SafePlace, Mobile Loaves and Fishes, Family Eldercare and victims of hurricanes along the Gulf Coast. This includes scarves to a Russian Orphanage and to the Rosebud Sioux Indian Reservation in South Dakota. Through the inspiration of Virginia Walter, we provide child-sized shawls for Dell Children’s Hospital. The Ministry blesses each piece and prays for comfort and healing for the recipients. You need not be a member of St. Matthews to be part of the Ministry, nor do you need to know how to knit or crochet. We have members that are happy to help teach the craft. There are no difficult patterns, each piece will be appreciated and will find a grateful recipient. We have valued members who are not able to attend our Wednesday morning group, but knit or crochet pieces at home and deliver them to us for blessing. The Prayer Shawl Ministry meets every Wed. morning at 9:30 in the Wilson Room (B-14). Everyone is welcome in this ministry, and the gift of fellowship is only secondary to the beautiful pieces of handiwork! Please contact Valorie Bray at 794-9753 or vsb_1@msn.com for more information. Spiritual Formation Council Laurie Brown, Jeri Seidman Co-Chairs Objective To update the Parish on how we continue to fulfill the mission and goals of the Salt and Light Strategic Plan, as developed in 2011 and presented to the Parish in January 2012. We began the Council called Spiritual Formation and Christian Education as a result of the Salt and Light planning during 2011. The report outlined four goals for our Council. Because we are a Council, rather than a Committee, we report directly to our Rector Merrill Wade. As the chair of the Council for the past two years, I and our co-chair Jeri Seidman meet with Merrill and Christine Faulstich several times a year to present the detailed plans and recommendations of the Council. As the Salt and Light directives shifted us to a new paradigm—the Council sets themes, rather than the clergy. I want you to know how fully supportive Merrill has been of our different ideas and themes. He and Christine have embraced the themes each year and semester, and have developed their classes to support those. That’s awesome! Thank you both! Results “Salt and Light” found within our parish a desire to leverage the wealth of local talent as speakers, retreat leaders, etc.” Although St. Matthew’s is rich in the number of retreat offerings, special and educational offerings, you wanted even more. New classes:

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We used to have three regular classes for adults (Lectionary, the Fryers and our rector’s class) most of the time. For the past 18 months, we’ve had either five or six classes each semester, plus the Rector’s class. And, we build in “breaks” -- designated times when we have only one class, a plenary session, so we all gather together, which we didn’t used to have. The Council decided, based on some feedback from the Satellite team, that we needed to at least open each and every class on our campus in the same manner. This has happened through the use of a semesterly Collect and a monthly Scripture. A Collect is carefully chosen by the Council which represents the overarching theme of the year, and in particular, the sub-theme of the semester’s class offerings. Then, we carefully consider the scripture for each month that not only supports the sub-theme for the semester, but the classes in development, as well. If you are not yet aware, please note that even the pre-school and elementary children use the exact same theme and scriptures in those classes. Susan Goodman tells me that sometimes they’ll discuss just one or two words for the entire class! So, the theme carries down even to Children’s Sunday School. This development directly correlates to the inter-generational nature of our Parish. For the 2012-2013 year, our overall theme was “Building a Spiritual Community”. The sub-themes were “Love and Acceptance” for the fall semester, and “Sharing and Selflessness” for the spring semester. Five classes plus the Discovery Class, building community in small groups, then coming together in a large community to hear about a major theme such as Stewardship or Outreach, then back into our small groups for six separate classes for another six weeks. We hope you enjoyed the variety and choice. Our 2013-2014 year, was again a “building” theme: “Building a Sacramental Community.” The sub-themes for this past fall were “Baptism and Eucharist”. For this spring (2014), we are concentrating on the balance of our sacraments; e.g., Merrill’s and Christine’s current series on “Reconciliation” and for each of us, being an outward and visible sign of God in the world. Teachers So many of you have reached out to us! Rectors and seminarians, but also the Fryers, Janice Watkins, Christine Joannidi, Marty Novak, Ned Bowersox, Avery Goodgame, Rev. Norb Firnhaber, Rev. John McMullen, Donna Gerold (our Seminarian at that time), Sandra Bravo, Jim Williams, Kitty Clarke, Dorothy Robinson, Susan Goodman, Jeff Goodman, Kathleen Niendorff, Jane Michael, a rotating cast for An Altar in the World, visitors for plenaries (Nathan Jennings and Anthony Baker), committee/council chairs for plenaries (Stewardship, Outreach), etc. And more for spring 2014! We are blessed with so many teachers and leaders in our community! We are actively planning now for the Fall 2014—inviting and extending our community. This past fall, we offered a Monday school! Larry Simons developed a course entitled “Journey to Wholeness” Workshop which covered not only his career successes but grief that could have devastated many of us. This 8-week evening series was well attended! We

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limited the class to 25 participants. A separate committee was formed to support all the tasks that go along with starting something new. The feedback has been wonderful. So, we plan to offer two such 8-week weekday evening events this spring during and following Lent. We will once again offer “Journey to Wholeness” taught by Larry Simons and enhanced with the feedback from the class. And we will offer “Spiritual Gifts”, which was offered in the Fall 2012 as a Sunday School Class, to be taught by Janice Watkins. Please watch for these special announcements. And, you’ve asked for a relational Bible Study offering. This will be announced very soon. We would like to offer more. Surveys We are currently surveying the parish to see what classes you have loved, which ones you want repeated, and how are we doing in meeting your personal needs for spiritual formation. If you came even a few times to one of our classes, please let us know how you felt about it. Some of you wanted to attend more than one class—this survey offers you the opportunity to note both which class you DID attend and which class you wish you could have attended. This feedback will give us a chance to repeat some of our classes in the future. We are very appreciative of all of your feedback, your suggestions, and participation in our classes. Be sure and let us hear from you! Threads of Love Georgia Tabor, Chair Threads of Love has completed its first year at St. Matthew's. We have received over 200 beautiful knitted and crocheted small afghans and little quilts as well beautiful little embroidered wrappers and positioning pillows. We were blessed with generous donations of yarn and fabric as well. Our plans for the new year include a machine sewing day that will be open to all ages and will provide an opportunity for anyone interested in seeing a demonstration of the steps in the construction of some of the items that we sew. This Spring Sewing Day will be hosted by St. Matthew's and Heart of Texas Threads of Love Chapters. Watch for a date for this event in early Spring. Then we will schedule regular monthly machine sewing days. The knitters and crochet workers will continue to meet on the first and third Wednesday along with the Prayer Shawl Group. There is a blue drop box marked Threads of Love in the basement near the West stairwell to pick up yarn and a place to drop off completed items. For more information please contact: Georgia Tabor- Chapter Director Threads of Love 3503 Lovage Dr. Austin, TX 78727 512-255-6964 512-773-0225 Usher and Caritas Food Basket Report Larry Richards, Chair During 2013 the ushers took care of over 100 regularly scheduled Eucharistic services plus 26 extra services (Advent season, Lenten season and 11 memorials) contributing 1,500 cumulative hours of service to St. Matthew’s (each usher contributes about 40 hours during the year). This is an outstanding service to the church by a great group. As in previous years, staffing continues to be a challenge as attrition takes its toll. We continue to have

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about 86% of the needed number of people, requiring us to occasionally ask non-ushers to help out. New ushers are always wanted and welcome, especially young people. For the first time in at least 20 years we have two ushers for each 8am service. A far cry from when one person served the 8am services by himself for seven years. For several years we have involved children in the 8am service by having them carry the offering plates to the altar. In 2010 we extended the involvement of children by starting a Children’s Caritas Food Basket Ministry as an adjunct to the ushering at the 10:30 service. This involves having children that range in age from 5 to 12 bring the Caritas Food Basket forward to the altar along with the ushers bringing the money offering forward. The food basket is a powerful symbol representing St. Matthew’s continuing commitment to Caritas of Austin. The children who have been serving at the 8am service are Matthew Kennedy, Katie Tappe and Mason Tappe. The children serving at the 10:30 service are: Harmonie Andrews, Zoe Barrett, Emma Carrier, Ben Hudson, Carter Hughes, Annie McMullen, Jillian Murphy, Peyton Murphy, Reagan Murphy, Aly Seidman, Hannah Seidman, Aidan Thompson, Amelia Thompson, Amelia Webb, Drew Webb and Tayte Webster. The ushers who give of their time are (team leaders names underlined): Edward Abrahamson, Jerry Ballard, Stephen Biles, Sandra Bravo, Tom Canby, Larry Carpenter, Jim Cauble, James Daniel, Ed Davis, Judy DeWitt, Liz Ellis, Tony Hatheway, Mike Hermes, Allen Keith, David Kennedy, Bill Klemt, Warren Marshall, Cole Matkin, Kevin McGillicuddy, Joe McLean, George Meihaus, Larry Miller, Chuck Naeve, Don and Judy Neely, Liz O’Quin, Nancy and Bill Parmeter, Darryl Polk, Leonardo Rivadeneira, Sharon Roberts , Jack Robertson, Greg Shannon, Clive Smith, Scott P. Smith, Joyce Statz, Sherm Strance, Biff Tatum, Matthew Thompson, Chris Wilson, Gary and Christy Wittie, and George and Suzanne Worrell.