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Spring has sprung and we are moving right along with preparations so that we can get everyone back in the sanctuary. The replacement of the fabric on the organ speakers is taking place this week and the HVAC replacement in the sanctuary will take place during the next month.

The Flower guild had planned a plant and flower sale for this Saturday, but the predicted rain means that it must be rescheduled for May 8^th. If you still have plants or flowers to donate, please contact Trisha Voiles or Janis Williams. The funds raised will help with our ongoing Buildings and Grounds expenses.

The Buildings and Grounds committee has planned a Parish Workday Party for May 15, and I know I will see all your smiling faces there eager to help them clean and organize our Parish home! For more information, contact Steve Charron or Janis Williams.

We just found out this week that we have another unit that needs to be repaired and the estimate is $2,500.00. Anybody have some spare change?

Since we are speaking about money, I would love to say Thank you to all who are continuing to give online, through the mail and in person. In the first quarter, the operating revenue was $96,223.00 and operating expenses were $92,459.00 which meant we had a surplus of $3,764.00! Having a surplus is great but we must understand that the main the reason our expenses were lower is that we have not been paying a full-time rector and we are using restricted funds to pay for Father Tommy’s expenses.

Thanks to the hard work of Chuck Marsh, we were able to secure another PPP loan for $45,530.00 which will used for salaries for the upcoming months and we hope it will be forgiven as the last PPP loan we received in the fall. We are still waiting to here back from the Diocese on whether our loan application has been approved which will be used to fund the HVAC sanctuary repairs and AV upgrades. So please continue to send in your offerings and continue your prayers for St. Matthew’s.

In February, Canon Alicia Schuster-Weltner joined us through Zoom to explain the Interim and rector search process that we will be going through over the next year or two. In that meeting, she addressed that Father Tommy would have to look for another job as his contract with St. Matthew’s ended when Mother Liz retired. We have been truly blessed to have him at St. Matthew’s and he will be missed.  He has begun to have interviews and hopes to have something in place by the end of May.  I will be speaking with Canon Alicia next week about our next steps in the process.

The Vestry has been working on putting together a list of names for the nominating committee this past month as well as working on updating our website and ministries information. Please continue to pray for guidance and discernment your Vestry.

Blessings and Peace,

Becky Olbon

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Holy Week 101

With Holy Week upon us and as we begin to return to some of our sacred services, we still have certain constraints that we must follow.  While Covid has caused some limitations to these services, and you will only be joining “virtually,” there are also opportunities for you to participate as families or small groups.  Our hope is that these services will draw you into a deeper and more profound encounter with The Divine.

Thursday, April 1^st – The Maundy Thursday service will be livestreamed beginning at 7 p.m.  This service will include many of the familiar traditions, such as Hand Washing and the stripping of the altar.  There will also be a “Watch” that will go from 9 pm on Thursday to 10 am on Good Friday.

Participate in the Maundy Thursday service at home. You will need the following:

• Create a space that will accommodate the entire family.
• Pitcher(s) of warm water
• Bucket(s) or tub(s) to catch water
• Towels
• You are invited to wash each other’s hands or feet during that portion of the service.
• Provided you have a Sacred Space, you are invited to “strip” your Sacred Space down to an unadorned surface.
• Sign-up for “the Watch” during the night. This can be done here and either at home or in the sanctuary.

Friday, April 2^nd – Good Friday Service will be livestreamed beginning at 12 noon.  This is a very solemn and simple service.

Ways to participate at home:

• Create a quiet and solemn environment to watch the service.
• If you have a favorite cross – this is the service for you to have it with you.  You are invited to hold the cross and to ponder the deeps of our faith symbol.
• Watch and participate in the Stations of the Cross – Click here.
• Or participate in the Stations of the Cross at the church

Sunday, April 4^th – Easter Services.  There will be multiple Easter Day services to participate in.

• Sunrise Service at 6:45 am.  This service will be outside and in-person at the pavilion. Please register for this service.
• Livestreamed service at 10:45 am.  This service will have special music and handbells.
• Garden Service at 4 pm.  This service will be outside and in-person at the Garden area.  Please register for this service.

Ways to participate at home and at Church:

• Register and attend for either of the outside services (6:45 a.m. / 4 p.m.)
• If your children “buried” the Alleluias at home at the beginning of Lent, “resurrect” them before the service.
• Create a festive space to watch and interact with the livestream service (10:45 a.m.)
• After the Livestreamed Service – Come to the church, from 12 -1, for Drive-Thru Communion and Flowering of the Cross.
  • Each family member can bring flowers for the Cross
  • Take-home Easter crafts will be available for Sunny’s Kids (5th grade and younger)
• Share the Love that you received from God to your family and others generously.

Easter Message:
“Alleluia.  Christ is risen.  The Lord is risen indeed.  Alleluia.”  In this short Opening Acclamation that we will say on Easter, rests the entire Easter message.  The tomb is empty, and Christ is risen.  That really says it all.  And while this short statement proclaims the message, it takes a lifetime to unpack its full meaning and depth.  So, as you observe the wonderous signs of spring bursting forth in nature, especially in our azaleas and trees, I also hope that within each of us there is an overflowing renewal of life and love that will settle into your bones, so that you will know God’s deep abiding love for you. Have a blessed Easter.  Grace & Peace, Fr. Tommy

Returning to the Sanctuary – Update:
As you know the diocese has given churches the option to have services inside and we have many groups working hard to make this happen, but we need your help with making this a reality.  Volunteers are needed to assist attendees with checking in and directing people as they come into the sanctuary and again as they exit, and we also need assistance with sanitizing the space after the service.

Our plan is to return to inside services beginning on Sunday, April 11^th with the 8 a.m. service ONLY.  You will need to register for this service and it will only be in-person with no livestream.  Our plan and hope is to have the 8 a.m. service as an in-person service for a couple weeks as we work out the logistics and then open for the 10:45 service in-person later in April.

Please be aware that we also have the added issue of  non-functioning HVAC/air conditioning units for the sanctuary.  We are awaiting word on a diocesan loan to replace the HVAC units Scheduling a replacement of the system may also complicate our plans to return to inside worship.

If you are interested in helping with volunteering for any of the activities to help us return safely please contact Becky Olbon or myself.
Fr. Tommy

Gratitude:
I want to thank the staff at St. Matthew’s; Charmaine, Susan, and Kyle for their diligent, dedicated, and creative work over these past several months of planning and preparing for Holy Week and Easter services.  I also want to thank everyone who has taken part in the planning and preparing for these sacred and holy services, especially the members of the Worship Committee, the Altar Guild, and the Audio / Visual Team.  Their dedication and devotion are unparalleled. Lastly, I would like to thank Becky Olbon for her tenacious and steadfast spirit over these last many months that have help to guide and steer this vessel we call St. Matthew’s.  I am deeply grateful and honored to be serving as your priest.
Grace & Peace, Fr. Tommy

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