Category: Fr. Rodney

Let’s not just talk about love; let’s practice real love. This is the only way we’ll know we’re living truly, living in God’s reality. — 1 JOHN 3:18-19 (THE MESSAGE)

St. Matthew’s Family,

To better align with the practice of the majority of parishes in the Episcopal Church, we have decided to move our annual pledge drive one month later, culminating around the Thanksgiving holiday. Not only is our stewardship of God’s gracious gifts emphasized in the lectionary readings throughout October and November, but Thanksgiving is the opportune time for us to gratefully consider God’s innumerable blessings. Such reflection is certainly important as individuals, but very much so for church communities as well.

Thanks be to God, St. Matthew’s has been richly blessed by our Lord Jesus Christ. We are vibrant and growing — numerically, yes, but more importantly in the Faith. You have responded generously with time, talent, and treasure to our increasing number of outreach and inreach opportunities. Our efforts to increase fellowship have strengthened the bonds among us. We have, in a multitude of ways, become increasingly what we are called to be in Christ — his body, his family, his presence (through the power of the Holy Spirit) in a world that needs to see that witness and mission in action.

After all, love is best expressed as an action given freely. Why? Because of the One who first loved us and gave himself for us, Jesus Christ. God is love in action. So, as Eugene Peterson profoundly phrased the words from I John 3:18-19 in The Message, let’s not limit our expression of love to words alone, let’s back it up with actions. That’s what our parishioners need, that’s what our children need from us, that’s what our community needs, that’s what the world needs. Quite simply, as with anything in life, what we do depends on what we are. With faith-filled generosity and in thanksgiving for our countless blessings, may we, together as the family of St. Matthew’s, never fail to reveal what we are through what we do in the name of Jesus.

Lord willing, we will bring forth our pledge commitments for 2024 on Consecration Sunday, November 26th during all three services. We will also have a festive coffee hour at 10 AM to give thanks for shared blessings at St. Matthew’s. Prayerfully consider your pledge for the upcoming year and its significant impact upon our ability to boldly express the love of God in action.

With Love and Thanksgiving for our common life in Jesus Christ,

Rodney+

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Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms. – I Peter 4:10

St. Matthew’s Family,

As many of us gathered outdoors for our annual St. Matthew’s Day celebration on September 18th, there was a collective acknowledgement of how blessed we truly are as a parish community. The beautiful weather only added to the voices of playing children, festive music, joyous conversations, and delicious food. One part of the day that particularly stood out to me was the comments from visitors and newcomers who were overwhelmed by our genuine fellowship and hospitality. Once again, we have been richly blessed by our loving God.

Over the course of these past two years with you (yes, it has been nearly that long already!), I have observed your dedication and determination to this parish throughout everything that has come our way, so much of it beyond our control. But there has been one constant I’ve witnessed and heard, your love for one another in Jesus Christ. It is said that if you truly want to know people watch them under difficult circumstances, for it is only then that you will see their true character. Over these past three years you’ve borne all the changes and upheaval that have come your way and unflinchingly stayed the course. How? A parish can only do this if it has confidence in who it is and who it follows. And so, your character has shined through for all to see as you’ve kept your focus on Jesus Christ.

Thanks to all of you, it has, by the grace of God, been a very fruitful and productive year at St. Matthew’s in so many ways. From newcomers to people returning, from upgrades throughout our facilities to greater involvement with our community, from new opportunities for ministry and fellowship to the return of others, our parish is on solid footing and eagerly looking toward what the Holy Spirit has in store for us.

Therefore, as we gather on Sunday, October 16th for Consecration Sunday, prayerfully consider how you can support St. Matthew’s in the upcoming year. Your financial support enables us to do far more than provide upkeep for our church campus, it is also the pathway for all our ministries, outreach, and mission. Please also consider, as in the aforementioned verse from I Peter, how you can use your God-given talents to serve others here in the name of Christ. We are a parish family gifted with many and various abilities. How would you be willing to use your time, talent, and treasure for the glory of God through St. Matthew’s? How can we better share the blessings that abound in our common life together with others?

With sure and certain confidence, may we continue to serve God and him alone in this sacred place, our church home, our fount of many blessings.

With Love in Christ,

Rodney+

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To make pledging easy, we are offering an online form, or you can use the pledge card that was mailed. There will be an opportunity at each of our worship services on October 16 to come before the altar and present this pledge card. Alternatively, you can mail it to the church office, or you can email our Parish Manager directly. You can view all of our options online here.

We would ask that you complete your pledge by November 1st, so that we can properly budget for next year.

Make an Online Gift

“And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.”   Colossians 3.17

St. Matthew’s Family,

This past year-and-a-half has undoubtedly given us reasons to pause and reflect on many things in life, especially those that mean the most to us. What gives it purpose? What are those aspects of it that endure no matter what may come our way? Those answers will vary for each of us, but I have little doubt that ‘family and friends’ would be found near or at the top of the list for most.

It would be an understatement to say that 2021 has been another year that has required of us continual adjustments to, as one of our historic Anglican prayers states, ‘the changes and chances of this fleeting world.’ But there is one thing that I have noticed during my time among you. No matter what may happen, through pandemic and storms and disruptions, the reason St. Matthew’s means so much to so many is that it is home; a place to not only worship our merciful and loving God, but to do so among ‘family and friends’. That is a priceless gift.

What gives all of those valuable and enduring relationships even greater significance and meaning is because of the one who first loved us, who incorporates us into his family, who even calls us ‘friends’, and that is Jesus Christ.  Even amidst so much upheaval in our common life these past two years, we can still confidently move forward because we place our hope and trust in the One who will never change or fail us or let us go.

Therefore, my brothers and sisters in Christ, my ‘family and friends’ at St. Matthew’s, may everything we do in word and deed be our song of thanksgiving in response to our Great God.  Despite all that has happened, we have been blessed. We have grown. We are healthy. We are moving forward in the Faith as part of the family of Christ. That is what endures. That is what changes and gives meaning to our lives.

May we call to mind these innumerable blessings as we prayerfully consider our commitment in the upcoming year to St. Matthew’s with our time, talent, and treasure.  As a parish, we have weathered the storms of these past two years thanks to your generosity and dedication. And now that we are faithfully moving together into this next chapter of our church family’s history, we seek your further involvement to embolden our mission and ministry at St. Matthew’s.

We gratefully acknowledge all of you who have not only fulfilled your pledge commitment for the current year but have even exceeded it.  We appreciate the efforts made by so many of you to regularly submit your pledges even by weekly mail!   We thank those of our parish family who have resumed their giving within this past year. We also extend an invitation to those who have not given of their financial gifts to step forward in faith and in thanksgiving for our many blessings.  You are all vital and needed members of this parish family.

It is only appropriate that we begin this year’s emphasis on our continual stewardship of God’s bounty on St. Matthew’s Day, which we will be commemorating on September 26^th.  May we rejoice and express our gratitude together during this yearly celebration for all that our Lord has done among this blessed gathering of ‘family and friends’.  Also, please note that October 17^th will be our Consecration Sunday, and it is on that day that we will come forward to the altar during the services to offer our pledged offering to God for the upcoming year.  There will also be a festive coffee hour on that day to recognize our common life together.

“And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.” May this verse from St. Paul be for us far more than a theme for an annual pledge drive. May it be the hallmark of who and what we are as the family of St. Matthew’s; an enduring characteristic of how we live the Faith which is readily visible to all who look at our example.

With Love in Christ,

Rev. Rodney Roehner

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To make pledging easy, we are offering an online form, or you can use the pledge card that was mailed. There will be an opportunity at each of our worship services on October 17 to come before the altar and present this pledge card. Alternatively, you can mail it to the church office, or you can email our Parish Manager directly. You can view all of our options online here.

We would ask that you complete your pledge by November 1st, so that we can properly budget for next year.

Make an Online Gift