Heart of Texas Association

Thank you Association Members who attended online and in person at the Spring Association Meeting! What a joy to be together!

A special thank you to Rev. Arlene Turner and the congregation of Bethany Gardens UCC (formally Bethany Congregational) for hosting and the Samoan Congregational Church for feeding us!

These are not official meeting minutes, but a quick recap voting decisions made at our Spring Annual Meeting. Agenda with links to reports and more information can be found here. Or you can watch here.

1. Voted to approve Fall Association Meeting minutes

2. Voted to release Redeemer United as a UCC-affiliated church per their request.

3. Voted on Nominating Slate (*new)

Executive Committee

Moderator: Pastor Carl Schwartz-King (2023)

Vice Moderator: Jim Murphy (2023)*^ filling one-year term

Secretary: Rev. Jacqueline Lamensky (2024)^ moving from Vice Moderator to Secretary

Treasurer: Joe Ward (2024)

Committee on Ministry

Anne Wehrly (2023)

Carol Barrett (2025)*

Rev. Dr. C.J. Wood (2023)

Rev. Charles Stark (2024)

Rev. Dr. Dan De Leon (2025)*

Rev. Darrin Holub (2024)

Rev. Gerry Metzger (2025)*

Dr. Maggie Gartner (2025)^ 2nd 3-year term

Michele Dupy (2024)

Another Special thank you to those who are rolling off of their election positions.

Rev. Arlene Tuner - Secretary

Rev. Dave Philips - Committee on Ministry

Rev. Sid Hall - Committee on Ministry

Cynthia Miller - Committee on Minister (see what Cindy is up to next)

Be sure and mark your calendars now for upcoming Executive Committee Meetings and the Fall and Spring Association Meeting Dates!

Executive Meetings (Zoom in the evening)

August 2, 2022

November 1, 2022

January 3, 2023

March 7, 2021

2022 Fall Association Meeting: November 12, 2022 place TBD

2023 Spring Association Meeting: March 25, 2023 place TBD

It is with our deepest sympathy that we announce the passing on Carlson Jakubik on Friday, April 22, 2022. Please keep George, Patrick, and Jeffrey in your prayers.

Pastor Carlson was the first Licensed Minister of the then Brazos Association serving Slumber Falls as a steward of the camp then churches in Uhland and Lockhart, and finally serving at Eden Hills in New Braunfels. We are thankful for the years of ministry that Carlson gave to our Association. Rest in Peace, brother!

You can find Pastor Carlson's obituary here.

At the Association Spring meeting, Association members voted to affirm the request from Redeemer United Church, to disassociate from the United Church of Christ. We are sad to see this congregation leave the UCC and we offer them praise, thanks and gratitude for all the ways in which they supported the Association, Conference and National Church of the UCC. Redeemer was one of the most faithful financial supporters of the Association.

A brief history and remembrances from several pastors who served at Redeemer follow as a way of marking Redeemer's time as a UCC church. I hope you take time to read through some of these reflections, remembering that members of our Association are mourning the departure of Redeemer from the United Church of Christ, and from our Association.

Brief History

Redeemer lies in the unincorporated area of Zuehl (“zeel”), which was once known as "Perryman's Crossing.” The crossing served as an early road between the cities of Gonzales and San Antonio. Wilhem Zuehl bought the land in 1870 and two years later opened a store, from which the community took its name.

Zuehl, like most Germans who migrated to this area in the 1800s, was Lutheran. In November 1851, the First Evangelical Lutheran Synod of Texas was formed promoting growth of the Evangelical Church. On March 14, 1900, fourteen familievaeters "fathers of families" in Zuehl gathered to plan the building of Redeemer Evangelical Church. Seven months later, on October 14, 1900, their held their first worship service.

In 1934, the Evangelical Church merged with the Reformed church and Redeemer changed it’s name to Redeemer E&R. Then in 1957, the Congregational/Christian Church merged with the E&R, forming the United Church of Christ. Redeemer then became Redeemer United Church of Christ. Many of the extended families of the original founders continue to worship at Redeemer.

Remembrances

Rev. Lee Zillman

Rev. Gerry Metzger

Rev. Frank Dietz

Rev. Mark Miller

Rev. Peter Bauer

We give much praise for Redeemer and for the many clergy who serviced them over the past 122 years! We may no longer be a part of the same denomination, but we are still sister congregations. We have relationships, ties, and histories that forever bind us.

Recently the Committee on Ministry completed renewing licenses for our Licensed Ministers.

Congratulations to Pastor Rene Slataper (Hope United Georgetown), Pastor Carl Schwartz-King (United Christian Church Austin), Pastor Eric Dehmer (Friedens UCC Washington), and Pastor Charlotte Albert (St. Peter's UCC Coupland) who have had their licensed renewed for 2022.

Several individuals have chosen not to have their licensed renewed for various reasons. We want to take a moment to our licensed ministers who have served the Association over the past few years.

Cynthia Miller (St. John's UCC Burton) Look at all the great stuff Cindy has done!

David Greer (St. John's UCC Burton)

Risa La Fountain (St. John's UCC Burton, Faith UCC Bryan, Friedens UCC Washington)

Janet Sherman Monroe (Faith UCC New Braunfels)

Carlson Jakubik (Faith UCC New Braunfels and Eden Hill)

Thank you Cynthia, David, Risa, Janet, and Carlson

for the ways in which you served your local congregations

and their surrounding communities.

You can share by

1. Forwarding this newsletter
2. Adding May newsletter's direct link (www.smore.com/1er9b) to your newsletter.
3. Adding link to Heart of Texas News (www.hotaucc.org/news/news.html) to your newsletter

Member can follow by opening newsletter in web browser and selecting "follow" button on the right side of the newsletter.

It's not too late to register for the South Central Conference Annual Meeting May 27th - May 29th at Camp Allen. This a bring your family event with activities planned for children, youth, and adults.

Churches if you haven't already, please pass along to your Association delegates!

Register here.

Special thanks to the Planning Committee Members: Rev. Arlene Turner, Ann Wehrly, Carl Brown, Pastor Carl Schwartz-King, Rev. Charles Stark, Rev. Dr. CJ Wood, Rev. Crystal Silva-McCormick, Debra Joseph, Doris Machinski, Rev. Jenny Russell, Rev. Jeremy Albers, Joe Ward, Rev. Kerry Kirtley, Rev. Lynette Ross, Rev. Nikki Stahl, Rev. Phil Hodson, Stacey Silvey, and Rev. Trent Williams.

Due to a Clergy Clinic continuing education class through the Lombard Mennonite Peace Center, Rev. Nikki needs to move our clergy gathering one week. On May 10th at 9:30 am, we will be looking at our 3rd Marks of Ministry: Nurturing UCC Identity.

Ethics is important in any organization but especially the church. Do you know that UCC clergy promise to abide by the UCC Code of Ethics when they are ordained? Do you know what is on the clergy code of ethics? Come gather with us on on May 4th at 7 pm as we look together at the Code of Ethics so you can be better prepared as Church Leaders to be aware of the ethical standards pastors with standing in the UCC are held to.

The Planning committee will be meeting May 5, 12 & 19 from 12 - 1. Anyone is welcome to attend and see if there are ways in which you can pinch in and help. Rev. Nikki Stahl is pretty good at keeping us to an hour and we can share previous notes.

In case you missed Pastor Rene Slataper, interim minister at Hope United and member in discernment from Congregational Church of Austin, as part of April 7th Thursday's For the Soul program entitled "Make Visible."

On behalf of North Texas Journey, Rev. Nikki Stahl and Cathy Hansen (Friends Congregational Church Church - College Station) would like to extend a warm invitation for all Heart of Association members to join us on Journey #17 taking place Thursday, September 29th - Sunday, October 2nd.

The Journey actually started in the Brazos Association (prior to Brazos & South Texas Association merger to Heart of Texas Association), before moving to North Texas. Every Journey since then has included pilgrims and/or team leads from our Association. This year Cathy will be serving as Lay Leader and Nikki will be serving as Spiritual Leader. The hope is to have a good participation from the Heart of Texas Association.

What is the Journey?

The Journey is a three-day spiritual renewal experience based on the Cursillo tradition. The Journey is intended to strength the local church through the development of Christian disciples and leaders. It is designed for active church members and leaders who want to rekindle their faith or renew their vision!

You can find out more information here or contact Cathy and/or Nikki!

Wednesday, May 4

• 10:00 am OWL: Addressing Anti-LGBTQ+ Initiatives UCC.org

Thursday, May 5

• 2:30 pm Thursday for the Soul: Love Your Neighbor: Get Them Internet UCC.org

Wednesday, May 11

• 12:00 pm Climate Migration: Responding with Faith, Care, and Equity UCC.org

Thursday, May 12

• 2:30 pm Thursdays for the Soul: Celebrating Pacific Islander & Asian American History Month UCC.org

Sunday, May 15

• Mental Health Sunday Resources

Monday, May 16

• 12:00 pm Movie Night on the International Day of Living Together in Peace INFO

Wednesday, May 18

• 10:00 am Resisting Apartheid: Promoting Justice and Planting Olive Trees UCC.org

Thursday, May 19

• 2:30 pm Thursdays for the Soul Topic UCC.org

Wednesday, May 25

• 6:30 pm Matching Gift Challenges UCC.org

Thursday, May 26

• 2:30 pm Thursdays for the Soul Topic UCC.org

Friday, May 27 - Sunday 29

• SCC Annual Meeting INFO

It is our tradition to collect Hygiene Kits for Back Bay Mission at each year's annual meeting. Kits will be collected at a designated location during annual meeting and distributed appropriately thereafter. Click below to download flyer with additional information.

The Heart of Texas Annual Meeting Planning Committee has made the decision to collect hygiene kits for Back Bay Mission this year at the Conference Annual Meeting, but we didn't want to lose our tradition of the Conference collecting School Kits for Church World Services (CWS). We know how much this mission means to so many of our members. So, the Heart of Texas Association would like to challenge North Texas, Houston, and New Orleans Association in a "School Kit Challenge" and see who can put together the most school kits by our Fall Association Meetings.

A link to the CWS School Kit can be found here.

If assembling "one kit" = kit + $2

If collecting money, "one kit" = $17

1. Several churches in the Austin-area are looking for qualified accompanists and/or Director of Music. Churches, please ask your professionals if they have musical friends that may be interested. Contact Rev. Nikki Stahl for more information.

2. Anyone in need of small organ for their worship space? Contact Rev. Nikki Stahl if interested.

3. Slumber Falls is always looking for summer volunteers. Contact Rev. Jeremy Albers.

Email: revnikkistahl@gmail.com
Website: http://www.hotaucc.org/
Location: Heart of Texas
Phone: (512) 751-3557
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HOTA.UCC