Recently of Abiding Savior Lutheran in Cameron, the Longview native was recruited to mission work by Bishop Tiemann of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, Southwest Synod, as the first mission developer for the church. She is not afraid to get the gloves out to do what is needed to make the mission succeed at its new location at the corner of Bee Creek Road and R.O. Drive.

“We’ve got a lot of work to do in the next few months,” says Hanley.

In mid-December, the mission moved from its meeting place in the Briarcliff Community Center to a five-acre lot that was formerly the home of Red Falcon Studios, an artist studio and gallery. In that brief time, the mission attendees turned out to clean up the landscape, put up walls and turn the building into a church — all in two weeks time.

At the same time, they were decorating the new building for Christmas as well as raising several thousand dollars for a church on the border of Mexico that was struggling to survive and maintain its stronghold of keeping youth away from drug-related violence.

Too much for a small group? No, they also sent gifts to Brown Santa and continued their donations to the Helping Hands ministry of Spicewood.

By mid-March, church members were taking down walls as attendance grew. Most everyone who attends becomes part of something special — and it’s not too long before the newcomers are moved to join in the building process, too.

“It’s because we believe that God works from the ground up,” says Hanley. “God comes down to us where we are.”

Hanley teaches that the connection with the ground, with our world is important to live out our faith. Two weeks ago, the mission celebrated its third anniversary.

The gloves are on for Easter, for weekly Bible studies, for building a community in Spicewood through becoming a part of the community with yoga classes, AA meeting, bible studies, youth groups and more.

What’s next?

“Maybe something for seniors during the daytime,” says Hanley.

For details, visit www.spiritinthehills.org, call (512) 294-2884 or email pastorliz@spiritinthehills.org.

The churches alternate venues each year; the service this year will be held at the Lake Travis United Methodist Church, 1502 RR 620 North, at Debba Drive.

“O Sacred Head Now Wounded” is a Good Friday Tenebrae service presented by the combined adult Choirs of The Lakeway Church and Lake Travis United Methodist Church, under the direction of Mark Savage-Rains and Patty Highland. The choirs will be accompanied by Elden Little and Paola Perin at the piano, along with an orchestra of strings, woodwinds, hand bells and percussion.

The music chosen to relate to the scripture was composed by a wide variety of composers from J.S. Bach to Karl Graun, a contemporary of Bach, to William Billings, one of America’s colonial composers, to the 19th century composer Theodore Dubois, to the great cellist Pablo Casals, to contemporary composers like John Carter, Lloyd Larson, Jane Marshall and Anna Laura Page. The beautiful chorale “O Sacred Head Now Wounded” will be used throughout the service to unify and give direction to the worship.

This moving service will trace the Passion of Christ through scripture readings and related musical selections telling the story of Jesus’ final days following the Passover meal with His disciples. The story begins with Jesus’ time of prayer in the garden of Gethsemane followed by Judas’ betrayal, His arrest, His mock trials, His beating, His conviction, and finally to the cross where He was crucified.

The service will be presented in the form of a “Tenebrae” service — candles will be snuffed out following each passage of scripture that is read and the service will end in darkness as we remember the death of Christ, the “Light of the world.”

For more information, please call The Lakeway Church at 261-6331 or LTUMC at 266-9877 or visit www.lakewaychurch.org or www.ltumc.org.

The church celebrated the opening of its $4.5 million Ministry Activities Center with a consecration service Sunday morning that buzzed with energy from all ages.

A glow-in-the-dark puppet show, youth skits and music from a contemporary praise band highlighted the Lakeway area’s dynamic demographics that the church wants to serve now and welcome in the future.

The two-story, 15,000-square-foot activity center features a gym that also serves as a music and theater venue with a hideaway performance stage.

A recreation area with video games and a pool table adds to the space for youth that previously consisted of a basketball goal in the church’s parking lot.

Jason Cagle, LTUMC youth ministries director, said the center’s doors would be open for all segments of the church’s congregation.

“This is a place for everybody to come in and have fun,” Cagle said. “There are a lot of ministries and a lot of activities going on.”

In the last seven or eight years, area churches have responded with new facilities to serve an increasing number of new residents looking for church homes that can meet their needs and interests.

The Lakeway Church and Emmaus Catholic Church recently completed their children’s and activity centers.

“We’ve been noticing a lot of young families who are just hungry for a place for their kids,” Cagle said.

Before the center opened, space limitations were creating dangerous situations during LTUMC’s Sunday night ministry programs.

Festive spirits and colors welcome church members and guests to the lobby of Lake Travis United Methodist Church’s Ministry Activity Center. (courtesy of michael wolfe)

“We were so limited before as far as playing games because it was hazardous. Now, we have this free space to run around and just have big games and big gatherings,” Cagle said.

Two classrooms, a large meeting room and full-service kitchen add to the amenities.

As the center approached its March 31 move-in date, its classes bore the burden of intensified crowding and some students sat on floors.

“We have adequate classroom space. We have plenty of chairs and couches. Everyone is comfortable when they walk in. It’s not only a hangout environment but also a great place to learn and grow in their spiritual walk,” Cagle said.

Bishop Jim Dorff, who presides over the San Antonio area of the United Methodist Church, told congregation members at Sunday’s consecration that they formed the brick and mortar to a building that is still missing some components.

“This building is under construction now, and it always will be,” Dorff said. “You did not build this building for yourselves; you built this building for the people who are not a part of this church at this time. There are people out there that need to be fitted in to this congregation.”

Church leaders took the message to heart.

“We’ve built this beautiful facility, but what is our faithful stewardship of it? How do we use it most effectively as a place that makes a difference in the community and that touches many lives?” Senior Pastor Dr. Ray Kiser said. “It’s certainly our hope that this is not just a nice, comfortable living room for our congregation, but that it is a portal of sharing God’s love and hope in the community.

San Antonio area Bishop Jim Dorff, second from right, leads communion at Lake Travis United Methodist Church’s consecration of its new Ministry Activity Center on Sunday with, from left, the Rev. Bobbi Kaye Jones, Austin district superintendent; Colleen Haley, Lake Travis United Methodist Church associate pastor; and Dr. Ray Kiser, LTUMC senior pastor.

Father Samuel Hose (left), Patty and Tom Keel (middle), and Father Jim Evans at the Aged to Perfection luncheon.

Emmaus Catholic Church honored church parishioners who had reached the age of 80 years or above with an “Aged to Perfection” luncheon which was hosted by Fr. Samuel Hose, on Wednesday, March 16.

Realizing that the age demographics had drastically changed from a short time ago when Lakeway was a cozy place occupied by mainly retirees and is today a community dominated by young families looking for a rewarding place to raise and educate their young children, Hose decided to show appreciation for some of Emmaus’ older citizens.

“It is amazing the number of parishioners we have here at Emmaus and Queen of Angels in Briarwood who are living such full and happy lives at this age, and I wanted to know their secret,” he said.

The guests were asked to submit “secrets” they attribute to their longevity. Among the “secrets” shared were exercise, keeping socially active, eating a balanced diet, having a loving and supportive family, a bit of wine, and of course in Lakeway, golf. Others named good genes, modern medical technology, a sense of humor and, thanks to the grace of God.

Fr. Jim Evans, who joined the Emmaus clergy staff in late summer of 2010, was on hand to entertain the group singing songs from the Big Band era. He charmed the audience with such favorites as “Sentimental Journey, “Ain’t She Sweet” and “Five Foot Two, Eyes of Blue.” Harry and The Cupcakes, a church group that provides entertainment at local assisted living centers, provided more tunes to end the festivities with a sing-along of many other favorites.

Prizes were awarded to Adele Turkovich, the oldest parishioner attending; to Dick Miner, the youngest 80-year-old attending; to Ruth Jacobi and Mary Hults for having the birthday closest to Hose’s birthday; and lastly to George Fleming for having a birthday closest to Evans’ birthday.

“This was a wonderful event, and I really, really enjoyed it,” remarked Eleanor Theone, who has been a member of Emmaus Parish and attended Mass at the Lakeway Church for 17 years before the present Emmaus Church was built on Lohman’s Crossing in late 2000.

Emmaus Catholic Parish has been a cozy church in Lakeway the last few years.

When they open a $6.5 million 31,000-square-foot Parish Life Center on Saturday, congregation members hope to have more room for spreading out for their activities while maintaining tight-knit bonds.
When Father Samuel Hose began as pastor of Emmaus in 2007, the parish served 1,565 households. It now boasts 2,358 households, or about 7,500 people. More than 34 percent of its congregation is younger than 18.
A massive transformation in the parish’s demographics from a congregation comprising largely retirees to one adding young families every day motivated church members to develop a building plan that would enable the parish to move away from using portable buildings and foster a sense of permanency and community.
“The demand for services and programs and education has increased wildly. Our space was at a premium. We had kids hanging from the rafters,” Hose said.
The parish had been raising funds for a new building, but after the new pastor arrived, Emmaus formed a building committee in April 2007, hired Heimsath Architects of Austin, chose a design and initiated a capital campaign in 2009 to breathe life into what has become the Parish Life Center.
“It really caught the imagination and support of all the people in the parish,” Hose said. “The people here in Lakeway, especially young families moving in, are looking very much to the church as a center for family support. We tried to create this parish as an extension of people’s homes — a place where they can come and be safe or where families can become engaged in all kinds of good ways.”
The two-story facility includes numerous meeting rooms, classrooms, a Parish Hall with a seating capacity of more than 600 and a commercial-grade kitchen.
“In any church, the kitchen is the center of life. Parishioners love to eat,” Hose said.
Although the center is designed to serve every congregation member, a nursery and a youth center for junior and senior high-school students will upgrade its youth services.
The youth center will feature a stage with state-of-the-art sound and video equipment, café, loft with game tables and video games and lounge for gatherings such as youth nights, education and other activities
“It’s a very un-Catholic youth center. What we were trying to do is really create a place where youth want to be,” Hose said.
Parish members also will enjoy outdoor gathering space and soon-to-be added playground as well.
“It’s laid out to be a space where multiple activities can take place both indoors and outdoors,” he said.
An adoration chapel staffed every hour of every day throughout the year will serve as the figurative and literal heart of the Parish Life Center.
“We built this [chapel] to have prayer going on constantly at the very center while all the life of the parish is going on around it,” Hose said.
The Parish Life Center is the realization of Emmaus’ congregation.
“This project has been a dream in this parish for a long time and for those who have been here for a long time. It also became very important to those who have joined us recently,” Hose said.
Hose said he was amazed when Emmaus hosted its Parish Festival in November 2010.
“When you fill it with people, it just becomes something extraordinary,” Hose said.
Saturday’s dedication will start with a Mass at 5 p.m., celebrated by Bishop Joe S. Vásquez of the Diocese of Austin.
After Mass, the congregation will move from the church to the new building, and the blessing and dedication will start at approximately 6:30 p.m. After the brief ceremony, Hose will take a few moments to introduce the special guests in attendance.
At the conclusion of the festivities there will be a “Holy Spirit” potluck catered by Emmaus parishioners.
Admission to the dedication and potluck is free, and the parish invites the community to join in the celebration. Emmaus Catholic Parish is at 1718 Lohman’s Crossing in Lakeway.
For information, call the parish office at 261-8500 or visit www.emmauslakeway.com.

Lake Travis received 11.66 inches of rain in two days. To put that in perspective, that is five months of rain, in a normal year.

Clearly, this isn’t a normal year. While most of Lakeway and Bee Cave avoided the kind of damage that was experienced in Cedar Park, Lake Travis is expected to rise 10 feet by time all the rain makes it down the Colorado and Pedernales rivers.
But there is still danger out there.
One low water crossing to avoid in the Lake Travis View readership area is where Hamilton Pool Road crosses the Pedernales River. Authorities report the bridge is still closed due to high water.
There is a small chance of rain Thursday evening, but for the most part, area meteorologists are predicting the worst has past.
And drivers should remain careful.
“You need to monitor low water crossings and pay attention to road blocks,” said Lakeway Police Chief Todd Radford.
Radford said Lakeway had fared well during the deluge.
But not everyone was so lucky. Travis County Sheriff’s Deputies have been busy with everything from automobile collisions to rescuing stranded motorists who decided to “try their luck.”
FM 2222 has also been hit hard by the flash floods. Three cars were swept into Bull Creek. However, one woman remains missing, according to authorities.
While it should be hot and muggy today — with a high in the low 90s, up to an inch of rain could fall this evening. But starting Friday, a hot and dry spell is predicted.
According to the Federal Emergency Management Administration, the Texas Hill Country can quickly become deadly when flash flooding strikes. More flood claims are recorded in the Texas Hill Country than in any other area of the U.S. The prolific nature of flash flooding has left the area with a new moniker: Flash Flood Alley.
A car can be swept away in only two inches of water in a flooding zone, authorities warn.
According to FEMA, If a flood is likely in your area, you should:
• Listen to the radio or television for information.
• Be aware that flash flooding can occur. If there is any possibility of a flash flood, move immediately to higher ground. Do not wait for instructions to move.
• Be aware of streams, drainage channels, canyons, and other areas known to flood suddenly. Flash floods can occur in these areas with or without such typical warnings as rain clouds or heavy rain.
If you must prepare to evacuate, you should do the following:
• Secure your home. If you have time, bring in outdoor furniture. Move essential items to an upper floor.
• Turn off utilities at the main switches or valves if instructed to do so. Disconnect electrical appliances. Do not touch electrical equipment if you are wet or standing in water.
The American Red Cross of Central Texas has hundreds of volunteers on standby in the area.
Residents can help people affected by disasters by making a donation to support American Red Cross Disaster Relief. Your gift enables the Red Cross to prepare for and provide shelter, food, emotional support and other assistance in response to disasters. Visit www.redcross.org or call 1-800-RED-CROSS. Contributions may also be sent to your local American Red Cross chapter or to the American Red Cross, P.O. Box 37243, Washington, DC 20013.
The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides emotional support to victims of disasters; supplies nearly half of the nation’s blood; teaches lifesaving skills; provides international humanitarian aid; and supports military members and their families.
The Red Cross is a charitable organization — not a government agency — and depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to perform its mission.
For more information, visit www.redcross.org or join our blog at http://blog.redcross.org.

 Free Chapel in Bee Cave is joining up to lend its spirit and a hand.
“We got involved with ‘Servalution’ to serve and tangibly express love for the South Lake Travis community,” said Jeremy Self, local pastor of Free Chapel in Bee Cave. “At the end of the day, we want to help people.”
Healing Place Church launched “Servalution” – a revolution through serving-which has evolved over the last 16 years while serving the Baton Rouge community in south Louisiana with events like free water give-a-ways, disaster relief efforts, and homeless outreaches. Now, with over 140 churches on board, representing almost 300,000 people, the culture of serving has spread from state to state, and the week of “Servalution” has become a focus for many.
From California to New York, from Peru to New Zealand, churches around the globe are joining 7 days of “Servalution” in order to impact their local communities through small deeds done with great love, which comes at a time in the economy when people are in need of hope and encouragement.
“We believe in serving the local community; it’s our DNA,” said Dino Rizzo, Lead Pastor of Healing Place Church in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. “We are actively pursuing the hurting, the forgotten, and the poor to show them a God who is passionately in love with them.”
Churches are encouraged to participate in free giveaways, adopt-a-block projects, homeless outreaches and more, and can go to the Web site for more unique ideas and/or tools to promote “Servalution” in their own area. For information go to www.servolution.org/7days.

 The Family Worship Party is a new ministry of the Presbyterian Church of Lake Travis (PCLT). Its goal is to help parents and children grow in faith together. The format is extremely child-friendly – a few minutes of singing and guitar playing, a reading from a big picture Bible, a five-minute lesson, a two-minute teaching for the parents, a few more songs with musical instruments for the kids, and then an hour of play time on the bouncy houses. Family Worship Parties happen on the first Sunday of each month and admission is free.
Hoppin’ House is a locally owned and operated inflatable playground in Lakeway.
“Our kids have always loved moon walks, bounce houses, and inflatable slides,” co-owner Anthony Assini said. “We figured lots of families in our community could also benefit from a safe, indoor play facility. We’ve been open for eight months, and the response has been overwhelming.”
When he’s not overseeing the business, Assini works as one of the assistant golf professionals at Lakeway Golf Club. Assini and his partner, Joel McCullough, are already eyeing expansion opportunities in Austin.
The Family Worship Parties at Hoppin’ House began 6 months ago, and attendance has grown from a half dozen people to around 40. The facility will accommodate well over 100.
“Our 18-month-old daughter Ava loves it,” said parishioner Rebecca Hilleque. “She calls it ‘Jumping for Jesus.’”
Children at the Family Worship Party range in age from in utero to 10 years old. The curriculum is mainly targeted at 2-5 year olds and their parents.
“In general, the Church has largely failed to teach parents how to discuss faith with their children,” said Rev. Ellis Oglesby, organizing pastor of PCLT. “Churches typically stick kids in one room and parents in the other. We treat the family as a whole to provide a shared experience and a common vocabulary.
“Stories resonate with different age groups in different ways,” Oglesby added. “For example, to 5-8 year olds, Judas’ betrayal of Jesus is extremely important. Younger children don’t have the cognitive skills to understand social politics. For them, the message is good wins over evil. To ensure that the right message gets across, teachings utilize both commercially-available tools like felt board and coloring books and custom aids. Each lesson includes at least one song written especially for the occasion.”
Families also receive simple activities that they can do together at home. This both reinforces the specific lesson and, most importantly, helps families get into the habit of discussing faith issues together.
“We don’t want to brainwash our kids,” said Lake Travis resident Candace Nguyen. “Neither do we feel like we need to have all the answers. We just want the topic to be safe. When our children hit the rough adolescent years and begin to experience real faith challenges, they will know they can talk to us about it.”
Many families that attend don’t belong to the church that sponsors the event. Catholic, Baptist, non-denominational, and seeker families have all participated. Some even come to the Family Worship Party and leave in time to make the 11 a.m. service at their home church.
“We don’t really feel comfortable with the concept of church membership,” said Travis Gray, one of the guitar players at Family Worship Party. “My family worships at Hill Country Bible Church. Once a month my wife and I bring our children Hallie and Trenton to Hoppin’ House for a little dose of something different.”
The Family Worship Party is not limited to worship. They also host fellowship events almost every month. Around Valentine’s Day the families came together to bake and decorate sugar cookies. In March they carried some inflatable waterslides to Lakeway City Park and grilled hamburgers and hotdogs. Several Lake Travis families spontaneously joined in the fun.
“This isn’t about who is in and who is out,” said Oglesby. “God loves everyone. We just want families to be able to talk about God’s love together.”
Abbott to speak to Republican women
Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott will speak to the Lakeway Republican Women on April 7. The meeting will begin at 10 a.m. with coffee, 10:30 the meeting, and the speaker begins at 11. Buffet lunch is at 11:30.
The meeting will be held at The Hills Country Club.
Abbott was elected as the 50th Attorney General of Texas on Nov. 7, 2006. Prior to his election as attorney general, Greg Abbott was a Justice on the Texas Supreme Court and as a State District Judge in Harris County.
As the state’s chief law enforcement official, Abbott has made protecting families and values the focus of his administration. Shortly after taking office, Abbott established a Cyber Crimes Unit to arrest criminals who use the Internet to prey upon children; a Fugitive Unit to arrest convicted sex offenders who violate their parole; and an expanded Medicaid Fraud Control Unit to crack down on elder abuse and waste of taxpayer dollars. Since taking office, Abbott has collected more than $10 billion in child support for Texas children, setting new records for Texas child support collections.
In his capacity as the state’s lawyer, Abbott oversees more than 700 lawyers who represent the State of Texas. In March of 2005, General Abbott personally appeared before the U.S. Supreme Court, where he successfully defended the constitutionality of the Ten Commandments display that adorns Texas Capitol grounds. By convincing the nation’s highest court that the State’s monument was constitutional, General Abbott ensured that Texas will continue displaying the Ten Commandments for years to come.
Make checks for lunch payable to LTRW for $l6. Send to Nancy Clayton 110 Melody Lakeway, 78734 or e-mail Nclayton@trane.com or phone 261-7759.

 In partnership with the pastors and fellow worshippers, Vick will lead a dynamic new worship service called “The Edge” at Lake Travis United Methodist Church each Sunday at 9:30 a.m., starting on April 12 (Easter Sunday). This new worship service will be like nothing you have experienced at Lake Travis UMC. Maybe nothing like you’ve ever experienced at all. At LTUMC, you’ll find a body of genuine people and true believers worshiping in a casual environment with high-energy music and dynamic teaching. With Vick as the front man, the praise band plays songs from such recognizable artists as Chris Tomlin, Reuben Morgan, Hillsong, and more. The official dress code is “No Dress Code,” with many folks clad in the “traditional” Austin style of jeans and t-shirts.
Senior Pastor Andy Smith says, “I’ve been telling folks at the church to ‘Hold on to something!’, because this new worship experience is going to blow people away. We are so excited to have Vick as part of our worship team.”
Vick has an extensive background in music ministry and has a cutting-edge way of communicating Biblical truths to young people. Immediately after high school Vick traveled extensively as a soloist with the Continental Singers and Orchestra. He went on to receive a music degree in college and became a recording artist for Republic Records. Vick leads worship with great passion, making full use of a powerful singing voice and some thrilling guitar and keyboard technique. Vick knows how important the local church is and truly has a desire to see it thrive.
“This is the most exciting hour to be alive and serving Jesus. John Wesley, the father of Methodism, once said, ‘Catch on fire with enthusiasm and people will come from miles around to watch you burn.’” Vick said.
Vick and his wife Deborah have seven children and reside in Pflugerville. LTUMC is excited to welcome the entire Vick household to its fellowship and the exciting launch of “The Edge.”
In addition to launching “The Edge” contemporary service, Lake Travis will continue to offer two traditional/blended worship services at 8 and 11 a.m. LTUMC is located at 1502 RR 620 North, Austin 78734, just three miles west of Mansfield Dam. LTUMC strives to be an inclusive community for all to come and worship. Its members embody the United Methodist spirit of “Open hearts. Open minds. Open doors.”
For more information, visit www.TheEdgeLakeTravis.org, call 266-9877, or stop by the Welcome Table in the lobby of the sanctuary.