St. Matthews Episcopal Church

Episcopal Church in Snellville, GA

 “Open for me the gates of righteousness; *
I will enter them; I will offer thanks to the Lord..” Psalm 119:19

A Word from Mother Pat+: Growing in our Faith

We are now officially in the Season AFTER Pentecost.  This year the season is 24 weeks long and ends with the start of Advent.  The season after Pentecost is focused on our spiritual growth and maturity.  Many of the readings over the course of the summer and fall will nudge us and challenge us to assess our readiness and willingness to grow and change.

What does this time ask of us as individual members of Christ’s body, the Church?  You may notice that you feel the nudging of the Holy Spirit to spark your passion for ministry or you may hear a sense of call to service in a new way or a nagging persistent push to re-engage in worship, prayer and ministry.  Whatever you sense, feel, hear or see – pray about it and respond with an action.

Here are a few ideas which may help in your spiritual journey and refine your call to ministry:

LISTEN to those around you in an active way and listen to God.

GO see a friend or someone who needs your presence – if you can’t go in person then call them.

GIVE your full attention to whatever you engage in doing.

REST – physical rest is important and so is spiritual rest, a Sabbath day to restore our souls.

SLOW DOWN – not everything is a high priority, let some things lie fallow for a season.

GIVE praise to God and to others who you see doing God’s work

USE common sense

EDUCATE and allow yourself to be educated in the faith of the Church

BLESS someone’s work with your words of recognition and accept others blessings on your work.

ENCOURAGE someone everyday.

CHALLENGE yourself to stop, listen and mindfully respond to those nudges and see what happens.  Think of those feelings, longings, frustrations or thoughts as the Holy Spirit gently, or not so gently, drawing you to someone or something needing your special gifts and presence.  If you need to clarify what God might be asking of you, then seek the counsel of another Christian or come talk with me to explore where God is inviting you to use your gifts.

God’s peace, Mother Pat+



Share this on your social network:

VBS 2022 – Surf Shack! Registration is OPEN for Campers and Volunteers

St. Matt’s VBS!

Surf Shack is back!

July 11-15
Mon-Fri 9:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
rising Pre-k (age 4) through rising 5th grade (age 10)
$20/first child per family, $15/each add’l, $50/max per family
CAMPER REGISTRATION IS OPEN!
YOUTH AND ADULT HELPERS NEEDED
Call the office for details,
Calling all helping hands –We Need YOU!
Contact Terri Hurst for questions or more info.
**If you have trouble registering, please contact the church office for assistance. Thank you.



Share this on your social network:

A Word from Mother Pat+: Marathon

Can you run a marathon?

Some people have said that our Christian life is like running a marathon. Unlike a sprint or short race, a marathon requires endurance and stamina. Our Christian journey is that sort of long race and so we have to do spiritual training in order to have the endurance and stamina to accomplish our life’s goals. We have to train to serve. We have to master skills of prayer, study, and habits of discipline in order to live as a disciple of Jesus Christ. We even have to form a habit of worship to offer our praise to God. So during Lent we are once again going to focus you on a spiritual training plan.

Next week we will be offering each family a bag containing items for creating a Holy and Sacred space in your homes. This bag is meant to help you connect Sunday worship with Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday… creating a spiritual training plan not just for Lent but for the whole year.

This idea of Holy and Sacred space is not so you can stay home and watch Sunday worship on your computer or phone. This is to connect your corporate Sunday worship with the rest of your week.

St. Matthew’s has fully reopened all worship and parish programming so we hope everyone will resume in-person attendance, unless prevented by personal health reasons. The Pastoral Care Team will try to ensure that those unable to attend for reasons of health will also receive a bag for their Holy and Sacred space in their home or care setting.

Jesus’ life is a model for us. Jesus prayed throughout the day, the Jewish hours of prayer were 7 times a day. Jesus offered himself to the Father in prayer, not holding back. When we pray, we offer ourselves to God. Jesus not only committed to a life of prayer and ministry, but he trusted in God’s unfailing presence. He made himself vulnerable to God’s will just as we do when we pray. In your Holy & Sacred Space bag, you will find a prayer card for a model of short prayers throughout the day.

Yet, even in our private prayer, we are in community with each other and with others around the world who are engaged in prayer. Part of the discipline of attentiveness is this sense that we are not alone, we are part of God’s kingdom in this place and our faithfulness in prayer (regardless of the results) help bring the fullness of God’s kingdom.

Take the time to develop spiritual habits of daily prayer, regular worship, study, and occasional fasting in order to run with endurance the race which is set before us. (Hebrews 12:1-3). May you find joy in each new day, freedom in each hour, and peace in God’s presence.

I am looking forward to seeing everyone on Sunday. Mother Pat+



Share this on your social network:

A Word from Mother Pat+: Annual Meeting

What a great annual meeting!  It was wonderful to see so many people in person and on zoom for the annual meeting.  Thank you for your participation in the meeting, and a special thank you to everyone who gave of their time and talent in ministry this past year. St. Matthew’s has continued to thrive even in the midst of a pandemic. That success is because of you.

I invite you to read the full ministry reports which are on-line. If you prefer a print copy, just stop by the office and pick one up. Also, if you were not in person for the meeting, we have a St. Matthew’s pen for you whenever you come to the church.

The website and other resources will be updated for the new vestry and wardens.  In case you missed it, Trisha Voiles is the new Sr. Warden and the vestry re-elected Jack Denton as Jr. Warden to provide continuity in this year of transition.  Our thanks to the newly elected vestry members who stepped up to serve on the Vestry for the next three years – Carolyn Coil, Sharon Hansen, Jay Jones & Clay Olbon.  It is always a joy to share ministry with a dedicated group of leaders.  St. Matthew’s has certainly benefitted from the gifts of Becky Olson, Elliott Griffiths, Debbie Stallings, and Kim Williamson who faithfully completed their three year vestry terms.  Those Vestry members continuing on are Mindy Barringer, Jack Denton, John Eberhart, Joan Kengla, Judith Kimsey, Karen Wilson, and Trisha Voiles.  More information will be shared by the Vestry as they organize and begin their work.  You are certainly invited to share your leadership talents not only by serving on the Vestry but by working on the ministries and committees of the parish.

For most of us, the work of finding and nominating that next rector has been invested in the nominating committee of the parish, so our work is to pray for that on-going ministry of discernment and nominating. In the next few weeks, the committee will seek your input, then put together a profile of what attributes of a new rector will best enhance the mission and ministries of St. Matthew’s. Then we wait again, for those whom God invites to explore their gifts and ministries with the nominating committee. And finally, after all the prayer, mutual discernment, evaluation and conversation, the committee will nominate a few individuals for the Vestry to consider extending a call. Even at that point, we won’t know about the progress until the mutual conversation of the vestry with a clergy person results in a formal agreement.

Pray for the process and be patient in the interim time, for God’s timetable is not always our own. Remember this is a process designed to find the best match of gifts and skills between the parish and the new rector; even though we may get impatient at what seems like a long process, behind the scenes there is significant work being done.  Pray for that work.

Below is the prayer that the nominating committee has developed for our use during this search process:

Omniscient and All-Loving God, you know the needs of this parish and its people before they are spoken; look upon us graciously, we pray. Send your Holy Spirit to guide us, unite us, and uplift us as we search together for a new rector; and to those leading the search grant minds open to your wisdom and hearts open to your love. Set our feet and our wills on the path you have laid for us, that we may walk in your ways and be your Light in the world, to the Glory of Your Holy Name.  Amen.

Remember that “Together we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us”.  So, live into St. Matthew’s mission of continuing the incarnation of Jesus Christ by serving, loving, caring and witnessing to God’s love.  May we have the wisdom to discern God’s will and the courage to act. For there is much to be done in this “interim” time.

Blessings, Mother Pat+



Share this on your social network:

Annual Meeting — Reports and Vestry Candidates 2022

Annual Parish Meeting

January 23, 2022 at 9:00 a.m. in the parish hall or online via Zoom (see newsletter for details)

You will be able to vote in person or via Zoom:

Ballot Link for Zoom Meeting attendees.

 

Please view the reports here:

Annual Report 2021 Complete-Candidates and Reports

Dec 2021 Financial Stmt

St Matthews Annual Mtg Minutes 2021 2.21.21 Final



Share this on your social network:

A Word From Mother Pat+: The Advent Wreath

The Advent wreath is a circular ring symbolizing the unbroken and unending love of God. The green symbolizes life everlasting and the four blue candles mark our earthly time of waiting and anticipating the coming of Christ.

In the last 20 years, the Church has elected to use sarum blue in Advent instead of purple to mark the difference between the purple of Lenten penitence and the Advent season of waiting and preparation. The tall white center candle focuses our attention on the light of the world, Jesus, whose presence is central to our lives. The white center Christ Candle is not lit until all the other candles are burning, so in a way it reminds us how important our own lives are in helping bring light to the world while we wait on Christ’s return. The Advent wreath continues to be used through the Feast of the Epiphany, with all the candles blazing to mark the light of God in the world during the season of revelation – Epiphany.

The four blue candles can symbolize many things; however the themes of each week tend to reflect the lectionary readings – Week 1: Anticipation of the coming Messiah – Christ child; Week 2: Preparation for the Light of Christ coming into the world; Week 3: Rejoicing for God is near us; and Week 4: Hope for the Prince of Peace comes into the world. Others see the four candles as reminders of the four gospels or the ever brightening light of Christ coming into the world to banish sin and darkness. When purple and pink candles were used, the purple was for penitence and the third week pink candle was a “lighter” purple to allow for Joy to lessen the penitential nature of the season.

Since the change to Sarum Blue for the Advent season, the focus has been one of anticipation, preparation, joy and hope that we might wait expectantly for God to act in our lives and in the world. May this Advent provide you a quiet space so you can prepare your heart and mind for the gifts God has for you. In this first week of Advent simply take time to wait in prayer for God to guide you – Anticipate with joy the days to come.
Have a blessed and holy Advent. Mo Pat+



Share this on your social network:

A Word From Mother Pat+: Saints and Mission

Stanley Hauerwas, a contemporary theologian said this: “The work of Jesus was not a new set of ideals or principles for reforming or even revolutionizing society, but the establishment of a new community, a people that embodied forgiveness, sharing and self-sacrificing love in their lives. In that sense, the visible church is not to be the bearer of Christ’s message, but to be the message.” That also is the stated mission of St. Matthew’s parish – to continue the incarnating work of Christ.

We just celebrated All Saints Day remembering those who have left a name and whose stories we know like St. Simon & St. Jude, St. Mary & Martha, St. Peter, St. Matthew or St. John. But we also remember all the faithful departed whether they made a mark in the world or not; the saints who are known to God alone.

Each of us has prayerfully completed a ministry commitment form to help St. Matthew’s know where God is calling us to give our efforts of time and talent and how to best use our resources for the building up of God’s kingdom.

So we pray that we might live our lives as the “visible church” knowing that we are the message of Jesus in this time and place. And we remember those who have died because their faithful life and witness reminds us what it means to be baptized: to live our lives focused on God’s eternal presence.

At baptism we are given the seed of eternal life and we become a saint of God. Then we begin the journey of discipleship so that we may with God’s help have the strength to live as peacemakers, as pure and humble before God, as beloved children of God for that is what we are.

We are not trying to live into a new set of ideals or principles in order to reform or even revolutionize our society, rather we are called to be a Christ-centered community which embodies forgiveness, sharing and self-sacrificing love. We are called not to be the bearer of Christ’s message, but to be the message.

As the body of Christ gathered and formed by God into this community of faith called St. Matthew’s, we offer ourselves anew to God giving of ourselves and our resources for the work of God’s kingdom. See you Sunday, as we journey together toward the fulfillment of God’s plans.   Mo Pat+



Share this on your social network:

A Word From Mother Pat+: “Remember, Commit, Give – Be the Church”

Remember who you are

Commit to God

Give of yourself and the resources you have been given by God

Brothers and Sisters in Christ Jesus, we are all baptized by the one Spirit into one Body, and given gifts for a variety of ministries for the common good.  We are the church.  The building may be where we gather to worship and to study and to serve others; but we are the church, not the building.  One of St. Matthew’s parish tag-lines is “it’s the people.”  So, remember who you are as a child of God, beloved by God, made in the likeness and image of God, and called to follow Jesus Christ as Lord.  Each new day is a gift from God.

At our baptism, we committed to God with our whole being.  Don’t look back at yesterday and dwell on the failures or on the successes, because we don’t live in the past.  Live today as the gift that it is.  We only have today, there is no promise of tomorrow and we can’t re-play yesterday.  So, commit yourself to living the life you were meant to live, a life of love and joy in the fullness of God’s presence and in the company of the people of God who travel this road of discipleship with you.

This week the church celebrates All Saints Day which falls on Nov 1st, and then again on Sunday, Nov 7th we remember all the saints whose work has enabled us to gather in praise and worship.  We remember all those in our families and our communities whose lives have touched our own and whose example has inspired us to faithful discipleship.  We also renew our own baptismal vows to God.

Give of yourself and your talents, in ministry to others.  Give of yourself in praise and worship to God.  Give of your treasure in support of God’s work in the world.  Give of your time in prayer, worship and in ministry.  Give the greatest gift of all, yourself to God in moments of prayer throughout each day and in weekly worship.

Be the Church because that is what Jesus calls us to do.  The church is the body of Christ and as such we become what the world sees.  Of course, our buildings are a visible reminder of God’s presence and the buildings are a wonderful place for us to worship and to do ministry together; but the buildings are not the church – WE are the body of Christ, we are the church.  It takes each of us joined together to show the world the fullness of God’s grace and the joy of a life lived in Christian discipleship.

Remember that you are the beloved of God and live like it.  Commit to be an active part of the body of Christ, the Church.  Give yourself to God’s work and together we will show the world the love and grace of God by being the Church, the body of Christ in this time and place.

It is time to commit our time, our talent, and our financial resources to the work of God’s kingdom in and through St. Matthew’s.  The body of Christ, the Church, is incomplete without your gifts.  Tell us how you plan to serve God’s kingdom in this coming year.

Come and worship, come and serve, commit to being the Church.  Mother Pat+

PS, don’t forget to turn your clocks back 1 hr this Saturday night Nov 6th before you go to bed or you will be really early for worship.  See you Sunday.



Share this on your social network:

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.