Weekly News from St. Matthew’s United Methodist Church
Acton, Massachusetts
Our Red Tent Altar, Women’s Retreat, January 28, 2017
Growing in Faith, Walking in Love
January 31, 2017
THANK YOU
 Thank You to St. Matthew’s from the Mission, Outreach & Advocacy Team (MOA)
CHURCH NOTICES, SERVICES, UPDATES, EVENTS & OPPORTUNITIES
 Mission of St. Matthew’s & Stewardship to Support Our Mission
 Wonderful Opportunities to Serve
 WOW Movie Night – February 11, 6-11 pm
 February Prayer Calendar
FAITH FORMATION OPPORTUNITIES
 Sunday Morning Adult Formation – 9:15 am
 Living the Questions
 Making a Home for Faith
 Children & Junior High School
 Senior High Learning and Exploration
 YOUTH GROUP HAPPENINGS
 WEEKDAY OFFERINGS
 Thursday Women’s Study Group – 9:30-11:30 am
 Bible Study for the Spiritually Curious – Mondays at 11:00 am
 Liturgical Arts Team
 The Reformation
CHURCH CALENDAR
THANK YOU
Thank You to St. Matthew’s from the Mission, Outreach, and
Advocacy Team (MOA)
In 2016, you, the generous people of St. Matthew’s, contributed over $26,000 to 21 worthwhile causes.
Four of these are organizations with which we maintain “covenant relationships,” that is we promise to
support them each year. These are our dental missionary in Nicaragua, Belinda Forbes, Boston Share
Network, Bread for the World, and Hagar’s Sisters. In addition, (mostly through the Festival of
Sharing), we supported
Acton Community Supper
Household Goods
Tree of Lives (Slum Child
Concord Prison Outreach
Red Bird Mission
Foundation)
A Friend in Need
SERRV
UMCOR
Heifer International
Wesesha Kupaa
In addition, we collected four special offerings (Human Relations Sunday, One Great Hour of Sharing,
Peace with Justice, and Worldwide Communion), and we paid Mission Shares to the conference
totaling over $50,000.
Of course, money is not the only way we help. There are countless hours that not just MOA but all the
teams and individuals in St. Matthew’s contribute to make sure we’re doing our part to help people in
need in our community and the wider world. Highlights of 2016 included these:
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With help from Pam Follett and an enthusiastic team including many of you, we launched our
new Festival of Sharing.
We studied criminal justice and sent or delivered nearly 700 letters asking our state and federal
lawmakers to reform ineffective and unjust practices.
We continued our monthly outreach program at the Walden Health and Rehabilitation Center,
with faithful leaders Lynne Osborn and Carol Storrs.
Every three years, Belinda Forbes travels back to the US from Nicaragua; we hosted a pot luck
dinner for her.
We continued First Sunday is Food Sunday, our monthly delivery of groceries to three local
food pantries; we thank those who have contributed food items, helped sort, and delivered
each month.
Thanks, and let me know if you have any questions.
-- Betsy Comstock, Chair of St. Matthew’s Mission, Outreach, and Advocacy Team (MOA). Other
members of our great team in 2016 included Ann Drumm, Wayne LaSante, Lynne Osborn, Peggy
Papanastassiou, Clelia Solis, Sara Wagg, and Dot Werst.
CHURCH NOTICES, SERVICES, UPDATES, EVENTS &
OPPORTUNITIES
Mission of St. Matthew’s and
Stewardship to Support Our Mission
As we ponder matters like the mission of St. Matthew’s, and our stewardship to support our mission,
we might do well to consider an observation made by a preeminent pastor from the start of the 20th
century. So, I offer this quote from Christianity and the Social Crisis, by pastor Walter Rauschenbusch,
published in 1907:
“It is possible to get a fair assessment of a man’s character from the allotment of his expenditures. The
same is true of a church. If its income is largely devoted to appliances of aesthetic beauty, we may be
sure that its heart is in its ritual. If the primitive churches could do with little income spontaneously
offered, we may be sure that they were democratic bodies in which people themselves did the work. If
the income was wholly devoted to the help of the needy, we may be sure that fraternal helpfulness
was essential to church life.” (Chapter 3, page 105, Christianity and the Social Crisis in the 21st Century,
a recent reissue of the original with added commentary.).
George Emmons
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Wonderful Opportunities to Serve
Susan LaSante
A couple of weeks ago I heard God asking me to resign from leading the Welcome Outreach and
Witness team and build a Stewardship team. I was quite honest with God that I did not want to do
this. I deeply love working with that team. I love the faith discussions we always begin with and I love
reaching out into the world to share the Love of Christ. It is with a deep sadness that I leave this
group. If anyone is interested in helping them they would welcome you with open arms. Please let
me know if you would be willing to join this wonderful team. It sure would help me feel better about
my leaving.
Since going on a retreat at the beginning of December I have been preparing for worship in a new
way. Before Sunday I take time to reflect on the gospel lesson with my imagination. Saturday as I
reflected I imagined sitting on the hill listening to Jesus teach. Hear these words from The Message
Bible.
"You’re blessed when you can show people how to cooperate instead of compete or fight. That’s
when you discover who you really are, and your place in God’s family. You’re blessed when your
commitment to God provokes persecution. The persecution drives you even deeper into God’s
kingdom. Not only that—count yourselves blessed every time people put you down or throw you out
or speak lies about you to discredit me. What it means is that the truth is too close for comfort and
they are uncomfortable. You can be glad when that happens—give a cheer, even!—for though they
don’t like it, I do! And all heaven applauds. And know that you are in good company. My prophets and
witnesses have always gotten into this kind of trouble.” ~Matthew 5.1-12
These words speak to my joy, to my trust and to my fear as I begin my journey to build a stewardship
team at St. Matthew's. There will be two teams. One will be a short term budget crisis team and one
will be a year round stewardship team. The budget crisis team will be dealing with our $70,000 deficit.
Personally, I see this as a gift from God that can help transform this church. It will be hard but I ask for
your tolerance, your love and your prayers throughout the process. Please speak to me if you feel
called to help with either of these teams.
~Susan LaSante, Stewardship Team [email protected] or 978-486-9110
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WOW Movie Night – February 11, 6-11 pm
Please join us as we enjoy a double feature: Finding Dory will be played at 6pm followed by a brief
intermission and then Star Wars: The Force Awakens. Please bring your lawn chair as we set up in
Campbell Hall. Popcorn and drinks will be provided. See you there!
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February Prayer Calendar
Colossians 4.2 says, “Devote yourselves to prayer, keeping alert in it with thanksgiving.” At St.
Matthew’s we pray with one another and for one another. For a week at a time we hold in prayer
members of our church, ministries that we do, organizations we support, and our neighbor churches.
Please join us in prayer.
The week of February 5
George & Peggy Mikkola,
Marty Morrison
Chuck Omer, Dorothy Marquis-Omer
Lynne Osborn
Belinda Forbes in Nicaragua
The week of February 12
Tori Orr
Kris & John Osborne
Quince & Peggy Papanastassiou
Diane Parker
Our Spiritual Formation ministry
The week of February 19
Rubens Peixoto
Betsy Peterson
Ken & Peggy Plant
David Potts & Carleen Daly
Tewksbury UMC and North Andover UMC
Rev. Deb Shipp
The week of February 26
Mathew & Jennifer Pletcher,
Arlington, Cainan, Finley
Karen Quist, Sebastian
Carolyn Raposo
Sue & Jerry Rardin
Our Mission, Outreach and Advocacy ministry
FAITH FORMATION OPPORTUNIES
Sunday Morning Formation at 9:15
ADULTS
Living the Questions
Living the Questions is an open-minded alternative to studies that attempt to give participants all the
answers. Each week the video presentations present conversational questions and insights from
leading religious voices, all of which encourage curiosity and thinking outside of the usual lines of
doctrine. Several of us worked through parts of this curriculum a few years ago and appreciated the
fresh, progressive approach to the issues presented. Please join us as we begin to consider some of
the challenging questions for thoughtful Christians in the 21st century. We will meet in the
Downstairs Library.
Parents! God Parents! Grandparents!
MAKING A HOME FOR FAITH
Practicing faith at home as a family is one of the very best ways to anchor our children and youth to a
life of faith. Recent studies reveal that the number one factor in young adults practicing faith rests on
the foundation of faith laid by parents, God Parents and grandparents in childhood. Living a life of
faith at home sometimes sounds daunting, but it is actually a joyful and fun adventure. Join Dr.
Elizabeth during the 9:15 Adult Education hour in the Downstairs Classroom beginning Sunday,
February 5th. Together we will share our experiences, learn about ways to share the Bible and play
with various objects that lend themselves to faith practice at home. Please bring your questions, hopes
and dreams!
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Children & Junior High School
In Matthew 5:13-20, Jesus tells his followers that at this very moment they are salt – cleansing,
preserving, adding flavor. At this moment they are light – revealing what is hidden, allowing all to see.
God’s reign is not only a future promise; it also is present reality. We participate in that reign as we live
in God’s ways. Our light should shine before others, not so that they can applaud our piety, but so that
our works can direct others to give thanks and praise to God.
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Senior High Learning and Exploration
Our 9th -12th grades will begin a new unit on UM Social Principles on February 12th at 9:15 in the
Youth Room. Questions, discussions, activities and food will invite our youth to wrestle with what it
means to live our lives according to our beliefs. The class meets two Sundays each month to respect
the very busy schedules our teens keep!
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by Melissa Rollins
More Than a “Bake” Sale: February 5
This year, St. Matthew’s Youth Group is looking forward to donating proceeds from our Super Bowl
Sunday Sale to the Slum Child Foundation, led by our friend, George Baxtaly Ochieng. Want to help?
Here are several options:
1. Join the Youth on Saturday, February 4 at 1:00 pm in the St. Matthew’s kitchen. We’ll be baking
sweet treats and creating savory concoctions for the sale.
2. Bring individual servings of your favorite homemade appetizer, entrée, or dessert on Saturday
afternoon or Sunday morning as a contribution to the goodies to be sold. (If you need
disposable, single-serving containers, let me know.)
3. Come to the sale Sunday, February 5, between services or after the 10:30 service with cash or
your checkbook and your appetite. Your generous donations will support the beautiful children
of the Korogocho Slum in Nairobi, Kenya.
Questions? Contact Melissa Rollins: 978-897-8295 or [email protected].
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WEEKDAY OFFERINGS
Thursday Women’s Study Group - 9:30 -11:30
We will finish Anne Lamott’s book, Small Victories this Thursday, focusing on the last chapter. And we
will spend some time choosing our next book. Stay tuned to find out more! We meet in the Church
Library. We welcome new voices in our on-going community. This is a wonderful time to try us out!
PLEASE JOIN US! Let Lynne Osborn ([email protected]) know of your interest.
Bible Study for the Spiritually Curious – Mondays 11 a.m.
When you hear scriptures in worship each Sunday they’re likely to go by pretty fast, and leave you
wondering a lot about what’s in them, and what they might be saying to you. Join us for a weekly
Bible study exploring the coming Sunday’s scriptures. (This Monday we’ll study matt. 5. 21-37.) This is
a Bible study for everyone, no matter how much you know or don’t know about the Bible. Led by
Pastor Steve, 11:00 a.m. Mondays.
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Liturgical Arts Team
How might we make the space we worship in on Sundays communicate the Gospel visually? A
Spiritual & Liturgical Arts team is forming, to enhance our worship experience with visual elements.
The first meeting will be to draft a charter and agree on future meeting times. If you are interested
see Tori Orr or Pastor Steve.
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The Reformation
October of 2017 marks the 500th anniversary of the Protestant Reformation. If we think about it all, we
think of Martin Luther who is credited with starting it, but there were many different voices in the
conversation. The Reformation took different forms in different places. The Lutheran Church was not
the only reformed Church that grew from the academic and social turmoil of the 16th century.
Methodists are deeply rooted in the theology of John and Charles Wesley who were Anglican priests
of the Church of England – a different reformed tradition. For those who want to explore the
Reformation in some depth, Dr. Elizabeth will facilitate a discussion of Diarmaid MacCullough’s book,
The Reformation. A group of us read MacCullough’s Three Thousand Years of Christianity together two
years ago. The Reformation is his doctoral dissertation. We’ll wade into the waters together, going
along a chapter at a time at our own pace until we are done. Please let Dr. Elizabeth know of your
interest. We’ll begin this Sunday, February 5th at 1:00 pm in the YOUTH ROOM. No worries if your
copy of the book has not yet arrived. We’ll begin with what we know about the Reformation and
discuss how we will approach the book.
CHURCH CALENDAR
Attached to this email you will find a copy of the church calendar for the month of February.
For the most up-to-date church calendar information, please go to the website, or click on the following
link: http://www.saint-matthews.org/happenings/calendar. Here’s how to find what you need:
From the HOME page, click on QUICK LINKS, then CALENDAR. To filter the type of events shown, click on
the ’DOWN ARROW’ to the right of the AGENDA tab at the top of the calendar. Following are the filters:
· Classes & Small Groups
· Committee Meetings
· Events
. Music Rehearsals
. Worship
. Outside Organizations’ Events
. U.S. Holidays
Choose what you would like to see, then ’unclick’ all the others. You should be able to see the calendar for
as far out as it has been scheduled. If you want to see the location of an event, click on the individual
event. We hope this is efficient for you.