This Week At St. Matthew's
Sunday, November 4, 2018
All Saints' Sunday
Sacrament of Baptism at 10:30 a.m.
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All Saints' Sunday
8:00 a.m. Eucharist
9:00 a.m. Breakfast
9:30 a.m. Sunday School and
Christian Education
10:30 a.m. Eucharist
with Baptism
READINGS FOR THIS SUNDAY :
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Congratulations to Matthew David Wallace, son of Kelley and James Wallace, and to Miranda Karen Lewis and Gwenian Kathryn Lewis, daughters of Emily and Derek Lewis and granddaughters of Pam Player All three will be baptized this Sunday at the 10:30 service.
Please welcome the newly baptized and their families when you see them this Sunday, and keep the candidates and their families in your prayers this week
.
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THE LOOSE PLATE OFFERING
this week on the 1st of each month is designated for the Rector’s Discretionary Fund. Please give generously as you are able.
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Adult Christian Education
Connecting Through Holiday Traditions
10/ 28: 11/ 4, 11: 12/ 2, 9, 16
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NOTE TO ECW
(Episcopal Church Women):
Hello all, ECW is responsible for breakfast
this Sunday
. If we can get
3-4 people to bring breakfast casseroles
Rebecca and I will get the rest of the supplies, like milk, juice, fruit, muffins, etc.
We need people to volunteer to help set up and also clean up. Please reply by email to Nancy Drury
wnnc@comcast.net or
send a text to 678-779-3482
.
Please let us know
if you can and will bring a casserole or if you can help with set up or clean-up. Thank You for your dedication to St. Matthew's!
Nancy Drury and Rebecca Bowen
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TOMORROW
What is the Dark Web? How do we protect ourselves from Identity Fraud?
Saturday, November 3rd, 10-12
St. Matthews Episcopal Church
Join us on November 3rd to learn the answers to these questions and more about different types of scams, fraud, and how thieves obtain our information. Officer Laura Steele, from the Snellville Police Department, will be teaching us how to keep our information safe and what to do if personal information is compromised.
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NEW THIS SEASON:
ST. MATTHEW'S IS PLANNING A CHRISTMAS PAGEANT!!
To do this
,
we are looking for
children ages 6-12
who want to be involved, and parents, older youth
and other adults
who would commit to being part of the team to make this a success. The pageant will be part of the Christmas Eve Family Service at 4:00 p.m December 24.
Our first rehearsal will be Sunday at 2 p.m.
We need a response to those who want speaking roles by Saturday at the very latest - roles are first come first serve, so email Karen to receive a draft of the script and an information packet. If you have already signed up to be part of the pageant team, or have already signed your children up, thank you! If you have
not
yet made a decision about you or your children taking part in this meaningful Christmas event, please send Karen a quick email .
Thank you!
Karen Anderson
Seminarian | St. Matthew's Episcopal Church
Contact Karen Anderson
for more information on getting involved:
(770) 979-4210, ext 200
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THIS SUNDAY EVENING
NOVEMBER 4, ALL SAINTS SUNDAY
6:30 p.m. - 7:30 p.m. Quiet Reflection
7:30 p.m. Memorial Service with
Reading of the Names
St. Matthew's will celebrate the lives of our family and friends who have gone on before us with a special evening service incorporating some of the traditions used by cultures around the world. There will be
quiet time beginning at 6:30 for various kinds of contemplation. The sanctuary and the Coil Chapel will be reserved for silent prayer. The labyrinth will be set up in the parish hall for prayer walks. Mother Liz will be available for those who just want to talk to someone.
At 7:30, a brief memorial service will be held in the sanctuary during which the names of those we have lost will be read.
We hope that you will join us to light a candle, place a flower on the cross, place a stone on the cairn, or simply say a prayer as you search for your own peace and understanding of that most mystifying aspect of life: death.
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MUSINGS FROM MOTHER LIZ
CELEBRATING THE SEASON OF STEWARDSHIP
Last week, I wrote about how much I enjoy the season of stewardship and I promised to provide details on what I do that allows me to celebrate it.
This is what I do:I reflect on the past year and the ways that God has blessed my life. I have discovered that even in times of difficulty and stress, I can find something that occurred – a visit, a call, a card – that gave me blessing. During this time of reflection, I also pray for guidance on what I could offer in my financial commitment that would transform my blessings into blessings for others.
I think about people and programs that matter to me and that could benefit by a monetary donation and I make a list.
Then I look at how much I want to set aside for charitable giving. I have only recently arrived at a place where I can commit to giving away 10% of my income. It took a while to get there but here is what I did:
I started with the amount of income I took home (net income). I looked at how much in donations I gave the previous year and I divided that number by take-home income to get a percentage. Then I added one percent to the total and calculated how much that would be per paycheck. On payday, that amount came out first and went into a savings fund. From the fund, I made my contributions to the church as well as other causes that mattered to me. I would do this each year, and each year I would add a percent. What I found was that one percent, when divided by 26 paychecks, was not all that much money over what I had been previously giving. In fact, I discovered that if I took that money out first, with rare exception, I always had enough. When I reached ten percent of my take home income, I changed to looking at the percent of gross income and started increasing one percent each year until I arrived at ten percent of that number. Of that total amount, approximately 85% goes to St. Matthew’s. The other 15% I use towards other ministries. What I have found is because the number always goes up by a small amount, I can manage it.
The way I have described is only one way. It works for me, and it allows me to approach each stewardship season looking first at God’s blessings and my relationship with God, then to my own spiritual growth and how stewardship contributes to that. From those thoughts come the rest. And it makes consecration Sunday a day of gratitude and joy for me. I can now embrace the scripture that Bishop Rob loves so much, “God loves a cheerful giver”.
I pray that this is helpful to you. This time in the church year should not be a burden, but a joy. My prayer is that it will be for all of you.
In Peace,
Mother Liz+
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CHOIR PRACTICES
Come join the choir!
Cherubs, Children's, Epiphany, Bell Choir, or Sanctuary--there's something for everyone!
for information on dates and times.
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YOUTH GROUP meets
Sundays at 6:00 p.m
. in the Undercroft. ALL youth of the parish 6th - 12th grades are invited to be a part of this exciting year. For more information, contact
Holly Bond or
Amanda Livermont.
DIVE BIBLE STUDY FOR HIGH SCHOOL YOUTH
meets
Wednesday evenings at 6:00 p.m. in Mother Liz's office. For more information on this dynamic Bible study please contact
Mother Liz or
Amanda Livermont..
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INGATHERING
THANKSGIVING POTLUCK FEAST
SUNDAY, NOV 18
following the single service at 9:30 a.m.
Bring your favorite side dish or dessert to share. Meats and beverages will be provided.
Please plan to attend this special service and dinner.
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"Other Than Sunday" Offerings During the Week
Click the Icons below for more info:
Wednesdays With the Word
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TOMORROW
November 3rd at 10 a.m. - Identity Theft
What is the Dark Web? How do we protect ourselves from Identity Fraud?
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What shall I return to the Lord
for all his bounty to me?
Ps 116:12
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Opportunities For Engagement
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The Outreach Committee
has selected two different non-profits for St. Matthew’s to support
this Christmas season:
1. Southeast Gwinnett Cooperative Ministry
The Co-op Christmas assistance program has changed this year. Eligible clients who have minor children living in their household will be given one $25.00 gift card for each child and one additional card per family.
We will be collecting $25.00 gift cards from Walmart and Target
.
A gift card tag board will be posted in the Narthex beginning this Sunday, November 4
th
.
Please return donated gift cards to Dotty Merrifield or Cheryl Wheeler or place in collection container in parish office. If the office is closed, you may place them in the new lock box in the office door (please mark them for SE Co-op). All gift cards need to be turned in by November 30
th.
2. Mending the Gap, Inc. Seniors Ministry
Mending the Gap will be delivering gifts to 400 Grandmas and Grandpas this Christmas. We will be collecting items to help them.
A gift tag board will be up in the Narthex starting November 4
th
and all donated items will need to be returned no later than December 2
nd
. There will be bins in the old narthex for your donations. If you have any questions, please contact Becky Olbon
To find out more about the
Southeast Gwinnett Cooperative Ministry click here:
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ROSEBUD WARMTH
We are once again collecting donations for the Rosebud reservation in South Dakota.
Click here
to learn more about donating handmade or purchased hats, gloves and scarves to the children of the reservation.
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St. Matthew's Turns Forty Next Year!
Do you have photos or memorabilia from St. Matthew's people or events in the "old days"? If so, please consider getting them out and dusting them off to share. Please contact
Diane Eberhart or
Marsha Elixson for more information..
Be sure to put
Sunday, September 22, 2019 on your calendar. It will a Homecoming Sunday you won't want to miss!
H
ave you noticed the directory posted on the bulletin board? Please write in your birthplace or where you or your family is from beside your name in that directory. We'll be putting up a map next year showing where our parish family comes from! We'd like everyone to be represented on the map!
Photo: Altar in original St. Matt's sanctuary (now the parish hall), 1981
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THE STEPHEN MINISTRY CORNER
What a Stephen Minister is Equipped To Do
While much has been written about a Stephen Minister’s role, and additional info is available on the St. Matthew's
website or from
stephenministries.org
, many people do not get the whole picture of what a Stephen Minister is equipped to do.
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The Search for an Associate Rector
Recently, several people have asked me about the way we are going about calling an Associate Rector. Since it has been so many years since St. Matthew’s had an Associate, I thought it might be helpful to share how the Episcopal Church goes about this process.
The canons ascribe the search for personnel as the purview of the rector. At St. Matthew’s, using a search committee to identify qualified persons has worked well in the past. So, it made sense to use a committee for this search.
One of the goals in putting together the search committee was to have good representation from groups in the parish that do not receive a lot of clergy support. There was also a desire to include several parish members who had not previously been involved in a search process. A third goal was to have youth representation on the committee. Katherine Reynolds agreed to chair this committee, and together we prepared a list of 28 people who we believed would be good candidates. From that list, seven adults accepted the invitation to serve, and three youth members of the youth board were added. Joining Katherine Reynolds on the team are David Chandler, Katy Hansen, Debbie Inman, Joan Kengla, Amanda Livermont (vestry liaison), Andrew Whatley and Karen Wilson, along with three youth representatives. The committee began work in September and is close to having a position description ready to post.
Given the special services in September and our busy October schedule, we will commission the search committee during services on November 4. Please keep the search committee in your prayers.
"
Almighty and everliving God, ruler of all things in heaven and earth, hear our prayers for this parish family. Strengthen the faithful, arouse the careless, and restore the penitent. Grant us all things necessary for our common life, and bring us all to be of one heart and mind within your holy Church; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen
". (BCP, p.817)
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OFFICE NOTE: A locked drop box
has been installed in the door to the office. You may drop completed membership forms, pledge cards, or checks in this secured box any time the office is closed. It will be retrieved by office staff and distributed.
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Diocesan Convention, also known as Annual Council,
will be held at Holy Innocents Episcopal Church/School, 805 Mount Vernon Highway, Atlanta, on
Friday, November 9 and Saturday, November 10.
The Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church, Michael Curry will attend the Friday portion
of the meeting and will preach at the Eucharist scheduled for 3:30PM on Friday.
If you have seen Bishop Curry preach, or have heard of his preaching, you know this is an event not to be missed if at all possible. Visitors are welcome to attend council, although space can be a little limited. However, anyone who wishes to attend Eucharist may do so. The staff at Holy Innocents has made arrangement for overflow seating and live stream of the service, if everyone cannot fit into the nave. I hope you will consider attending.
St. Matthew's delegates to Diocesan Council this year are Greg Andrews, Jay Jones, and Janis Williams.
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Events and Serving Schedules
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SERMON ON THE AMOUNT - OCTOBER 2018
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St.Matthew's Episcopal Church | P770-979=4210 | stmatts@bellsouth.net | itsthepeople.org
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