October 16, 2025

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Advent Prep

Sponsored by the Spiritual Life Committee

     In preparation for the start of Advent (November 30), Saint Joan’s Spiritual Life Committee is organizing short presentations using the Arts, literature, and writings to help us practice using our more spiritual skills.

     This Sunday Fr. Terry will lead the first of two sessions on the art of Praying with Icons. We will briefly establish some basic principles, followed next week by looking closely at some of the oldest icons in existence.

2026 Stewardship: Just Two Weeks Left!

“All things come of Thee O Lord, and of Thine own have we given Thee.

     Facing indecision about how much to pledge toward Saint Joan’s mission for 2026? You are not alone. For all of us, it’s natural to hesitate when the future can seem so uncertain. However, the amount is not important. What is important is that you vote to sustain Saint Joan’s mission by committing to a pledge, even if it’s only $5 a month. If, in 2026, your circumstances change, you can always decrease or increase the amount.

     We are all called to give out of the abundance of God’s blessings and to trust God with our future. So, Saint Joan’s is stepping out in faith that God will provide through your support. BUT we have a long way to go. Last year we received 21 pledges. So far this year, only six. 

Your pledge combined with other contributions of time, talent, and treasure can make a significant impact! 

Online Bible Study?

     Can't always make it to church on Sundays or simply looking for more study opportunities? Maybe the fellowship of an online, one-hour Bible study, one night a week, might be just what you're looking for. If interested, contact Paula at p_haenchen@icloud.com.

October 3, 2025

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Time, Talent, and Treasure

     Last Sunday, our Stewardship co-leaders, Jane and Jerry Jensen, introduced our 2026 Pledge Sheets: Putting words into action! God’s call to Saint Joan’s, revealed in our new mission statement, is a call to action for the members of our church – each of us pledging, as we are able from our time, talents, and money. 

     The deadline for returning your Pledge Sheet is Sunday, November 2. Pledge forms are available on our information table, but will also be emailed to members. You can either 1) place an envelope containing your pledge in the offering plate, 2) send by mail to c/o Elena Carson, St. Joan’s Book Keeper, 4807 Misty Brook Cove Austin, TX  78727, or 3) scan and email to saintjoansbooks@gmail.com. Your pledge is confidential and no one will see it except the bookkeeper.

     For any questions, please reach out to Jane or Jerry. Individually, we are not called to do everything, but we are each called to contribute something to support Saint Joan’s 2026 mission.

Discipleship

     Our mission statement describes Saint Joan’s as Christ-centered. After church this Sunday, we will begin offering brief discussions and/or activities to strengthen our focus on Christ and our spiritual journey as disciples. 

     This Sunday, Paula Haenchen will be facilitating a discussion/reflection around Matthew 7:14. That scripture says “narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.” What could be the implications of this passage for baptized Christians?

September 26th, 2025

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Caring for Others

     When you see so many news stories about marginalized communities of people who are not being treated with dignity and respect, do you ever ask yourself, “what can I do? I’m only one person.”

 Come this Sunday and listen to Raul Longoria tell you about a group of people who are trying to make a difference – fighting for fair wages, safe job sites, and respect for all working people by advocating for immigrant and labor rights through the Workers Defense Project.

Stewardship Drive Update 

     For the Episcopal Church, the fall seasons means it’s time for the Annual Stewardship Drive. Why in the fall? Because the Bishop’s Committee is working on a budget for 2026 and it needs to be able to anticipate how much money it will have coming in on a consistent basis. 

     It doesn’t matter how much you pledge. If you can only afford a dollar a month, that is okay. When you receive your pledge card, prayerfully complete it and submit it.

 Volunteering Your Time!!!

     The Community Engagement Committee is working hard to raise our visibility in Pflugerville, but they need your help. 

     As you can see in the Upcoming Activities section, we have a lot of events we're participating in this Fall. We need some folks to donate some of their time with hosting a shift at our booth or with set up or take down? For more details, email Ro.

September 18th, 2025

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Time, Talent, and Treasure

     The three T's are an old Anglican expression that signifies how we can express our thanks to God. For many of us, time is almost more precious than our 'treasure.' 

In Matthew 3:16, we read: "God gave his only-begotten son that we might have life and have it abundantly . . ."  What are we willing and able to give in return?

Living the Christian Life

As Christians, we are called, not only to be believers in Christ, but also to be Christ-followers! We are not called to convert anyone, but rather to share the Good News by telling others about how God has worked in our lives. Ro shares their story here.

     “This Fall, I’ve been reflecting on how to show more gratitude in my daily life. In just a few years of being part of Saint Joan’s, I’ve received so many blessings. Coming from a rough upbringing, it took time for me to learn how to accept those blessings—especially when they came through spiritual and personal growth.

      At first, I thought I would remain just an observer here. It was a role I knew well and one that felt safe. I valued the quiet, intellectual enlightenment I found in simply attending. But over time, something began to shift. I was given opportunities to grow, to step closer to the life I feel called to live.

     I know it’s a daunting, lifelong process. Yet as I learn to be grateful, I find myself becoming just a little braver each time. I encourage you, too, to stay curious and to give back in your own way. Your future self will thank you many times over.

     Love,  Ro”

If you would like to share your story of God working in your life, contact Paula.

Holy Eucharist

     Many times you will hear our Sunday service referred to as Holy Communion or the Mass; however, the Book of Common Prayer calls it Holy Eucharist. Eucharist means 'thanksgiving' or 'thankfulness.' This term better reflects a covenantal balance  between emphasizing Christ's sacrifice for us and our grateful response of praise and thanksgiving. Woven through the liturgy you will find references like,

     "And we offer our sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving to you, O Lord of all; presenting to you, from your creation, this

bread and this wine."

     "We celebrate the memorial of our redemption, O Father, in this sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving. Recalling his death, resurrection, and ascension, we offer you these gifts."

     "We offer unto thy fatherly goodness ourselves, our souls and bodies which thou hast delivered, to be a living sacrifice unto thee."

     During the Eucharist, we express thankfulness for all that God has given us by giving back from all that God has given us, through our prayers, our gathering together, our actions, and in our sacrificial giving.

DONUTS HAVE RETURNED!!!

This Sunday we will again have refreshments during 'coffee' hour. And we will also return to having meaningful discussions after the service. Please, plan on staying for a few minutes to eat, drink, and spend time together.

September 12, 2025

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Bishop's Committee Changes!

The departures of Cheryl Thompson and Marisol Acosta this summer created a vacancy not only on the Bishop's Committee (BC) but also in the position of Junior Warden. When vacancies occur outside of the normal election time, the Bishop's Committee (BC) appoints someone to fill the vacancy until the next regular election.

At its August meeting, the BC voted to appoint Cosette Langlinais to fill the vacant seat. Senior Warden, Dale Curry, has also selected Ro H. to serve as our new Junior Warden.

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Finance Committee Begins Work on Budget for 2026

     The basic responsibilities for any Bishop's Committee (BC) are (1) to help define the mission of the congregation; (2) to support the church's mission by word and deed, (3) to ensure effective organization and planning, and (4) to manage resources and finances.
     This summer our BC introduced our new mission statement (bottom left-hand corner of this newsletter). It also formed four other committees (Community Engagement/Finance/Spiritual Life/Communication), which will help plan and organize activities to support this mission. 
     For Saint Joan's to live into its mission, we are called to be good stewards of our resources and finances. We must monitor our expenses and income in a way that lets us achieve our goals and honor our financial responsibilities. To do this we create an annual budget, which forecasts both our expenses and income. For our 2026 budget, the Finance Committee will be looking at our goals and previous expenses, but it can only anticipate potential income by looking at the amount money pledged by our members. The size of the pledge doesn't matter. It could be $1 a month. What matters is that the Finance Committee can look at all the money pledged for the next year and confidently estimate our future income.

     In a couple of weeks, Jane and Jerry Jensen will be co-leading our Annual Stewardship Drive. Pledges made now will become part of the budget planning process for next year. Since pledging is a private decision, plain envelopes will be available for submitting your pledge form. These envelopes containing everyone's pledges will then be offered to God during the Sunday service on November 2, also known as Ingathering Sunday.

     Please note that if you made a pledge last year for 2025, then you should have recently received a statement regarding your current pledge status. If your pledge needs to be updated, contact our bookkeeper, Lena, at saintjoansbooks@gmail.com.