A NOTE FROM PASTOR KACEY


Beloved Community, 


This summer, I will take a Pastoral Renewal Sabbatical and relinquish my preaching, pastoral care, and administration responsibilities at St. Matthew’s. I am deeply grateful for this opportunity to step away, catch my breath, and let my nervous system reset. Pastoring through a pandemic and navigating rapid change has been a consistent challenge. As many of you know, mental health issues and unprocessed trauma seep into every fabric of our life together. I am honored to walk with all of you through the ups and downs of life and grateful to take a break from being “on call” for a little while. This will be my first Sabbatical in my 27 years of church work and 16 years of ordained ministry. The ELCA recommends that rostered leaders take a Sabbatical every six years for rest and renewal. Thank you, St. Matthew’s, for this opportunity to slow down and rest. (During Sabbatical, I will be taking a break from social media and from checking St. Matthew’s email.) 


PASTORAL COVERAGE

During my absence, there will be two faithful pastors who will be providing coverage. Rev. Mary Lindberg will preach and provide pastoral care, and Rev. Judy Brennan will preach and provide administrative support. During the summer, Rev. Herb Shao, Rev. David Hahn, and Dr. Jon Kershner will also be preaching at Sunday morning worship services. 


This summer, Bobbi Cyr will work on her Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) at St. Matthew’s as a prerequisite for becoming a called and ordained deacon in the ELCA. She has successfully completed two years of her master’s program and has one more year to go. Yeah, Bobbi! It is a gift for Bobbi and St. Matthew’s that she is an active student and co-worker for the Gospel in our midst. Bobbi will be visiting members of St. Matthew’s who are homebound or in need of pastoral care. If Bobbi reaches out to connect, please embrace a conversation or visit from her this summer. Rev. Mary Lindberg will serve as her supervisor in my absence. 


We have set up a NEW SPIRITUAL CARE AND EMERGENCY PHONE NUMBER. If you want prayers for family or friends added to Sunday worship or our weekly email, please text or call this number. If you would like a visit from a pastor or a Spiritual Care Companion, please do not hesitate to reach out., If someone is in the hospital, in hospice, or if there has been a death, we have pastors and trained Spiritual Care Companions ready to walk with you. Text or call: 425-226-1283. You can also email connect@stmatthewsrenton.org or call the church office main number: 425-226-2420. For the summer, it is helpful to refrain from sending text messages to the personal cell phones of St. Matthew’s staff as they will be taking vacations and/or leading trips. Please note if there is a death in the community, I will be notified by St. Matthew’s staff. 


NEW SPIRITUAL CARE AND EMERGENCY PHONE NUMBER: 425-226-1283 (text or call - active after 5/23/23) 


The Spiritual Care Companion Team members are: Marissa Singleton, Pat Lee, Randy Chapman, Chimene Lautenslager, Deb Kerekes, Libby Lucier, and Bobbi Cyr.   


SUNDAY MORNINGS

Every week, new people find St. Matthew’s longing to make meaningful connections. The Spirit is blowing in miraculous and wondrous ways. The staff and leadership of St. Matthew’s need your help to provide a warm welcome during the summer months as I am on Sabbatical. This summer, we invite community members to serve as hosts for a Sunday at the 10 AM worship. Don’t worry; it is super easy! All you have to do is sign-up for summer Sundays when you will be in town on this sign-up genius. https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0C4AA9A72EABFDC43-stmatthews


Sign-up for one or sign-up for ten Sundays. As a host, you will help with greeting or ushering and are invited to bring a treat. You are invited to arrive 15 minutes early, and a staff member will connect with you about helping for the day! Thank you! 


Your presence and hospitality are needed for our beloved community to grow and thrive! Also, our amazing staff needs to take vacation time this summer; your willingness to serve will help all of us get necessary rest. 



SUNDAY MORNINGS in AUGUST

During August, we will have ONE worship at 10 AM. These will be beautiful worship services with hymns and contemporary music. It will be a gift for the community to worship together and have time to fellowship following the one worship service.  

SUNDAY MORNINGS


+ Gwen Kelts has served as our volunteer bookkeeper for the last year. Thank you for your time, dedication, faithfulness, and expertise, Gwen! You are a GIFT! Jill Larson has offered to step into the volunteer bookkeeper position. Thank you, Jill! 


+ The St. Matthew’s Audit Team (Jodi Pickering, John Megow, and Eric Black) completed a thorough audit of our financial policies and procedures. Their full report and recommendations have been submitted to the St. Matthew’s Council for review and implementation. Thank you, Audit Team.  


+ This summer, members of St. Matthew’s are invited to read the book, The Art of Gathering by Priya Parker. Discussions will be on Tuesdays at 7 pm (July 25, Aug 1, 8, 15, 22) in the Comfy Couch Room at St, Matthew's. You can come to one discussion or go to them all! You do not have to keep up with the reading to attend. Many thanks to Amanda Bedsaul and Stephanie Kincaid for hosting the conversations. (Pick up your book at a favorite bookstore and join in the fun!) 


+ Please hold our YOUTH in your prayers this summer! I am excited that we have students going on a retreat over Memorial Day Weekend, traveling to Idaho Servant Adventure at the end of June, and students and adults attending Leadership Lab in July. Please participate in the NO FUSS Fundraiser to support the faith formation of our students. 


+ Summer Staff: Renee Connor-Sheen will join the St. Matthew’s staff for June, July, and August to lead with Vacation Bible School! Thank you, Renee! She will be looking for volunteers and resources for VBS in August. Please offer your support and marvel at the ways Renee works with our beloved kiddos! Also, Aide Gutierrez will be taking the lead with Summer Lunches for our neighborhood families. Aide is masterful at connecting with the community and offering a space of genuine welcome and care. Thank you, Aide! Aide will be leading summer lunches in June, July, and August. 


+ This Spring, St. Matthew’s hosted two meaningful offerings. The first was a SLOW DOWN and RESET Retreat May 5-7, 2023. The sacred time together was filled with an abundance of food, conversation, rest, and space to breathe. We had 17 people enjoying the time away. A team is forming who hope to create another retreat in the Fall. We need more time to connect and share life. Also, I was able to lead a four-part workshop called “Spring Cleaning for the Soul.” We explored the uncharted waters of our younger selves, interrogating the messages we learned about God when we were young, our regrets, and who God is calling us to become in the future. It is hard to put into words the holiness of our time together. It was a gift to listen, share and receive the fullness of our unique stories. I will hopefully lead another workshop like this in the future. 



There are some exciting dates/events this summer that you do not want to miss: 


  • Pentecost Sunday | May 28, 2023 - ONE WORSHIP 10 AM
  • LGBTQ+ Community Lunch at Panera | Sunday, June 4, 2023, at 11:45 AM 
  • Summer Connections Bible Study | Thursdays 1 PM (2nd and 4th Thursdays) 
  • Baccalaureate Worship | Sunday, June 11, 2023, at 10 AM worship 
  • Juneteenth Worship | Sunday, June 18, 2023, at 10 AM worship  
  • Pride Sunday and Parade | Sunday, June 25, 2023 
  • Youth Idaho Servant Adventure | June 25 - July 30, 2023 
  • Leadership Lab | July 16 - 22
  • Art of Gathering Discussion | Tuesday, July 27, 2023  
  • VBS | July 31 - August 4, 2023 
  • ONE Worship Service a Sunday during August | 10 AM 
  • All summer, you can serve at the Free Grocery Store on Mondays! 


AND…

more opportunities are coming soon!

Make sure to read your weekly e-news. 


I am also deeply grateful for our talented and gifted staff. Please shower them with your appreciation and support during these summer months. We are blessed to have Libby Lucier, Bobbi Cyr, Carter Torgeson, and TJ Johnston loving and serving in our community. Thank you, St. Matthew’s staff! 


Beloved Community, I believe God has an enormous sense of humor. As I prepare to leave for Sabbatical, an exhaustive process, my mind is flooded with new ideas and possibilities for our future together. I have met with new people, and new partnerships are starting to emerge JUST AS I AM PREPARING TO STEP AWAY. Go figure; God is giggling, I am sure. It is as if the Holy Spirit gently reminds me that St. Matthew’s health and vibrancy do not revolve around me or my timeline. So, I am keeping a notebook handy for the stream of ideas and remembering God wants glorious things in the community and the St. Matthew’s community this summer. 


The leadership and wisdom of Pastor Mary and Pastor Judy will bless you. There are also leaders within our community feeling a nudge to lead gatherings and opportunities for spiritual growth. I am excited to hear how the Spirit powerfully blows through our community this summer. 


I will be sending one more digital letter before I depart. My final day in the office at St. Matthew’s will be May 26, 2023. 


In God’s peace, 


Pastor Kacey 



www.stmatthewsrenton.org