Rev. Paul Escamilla will deliver this week's message, "Change," based on Romans 12: 1-2. The Saint John's Singer will offer music in both the 9 a.m. and 11 a.m. services.

Festival of New Beginnings on Sunday

Come to the Festival of New Beginnings this Sunday at 10 a.m. and noon to learn what ministries, activities and classes Saint John's has to offer. Representatives will be on hand in the Gallery and Fellowship Hall with information about fall classes, children's programs, youth programs, senior adult programs, music, mission and more.

For a preview of fall classes, click here.

For more information, contact Kate Harrington at [email protected] or 512-565-2511, Hilary Marchbanks at [email protected] or -512- 452-5737.

Blessing of the Backpacks - August 24

Saint John's will hold its annual Blessing of the Backpacks during worship on Sunday, August 24. Students heading to school this fall are welcome to have their backpacks blessed during children's time at either the 9 a.m. or 11 a.m. service.

All those who will teach at Saint John's beginning or continuing in the fall will be invited forward at the end of the service to be blessed and sent. This is a way to recognize and anoint our teachers in faith formation.

New school year, new children's classes begin

Fall Sunday School classes for kindergarten through fifth grade kick off at 9:55 a.m. on Sunday, August 24 with music time in the Chapel. Teachers will then lead the children to their classrooms. Pre-school children ages three and four will be in Room 105. After dropping off children, parents and grandparents should register at the "Children's Ministry" table outside the Chapel.

Lynne Dobson to be honored

Saint John's member Lynne Dobson will be honored for her life works at the 2014 Byron E. Cox iCare Gala at 6 p.m. Friday, September 5 at the Sheraton Austin Hotel. Lynne will receive the Byron E. Cox Spirit of Caring Award.

The Byron E. Cox Award was established in the memory of Byron Cox, who helped start Interfaith Care Alliance (ICA), now The Care Communities. Byron lived with AIDS for almost 10 years until his death on June 11, 1999. Through his work on the ICA Board, Byron touched many hearts and made many lives better. This award is presented in Byron's memory to those in our community who continue to demonstrate a courageous and faithful commitment to the spirit of The Care Communities' mission, which is to provide practical and compassionate support to work toward the realization of a community where no one will face a serious illness alone.

Tickets and tables are still available. To register, please click here.

'Day Apart' retreat set for September 13

The journey of faith is made up of hundreds of decisions each day, starting with the question "What is the next right step?" Discernment is the spiritual practice that helps us invite the Holy Spirit into those decisions. Just like any other skill, the more we practice the better we become. The more we exercise our discernment muscles, the more open we become to God's leading in our lives.

The retreat "A Day Apart: Discernment" on September 13 will use several forms of prayer, including the labyrinth, seeking to learn ways to help participants be more open to the Spirit's leading in life's decisions. There will be time for quiet reflection and private consultation with Saint John's spiritual director in residence, Georjean Blanton.

9 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday, September 13, offsite. Cost is $60; limit 12 particpants. Register in the Gallery on Sunday or online here.

Immigration and the Bible

Come encounter what scripture says about immigration, learn about current immigration policies, and discuss ways for Christians to respond. Class runs 5:30-6:30 p.m. Wednesdays, September 24-October 29. Led by Karen Hale and Al Lindsey. Register here.

Pedalers to take on Mamma Jamma Ride

connections-pedalers Join your Saint John's family in the 6th annual Texas Mamma Jamma Ride to Beat Breast Cancer on Saturday, September 27. This is not a race but rather a family friendly ride with fully supported distances from 10 to 100 miles. This event saves and improves lives by supporting 11 local nonprofit organizations providing diagnosis, counseling, medication and support for thousands of our Central Texas neighbors coping with breast cancer. This will be the sixth year of the ride and the sixth year that Saint John's has fielded a team in support of it. Come out and have fun riding the back roads of the Hill Country. For more information contact Chris Sparks at [email protected] or register online at mammajammaride.org/ridewithus (click on register at the top left, then "join team" and search for Saint John's).

Companions class to begin with Zealot

Dr. Mike Renquist will lead the Companions class in a discussion of the New York Times best-seller, Zealot: The Life and Times of Jesus of Nazareth by Reza Aslan starting Sunday, September 14.

Questions that will be explored in the class include how important is the historical figure of Jesus in your faith journey and how much does it bother you if there was little historical reference to "the still-point of the changing world" beyond the Bible writings? Aslan's book is a challenging read, so the class will proceed in three parts on September 14, 21 and 28.

10 a.m. Sunday in the front room of 5906 Wynona

Caps for Kids

knit caps It's August in Texas, but when the weather starts to cool, warm caps will be needed at the Montopolis Friendship and Community Center in East Austin.

Please use knitting needles, size 9 or 10. Cast on 56 stitches. First Row: Knit 2, purl 2 - repeat across. Following rows: Knit the knit stitches and purl the purl stitches, for 9 or 10 inches. Gather at top. Choose a color and knit a cap, or two or three.

Saint John's has long played a part in service and support of Montopolis. Some programs offered by the center are Early Childcare, Mother's Day Out, Sales Room (good used clothing and household items), Wesley Nurse and Senior Activities Project.

For more directions, or questions, email [email protected], or call Catherine Foster at 512-453-2486.

Senior Movie Day - 10 a.m. August 28

The Monuments Men will be the main attraction at Senior Movie Day at 10 a.m. on Thursday, August 28 in Room 208.

The film follows George Clooney and a select group of men commissioned to statues and paintings destined to be destroyed near the end of World War II. A second-rate artist, Adolph Hitler still had a good eye for art and ordered his army to collect it. When the tide of the war began to turn against Germany, Hitler order the art destroyed rather than preserved for the ages.

Bring your lunch for the discussion time after the movie.

A message from the Green Faith Team

The birth of plastic water bottles

Most plastic bottles are made from polyethylene terephthalate plastics, also known as PET. PET plastics are made by extracting hydrocarbons from crude oil and mixing them with other chemical catalysts to create plastic pellets that are later formed into the bottles used by bottled water companies. Over 17 million barrels of oil are used in our yearly production of bottled water, which is enough fuel to run an astonishing 1 million cars for an entire year. As well, it takes three times the amount of water to produce the plastic bottle as it does to fill it.

Click here to visit the Green Faith Team page.

Sign up now for Dinners of 8

Have you been looking for a way to get to know other Saint John's members better? Do you love dinner parties? If so, Dinners of 8 is for you.

This longtime Saint John's favorite invites participants to enjoy dinner in groups of eight - four pairs - approximately once a month for four months. Each pair rotates to dine with different people each time. Every month one of the pairs is assigned to be the "host" for that month and decides whether to hold the dinner at their house or to eat out. If dining at home, the host is responsible for the main dish. The others are assigned to bring vegetables, salad, bread and desserts. If dining out, the host chooses the location and each party pays their own way.

Dinner dates are September 27, October 25, November 15 and December 13, 2014.

You can sign up as a pair or as a single to be matched with someone else. You can also sign up as an alternate in the event a participant can't make one of the dinners. Once sign up is complete you will receive a packet of information that details your rotation format. If you know there is a date you cannot make, please note that on the sign up sheet so you won't be assigned to host that night.

Reading this week at Saint John's

Making Sense of the Bible: Rediscovering the Power of Scripture Today invites us into an honest conversation about the Bible. Author Rev. Adam Hamilton writes, "I love the Bible ... and I wrestle with it. There are portions, if I'm honest, that I have questions about. I'm guessing, if you're honest, you have questions too." In approachable and inviting language, Hamilton addresses often misunderstood biblical themes leading readers to a deeper appreciation of the Bible so that we might hear God speak through it and find its words to be life-changing and life-giving. Read it on your own or together with Saint John's in a small group led by Robert Culbertson and Janice Curry this fall. Register here.

Each week, the Intentional Faith Development Committee will recommend a theological or spiritual book through this column. Let's read together! To submit an idea, contact Hilary Marchbanks, Associate Pastor, at 512-452-5737 or [email protected].

In the wake of suicide

A special message shared by the Mental Health Ministries Team

First, it was simply the message that a beloved actor had died so tragically. And as I expected, that news triggered my own loss of our son, Matt, and the initial devastation of those horrific days. I went back to the brutal disconnect between the darkness of suicide and the brightness of his smile and depth of his love for all of us. Once again I was jerked around by the sorrow, the public stigma and the preciousness of his life.

Then my mind and heart went directly to Robin Williams' family and the harsh awareness that their grief was so cruelly public. Knowing the sharpness of this kind of experience, I long to comfort them and all of us who have had to walk the hard road to recovery from this kind of grief.
Next, I began to hear comments on the news, read editorials in the paper and hear "experts" interviewed on talk shows. There has been a deluge of reactions and responses. . . and that is not a bad thing at all. Even though it isn't all necessarily true or even helpful, talking about this is a positive change.
Today, I have received a message from The Alliance of Hope for Suicide Survivors and a report from The Association for Suicide Prevention, both expressing hope in the conversations that are being triggered as society begins to understand.
So, I hope that these conversations will be ongoing and lead to more of the excellent research that is already being done. I hope that you will find the courage to talk about this, too. Send your heartfelt condolences to families who have lost loved ones this way . . . speak out when groups say harsh or hurtful things about people who make this choice. Remind everyone that no one takes this final step unless there is intense pain that they cannot bear. There is no one to blame. There is only the need for compassionate, patient and tenderhearted attention and professional care for those who find life unsolvable.
There is also the mystery that the love we have for them grows stronger and more real with each year since they died. And their presence with us and in us becomes a beautiful legacy we honor and cherish by how we live. - Janie Cook

Janie Cook is president of the board of My Healing Place and a member of Saint John's. To read her blog, Living With the Loss of a Child, click here.