5 Reasons to Shop the Blue House Boutique This Weekend... 
  1. Non-mall, local, creative Christmas shopping--even a beautiful, fresh Wreath to decorate your house.
  2. A healthy, scrumptious Homemade Lunch--including a gluten-free cookie choice this year!
  3. Authentic African Crafts--new items never before available at the Boutique! (As well as old favorites.)
  4. The sense of Community with people from near and far--freely and joyfully giving their talents and time because they care about the Blue House.
  5. Spread the Gift of Love--you bless your gift recipients with thoughtful, handmade gifts, and you bless the girls of the Blue House by helping to provide them a hopeful future.

And don't forget the delectable selection of Gourmet Goodies, the chance to get updates on the girls at the HMI Exhibit, items handmade by the children of St. Matt's, the Christmas Shoppe full of cheery decor, and, of course, the Raffle of the Decade this year.  Guess that makes at least 10 Good Reasons to Come!  
For a preview of what you'll find at the Boutique, go to:  www.hopemultipurpose.org
Coming in January 2016: Financial Peace University
 
How do we manage our personal finances faithfully in a culture that conspires against it? Money is one of the great personal and spiritual challenges of our lives. Join us for a practical journey of exploring personal finances from a Christian perspective. We'll cover such topics as saving, debt, purchases, insurance, retirement and college planning, real estate and mortgages, and giving. Financial Peace University has transformed millions of people's relationships with money through helping them get out of debt, save, and become less fearful and more generous.

Sunday afternoons 4:00-5:30 pm beginning January 3 and ending March 6 (no class on Presidents' Day weekend). Led by Dwight Zscheile. You can learn more about the class here. Contact Dwight for more information.
Children's Living Creche 

St. Matthew's Living Creche will be held during the 4:00pm service Christmas Eve. All are welcome and we hope you will join us! Please talk with your children about what roles they might choose and RSVP to Terese Lewis.  Children are needed in each of these categories: animals, angels, shepherds and sheep, 3 Magi, Mary, Joseph and the Star.  Costumes can be provided; visiting grandchildren, friends and relatives are encouraged to participate.       

Greening of the Church: December 20 
Sunday, December 20 -- in 2 parts -- we need 10 - 15 volunteers for both times.
A partial greening will take place after the morning service (after 11:30am).  We will put up the tree with lights and place poinsettias in the windows with white candles. After the Sunday evening service (around 8:00 pm) we will decorate the tree with ornaments, arrange the scene for the Children's Living Creche and place poinsettias on the steps. Please contact Liz O'Toole if you can help.

Order your 2015 Christmas poinsettias in blessing, celebration or memory of loved ones -- there are envelopes in the narthex and pews.  Your dedication will be printed in the worship bulletin and you may take a poinsettia home with you after the Christmas services.

Sunday, December 6 Learning Opportunities:  
 
Race & Reconciliation Faith Forum with Dr. McKinney
With the help of Dr. Karen McKinney from Bethel University we will focus on increasing the tools in our tool box for reconciliation. We will learn about code switching and explore how we think about language and the power of language in our racialized society. The Faith Forum takes place at 9:15am in the library.
 
Presentation on Infant Mortality with Michelle Chiezah
 At 4:00pm on Dec. 6, St. Matthew's parishioner Michelle Chiezah will present an important report a second time for those who missed it in October.  Michelle works for the Minnesota Dept. of Health as the State's Infant Mortality Consultant. They recently released a major report authored by Michelle, titled The Infant Mortality Reduction Plan for Minnesota, Part 1. Although Minnesota ranks well among all states in the nation regarding infant mortality, it does not fare so well with racial disparities.
 
St. Paul Promise Neighborhood Tour 

A group of 12 St. Matthew's parishioners toured 3 elementary schools in the Promise Neighborhood this week.   The SPPN is a public, private and community collaboration to help children in St. Paul's Frogtown and Summit-University neighborhoods succeed in school and in life.  It focuses on children's academic and social development, birth through grade 5.  If you are interested in learning more about this initiative or the possibility of volunteering in one of the schools, click here.  St. Matthew's members on the City can join the conversation initiated by Rev. Blair Pogue and the recent tour.

Candle
"The Coming"  
 by R.S. Thomas

And God held in his hand
a small globe. Look, he said.
The son looked.  Far off,
as through water, he saw
a scorched land of fierce
colour.  The light burned
there; crusted buildings
cast their shadows; a bright
serpent, a river
uncoiled itself, radiant
with slime.

On a bare hill
a bare tree saddened
the sky.  Many people
held out their thin arms
to it, as though waiting
for a vanished April
to return to its crossed
boughs.  The son watched
them.  Let me go there, he said.  
Looking Ahead: Calendar Highlights
  • December 5-6: Blue House Boutique
  • December 6: Dr. Karen McKinney at the Faith Forum, 9:00am
  • December 6: Infant Mortality Report, with Michelle Chiezah, 4:00pm
  • December 13: All Ages Gathering, Stations of the Nativity at 9:15am
  • December 15: Advent Taize Candlelight Prayer, 7:30pm
  • December 24: Living Creche at 4:00pm for all ages. Evening Candlelight Service: 10:00pm with full choir
  • December 25: Christmas morning service, 10:30am
  • January 3: Financial Peace University course begins with Dwight Zscheile
  • January 10: Zimbabwe Celebration begins at 9:15am, with prayers and music from Zimbabwe at the 10:30am service through January.
 
Please share your news and photos with us: tidings@stmatthewsmn.org 

Visit our website for the prayer list, calendar and sermons