St. Matthews Episcopal Church

Episcopal Church in Snellville, GA

I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. John 13:34

Update on the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Letter Concerning Worship

Please read this important information regarding worship services and other activities during the next few weeks, and watch the website and our Facebook page for updated information in the coming days.

Update 7:06 p.m.:

Worship

    1. Tomorrow, Sunday, 3/15/2020, we will have worship at 10:30 a.m., but it will be delivered using our St. Matthew’s Facebook page. Members of our communications team are working with Father Tommy to set up a digital connection for using Facebook Live.  To go to the St. Matthew’s Facebook page,  click here. Be sure to Like the page and Follow it if you’re visiting for the first time! You’ll be able to find it easily that way next time you visit and you’ll see new posts when they’re first published on the page. Here’s the bulletin prepared for Sunday in case you’d like to follow along.  March 15, 2020 – Third Sunday in Lent 8.00 a.m. and 10.30 a.m.
    2. We will also try to use Facebook Live to offer daily prayer. You are invited to dig out your Book of Common Prayer and join us for daily prayer.  The Office of Morning Prayer will take place at 8 a.m.; Evening Prayer will take place at 6 p.m.  Please join us on Facebook Live as you are able.  If you do not have a prayer book at home, you can download a pdf copy here:  https://episcopalchurch.org/files/book_of_common_prayer.pdf

 

 

 



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Episcopal Relief & Development Receives $600,000 Grant

Episcopal Relief & Development Receives $600,000 Grant from Islamic Relief USA

to Expand Work to Combat Violence Against Women and Girls in Liberia

New York, NY (March 9, 2020): Episcopal Relief & Development has received a second, three-year, $600,000 grant from Islamic Relief USA (IRUSA) to expand a ground-breaking partnership with the humanitarian arm of the Episcopal Church of Liberia (ECL-RD) to combat gender-based violence in Liberia. This program, which equips faith and community leaders to transform harmful cultural and religious attitudes towards women, is also supported by a grant from the UN Trust Fund to End Violence against Women, The Laura Ellen & Robert Muglia Family Foundation, and other generous donations.

Read the full article here: ERD Grant Notification

 



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Lent At St. Matthew’s

Lent is a time of stepping back and being thoughtful about deepening our relationship with God, mindful of what God has done for us, the sacrifice of God’s Son, Jesus Christ, and the ways we fall short of what God asks of u. s.  At St. Matthew’s we have many opportunities to step closer to God in relationship and service, reaching out for reconciliation and God’s healing presence in our lives.

 

Sunday Services in Lent  beginning 3/15/2020 — Due to the COVID-19 virus, we are suspending services and all activities at the church through the end of March. Please see the letter to this effect regarding worship and activities at St. Matthew’s here.

St. Matthew’s will be offering online services on Facebook Live at the following times during the next few weeks:

  • Sunday at 10:30 a.m.
  • Monday through Saturday:  Morning Devotional at 8:00 a.m.
  •                                                                Evening Devotional at 6:00 p.m.

You can find our Facebook page here.

 

 

 

 

 

 



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2020 Vestry Candidates

There are six candidates for vestry for the term beginning January 2020. Four will be elected to three year terms; one will be elected to a two year term to finish out the term for one vestry member who resigned at the end of 2019. Please prayerfully consider your votes for the following candidates:



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Episcopal Relief & Development’s Gifts For Life Catalog

During the holiday season, Episcopal Relief & Development encourages friends and supporters to give a gift that will transform a life with Gifts For Life, an alternative giving catalog that offers tangible and meaningful ways to create lasting change in communities around the world.

“Gifts for Life is a tangible way to bring the work of Episcopal Relief & Development to life,” said Betsy Deisroth, Vice President of Advancement for Episcopal Relief & Development. “We know that many churches and individuals look forward to participating each year and we hope you will join them, and us, this holiday season.”

The Gifts for Life program enables individuals and groups to empower transformation in communities worldwide through the purchase of gifts to support those communities. The catalog features a wide range of gift options from $15 to help parents nurture and nourish a child to $1,284 to provide a complete care package to empower a community.

The catalog also includes a new offering to help give children with special needs the opportunity to participate meaningfully in the life of the community. Hearing aids, glasses and other assistive devices are life-changing to children with physical challenges. Additionally, disaster relief kits, drought-resistant seeds, vocational training and bicycles are just a few of the other gift options.

This year, the Gifts For Life catalog is organized to align with the organization’s three key program priorities: helping communities promote the rights of Women; supporting and protecting Children so they reach appropriate health and developmental milestones; and working with families and communities to adapt to the effects of a rapidly changing Climate.

“Organizing the gifts by priority program areas allows supporters to see just how each gift contributes to Episcopal Relief & Development’s work to benefit Women, Children and Climate,” said Esther Cohen, Chief Operating Officer for Episcopal Relief & Development. ”With each order you can be a part of making lasting change for an individual or family, both now and for years to come.”

Gifts for Life purchases are fully tax-deductible, and an excellent way to support the organization’s life-giving work and share that impact with family and friends. These items can be ordered online at episcopalrelief.org/gifts, and donors can choose to send a customizable e-card or a beautiful printed card to tell the recipient about the life-changing gift made in their honor. Orders can also be made over the phone by calling 1.855.312.4325 or via mail through the instructions on the catalog or brochure.

Additionally, supporters can download digital resources such as prayers, bulletin inserts, and an Advent calendar poster from the online Advent Toolkit to help dioceses, congregations or groups plan, construct and host an Advent campaign to support Gifts for Life.

For over 75 years, Episcopal Relief & Development has been working together with supporters and partners for lasting change around the world. Each year the organization facilitates healthier, more fulfilling lives for more than 3 million people struggling with hunger, poverty, disaster and disease. Inspired by Jesus’ words in Matthew 25, Episcopal Relief & Development leverages the expertise and resources of Anglican and other partners to deliver measurable and sustainable change in three signature program areas: Women, Children and Climate.



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Musings From Mother Liz

Finally! Fall is here. Last week’s car show was a great success; the fall weather arrived this week, and rain over the past few days has refreshed the area. My favorite liturgical season is Advent, but my favorite of the four seasons is fall. I love the crisp air, the smell of woodsmoke and the changing color of the trees.
I confess that I also look forward to our time of stewardship celebration. That may seem an odd term, “stewardship celebration”, but that’s the way I think of it. If you read Terri Hurst’s stewardship letter elsewhere in this e-letter, then you know that all the work we do as a community is part of our promise of stewardship – to take care of one another and of the many gifts and blessings which God has given us. This year’s theme, “Shining Our Light”, gives me context in which to do a reflection on where I am on my Christian journey. How have I allowed God’s light to shine through me? How have I offered my time, skills and financial resources to share God’s light both in the parish and in the greater community? I love stewardship because it allows me to be intentional as I realize that all that I have and all I can offer are gifts from God – I am only returning to God that which belongs to him already. If I am totally honest with myself, I must admit that on my own, I am not much, but as an instrument of God’s light and love, I can make a difference.
We have a motto at St. Matthew’s: “It’s the People”. Every month, when I meet with people new to St. Matthew’s, what they always share with me is the warmth they’ve felt from this community. I believe God has given us special gifts of hospitality and welcome, however, I believe that God does not call us to rest in this, but to continue to move forward. To do the work God has called us to do takes financial resources and the commitment of all of us.
So yes, I love our time of stewardship; I love this time of reflection on where we’ve been and where God is calling us to go. I will use these next four weeks to thank God for all the ways God has blessed me, and I will prayerfully ask God what I can offer in return. I hope you will join me this season in celebrating stewardship: by giving God thanks for his light that you have received from others; by giving him thanks for his light in you that you in turn have shared, and by making a financial commitment to God and St. Matthew’s out of the blessings you have received.
Happy Fall!!  Liz+



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ECW Annual Halloween Bingo Party

All women and girls are invited

to the

ECW Annual Halloween Bingo Party

Monday, October 28

6:30-8:30 p.m. in the parish hall.

We promise there will be Ghoulish Drinks and Tasty Chili to eat.
Please bring a sweet or salty dish to share.
For those who wish to get into the Halloween spirit
we will have a costume contest as well as the creepiest food contest
with lots of great prizes!
This will be a night to have lots of Spooky fun!
All women in the church are members of ECW (Episcopal Church Women) .
Please come and bring a friend!



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Evening of Remembrance November 3

All Saints Sunday

Evening of Remembrance

Sunday, November 3

6:30 p.m. Quiet Reflection
7:30 p.m. Service of Remembrance
St. Matthew’s will celebrate the lives of our family and friends who have gone on before us with a special evening service incorporating some of the traditions used by cultures around the world. At 7:30 p.m. a brief memorial service will be held in the sanctuary during which the names of those we have lost will be read.
If you have friends and family you would like commemorated during this service, PLEASE USE THE RED SIGN-UP BOOK IN THE PASS-THROUGH BETWEEN THE MAIN HALLWAY AND THE NARTHEX. All names should be submitted by Wednesday, October 20th. All names will appear in the bulletin on Sunday, Nov. 3rd. Please print the names plainly to ensure correct spelling.
There will be quiet time beginning at 6:30 p.m. for various kinds of contemplation. The sanctuary and the Coil Chapel will be reserved for silent prayer. The labyrinth will be set up in the parish hall for prayer walks. Mother Liz will be available for those who just want to talk to someone. We hope that you will join us to light a candle, place a flower on the cross, place a stone on the cairn, or simply say a prayer as you search for your own peace and understanding of that most mystifying aspect of life: death.



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At St. Matthew’s, our MISSION is to continue the Incarnation of our Lord Jesus Christ, by serving the greater community through loving its children, caring for the unfortunate and witnessing to the healing power of God’s love.

The St. Matthew's campus is closed, but you can find us on Facebook.Click for details