St. Matthews Episcopal Church

Episcopal Church in Snellville, GA

“Do not fear, for I have redeemed you;
I have called you by name, you are mine.” Isaiah 43:1b

2019 Vestry Candidates

St. Matthew’s Annual Parish Meeting

9:00 a.m.: Coffee & donuts & Sign In  
9:30 a.m.: Annual Meeting:
Election of four vestry members
Click here for candidate information
Parish business
Forum discussions
followed by one combined Service. 
12:30 p.m (time approx.): Annual Brotherhood Fish Fry!

CANDIDATES FOR VESTRY 2019:

Elliot Griffiths

Elliot was “brought” (he didn’t have a choice at the time) to St. Matthew’s in the mid-late 80’s by his father Tom Griffiths.  We quickly found this to be our church home and were very active until the early-mid 2000’s.  He now attends with his own family: Jenny (wife), Ian (son age 11), and Ethan (son age 8), can be found at church most Sundays.

Elliot works as a Supervisor to the emergency services division of a restoration company which is why he always has one eye on the “bat phone” (yes even in church… sorry, Mtr Liz).  He went to college for music and spent some time touring around the southeast in his younger(dumber) years.

He was heavily involved with the youth and the New Beginnings movement as a participant at weekend number….. drum roll………….1.  He served on team and didn’t miss a single New Beginnings weekend for nearly 15 years.  As a young adult he led music on the weekend and in general, helped set the stage for how the weekend currently stands…..which is awesome 😂….. Recently, since his return, he is more involved with the children’s ministry and education (having children in the program and also teaching J2A).

Elliot’s vision for St. Matthews is steady, smart growth.  To continue the trend of the Episcopal Church in its methodology of accepting all no matter what, under GOD. We all have something to give to the church just like we all have something we can take away from the church in our own individual lives. He would like to also see further development within the youth programs.  As a product of the church, he always had the feeling that he was really a part of something special.  While he does not spend as much time in the youth today as he once did, he would like to become familiar enough to ensure that the feeling is still thriving.  Our youth make up the future of our church (and world).  Molding these lives with productivity, GOD and love are absolutely paramount in these times.

Bernard McGhee

Bernard was raised Roman Catholic but became an Episcopalian as an adult. He started going to St. Matthew’s about two years ago after moving to Gwinnett County from Atlanta, where he and his family went to St. Luke’s.

He grew up in the New Orleans area and majored in Mass Communication at Xavier University of Louisiana. After graduating from college, he started working for The Associated Press, where he spent time at AP bureaus in Seattle, Iowa and South Dakota, before coming to Atlanta in 2004. He currently works as an editor on the news agency’s South regional desk in downtown Atlanta.

Bernard is married to Elizabeth, who also attends St. Matthew’s, and they have a 7-year-old son named Maxwell. When not working, Bernard enjoys reading, writing fiction, listening to music and watching movies.

Becky Olbon

Becky was born in Boaz, Alabama but grew up in Bowling Green, Kentucky. She has been married to Clay Olbon for 27 years and they have two adult children, Tara and Nate. Becky was baptized and confirmed at the Cathedral of St Phillips in 2002.

At St. Matthew’s, Becky is currently a member of the Outreach and Finance committees and serves as the 1C1P liaison with the Snellville PD. She also serves as a greeter and as a member of the Preschool executive board.

In the past she has served on the vestry as the Building and Grounds liaison and as the Youth liaison as well as Junior Warden,

Becky’s vision for St. Matthew’s is one in which we continue to grow our Inreach and Outreach ministries so that we are serving God and our community to the best of our abilities.

Sam Rotella

My choice to become a member of the Episcopal Church was an easy decision my wife Priscilla you either join or there’s no us. Both were 2 of my best life decisions.

My now 47 year career spans leadership, sales, business development, facilitation and working with clients to achieve their vision. As a business we look at our purpose is to” give back the gifts of our skills and learning with passion and commitment to make a difference for our clients”

At St. Matt’s I have chaired long range planning for 2 1/2 years, worked on a series of projects for Mother Liz and the Vestry as well as currently being involved in Christian formation.

It is not my job to determine the vision of St. Matt’s but rather to facilitate the achievement of an aligned parish vision.



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Epiphany Study — Paul’s Letters to the Romans

Adult Christian Education                               EPIPHANY STUDY

Explore Christ’s redeeming love by reading Paul’s letter to the Roman’s each day with tens of  thousands of Episcopalians throughout the world.

 during Epiphany

January 7th to March 5th

Readings for the Week!

Epiphany Weekly Readings- Week2

1/ 6, 13, 20;  2/ 3, 10, 17, 24;

 



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New Vestry Members Elected At the Annual Parish Meeting January 27, 2019

Congratulations to our newest vestry members Eliot Griffiths, Bernard McGhee, Becky Olbon, and Sam Rotella, elected at the Annual Parish Meeting. They will serve a three year term. Members also reviewed the 2019 budget and participated in table discussions  about the year(s) ahead. This year kicks off a celebration of St. Matthew’s 40 years of ministry in the Snellville / Gwinnett County area, as the parish looks ahead to the next forty years and beyond.

A single combined Eucharist service followed the meeting, and the Brotherhood of St. Andrew hosted its annual Fish Fry after the service.

St. Matthew’s extends heartfelt thanks to Oscar De Leon, Mara DiGiovanni, Scott McEvoy and Beth Still for their faithful service on the vestry these past three years, and thanks to Eliot, Bernard, Becky and Sam as they begin their three year term.

 



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Santa / St. Nick Breakfast Was So Fun!

Check out the photos from our Santa/St. Nick Breakfast held Saturday, December 8. Santa and St. Nicholas paid a visit to talk to the children about God’s love and to tell the story of God’s greatest gift to us–Jesus Christ, God’s only Son. Yummy pancake breakfast, crafts and stories made it a really fun morning!



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Junior Worship

Teaching the Traditions of Worship To Our Children

The liturgy of the Episcopal Church is participatory– that is, those attending take part in the service by singing, praying, listening and responding to what is happening during the service. The goal of Junior Worship is to help children understand the parts of the service, to help get them ready to sit and worship with their families on Sundays through the whole service.  Junior Worship occurs during the first part of the 10:30 service on Sundays. Children ages 5-8 (through 3rd grade) follow the verger out of church and return to their families at the Peace so they can take Communion with their families.

Junior Worship follows the outline of a regular church service. The lead can wear a chasuble much like what Mother Liz wears. The kids get a kick out of it! They even have our own bulletins. The kids enjoy the up-close approach to the altar where they can touch everything and ask questions. They walk into the classroom down the center aisle of their “pews”; they sing, light candles (battery operated of course) and follow along in their bulletins as they would in “Big” church. They say the Children’s Creed, the Prayers of the Children (Prayers of the People), the I’m Sorry (confession), and the Lord’s Prayer.

Lessons in Junior Worship are different from what the children are learning in Sunday School. What we’re trying to teach are the “nuts and bolts” of the church, answering questions they may have while they sit in service with their families. Hopefully, once they understand what is happening, when, and why, they will be better equipped to sit all the way through service. Remember, the service can sometimes seem long to adults, too!

Check out the pictures for a little taste of what we’re doing!



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Musings From Mother Liz: An Exceptional First Week of Advent

As some of you are aware, I took quite a tumble on Wednesday and ended up in the Emergency Room at Eastside Hospital. I was having lunch with Lynne Kiker when my foot hit a chair or table leg on the way back to my table and I fell, hitting my head on one of the wooden tables and landing hard on my left shoulder. Two men whom I did not know helped me to my feet and the manager of the Panera brought me an ice bag for my throbbing head. It only took about three minutes to realize that the size of the lump on my head suggested that I get it checked. And I needed something for the headache!

Lynne drove me to the ER and stayed with me and she was joined by Susan Carson, who later drove me home in my own car and arranged for her daughter-in-law to help coordinate the collection of cars. Everything checked out as okay, and they gave me a script for headache medicine, which Susan was kind enough to pick up from the pharmacy. John Eberhart stopped by to see how I was doing and prepared a snack along with a giant glass of ginger ale.

Samantha Renfro, my senior warden, suggested that I take some time to recover; Vicki Conway brought me soup and bread from Panera the next day, and I have heard from many of you wanting to know what you can do to help me mend. I am much better, but at the same time, I am very glad that Mother Pat Miller has agreed to take the services this Sunday.

Since I have been doing little besides sleeping and reading since the mishap on Wednesday, there has been time for reflection. I realized that what I experienced this week is the action that comes with Advent. We think of Advent as a quiet time, and it is. But it is also a time of becoming more and more aware of the gift given by God in the coming of Christ. What I learned this week is that Advent is also about recognizing Christ when he comes through the love of others: through Lynne, and Susan and Anne and Vicki and Mother Pat, nurse Renee and the staff at Eastside, Charmaine, and John and Diane and Samantha and Deborah and Mitch, those two men whose names I will never know, Marjory the manager at Panera and all of you who have offered prayers, cards, text messages and warm thoughts for my recovery. Jesus comes to us constantly through the love of others, and that is especially true in this community of Christ we call St. Matthew’s.

This month, four years ago, I started to serve as your priest. It has been an amazing four years and you have taught me much and given me even more. As I reflect on the journey that brought me here, and the love and care you have shown these past four years, I am grateful to God for revealing a side of Advent I had not thought about before – how Christ comes through the loving action of others. May this Advent be full of God’s profound Peace, and may Christmas fill you with God’s profound joy. Liz+



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ECW Christmas Pot Luck Fellowship

The ECW (Episcopal Church Women) held their annual Christmas pot luck dinner Monday evening,December 3. Many thanks to all who brought yummy food to share, and to those who set up and cleaned up after! This year instead of doing an ornament exchange members brought socks, lotion and other items to be donated to outreach ministries selected by St. Matthew’s Outreach committee. 128 pairs of socks, candy, an umbrella, a stuffed animal, and 20 bottles of lotion were donated! The socks and some of the other items will all go to the Church of the Common Ground in Atlanta for distribution to the homeless. Many thanks to all for your generous donations. Check out the pictures of this fun evening!



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Musings from Mother Liz

Dear Beloved, Advent is upon us! What is known in the world as the Christmas Shopping Season has an almost opposite meaning in the Church. Rather than the busyness that inevitably comes with this month before Christmas, Advent invites us to slow down and reflect on the miracle that gave us the reason for Christmas: God chose to become incarnate and dwell with us in the Person of his Son Jesus Christ. Last Sunday, we finished Year B with acknowledgement of Christ as King. This Sunday, we begin the story again, but told through the voice of St Luke.
It is my favorite season, and I think I put more emphasis on the first Sunday of Advent than January 1st as the start of a new year. That’s because this time in the church calendar invites us into a season of hope – hope that counters the encroaching darkness of winter; hope that tells us that as difficult as things may be, the resiliency and persistence of God in Christ to bring light into that darkness perdures (endures).
I mark time using an Advent wreath at home that I light as I begin evening prayers. There is something about the light of those candles as the day goes dark and cold that is meaningful to me. I keep the wreath lit through the reciting of the Phos hilaron (BCP 118), so that the candles might last the whole season of Advent. The lighting of the wreath and the praying of the Evening Office settles my heart and mind for the evening. All the stress of the day fades as I consider the miracle of God’s love in the gift of his Son.
Last year, I put together a list of readings materials that are good to mark the season. If you would like a copy of the list, send me an email and I will send it to you. This year, I would like to share a couple of websites that will have Advent meditations on line. The first is from my seminary in Austin, the Seminary of the Southwest. The link can be found here: https://ssw.edu/blog/advent-meditation-sunday-december
If you click on the link, on the right side you will see a place where you can enter your email to sign up.
The other link is from Virginia Theological Seminary. The link can be found here:
There may be other places on-line, but these are two good ones with which to start.
I pray that you are able to set a side time for prayer, or reflection, or just time to be quiet, so that you are able to prepare your heart for God’s gift to us at Christmas: Emmanuel, God with us.
Advent Blessings,
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.