Episcopal Church in Snellville, GA
Our 10th Annual St. Matthews Car Show turned out to be a great success this year. Some of the best vintage classic cars, trucks and motorcycles in Georgia were in attendance to the tune of over ninety cars. We had a fantastic Silent Auction with over 30 items and we had bidders on every single one of them. We had several new arts and craft vendors and, last but not least, we had Tipsy Pig who brought us great ribs, chicken, and barbeque.
Family Promise of Gwinnett County, who works to help homeless families in the area, was the recipient of a whopping $20,000 donation. We couldn’t have done it without our sponsorships, our volunteers, our Bake Sale, Knit Pearl and Pray, our Kids Zone, the car registrations, vendor fees and the monies raised from our silent auction. Plus Bishop Rob was here with us to pick the Bishop’s Choice trophy recipient and stayed with us through the trophy presentations.
A great big Thank you to all that helped to make this show such a great Outreach and Fellowship event. The Car Show Committee, our volunteers, all of our sponsors, those who supported us with your prayers and encouragement and all of St. Matthews , we thank you all!!
Rooted in Christ and carrying the cross of cross we are to Proclaim the good news.
In case you have not taken a good look at the prayer card that you got in the mail with your ministry commitment form. I invite you to take a deeper look. Rooted in Christ – what does that really mean to you?
The cross reminds us of Christ’s saving act, but it also reminds us that in our humanity we are capable of great sin. But Jesus doesn’t leave us in that sinful place – he offers grace and forgiveness. Jesus came among us in order to show us how to live and he came to share God’s forgiveness and grace with us. The Church is Christ’s body – that means that we are to live in such a way that people meet Jesus when they meet us. That is how we live out our third baptismal promise which is to PROCLAIM by word and example the good news.
That is what we are supposed to be about. We are to be that compassionate and caring place, the church, where Christ is proclaimed, lives are transformed and people’s needs are met through word, sacrament, service and community.
We, as the committed disciples of Christ at St. Matthew’s, are to be that place which centers and grounds all who come to us. We are the place where people do not have to be ashamed of their sins but rather find and experience God’s abundant love and forgiveness in our midst
In our third baptismal promise, God asks “Will you Proclaim by word and example the good news?” “Will you”, Jesus asks us again and again everyday. Will you be my eyes and ears to see and hear the needs of the world? Will you take action by your words and deeds to bring the love of God to those who have not yet found their way?
Will you, Jesus asks us. And we prayerfully and faithfully say, “I will with God’s help”.
I invite you to continue your prayerful discernment about how you are called to live into your discipleship. Rooted in Christ, supported by worship, education, community & service we grow in our spiritual maturity and in our faith. As we fix our focus on the cross gazing toward God, we see the outstretched arms of Christ which form the crossbeams of the cross – we are invited and challenged to reach out in evangelism and social outreach. As we journey with Christ we find ourselves more and more opening our arms in a wide embrace proclaiming by word and deed the good news of God’s love for all creation. Blessings, Mother Pat+
Have you ever wondered about our beautiful pavilion, and how it came to be? Check out the new display at the pavilion chronicling the history of this structure and the important role it’s had in the fellowship events at St. Matt’s. To see the display, click here. (Note: the old plaque did not photograph well and is missing in the graphic. To see the full display, check it out in the in the current pavilion, located next to the rear parking lot.
Our thanks to all those instrumental in the planning, funding, building, and completion of our St. Matt’s pavilion since its inception. Special thanks to the Oren Morris Chapter of the Brotherhood of St. Andrew at St. Matt’s, those Boy Scouts from our Scout Troop 533, whose Eagle projects centered on the pavilion, and to Phil Morgan for his work in putting together and erecting the history display.
Saturday, October 16, 2021
From 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Rain or Shine!
A judged event for cars, trucks, and motorcycles!
Food–Fun–Family-Event
Spring has sprung and we are moving right along with preparations so that we can get everyone back in the sanctuary. The replacement of the fabric on the organ speakers is taking place this week and the HVAC replacement in the sanctuary will take place during the next month.
The Flower guild had planned a plant and flower sale for this Saturday, but the predicted rain means that it must be rescheduled for May 8th. If you still have plants or flowers to donate, please contact Trisha Voiles or Janis Williams. The funds raised will help with our ongoing Buildings and Grounds expenses.
The Buildings and Grounds committee has planned a Parish Workday Party for May 15, and I know I will see all your smiling faces there eager to help them clean and organize our Parish home! For more information, contact Steve Charron or Janis Williams.
We just found out this week that we have another unit that needs to be repaired and the estimate is $2,500.00. Anybody have some spare change?
Since we are speaking about money, I would love to say Thank you to all who are continuing to give online, through the mail and in person. In the first quarter, the operating revenue was $96,223.00 and operating expenses were $92,459.00 which meant we had a surplus of $3,764.00! Having a surplus is great but we must understand that the main the reason our expenses were lower is that we have not been paying a full-time rector and we are using restricted funds to pay for Father Tommy’s expenses.
Thanks to the hard work of Chuck Marsh, we were able to secure another PPP loan for $45,530.00 which will used for salaries for the upcoming months and we hope it will be forgiven as the last PPP loan we received in the fall. We are still waiting to here back from the Diocese on whether our loan application has been approved which will be used to fund the HVAC sanctuary repairs and AV upgrades. So please continue to send in your offerings and continue your prayers for St. Matthew’s.
In February, Canon Alicia Schuster-Weltner joined us through Zoom to explain the Interim and rector search process that we will be going through over the next year or two. In that meeting, she addressed that Father Tommy would have to look for another job as his contract with St. Matthew’s ended when Mother Liz retired. We have been truly blessed to have him at St. Matthew’s and he will be missed. He has begun to have interviews and hopes to have something in place by the end of May. I will be speaking with Canon Alicia next week about our next steps in the process.
The Vestry has been working on putting together a list of names for the nominating committee this past month as well as working on updating our website and ministries information. Please continue to pray for guidance and discernment your Vestry.
Blessings and Peace,
Becky Olbon
Holy Week 101
With Holy Week upon us and as we begin to return to some of our sacred services, we still have certain constraints that we must follow. While Covid has caused some limitations to these services, and you will only be joining “virtually,” there are also opportunities for you to participate as families or small groups. Our hope is that these services will draw you into a deeper and more profound encounter with The Divine.
Thursday, April 1st – The Maundy Thursday service will be livestreamed beginning at 7 p.m. This service will include many of the familiar traditions, such as Hand Washing and the stripping of the altar. There will also be a “Watch” that will go from 9 pm on Thursday to 10 am on Good Friday.
Participate in the Maundy Thursday service at home. You will need the following:
Friday, April 2nd – Good Friday Service will be livestreamed beginning at 12 noon. This is a very solemn and simple service.
Ways to participate at home:
Sunday, April 4th – Easter Services. There will be multiple Easter Day services to participate in.
Ways to participate at home and at Church:
Easter Message:
“Alleluia. Christ is risen. The Lord is risen indeed. Alleluia.” In this short Opening Acclamation that we will say on Easter, rests the entire Easter message. The tomb is empty, and Christ is risen. That really says it all. And while this short statement proclaims the message, it takes a lifetime to unpack its full meaning and depth. So, as you observe the wonderous signs of spring bursting forth in nature, especially in our azaleas and trees, I also hope that within each of us there is an overflowing renewal of life and love that will settle into your bones, so that you will know God’s deep abiding love for you. Have a blessed Easter. Grace & Peace, Fr. Tommy
Returning to the Sanctuary – Update:
As you know the diocese has given churches the option to have services inside and we have many groups working hard to make this happen, but we need your help with making this a reality. Volunteers are needed to assist attendees with checking in and directing people as they come into the sanctuary and again as they exit, and we also need assistance with sanitizing the space after the service.
Our plan is to return to inside services beginning on Sunday, April 11th with the 8 a.m. service ONLY. You will need to register for this service and it will only be in-person with no livestream. Our plan and hope is to have the 8 a.m. service as an in-person service for a couple weeks as we work out the logistics and then open for the 10:45 service in-person later in April.
Please be aware that we also have the added issue of non-functioning HVAC/air conditioning units for the sanctuary. We are awaiting word on a diocesan loan to replace the HVAC units Scheduling a replacement of the system may also complicate our plans to return to inside worship.
If you are interested in helping with volunteering for any of the activities to help us return safely please contact Becky Olbon or myself.
Fr. Tommy
Gratitude:
I want to thank the staff at St. Matthew’s; Charmaine, Susan, and Kyle for their diligent, dedicated, and creative work over these past several months of planning and preparing for Holy Week and Easter services. I also want to thank everyone who has taken part in the planning and preparing for these sacred and holy services, especially the members of the Worship Committee, the Altar Guild, and the Audio / Visual Team. Their dedication and devotion are unparalleled. Lastly, I would like to thank Becky Olbon for her tenacious and steadfast spirit over these last many months that have help to guide and steer this vessel we call St. Matthew’s. I am deeply grateful and honored to be serving as your priest.
Grace & Peace, Fr. Tommy
