St. Matthew's Episcopal Church 
Tidings from St. Matthew's
April 28, 2013
Taize candles
In This Issue
Service Auction
Baptism
Glenn Halvorson

Greetings!
Celtic Cross
Quicklinks

    

 

Readings for  

This Week:  

 

     

Acts 11:1-18    

 

 Psalm 148   

 

Revelation 21_1-6      

 

 John 13:31-35   

                              

Service Auction This Saturday, 6 pm 

 

Please join us this Saturday for a festive evening of fun and fundraising!  More than 90 unique items and services are being offered for sale to support the ministries of St. Matthew's. There's something to suit every interest, need, and price range, and you'll learn a lot of about your fellow parishioners, too!     

 

The evening will begin with a social hour at 6 pm. This is the perfect time to view and bid on the silent auction items, munch on some appetizers and drink to all the gifts we can share with one another. At 7 pm, we'll enjoy a sit-down dinner prepared by some of St. Matthew's finest cooks and served by youth in grades 4 through 7. At 7:45 pm, the silent auction will close, and the live auction will begin. Fifteen items will be auctioned off by emcee Mike Christenson in what we expect will be fierce but friendly bidding.   

 

If you are unable to attend that evening, but would like to leave an absentee bid for a particular item, please contact Lis Christenson at [email protected]. Childcare will be available during the live auction, provided by youth in grades 8 through 12. Don't miss this evening of great food and fellowship in support of our vital ministries.         

Baptism This Sunday, April 28  

 With great joy, we will welcome Lydia Maria Szczech into the household of God this Sunday in the sacrament of Holy Baptism. Lydia is the daughter of Dustin and LeAnn Szczech, who were married at St. Matthew's on May 9th, 2009.  Dustin is the nephew of Tim and Tracy Dunnwald, and he was

was both baptized and confirmed at St. Matthew's along with the rest of the Dunnwald family. LeAnn grew up in New Ulm, Minnesota, before moving to the Twin Cities to attend college and meet her future husband. Dustin, LeAnn, and Lydia live nearby in Como Park along with their golden retriever, Sophie. Dustin is a nurse at the University of Minnesota hospital, working on the intermediate care unit. LeAnn is the Provider Coordinator at the Sister Kenny Sports & Physical Therapy Center in Shoreview.  
 

Lydia's godparents are Tom Dunnwald and Christina Stueber. Tom is Dustin's cousin and the son of Tim and Tracy Dunnwald. Tom and his fiancee, Ashley Koechel, will be getting married in June, and they are currently living in Roseville. Tom went to St. Cloud State University, majoring in Criminal Justice and is now a police officer for the Brooklyn Park Police Department.

 
Christina Stueber is LeAnn's younger sister and daughter of Ted and Kathy Stueber. She currently lives on the family farm in New Ulm and is pursuing a degree in Environmental Science at Minnesota State University, Mankato. 

 
Glenn Halvorson: A Profile of the Artist      
Have you had an opportunity to view the breathtaking panoramas by photographer Glenn Halvorson in the Undercroft Gallery?  The show features large-scale panoramic photographs from the Grand Canyon, Yosemite National Park, Minnehaha Falls, and our beloved Minnesota State Fair. 

 

In describing his work, the artist noted that he is still trying to accept the photographic conventions while attempting to submerge the techniques to the point that they "disappear" and a viewer is left with the impression that the pictures might actually represent a subject. He notes: "You will notice we did not say reality here." He feels that this technique has meant he can adopt very direct approaches to subjects whether they are people, places, or things while making the technical details less apparent.

 

If Glenn has an aesthetic, it is to be willing to appear to do the "obvious," because it is very difficult to be quiet enough inside one's head to hear a landscape or an object tell one how it needs to be seen.

He feels that each place and thing is inherently interesting. He wants to be able to be in each place and see what is there. He notes that, because he feels his head is so full of dissonance, he feels acceptance and stillness within are still needed. Why? Because God is working on every single part of the garden, and each bit of it is filled with the lessons we need to learn, if only we can be quiet enough to notice what is there.

 

Glenn notes that he often mutters to himself a thought paraphrased very loosely from St. Augustine: "In perfect service would lay the possibility of perfect freedom." Glenn studied at Bemidji State University and the University of Minnesota, completing double majors in journalism and art. He has exhibited work at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts, Macalester College, Film in the Cities, and the Minnesota State Fair fine arts show. In addition to his work in the fine arts,  he has also had a career in photojournalism, working for the Fargo Forum, the Des Moines Register, and was chief photographer for the Walker Art Center from 1977 through 2002. Glenn's show will hang in the Undercroft Gallery through May 18.  

 

Looking Ahead: Calendar Highlights   
    
Spring Garden Clean-Up POSTPONED 
Spring might finally be arriving, but not quite quickly enough!  We'll give the sunshine a little more time to melt away the snow and dry out the grounds before our spring garden clean-up. Please watch for information about the new date. If you would like more information, please contact Liz Morrison, [email protected].  
    
Women's Retreat, May 3 & 4    
The St. Matthew's Women's Retreat is coming up soon at the Gainey Conference Center in Owatonna, May 3 & 4. The theme is "Sursum Corda: Lift Up Your Hearts." The retreat will begin with check-in between 4 and 5 pm on Friday, May 3, and will conclude before 5 pm on Saturday, May 4. There will be workshops, discussions, music, delicious food, free time for socializing and resting, walking the labyrinth and the grounds, and listening to God. 
 
 
Pentecost Dove PENTECOST, May 19
All-Parish Celebration & Potluck
   
Our annual end-of-the-year celebration includes an All-Parish Potluck in the parish hall on Pentecost Sunday after the 10:30 am service. This is a time to honor the teachers and children of our parish and mark the end of a successful learning year for our Christian formation programs. We are asking each family to contribute a main dish or salad. Dessert will be provided, as well as hot dogs for the children. Sign-up sheets are in the parish hall. If you are able to help organize, prepare or clean up after this event, please contact Lis Christenson at [email protected].
 

Scripture for the Week

I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying,

 

"See, the home of God is among mortals.

He will dwell with them as their God;

they will be his peoples,

and God himself will be with them;

he will wipe every tear from their eyes.

Death will be no more;

mourning and crying and pain will be no more,

for the first things have passed away."

 

And the one who was seated on the throne said, "See, I am making all things new." Also he said, "Write this, for these words are trustworthy and true." Then he said to me, "It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give water as a gift from the spring of the water of life."  
Revelation 21:1-6               

Please share your news and photos with us! Contact us at: [email protected] .