This Week at the Cathedral!

Greetings,

We hope you will enjoy this issue of our weekly e-newsletter. Each week we'll keep you informed on what's happening here at St. Matthew's Cathedral - news from the week, what's coming up, and how you can be a part of it. This should reach your inbox by Friday giving you a heads up for the upcoming week. We hope this helps you plan your week, and maybe even provides a little inspiration to get you through it! Be sure to "Like" us on Facebook to stay in the know between emails.

A Message from the Dean...

Real Faith is . . .

"What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if you say you have

faith but do not have works?" - James 2:14

No, I am not writing on this verse to make you feel guilty, that you're not doing enough. Lord knows there are enough people around you wanting you to feel guilty. "Do this." "Give for this." And the church is no exception. There's always plenty to do in the life of the church and few enough people actually doing things.

This sort of understanding of the way things work is reflected in the Pareto Principle, a principle also known as "The 80-20 Rule." It has become a truism in church leadership circles. It states that, for many events, roughly 80% of the effects come from 20% of the causes. 80% of the results come from 20% of the work. In the church, as well as most organizations, 20% of the people do 80% of the work in keeping the organization moving forward and vital.

That is pretty well true here at the Cathedral as well. 5% of our people are involved in our Outreach ministries. 10% of our members are involved as liturgical leaders. 14% of our people are involved in Bible studies and adult education. Another 14% keep things moving administratively as desk volunteers, Servants Guild, Guild members, and so on.

Actually, these numbers total quite a bit more than 20%. But this is not a plea for some people to do more.

It is a plea for each of us to find the source of our passion and do something about it. James is telling us that if our faith does not have feet, it is not really faith. Real faith is not drudgery. Real faith is not slavish obedience. Real faith is reflected in one of our Prayer Book collects which says, "O God, the author of peace and lover of concord, to know you is eternal life, and to serve you is perfect freedom..."

If your faith doesn't have feet to it, if you're not involved in some kind of life-giving ministry, if you're not engaged in some way of making a difference in the lives of others, do something about your faith. Don't miss any of our sermon series on Explore God. Do something to rev up your faith. Now.

Blessings,

Dean Michell+

Christian Formation

Adult Christian Formation at the Stage End of the Great Hall:

Sunday September 6 - October 18, 9:35am

Special speaker Carrie Boren Headington will

be leading a new series called "Exploring the Big Questions of Faith." Carrie is the Missioner for Evangelism in the Episcopal Diocese of Dallas. She has two graduate degrees in Theology from Oxford University, and is a dynamic speaker who communicates the Gospel locally, nationally, and internationally. You won't want miss this exciting new series!

Children and Youth Sunday School kickoff: Sunday, September 13th 9:30-10:15 am

There is something for all ages! Come and join us, in Garrett Hall, Sunday mornings from 9:30-10:15am. We have a GREAT line up of trained, experienced teachers this year, ready to show the love of Christ to our Children and Youth.

Ages 2-3 Years - Nursery

PreK-1st Grade - Room 212

2nd-3rd Grade - Room 207

4th-5th Grade - Room 210

6th-12th Grade - Room 208

Diocesan Latino Festival - Rev. Canon Antonio Munoz invites us to join the Diocesan Latino Festival on Saturday, September 12 for a bilingual Eucharist at 4:00 p.m. with Bishop Pro-tem Paul Lambert and Bishop-elect George Sumner, followed by a reception in the Great Hall featuring food from many Latino cultures, including Cuba, Brazil, the Dominican Republic, Honduras, Guatemala, El Salvador, and Peru. Texas will feature Ice Cream.


Explore God Sermon Series Beginning September 6th, there will be a seven week sermon series designed specifically for those exploring how Christianity addresses the big questions of life. Please feel free to invite your friends, Christian or non-Christian, to come with you.	Come One Come All! Interested in joining the choir or for more information contact Keith Franks at [email protected].

Moms Connect

Saturday, September 12 from 3pm - 5pm in the Cathedral nursery

Moms Connect meets in the Cathedral nursery to start back up with our usual time of Godly Play and a topical lesson for the moms with children age 5 and under. For more information please email Keeley Chorn at [email protected] or call her at 917.568.8587.

Food Pantry Help Needed, Wednesdays 9-11am -Help is needed putting together the bags of food that are given out by the Food Pantry. If you have time on Wednesday mornings 9-11 to help with this, please contact Robert Wooten at [email protected] or 214.826.5016.

Our audit has been conducted for 2014 by our auditors, C.F. and Co., and the financial statements were found in good order. They stated the following in the audit: "In our opinion, the financial statements referred to above present fairly, in all material respects, the assets and liabilities arising from modified cash transactions of St. Matthew's Cathedral as of December 31, 2014, and its revenue collected and expenses paid during the year then ended in accordance with the modified cash basis of accounting..."