St. Matthews Episcopal Church

Episcopal Church in Snellville, GA

“‘Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob; that he may teach us his ways and that we may walk in his paths.’ Isaiah 2:3
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Annual Parish Meeting January 26

December 12, 2019

ANNUAL PARISH MEETING

Parish Affairs and Election of New Vestry Members and Council Delegates

Sunday, January 26, 2020
9:00 a.m. Sign-In / Coffee & Donuts
9:30 A.M. Meeting & Voting Begins
FOLLOWED BY HOLY EUCHARIST
(single combined service)
in the Sanctuary
BROTHERHOOD OF ST. ANDREW ANNUAL FISH FRY FOLLOWS THE SERVICE
(Old and New Vestry meets during the fish fry)



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Filed Under: Parish Life, Spotlight on Ministry, Stewardship

Christmas Eve and Christmas Day Worship Schedule

November 22, 2019

We invite you to worship with us this Christmas season as we celebrate the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ:

Christmas Eve — Tuesday, December 24

— 4:00 p.m. Family Eucharist with Christmas Pageant

— 7:30 p.m. Holy Eucharist with Incense

–10:30 p.m. Christmas Music

–11:00 p.m. Festive Holy Eucharist with Incense

Christmas Day, Wednesday, December 25

10:00 a.m. –Holy Eucharist

Sunday, December 29 

Holy Eucharist  10:00 a.m.



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Filed Under: Advent & Christmas, Worship

Calendar — Advent and Christmas at St. Matthew’s

November 22, 2019

 

To download a copy of the 2019 Advent and Christmas Calendar, click this link:

December Advent and Christmas Calendar 2019



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Filed Under: Advent & Christmas, News, Newsletters, Parish Life, Worship

Episcopal Relief & Development’s Gifts For Life Catalog

November 6, 2019

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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Filed Under: Global Mission, Ministries, News, Spotlight on Ministry

Musings From Mother Liz

October 17, 2019

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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Filed Under: News, Newsletters, Spotlight on Ministry, Stewardship

St. Matthew’s Evening of Remembrance — Traditions of Mourning and Celebration

October 17, 2019

For well over a decade now, St. Matthew’s has celebrated the lives of our deceased family members and friends by holding an Evening Of Remembrance (EOR). This event was founded by Judy Leavell and Ted Sokal. As Judy recently recalled, “Ted and I had returned from Poland, having experienced the All Saint’s evening there, and were so moved by what we saw, and the love expressed. That same year, several dear friends at St. Matt’s had died, and we thought it might be a way to honor them, and for all of us to celebrate the lives of those we’d lost. We approached Sally to see if the youth would come, and were overwhelmed at their reaction and acceptance. There was a huge turnout that year, and we all knew we had struck a chord.”

This year’s Evening Of Remembrance will be on November 3rd, with quiet meditation in various areas available from 6:30 pm to 7:30 pm, followed with a brief Reading Of The Names liturgy in the Sanctuary, ending at around 8pm. All cultures mourn their deceased loved ones, while at the same time celebrating these beautiful lives. Our EOR is an homage to this basic human need, and we participate in this ongoing part of life by recognizing different ways to mourn and celebrate. Perhaps most ancient of all is our human connection to fire, with its light and warmth. These qualities comfort us and uplift us, so there are many, many candles surrounding us at the EOR.

Music is truly an elemental part of being human, as it touches us emotionally in places where words cannot reach. The EOR has meditative, acoustic music in many areas – delicate guitar, mandolin, violin and bagpipe sounds softly fill the air throughout the evening. The acts of placing a single stone on a larger formation of many stacked stones (a cairn), or of placing a flower on a cross – these have come down to us from ancient times, and from many cultures. The stones represent a collective remembrance made up of individual voices, while the flowers symbolize a renewal, or a blooming of sorts, and a move to another existence. For Christians, the flowering of the cross represents the transition from Good Friday to Easter, from meditation on Jesus’ death to the joyful celebration of His resurrection. There will be a cross with a vase of flowers, and a cairn with a basket of stones – both offer the opportunities to remember and consider and reflect.

Meditative walking rituals have long given us a chance to focus our minds. Walking the labyrinth is one such ritual, as we turn ourselves over to the repetitive steps of our physical body, while our thoughts are freed to contemplate the different states of the life cycle. A labyrinth is an ancient symbol that relates to wholeness. It combines the imagery of the circle and the spiral into a meandering but purposeful path. The labyrinth represents a journey to our own center and back again out into the world. Labyrinths have long been used as meditation and prayer tools. In the Parish Hall, a large labyrinth will be set up for this kind of meditation.

Naming is an act of recognition. When we name, we are recognizing the importance of something in our lives. In the sanctuary, to conclude the EOR, one of the most powerful moments of the evening takes place at 7:30 when all the names of our loved ones are called out, and each receives an honorary tolling of the bell. In the Red Book on the table between the Narthex and the hallway which leads to the Parish Hall, please list any names that you would like to have remembered in this way, by October 20th. The names will also be printed in the November 3rd bulletin.

Please join us on the evening of November 3rd, as we continue, as a parish and beyond, to mourn and celebrate the lives of those that have gone on before us. Children are most welcome.



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Filed Under: Spotlight on Ministry, Worship

Lunch Bunch Kick-Off October 17

October 8, 2019

Attention All Lunch Bunch-ites!

The long and valued tradition of Lunch Bunch continues with Mother Liz as host. Join her on Thursday, October 17 at 12 noon at Three Blind Mice to kick off the 2019-2020 season of Lunch Bunch. As this is the first time out for this year, it is really important to know who will be coming so we can reserve adequate space. Please confirm with Mother Liz via email at rector@stmatthewssnellville.org. I look forward to seeing you there!
Lunch Bunch meets monthly at restaurants in the area for fellowship and conversation, and everyone is welcome. It’s a great way to get to know other members of the parish.
Three Blind Mice is located at 1066 Killian Hill Road, Lilburn, near the intersection of Five Forks Road and Killian Hill Rd. in Lilburn.



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Filed Under: Parish Life

ECW Annual Halloween Bingo Party

October 8, 2019

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

October 8, 2019

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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Filed Under: News, Spotlight on Ministry, Worship

Hurricane Dorian: What Can I Do To Help?

September 5, 2019

Here’s how Episcopal Relief and Development (ERD)is helping those affected by the hurricane.
To give to the ERD Hurricane Relief Fund, click here.



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Filed Under: Global Mission, Spotlight on Ministry

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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.

Copyright © 2019 · Log in · St. Matthew's Episcopal Church, 1520 Oak Road, Snellville GA 30078 / Phone: 770-979-4210 / Fax: 770-979-4211