This Week At St. Matthew's
Sunday, March 10, 2019
First Sunday In Lent
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8:00 a.m. Holy Eucharist
9:00 a.m. Breakfast
9:30 a.m. Sunday School and Christian Education
10:30 a.m. Holy Eucharist
READINGS FOR THIS SUNDAY
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This Sunday -- Vicar Monica Mainwaring To Visit St. Matthew's
The Very Reverend Monica Mainwaring, Vicar of Church of the Common Ground, will preach at both services this Sunday, March 10, as guest preacher.
Church of the Common Ground is a church community on the streets of Atlanta living the Good News that we are all God’s beloved. Read more about our outreach project with the CCG below.
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Baptism
--The Sacrament of Baptism will be offered at the Easter Vigil on April 20. If you or your child desires to be baptized, please contact the church office, or fill out the form
found here
.
Newcomer's Classes
-- Are you new to St. Matthew's? Would you like to learn more about the Episcopal Church and St. Matt's? Come to the Newcomer's classes, which will be held March 24, 31 and April 7 at 9:30 a.m.in the library For more information or to sign up for the class, contact
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Adult Christian Education
My Island, My Community
During this final quarter of the 2018/2019 school year, we will be sharing our stories and God’s stories about being alone, homeless, isolated and the need for community. Each week, we will explore, based on your class style, ways that the phrase ‘My Island, My Community’ relates to ‘The Story I Tell’. We will have a special forum with the Church of the Common Ground and even visit one Sunday. Church of the Common Ground is an Episcopal church community on the streets of Atlanta living the Good News that we are all God’s beloved.
Class Styles
Scripture- Making sense of Scripture today
Clay Olbon & Jim Jung
Relevant Tradition- How is affects my life?
Mona Livermont, Crystal Furman, & Elizabeth McGhee
Ages and Stages- Raising children in the church.
Ward Furman and Mary Louise Richards
Check out other Spring Adult Christian Education Classes and Other Than Sunday Offerings
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Café Theology Starts New Series
Beginning TOMORROW, Saturday, March 9, Café Theology will begin study of the book, The Anglican Spirit, by former Archbishop of Canterbury Michael Ramsey. This book contains introductory lectures on Anglican theology that are informal and conversational in style and offer an overview of Anglican theology, spirituality, and history. The book is available in paperback and on both Kindle and BookNOOK (Barnes & Noble). The class meets from 10:00-11:30 in the parish library on the following dates: March 9, March 23, March 30, April 13, April 27, May 11, May 25, June 8, June 22, June 29 and July 23. Since the book is a compilation of lectures, you can miss classes and still be able to participate in any mornings class. Coffee is definitely served, along with a light continental breakfast. ALL are welcome to join us!
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GRAZIE, GRATIAS, DANKE, MERCI, OBRIGADO, THANK YOU!
Thank you to all of you who supported the Global Breakfast last Sunday in celebration of World Mission Sunday.
To all who helped set- up, decorate, clean-up, brought delicious offerings of food from various cultures and enjoyed fellowship with St. Matthew's multi-cultural parishioners a gigantic
THANK-YOU FROM YOUR GLOBAL MISSION COMMITTEE!
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LENT AT ST. MATTHEW'S
Every Wednesday in Lent (beginning March 13) --
Fellowship --A simple soup supper will be served from 5:30 -6:45 p.m. Come and go as your schedule permits.
Every Friday in Lent
— Church open for quiet reflection 6:30 - 7:00 p.m.; Stations of the Cross at 7:00 p.m. in the Sanctuary.
Friday, March 29
— Quiet Reflection 6:30 - 7:00 p.m. followed by Stations of the Cross with Musical Meditations at 7:00 p.m., featuring the works of Cesar Franck and freely arranged by Gerard Carter. Cesar Franck (1822-1890) was organist at the Basilica of Saint Clothilde in Paris and a professor at the Paris Conservatory. Franck's organ works are known for melodic inspiration, rich harmonies and deep spirituality.
A special Adult Christian Formation series
, 'My Island, My Community', will take place on Sunday mornings during Lent and into the remaining weeks of the CE year. See details about this series in this newsletter, above.
St. Matt’s Outreach
—we will be supporting The Church of the Common Ground during Lent this year. See more about this, and other
outreach projects here
.
Lenten prayer stations are up in the Narthex by the name tag cabinet, and in the Parish Hall. These stations are there for silent prayer and reflection. You can then tie a jute string on the provided branches. Our hope is that this brings you closer to Jesus during Lent. The branches will be blessed and burned at the end of the Lenten season.
A Lenten calendar
of St. Matt's activities is available in the narthex. Pick one up to stay in the loop! You can also find it
here.
Lenten Meditation booklets
provided by Episcopal Relief and Development (ERD) are available in the narthex. Our thanks to the Global Mission committee for providing these booklets.
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OUTREACH LENTEN PROJECTS
Church of the Common Ground
For our Lenten Outreach project this year we will be supporting the Church of the Common Ground (CCG). CCG is a worshiping community of the diocese of Atlanta. You can find more details below.
We are collecting
4 lb bags of sugar for the CCG
. In a typical week, they go through 8 lbs of sugar a week during their programs. Our goal is to collect 416 lbs of sugar (104 bags)! There will be bins set up in the narthex March 6 through April 18.
(95 bags so far, and counting! Great job--let's keep going!)
On March 31, we have been invited to worship with CCG 1:00-3:00 pm. Unfortunately there is only space for 15 parishioners to attend, so we will have a sign up sheet on the Outreach board beginning March 10.
Read more..
.
Mending the Gap
Spring Cleaning -- We are collecting specific cleaning supplies:
:
disinfecting wipes, 1 gallon trash bags, and liquid or pods laundry detergent
to be shared with seniors served by this organization-- There is a bin in the old narthex (parish hall entry way) during March. Read more about Mending the Gap's work at
www.mending-the-gap.org
.
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To the St. Matthew's Family,
By now, most of you have met and gotten to know the Pakistani refugee family St. Matthew’s sponsored. Zeba and her children, Judith, Aaron, and Jason, have been here since June of last year, and they’ve done a remarkable job of adapting to life here. They’re at church every Sunday, the kids are doing well in school, and Zeba got her driver’s license and has been working full-time since November.
Although Zeba has a Master’s Degree in Education, there are many obstacles to getting certified to teach in American schools. As a result, she is packing boxes at a cosmetics distribution company in Stone Mountain for $9.00 per hour. Needless to say, it’s a struggle to support four people on such an income.
Zeba and the kids currently live in a “less-than-ideal” apartment complex in Stone Mountain. One goal we have is to get them relocated to Gwinnett County in a “more ideal” residence, which will also enable the children to attend far better Gwinnett schools. To make this move, Zeba needs to find a job in this area that 1) isn’t temporary, and 2) pays enough to enable them to move.
This is where our St. Matthew's family might be able to help. If you know of an organization that might have a suitable job for Zeba, please let me or Zeba know. Zeba is very hard-working, diligent, and personable. She would be an asset to any organization. You can contact Zeba at 770 203-5424 or me at 678 227-8142. Thank you for your continued support of Zeba, Judith, Aaron, and Jason.
Thank you!
Mark DiGiovanni
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Lunch Bunch
Thursday, March 14
at 12 noon
This month Lunch Bunch will meet at Eagle's Landing, located on Oak Road at River Road (across River Road from Happy China).
Lunch Bunch is an adult fellowship opportunity for those who enjoy good food, lively conversation and getting together with other St. Matthewites. Bring a friend!
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Guys Night Out -- Trivia!
Wednesday, March 20 at 7:00 p.m.
All men of the parish are invited to play Trivia
at Mellow Mushroom the third Wednesday of every month.
200 East Main Street, Snellville GA
Come Join In the Fun -- Bring a Friend!
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SAVE THE DATE!!
Parish Clean Up, Spruce Up, Fix Up Day
Jobs Large and Small
SATURDAY, APRIL 13
More info coming soon!
WE NEED YOU! SAVE THE DATE!
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TODAY THE WHOLE EPISCOPAL CHURCH celebrates Episcopal Relief and Development Sunday. Be sure to pick up your copy of Lenten Meditations- 2019 (provide by ERD) from the basket in the Narthex. You can also receive your meditations online or donate to help with tornado and other disaster relief at
episcopalrelief.org
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REALM PROFILE PICTURE/UPDATED FAMILY PORTRAITS AVAILABLE
A photographer will be in the Parish Hall during breakfast on Sundays through March 31 to take photos of you, your family, your children, or any combination in between.
No appointment necessary, just stop by!
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READING CAMP VOLUNTEERS NEEDED
week of JUNE 10TH—14TH!
Help 3rd through 5th graders hone their reading skills this summer.
We need volunteers in three categories:
Learning Center Leaders: Adults—you don’t have to have teaching experience—to help campers learn the skills they need to improve their reading abilities. Skills include reading, writing, phonics and comprehension.
Counselors: Teens to help guide campers through morning learning centers and afternoon games, educational projects, and crafts.
Support Staff: Everyone from cooks to prepare breakfasts, lunches and snacks to morning greeters and folks to check campers out at the end of day.
WE NEED YOUR HELP. SIGN UP ON THE READING CAMP BULLETIN BOARD IN THE HALL!
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Hunger Walk Registration is Open!
Join the St. Matt's Team and walk or run for the SE Gwinnett Co-Op on
Sunday, 4/28. Last year the team raised over $5,000 and this year we're setting our goal even higher at $6,000!
Register or donate now at
http://engage.acfb.org/goto/stmatts
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YOUTH CORNER
Thank you to all the Youth and adults who served up a traditional pancake supper for Shrove Tuesday! You all ROCK!
Registration for
New Beginnings
closes on
March 9th
. It will be held March 22-24, 2019.
Atlanta Food Bank Applications for Youth Programs Open
Applications are now available for summer youth programs! This year, there are THREE different programs to choose from for your rising 8th - 12th graders – a Youth Leadership Summit, a Youth Service Summit and a Youth Learn and Serve day. Learn more and apply today!
http://www.acfb.org/youth-programs
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. Bring a friend! For more information, contact
Holly Bond
or
Amanda Livermont.
DIVE BIBLE STUDY FOR HIGH SCHOOL YOUTH
meets
Wednesday evenings at 6:30 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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Presents
ANNUAL CONVENTION WORSHIP
At St. Matthew’s Episcopal Church
On Sunday, April 28, 2019 At 10:30 a.m.
Followed by TASTE OF LIBERIA
In the Parish Hall. All are invited!
Contact: Wilhelmina Wilson 770-815-9260
Note
:
1) Friday, April 26th
is the Opening Ceremony at St. Edwards at 7:00 p.m.
2) Saturday, April 27th
is a Benefit Dinner and Ball at St. Edwards at 7:00 p.m.
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THE STEPHEN MINISTRY
CORNER
St. Matthews’ Stephen Ministers Attend Annual Retreat at First United Methodist Church
Lawrenceville Jan. 11-12, 2019
This past month the St. Matthew’s Stephen Ministers attended the retreat provided by the Stephen Ministers at First United Methodist Church in Lawrenceville. The purpose of the retreat is to participate in fellowship, supervision, and obtain regular continuing education that will enable us to be better care givers in our ministry.
On Friday evening, we separated into groups and received a booklet with life questions. The purpose of this exercise was to help us understand and be ready to answer any question that might arise with our care receiver.
On Saturday a representative from UGA Extension Service presented a session on good nutrition (see below).
Good food, fun, and spiritual connection was enjoyed by all.
For more information on Stephen Ministry,
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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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Snellville Police Officers
March Birthdays:
Admin Assistant Jerrie Armour, March 14
Lt. John Tainter, March 15
Officer Bucky Bullock, March 29
Lt. Robert Pendleton, March 29
Prayer for Police Officers
Almighty God, we commend to your gracious care and keeping all the men and women in law enforcement in our neighborhoods, cities, and on our highways. Defend them day by day with your heavenly grace; protect their families; strengthen them in their trials; give them courage to face the perils which beset them; and grant them a sense of your abiding presence wherever they may be; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
(Adapted, BCP p.823)
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THE REALM CORNER
You now have the ability to give to St. Matthew’s online thru REALM!
- Open your profile, either online or in the app.
- Choose Giving/Give Now/ (this takes a moment to load in the app)
- Add desired Amount and choose desired Fund from drop-down*
- Complete bank account info. It will save in your profile.
- *If giving to an Event or other ministry project not listed, choose Miscellaneous from the drop down menu (scroll down if necessary) and designate the desired fund on the Memo line.
Gifts given through Realm go directly to St. Matthew's and are logged to your Record of Giving automatically, without having to go through the counting/bank deposit process. You can also set up automatic giving on a schedule you choose.
Realm Directory and Your Privacy Settings
- NEW— PRIVACY SETTINGS IN REALM mean we cannot publish your contact info in a directory without your explicit consent. Please go to your profile in REALM and click on the Privacy Settings button, then set it to Everyone. If you need help with this or any other aspect of REALM, contact the church office.
Are YOU logged into Realm yet?
Stay connected! For information on logging in, and to view other Realm information and tutorials, check out the link below:
http://www.stmatthewssnellville.org/resources/members-connect-parish-directory/
If you have any problems logging into REALM, or have not received an invitation to REALM from St. Matthew's, please speak with Susan Carson or contact her at
registrar@stmatthewssnellville.org
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Events and Serving Schedules
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St.Matthew's Episcopal Church | Ph 770-979-4210 | stmatts@bellsouth.net | www.itsthepeople.org
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