A rainy Pentecost meant worship in person and inside for many DaySpringers.
Dinner on the Grounds and Kick-Ball Game
Tonight at 6 p.m. we are celebrating the end of the school year with a church wide Dinner on the Grounds followed by a child, youth, and any adult who's brave enough kick-ball game. Bring a picnic dinner and blankets or chairs. If you don't want to play kickball, stay and cheer for the teams!
Dear DaySpringers,
As has been the case in the journey of the last year, we’re coming up to a lane change in Covid protocols and worship plans. So far we’ve adapted quite easily so I have full confidence we will again. But I want to reiterate what we shared in last Friday’s email just to be sure it’s all clear as the Sunday schedule changes.
This Sunday, May 30:
Everyone’s invited to all church breakfast beginning at 9:30. We’ll have breakfast tacos, egg casseroles, and some other treats, along with coffee and juice. We’ll have a few announcements, but the breakfast is mostly an informal time to be together. We don’t take that for granted after this last year. Beginning at 10:15 parents of young children are invited to visit the children’s classrooms and meet their summer teachers. We worship at 11 in the Oak Grove.
Next Sunday, June 6:
Worship continues in the Oak Grove and live-stream for June and July, beginning at 9 am to avoid the heat. Formation classes and groups meet afterwards, around 10:20-11:20. On June 6, special guests Mike and Brooke, CBF Missionaries in Southeast Asia will be here both for worship and to share with adults in the Formation hour.
In case of rain this summer, worship will move in the sanctuary with no capacity restrictions. On August 1, our plan is for worship to move indoors and return to 11 am.
Covid protocols (updated May 20, 2021):
Masks are optional when you are outdoors.
We ask everyone to wear a mask when indoors.
Thanks again, everyone. You’ve been great. Being indoors the last couple Sundays has been wonderful, a foretaste of the coming days when we can all be indoors again. For now, being outdoors for worship this summer gives more people an opportunity to come in person, especially those who are higher risk medically and those who have been extra cautious. It also means we don’t have to wear masks, which is nice. And, the truth is, the Oak Grove is such a beautiful place to worship many of us would choose to stay there every Sunday! We’ll feel differently in the August heat, but for now, I look forward to being with you outdoors in the Cathedral of Oaks.
Eric
This Week's Schedule
Wednesday, May 26
9:00 am Centering Prayer
Stokes Chapel
6:00 pm Dinner on the Grounds
and Church-Wide Kickball Game
Special Guest Preacher(s): Mike and Brooke
CBF Field Personnel, Southeast Asia
Centering Prayer
Join Candy and Les Neugebauer on Wednesday mornings in the Stokes Chapel at 9:00 am. In Centering Prayer, we have a short reading followed by silence. After a 5 minute break to stretch, we hear the reading again followed by more silence. We conclude with a short benediction prayer. If you have not experienced centering prayer before, we will offer a brief introduction and share sources for you to explore. For questions, contact Les Neugebauer.
Wednesday Evening Benediction
All members of the DaySpring family are invited to join members of the DaySpring choir Wednesday evenings at 9:00 pm for our Evening Benediction, a special blessing for the closing of the day. This shared time will be a gathering for prayer, scripture, confession, and silence, and will also include listening to a choral piece you might recognize as one that the choir has sung in worship. Please join us for the last Benediction before summer.
Around 10:15 a.m. on Sunday during the All Church Breakfast we will invite children and parents to visit their classrooms and meet their summer Sunday school teachers. We are so excited for children to be back in the buildings! Summer Sunday school begins June 6 from 10:20 - 11:20. Be on the lookout for more information on teachers and content in tomorrow's Children and Family newsletter.
Welcome, Sarah Tucker!
Sarah Tucker is joining the staff for the summer as Assistant Minister to Children and Families with a focus on nursery and preschool ministries. She has already worked hard to begin scheduling worship care. Sarah will also create and teach the art portion of Expressions for our K - 6th graders that you can read more about below. We are so grateful for Sarah's initiative, willing spirit, and passion for sharing her talents with our children.
Hello Dayspring, my name is Sarah Tucker. I will be a senior student at Baylor University this fall, earning a degree in English with a double minor in Art History and French. Throughout my college career, I have taken interest in the intersectionality of the humanities, specifically studying the artistic expression of identity through different art forms. Inspired to incorporate my artistic interests with acts of service, I proposed my concept for Dayspring’s Expressions Camp of 2021 to Amy Everett this semester. I hope to deepen my relationship with Dayspring families by serving the community in the children’s ministry this summer!
Creative Expressions: Seeing God Through Nature
This summer, we are hosting a creative visual arts class centered on the discovery of God’s character in nature and the artistic expression of these natural images. Dedicated to scripture passages associating God with nature, the children will contemplate simple ways to see God in everyday outdoors and participate in visual arts projects ranging from painting to textiles. Each week the projects will be displayed for the congregation.
Starting June 8th, we invite all children who have completed K – 6th grade to join us on Tuesdays 9:00-11:00 am and/or Wednesdays 6:00-7:15. Let's go outside, deepen friendships, and exercise those creative instincts. We hope to see your children there!
Children and Family Newsletter
To stay up to date on children’s formation, including Sunday school zooms and content, please sign up for the Children and Family Newsletter here:
Our adult spiritual formation classes finished up for the spring this past Sunday. A few notes for upcoming Sundays:
May 30 will be our all-church breakfast: come and enjoy some breakfast tacos and hear about our summer formation series.
June 6 kicks off our fully in-person Sunday morning formation hour for the first time since March 2020 with Mike and Brooke, CBF field personnel sharing about their work and ministry.
The rest of the summer will revolve around two areas of focus:
formation through connection with one another as we begin to come together from our months apart
Christian reflections on race to continue our Summer 2020 discussion on the church’s role in healing the wounds of racism
Life Together Group Study
Hi, all! I am excited at the opportunity to lead a group this summer to go through The Gravity of Joy. Dr. Gorrell is an Associate Professor of Practical Theology who wrote about one of the darkest season of her life where three of her family members unexpectedly died in four weeks while she was being paid to study joy. Gorrell is open and honest about her season of grief as well as what followed, and the community that helped her put her rediscover joy.
Please join us at 6 PM on Wednesdays this summer beginning on June 2nd where we will begin by having read chapter one. If you are interested in joining this group this summer, please email me at Hannah_vassar1@baylor.edu.
Mark your calendar: Summer Mini Retreats
Hoping COVID will continue to become less of an issue and thinking ahead towards the fall, we have two small and simple summer mini-retreat opportunities at Cedarbrake Retreat Center in Belton. These mini-retreats will give you some time to reset and reconnect. We will pray the hours together and take advantage of the outdoor prayer spaces available at Cedarbrake. You can come for the day Saturday or stay Friday night as we will begin after dinner on Friday. Our goal is to create space for renewal and connection, for worship and prayer. It will be simple and low-key. You'll hear more in the weeks ahead.
Space is limited. If you would like to find out more or reserve a spot please contact Tiffani or Brett.
Join DaySpring’s Lectionary Breakfast on Fridays from 8:00 to 9:00 am. Bring your favorite breakfast beverage to the Zoom call and enjoy an hour of scripture, discussion, and laughter. Contact Steve Orr for more information.
Are you missing anything? Check the chapel! There is a table with miscellaneous items left behind over the past year. Whatever is not picked up by June 1st will be donated.
DaySpring helped contribute to a van for pastor on the border who serves shelters for asylum seeking immigrants on the Texas / Mexico border in Juarez and Palomas Mexico and El Paso. Thank you for giving and this is one example of your mission money at work. You can find out more about ministry on the border with Fellowship Southwest here where you can also find two Truett/ MSW students who have received recognition and articles in the Wall Street Journal about this border ministry. You can sign up for their newsletter on their website.
CBF Conversations: “Welcoming the Stranger.”
The CBF Conversations podcast turned its spotlight on an issue near and dear to Fellowship Southwest early this month. It produced a live episode, “Welcoming the Stranger: Advocacy for Immigration and Refugees.” Conversations Host Andy Hale conducted a panel discussion with Matthew Soerens, the U.S. director of church mobilization for World Relief; Sharon Stanley-Rea, director of Refugee & Immigration Ministries for the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ); and Elket Rodríguez, immigration and refugees advocacy and missions specialist for CBF and Fellowship Southwest. Their conversation is compelling, informative and biblical. You can watch them on Facebook.
Baptist Joint Committee to host “Fierce Freedom.”
If you consider yourself a champion of religious freedom—or you want to understand the relationship of liberty and race—sign up for “Fierce Freedom,” a live broadcast on Friday, June 18, at 12 p.m. Central/10 a.m. Pacific. Hosted by BJC, the Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty, “Fierce Freedom” will feature a powerful presentation from Jacqui Lewis, an author, activist, public theologian and senior minister of Middle Collegiate Church in New York City. “Fierce Freedom” will be a celebration of freedom for all people and an opportunity to re-think how many of our religious freedom conversations have been white for too long. Sign up for this free event today.
Ridgecrest Ministry
Our neighbors at Ridgecrest Retirement Center have asked us if we would like to resume leading worship there on Sunday mornings. If we are going to do this we need a team who will share the responsibilities of planning worship, preaching and presence each week. If you would like to be a part of this ministry please contact Tiffani.
COMMUNITY & CARE
Dinner on the Grounds and Kick-Ball Game
Tonight at 6 p.m. we are celebrating the end of the school year with a church wide Dinner on the Grounds followed by a child, youth, and any adult who's brave aenough kick-ball game. Bring a picnic dinner and blankets or chairs. If you don't want to play kickball, stay and cheer for the teams!
All-Church Breakfast
Sunday, May 30 at 9:30 am
It has been a year since we have had an all-church breakfast! Thanks be to God that Covid numbers are decreasing! Join us as we resume this tradition, with a twist: the food will be provided for you. Come and enjoy food and fellowship.
We will eat outside on our beautiful grounds. Then at 10:15, children and parents are invited to an open house in the children's buildings to see their classrooms and say hello to their summer Sunday school teachers.
Books Available
We are clearing the shelves of books we have had available for sale in the office. For any donation amount, get a good deal on a book.
Pastoral Associates, 2021-2022
Pastoral Associates are an important part of the ministry of DaySpring, serving on the church staff in a variety of roles. You get the full experience of the life of ministry staff while you experience serving the church in meaningful ways. Typically, 2-3 Associates, often Truett students or graduate students, serve each year beginning in August, usually giving around 5 hours per week. A small stipend is provided.
If you are interested in serving DaySpring as a Pastoral Associate beginning in August or in the future, please contact Eric@ourdayspring.org.
Directory Update
A new, updated directory is available! Contact the church office to be sent a digital directory or to have a printed directory mailed to you.
Book Available
For those of you who have been reading Karl Franklin's weekly reflections posted in the newsletter, the year-long collection is available in the office for a suggested donation of $15.
This year, the youth group will be going to Camp Eagle from June 18-22. The cost for students to attend is $300.
We have currently filled all of our prepaid spots for camp, but we have 5 spots available for purchase from camp—three boys and two girls. Spots will be filled exclusively on a first-come-first served basis, so do not complete any sign up forms until Joe has confirmed that one of these spots is still available. In order to claim one of these spots, please email Joe as soon as possible.
If you have any financial concerns in regard to camp, please email Joe, and we can work together to find a way to send your student to camp.
Wednesday Night Youth Gathering
There will be no Wednesday Night Gathering this week so that all families are free to participate in Dinner on the Grounds tonight.
PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE
New Concerns
The family of Solange Balikunde, after the passing of Solange's aunt this week
Lynne Hinojosa's mother, Justine Walhout, hospitalized in Illinois
Ongoing Concerns
Mark and Kenda Mullert as they mourn the passing of Baby Kent
Tish Tucker's mother
Eric's mother, Ginny Howell, in the hospital in Ft. Worth
Gary Stripling's son Andrew, recovering from cancer surgery
Jane Guthrie, recovering from a spinal compression fracture, at St. Catherine’s
Brenda Golubski, ongoing health problems
For Candy Neugebauer’s daughter Kim Lemer, who is recovering from a stroke
Naomi King's grandmother, Lou Van Lanen
Monica Hinojosa and her family
Kaye and Lane Collins
Homebound
Virginia Beckham -- at The Delaney
DaySpring's Global Ministry Partners
Blair Quinius, Urban Promise
Mike and Brooke, CBF Field Personnel, Southeast Asia
If you have announcements or prayer concerns that you'd like included in the DaySpring News,
please send them (press-ready, if possible) by noon on Wednesday to dayspring@ourdayspring.org
DaySpring Baptist Church
7900 Renewal Way
Waco, Texas 76712
phone: 776-9988 www.ourdayspring.org
Hello Dayspring, my name is Sarah Tucker. I will be a senior student at Baylor University this fall, earning a degree in English with a double minor in Art History and French. Throughout my college career, I have taken interest in the intersectionality of the humanities, specifically studying the artistic expression of identity through different art forms. Inspired to incorporate my artistic interests with acts of service, I proposed my concept for Dayspring’s Expressions Camp of 2021 to Amy Everett this semester. I hope to deepen my relationship with Dayspring families by serving the community in the children’s ministry this summer!
