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In Touch with UPC
VISIT OUR WEPAGE LOG ONTO REALM
WORSHIP AND MINISTRY
PASTOR'S NOTE
I wish you a blessed 2022!
It seems we need each other’s graciousness even more so this year,
or at least I do. Last Sunday, it was difficult for me not to attend
worship, and yet, with my symptoms, it was the right and responsible
thing to do amid a global pandemic. However, my Calvinistic work
ethic leaves me in agony that I am not living up to my responsibilities.
The mantras of my childhood loop, “If you are not contagious, go to
school/work,” “If it doesn’t kill you, it only makes you stronger,” “Pull
yourself together,” “To miss school/work, you need a doctors’ note.”
Let’s face it, sometimes the most significant challenge we face is
breaking down the ways we used to think.
Now, more than ever, as the San Antonio COVID risk level is back to
SEVERE, we need to do the right and responsible thing for community wellbeing. As we continue to worship in-
person let us not be driven by the ways we used to think, as they have become stumbling blocks. Instead,
consider worshipping virtually if you or someone in your family is vulnerable. If you attend worship in person, do
not get anxious if you do not see the sanctuary packed. Instead, let us redirect our energy in becoming more
mindful of our siblings who connect with us virtually through technology and the power of the Holy Spirit. Join the
zoom coffee hour after worship, connect with others, and share in joys and concerns if you worship from home.
Two years ago, in 2020, we could plan worship on Monday and finalize a bulletin printed on Friday. Two months
later that same year, on March 22, things changed. We started making final changes to the order of worship on a
Sunday morning as one or more of our participants, including our technicians and musicians, did the right and
responsible thing by staying home because of COVID-like symptoms. As a leadership team, we are sometimes
hard-pressed to make these changes prior to worship, but we do so joyfully because we are each other’s
keepers. To make these changes digitally is one thing, but to reprint a bulletin is a different story. Thank you for
your flexibility and the grace you have shown as we embrace the present moment with forbearance.
As we begin a new year facing some of the same challenges, I want to remind you (and myself!) of my message
to you when in-person worship resumed on July 11, 2021:
“In the months to come, we will have countless opportunities to exercise the spiritual gifts of patience, kindness,
gentleness, and self-control as we adjust to new protocols and practices. There will undoubtedly be awkward
moments, and we will make mistakes along the way, and we will learn from them. There will be times of
frustration, disappointment, and grief, but there will also be wonderful surprises, great celebrations, and moments
of deep satisfaction.” If I could change one thing in this paragraph, I would say, “In the future, that is ours,”
instead of “In the months to come.”
As we begin this new year, let us rekindle the spiritual gifts of patience, kindness, gentleness, and self-control.
Blessings on the New Year! I will see you worship on Sunday as I tested negative this week for both Covid and
the flu.
Mooi Loop,
Dries
PS: As a community of faith, we encourage everyone ages 5 years and older to get vaccinated, to get the
booster shots at 5 months after the completion of the primary series for those aged 12 and older, to mask, and to
sanitize. We also join our global community as we stand in solidarity for vaccine equity.
WORSHIP INFORMATION - JANUARY 2, 2022
8:00am Outdoor Service
Dries will lead a meditative worship out on the front lawn. Bring a blanket or chair and join us.
10:00AM HYBRID SERVICE
Join us for hybrid worship service. Gather in-person in the sanctuary or continue to watch the service online.
Masks and social distancing are required in the sanctuary. Worship Leaders are Dries Coetzee and Dhawn
Martin. Musicians include Katrina Cantu, James Dickens, Andrew Kimberly, Mary Lowder, Keith Martinez, and
Maggie Sorrell.
ANNUAL CONGREGATIONAL MEETING
The Annual Congregational Meeting of University Presbyterian Church is called for Sunday, Feb. 6, 2022. The
purposes of this meeting are to receive the committee reports, to review the annual budget, to elect officers, and
to vote on the Pastor’s Terms of Call.
COMMUNITY NEWS AND HAPPENINGS
HABITAT FOR HUMANITY
Build / Lunch / Donate Opportunity
It's time for another Habitat Home! Our cluster of Presbyterian churches has raised nearly the full $60,000 to
cover a family's new home, and construction is upon us.
We need people to build (tools provided!), every Saturday from Feb. 2 through April 9. Lunch will be on-site as
one of many COVID prevention measures. Click here to sign up and to read the full details. The build site is
13801 Watson Rd, 78073. Don't forget your mask and water bottle! You can also provide lunch for 30 one
Saturday [contact Joseph Luedecke or Leslie Ellison to sign up], or donate to our ongoing Habitat efforts. Mark
checks and online donations with “Presbyterian Cluster Habitat.”
Join us, and help #BuildforBetter!
WOMEN'S BOOK GROUP
The UPC Women's Book Club will gather on Monday, January 24, at 7:00pm, via Zoom. We will review His Truth
Is Marching On: John Lewis and the Power of Hope, by Jon Meacham. Janifer Meldrum will lead the discussion.
All are welcome to join, even if you haven't read the book. Zoom meeting information will be sent out the day of
or the day before the gathering. Contact the church office to be added to the mailing list.
Here is a review from GoodReads:
An intimate and inspiring portrait of civil rights icon and longtime U.S. congressman John Lewis, linking his life to
the quest for justice in America from the 1950s to the present--from the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Soul
of America
John Lewis, who at age twenty-five marched in Selma, Alabama, and was beaten on the Edmund Pettus Bridge,
is a visionary and a man of faith. Drawing on decades of wide-ranging interviews with Lewis and deep research
into the history of the civil rights movement, Jon Meacham writes of how this great-grandson of a slave and a son
of an Alabama tenant farmer was inspired by the Bible and his teachers in nonviolence, Reverend James
Lawson and Martin Luther King, Jr., to put his life on the line in the service of what Abraham Lincoln called "the
better angels of our nature." A believer in hope above all else, Lewis learned from a young age that nonviolence
was not only a tactic but a philosophy, a biblical imperative, and a transforming reality. At the age of four, Lewis,
ambitious to become a minister, practiced by preaching to his family's chickens. When his mother cooked one of
the chickens, the boy refused to eat it--his first act, he wryly recalled, of nonviolent protest. Integral to Lewis's
commitment to bettering the nation was his faith in humanity and in God--and an unshakable belief in the power
of hope.
Meacham calls Lewis "as important to the founding of a modern and multiethnic twentieth- and twenty-first-
century America as Thomas Jefferson and James Madison and Samuel Adams were to the initial creation of the
nation-state in the eighteenth century. He did what he did--risking limb and life to bear witness for the powerless
in the face of the powerful--not in spite of America, but because of America, and not in spite of religion, but
because of religion." In many ways Lewis made his vision a reality, and his example offers Americans today a
map for social and political change.
PRAYER FLAGS
UPC prayer flaggers have been joined by Celebration Circle members and other local church groups to make
flags for the burnt out health care workers at our local health facilities. Contact Mary Lance to join this valuable
ministry and to find out when the next scheduled flag day will be.
PRAYER SHAWL MINISTRY
What's your WOTY?
The dawn of a new year traditionally prompts resolutions about future behaviors. One Knitting Blog I habitually
frequent suggests that instead of focusing on big actions, we should consider ONE WORD. This will be our
WOTY or Word of the Year. I asked the team of knitters why they knit - what leads them to spend hundreds of
hours each year creating large fuzzy items which they then GIVE away. Three responded and I think their
reasons imply empowering WOTYs.
1. "In an after church conversation this morning with another member, he mentioned “head, heart,
and hands”. He said “God gave us these things and we are meant to use them.” I thought and
told him “that’s it. That’s why I knit the prayer shawls.” God speaks to me when I'm using his
gifts - my heart, my head, and my hands. Knitting combines the three - knits them together so to
speak and I am blessed." Her WOTY is service.
2. "Knitting together with my friends in the shawl ministry is a delight for me. Whether we gather in
person or on zoom, I get a chance to chat with like-minded folks who give me new ideas and
patterns, and we share our love with people who need the warmth and comfort of a hand-made
shawl. Knitting soothes and comforts me while it helps others." Her WOTY is comfort.
3. "I have learned a few things about the idea of love that make it easy to give away these pieces.
First is that love is more about the giver than the receiver. Whether a person is known or worthy
is not the right question. The right question is do I care enough to give of myself? Any gift or skill
that I have is much less effective and even useless bottled up in me. The second is that love is
not best expressed in giant actions, but in small, aggregate steps. Each single knit stitch added
to every other stitch is what moves the work. Sharing the compilation of all of those stitches is
just the final, inevitable step." Her WOTY is love.
Service, comfort and love - that pretty much says it all. If you would like to be part of this caring ministry, or to
request a shawl, contact Caryl Gaubatz.
OPPORTUNITIES TO CONNECT
Join us for a host of different opportunities to connect with the UPC community. Visit our website calendar for the
most up-to-date information.
FORUM ART EXHIBIT
Remembering the Artistry of Delores Capstraw, 1926-2020
An exhibit of paintings by Delores Capstraw, who painted under the name Delores O’Neill Meldrum, continues to
be shown in the CE Building. Delores always said, “Art wants to be seen” and here is a last opportunity for you
not only to see her art but to “purchase” it. All paintings will be available for you to take in exchange for a
donation to University Presbyterian Church. There is no specified price for any painting; the amount of your
donation will be confidential. To allow as many paintings as possible to be displayed there will not be a theme,
nor will the paintings be grouped. Most are original watercolors or oils, or prints of her originals and many are
framed.
SESSION AND COMMITTEE INFORMATION
SESSION MEETING HIGHLIGHTS - DECEMBER 2021
1. The Session accepted, with regret, the resignation of Betsy Pasley as Co-Clerk of Session, a position she has
held for the past six years. Betsy is completing a book about the history of women's intercollegiate sports at
Trinity, scheduled to be published next October by Trinity University Press. She will also continue to oversee
UPC's oral history project, which has been on hiatus but she hopes to resurrect in 2022. We expressed our
appreciation of her years of service to the congregation and wished her well in her literary endeavors.
2. The SoL Center will partner with DreamWeek San Antonio 2022 which will focus on the theme "Our Future"
with reflection on a decade of dreams we aspire to live every day, and the determination to use our collective
resources as an investment of our community's future. The goal of the summit is to advance the voice of civil and
civic engagement with a focus on tolerance, equality and diversity for a prosperous and peaceful tomorrow.
3. Much of our December 15 meeting was spent discussing the difference between the 2022 pledges received
and the Budget we are aspiring to approve. While striving to live into the kind of church Jesus calls us to be and
maintaining fiscal responsibility, we feel the ramifications of the pandemic with rising prices and a 5.9% cost-of-
living adjustment set for 2022. Every financial contribution counts and we appreciate the pledges that have been
received to date. If you have not pledged, please consider a year-end commitment to UPC.
ADULT STUDIES OPPORTUNITY
Ready for a Mediterranean Tour?
Join scholars Marcus Borg and John Dominic Crossan on a journey to the places the
apostle Paul visited in the first century. We depart on January 9 at 8:45am from
Room 2 in the CE building. For 12 Sundays, we will get fresh insights into Paul’s
message of the Kingdom of God, its challenge to Roman imperial theology, and the
apostle’s radical relevance for today. Our vehicle is the DVD series Eclipsing Empire: Paul, Rome, and the
Kingdom of God and our local guide is Melissa Kirkpatrick. Travel along with us at no cost to you!
STEWARDSHIP CAMPAIGN
As of January 7, 2022, 98 families have pledged a total of $504,750 towards our $553,888 goal for 2022. We still
need your financial help to be able to support the staff and enable the committees to minister to the congregation
and the community at large.
Regardless of membership status, all are invited to support University Presbyterian Church. Click here to pledge
online. Please help the UPC family continue moving towards our promise of Renewal.
CHILDREN, YOUTH & YOUNG ADULT MINISTRY
CHRISTIAN EDUCATION FOR ALL
At UPC, we feel the terms “spiritual formation,” “Christian education,” and “faith formation” are holistically the
same, since they all help grow and shape our intellect, habits, and desires into the likeness of the Body of
Christ. UPC believes a lifelong spiritual journey begins with the teaching of children through dynamic, interactive
approaches. Children are introduced to God as love through safe nurturing relationships with caregivers and
teachers. The focus of Youth Ministry at UPC is to create an affirming and accepting environment where youth
can be their authentic selves and grow in relationship with God and each other. Continuing that connection to
God, church and community takes place with the College and Young Adult Ministry.
Sunday Morning Childcare
Childcare for infants-4 years old will be held in the Community Room and available from 7:45am-11:15am.
Contact Erika Stiner with questions.
Children's Sunday School
Sunday School for children Kinder-5th grade will be in the Gathering Space from 8:45am-9:30am. We read
picture books and do activities that touch on themes from Matthew 25 exploring and wondering about how we
can care for those around us. Contact Erika Stiner with questions.
Youth Ministries
Youth Group members can gather at 8:30am in the youth room for conversation before to doing service work for
the church prior to worship. The youth group will meet most Sunday evenings from 6:00pm-7:30pm. Contact
Hannah Cooley with questions.
College and Young Adult Fellowship
The College and Young Adult Group’s virtual fellowship happens on most weeks on Google Hangouts. If you are
interested in participating in the group, please contact Dries Coetzee.
UNIVERSITY PRESBYTERIAN CHILDREN'S CENTER
REGISTRATION
The Children's Center is currently registering families for the 2022-2023 School Year and 2022 Summer
Sessions. If you are interested in learning more about UPCC and/or want to receive registration forms, please
contact Cindi Catlin-Gaskins.
DECEMBER CHILL DAYS
It has been a long year for the UPCC staff working under more stressful conditions with higher than usual
challenging behaviors in children, which are in response to the stress that children and families are experiencing
from the changes and uncertainties from the pandemic. Gayle Anderson and Jack Ayres from the UPCC board
“treated” the school and church staff with “December Chill” - a room filled with relaxing items and treats. All of the
staff immensely enjoyed this comfortable space to relax and recharge during the short morning breaks and lunch
breaks for three days before the Christmas break.
THE SOURCE OF LIGHT CENTER
NOTE FROM THE DIRECTOR
We are excited to present this opening slate of classes and discussions.
Due to the rise in COVID cases, SoL is moving its January and February classes to
zoom. We will re-evaluate in February to determine whether classes will meet in
person or via zoom. We deeply appreciate your patience and support as we navigate
these changing circumstances. All decisions made will be communicated through email and our webpage.
Again, we deeply appreciate your understanding and look forward to meaningful conversations this Spring.
BEGINNING SPRING 2022 OFFERINGS
DreamWeek Event: The Future of Faith
Schedule: Sunday, Jan. 23; 2:30-4 p.m.
Tuition: Free, Register by Jan. 17
In this Zoom event, participants will explore current and future expressions of faith in action; conversation leaders
include Ron Nirenberg, Mayor of San, Antonio, Rev. Adam Russell Taylor, President of Sojourners, and a
representative from the Center for Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships, U.S. Department of Health and
Human Services. Survey headlines from local or global events and it is clear, religious identity and faith practices
shape the lives, societies, loves, and political practices of millions of humans. Exploration of our common future,
one lived in peace and justice, is incomplete without looking at the multi-religious landscapes of our world. Join
us as we discuss The Future of Faith. Click here to register.
The Many Mysterious Childhoods of Jesus of Nazareth with Brian LePort, Ph.D.
Schedule: Three Tuesdays, Feb. 8, 15, and 22; 7-8:30 p.m.
Tuition: $25 before Feb. 1, $30 after (scholarships available)
While the Christian New Testament says very little about the childhood of Jesus of Nazareth, this has not
prevented people from imagining what sort of child he may have been. We will explore extra-canonical texts to
discover the stories that shaped early Christian communities concerning the childhood of this particular
Nazarene. Dr. Brian LePort is a Religious Studies Instructor at TMI Episcopal, San Antonio, TX. He earned a
Ph.D. from the University of Bristol. He has published and edited works on early Christianity and the Christian
New Testament, the most recent being an edited volume titled Visions and Violence in the Pseudepigrapha (T&T
Clark) due out later this year. In 2022, he will begin serving a three year term as a member of the Educational
Resources and Review Committee of the Society of Biblical Literature which “addresses the need for accurate,
academically-sound classroom resources on sacred texts for secondary schools, as well as resources that
inform and educate the general public.” Click here to register.
CONGREGATIONAL UPDATES
CONGREGATIONAL NEWS
Partnership of Prayer
Over 160 people are currently united in praying for others as needs arise. If you would like to participate or if you
have a prayer request, please contact the church office or contact Kate Wilson.Baby Blessings
Silis Otto McGovern was born 12/11/21 (6 lbs. 15 oz.)
to parents, Chelsea and Tim,
and big brothers, Conlan and Finnegan.
Welcome to the world, little one!
STAFF VACATION DAYS / STUDY DAYS / FACILITIES CLOSURES
Church Office Closed, 01/03/22
Children's Center Workday, 01/03/22
Cindi Catlin Gaskins, 01/05/22-01/08/22
Anastasia Bernal, 01/06/22-01/07/22
All Facilities Closed, 01/17/22
Hannah Cooley, 01/20/22-01/22/22
JANUARY CELEBRATIONS
Birthdays
1-Yomira Rodriguez
2-Arlene Aguilar
3-David Williams
5-Abel Garcia
6-Miriam Ellison
6-Bryan Grubbs
6-Howard Hovde
7-Cynthia Lyle
8-Betty Fritz
9-Dave Gaskins
10-Margaret Cathey
11-Bob Harris
11-Frank Seaman
13-Paula Henderson
15-Francisco Mar
16-Lois Heger
18-Marlo Anderson
18-Victoria Beaver
18-Lorna Shinkle
20-Dries Coetzee
20-Miriam Martinez
22-Patty Nicholson
22-Andrew Wilson
25-Andrea Anthony
26-Emlyn Harris
30-Marian Higgins
31-Audrey Nicholson
Anniversaries
1-Molly Roth and Alfredo Villareal
8-Bonnie and Bill Simons
15-Carolyn and Don White
22-Safira and Christian Carpenter
28-Lenna and Ed BaxterSTAFF THANK YOU NOTES GIFTS & MEMORIALS Loaves & Fishes Cynthia Smith Gay Spinks Janifer Meldrum and Bud Eaton Frank Seaman Elinor and Jeff Gingerich Cluster Habitat Fund in honor of Sarah Harvey Carol Brown Deacons Fund in honor of Carol Brown Mary and Wayne Brown Children's Center Good Shepherd Scholarship Fund Nancy and Mark Vaughan Janice Zitelman and Fred Johnson Garry and Judy Cole Cassandra Ortiz The Rivera Family Sarah Silver Cynthia Smith
Joann Baird in honor of Cindi Catlin-Gaskins and Lorna Shinkle
Timothy O’Sullivan
SoL Center Programming Fund
Bonnie Flake and Frank Garcia
Marcia Goren Weser
Mark and Nancy Vaughan
Jane Warsaw and Wilbert Ryan
PEOPLE SERVING YOU
STAFF
Anastasia Bernal - Church Administrator
Allan Catlin - Facilities & Event Steward
Cindi Catlin Gaskins - Children's Center Director
Andries Coetzee - Pastor
Hanna Cooley - Youth Ministry Director
Mary Lowder - Organist
Dhawn Martin - SoL Center Director
Keith Martinez - Choral Music Director
Erika Stiner - Children's Spirituality Director
Frank Villalpando - Custodian
SESSION
Ruling Elders - Committee Serving
Melissa Almsted - Christian Education Co-Chair (Children), UPCC Board Liaison, and Nominating Chair
Melayne Anderson - Middle School Youth Elder
Catherine Bray - Worship & Arts Chair
Terry Fried - Stewardship & Finance Chair
Melody Kuykendall - High School Youth Elder
Melinda Louden - Mission Outreach & Justice and SoL Board Liaison
Marc Raney - Personnel Co-Chair
Melissa Richard - Co-Clerk of Session and Welcome & Fellowship
Jim Rogers - Facilities & Operations
Amy Shaw - Christian Education Co-Chair (Adult)
Julie Voigt-Wise - Welcome & Fellowship Chair
Don White - Facilities & Operations Chair
Andrew Wilson - Mission Outreach & Justice Chair
VACANCY - Class of 2024
Non-Session Members - Committee Serving
Sandy Nicholson - Church Treasurer
Lou Williams - Personnel, Co-Chair
DIACONATE
Deacons - Parishes and Assignments
Carol Brown - Moderator
Dale Clyde - University Parish
Bonnie Flake - Northwood Parish
Caryl Gaubatz - Olmos Parish
Melody Hull - Northwest Parish
Linda Ireland - Northeast Parish
Cynthia Smith - Windcrest & Out-of-Town Parish, Treasurer
Robin Raquet - Fredericksburg Parish
Bonnie Simons - Castle Hills North Parish
Kay Todd - Downtown & South Parish
Barb Warren - Alamo Heights Parish
Janice Zitelman - Stone Oak Parish, Vice-ModeratorUPC'S MESSAGE TO YOU
Wherever you may be in the journey of faith, UPC welcomes you.
We are a community where honest questions are valued
and where faith is considered a process, not an arrival.
Affirming that every person has worth as a unique creation and a child of God,
we welcome into full participation people of every age, sex,
race, color, ethnicity, culture, immigration status, political affiliation,
economic condition, physical and mental ability, marital status,
sexual orientation, and gender identity and expression.
If you are passing through, we extend God's blessings to you as you continue on your way.
If you are seeking a home, we invite you to join us in the adventure
of serving Jesus Christ in a challenging world.
University Presbyterian Church | 300 Bushnell Ave, San Antonio, TX 78212
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