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...

"There's an App for That!"

Simon Peter answered him, "Lord, to whom can we go?

You have the words of eternal life." - John 6:59

Smartphones are taking away our desire to delay gratification. We don't have to spend time trying to remember a certain fact: just look it up! By getting the latest app for this or that, we end up buying into the demand for instant gratification. We don't have time to figure out sums in our head or on paper-just compute it. Can't remember that fact that you used to know-you know it's in there somewhere-ehnh, just look it up.

Getting answers instantly and not actually reflecting on our own and working out problems for ourselves diminishes the ability of the brain to compute. Also, studies show that seeking instant gratification makes us less happy. It impedes our sense of real accomplishment and associated feelings of well-being.

Now, I am not being a troglodyte, simply complaining about the newest technology-my wife will tell you that I am prone to go to my phone for a quick factoid. But, I do believe that our overall reliance on such accessible technology and information, our slavish surfing of the internet to find out what is going on in the lives of people that we don't really know, watching little video clips for the entertainment value of it, and playing Candy Crush and so on for hours on end has made us more distractible, given us shorter attention spans, and instead of giving us more mind rest and reflection has given us more busy-ness. This busy-ness is making us more anxious, more ill at ease, and more, well, "unpeaceful."

Solomon said that there is nothing new under the sun. Each generation comes up with its new phenomenon, new toy, and new distraction. The first board games date to 3500 B.C. Chess dates to the 7th Century B.C. Dice to 2300 BC (in India).

While there is nothing wrong with amusements, hobbies, and pastimes, the expansion of leisure time in the modern era has made the seeking of distractions into an epic challenge.

Peter speaks for all of us in our Gospel reading today. Peter's predicament is our predicament: "Lord, to whom can we go? You have the words of eternal life." Next time you find yourself spending too much time staring at your smartphone screen, try taking a break and see if you can find some "words of eternal life" to satisfy that deeper longing.

Blessings,

Dean Michell+

Check out our new website! Our new website is live click here to check it out!

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.

5th Sunday of the Month Sale - August 30th! Sign up in the Great Hall foyer to reserve your table to sell your crafts on August 30th! Proceeds from the sale benefit the St. Matthew's Cathedral! Guilds, groups and individuals are encouraged to reserve a table!


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! The Parish Choir is singing Sunday during the 10:30am service. We will rehearse at 9:30 am in the choir stalls! Interested in joining the choir or for more information contact Keith Franks at [email protected].

Christian Formation

Christian Formation this week: Stage end of the Great Hall, 9:35am

"The strange and dangerous words of Jesus of Nazareth set up a drama that will culminate in a surprising battle between two kings, and in the wake of this conflict, an empire will be defeated - and the world will be changed."

Come learn more about this man from Nazareth this

Sunday, August 23, at 9:30am.

Where: Stage End of the Great Hall

Adult Forum: General Convention Presentation Sunday, August 30th, 9:30am

Dean Michell will lead a presentation and discussion of what happened at the recently held General Convention of the Episcopal Church and what that might mean for our common life.

Christian Formation: 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!

Moms Connect

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

Moms Connect meets meet 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.

Stanton Center

Are you interested in learning more about Jesus, about the Christian faith, about what it means to be an Anglican, or about your own spirituality? The Stanton Center may be just the place for you. The Stanton Center offers twenty-four classes on a variety of topics taught by some of the finest instructors in the diocese. Classes meet one weekend per month from August through May. If you are interested in learning more about the Stanton Center see Janet Page for a catalog, or call her at

(972) 948-5534 or email [email protected].