Spotlight on Ministry Archives - Page 2 of 3 - St. Matthews Episcopal Church

Warden’s Corner: August Update

August 19, 2022

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

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

July 15, 2022

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

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VBS 2022 – Surf Shack! Registration is OPEN for Campers and Volunteers

June 3, 2022

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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Spotlight on Ministry: Flower Guild

April 1, 2022

Have you ever wondered about the beautiful flowers on the altar? Did you know that there is a small group that arranges them each week? At one time in St. Matthew’s history the flowers were purchased from local florists in Snellville and the altar guild would place them on the altar. The guild was formed by Ildy Mezey in 2015 and continues now under Janis Williams and Beth DiGiovanni. The guild purchases some flowers, in addition to using greenery & flowers right from the St. Matthew’s campus.

There are times in the liturgical season that dictate the color of the flowers – Red for Pentecost, White for Easter, funerals, Bishop visit, Bare Branches for Lent, Greenery for Advent. Then there are the other times where the Flower Guild members have an open pallet for colors!

We are looking for members for the guild. You do not have to be a floral expert! We have a group of members now who are shadowing members a week a month. If you are interested in finding out more about the Flower Guild please contact Janis Williams or Beth DiGiovanni.

Flowers for the altar are supported by donations from the St. Matthew’s members. Since we are now fully open and in person after the pandemic closure in 2021, we currently have many weeks open on the Sunday Flower chart outside the church office. If you have a special week to celebrate a birthday, anniversary, memory of a family member, or just a Thanksgiving, please consider adding their name (and yours) to our flower chart or contact the office to help. The suggested amount of the donation is $65, but any contribution you are able to make is appreciated.

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ERD Helping Ukraine–How You Can Help

March 18, 2022

More than two million people have been displaced after Russian forces invaded Ukraine, making this the fastest-growing refugee crisis since World War II. Damage to civilian infrastructure has left thousands without electricity or water — and homes have been destroyed, affecting hundreds of thousands of people within the country. Ukrainians continue fleeing to neighboring countries such as Poland, Hungary and Romania.Episcopal Relief and Development (ERD) is supporting Action by Churches Together (ACT Alliance) as it works through ACT member Hungarian Interchurch Aid (HIA) and other local organizations to provide emergency assistance such as food, shelter, water and basic supplies to refugees and people displaced within Ukraine.

To donate, click here.On February 27, HIA set up a refugee support point on the Ukrainian side of the border at Beregsurány, where volunteers are providing hot tea, sandwiches, refreshments, blankets and basic hygiene items for families, who often wait long hours to cross the border into Hungary. HIA is in contact with its network of churches and organizations, as well as local governments in Hungary, to coordinate cash assistance, shelter, food and medicine for people who have been displaced.ACT Alliance is setting up similar support points at other border towns to assist people as they leave Ukraine. It is working through local partners to provide aid for refugees in Hungary, Romania, Slovakia and Poland.

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Annual Meeting — Reports and Vestry Candidates 2022

January 20, 2022

Annual Parish Meeting

January 23, 2022 at 9:00 a.m. in the parish hall or online via Zoom (see newsletter for details)

You will be able to vote in person or via Zoom:

Ballot Link for Zoom Meeting attendees.

Please view the reports here:

Annual Report 2021 Complete-Candidates and Reports

Dec 2021 Financial Stmt

St Matthews Annual Mtg Minutes 2021 2.21.21 Final

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A Huge Thank You From the Knit, Crochet & Pray Ministry

January 13, 2022

The Knit, Crochet, Pray Ministry (KCP) at St. Matthew’s thanks all people who donated money, yarn, hats, scarves, gloves or mittens to our drive for Rosebud Episcopal Mission in Mission, SD. From this particular donation (starting our 2022 contribution), we mailed 36 hats/scarves/gloves sets, 17 hats/gloves sets, 24 extra pairs of gloves, and one pair of socks. These items were mailed last week when the temperatures were from -12-6 degrees F. The Rosebud Lakota Reservation has over 4,000 children between the ages of 4-18 years. Hence, you understand why this project is ongoing for KCP, even though our biggest collections are in the winter.

We also appreciate your donations for prayer shawls (which go to parishioners or their family/friends in need of support because of illness, death, other hardships) and/or chemo caps (which go to the Winship Cancer Institute at Emory Hospital) and/or hats and scarves for the local homeless.

Last year, KCP donated the following items, thanks to your support.

Prayer Shawls given – 89

Chemo caps – 72

Rosebud Reservation:
63 hat, scarf, gloves/mitten sets
32 hat, scarf sets
13 hats
5 scarves
10 pairs of gloves
1 pair of socks
4 headbands
Clean, but gently used:
10 hat, scarf, glove sets
5 scarves
5 pairs of gloves
4 headbands

Homeless at the Church of the Common Ground
30 hat/scarf sets
Box of flat flashlights

We are so grateful for your help, and we hope you will consider assisting us in the future.

Thanks and Prayers,

Beth DiGiovanni

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Tenth Annual St. Matthew’s Car Show WrapUp

October 29, 2021

Our 10^th Annual St. Matthews Car Show turned out to be a great success this year. Some of the best vintage classic cars, trucks and motorcycles in Georgia were in attendance to the tune of over ninety cars. We had a fantastic Silent Auction with over 30 items and we had bidders on every single one of them. We had several new arts and craft vendors and, last but not least, we had Tipsy Pig who brought us great ribs, chicken, and barbeque.

Family Promise of Gwinnett County, who works to help homeless families in the area, was the recipient of a whopping $20,000 donation. We couldn’t have done it without our sponsorships, our volunteers, our Bake Sale, Knit Pearl and Pray, our Kids Zone, the car registrations, vendor fees and the monies raised from our silent auction. Plus Bishop Rob was here with us to pick the Bishop’s Choice trophy recipient and stayed with us through the trophy presentations.

A great big Thank you to all that helped to make this show such a great Outreach and Fellowship event. The Car Show Committee, our volunteers, all of our sponsors, those who supported us with your prayers and encouragement and all of St. Matthews , we thank you all!!

Check out the photos here!

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Baptismal Promise # 3

October 7, 2021

Rooted in Christ and carrying the cross of cross we are to Proclaim the good news.

In case you have not taken a good look at the prayer card that you got in the mail with your ministry commitment form. I invite you to take a deeper look. Rooted in Christ – what does that really mean to you?

The cross reminds us of Christ’s saving act, but it also reminds us that in our humanity we are capable of great sin. But Jesus doesn’t leave us in that sinful place – he offers grace and forgiveness. Jesus came among us in order to show us how to live and he came to share God’s forgiveness and grace with us. The Church is Christ’s body – that means that we are to live in such a way that people meet Jesus when they meet us. That is how we live out our third baptismal promise which is to PROCLAIM by word and example the good news.

That is what we are supposed to be about. We are to be that compassionate and caring place, the church, where Christ is proclaimed, lives are transformed and people’s needs are met through word, sacrament, service and community.

We, as the committed disciples of Christ at St. Matthew’s, are to be that place which centers and grounds all who come to us. We are the place where people do not have to be ashamed of their sins but rather find and experience God’s abundant love and forgiveness in our midst

In our third baptismal promise, God asks “Will you Proclaim by word and example the good news?” “Will you”, Jesus asks us again and again everyday. Will you be my eyes and ears to see and hear the needs of the world? Will you take action by your words and deeds to bring the love of God to those who have not yet found their way?

Will you, Jesus asks us. And we prayerfully and faithfully say, “I will with God’s help”.

I invite you to continue your prayerful discernment about how you are called to live into your discipleship. Rooted in Christ, supported by worship, education, community & service we grow in our spiritual maturity and in our faith. As we fix our focus on the cross gazing toward God, we see the outstretched arms of Christ which form the crossbeams of the cross – we are invited and challenged to reach out in evangelism and social outreach. As we journey with Christ we find ourselves more and more opening our arms in a wide embrace proclaiming by word and deed the good news of God’s love for all creation. Blessings, Mother Pat+

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History Minute: St. Matthew’s Pavilion

September 24, 2021

Have you ever wondered about our beautiful pavilion, and how it came to be? Check out the new display at the pavilion chronicling the history of this structure and the important role it’s had in the fellowship events at St. Matt’s. To see the display, click here. (Note: the old plaque did not photograph well and is missing in the graphic. To see the full display, check it out in the in the current pavilion, located next to the rear parking lot.

Our thanks to all those instrumental in the planning, funding, building, and completion of our St. Matt’s pavilion since its inception. Special thanks to the Oren Morris Chapter of the Brotherhood of St. Andrew at St. Matt’s, those Boy Scouts from our Scout Troop 533, whose Eagle projects centered on the pavilion, and to Phil Morgan for his work in putting together and erecting the history display.