St. Matthews Episcopal Church

Episcopal Church in Snellville, GA

“See, I am sending my messenger to prepare the way before me, and the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple. The messenger of the covenant in whom you delight– indeed, he is coming, says the Lord of hosts. Malachi 3:1

Advent, Christmas Eve and Christmas Day Services

ADVENT & CHRISTMAS WORSHIP AT ST. MATTHEW’S

1st & 2nd Sundays in Advent
8:00 and 10:30 a.m. Holy Eucharist
Epiphany Choir will play Dec 9 at 10:30 a.m.

3rd Sunday in Advent, December 16
8:00 and 10:30 a.m. Holy Eucharist

5:30 p.m. Service of Lessons & Carols—
Nursery provided through age 6

4th Sunday in Advent, December 23
Holy Eucharist at 8:00
Holy Eucharist at 10:30 a.m. with Baptism

Christmas Eve, December 24 **
4:00 p.m. Family Eucharist Service
with Christmas Pageant, Junior Choir
and Cherubs
7:30 p.m. Holy Eucharist
11:00 p.m. Festive Holy Eucharist
(with incense), Sanctuary Choir
and Hand Bell Choir
Prelude starts at 10:30 p.m. with Carols

Christmas Day, December 25**
10:00 a.m. Holy Eucharist with Carols

1st Sunday After Christmas Day, December 30
10:00 a.m. Holy Eucharist (One Service Only)

**Please note there will be no nursery available on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day so that nursery volunteers may attend church with their families. ALL children of all ages are welcome in church.  Nursery is available for ages 6 mos. through age 4 on regular Sundays at  the 10:30 service.



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Ingathering : Consecration Sunday is November 18

SINGLE COMBINED SERVICE

AT 9:30 a.m.

followed by a

THANKSGIVING  POTLUCK FEAST

Bring your favorite side dish or dessert to share. You can sign up to bring a dish on the poster on the bulletin board in the main hallway.

Meats and beverages will be provided.

Please plan to attend this special service and dinner.

You may complete a Consecration Sunday Reservation Card (found in the narthex) to let us know you will attend worship and the luncheon,



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Acolyte Training Workshop November 17

The Acolyte Ministry will hold a training session from 10 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 17, in the church fellowship hall to prepare for the Advent and Christmas seasons.
The workshop will be in two sessions: acolytes, ages 8-12, will train from 10 a.m. to 12 pm. Acolytes, ages 13 and up will train from 1 to 3 p.m. Lunch will be provided.
Acolytes play a vital role in our worship service. The workshop is a chance to sharpen acolyte skills and etiquette. The workshop will also be a time to measure for albs (robes) and update contact information.
Attendance is strongly encouraged as we plan for new processes and services during the Christmas season. Kindly RSVP by email to dockjones@gmail.com or by text or voice to 404-217-8172.



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New This Season!! Christmas Pageant At St. Matthew’s!

Our seminarian, Karen Anderson, is leading the plan to offer a Christmas pageant at St. Matt’s for the Family Service on Christmas Eve (at 4:00 p.m this year).
To do that, we are looking for children ages 6-12 who want to be involved in some fashion in helping us tell the story of the birth of Jesus. We have parts for kids who want to practice their theater skills and share some lines from memory with us, and we have roles for those who would prefer to simply be part of the fun! Rehearsals will be on Sunday afternoons in November and December.
An information meeting will be held Sunday October 28th at 2: 00 p.m. in the parish hall.
We are also looking for parents, older youth and other adults who would commit to being part of the team to make this a success, including costumes, lighting, sound, etc, and assistants to the director. We would really like this to be a parish-wide effort to tell the story of the birth of our Savior!
Contact Karen Anderson for more information on getting involved:
(770) 979-4210, ext 200



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Evening Of Remembrance Sunday, November 4

NOVEMBER 4, ALL SAINTS SUNDAY
6:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m. Quiet Reflection
7:30 p.m. Memorial Service with
Reading of the Names
If you have friends and family you would like commemorated during this service, PLEASE LIST THEIR NAMES IN THE THE RED SIGN-UP BOOK IN THE PASS-THROUGH BETWEEN THE MAIN HALLWAY AND THE NARTHEX. All names should be submitted by Wednesday, October 31st. All names will appear in the bulletin on Sunday, November 4th.
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. There will be quiet time beginning at 6:30 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. At 7:30, a brief memorial service will be held in the sanctuary during which the names of those we have lost will be read.
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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Choir Practice/Rehearsal Times

Sanctuary Choir

Join the Sanctuary Choir! Choir rehearsals are Wednesday evening from 7:20 p.m. to 8:45 p.m.. in the choir room, located in the Christian Education wing. Contact Kyle Osborne for more details.

Hand Bells

Hand bells practice Wednesdays at 5:30 p.m. in the in the choir room, located in the Christian Education wing. If you are interested in playing hand bells please contact Sharon Ferrell.

Cherub Choir

Cherub Choir has begun practice on Sunday mornings from 10:15 – 10:45 a.m. in the Christian Education wing. All children ages three through second grade are encouraged to join this energetic group. Cherubs sing approximately once per month at the 10:30 service. Contact Laura Starratt for more information.

NEW! Children’s Choir

Children’s Choir is new at St. Matthew’s! They practice on Wednesday from 6:30 p.m. – 7:10 p.m. in the choir room. All children from third through sixth grade are encouraged to take part in this new music ministry at St. Matthew’s. Come make a joyful noise for the Lord! Contact Kyle Osborne or Sharon Ferrell for more information.

Epiphany Choir (Folk/Praise Choir)

The Epiphany Choir practices Monday nights at 7:00 p.m. in the sanctuary. If you sing or play guitar, banjo, fiddle or other instruments,  contact Flip Porter for more information. The Epiphany Choir plays every 1-2 months at the 10:30 service.

Instrumental (Any Age)

Calling all instrumentalists! If you play an instrument and would like to share your talents in worship please contact Kyle Osborne .  All ages are invited to participate,



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Photos From Worship and Celebration in Honor of Sally Ulrey’s Ministry

Check out photos of Sunday’s Celebration of Sally’s Ministry!

.

After 15 years of serving St. Matthew’s, Sally Ulrey’s last day was July 31.  We worshiped together Sunday using a liturgy that was composed in part by alumni of Sally’s youth program. Youth participatde by serving as acolytes, greeters, ushers, lectors, communion ministers and musicians. The worship music was that used during services at youth gatherings.  A reception for Sally and her family followed in the Parish Hall. We will miss Sally, and wish her Godspeed in her ministry. She was a blessing to all of us here at St. Matthew’s.

Our youth with our visitors from St. Mark’s in Jacksonville, preparing to head to the Church of the Common Ground

Youth Service Retreat “Seek & Serve”

 



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A Thank You Note From Mother Liz+

This last Sunday’s service of Pentecost was a great celebration – of the coming of the Spirit, of the reflection of the Holy Spirit as seen in baptism of three new children into the body of Christ, and in the welcome of new families to membership at St. Matthew’s at both the 8 and 10:30am services. AND we celebrated graduation of six high school seniors!

I would like to thank all of those who worked to make the Sunday so special: the altar guild, the flower guild, the great decorations, the choir, the children’s participation, Tammy Pearson’s altar flowers – there are so many more people I could list – it just goes to prove our motto – it REALLY is the people! Thank you! Mother Liz+



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9 To 99 Sunday School Class “Expressions of Faith” Workshop

Many thanks to all who attended the 9 to 99 Sunday School, where parishioners ages 9 and up participated, learning ways to express their faith.  Special thanks to all who facilitated a workshop: Sylvia Campbell for Communion Bread, Nancy Piechowiak and the Knit, Crochet & ray group for “Crochet and Pray”, Beth DiGiovanni and Janis Williams for Altar Flower Arranging, Sally Ulrey for Praying in Color, and Diane Eberhart for Easter Stories!  Everyone had a great time, and it was a chance to get to know each other across generations!

 



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The Great 50 Days of Easter

I have had questions each year about some of the changes in the worship service that take place immediately after Lent.
The time from the Great Vigil through the Sunday celebration of the Feast of Pentecost is known in the Church as the Great Fifty Days. As with many Christian celebrations, it takes its roots from Jewish tradition. The feast we call Pentecost is drawn from the Jewish celebrations of Passover and Shavuot. The time between Passover and Shavuot is known as the Feast of Weeks, which counted a week of weeks, or 49 days, with Shavuot occurring on the 50th day. Shavuot was originally an agricultural festival, but it came to be celebrated as the giving of the Law to Moses on Mount Sinai.

Pentecost, also known as Whitsunday, is the eighth and last Sunday of Easter. Since Easter is not just one day, but a season, there are practices the church does to mark this time as a special time of celebration:

  • The Paschal candle is lighted during all services.
  • The Easter acclimation is used at Eucharist and at the daily offices.
  • “Alleluia, alleluia” is added to the dismissal at Eucharist celebrations and the daily offices; fraction anthems including Alleluias are chosen, as are hymns with multiple Alleluias.
  • The Confession of sin may be omitted entirely during the 50 days.
  • Some churches follow the prohibition made during the Council of Nicea in the fourth century that prohibited kneeling during the great 50 days, whether during the Eucharistic prayer or when receiving communion at the altar.
  • A lesson from the Acts of the Apostles is appointed for every day during the Great 50 Days, and is used as the first reading on Sunday, in place of the Old Testament lesson.
  • Since the entire season is a celebration, the vestments and altar colors are white.

Since it helps us to remember that Easter is a season and not ust a Sunday St. Matthew’s follows most of these changes during the Great 50 Days. See how many you notice this Sunday!

The Lord is Risen indeed, Alleluia, alleluia!!
Peace,
Liz+



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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.