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+: Change

“The secret to change is not in fighting the old. but in engaging the new” (attributed to Socrates).

So we are in the midst of change. Change with a capital C is continuing to occur at St. Matthew’s. This change is multi-faceted and impacts all of us. This change is about a new way to be the church, a new way to lead, a new way to engage the community, a new way to be Christ in the world. The most obvious change has been in leadership––you have an Interim Rector (me), you have new program ministry staff this past year in Matthew coordinating the music ministry, Susan in a new role as parish admin and worship support, Mary as registrar and office support, Trisha as Sr. Warden and new vestry members too. We have two new youth interns who joined us in August and are planning and supporting the youth program in conjunction with the adult sponsors and parents: say hello to Jesse & Caroline. Even the Pre-school has changes as Dalex shares the Director position with Juanita this year. New and returning committee chairpersons along with new vestry liaisons means new energy and changes in our programing.  Check the website ministry list for contact info if you need to reach someone.

We are thankful for all that was in the past and all that is happening now; and also anticipating all that is yet to come for this parish and for each of us.

The goal of all this “change” in leadership is to the program staff and lay ministry coordinators to fulfill their roles without constant direct supervision. Each program leader and staff member are experts in their areas of ministry and so they are empowered to act and to teach and to guide others without the interim rector or the new rector providing specific details and constant direction. This allows the next change to happen. The clergy and program staff can now act interdependently as needed to support the growth of the parish in both numerical numbers and in spiritual growth. The Vestry also has begun to function in expanded ways by equipping and empowered the ministries and groups they work with, rather than doing all the work themselves.

Now this process is not complete, nor is it fully implemented; but it is well underway. As your interim Rector, I have been with you for over a year and will remain with you until a call is made for your new Rector. So we continue to work together to strengthen the leadership team so that the transition will be smooth. Committee chairpersons and Vestry liaisons are educating themselves on budget preparation and goal setting; and how to coordinate and focus their energy and efforts on activities and ministries which support and enable all of us to “continue the incarnation of Jesus Christ our Lord”. All the work is focused on supporting and living into St. Matthew’s mission statement.

Perhaps you are pondering why we need to change, why engage in new ways of being the church and doing the work? The answer is simple. St. Matthew’s is a diverse and large congregation; and the work of ministry can’t be done by a single clergy person or program staff member.  I realize that worship attendance has not returned to pre-Covid levels, but St. Matthew’s is still one of the larger congregations in the diocese. If St. Matthew’s is to continue to grow, then the style of leadership becomes one of empowerment and equipping others for ministry –– the work becomes the coordinated work of everyone in the parish.  So the Vestry, all the Program Staff, and Clergy have fully engaged in the work of change for the sake of God’s kingdom. Embrace the new work and join in the challenge of change. This year the work of discernment and call will be completed as St. Matthew’s selects a new Rector; but the work of building God’s kingdom will continue and the work of empowering and equipping everyone will be an important part of the future of St. Matthew’s. The role of the new Rector will be to continue to stimulate changes, to help St. Matthew’s leadership team envision a new way to be the church, to encourage new styles of leadership, and engage the parish and community in new ways of making Christ known. Be part of the change and add your prayers and your efforts to continue the incarnation of Jesus Christ here at St. Matthew’s and in all the cities and towns where we live and work. Change is a continuous process which allows God’s work to be done and God’s grace to be shared.

I leave you with one of my favorite biblical verses: “Be strong and courageous and do the work. Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord God is with you, who will not fail you or forsake you until all the work for the service of the Lord is finished.” (1 Chronicles 28:20 –– I don’t remember which translation this is, but it is clear that God is in control of the work and the results). Yours in Christ’s Service, Mother Pat+



Share this on your social network:

Warden’s Corner: August Update

August Update on Our Ministries at St. Matthew’s
from Trisha Voiles, Sr. Warden

Building & Grounds has had another busy month! We began the month scaring the attendees of the Wednesday Healing Prayer service when they arrived for the service by having a parking lot full of Snellville and Gwinnett Police officers. BUT The reason was for protection training–and not crime. John Eberhart had attended a Homeland Security Presentation sponsored by the Diocese and had the speaker come speak with our local law enforcement, the vestry, and the preschool directors. We walked the campus and received a security audit. We discovered there are grants to help purchase systems for the church, and many other tips and procedures we will be working on in the next months/year.

Other projects: B&G is having the roof repaired over the Parish Hall where a leak is causing the parish hall ceiling to peel away. The roof is now repaired, and bids are coming in for the ceiling. Have you noticed the front courtyard sidewalk dipping? This is another issue that is being repaired. Apparently, the ground below was being compressed, but PolyLift has been able to lift and level it to eliminate the tripping hazard. Thank you to our Building and Grounds Team for their vigilance.

Christian Education began the CE year with a wonderful Sign-Up Circus. There were clowns, popcorn, facepainting, and even an elephant (although it was one of the wonderful balloon creations along with turtles, ladybugs, swords). The children and youth classes will begin full force this week. The adult classes met initially last week and will resume on September 11. And come out for our August Adult Forums! We will be having informational sessions to help you listen for God’s Gifts to help you serve St. Matthews (Stewardship-but don’t let that keep you away or you will miss the fun.) and an Update of the new rector search with the Parish Profile Presentation.

Youth Group began last weekend with a wonderful Youth Retreat up at Camp Mikell! What a great way to build the group with a “Be At Peace” theme. This school year the Youth Group has hired two interns to help guild the spiritual growth in the program. Caroline Bowen and Jessie Hurst are former Youth members, returning to share God’s Love with our young adults.

Some Upcoming Dates – Mark your calendar to be involved in our ministries:

August 26 – Restaurant Foyers: Universal Joint, Lawrenceville, Dinner at 7pm

August 29 – Outreach Co-op Dinner

September 17 – St. Matthew’s Gwinnett Stripers Baseball Game (Stripers are a type of fish known in the GA waters.)

September 25 – St. Matthew’s Celebration Luncheon and Ministry Fair

October 8 – Vestry and Committee Chairs Planning Meeting

October 9 – Blessing of the Animals



Share this on your social network:

A Word From Mother Pat+: Fire

God’s Presence as Fire

In the gospel this past Sunday, we hear Jesus say, “I came to bring fire to the earth and how I wish it were already kindled!” Fire refines and purifies even as it destroys some of what is burned. There are many references to fire in the scriptures and it is often related to God’s judgement or to the empowering presence of the Holy Spirit.

Think about all the other scriptures which describe God’s appearing.  We know God appeared as fire in a burning bush to Moses, God led the Hebrew people out of slavery by a pillar of fire. On the holy mountain God’s presence was signified by fire. Jeremiah tells us that God’s word is like fire! And now Jesus speaks of fire and later the Holy Spirit appears as fire. In all of these descriptions, God’s fiery presence reminds us that there is both light and danger in coming close to God.

How might our sacred time reflect this different vision of God’s presence? Last week the reflection looked at pneuma, wind, as the presence of the Holy Spirit. The God of fire, we see in scripture, presents us with a different metaphor for the presence of God. Fire lights up the night, but fire cannot be contained, touched or handled without danger of being burned. Fire in scripture reminds the people of God’s powerful presence.

This week find an object in your home that can represent the presence of God as the image of fire. Perhaps a candle to place on your green cloth in your sacred space. You can even find a picture of fire representing God in an icon or other image. Use that object or picture this week to reflect on the power God has shared with each of us.

God wants to set us on fire. Not a fire which consumes us but a fire which makes us a presence for God in the world. Both individually and as a parish, we do not really know where God’s fire will lead us next. We don’t know what the fire of God’s Spirit will require of us. But we do know this: God wants to light us on fire for the work of faithful discipleship. This week think of ways that you encounter the fire of God’s presence. What is God calling you to do as a faithful disciple of Jesus Christ?



Share this on your social network:

A Word from Mother Pat+: Prayer

There are hundreds of books written about prayer. I have one entitled, “The Idiot’s Guide to Prayer” – it is a fun book to read. Of course, I have others also, books which try to help us focus our attention and our wills on God’s desires for us. There are books about prayer using tools like rosaries or methods like centering prayer. The holy and sacred space tool kits we gave you are one more way to focus your attention on prayer and on God.

There are often questions about “how” we are to pray. Should we sit in silence for long periods trying to clear our minds or should we get on our knees and pray fervently out loud all our petitions over and over? Or should we stand and pray using the words of others, written to help us express our desires and concerns?

John Donne in a famous sermon in 1626 wrote about his own prayer life saying, “I throw myself down in my chamber, and I call and invite God and his angels thither; and when they are there, I ignore God and his angels for the noise of a fly, for the rattling of a coach, for the whining of a door; I talk on and on … sometimes I find that I forgot what I was talking about. A memory of yesterday’s pleasures or fear of tomorrow’s dangers, a straw under my knee, a noise in my ear, a light in my eye, any thing, a nothing, all trouble me in my prayer.”

Perhaps we find ourselves similarly distracted in our prayers by the sound of a buzzing fly, the slam of a neighbor’s car door, or the sound of a phone text alert.  Distractions are the issue. How do we hold our concentration in prayer when our multi-sensory world and multi-tasking brains keep creating distractions. At night, we may fall asleep before we even get to our prayers because we have been so distracted throughout our day.

When the disciples asked Jesus, “Lord, teach us to pray”, their request had nothing to do with techniques or words. The disciples were Galilean Jews, each devout in his own way. They knew how to pray. Lifting their hands upward in devotion or lying prone with face to the ground – these were postures of prayer which they had done their whole lives. So what are they really asking Jesus?  Perhaps the disciples had as hard a time concentrating in prayer as we do. They might have let worries or distractions keep them from remembering what they were trying to do. But maybe they also wanted something more.

By this time, the disciples had been with Jesus for several years and they had witnessed his close relationship to God whom he called Abba, Father. They must have marveled at his trust in God and his intimacy in prayer which they often overheard when Jesus was apart from them in conversation with God. So, like many of us, the disciples wanted a deeper and more intimate relationship with God and they hoped that Jesus could teach them how to gain that level of trust and joy in God’s presence.

If you find that you are distracted during your prayers, then maybe what you are praying about is not as important to you as what is distracting you – instead pray about the distractions. However, remember that we are not immediately in touch with God the moment we close our eyes and fold our hands. It doesn’t happen just because we kneel and call on God to come. Our relationship with God develops over a lifetime and it requires attention and persistence. Every good relationship requires that we spend time in each other’s company and that we talk with each other. That is exactly what we do in prayer. We talk with God and we try to listen to God.

There are more than 250 references to prayer in the Bible and almost always they speak to a prayer request and rarely mention how the person actually prayed. This tells us it is not critical what our prayer style is or the words we use or even our body posture.  What is important is that we know God and that we approach God and ask for what we need.  Always keeping our requests in the context of seeking to know and do God’s will.

If you can’t ignore the distractions in your life, then pray about them! If you did not get a sacred space tool kit, let me know and I can give you a list so you can start building your own kit.

 

Blessings on your week, Mo Pat+



Share this on your social network:

A Word from Mother Pat+: The Pain of Loss

Hear My Cry!  The pain of loss.

In just the span of a week, we have once again lost someone from our midst. Jim Piechowiak died on Monday evening. Each new loss seems to compound our experience of grief and it may feel like we are stuck in a vicious cycle. However, I want to talk about what we have gained in this time where the world sees only loss. We have gained strength to face the future even though it will look different than we envisioned. We have gained clarity of spirit as we remember that our loved ones are not lost or gone forever; they are simply ahead of us on this journey. They have walked into the nearer presence of God and they now enjoy eternal life. For them temporal time has ended, but in God’s time there is only joy and blessings and a heavenly feast.

The pastoral care team has met several times to discuss how best to support those who have lost family and friends. Our plan is to offer an initial gathering of those who have suffered a loss, the date and time is yet to be determined. At that initial gathering, we will share together and look for ways to move into the future with the strength of God’s Holy Spirit as our shield and guide.

Even when we don’t think we can go on, God will sustain us. Grieving the loss of a loved one takes time and it takes a community of support. Grieving is a natural response, even Jesus wept at the grave of his friend Lazarus. Our personal and communal pain does not go away, but it changes from anguish to sorrow to sadness and eventually to joy as we honor and remember the faithful lives of those who walked this path with us; and those who still walk with us, yet unseen from our earthly perspective.

We can grow stronger as individuals and as a faith community because we support each other in this journey. My thanks to all those who have made hospital visits and home visits; and those who have taken food and flowers to the dying and to their families. This community has shown great strength in this time of uncertainty and change. Now we are called upon to pray for each other, to reach out and talk with each other, and to offer our gifts of love and ministry to the families who have faced such great losses. As a community of faith, St. Matthew’s can point to the promises of God and live as resurrection people. Our lives become a sign of hope for all those who need a glimpse of God’s love and grace.

Mother Pat+



Share this on your social network:

We caught the wave of God’s love at Surf Shack!

Wow! What a fun week surfing through the scriptures at VBS! The sanctuary was transformed to a coral reef and the parish hall was home to a tiki bar and beach scene. You may feel like you’re under the sea thanks to Becky Olbon’s handiwork with the window decorations.

We had a smaller than usual group of campers but it was the perfect way to get back in to the swing of things after a 2-year hiatus. Most of our campers were from the community so we’re hoping some will return to St. Matt’s for Sunday School and church.

Thanks so much to all our adult and youth volunteers who made VBS happen! We had many “VBS veterans” and many “rookies” who made it a great week for everyone. Huge thanks to our center leaders: Juanita Little (crafts), Trisha Voiles and Cheryl Wheeler (snack and Bible story), Karen Whitehead and Rich Morris (music), and Greg Andrews and Kenny Adkins (recreation). Jessie Hurst organized the youth, and Susan Carson helped with registration and check in. Our Shepherds were Betty Medlin, Carol Maneol, Carol Walsh, Jay Jones, Josh Hurst, Judith Kimsey, Mona Livermont and Liz Livermont. And additional volunteers in Snack, Bible Story and Crafts were Gail Sawyer, Beth DiGiovanni, Nancy Griner, Sharon Hansen, Susan Adkins, Vicki Conway and Paula Pownell. And Karen Wilson even taught yoga during Recreation one day!

Our youth volunteer force was small but mighty: Becky and Jessie Barringer, Maddie Ferrell-Mixon, Mia Lewis, Rory Morris, Stanley Livermont and Jacob Hurst.

Thank you all for answering the call to be the hands and feet of Jesus at VBS!

Terri Hurst and Becky Olbon
Co-Directors



Share this on your social network:

A Word from Mother Pat+: Live for Today

You all know the old saying, “Yesterday is history. Tomorrow is mystery. Today is a gift, which is why we call it the present.” Jesus invites us to live today for what is offered and not to worry about what is past nor be anxious about what is yet to come. That, of course, is easier said than done.
It is not easy to live each day focused on the moments of grace and grief, joy and wonder which each day holds. We often find ourselves caught between the what ifs of our past, and the what ifs of our future. It takes faith to focus on what is set before us in the present, to see the ways we can be faithful in each and every moment. Our regrets over the past or anxiety about the future may keep us from living the gift of each day with all the blessings waiting to unfold. We may miss what is right in front of us, if we keep looking back at what was or guessing what may come. Remember Jesus’ admonition not to look back when plowing the ground. He knew that if we looked back we would not be focused on the task before us. Today is what we have been given to do God’s work.
Jesus in scripture reminds us that we are in God’s hands and that God’s love for us is greater than we can imagine. Remember the sparrows of the field and God’s watchful eye on them, just as God has us in his/her care. It takes faith to give thanks for the gift of each day, to see each day, even rough days, as loaded with possibility, as a stage set for God’s work in us and among us.
This week in your sacred space, place your rosary or a candle so you have a reminder of God’s presence in the midst of the crazy and busy schedules we all have set for ourselves. Focus at least for a few minutes each day on the gift of quiet time with God. Perhaps you will make a “thanksgiving” list of moments where you have found joy. “On this day the Lord has acted. We will rejoice and be glad in it.” Psalm 118:24
If you have not already done so, prepare your holy and sacred space with the green cloth from your Sacred Space tool kit and write out a verse of scripture to reflect on this week. Do not waste your precious gift of time on regrets of the past or on anxious planning for the future. Enjoy today for it is a gift from God and will not come again. Blessings, Mo Pat+



Share this on your social network:

A Word from Mother Pat+: Hear My Cry! The pain of loss.

All of us have experienced the recent loss of members of this parish. One after another the losses seem to just keep coming. Even if we did not know them personally, we are still impacted by their deaths. In the past year many faithful long-time members of this parish have died, and we have celebrated their lives together hoping that each one would be the last one: Ron Peterson, Alice Deloach, Jackie Hightower, Walt Hobbs, Janette Chappell, Gayle Woodruff, Fr. Doug Coil, Nancy Drury, and Eddy Morgan. Each life was lived faithfully, and each person’s death seemed to surprise us with the suddenness of their passing from this life to the next.
What are we to do? How do we grieve with hope and joy? Why, we may ask, does it happen like this? I do not have the answers to these questions; but I do have some suggestions for how we move forward while honoring those who have transitioned to eternal life.
First, recognize your losses – cry out to God in your prayers; for God hears our cry. If you cannot find the words, read a psalm many of which are laments to God. Read the prayers in the Book of Common Prayer, there are many prayers which may express our heart-felt pain. We can come together in worship recognizing our common dependence on God and on each other. The Wednesday 10:30 am healing service is one place we can be open about our losses, our concerns, our joys and our sorrows. Perhaps you may find solace writing your thoughts in a journal. In whatever way you choose, express to God your sense of loss and pain. Yes, God knows your loss and pain before you ever share it; but it is in the sharing that we find comfort.
Second, it is wise to engage in a community of support. Reach out to friends, clergy, members of the pastoral care team or others to talk and share. Grieving a loss is both personal and communal. Each of you who have lost a spouse, parent, friend or family member experience the loss in profound and unique ways; and yet this faith community has experienced that loss also and sometimes it feels like the losses just keep coming. Although it feels overwhelming when we as a community experience so many deaths in such a short period of time; we can rely on God’s Holy Presence to sustain and support us when we don’t think we can go on.
When we are in the midst of loss, it is often impossible to see a way forward; but God has promised that those we no longer see in our midst are still with us in God’s eternal presence. So we slowly acknowledge our losses and we begin to see a path into the future guided by God’s Spirit. Our personal and communal pain does not go away, but it changes from anguish to sorrow to sadness and eventually to joy as we honor and remember the faithful lives of those who walked this path with us and those who still walk with us yet unseen from our earthly perspective.
Scripture tells us that God listens for our cry. Jesus in times of trial called God, “Abba, Father” and he taught us to pray as children of God saying, “Our Father …”. We are members of God’s family. God always hears our cries. God’s love surrounds us, and God’s love lifts us up with the Spirit’s words which nourish our souls; even if we don’t understand the divine language used to speak of the love, hope and joy that God has for each of us.
We are God’s children and heirs of God’s eternal kingdom. God now asks us, as members of God’s family, to reach out to provide comfort and hope to others. God’s love gives us the strength to offer words of hope, joy and love to those who don’t think that anyone will ever respond to their pain and grief. We are God’s beloved children, and no cry goes unanswered. As God’s family, we pray for each other and for all those who mourn. May our words of hope, joy and love strengthen and build God’s family.
Come join around God’s table every week to offer God our worship, to share in fellowship, and to reach out in response to the cries of God’s people. For we are all God’s beloved forever, whether in this life or in the next. Mother Pat+



Share this on your social network:

A Word from Mother Pat+: Wings of Steel

To start you off on your Summer, consider this reflection entitled “wings of steel”. You may have seen it before; but it bears repeating.

Wings of Steel: A man found a cocoon of a butterfly. One day a small opening appeared. He sat and watched the butterfly for several hours as it struggled to force its body through that little hole. Then it seemed to stop making any progress. It appeared as if it had gotten as far as it could, and it could go no further.

So, the man decided to help the butterfly. He took a pair of scissors and snipped off the remaining bit of the cocoon. The butterfly then emerged easily. But it had a swollen body and small, shriveled wings. The man continued to watch the butterfly because he expected that, at any moment, the wings would enlarge and expand to be able to support the body, which would contract in time.

Neither happened! In fact, the butterfly spent the rest of its life crawling around with a swollen body and shriveled wings. It never was able to fly. What the man, in his kindness and haste, did not understand was that the restricting cocoon and the struggle required to get through the tiny opening were God’s way of forcing fluid from the body of the butterfly into its wings. It would then be ready for flight once it achieved its freedom from the cocoon.

Sometimes, struggles are exactly what we need in our lives. If God allowed us to go through our lives without any obstacles, it would cripple us. We would not be as strong as we could have been. We could never fly! This is true for us as individuals and true for us as a community of faith. This interim period is somewhat like the struggle of the emerging butterfly from the cocoon. It is a process which cannot be rushed; and it is a time when it feels like a struggle just to gain a bit of what we might think of as progress. However, I can assure you that the work of this interim period is important work; which, when done patiently and prayerfully will yield a wonderful partnership between the parish and the new rector. Over and over in the life of a parish there are periods where we cocoon in safety and times when we must work to emerge and fly with strong wings always guided by the Holy Spirit.

In this interim period, the parish has also faced a number of losses. These losses have been both a loss of community as many people have yet to return to in-person gatherings and the loss of long-time members of the congregation due to death. Perhaps it is also helpful to remember the cocoon and butterfly when we think of these changes; because these losses force us to face the pain of grief and the struggle to look forward to a future which builds on the gifts of those who have died. As a parish, you are now struggling, working and growing to prepare to finish breaking out of the cocoon so that once again the metamorphosis will allow for flight on strong wings of steel.

May the desires of your heart come true, and may you experience God’s presence everyday as you work for God’s kingdom.. May Goodness, Kindness, and Mercy come your way. And, may you gain Wisdom and grow in your faith every day.

Have a blessed day.  Mother Pat+



Share this on your social network:

A Word from Mother Pat+: Canoe

I hope you find these short reflections meaningful and helpful. The focus during this interim time has been on our baptismal vows and our common life together; because that is our call as Christians. In this interim time (this transition time), you and I journey together toward a common goal. What is that goal, you might ask? The goal of a vibrant worshiping community at St. Matthew’s who come together to be equipped in order to go out and make Christ known in the world. During this interim time, you as a parish seek to discern your core values and to honestly evaluate your gifts and your challenges; and then you build a profile (a story) of who you are and who you seek as a permanent Rector. As I have said to many of you, this is a time which feels unsettled and uncertain in many ways because you are being invited into a period of change and change always feel uncomfortable even when it is change that we want.

Layered on top of this leadership transition has been the recent losses of long-time active members of this parish. These deaths have reminded us of the ever-changing nature of our common life together and of our need to share in community giving support to each other. In addition, we likely will face increased economic uncertainty which often adds to our sense of anxiety and challenge.

I came across a metaphor the other day and I thought that perhaps this imagery might help as we continue to journey in a time of change and in a world which often feels unstable to us. The metaphor is that of paddling a multi-person canoe through rapids. Think about it – in a canoe you have a few objectives. First, keep the canoe pointed in the right direction. Second, avoid immovable objects like rocks and trees in the water. Third, synchronize with others in the canoe.  And lastly, Keep paddling. Those steps can help us as we continue this journey together.

The Vestry and I help the parish stay pointed in the right direction and avoiding those obstacles which could take us off course. And of course all of us are in the same canoe – paddling together toward St. Matthew’s common goal to continue the incarnation of Jesus by serving, caring and witnessing to the presence of  Christ. We also focus and paddle together in the Diocese to create an ever-widening group of joyful committed Christians who seek to know Christ through worship and service. In addition, the search committee seeks to take an open and honest look at the successes and challenges St. Matthew’s has encountered and to help point to a place where the rapids end and the river moves smoothly again. But in the interim, we all have to work together to achieve the goal.

Come and join in worship, study and service so that you are equipped to make Christ known in the world where you live; and contribute your voice and your ministry to St. Matthew’s now and in the smooth waters to come.

May God’s joy be yours this day, Mother Pat+



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.