Rector’s Corner: The Holiest of Weeks
We are entering one of the busiest times of the church year: Holy Week. It is a time filled with multiple liturgies, schedules, and arrangements between the various ministry groups, worship times, and many bulletins (I say this as I finish another round of proofreading). The church will have a lot of activity as we prepare to welcome visitors, seekers, and guests. We will do our best to enter into the sacred space of Holy Week. But I want you to consider taking a little time for yourself in the presence of God.
A clergy colleague always says during the season of Advent, “Slow down, be quiet; it’s Advent.” Maybe we can apply this slogan to Holy Week and hear me out before you say, “That’s all well and good, Father Tim, but you know how insane this week can be?” When I invite you to take some time to yourself, it can be just about anywhere and anytime during Holy Week. You may find the time for silent meditation for a moment throughout one of the liturgies, especially during the Maundy Thursday and Good Friday liturgies, where there is intentional silence. You may find time on Holy Saturday as you prepare for the Easter celebrations. Perhaps you can find time to reflect on the last week of Jesus during a walk in the beautiful spring we are experiencing in Snellville. You could find time during an early morning in the week as you pray and offer yourself and your day to God with your first cup of coffee.
And you may find that the only time you get is during a drive to church or somewhere else. Regardless of where you find time for yourself, know that all our occasions with God are holy, sacred, and unique, and God is interested and wants to be with you and, hopefully, vice versa. However, as you enter and experience Holy Week this year, I hope you are intentional and open to the time God gives you and the wonder of this week’s liturgies.
May God be with us as we travel with Jesus to the cheering crowds of Jerusalem to the intimacy of Maundy Thursday, from the solemnity of Good Friday to the joyful proclamation of Jesus’ resurrection and victory over death at the Great Vigil of Easter and Easter Sunday. I pray that we all have a wonderful Holy Week and find God in some unexpected places during our journey with Jesus.
Holy Week Blessings!
Father Tim Meyers
Rector
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Parish Workday Thank You and Photos!
A BIG Thank You to those 42 Worker Bees who came out to the Parish Work Day today! Fun, fellowship, and hard work was completed by everyone who came out! Things were cleaned and organized that have been needed for a very long time!
We completely emptied and reorganized the parish shed, the pantry and kitchen cabinets, the closet in the parish hall, storage rooms, pressure washed the preschool Little Tyke cars, and put down mulch in the lower gardens to the left of the church building outside the undercroft. And thank you to the Brotherhood for providing lunch for everyone.
We have set up a new Meeting Room #2 next to the copy room, moved a volunteer desk into the office, established a new Flower Guild space, and set up a storage room in the undercroft.
We have many items in the parish hall on tables available for FREE! Please take a look at them and feel free to take anything you can use. Anything left will be donated or put in the St. Matthew’s Yard Sale on April 22. More info to come on the Yard Sale soon!
Watch for photos of this fun and productive day in next week’s newsletter, The Messenger.
Sincerely Thankful for the St. Matthew’s Family,
Trisha Voiles, Senior Warden
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Youth: New Beginnings Wrap Up
This past weekend we had several of our youth, our Youth Interns Jessie and Caroline, and Fr. Tim as the Spiritual Director attend New Beginnings. The weekend’s theme was Paved Way and the middle schoolers experienced spiritual formation through games, talks, music, and building their relationships with leaders and peers.
During the weekend the middle schoolers came out of their shells making new friends and discussing topics with peers that are tough to discuss with others. They had some amazing discussions about friends, parents sibling, God’s Love, and what the church means to them.
Our thanks to the adults and senior high youth who formed the team and accompanied the middle school on this retreat weekend.
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A Word from Fr. Tim+: New Community
Last weekend, New Beginnings #45 was held at Camp Mikell. New Beginnings is a spiritual retreat for middle school youth staffed by high school youth and adult leaders. The retreat is a wonderful way to connect or reconnect with God.
Many youth from around the diocese, many of them from St. Matthew’s, gathered for music, spiritual talks, small group time, four-square competition, and fellowship. Having been the spiritual director for the weekend, I observed what I call “instant community.” No matter where everyone came from, what the previous week was like, or what grade you were in, people formed a community. I loved seeing how strangers and old friends created community and everyone was a part of it. No prerequisites or applications, just presence. As the weekend restart unfolded, I saw how tight the community had become and friendships that became solid and treasured. I saw the community that Jesus envisioned for the world unfold, which is beautiful and hopeful.
We are always asked in the baptismal liturgy, “Will you respect the dignity of every human being?” and New Beginnings is the place where the answer to this question is not just answered but is put into practice. We have the opportunity to learn so much from teenagers about our faith. We can see how the love of Jesus for all is the community that young people form.
Let’s continue to support our youth ministries and renewal retreats for youth as much as possible. And let’s embrace New Beginnings as a model for the community we want to build, not just because Jesus wants to make it a reality for us, but because it will help form us into the people that God wants us to be.
Blessings and Beginnings, Fr. Tim+
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Pancake Supper Served by our St. Matt’s Youth on Shrove Tuesday
Many thanks! and kudos to the Youth and the youth parents for an outstanding Pancake Supper on Shrove Tuesday, February 21! We had a great turnout for the evening, and appreciate all the support from the parish for our youth program. All funds generated will support youth programs.
Check out a few photos from the evening!
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Celebration of New Ministry: Installation of Fr. Tim Meyers
God Willing,
The Right Reverend Robert Wright
Bishop of Atlanta
Will Celebrate a New Ministry
with
St. Matthew’s Episcopal Church
and
The Reverend Timothy Meyers
Thursday, February 2, 2023
at Six o’clock in the Evening
St. Matthew’s Episcopal Church
1520 Oak Road
Snellville, Georgia 30078
Your prayers and presence are requested
Clergy White Stoles
Reception
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An Invitation To Worship from Fr. Tim
St. Matthew’s is pleased to welcome our new rector, The Reverend Timothy Meyers. Fr. Tim’s first Sunday is January 8, 2023. We invite you to come worship the Lord Jesus Christ with us in community at either 8:00 a.m. or 10:30 a.m. Breakfast is served at 9:00 a.m., with Sunday School and Christian Education classes from 9:30 – 10:15 a.m. We look forward to seeing you there!
Click the link below to view Fr. Tim’s message.
Tim’s invitation to worship.MOV – Google Drive
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Christmas Service Schedule
Warden’s Corner: August Update
August Update on Our Ministries at St. Matthew’s
from Trisha Voiles, Sr. Warden
Building & Grounds has had another busy month! We began the month scaring the attendees of the Wednesday Healing Prayer service when they arrived for the service by having a parking lot full of Snellville and Gwinnett Police officers. BUT The reason was for protection training–and not crime. John Eberhart had attended a Homeland Security Presentation sponsored by the Diocese and had the speaker come speak with our local law enforcement, the vestry, and the preschool directors. We walked the campus and received a security audit. We discovered there are grants to help purchase systems for the church, and many other tips and procedures we will be working on in the next months/year.
Other projects: B&G is having the roof repaired over the Parish Hall where a leak is causing the parish hall ceiling to peel away. The roof is now repaired, and bids are coming in for the ceiling. Have you noticed the front courtyard sidewalk dipping? This is another issue that is being repaired. Apparently, the ground below was being compressed, but PolyLift has been able to lift and level it to eliminate the tripping hazard. Thank you to our Building and Grounds Team for their vigilance.
Christian Education began the CE year with a wonderful Sign-Up Circus. There were clowns, popcorn, facepainting, and even an elephant (although it was one of the wonderful balloon creations along with turtles, ladybugs, swords). The children and youth classes will begin full force this week. The adult classes met initially last week and will resume on September 11. And come out for our August Adult Forums! We will be having informational sessions to help you listen for God’s Gifts to help you serve St. Matthews (Stewardship-but don’t let that keep you away or you will miss the fun.) and an Update of the new rector search with the Parish Profile Presentation.
Youth Group began last weekend with a wonderful Youth Retreat up at Camp Mikell! What a great way to build the group with a “Be At Peace” theme. This school year the Youth Group has hired two interns to help guild the spiritual growth in the program. Caroline Bowen and Jessie Hurst are former Youth members, returning to share God’s Love with our young adults.
Some Upcoming Dates – Mark your calendar to be involved in our ministries:
August 26 – Restaurant Foyers: Universal Joint, Lawrenceville, Dinner at 7pm
August 29 – Outreach Co-op Dinner
September 17 – St. Matthew’s Gwinnett Stripers Baseball Game (Stripers are a type of fish known in the GA waters.)
September 25 – St. Matthew’s Celebration Luncheon and Ministry Fair
October 8 – Vestry and Committee Chairs Planning Meeting
October 9 – Blessing of the Animals
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