2016 Women's Retreat: Diving into the Enneagram....

Last weekend, 47 women of all ages from St. Matthew's traveled to the Riverwood Conference Center in Otsego, Minnesota for a time of renewal and reflection. We were joined on Saturday morning by Kay Vander Vort for an introduction to the Enneagram - a way of understanding ourselves and others more deeply. A heartfelt thank you to the Rev. Blair Pogue, Sue Ladehoff, Laura Bathke and musicians Martha Mason, Martha Hotchkiss, Elizabeth Lienisch and Lisa Anderson for their organizing and energizing work to make this retreat so successful.

To understand the Enneagram in greater detail, we will purchase several books and videos for the parish library.  We would also love to continue the conversation about our "Types" and how we interact with others and the world.  If you would like to meet further to continue our exploration of the Enneagram during the summer months as a small group, contact Lis Christenson. Please see the Faith + Learning section below for more resources.





Watch this video to learn more about NAZ...

NAZ President Sondra Samuels at the Faith Forum May 15

This is your chance  to learn more about the Northside Achievement Zone, the nationally recognized organization working for change in North Minneapolis - which remains one of our most challenged neighborhoods. Sondra Samuels is the President of NAZ and will offer her perspective and experience at 9:15am in the library on Sunday, May 15.  NAZ was created in 2008 to permanently close the achievement gap and end generational poverty in North Minneapolis. Together with their partner organizations, they are walking side by side with low-income families to place their children on a path to college.

Last winter, a group of 40 parishioners from St. Matthew's toured North Minneapolis with Don Samuels and Mike Christenson narrating the story, including a visit to the NAZ office.  Please join us on the 15th to continue the conversation and the chance to work alongside this important effort. This is our opportunity to see how St. Matthew's might align more closely with this organization to bring greater racial equity and social justice to our community and region. 

- Brian, Charli and Heidi Gordon
5 Questions for Heidi & Brian Gordon 

There are people in our congregation who are thinking deeply about important issues, including the spiritual practice of generosity.  Both Heidi and Brian created their own individual blogs to explore this practice further.  They agreed to share their thoughts with us...

What caused you to create these blogs - was there a conversation or event that sparked this new direction? Heidi - We developed our ideas independently, although talked about them along the way. My idea has been spinning in my head for so many years (7?) that I don't actually remember exactly what started it. I know I was inspired by something some celebrity or other whom I'd heard talking about the cause they support, and wondered what could happen if everyone - not just rich and famous people - had a cause of their own. And so, my blog's URL: UncelebrityCause.net
Brian - Unlike Heidi, it really was a moment in time that flipped the charity switch for me.  I was reading a story at midnight about a displaced Palestinian man selling pens on the streets of Beirut, with his daughter draped over his shoulder.  The picture of this man sparked something in me.  I realized reading about charity wasn't the same as doing it.  And so I started a quest to develop charity in my life. And so: DevelopingCharity.net

What would you share with other members at St. Matthew's about what you have learned? Heidi - Finding a cause is hard work. The one thing that has held me back in helping others to find their cause is that I don't yet have mine figured out. I really think I could learn more from those at St. Matthew's who are consistently involved in each of the causes that our community supports, as well as those who have participated in the High Commitment Discernment Team and all that they have discovered about the process they've used in finding the direction of St. Matthew's social justice attention.
Brian - There's no such thing as too little. Strange advice, I know. I was always convinced that to "get involved" would mean drastically changing me life. But over the past 6 months I've focused on little changes, and I've been amazed how all of those little things have been re-wiring my brain to see the world in a whole new way. It didn't mean changing my life in a massive moment, but rather making small changes to become the person I really want to be, and model something for my kid that I hope she will follow in her own way.

Heidi, as a member of the vestry (our church governing board), are there things we could be doing at St. Matthew's to lift up the practice of generosity more broadly - to generate more conversations, awareness or a deepening of this practice?
Heidi - I am very excited about the work that the HCDT is doing to identify the causes that fit the people of St. Matthew's as well as the people in our community. I would love to hear more about the work they're doing and the things that they're learning.  I have also talked with Terese Lewis a bit about getting our kids more involved with St. Matthew's causes. I have a bit of experience with "service learning" with elementary-age children, and would love to work with others who know more to bring some of this practice to our children.  Read More Here..... 
 
Middle School Retreat: New Life in Christ
By Terese Lewis

The movement of the Holy Spirit was visible as St. Matthew's bustled with youthful energy during the Pre-TEC Retreat on April 15 & 16, when 29 middle-schoolers from six parishes gathered to celebrate "New Life in Christ." The retreat was part of a cycle of six weekend retreats leading up to Teens in Encounter Christ (TEC) retreats for high school students and it was the fourth retreat our middle-schoolers have participated in.

The 24-hour retreat began Friday evening with games in College Park led by Bishop Brian Prior. After cooling down with ice cream sandwiches on the front steps, the youth gathered in the library for singing and an introduction to the retreat's theme. The youth were invited to discover and explore their God-given gift using the metaphor of seasons: understanding "Winter" as a time of discovering our gifts; "Spring" as a time of trying (and sometimes failing) as we struggle to test our gifts; "Summer" as a time of growing awareness that God is showing up and helping us use our gifts in unexpected ways, and "Fall" as a time of reinvesting our gifts and committing to the life of faith in community. Students had the opportunity to interact with four beautiful prayer stations in the sanctuary, exploring each of these seasons of life. This time of reflection was closed with a service of Compline led by Eric Selle in the chancel, followed by an invigorating hunt for glow sticks throughout the darkened building - perhaps a little too invigorating so close to bedtime!

On Saturday, the youth continued to unpack the retreat's seasonal themes with speakers Linda Lopez, Lloyd Latty, and Blair Pogue. The presentations and discussions helped the youth go deeper in exploring their individual gifts and personality types, sharing stories of struggle at trying out gifts for the first time, and celebrating the moments when our gifts come together with the movement of God's Spirit to create something truly amazing. This hard spiritual work was balanced with more fun in the park, an art activity making stepping stones, and abundance of great food, and time to nurture growing friendships. In the afternoon, the middle-schoolers divided into teams to design the closing Taize-stye worship service - a team to prepare and decorate the worship space, a team to design the music, and a team to offer a reflection on their learnings. Families joined the youth for the Eucharist, and the feast continued downstairs with a farewell dinner.

Many hard-working volunteers collaborated to help St. Matthew's live up to our reputation for abundant and gracious hospitality and I'm so thankful for the generous help of the congregation. Sue Ladehoff juggled many challenging details leading up the retreat and joined Cindy Howard and Susan Carlson in welcoming our guests on Friday evening. Faithful chaperones Heather Halker and Heather Craig sacrificed a night of sleep and, along with Susan Jones, gave many hours on Friday and Saturday to be present to the youth during discussions and activities, and helped with countless tasks. Many thanks to Eric Selle, Laura Perticara, and Brynn Stember for leading music and to Linda Lopez, Lloyd Latty, and Blair Pogue for engaging the youth in thoughtful discussions. Joan Hershbell made gallons of heavenly chicken noodle soup, and delicious cookies and bars were provided by Ros Stilen, Rosa Uy, Grant Abbott & Elaine Tarone, Elizabeth Hosch, Amy Fisher, Tracy Dunnwald, Liz O'Toole, and Janet Murphy. Liz O'Toole helped with the stepping stone activity and Robyn Johnson organized a huge closing feast. Erik Johnson, Benjamin Johnson, and Paul Kiehne pulled late-night duty on Friday night, hiding the glow sticks (perhaps a little too well) and standing by to enforce lights-out as needed. Clean-up after the retreat was a huge community effort involving many of the folks named above - special thanks to Lindsay Craig for helping put the sanctuary back to "rites" and Cindy Howard for heroic gum removal efforts. Thank you to everyone for helping create a meaningful experience for the youth and making our retreat a tough act to follow!




Faith + Learning Resources 
  • Richard Rohr's daily meditation (delivered via email) features the Enneagram this week! Click here to view and sign up for this excellent resource.
  • Kay Vander Vort recommends the following books: The Enneagram Made Easy by Baron and Wagele, Enneagram in Love and Work by Helen Palmer, and Discovering the Enneagram by Richard Rohr.
  • There is still time to register for summer camps for children and youth offered by the Episcopal Church in MN.
  • Learn more about the Northside Achievement Zone on their website.
  • A recent article in the Atlantic magazine written by Neal Gabler explores some surprising information about money and finances in our country.
  • The blog, On Being celebrates the importance of community and fellowship with a reflection by contributor, Omid Safi
Looking Ahead: Calendar Highlights
  • May 14: Confirmation at St. Mark's Cathedral, 10:00am
  • May 14: Potluck dinner and celebration for Paul & Linda Brady, 6:00pm
  • May 15: Faith Forum at 9:15am with NAZ President Sondra Samuels
  • May 15: Pentecost Sunday, with international gospel reading
  • May 22: Giving Trends at St. Matthew's with Dan White, 9:15am and 11:45am
  • May 22: Loaves and Fishes at the Dorothy Day Center, 2:00 - 6:00pm
  • May 22: Luther Graduation at Central Lutheran for Lisa Wiens Heinsohn (3:00pm) and celebration/dinner at St. Matthew's, 5:30pm
  • May 29: Summer worship begins: one service at 9:30am
 
Please share your news and photos with us: [email protected] 

Visit our website for the prayer list, calendar and sermons