Christian Formation Classes Resume this Sunday  
By Terese Lewis
We'll begin another year of learning together this Sunday, September 18 with Christian formation classes for all from 9:15 to 10:15am (please note that the Godly Play class will meet at 10:15 and will rejoin parents during the worship service, as described below).In the children's and youth program this year, our focus this year will be on God's beloved community and how we can join God's healing movement to reconcile all things.

Nursery
Our nursery is professionally staffed and care is provided on Sunday mornings beginning at 9am. During the 10:30am worship service, children will be brought upstairs during the Peace to rejoin their families for the Eucharist. Staff: Robyn Johnson, coordinator; Maclore Christensen; Katie Lowry

Godly Play (PreK-1)
Godly Play creates sacred space in the classroom, using Montessori methods to foster religious expression, creativity and  imagination.  Godly Play engages the whole child - hands, heart, mind, senses and intuition. This year, the Godly Play class will meet during the first part of the worship service, gathering outside the classroom at 10:15am. Children will be brought upstairs to the worship service during the Peace to join their families for the Eucharist.  
Teachers: Joan Hershbell; Lis Christenson; Laurie Beyer-Kropuenske; June Sherren

Weaving God's Beloved Community
We are called by God to live in loving community with one another, working together to help fulfill God's promise to heal all of creation. We'll focus this year on our social justice ministries and the worship practices that gather us together and equip us to reach out to others. Teachers: Ann Nerland; Kim Glienke; Heidi Gordon; Paul Kiehne

7th-9th Grade Youth
This year, the 7th through 9th graders will explore together what it means to belong to one another in Christian community and will delve more deeply into some of the practices we engage in as followers of the Way of Jesus. They will also be preparing for confirmation and may choose to be confirmed at St. Mark's Cathedral on April 29, 2017. Leaders: Steve Mullaney and BreAnne Rice

Journey to Adulthood (J2A)
J2A celebrates the transition from youth to adulthood, supporting youth as they learn skills they will need in their adult lives. This year, the J2Aers will prepare for confirmation on April 29, 2017 and they'll plan the pilgrimage they will take in the summer of 2017. Leaders:Erik Johnson and Maclore Christensen  
 
In the Undercroft Gallery: "In a New Voice"

The first art show of the year in the Undercroft Gallery will open this Sunday, September 18.  "In a New Voice" celebrates the creative artwork of adults with dementia and memory loss.  The  paintings, drawings and sculpture were created by adults in the Adult Day Health program sponsored by the Wilder Foundation. The show runs through October 22.

Faith Forum September 18: Art, Dementia & Healing 
- Sandra Menefee Taylor      
 
To accompany this show, our Faith Forum this Sunday at 9:15am in the library will feature a conversation with Sandra Menefee Taylor, the artist who works with the Wilder Foundation program.

Sandra Menefee Taylor is a Minnesota artist who pushes the boundaries of the role of the artist and the practice of art-making, currently called "Social practice."  She is also a studio artist and has spent many years teaching professional as well as non-professional artists to create art building from their own memory, experience and reflection. For Taylor, this is more than a profession - it's a passion. Taylor holds a BFA from the Minneapolis College of Art and Design and exhibits nationally in sculpture, installation art, videos, and book arts.   
Ministry Fair, September 18, 11:45am  
By Heidi Gordon

Did you know that we have over 35 ministries that operate in and with St. Matthew's throughout the year? Some, like the Altar Guild and the Art Ministry run during all or most of the year. Others, like Project Home and Men's & Women's Retreats happen once a year with weeks and months of preparation. Many people of St. Matthew's have also built relationships with or created organizations throughout our city and around the world, like The Blue House and Loaves & Fishes, in order for us to add our resources to the work that they do. 

Please join us after the service on Sunday, September 18th for a Ministry Fair. Representatives of many of our St. Matthew's ministries will be available for you to talk with. This is not a recruitment fair - there will be no guilt trips or arm-twisting. This is simply an opportunity to celebrate the work being done, and to learn: 
  • More about the people who lead and serve in these ministries
  • What each ministry does
  • What they need
  • Their vision for the future
  • More about how the St Matthew's building both helps and hinders their work & their goals
  • The skills and gifts they're looking for in future volunteers
  • How you (or someone you know) could get more involved  
St. Matthew's is a community filled with people who want to help, who want to do more, and who have a vision for what can be. However, no one person can do everything these ministries do, and as grandma always said, "Many hands make light work." Please join us to discover where your hands may be most needed and best utilized.
Building Discernment Recap  
By Judy Johnson

This last Sunday we met over breakfast to hear from ministry leaders and staff about how the building helps or hinders our work. John Lawyer, the Senior Warden, shared the history of the building, the era in which it was built and the changes that have been made since then. Thoughtful discernment and planning by church leaders in the 90's resulted in the classrooms, art gallery and library we use today. What sort of building will help not only us but the next generation engage in the ministries they are called to more fully AND enable us to share the building with more neighbors?

Ministry leaders then shared how their ministry helps foster following the Way of Jesus, how the building is currently being used, and suggested changes/improvements that would help their ministry areas in the future. Each ministry area provided a summary of their thoughts, which Blair sent by email to all members of our faith community. Then we broke into discussion groups to discuss what, if anything, in the presentations, captured peoples' imaginations and got them excited.
Here are some of the topics groups discussed:
  • This church values creativity, and it is reflected in the ministry areas.
  • We could be more welcoming to international families/people in the area.
  • As we discuss changes it is important to note that people are in different places when it comes to change. Some experience excitement, others grief and mourning. It is important to plan for the range of emotions, recognize all and reconcile together. We want to walk through any changes together, and not be torn apart.
  • Make the front of the church more flexible for worship and seating. Maybe angle the pews.
  • Storage is a problem for many ministry areas.
  • Make the kitchen more functional. Upgrade the space and replace the stove.
  • Increase accessibility for the worship space and the building at large.
  • Find out more about the condition of the organ and what repairs may be needed.
  • Provide more flexibility in the classroom spaces, how they are used and who uses them.

We invite everyone to review all the information provided in the last four issues of Tidings, the emailed reports and the information posted on The City. Prayerfully  consider the question:
Apart from repairs needed to maintain our building, what possible alterations to the building, if any, got you excited/captured your imagination, and why?
You can answer the question on the City or by emailing me. You can also write it on a slip of paper and put it in one of the designated boxes at church next Sunday, September 18. Also, watch your email for a survey that will be coming to you in the next few weeks to help us gather more information. The vestry will then review the collected input and report to the community where we think the Spirit is moving in our faith community. 
The Few, the Proud, the Contact People
 
Actually not so few, we need about 30 Contact People.  This year's pledge drive will be fueled by personal interaction between parishioners, and specifically by parishioners helping each other be aware of important dates and events.

Recently every parishioner household received a letter inviting your participation as a Contact Person.  Job responsibilities consist of inviting four other parishioners to the Generosity Luncheon or Dinner, October 23 and then to church on Commitment Sunday, October 30 when we will offer our pledge cards during the services.

If there are four households or parishioners whom you wish to invite then just let us know and they are yours (unless someone else grabs them first).  Please email danielawhite1124@gmail.com or call me at (952) 457-8660 to help out.  It will be greatly appreciated!

Dan White 
Follow Up: Loaves & Fishes Discernment Session 
By Arun Caspram

Loaves and Fishes is a ministry that St. Matthew's participates in four times a year at the Dorothy Day Center in St. Paul. We cook and serve meals for the clients during those times, on the premises.
What is Life Giving about Loaves and Fishes?
It provides an easy and accessible opportunity to serve Christ, work as a team with members of our church, and develop meaningful relationships with one another. Whole families can participate including older children. It also brings us into contact with real poverty.
What are some of the gaps?
It doesn't meet our ongoing desire to engage in ministries that will allow for long-term, two-way relationships to address inequality in our community. One person present at the discernment session raised the important question, "are we interested in providing a meal, or transformation (which might involve sitting down for a meal with neighbors living in poverty). Sometimes leaders don't know if they have all the volunteers they need until the last minute, which is stressful. Also, we all need to constantly check ourselves not to get complacent with the easy accessibility that L&F provides but complement it with deeper efforts, inspired by L&F. This can lead us into multiple experiments to see where the Spirit manifests itself. For example, St. Barnabas (YouthLink apartments) has an opportunity go with a smaller group to cook a simple dinner WITH residents (homeless youth), to sit at a table and have a conversation, followed by clean up.
Where are we going?
The future of this ministry will be shaped by how the new Dorothy Day Center (currently under construction) is envisioned and built. There will be an important meeting organized by Catholic Charities on Thursday Oct 6th from 6-7:30pm at the Church of the Assumption to talk about the new vision, building, and role of volunteers. If you can go, please let our Social Justice Ministry leaders know - Cecelia Caspram, Arun Caspram, or Tina Maynor. They will be at the Social Justice Ministry Team table during the Ministry Fair this Sunday, September 18.
Here is a link to the minutes of the discernment session.
Calendar Highlights 
 
September 18: 9:00am Faith Forum:"Art and Dementia" with Sandra Menefee Taylor and Sue Ryan - to accompany the Art Show In The Undercroft Gallery -"In a New Voice"
September 18: Regular Sunday School Hours resume, 9:15am for all ages AND St. Matthew's Ministry Fair at 11:45am in the parish hall.
September 21: Cook's Night Out at Ghebre Restaurant, 6:00pm, 512 Snelling Ave.
September 25: St. Matthew's Day All Parish Celebration, 10:30am, including the dedication and blessing of the Beatrice Garubanda Portrait.
September 25: Financial Peace University class begins at St. Matthew's, 4:00pm
October 2: Celtic Liturgy Begins at the 10:30am service
October 28-29: Men's Retreat at Dunrovin Retreat Center
 
Please share your news and photos with us: tidings@stmatthewsmn.org 

Visit our website for the prayer list, calendar and sermons