Stay Connected at St. Martins
Read This Month's Newsletter
View St. Martin's Photo Gallery on Flickr
Watch Videos at St. Martin's Channel on YouTube
Sign Up For Our Weekly Emails
Sign Up For Our Monthly St. Martin's News
Become A Facebook Fan of St. Martin's
Follow St. Martin's on Twitter
Read Bob Beglau's Stewardship Blog
2010 Newletter Archives
Events at St. Martin's
For a complete list of events at St. Martin's, visit our Calendar
Highlights from the June Church Council Meeting
Read the highlights of the June Church Council Meeting by clicking here.
June to Sept. 5: One Summer Sunday Worship at St. Martin's
The faith community of St. Martin's gathers for one worship on Sundays at 10 am from June through Sept. 5. Our Saturday worship will remain at 5 pm.
** July 25: "Family Reunion" at St. Martin's, An Intergenerational Celebration **
Come to our own "Family Reunion -- Joyfully Celebrating the Generations" on Sunday July 25 after church. We'll have babysitting services for the little ones, Wii games for younger ones, and great social interaction for everyone else. We'll be serving bratwursts, corn on the cob, coleslaw and cookies. We are a strong congregation with great generational diversity and strength, so let's celebrate it! Please call Yolanda Alvarez with your family's reservation for the event at 476-6757 or click here to email your RSVP. Early bird reservations are appreciated!
July 4: An Old Fashioned Fourth of July
The UT Trombone Ensemble will offer the gift of music during our rousing Fourth of July worship service at 10 am. Join us after the service for watermelon slices, fellowship on the Mall and more trombone music outside as we celebrate the start of Independence Day!
July 8-10: Godly Play Core Training at St. Martin's
St. Martin's is pleased to offer Core Training for Godly Play on July 8 to July 10. Core Training is the primary training experience for people becoming Godly Play teachers. It is a spiritual journey, as well as knowledge acquisition. You will have a new understanding in preparing a Godly Play environment, supporting the community of children, telling stories from your heart and a closer understanding of the spirituality of the child. For more information, contact Sharolyn Browning, our Child & Family Minister.
July 9-11: Austin Lyric Opera Performance
Experience the soaring music of the Austin Lyric Opera as the group performs at St. Martin's its newest production, "The Man Who Mistook His Wife For A Hat." Click here to learn more about this production and buy tickets.
July 17- 23: Senior High Mission Trip to San Francisco
St. Martin's Senior High Youth will head off on their annual Summer Trip on July 17 to spend a week doing urban mission work in San Francisco. For more information, contact Erika Rorer, our Youth & Family Minister.
July 24-25: Celtic Music
Join us for our 10 am worship on July 25 with special music from Jeanne Simmons, a classically trained concert flutist who has mastered the art of playing the Irish Penny Whistle as well as many other types of flutes and recorders. Simmons is offering a free workshop at St. Martin's on Saturday, July 24, from 10 to noon in the Sanctuary for instrumentalists who would like to learn to play the Irish Penny Whistle. Although there is no charge, each workshop participant must have his or her own whistle. Contact Thomas Pavlechko, our Cantor & Composer in Residence, to help guide you in obtaining a whistle from a local music shop.
July 25: "Family Reunion" at St. Martin's, An Intergenerational Celebration
Come to our own "Family Reunion -- Joyfully Celebrating the Generations" on Sunday July 25 after church. We'll have babysitting services for the little ones, Wii games for younger ones, and great social interaction for everyone else. We'll be serving bratwursts, corn on the cob, coleslaw and cookies. We are a strong congregation with great generational diversity and strength, so let's celebrate it! Please call Yolanda Alvarez with your family's reservation for the event at 476-6757 or click here to email your RSVP. Early bird reservations are appreciated!
August 8: Join Our Next New Member Class
St. Martin's welcomes you to join our next New Member Class after worship on Sunday, Aug. 8, in the Parlor. New members will be welcomed into the congregation during our worship at 10 am on Aug. 15. To reserve your spot in our class, which includes lunch, contact Yolanda Alvarez or call 476-6757. You may also register online by clicking here.
July Benevolence Focus: School Supplies for Agua Viva
Agua Viva Lutheran Church, located along the Texas/Mexico border in El Cenizo, is St. Martin's sister congregation. For many years, our church has helped assist children at Agua Viva by providing school supplies. Please drop your donations -- notebooks, pens, paper, pencils, glue, crayons and more -- off in the Lobby collection bin at St. Martin's throughout the month of July. We will bring these supplies to Agua Viva in time for the first day of school.
Faithful Living, Joyful Giving: Learn more about St. Martin's Legacy Giving
If you would like to learn more about contributing to the St. Martin's Endowment Fund, please click here to contact Bob Beglau, our director of planned giving and financial development. You may also reach him by phone at (575) 751-7344 or 731-6881.
Updates on summer projects at St. Martin's
There's a variety of projects underway this summer at church -- from new lights in the gym to work on the new playground. Here's what's happening:
* Play Garden Project: Construction on the new play garden started June 21. The forms for the ramp are up, the labyrinth is plotted, and the metal shop drawings are finalized. This project is moving along rapidly!
* Gym Lights: The gym light replacement project is completed! Thank you to everyone who donated and helped put the lights up. The vents were cleaned while the lift was in the gym -- and balls, balloons, Frisbees and more were removed from the various rafters.
* Main Water Line: We are in the precess of replacing our main water line since the break from Memorial Weekend. The parking lot has been trenched and the pipe should be replaced by July 9. Bids are coming in to replace the cement and asphalt. Hopefully everything will be back to normal by the end of July.
* Coffee Carts: A very big thank you to Gus Grosskopf for making three new coffee carts for the building.
* Summer Classroom Maintenance: We are doing lots of work in our classrooms this season, such as painting, replacing old lights, and stripping and waxing floors.
* Sanctuary Theater Lights: Thank you to the Austin Lyric Opera for replacing all of our transept lights in the Sanctuary for free!
* Organizing & Moving: The Sunday School storage room is getting a face lift. All cabinets will be removed, lights replaced, and carpet removed. This room now will be the music storage room. Room 333 (the small rehearsal room) will be organized back into a functional music rehearsal room and also function as the preschool's music room. Room 147 will be organized and converted into additional meeting space.
* Bus Stop Improvements: The city has upgraded the bus stop on Rio Grande to make it bigger and more comfortable for commuters who use public transportation.
* Banner Addition: We'll be adding a third banner panel to our sign on 15th and Rio Grande. The new "Welcome To St. Martin's Ev. Lutheran Church" panel will highlight our altar to give visitors and guests a better idea of the beauty we have in our Sanctuary.
Watch for "Flat Martin"
Children, Martin Luther would like to go on vacation with you -- please! He has never been to Six Flags, Big Bend or Schlitterbahn. "Flat Martin" wants to come with you and see how you spend your time away from church. Join your friends in taking turns taking Flat Martin in your backpack and suitcases on your summer adventures. Take a picture with you and Flat Martin and bring it back for our bulletin board. Contact Sharolyn Browning, Child & Family Minister, for more information.
Thanks for your support of Vacation Bible School
VBS was wonderful this year, and we thank all of the volunteers and participants for making our adventures in Egypt wonderful ones to remember. We're already thinking about next year's VBS program! If you'd like to be involved in next year's event, please contact Sharolyn Browning, our Child & Family Minister.
Do you Like Food -- AND Parties?!?
We are looking for volunteers who have a knack for coordinating fellowship events. If you like to organize parties and coordinate food for events, we'd love to have your help in this important ministry area for the community of St. Martin's. Let us know if you're interested in this ministry opportunity by contacting Pastor June Wilkins.
Join Our New "St. Francis Guild"
We're on the look-out for St. Martin's members to help us plan and organize our upcoming "Blessing of the Animals" event in October. If you have a love of animals and want to be a part of our effort to reach out to the Austin community through this event, please let us know. Contact Chris Baker for more information.
Donate Items For Our Sack Lunch Ministry
Did you know that 40 to 50 people each week come to the church office for one of our pre-made sack lunches? This ministry to the hungry depends upon your donations to our church. We are always in need of: individual juice cans (not boxes), individual Vienna sausage cans, individual pop-top fruit cups, peanut butter sandwich cracker packs, disposable spoons, individual bite-sized Snickers candies, and brown lunch bags. Please consider purchasing these items periodically as you do your regular shopping. You may bring these donations to the church office on Sunday mornings or during business hours Monday through Thursday.
Education At St. Martin's
Join us for these classes on Sundays:
• Foundations, Study of the Gospel of John. Join the Foundations Class at 9:00 am in the Chapel for a new Book of Faith study on the Gospel of John. All are invited to attend!
• Our regular Sunday School classes resume on Sept. 12 after the summer season.
Weekday Parking At St. Martin's
The City of Austin has installed new electronic meters around St. Martin's. As always, if you come to St. Martin's during the traditional workweek, you can park in either of our parking lots for free. Paid street parking is only in affect during normal business hours Monday through Friday. If you are here for an event in the evenings or weekends, the street parking is free. We will have the option of reserving meter parking during normal business hours for funerals or large events to save free street spaces for our members and visitors.
Finance Committee Reports
All members are invited read through our St. Martin's Financial Plan, which is available in a binder located at the front desk of the church office. In this binder, you will find: the current Treasurer's Report, the Finance Committee minutes from 2009-2010, and our Financial Stewardship Plan. All are welcome to review these documents.
Playtime in the Nursery
Babies, toddlers and parents are invited to play in the nursery on the second Thursday and fourth Friday from 10 am to noon. For more information, contact Mindy Lado or Sharolyn Browning, Child & Family Minister.
Chancel Flowers
Do you have a special event in 2010 that you'd like to commemorate with chancel flowers? Contact Nell Hielscher or call 243-0467 for details.
Member Milestones
Births
6/27: Thane Elliot, son of Whitney & bristol Myers.
Mintesinote, son of Celeste & Matt Domsch, is welcomed into the family of St. Martin's
5/16: Finley Scott, son of Scott Brenneman
4/11: Thomas Daniel, son of Cheryl & Danny Flink.
1/9: Charles, son of Abbey & Jason Graf.
Mintesinote, son of Celeste & Matt Domsch, is welcomed into the family of St. Martin's
Baptisms
4/3: Charles Stewart, son of Abbey and Jason Graf.
3/20: Asher August, son of Hope and Peter Bartolotta.
2/14: Isabella and Brenna, daughters of Tori Veloz; Ella Rosemary, daughter of Ruth & Nathan Brown; Hope Raquel, daughter of Alicia & Harry Badeusz.
1/3: Delaney Elizabeth, daughter of Kari & Ned Lavelle; Seth Cormic, son of Scot & Anita Salmon; Benjamin Scott, son of Megan & Jason Boulette; Marlo Grace, daughter of Valerie & Chuck Fischer; Gavin Rylan, son of Casey & Eric Dusza.
Weddings
6/19: Tom Friedrich & Nora Wendt
6/12: Kathy Schmidt & Mark Maughmer
Graduations:
College Graduates
* Amanda Womak, graduate of Texas Tech University and daughter of Wade and Lori Foradory.
* Caleb Crainer, graduate of the Lutheran Seminary Program in the Southwest
* Cheryl Walenta, graduate of Lutheran Seminary Program in the Southwest and daughter of Belinda Walenta.
* Fred Klinker, graduate of the University of North Texas and son of Lloyd and Barb Haskins.
* Ruth Stevens, graduate of Texas Lutheran University and daughter of David Stevens and Peggy Stevens.
* Samuel S. Maxwell, graduate of University of Texas - Cockrell School of Engineering and son of Earl and Anita Maxwell.
High School Graduates
* Amanda Wager, graduate of Texas Tech High School and daughter of Steve Wager and Karen Johnson.
* Charlotte Griesel, graduate of McCallum High School and daughter of Chris & Linda Griesel.
* Collin Daniel McGookey, graduate of McCallum High School and son of Dan & Judy McGookey.
* Elisa Wellnitz, graduate of Cedar Park High School and daughter of Gayle Wellnitz and Rolf Wellnitz.
* Michael Reichert, graduate of Henderson High School and son of Dawn Reichert & Micheal Reichert.
* Ryan Eugene Greer, graduate of Pflugerville Connally High School and son of Roland & Catherine Greer.
* Samantha Kraatz, graduate of Austin High School and daughter of Gary & Darcie Gordon and Clint & Stacy Kraatz.
* Valerie Renee Ortega, graduate of Connally High School and daughter of Anthony & Amy Ortega.
Sympathies
6/15: Robert Mustarde, father of Bonnie Newkirk
5/23: Helen Elmshaeuser, mother of Dale Elmshaeuser
5/4: Josephine Campbell
3/29: Mildred Kuhn
3/24: Ed Maxey
1/17: James Adamson
New Members:
May 2010: Jim Davis, Sandra Davis, Barbara & Bill Elzey, Kristin & Clayton Halbrook, Jill Johnson, Melissa Massey, Chris Mobley, Amy Root, Betty Staehr and David Watts.
Thanks & Praises
To The Members of St. Martin's,
Thank you for all of your prayers for me as I went though my second round of colon cancer these last six months and my recent surgery. All of the prayers were answered because I am cancer free and recovering quickly. I am so blessed to have a dear church family. Thanks!
Karen Jaster