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+



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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.



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A Word from Mother Pat+: Pentecost

Hey Y’all, It’s Pentecost!

Pentecost and the gift of the Holy Spirit marks the beginning of a new season that we call the season after Pentecost. The season after Pentecost is the time we actually live in. This season has no penitential or joyous tone. This is real time – the here and now. The time after the coming of the Holy Spirit and the time before the glorious return of Christ. We live in this season which the church celebrates for the longest span of time each year.

Most of the readings for this season are about Jesus’ life and teachings. We learn about Jesus and we learn to see ourselves. We meet Jesus on the road to Emmaus. We recognize Jesus every week in the breaking of the bread. We come together to be fed and to be strengthened so that we can go out into the world as Jesus did. We go out to meet people where they are and to show them God by our actions.

The time we live in is filled with hectic activity and we long for the slower summer pace and for vacations. This season after Pentecost is a slower season, but the demands of discipleship do not take a vacation. Remember, Jesus gave us one commandment, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and Love your neighbor as yourself.” Jesus reminded us that by showing love for each other we would be recognized as his disciples.

We live in a world where poverty, hunger, violence and injustice seem overwhelming.  We are called to action, for Jesus said that we will be recognized by the love we show.

Remember the hungry every time you go into the grocery store. Take an action – buy something to donate to the co-op every time you shop for yourself. Your donations can be put in the bins at the church each week. Remember the homeless every time you buy shoes and clothes and donate to the Church of the Common Ground. Take an action – give something (new or used) to the charity of your choice. Remember the oppressed and forgotten every time you make a choice of what to eat, where to see a movie, or cast a ballot in an election. Take an action – support organizations which fight for human rights around the world.  Let your elected representatives and senators know your positions on important issues which affect our community and the world. Visit the lonely, share what you have, offer your gifts in ministry and service.

O God, through the power of your Holy Spirit, help us to see the needs of those around us and grant us the strength and courage to actively be part of your saving actions in the world.

God’s peace and joy, Mo Pat+



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A Word from Mother Pat+: Ascension

This week we celebrate a major event in the life of the church, on Thursday May 26th, we are reminded of Jesus’ Ascension. The Readings for this major feast day:  Acts 1:1-11; Ephesians 1:15-23; Luke 24:49-53. The Ascension is such an important event that we also have special readings for this Sunday which follows the Ascension. By the time you get this newsletter and reflection, the feast of the Ascension will have already occurred, so I thought it was appropriate to remind each of us about this event in Jesus’ life and how it can connect us to our ministries and to one another in new ways.

Jesus ascends back to the Godhead and the disciples will have to learn to walk by faith alone – no more surprise visits by the risen Jesus in the upper room, on the road to Emmaus or for breakfast on the beach. Jesus will ascend and will send the Holy Spirit to serve as that constant reminder of God’s presence – nothing will ever be the same again and the disciples are just beginning to discover that reality as they search for Jesus and wait for the power from on high which Jesus promises them.

We, as individuals, and as a community of faith have been experiencing stress and upheaval in our lives over the past few years as this pandemic spread and impacted the whole world. It seems like all we hear is how this disease is causing suffering and death; yet God has provided scientists with knowledge to create treatments and vaccines. As we continue to protect others by practicing acts of love, we also protect ourselves with the gifts of vaccines and masks and lots of cleaning products. As the course of this pandemic seems to be improving, maybe this is the time for us to stop and reflect on how we might take the lessons of Easter, Ascension and Pentecost into our new model of life.

Jesus’ ascension in whatever manner it happened; is not so much about the actual facts of the event as it is about what the event means to us. Jesus is not really absent, but he is now present in a different way than he was. In fact, the command Jesus gave the disciples was to wait, to stay in Jerusalem and wait for God’s power to “clothe” them.

Jesus desire for the disciples to wait had to do with their listening to each other and to God for clarity of purpose. The 10 days between Ascension and Pentecost are days to wait, days to listen, days to anticipate God’s Spirit anew in our lives. The first disciples did not know what to expect. However, they trusted Jesus even after he disappeared from them in mid-blessing. They returned to the city and waited.

The disciples waited unsure of what to expect; but it was a waiting filled with purpose – the purpose was to hear and see what God would call them to do next.  We too are called to spend this time of interim ministry waiting and working for God’s kingdom:  Purposefully waiting to be filled anew and refreshed by the power from on high; Waiting to hear God’s plan for us; Waiting for the pandemic to really end and a return to “normal”;  Waiting to see what new ministries emerge out of this pandemic; Waiting for the selection of a new rector; Waiting in order to find Jesus in our midst in new and different ways. So the ascension is not about Jesus’ leaving – it is about his very real presence with us.

We all know that the Spirit which Jesus had promised – came to them. Now instead of being confined to one physical place and time, Jesus can be everywhere in all time through the power of the Spirit. That holiness, which was once concentrated just in him, at that first Pentecost filled the early disciples as it now fills all of us who call Jesus, Lord.  Each of us has the powerful Holy Spirit in our hearts and lives.

St. Matthew’s is not a building or simply a place of worship. St. Matthew’s is all of you.  Each person filled with God’s Holy Presence becomes an apostle, a representative of Christ. We have begun to re-gather, we will recover, we will find a new rector, and we will continue to be God’s presence in this time and place. Now is the time to purposely wait, listen, pray and discern how God is inviting you to a new opportunity. Keep searching for what God wants you to see and to do. Be open to God’s surprises in the people you meet and in the work God calls you to undertake. God’s Holy Spirit will guide the nominating committee, the vestry, and those God will lead to this place. Searching is a part of how God reveals God’s self to us – God continues to seek us out and we continue to seek God. May your waiting be filled with Godly surprises. Mother Pat+



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A Word from Mother Pat+: The Search

Here we are in the 5th week of the Easter season, and we find ourselves searching. In this season many of our readings have Jesus searching for us and in other Sunday readings we are searching for Jesus. As a parish, St. Matthew’s is in the midst of the search for a new rector, so I thought perhaps we should reflect on what it means to search and what happens when we find what we seek.

When we search for something, we have some idea of what we are looking for, but often in the very process of searching we discover that we really need something else. For example, the early disciples sought the risen Jesus because they still wanted the familiar companionship of his presence at the table and on the road. The disciples wanted it to be like it was before the crucifixion, but that was not to be. Jesus clearly tells Mary Magdalene in the garden that she is not to cling to him or try to hold onto him, because things are different now. Jesus is no longer bound by temporal time or earthly boundaries; and yet the disciples would like things to return to the way they were. We all like things to return to whatever we think is “normal” or the way they were before the disruption or change; but that is not how it works.

Jesus will soon ascend back to the Godhead forever and the disciples will have to learn to walk in faith in a different way – no more surprise visits by the risen Jesus in the upper room or for breakfast on the beach. Jesus will ascend and will send the Holy Spirit to serve as that constant reminder of God’s presence in their lives – nothing will ever be the same again and the disciples are just beginning to discover that reality as they search for Jesus and wait for the power from on high which Jesus promises them.

St. Matthew’s is also searching and in the discernment process, you as a parish have discovered that what you thought you wanted and needed might indeed be different than the familiar things of the past. In your searching for a new rector, St. Matthew’s may discover new ways to work for God’s kingdom. You have been praying for God to lead you to the person whom God has also called to look for you. Through the power of God’s Holy Spirit, you will find new ways to share ministry and leadership and to build God’s kingdom in this place.

So keep searching for what God wants you to see and to do. Be open to God’s surprises in the people you meet and in the work God calls you to do. God’s Holy Spirit will guide the nominating committee, the vestry, and those God will lead to this place. Searching is a part of how God reveals God’s self to us – God continues to seek us out and we continue to seek God. May your life and the life of this parish be filled with Godly surprises. Mother Pat+



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HISTORY

On April 5, 1979, 58 people met with Bishop Child to discuss the organization of an Episcopal church in Snellville. A formal organizational meeting was held in July of that year, at which time St. Matthew’s was given its name.

Regular Sunday services began on August 5, 1979, at Centerville Elementary School, with Fr. Gene Ruyle serving as priest-in-charge. In January of 1980, Fr. Franklin Thomas was appointed full-time vicar, and St. Matthew’s received full mission status.

Worship services were moved to the Snellville Civic Center in June of 1980, and property at the current site on Oak Road was purchased in August of that year.

A building fund drive launched in April of 1981 resulted in the completion of the new church building one year later; 592 people, representing 130 families, joyfully celebrated Palm Sunday in the new church on April 4, 1982.

In November of 1982, Fr. Thomas departed and Fr. Paul Gerlock became interim vicar.

On September 4, 1983, Fr. Edward Hanson was called as full-time vicar. During Fr. Hanson’s tenure, the church grew in membership to approximately 300 families and the budget increased from $60,000 to $195,000. St. Matthew’s attained full parish status during this period.

In November of 1989, Jim Crews became the first youth director at St. Matthew’s.  He remained with St. Matthew’s until June of 1995.

Fr. Hanson resigned in January of 1991. Fr. John Dukes and Fr. Scott Harris began serving as priests-in-charge.

On August 22, 1992, Fr. P. Douglas Coil was called as rector.

On January 5, 1997, the parish broke ground for the new Strickland Education Building. On May 18 that same year, ground-breaking for the new sanctuary was held. The new sanctuary was dedicated on April 19, 1998.

Fr. Jim Johnson came to St. Matthew’s as an assisting priest on February 22, 1998. He remained with the parish in that capacity until May 31, 2005.

Dan Mitchell joined the St. Matthew’s staff as music director on August 16, 1998 and retired in 2017. Dan composed a musical version of the Lord’s Prayer to our worship services that we continue to use to this day.

Jeff Tait, St. Matthew’s second youth minister, served between July of 1996 and May of 2002.

On June 1, 2003, St. Matthew’s called Sally Ulrey as full-time youth minister for the parish.

In July of 2005, Fr. Bradford Smith was called as associate rector of St. Matthew’s. Fr. Brad served the parish until November of 2009.

Fr. Doug retired on July 1, 2013, after twenty-one years as rector of St. Matthew’s and forty years in service to our Lord.

At that time, Mother Debra Metzgar Shew was appointed as priest for the interim.

The Reverend Canon Elizabeth Hendrick was called as our new rector and began her ministry during Advent in 2016.

Mother Liz would serve our parish until her retirement on January 31, 2021.

Kyle Osborne became the music director on April 16, 2018 and served the parish until the end of 2021.

Sally Ulrey departed St. Matthew’s on July 29, 2018. Sally is still active in the Diocese of Atlanta as part of the Bishop’s staff.

Reverend William “Tommy” Matthews was called as the Associate Rector on October 1, 2019. Father Tommy remained with the parish until July 25, 2021.

In September 2021, Reverend Doctor Patricia Miller was appointed as priest in the interim.

In early 2022, Matthew Edwards assumed the position of music director.

 



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New Beginnings 2022!

New Beginnings 2022 Kickoff

New Beginnings is a Middle School Episcopal renewal weekend held at Camp Mikell. Prayer Partners are family and friends who agree to pray intentionally for one or more of those attending the weekend as participants, team, or adult sponsors. Prayer Partners link the parish to the weekend, a tangible way to provide support and encouragement to our youth and those accompanying them.

Youth – St. Matthews Episcopal Church (stmatthewssnellville.org)




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A Word from Mother Pat+: Holy Week – a week like no other week….

Finally, we see the end coming near. Holy Week is that time when we journey with Jesus through the final days of his earthly life and we witness at the end of our journey the most amazing event – the death and resurrection of our Lord – the Paschal mystery which is the very core of Christian belief. This year will be unlike any other Holy Week you might have experienced as we will match Jesus’ movements as closely as we can and that means changes in our readings and in our worship.

We begin Holy Week with the blessing of palms this Sunday. At St. Matthew’s, this joyous celebration, commemorating the Lord’s entry into Jerusalem, is capped by a procession around the church campus so be careful as you come “flying in on Sunday not to hit people gathered outside for the procession of the palms. Then we continue to hear readings of Jesus’ day in Jerusalem before he heads to Bethany to stay at Mary, Martha and Lazarus’ house for a few days. There is no reading of the passion narrative on Palm Sunday this year – instead the passion narrative will be enacted by our youth on Good Friday when we believe the actual events occurred.

Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday of Holy Week tell us of how Jesus continued to surround himself with his close disciples and friends – each night at 7 p.m. we have a special liturgy with Holy Eucharist to share in this journey with Jesus. The readings for these services give us the background for what will quickly happen on Thursday and Friday. You may not have ever heard these readings and you are invited to come and find out how Jesus and his friends spent the first part of this week.

On Maundy Thursday we will gather for a final Eucharist. One aspect of this service is the (Mandatum which is Latin for command). Jesus washes the disciples feet and commands us to love one another as he has loved us. We join in this rite of Foot Washing to signal our readiness to serve others as Christ served. At the end of the Maundy Thursday liturgy we enact one of the most solemn rites of the Church year, the stripping of the Altar. The Altar and Sanctuary (tabernacle) light are symbols of Christ’s presence. In this ancient rite we commemorate the abandonment of Jesus by his followers and the stripping of Jesus by the soldiers prior to his crucifixion. To signify Jesus’ arrest and later crucifixion we extinguish the sanctuary light to remind us that the light of Christ has gone out of the world. Temporarily darkness seems to have the final word.

At noon on Good Friday when we assume the crucifixion might have occurred, we gather to walk the stations of the cross which remind us in graphic ways of the agony of Jesus in his walk to Golgotha and his death. In walking the stations of the cross, we stand symbolically with those who stood at the foot of the cross with Jesus in those final hours.

The 7 p.m. Friday evening the liturgy of Good Friday is divided into four parts. It begins in silence followed by the Liturgy of the Word which includes the Passion narrative from Mark’s Gospel which is lead by the youth of the parish. The second part is a solemn form of the prayers of the people. These bidding prayers and collects date as far back as the 3rd Century CE. It is traditional to kneel in prayer during the bidding and to stand during the collect. The third part, the Veneration of the Cross is a time to reflect on the cross as both an instrument of death and a symbol of the resurrection. ((For a bit of historical trivia, the veneration of the cross was first described in detail by Egeria (an early Christian): a fragment of the true Cross was processed to Calvary and, while the deacons stood guard, the bishop would lift it up for all to venerate. All would then come forward to kiss the cross. The deacons were in place to guard the relic because some particularly fervent pilgrims would try to bite off pieces of the cross to take home. The rite, minus the guards, remains much the same in our liturgy today.))  After anthems and silent veneration of the cross, then all depart in silence remembering the great sacrifice of Jesus on the cross. Jesus has died and been placed in the tomb just before sunset.

Holy Saturday at 10 a.m. we continue the liturgy which began on Maundy Thursday – no dismissal of the gathered faith community occurs from Maundy Thursday until Easter. This brief Saturday service of prayer and scripture is intended to mirror the disciples gathered in the upper room trying to hide from the authorities and praying for God’s guidance as Jesus, their friend and leader, has been killed and they are in mourning.

Then when evening arrives on Saturday, the Great Vigil of Easter begins with the lighting of a new fire outside and the recounting of the history of salvation. Vigils have a long history in the Church; frequently they lasted all night and culminated with the celebration of Eucharist at dawn. Our Great Vigil is not an all-night vigil, only about two hours. It is time well spent as this is the beginning of our move toward Easter and the recounting of salvation history is one of the most beautiful and ancient liturgies of the church. It begins with the blessing of a fire kindled outside about dusk. From this fire our Paschal candle is lit. This large candle will burn at all services during the fifty days of Easter and also burns at any baptisms and funerals. This candle reminds us that Christ, the Light of the World can overcome even the darkness of sin and death. We will process behind this candle into the dark church where we will gather in the light of this candle around the Baptismal font. At this point a cantor will chant the ancient hymn known as the Exultet. This hymn begins to tell the history of God’s tremendous love for creation and humankind. Following the readings from Scripture, water is blessed and if there are candidates for baptism they receive the sacrament at this time. We renew our baptismal vows and all are sprinkled with the blessed water. At this point in the Liturgy, we end our recounting of God’s actions in creation and we return at dawn to discover what God has done in the darkness of the night.

On Easter Sunday morning Alleluias, grand music and incense fill the air as we conclude our Holy Week celebrations with the festive Eucharists at 7 a.m. sunrise and 10:45 a.m. These beautiful celebrations are the apex of our liturgical life. In these liturgies, commemorating the Paschal mystery, we are connected with Christians from all over the world in our time, from the past, and those yet to come. We celebrate as resurrection people the victory of Jesus Christ over death and the grave, and we are reminded that we too have eternal life.

On Easter morning, bring bells and cut flowers, if you have them, as we celebrate with joy the gift of God’s love. Egg hunt to follow the 10:45 service for those 5th grade and younger.

 Come and journey with Jesus through Holy Week.  Don’t miss out on this most mysterious and wonderful spiritual journey – 7 p.m. each evening.



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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.