St. Matthew's Episcopal Church
Tidings 
 January 18, 2015
   
Report on the Vestry Retreat
By Katie White (Senior Warden-Elect)

  

The outgoing and incoming members of the Vestry met on Saturday, January 10 for fellowship and work. We discussed the year ahead through two related lenses; the themes from Dwight Zscheile's latest book, "The Agile Church: Spirit-Led Innovation in an Uncertain Age" and through conversation about St. Matthew's as a growing parish.

 

The group agreed that our practice of listening and discernment contributed greatly to our ability to be "agile" and create changes when needed, and agreed that the Vestry and congregation should revisit assumptions that have established themselves over the last ten years. Ten years is a long time to develop history and patterns, and some things may need to be changed. We will follow up at the February Vestry meeting to focus on identifying ways in which we do not operate in an "agile" fashion.

 

The conversation about growing congregations highlighted the tensions that arise during periods of growth, particularly the staffing needs and the programmatic organization. In many ways we still act as a "Pastoral" congregation, where the pastor is the main point of contact for all church activities, but we are demonstrating characteristics of much larger congregations as well. The group agreed staff and space concerns will be priorities over the next several years as we work to channel our growth and energy.

Faith Forum: Conversation with Charlotte Miller 
By Blair Pogue

This coming Sunday, January 18, we are blessed to have Charlotte Miller, a new member of St. Matthew's and assistant in our Sunday School, with us in the Faith Forum. Charlotte has worked in child protective services in the Cities since 2006. She is currently a child protection social worker for Hennepin County. She works with families to help them reunify, and reduce risk levels by learning and practicing life-giving behaviors and ways of living together. Charlotte's work reinforced her belief that the spiritual dimension of people's lives is essential in their personal growth, family relations, and ability to move forward. Charlotte will share stories from her work as a child protection social worker and invite your stories and insights. Her visit will help us continue to learn more about how members of our faith community live daily as followers of the Way of Jesus and what we can learn from their experiences about our neighbors in the Cities. Please join us for this important opportunity to learn from Charlotte and one another!

Kenya Liturgy Celebration

  

The Kenya Liturgy continues through the month of January with prayers and music that move us out of our traditional patterns.  These photos capture the buoyancy and spirit of last Sunday:

 

 
Staff Reflection on the Way of Jesus   

By Terese Lewis

 

My focus this fall has been to call upon and equip the adults of St. Matthew's to live out the big promises we make at the baptism of each of our children, that we will do all in our power to support them in their lives in Christ. My goal is for each child and youth to feel that they have a place here, and for every adult in the congregation to understand that they have a stake in nurturing our children's gifts as they grow to become the unique people God has created them to be.

 

Much of my energy this past fall has gone toward creating three new Way of Jesus classrooms for children in grades 1 through 4, with each room focusing on a different creative activity - drama & music, art, or LEGO-modeling - as a way of responding to Biblical stories about our eight key practices. So far, we have focused on the practices of hospitality, generosity, and gratitude, which brought us to Advent season with a focus on the nativity stories and the practice of simplicity. 

 

Getting our new Journey to Adulthood (J2A) group off to a good start has been another high priority this fall.  Leaders Maclore Christensen and Erik Johnson have worked with the group of 8th and 9th-graders to identify their dreams and priorities.  We will celebrate the new group with a dinner for J2Aers and their families next Saturday, hosted by our returned J2A pilgrims, who are now in 10th-12th grades.  A litany of dedication will take place during the worship service on Sunday, January 25, marking the new J2Aers' commitment to journey together toward adulthood and affirming the congregation's promise to support our children and youth as they grow into mature followers of Jesus.   

Children and Youth Issues 

  

Paula Kringle reminds us of an important upcoming event:

 

If you are interested in Children and Youth Issues that will be addressed in the 2015 legislative session, you are invited to attend a briefing hosted by the Minnesota Council on Nonprofits, Friday, January 23, 9 a.m. to noon at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Saint Paul. The event is free and open to the public. To register, follow this link

Looking Ahead: Calendar Highlights
  • January 18: Faith Forum at 9:15am - with Charlotte Miller
  • January 18: Chili Cook Off at 6:30pm dinner
  • January 22: South African Book & Movie group, 7:00pm
  • January 23: Children and Youth Issues Briefing, 9:00am Crowne Plaza Hotel, downtown St. Paul
  • January 24: Way of Jesus Business Group, 8:30am
  • January 26: Annual Meeting begins at 9:00am  
  • February 1: Mpls. School Board member Don Samuels at the Faith Forum
Please share your news and photos with us: [email protected] 

Visit our website for the prayer list, calendar and sermons
 
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