Published by Shepherd of the Hills Presbyterian ChurchFebruary 2013 Issue 2

Your Calcutta

No one is going to see whatGod is really like unless

they see him alive and workingthrough us and in our dailylives. The Jesus I read about inthe scriptures didn't intend forus to hide behind the comfort-able wall of the the church.The church has always beenmeant to be about equippingand sending people out to doGod's work. God has called usall to engage our world, and ourwork place, with his love andgrace. The real tough and per-sonal truth is that most peoplewill learn about God fromwatching us. Yes us (you andme in our natural, non-churchsetting). So my question is forme and for you: what are theylearning from you (and me)?Mission and acts of service get alittle bit pointy when they be-come issues about personal dis-cipleship.

In the Sermon on the Mount,Jesus calls us to be be the

“light of the world.” He tells usto not be foolish and hide thatlight—we need to let it shine.There are so many folks here atSHPC that serve missionally onpersonal level. They serve notbecause it is a mission projectof the church, but rather a mis-

sion project of their own life,and the people who know themknow about their love for whatthey do. And that is what I wantyou to start considering. Whatis your personal mission proj-ect? What is God calling you to?Remember, this is a personaladventure. Don’t be turningthis into some church program…this is God talking to you andletting you know that you havea call to serve.

As you figure where God iscalling you, try many differ-

ent things. I think of MotherTeresa asking the question,"Where is your Calcutta?" I donot know where you are sup-posed to go, just that you aresupposed to go and find it. Thelove and grace of Christ com-pels us to respond in gratitude,to serve because he told us to.It is in gratitude for what hehas done for us that we arecalled to go out and serve.Keep on serving until you findthat place that was meant justfor you. Another hard truth weall have to face is: if we are toobusy to serve and share in mis-sion that God has called us allto... then maybe we are toobusy with the wrong stuff. Tak-ing the risk to serve personally

is fantastic way to get your lifemore in sync with Christ. Yourheart will be united with his.You are a follower of Jesus wholoves God and loves people. Youseek to serve as Jesus servedand to be about our Father'smission on earth today. Ulti-mately, you seek to see peopledrawn into the arms of God.

Can we pray that dangerousprayer “Lord, show me my

Calcutta?” I hope so. God’s bigplan to change the world afterJesus ascended in to heavenwas us! His plan was us. Canyou feel your heart beating? It’stime to move and serve in waysyou never have done before.Volunteer at your local schooland let kids know they areloved, volunteer/visit at a near-by assisted-living facility andbring smiles to the faces ofthose who are alone. Look inyour neighborhood and developrelationships with people whoare not like you. Your Calcuttamaybe right down your street.It is personal and only yours.God has called your heart tomove, to be love in motion.

Go out and find your Calcutta.

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Serve 3-6Grow: Adult 7-10, 12Grow: Student 10Grow: Children 11-12, 15Invite & Connect 2, 9-13Concerns & Calendar 14

SHPC Staff Guide

Larry Coulter Senior PastorMike Killeen Associate PastorBritta Dukes Associate PastorTed Thulin Associate PastorSherry Smith Adult MinistryChris Gordon Children’s MinistryZack Uzzle Music MinistryBeth Watson Music MinistryPattie Lawrence Director of PreschoolBelva Koerth Office ManagerKimbol Soques Communications

Subscribe to this news-letter online:tinyurl.com/shpc-nl

Presbytery’s coming to SHPC!Ummm, what’s that mean?The Presbyterian Church came to the UnitedStates with the early immigration from Scotland.Settling largely in the mid-Atlantic states, thechurch began to spread with the westward mi-gration of the 1700s and 1800s. The PresbyterianChurch was marked by a strong theological focuson the sovereignty of God, the Lordship of JesusChrist and the calling and gifting of all God’speople for ministry.

In addition to the theological core, the churchwas also marked by the way it governed itself.The Congregation elects elders who are respon-sible for the spiritual oversight of the wholechurch. Then individual congregations are joinedtogether with other Presbyterian churches in ageographical area to form a presbytery. A Pres-byterian congregation is represented at thePresbytery through a few appointed elders andthe congregation’s pastors. The Presbytery over-sees the collective ministry of all the churchesand facilitates both ministry and discipline.

Which brings us to SHPC; and this is where itgets a little complicated. We are a part of two

different Presbyterian denominations: the Pres-byterian Church, USA (PCUSA) and the Cumber-land Presbyterian Church. For this reason, weare actually in two different Presbyteries—Mis-sion Presbytery for PCUSA and Trinity Presbyteryfor Cumberland. This union gives us both uniquestatus and particular responsibilities that haveshaped and formed our church.

You might want to see a presbytery as it workstogether. This March 1st & 2nd you will have theopportunity! On that Friday and Saturday, wewill be hosting Mission Presbytery at SHPC. Wewill open our doors to the almost 400 represen-tatives from PCUSA churches stretching fromCopperas Cove to Brownsville, from Del Rio to LaGrange. We hope that our welcome will reflectthe warmth and grace that is found among ourmembers. We also hope to have the chance toshowcase many of the ways in which God is mov-ing in and through our church. Beth will be look-ing for volunteers to guide hospitality andparking. If you want to help just email her atbeth@shpc.org.

—Pastor Larry

February 13th, 7:30 p.m.Join us!

Child care will be avail-able for ages 0 to pre-K.

SHPC Valentine’s DinnerOur Valentine’s Dinner is right around thecorner! Reserve the evening of February14th, starting at 6:30 p.m. For $25 per per-son, you will be entertained, amused, andexceptionally well-fed as you chat withfriends old and new. Reservations must bepaid for in advance as seating is limited.

Our menu? Catered again by the lovely BethWatson and the Our Lady of the Lunchteam, we will be serving:

appetizers : chicken scallopini with angelhair pasta : slow-roasted Tuscan pork withroasted rosemary new potatoes : fresh

green beans : homemade focaccia : desserts

Free childcare will be available for childrenthrough 4th grade, with prior reservation.

Save your seat! Register today atshpc.org/valentine

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Rounding Out SHPC’s Mission Port-foliosubmitted by Cathy Beard, elder for Mission

This time of year we quite often talk at homeabout our portfolios—what we should keep,

what we should hold, and what we need to add.In 2012, the Mission Committee did its own auditon SHPC’s “missional holdings,” and concludedthat some additions were in order to add bal-ance to the mission goals of our church.

In our commitment to build a better world, ourfaith inspires us to change things through our

financial gifts, our service, and our prayers. TheMission Committee takes very seriously the re-sponsibility of acting with diligence and thought-fulness when making decisions about the mostappropriate and meaningful areas of mission onwhich to place the gifts from the church.

It has been over eight years since SHPC has di-rectly supported missionaries. This past year,

we have been in contact with two (actuallythree if you consider a husband/wife team astwo) different missionaries in opposite parts ofAsia, in the "10-40 Window," who are workingwith the poor while spreading Christ's love. Weare excited to announce on-going support forthem both beginning in 2013 and would love totalk to you more about their individual stories.Watch for their introductions in upcoming news-letters!

What is the "10-40 Window?" It’s a term usedto describe the band of land across Africa

and Asia which runs from 10 degrees latitudenorth of the equator to 40 degrees latitudenorth of the equator. Two-thirds of the world'spopulation lives in this area (over 4.4 billionpeople), and 85% of those people are the world's

poorest of thepoor. Now,here's where itgets interesting. Of these people, 90% are notonly non- Christians, but 90% have never heardthe Gospel message even once in their lives. Inaddition, it is estimated that only 10% of theglobal missionary force works in this area, oftendue to government restrictions.

The Mission Committee has also done over ayear's worth of research on social justice in

the world. A wonderful book we read as a groupand recommend to anyone interested in worldsocial justice issues, particularly concerningwomen, is Half the Sky, by Nicholas D. Kristofand Sheryl WuDunn. I learned that there is ac-tually a word that means "hatred of women," sothis was not an easy book for me to read! But itwas really an eye-opener. Out of our research,we added Love 146 and the International JusticeMission to SHPC’s mission "portfolio." These part-ners help fight in the global war on sexual ex-ploitation and abuse, human trafficking, andother crimes against humanity.

This year, consider doing your own personal“audit” to discover what you may want to

include in your own mission portfolio, whether itbe praying for others less fortunate, giving a bitmore to what issues pull on your heart, or totake action and serve in an area that is new orfamiliar to you.

If you ever have questions about SHPC mission,or just would like to talk to someone on the

Mission Committee, we would love to visit withyou. I can be reached at 263-9910 orbeardfamily@austin.rr.com .

Our blessings as you look for “your Calcutta.”

Get ready to have fun and learnabout PCHAS in a whole newway!The 2013 PCHAS Ambassador retreat is right aroundthe corner— February 15 -16, from 2 p.m. to 2 p.m.Not yet an ambassador but thinking about becomingone? This is a great event for you as well.As one of SHPC’s Ambassadors to Presbyterian Chil-dren’s Homes and Services, your hotel and on-cam-pus food will be covered. This event is worth the drive

and time off from work. It is a greattime to see our large campuses, meet

the kids, learn more in depth about the programand meet ambassadors throughout Texas. The kids onthe campus really enjoy sharing their “home” withour great supporters. You will leave inspired andready to share the great work of PCHAS with yourchurch.RSVP to Tiffany Ritter, tiffany.ritter@pchas.org, by Janu-ary 31.

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Our guests are coming!IHN (Interfaith Hospitality Network) guests are families with children who, because of a crisis situationin their lives, have lost their homes. The program provides for them to live at Austin area churcheswhile they find housing and get back on their feet.

During the week of February 17th — 24th, four IHN families will live at our church and will befed and sheltered by volunteers at our church. This is your opportunity to help these familiesthrough this time of crisis. Tasks performed by hosts (SHPC folk and members of Faith Presby-terian Church and Abiding Love Lutheran Church) include:

Young children make excellent hosts, because the guests are mostly young children. Sign up inthe narthex for this volunteer opportunity or contact Stuart McIntire stuart78704@yahoo.com /788-4455 or Lara Manire 922-3615.

Move-in: Sunday 12:30 – move guests’ belongingsand bedding into rooms and set-up

Breakfast Servers: 5:45 a.m. to 7:15 a.m.Dinner Preparers: 6:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.Overnight Host: 8:00 p.m. to 7:15 a.m.Evening Host: 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.

Saturday Hosts and lunch: several shiftsSupply Donors: all weekTransportation Volunteers and Linen Washers.Move-out: Sunday 6:30 am – load guests’ belongings

on trailer, clean and straighten up church, trans-port guests to Day Center, and take trailer tonext church

Bread, Bread and MoreBreadsubmitted by Trish Scogin

Ever heard about our “BreadRun”? Maybe you bumped

into the listing on our website and wondered. Orperhaps you’re one of the lucky folks with anSHPC buddy who occasionally says, “No, I can’tgo then. I have Bread Run.”

The SHPC “Bread Run’ project began back inthe 80's when a member saw day-old bread

being incinerated at HEB. He offered to buy itfor 5 cents a loaf, thus starting a food pantry atSHPC that benefitted the Salvation Army. After atime, the Capital Area Food Bank entered intoagreement with local HEBs to receive their day-old bread and pastries at no cost. Since CAFB didnot have the resources to pick up the product atall the stores, CAFB asked SHPC to work withtwo HEBs to pick-up and distribute the bakedgoods to non-profit agencies of our choice.

Today, we have 25 marvelous volunteers whoshare in the process of picking up bread 5

mornings a week, 52 weeks a year. Though somerequest more, volunteers are usually assignedtwo days a month. Currently SHPC receives do-nations from two HEBs: Oak Hill and Brodie at

William Cannon. The amount of breadvaries from day to day, but very

rarely are there less than 3 bas-kets per store — and during theholidays we may have 17 ormore. Five days a week we de-liver to the Baptist CommunityCenter in East Austin and ontwo days the West Rural Center

on Hwy 71 receives a load. During the holidays,when these two locations are closed, we makedeliveries to the Capital Area Food Bank and IE,Inc. (a CAFB partner agency).

For the past 13-ish years, Jane and Bill Hallcoordinated and volunteered tirelessly for

this wonderful project at SHPC. As each newperson joined the team, they personally walkedthem through the process, making sure the new-comer was comfortable and thoroughly wel-comed. Their dedication, along with that of allthe volunteers, is appreciated by all those whoknow them and those benefiting from theirwork. In October, the Halls stepped down andleft some extremely large shoes to fill. Thoughnew to the project myself, I am very excited tobe the new Bread Run coordinator!

We are seeking volunteers to help us contin-ue this fabulous gift to our neighbors in

need. If you can help one, two, or even moremornings a month contact me, Trish Scogin, atsplashofchlorine@gmail.com or 512-828-1105.

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KIDS HOPEWe are looking for more men-tors and prayer partners tojoin our team.

If you would like an opportuni-ty to mentor or pray for a spe-cial child, please contact LoriWhitmire, KidsHope@shpc.org

New mentor training -Feb 10th 1:30-4:30 p.m.

Guatemala — is it calling you?February is Guatemala Trip Sign-up Month! Abooth will be available in the narthexes all fourSundays in February for you to learn more aboutthe Guatemala Mission Trips.Our current schedule is:

June 20-27. First Living Wa-ter Trip. Water system in-stallation in Palistinia.

July 2 -July 9. Second LivingWater Trip. Water system maintenanceand vacation Bible school in El Eden andat the San Bartolome School in San AndresItzapa.

· July 25-August 1. Trip to Orphanage HogarMiguel Magone and the San BartolomeSchool in San Andres Itzapa.

We’re encouraging high school youth to be apart of the June Living Waters trip. If you’re inthat category and want to learn more, pleasecontact Pastor Mike, mike@shpc.org.

Never been ona Guatemalanmission trip?Perfect! We want to welcome you to a time ofcommunity-building — with our friends in Guate-mala, our friends from SHPC, and with God as

we deepen our faith.

We have increased our budget for scholarshipsupport, so do not let a lack of funds slowyou down.

Now is the time to start thinking aboutyour summer 2013 missionplans. We hope that you willprayerfully consider joining theGuatemala Mission effort.

Whether or not you are called to Guatemala in2013, watch for our February 10th Chili Fund-raiser. Held in conjunction with Annual Con-gregational Meeting, the chili luncheon is ourprimary fundraiser for the year. Take the timeto ask previous travelers about their experiencesas they hand you some chili!

Saturday, February 23rd!Save the date!Boy Scout Troop 395 is leading aworkday on our Hwy 290 property.

Brush-clearing is certain; oth-er projects may appear.

Tune up your chainsaw &make ready to join us!

More details will be pub-lished in the Sunday an-nouncements.

On Sunday, January 20th, Stephen Ministry train-ing began for a group of 14 lay people from ourcongregation, along with leaders Julie Demareeand Laurel Calhoun, and Stephen Ministers DinahStrayhorn and Mo O'Meara.

From now through May, these folks will receive50 hours of training in Christian caring skills,such as listening effectively, dealing with feel-ings, confidentiality, being assertive and a num-ber of topics dealing with specific life crises.

Following the training, many of these men andwomen will be commissioned as Stephen Minis-ters, to care for people within our congregationand community who are experiencing such chal-lenges in life as hospitalization, grief, depres-sion, loneliness, and job loss.

Keep these people in your thoughts and prayersas they receive this training for caring ministry:Deb Ballew, Steve Beard, Jeanette Box, Barbara Christen-son, Modena Dailey, George Dunfield, Bill Goodman, PatHaag, Claudia Lauber, Sid MacAllister, Gail Moore, MargSue Owen, Preston Thompsen, and Annie Ward.

If you have any questions about Stephen Ministrytraining and caregiving, contact Julie Demareeat 512-695-1544, or juliejulie424@gmail.com.

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SHPC folk give soopenhandedly totheir neighbors… didyou realize that weparticipated in FIVEdifferent missiondonation projectsduring Advent? Wedidn’t want that qui-et love to get packedaway with the Christ-mas decorations, so here arenotes from team leads fromsome of our Advent giving proj-ects.

ANGEL TREEPastor Britta writes:Thanks to the generosity ofSHPC, our 2012 Angel Treehelped make Christmas extraspecial for many Austin neigh-bors.

To give you an idea of the im-pact we had on our community,I'd like to share a tally of whatwe collected:● 25 bicycles● 7 tricycles● 10 scooters● 5 iPods● 139 gift cards● 52 blankets● 22 cooking pots● 170 people received winter cloth-

ing● 75 toys● 20 misc. (jewelry, sports equip-

ment, weight bench, violin, etc.)

525 TOTAL ANGEL TREE GIFTS!!

I'd also like to share a letter wereceived from PresbyterianChildren's Home and Services:

Good Morning,

I wanted to thank you for givingthe kids at our Austin Grouphomes a fantastic Christmas.Here are a few quotes from thehouse parents.

The girls were oncloud 9! They allgot everything theyasked for and thensome. Several saidit was the bestChristmas they'veever had! Thankyou so much for allyour hard work! -Keri

They were ecstatic. It was agreat Christmas. We were allblown away with how generouseveryone was with the kids.Thanks for all your hard work!-Amanda

As you can see, your contribu-tions made a big difference forthe kids. Holidays can be reallytough for them so it was greatbeing able to provide these kidswith a fun Christmas. Pleaseextend my thank you to all whohelped make this possible.

SO... THANK YOU, THANK YOU,AND THANK YOU AGAIN FORSHARING THE LOVE OF CHRISTWITH SO MANY THIS PASTCHRISTMAS SEASON!

Once again, I feel blessed to bepart of such an AMAZING andmission-minded congregation!

Adding on to our Angel Treethanks Lisa Teeple writes:Trinity CDC was so delightednot only with our Angel Tree

gifts (two truckloads!) butalso our coming to playwith them during theirSharing with Santa Event.You made the season spe-cial for a lot of little peo-ple and their families!

MANOS DE CRISTOLisa Teeple writes:A big THANK YOU to the chil-dren, youth, & adult volunteersfrom both our campuses whohelped with the following:

● Formula One Race

● Food Pantry Drive ... LOTSof macaroni & cheese andcanned goods!

● Tamale Sale

November and December arebusy times, but you took a littleextra to share with others.Thanks again, bunches!

Our PrimeTime crew mentionedin our January issue how happythey were to share your Christ-mas Boxes for Seniors, and ourGuatemalan Gift Fair did a briskbusiness at both campuses,benefiting those missions andartists.

The Faces of SERVE, December 2012

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Pharoah’s Heart

You are to say everything I command you, andyour brother Aaron is to tell Pharaoh to let theIsraelites go out of his country. But I will hardenPharaoh's heart, and though I multiply my signsand wonders in Egypt, he will not listen to you.Then I will lay my hand on Egypt and withmighty acts of judgment I will bring out my divi-sions, my people the Israelites.—Exodus 7:2-4 NIV

Why did God need to "harden" Pharaoh'sheart? Why not soften it instead? Perhaps

because we human beings love the familiar,even when it's bad for us, even when God hasbetter things planned for us.

If not for my husband, Dave, I would still be usinga dial-phone that’s tethered to the wall. But whenwe moved into a new house, he refused to putphones on the wall and got me a mobile phoneinstead. Was he being cruel? No, he just knewthat was the only way I'd ever learn to use a mo-bile phone. (A little flip-out phone… I’m putting offgetting a flat-screen kind that does everything.)

That’s a rather silly example, but it illustrateshow stubborn we can be when holding on to

the familiar even when we know there is some-thing better out there for us. Throughout theBible there are many times when God's peopleare called stubborn, unyielding, or hard-heart-ed. Time and again God tries to get them to fol-low his plans for them—but they refuse, or turnback at the first sign of difficulty. So God some-times does extravagant things to prod themalong the path they need to go.

The people groaned under Pharaoh. They hadoriginally been welcomed into Egypt, but

after 400 years their lot had gotten worse andworse until they were living as slaves. They com-plained but they really didn't see a better way.Several generations had grown up as slaves andthat is all they knew. Moses had to jump throughquite a lot of hoops to get them to follow him —and then as soon as they left, they were readyto turn around and go back!

God had a better plan for them. He wanted tocreate a nation out of them and settle them

in their own land. He wanted to bless them sothey could be a blessing to others. But first heneeded them to spend some time alone with himand learn to depend on him. He had to makesure they did not leave Egypt on friendly termsor it would have been too easy to go back. So hemade Pharaoh's heart hard, not to make Pharaoha bad guy so everyone would hate him, but be-cause that was what was needed to chase theIsraelites out of Egypt. Pharaoh was an instru-ment to accomplish God's purpose for that time.

That may seem unfair to us or make us uncom-fortable. It was an extraordinary measure

but it did get the job done. (Later, as reportedin 2 Chronicles 36:22-23 and Ezra 1:1-4, whenhis people were captives in a foreign land again,God would instead "move", "prod", or "stir up"the heart of Cyrus of Persia so he would let themgo. But by then they already were a nation andhad a land to go back to.)

There will always be questions about whatthings God causes and what things he allows

to happen. Did he make you lose your job so youwould find a better one? Or when you had al-ready lost your job because of a bad economy,did he then pity you when you prayed to him andhelp you find a better job? Or did you just find abetter job because you had good connections?Does God even care whether you have a job ornot? However you choose to think about it is re-ally a matter of faith. Sometimes there are noreal answers or proof.

I believe God loves us and has plans for us. Ibelieve he sometimes uses even extraordinary

measures to get us on the right path. We are notjust his puppets, so we still have a choice in thematter. But he does try very hard to show us theway if we try to follow him. So I prefer to putmy faith in the providence of God rather thanworry about Pharaoh's hard heart.

For I know the plans I have for you," declaresthe Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harmyou, plans to give you hope and a future.—Jeremiah 29:11 NIV

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With lots to do and see, find anopportunity to hang out inPrimeTime!

AARP Driver SafetyCourse — Monday, Febru-ary 18th

9 a.m. at the William Cannoncampus FMC

Save the date and watch formore information in the Sundayannouncements. PrimeTime isagain offering this course thathelps you review the currentrules of the road, defensivedriving techniques and operat-ing a vehicle more safely .Learn how to manage and ac-commodate common age-relat-ed changes in vision, hearingand reaction time. And ohyeah! It may qualify you for adiscount on your auto insur-ance.

Soup to Nuts - Tuesday,February 26th at 11 a.m.Join us for a luncheon andspeaker in the Family MinistriesCenter (FMC) at the WilliamCannon campus.

Dr. Kelley Coblentz-Bautch,Associate Professor of ReligiousStudies at St. Edward Universi-ty, will discuss Outside the Can-on: the Unusual Books ofEnoch, the Gospel of Thomasand the Gospel of Mary. Kelleyholds degrees from NotreDame, Harvard and IndianaUniversity. She has receivednumerous grants for scholarlyactivities, has published manyarticles and was the recipientof the Distinguished Teaching

Award for St. Edwards Universi-ty for 2011-2012.

Cost for lunch is $7.00, payableat the door. Reservations arerequired so that we can get anaccurate headcount for lunch.Call Norma Burchard (512-394-0131) or Lawrence Langston(512-607-6516) by February 20th

with your reservation.

Washington-on-the-Bra-zos State Historical SiteBus TourTuesday, March 26th

Join PrimeTime to go Washing-ton-on-the-Brazos, birthplaceof the Republic of Texas.

● Start at the Star of the Re-public Museum with a filmand browse through the mu-seum to learn about the so-cial, political and economichistory of early Texas.

● Then on to our box lunchpicnic on the grounds.

● Next, visit the IndependenceHall and Townsite. Learnabout Texas Declaration ofIndependence and the provi-sional government of 1836.Tour the Brazos River Over-look, Ferry Street and a rep-lica of Independence Hall.

● Finally, visit Barrington Liv-ing History Farm and experi-ence the sights, sounds andsmells of life on a small cot-ton plantation in 1850. Tryyour hand around the farm -plowing, feeding the chick-ens, working in the gardenor cooking on an openhearth.

We will travel on a 55-passen-ger bus from the William Can-non campus to Washington onthe Brazos and back. We’llleave at 8 a.m. and returnabout 6:15 p.m. Maybe we willsee some bluebonnets on theride!

Reservations will be taken inthe William Cannon narthex onMarch 3 and 10. Cost is $25payable with your reservation.

PrimeTime Spring RetreatBe sure to mark your calendarsfor the PrimeTime Spring Re-treat, April 23-25, at CampBuckner near Marble Falls.We're especially pleased thatour Associate Pastor, BrittaDukes, will be leading the Re-treat. Watch for details in theMarch newsletter.

PT groups through February:FELLOWSHIP LUNCH BUNCH,

February 16th. Please joinus at Cheddars, 4301 WestWilliam Cannon Blvd. Bldg Din the Arbor Trails shoppingCenter for a splenid lunchand extraordinary Christianfellowship. As usual, we willconvene at 11:30 a.m., cel-ebrate birthdays and anni-Take to the road with Prime Time

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versaries, and engage inlively conversations withmembers of our churchcommunity as we enjoylunch together. Please re-serve your spot by phoningPat or Stefan Haag (512-288-3479) or by emailing usat shaag@austin.rr.com byThursday, February 14th.

MARY-MARTHA CIRCLE willgather February 7th at 10a.m. in portable B at Wil-liam Cannon. Sherry Smithwill lead us in Lesson 9,“Resource Unlimited,” inour book God’s PromisesThat Keep Us. Come forcookies , coffee and lots ofvisiting!

ASSOCIATION OF RETIREDCHRISTIAN MEN meets ev-ery Thursday at 10 a.m. inthe library at William Can-non. Join us!

Alpha Is Almost Here!Is God really God? Whydoes God allow suffering?Is forgiveness possible?

If you have questions likethese, Alpha is the placefor you!

Who’s invited? Atheists,Agnostics, Non-Christians,New Christians, Doubters,Believers, Couples, Singles— everyone is welcome.

The Alpha course will be-gin on February 10, 2013and meet on Sundays for10 weeks, including aone-day getaway. Sessions be-gin with a meal, followed by ashort talk and time to discusswhat’s been taught. Weekly

sessions will run from 6-8:30p.m. at the SHPC WilliamCannon campus. Free child-care will be provided.

During the discussion, ev-eryone is welcome to con-tribute their opinions andno question is consideredhostile or too simple. Someof the questions we willexplore are: “Who is Je-sus?”; “How can we havefaith?”; “Why and how do Ipray?”; “Does God heal to-day?”; “How can I resistevil?”

Interested? Want to find outmore? shpc.org/classes/alpha —sign up today! Visit us in thenarthex, or emailalpha@shpc.org.

Body and Soul Yoga returns toSHPC!Join Jessica Goulding, E-RYT, forthis yoga series based on BarbaraBrown Taylor's An Altar in theWorld. Grow in your understandingof God's availability in every mo-ment of your life, con-nect with others ofGod's people, and wor-ship with the whole ofyour being. Invite yourfriends to join!

All levels welcome!Only supplies needed are a yogamat, a blanket, a strap or belt, anda sense of adventure.

Saturdays at 9:30 to 10:30 a.m.,starting February 9th in the FMC.Cost is $60Register onlineshpc.org/yoga-spring-2013

Foundations is a community of 30- to 40-somethings with chil-dren from preschool to mid-high. Community? Absolutely! Weare not only a group of parents that gets together on Wednes-day nights to participate in a Bible study while our children par-ticipate in Wednesday Night Live or true. We are a communitythat enjoys building relationships between our families and oth-er families. We do this through social gatherings, such as SuperBowl Parties, Easter Egg Hunts, lunch after church and campingtrips. We do this as we work side-by-side on service projectsthat Shepherd of the Hills sponsors or others within the commu-nity. We’ve worked with the Capitol Area Food Bank, Habitatfor Humanity, IHN, Austin Street Youth Wash Day, and more.

If you would like to grow closer to other families within Shep-herd of the Hills, please join us on Wednesday nights in room9 at William Cannon from 6:30-7:30. Childcare is provided forthose that are preschool age, free of charge. If you have anyquestions please contact Suzie Bridges atsuziebrdgs@gmail.com.

foundations

true SHEPHERD OF THE HILLS STUDENT MINISTRY PAGE 10

CAMPS! Now or Later

High School Winter Con-ferenceFeb 22nd -24th $110

This is your generation, yourtime, and your chance tochange your planet. PlanetWis-dom is an amazing conferenceput on by Youth Specialties, thesame people that put on SLC2012 and the upcoming NYWC.This conference is a real para-digm-shifting event, that takesteens from a High School stu-dent's point of view and getsthem looking at their worldfrom God's perspective. ExpectMark Matlock, The Skit Guys,Crystal Kirgiss and The DigitalAge to rock your faith, andspeak to you in new ways. Theconference takes place in Ir-ving, Texas at the Irving BibleChurch. We'll be sleeping on thefloor of a nearby church, sobring sleeping bags and sleepingpads. We'll meet at the churchon Friday the 22nd at 11 a.m.We will leave no later than 12,so don't be late! High Schoolevent only.

MIDDLE SCHOOL HUNGERAND JUSTICE EVENTFeb 15th -16th

A weekend where our 7th -12th

-grade students will encounterthe Justice of God in a power-ful, life-changing way. Passionswill be ignited to seek the jus-tice and mercy that God callsfor around the world. Alongwith powerful experiences andteachings, you will be invited toenter into a world where jus-tice is broken and can only befixed by hands like yours. Youwill be educated about the re-ality of injustice in our worldand you will deepen your rela-tionship with God as you hearhow God calls you to act tosave lives and bring justice.This is event is also a 30 hourfast! That’s right —no food for30 hours! You can do it!

Time to get your sonor daughter registeredfor SUMMER CAMPFor 6th -8th grade THE GREATESCAPEJune 21st - 29th , Gunnison CO

Join your true crew leaders andfriends as we get away from theheat of Texas and into the coolcool air of Colorado. Plus wewhite water raft, we swim weplay and on top of all that THECAMP IS AWESSSOME! FunnyTalks, Wacky Family times anda chance to get real again withGod. Kids who go to the Great

Escape consistently say thatTHIS IS A LIFE CHANGING CAMP!So bring your friends as well.Register now at $600

For High School FUN IN THESONJuly 14th -19th South Padre

Join your high school true Crewas they hit the beach South Pa-dre style. BEACH BEACH BEACH!Sun Surf and Sand and moresun! All that plus incredibleworship times, powerful speak-ers, tear jerking small groupsand a day to explore all thatSouth Padre has to offer. Regu-lar registration price $550.

For 11th -12th grade + newgrads STUDENT LEADERSHIPCONFERENCE

July 3rd - 10th in Californiaest cost $750

Join Pastor Mike as we hobnobwith the stars in southern Cali-fornia. This adventure is de-signed to develop yourleadership skills and abilities.You will be stretched to growdeep and wide during the amaz-ing S.L.C. conference led byDoug Fields. We will visit thesome of the big sights in LosAngeles, enjoy the beach andvisit a theme park while on thewest coast.

visit www.iamtrue.org to regis-ter for any of these camps.

true SHEPHERD OF THE HILLS STUDENT MINISTRY FEBRUARY 2013

Parent EducationSeminarFeb 11th

7-8:30 p.m.Most parents would give anything for their kidsto have a deep, dynamic faith that "sticks" long

term. Come Join Pastor Mike in the StudentLounge at William Cannon as we work throughthe Sticky Faith Movement. Come get empow-ered as a parent of deep faith to ignite an evendeeper faith in your son or daughter.

This course is for parents of ALL ages.

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PEACEProving you care more about each other than winning an argument

January was such agreat month forthe preschool kids!We came backfrom Christmasbreak to re-cele-brate the newyear, completewith confetti andparty hats. WeL-O-V-E our annual

Winter Wonderland — we shaved 1000pounds of ice into snow for snowman-mak-ing, snowball-throwing, and for making snowangels. The day was made complete with'ice skating' and hot chocolate. The end ofJanuary brought our Dinosaur Museum wherethe kids got to play with fossils and remote-controlled dinosaurs.

Children’s Ministry NewsVACATION BIBLE SCHOOLMonday – Friday, June 17th -21st

*For Preschool-aged childrenthrough 3rd grade*

CLUB H2OMonday – Friday, July 29th

– Aug 2nd

*A week of wet & wild funfor 4th & 5th graders, with

opportunities for 3rd graders,space permitting*

Stay tuned for details!

Wednesday Night Live is Back!After a short winter hiatus, Wednesday NightLive kicks off in Feb-ruary!

We will be offering aChildren at the Lord'sTable sacrament work-shop in February, and asuper fun Bible-based study forchildren ages K-4th

grade beginning afterSpring Break. Check out the schedule and addthese dates to your calendar!

All events take place at the William Cannoncampus on Wednesday nights, 6:30-7:30 p.m.

● Feb 6th: KIDSTUF Spring Opening Show!● Feb 13th: Children @ the Lord's Table: Part I● Feb 20th: Children @ the Lord's Table: Part II● Feb 27th: Children @ the Lord's Table: Gradu-

ation● Sunday, March 3rd: Children @ the Lord's Ta-

ble graduates receive First Communion inworship

● March 6th: KIDSTUF March Show!● March 13th: SPRING BREAK

● March 20th:Bible Navigators Children's BibleStudy Kick-Off

● March 27th: Bible Navigators Children's BibleStudy

● April 3rd, 17th and 24th: Bible Navigators Chil-dren's Bible Study

● April 10th: KIDSTUF April Show!● May 1st, 15th, and 22nd: Bible Navigators Chil-

dren's Bible Study● May 8th: KIDSTUF Final Show of the Season!

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Children’s Ministry NewsFun-Loving Folks!Children's Ministries is look-ing for some "pardners" tojoin our Sunday Schoolteams.

If you are super-fun, ener-getic, and enjoy workingwith youngsters, please con-tact Chris Gordon.

We have currently have opportunities withthe following (William Cannon campus):

● Sharing a 1st grade small group on Sundaymornings in UpStreet Elementary SundaySchool

● Leading our 11:00 4s/5s class on Sundaymornings on the ARK Preschool Sunday School

● Sharing our 11:00 2s/3s class on Sundaymornings on the ARK

Children at the Lord’s Table Sacra-ment WorkshopAll children in 2nd-5th grades who would like tolearn more about the sacraments of Baptismand Communion — attend this Wednesday eve-ning class! Class includes three educational andinteractive sessions on February 13, 20 and27, from 6:30-7:30 p.m. The final session in-cludes both parents and children, as they meetwith pastors andelders to preparefor First Commu-nion and recog-nition by thecongregation onSunday, March3rd, during wor-ship services.

For more infor-mation or to register your child(ren), contactPastor Britta at 892-3580, ext. 107 orbritta@shpc.org

Did you know you can…?Automate your monthly giving!Maybe you automatically pay yourutility bill, your housing… whatabout your pledge?

Inside our church information,there’s an option to use e-checksor other electronic payment formats to make aone-time or a regularly scheduled donation.Type shpc.infellowship.com into the browser’saddress bar (or find it from our websiteshpc.org: Resources | Financial | Contributions). You’ll need to create a login if you haven’tbefore — it’ll tell you what to do.

Once you log in, click on “Your Giving,” then“Schedule Giving” on the right. Fill in theblanks, and you’ll never forget your pledgeagain!For details about setting up a portal account, read ournotes at shpc.org/infellowship-account/

Calling All Book LoversDo you like to read? Do you like to discuss whatyou’ve read with other people? If so, you’d en-joy joining our church book club. It meets thethird Tuesday of each month at 1:30 p.m. inRoom 9 on the William Cannon campus.

One of the wonderful side effects of this fellow-ship is the sense of community we’ve developedas we have met together.We’ve made new friendswho celebrate with us intimes of joy and support usin times of illness or sad-ness. Please call ThelmaMorris 301-1676 or AnnieWard 373-8803 for moredetails. We’d love tohave you join our group!

Interested in helping plan thisyear's Daddy-Daughter Dance?

Time commitment: roughly 10 hours.One or two face-to-face meetings, then

the rest via email and telephone. Interest-ed? Contact Pastor Britta at britta@shpc.org or(512) 892-3580 by Wednesday, February 6th.

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ANNIVERSARIES1 Feb Hollis & Vada

Boehme3 Feb Allen & Pam Gunter,

Sid & Mary HelenMacAllister

7 Feb Louis & BrittanyCantu

10 Feb Fran & Ted Miller,Karmen & JeffMiller, Gerard &Margey Harrison,Tom & Kim Harkness

11 Feb Don & RitaNowakowski

12 Feb Arlan & SharonConner

16 Feb Peggy & MichaelPlatt

18 Feb Carl & MaryLuttenbacher

20 Feb Vin & AndreaGiovanniello

21 Feb Joy & Bob Kouts

24 Feb Bill & MadelineBrock

28 Feb Gene & Lynn Wright,James & JenniferMoore

SILVER ANNIVERSARIES5 Feb Tom & Jan Fiedler6 Feb Greg & Gayle

Guernsey

BIRTHDAYS1 Feb Jonathan Kluckhohn,

Charles Staton2 Feb Martyn Buffler, Ben-

jamin Milam, FranMiller, PatriciaO'Leary, Julie Walker

3 Feb Valerie Aman, Steph-anie Parker, RitaPaschack

4 Feb Sara Gardner, MikeHenderson, TracyLord, Molly Pont, WillStanka, KelseyStromberg

5 Feb Sue Frye, Nancy Mc-Donald, Karla Snell,Deborah Wagner

6 Feb Matt Lopez, KathySegura, BenjaminSpink, Annie Ward

7 Feb Alan Hanna, LindseyMorales, JinnyThompson

8 Feb Paul Kuper, Made-leine Ngalamulume,Peggy Platt

9 Feb Claire Kolkhorst,Charlotte Milam, Ja-co Steynberg

10 Feb Jack Crump, DebbieEvans-Lombe, BrooksGonzales, Linda Icen-hauer-Ramirez, Katil-in Kaiser, TravisSaari, Wendy Saari,Jessica Stathos, GlenVorwerk, RandyWebb, Kat Zuraitis

11 Feb Hilda Harnden, KylePonder, LindseyWheeler

12 Feb Jordan Biles, StanleyCrawford, Reis Par-sons

13 Feb Sam Countess, Jenni-fer Cranfill, DerekFisher, Stephen Pont

14 Feb Debbie Breed, PhillipCallahan, Katie Floyd

15 Feb Joey Barrett, DustinDeVries, Brooks Per-kins-Jechow

16 Feb Adam Pellerin, ShaeWilkins

17 Feb Katrina Herrera, Pa-mela Walsh

18 Feb Allen David, Char-lotte Hanna

19 Feb Brianna Baschnagel,Lucas Calvin, RylanGillis, John Gillis,Greg Heidel

20 Feb Luke Ayers, BrandonLikes, Grady Morris

21 Feb Linda Brooke, RonWard

22 Feb Ashley Ashbaugh,Riley Eskelin, MaryLuttenbacher

23 Feb Karen Ashorn, SarahGross, Melissa Lutke

24 Feb Jim Ayers, GerryMerits

25 Feb Andrea Giovanniello,Haley Hyde, KathleenManchin, Eddie Reyn-olds

26 Feb Mark Fetzer, CamilleGerlach, John White

27 Feb Ben Calvin28 Feb Todd Calvin, Brice

Darden29 Feb Lynette Gillis, Wally

Pryor

Laura Gore3014 W Wm Cannon# 1528Austin TX 78745

Marvine SassThe Heritage at Gaines Ranch4409 Gaines Ranch Loop#428Austin TX 78735phone: 512-721-3331

Debbi & Chris Toh1400 LavacaAustin TX 78701

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Joys – Harriet Cavness, back home afterknee replacementSorrows – Morgan Reeves’ grandfather,

Dr. Victor Galloway, passed away January16th —Richard Sprotte, husband of Tommye, passedaway January 11th —Jack Lord, father of Mark Lord,

passed away January 12th —Mal Hunter, husband of Blanche,died December 20th — Fran Miller’s brother, Watson Hall,passed away December 25th — Abby Brady’s father, and Oliviaand Jason’s grandfather, passed away December 24th

Please pray for— Donn Glenn, DonAnne Williford’sfather, hospitalized after a heart attack —Pearl Seiler, Ken’smother, placed in hospice care—Bill VanLandingham, husbandof Wilma, hospitalized after a fall—Steve Gerlach’s mother,Jan, finished radiation treatment and tumors are gone —BarbaraProctor, mother of Caren Zysk, femoral bypass surgery—CarenZysk’s friend Terry, seeking employment—Caren Zysk’s friendDale, returning to the community after prison—Caren Zysk’scoworker Dana, recovering from violent assault—David Toh,father of Debbi Toh, massive brain tumor—Debbi Toh’s friendVal Viers, recovering from breast cancer surgery—Tish Pietsch’sdaughter Brylie, continued healing and positive, permanentoutcome following eye surgery— comfort for the family ofJasmine Leigh Villalpando, age 18, who passed away January13th from complications of Rett Syndrome—Dick Klusmann,recovering from hip surgery—the family of Andy Flax, JessicaWade’s friend who recently passed —Lisa & Alan Teeple’s sister-in-law, Miriam Lockhart, gall bladder removal and surgery totreat breast cancer—Helen Carr, mother of Pat Seyfarth, peacein coping with the unexpected death of her younger sister—BillBrock’s friend, David Allen, leg surgery for melanoma—theManns’ dear friend's daughter, Becky Taylor, recovering wellfrom brain tumor—James Edwards, health issues—MarthaMeador’s nephew, Richard Steele; a tree fell on him—MarthaMeador’s brother, Dick Steele, melanoma—Abby Brady’sstepmother, on the death of her sister January 4th —KarenThompsen’s brother, Jack Robertson, her 17-year-old nieceFiona, and Karen’s sister-in-law, Shauna Morris, after theJanuary 2nd death of Shauna’s father, Frank Morris—JessicaWade’s uncle, John Labowski, cancer now terminal—JeffWayman’s friend Sarah, suffering strokes; Sarah is the motherof young children—the Revs. Doug & Sonja Dalglish, on thedeath of her father—Austin, the city where we’re planted—Pastor Alfred Mtonga, his family, and Manyamula CCAPChurch—Pastor Chimwemwe Mhango and his family—PastorKenneth Muyila and his family—Ronica Ngulube

Please pray for members of the Armed Forces, lovedones, and all world leaders involved in war zone crises

including:David Floto, son of Carl Floto… Robert Beardslee,grandson of Bob & Carolyn Beardslee… Stefan & PatHaag's daughter Felicia Ferguson-Cox… NathanielMiller, son of Fran & Ted Miller… Morales familyneighbor Brian Moran… Jose Fernandez, friend ofGaston & Junie Broyles and graduate of PPAS… MitchGuile, friend of Eddie & Stacey Reynolds... TeddySweredoski, friend of Stan & Jessica Wade... TylerMoser, son of a friend of Dee & Greg Merrell...Temple & Janet Ingram’s daughter Kate Ingram...Christopher Lehmann, son of Mark Lehmann... LarryRoberman, brother of Lori Whitmire... Derek & KristiFisher's nephew, John Fisher...

Rooms are at our William Cannon campus (W)or our Brodie campus (B).

For a complete calendar, including updates to rooms and times,visit calendar.shpc.org

1 Friday Church officer retreat begins

3 Sunday Church officer retreat ends

6 Wednesday6:30 p.m. KidStuf!, W-FMC

7 Thursday10 a.m. Mary-Martha Circle, W-B

9 Saturday9:30 a.m. Yoga begins, W-FMC

10 Sunday12 Annual Congregational Meeting5 p.m. Inquirer’s Class6 p.m. Alpha begins :: FILO Young Adults, W-9

11 Monday7 p.m. true Parent Gathering, W-student center

8 Tuesday1:30 p.m. Book Group, W-97 p.m. Prayer Shawl Ministry

13 Wednesday7:30 p.m. Ash Wednesday worship, W-sanctuary

14 Thursday9:30 a.m. MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers)6:30 p.m. Valentine’s Dinner, W-sanctuary

18 Friday7 p.m. Student Hunger & Justice retreat begins

16 Saturday11:30 a.m. Fellowship Lunch Bunch

17 SundayIHN begins5 p.m. Inquirer’s ClassMARCH NEWSLETTER DEADLINE

18 MondayChurch office closed for Presidents’ Day holiday

19 Tuesday1:30 p.m. Book Group, off-campus

21 Thursday10 a.m. Prayer Shawl Ministry, W-A

22 FridayPlanet Wisdom high school retreat begins

23 Saturday9 a.m. “Piece on Earth”quilt group, W-A&B

17 SundayIHN ends

26 Tuesday11 a.m. Soup to Nuts, W-FMC

28 Thursday9:30 a.m. MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers)Presbyterian Pilgrimage begins

15

Our children’s Christmas program was a wonderful time for everyone. Take alook and share some of the moments that had the folks that were there walking

away with big smiles and a sense of Christmas peace.