Commitment Sunday and Luncheon: October 25

We encourage all members to return their pledge cards this Sunday to support the work of St. Matthew's.  You are welcome to place your pledge card in the large basket at the front of the congregation during the 10:30am and the 5:30pm service or in the collection plate. 

We truly need everyone's help and participation to reach our goal of $390,000.  Last year, the average pledge for parishioners was $3,550 (from 97 families).  We are so grateful for the abundant generosity of our community.  Following the 10:30am service, the Brother Lawrence Guild will offer a special luncheon prepared by Rosa Uy to celebrate our generosity campaign.

To learn more, visit our website, with frequently asked questions and further information about generosity and pledging.
Memorial Service for Pearl Christenson - October 24 
 
The life of Pearl Christenson will be celebrated at St. Matthew's on Saturday, October 24 at 1:00pm.  Many knew Pearl as the mother of Mike Christenson and family members Lis, Will and Aria.  She truly loved the services and music at St. Matthew's, expressing her heart-felt appreciation for the joy-filled Celtic liturgy and the uplifting service music.  Pearl spoke from deep experience as an accomplished pianist and choir director for more than 40 years - at St. John's Catholic Church in New Brighton and St. Mary's by the Lake Catholic Church in White Bear Lake.

Pearl was interested in everyone, and all were drawn to her charisma, wisdom, unconditional acceptance and love. Grateful, kind and generous, she is remembered as an endlessly loving mother and grandmother. Pearl was able to strike up conversations in a heartbeat, drawing out information from those she just met and connecting immediately to people far and wide.  She loved the energy of the women of St. Matthew's, including her family and Blair Pogue, Valerie Matthews, Birdie Carter and Ruth Donhowe.

The night before the memorial, instead of a formal visitation, a Remembrance Open House will be hosted by Pearl's family and friends at her "second home," Pippin's Restaurant in Roseville from 5-7 pm on Friday, October 23 (2905 Snelling Avenue North). Here is a link to the full obituary. 
A Warm Welcome to The Rev. Dr. Dan Anderson    

The Rev. Dr. Daniel Anderson will be preaching this Sunday, October 25 and  begin serving as St. Matthew's Pastoral Assistant on November 15.  His duties will include preaching, assisting Blair with pastoral care and Christian formation.  
 
Dan is an adjunct professor in the Congregational Mission and Leadership and Biblical Preaching DMin programs at Luther Seminary and serves as the executive director of the Minnesota Consortium of Theological Schools. He is an ordained minister in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) and has served congregations as a pastor and as a church musician in Oregon and Minnesota. Dan directed high school, college, and church choirs for eighteen years before entering seminary. Dan grew up on a cattle ranch in western South Dakota.

Dan is married to Lisa Anderson. Lisa is a physician specializing in internal medicine with Allina Health in St. Paul. She is also a musician, an avid reader, and a Seahawks fan. Her family roots are in the Seattle area. Dan and Lisa have one daughter, Alexis, who is a freshman at Concordia College in Moorhead, MN pursuing degrees in nutrition, Spanish, and music performance (oboe).
- Jay with his donor's family, Isaiah and Darlene                                .

A Powerful Story from Jay Beyer-Kropuenske

You never know what might happen on any given Saturday!

Last month, LifeSource, the Organ Procurement Organization in Minneapolis that is responsible for organ and tissue donations held an open house and dedication ceremony of the new Healing Garden and Donor Memorial Wall at its new building on West River Road.  At the end of the ceremony I noticed a woman and child who appeared to be her grandson about 40 feet in front of me on the memorial benches.  They were consoling each other as family members read the names of loved ones who were donors   After the ceremony ended, I was going to head home and ended up behind them.  As we went into the building I noticed her name and I thought it looked familiar.  So I took another look and sure enough her first name was Darlene and her last name was the same as that of the person I thought was my donor. What were the chances that I could be running into my donor's mother and his son at this open house? (Jay received a new liver and kidney transplant 3 years ago).

I knew that I could not go up to them and introduce myself because donation is anonymous and LifeSource has protocols for exchanging information and meetings between donor families and recipients.  So I found several staff members to help me. I could see that my donor family was just about to leave and thought I had probably missed the opportunity to meet. But things worked out  -- I was about to meet my donor's family.  I was very nervous and filled with all kinds of emotions.  What could I possibly say to the mother and son of the person that gave me not one but two gifts and a second chance at life?

When we saw each other all we could do was hug and cry.  I finally was able to express how grateful I was to be given these gifts.  Meeting Darlene was overwhelming but meeting William's son Isaiah is something I cannot even put into words.  Isaiah is now 12 and I was finally able to tell him how sorry I was for his loss.   He surprised me by telling me "I know it is sad but at least good things have happened."  All I could do was say thank you and give him a hug.

We exchanged information and agreed to meet for lunch in the near future to talk some more and get to know one another.  I also found out Darlene had donated a bench in William's memory for the Healing Garden and I told her that my family had donated a bench at St Matthew's in honor of him and now could add his name to it.  I had pictures of the bench on my phone and I shared them with her.

Now that I have met my donor family officially l can let you know that my donor was William "Willie" Howard Theis  (9/20/1974 to 1/12/2015).  He passed away due to a brain aneurysm at North Memorial Medical Center (where I happened to be born).  His donations were truly selfless.  I can never express my gratitude for these gifts of life! All I can do is be a good steward of these gifts. I hope my life can be a living memory of the one they loved.
Ann Nerland Named Sheltering Arms Foundation Board Chair

St. Matthew's parishioner Ann Nerland was recently named Board Chair of the Sheltering Arms Foundation in St. Paul for the 2015-2016 year.  The Foundation focuses attention on the needs of very young children and has deep roots in the Episcopal tradition in Minnesota.

"Our predecessors on the Sheltering Arms board were in the vanguard of children's issues in their day. Today, not only is it important for Sheltering Arms to remain in the forefront of what's happening for children, it is also critical we stay current in how we communicate with our constituents, donors, and partners," said new board president Ann Nerland, who has a degree in journalism from Drake University and has served on Sheltering Arms' grants committee since 2010. "We are in a very dynamic environment - and society's modes of communication are shifting also. Our board this year will delve into social media and dig into how we can leverage its abilities to share information and connect with our constituents in an up-to-the-minute manner. With the advocacy work Sheltering Arms does and the work our grantees do, social media can be a valuable tool as we all work to effect change benefitting Minnesota's children."
Dan & Kim Glienke Receive YouthLink Award 

YouthLink will be honoring Dan and Kim Glienke with the Special Contribution Award at their annual donor and volunteer recognition celebration on November 2nd. This award recognizes them for their generous financial and volunteer commitments to YouthLink.  Their support helps provide life-changing resources in basic needs, education, employment, and housing to young people experiencing homelessness in the Twin Cities  The event will take place the Guthrie Theater from 5-7pm. Anyone who would like to attend can send their RSVP to Erika at events@youthlinkmn.org.  
City Tips: Stories       

Who doesn't like a good story, particularly one about how God came through in someone's life in a tangible way. We are so grateful to Jay Beyer-Kropuenske for sharing his remarkable story (see above). 
That's the purpose of a story center. It gives people a place to add to a growing collection of stories about the goodness of God.  Click the Growth tab on the left, select Stories, click Write a Story.  Once you submit your story, you can share it with your friends by giving them the link. If you are comfortable sharing the story with the wider St. Matthew's community, we can adjust the administrative settings to include it on the general news feed.

If you have questions about The City, please call the church office at 651 645-3058. We're happy to help answer any questions.    
Looking Ahead: Calendar Highlights
  • October 24: Pearl Christenson Memorial Service, 1:00pm
  • October 25: Race & Reconciliation Discussion with Dr. McKinney, 9:15am
  • October 25: Commitment Sunday: Dedication of Pledges and luncheon.
  • November 1: All Saints Sunday with Dixieland Jazz & Children's Processional
  • November 9: Book Discussion - The New Jim Crow at 7:00pm
  • November 22: Loaves and Fishes at the Dorothy Day Center, St. Paul
 
Please share your news and photos with us: tidings@stmatthewsmn.org 

Visit our website for the prayer list, calendar and sermons