We’ve asked people to share how they live God’s love at Saint Matthew’s and in the world. These stories express how people at Saint Matthew’s are using the gifts God has given them to help transform the world.

• Susan’s Message
• Aase’s Message
• Tom’s Message
• Teagan’s Message
• Kris’s Message
• Lina’s Message
• Wayne’s Message
• Ben’s Message
• Diane’s Message
• Cal’s Message
• Ann’s Message
• Betsy’s Message
• Nick’s Message
• Amy’s Message
• Marilyn’s Message
• Peggy’s Message
• Lynne’s Message
• Thelma’s Message

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Susan

Good morning.  My name is Susan LaSante and my term as chair of the Stewardship team is almost over.  Three years ago I felt God calling me into this new role at St. Matthew’s so I went to the church council to share my vision and ask if they wanted me to lead stewardship.  I had read the book, “Generosity Rising, Lead a Stewardship Revolution in your Church”. I wasn’t sure anyone was ready for a revolution. One of the suggestions at the meeting was that I change the name to something other than Stewardship because the word had a tendency to make people squirmy and leave a bad taste in their mouths.  I chose to keep the word Stewardship and work to redeem it. I don’t know if we have been successful but I pray everyone has come to realize that Stewardship is a way of life. Its core value is generosity and is grounded in gratitude, revealed in prayer and lived in faith.  

Today is a day to be filled with gratitude and joy.  Look around you at these beautiful people here. Look with a grateful heart, breath it in.  Feel your heart warm as you gaze upon people you know and love. Give thanks. It is a special gift to be here together, to be present with one another and with God.  As we make our pledges, we come together as one. Instead of one little pile of coins, all our gifts will be put together. Together we can do far more to bring transforming Love into the world than by ourselves.  We are each part of the St. Matthew’s team. It is our gifts that allow the light of Christ to shine out into the world from 435 Central St. I pray you know the joy of that gift in the innermost cells of your being.

I don’t know whether my leadership over these past three years has made any difference or how each of you is feeling about stewardship and giving to God through this faith community.  What I do know is that I have tried to be faithful in my leadership.  

So I have a big ask of each of you; no matter what you feel about pledging, try to open your heart more fully than you ever have before to gratitude and joy.  Take a deep breath and breath in the Love of Christ that is filled with gratitude and joy for you. Breath in again.

Do you feel it?  Okay here is what we are going to do.  Who needs a pledge card? Please raise your hand and the ushers will get you a card.  Whether you plan to pledge or not, please take a card. Perhaps you don’t feel the joy of pledging.  If you fill out a card anyway, I promise you that I will feel the joy for you. If everyone fills out a card you will make our work easier.  There is a box for everyone to check. Today is not only about our financial generosity but also about our generosity of time in attending worship and serving in the church.  Please indicate if you would like pledge envelopes. They have a pretty cool new design so think twice before saying you don’t want them. Now, we are going to take a few minutes and sit in the loving arms of God as people prayerfully consider how they are going to give thanks to God and join with others so that this faith community can work together to make a difference in the world.  If you have already finished filling out your pledge card I invite you to think about a time when someone did something generous for you. How did it make you feel? Then think of a time when you did something generous for someone else. How did that make you feel? Give thanks. After several minutes of reflection, you will be invited to get up and join the dance, leading to a generosity revolution as you bring yourselves, your offering, and your pledge cards forward.  Our children, the future of our church, will be holding baskets ready to receive you and your gifts.

Aase

Good morning. I’ve been asked to share a little about being Received.

We started coming to St. Matthews earlier this year, and we truly feel received by all of you.

I find it helpful to try to make concepts like this more tangible, and the image of a forest was helpful when preparing this. One way trees communicate with one another is by using fungi as a conduit. An example would be that if a tree, even if it’s a completely different type of tree, is running low on a certain nutrient, other trees can share their food with the help of the fungi. However, most of us when in a new environment, and sometimes even if it’s a quite well-known environment, are more like trees wheelbarrowed in, growing in a pot. There we sit on the forest floor, observing and listening in on the conversation. We can make some connections, but only on a surface level. When you have walls separating you, roots cannot connect, and true life cannot be shared.

What is extraordinary with you here at St. Matthews, is that you don’t just include us superficially, while leaving us in our pot. You really see us, invite us, show us love and patience, you share your prayers, your needs, and joys, and ask us to do the same. You stretch your roots up and your branches down, concerned about what we need, understanding that we need a little help to get connected, to get moved out of the pot and planted with the rest of you. You seem to know that even though we are strangers, we belong together, because at our core is God, and between us as a conduit is also God.

Yes, I just equated God with fungi ?.  There are very few things I find more fascinating than God and then mushrooms. I don’t know if God had the fungi help create the forest, but it wouldn’t surprise me!

When you stretch your roots up to help someone get connected, you share God’s love, you share sustenance. You share life. God is more than a conduit of course. He’s the connective tissue, the director of the choir, the manager of the operation, the party planner and the giver of joy and life. He plays in us and between us, and wants us all to be connected and part of what He is doing in the world. In the process, we learn to trust God and let him lead. What a comfort. You seem intent on wanting that, and wanting us to be part of that. And I thank you!

These days there are whole forests of potted people. It might be noisy, and they might be many, and you might think they are more connected than ever, but many have few real connections that know what’s really going on in their life. It’s surface noise, and many are lonely. Psalm 68:6 says: God places the lonely in families, he sets the prisoners free and gives them joy. I think it’s appropriate that loneliness and being a prisoner is mentioned in the same sentence. I think it refers to the same thing. Loneliness is truly a prison because you are not connected deeply with others. Your wall has to fall to do that. Your heart has to soften. You here seem to understand this and to know that to receive is to make it a safe and welcoming space, and that to change the connection from superficial to real, to get that plant out of the pot, takes intent and effort, sometimes bravery (if it’s a potted cactus?), patience and love. And that as Psalm 68:6 mentions lonely and prison in the same sentence, it also mentions family and joy in the same sentence.

1 Corinthians 3:6 says: I planted the seed, Apollo watered it, but God has been making it Grow.

Together we can grow while being shaped by God, and we can stretch to heaven as the mature body of Christ. I haven’t always liked how the word “mature” is used in the bible. It suggested to me that some were better than others. Through writing this God has helped me see that it can rather mean that together we are able to grow and stand strong together, be healthy, be supported, grow so high that we can feel the warmth of the sun, the joy of God. Compared to being in a pot with limited ability to share and grow, God wants us to be strong and mature, and we can only be that if we are received and planted together. You have greeted us with the love of Christ, you have seen us, you have accepted us, you have included us, you have shared God with us, and we are grateful and wish to grow with you. Blessed be God for you.

My prayer is that the word will go wide that God is here, that the door is always open, and that all are received as children of God, belonging together. Blessed be God. Amen.

Tom

More Blessed to Give

I was trained as a scientist and shortly after I graduated, I was asked by Melvin E. Wheatley to speak in the “Lay Moment” at Westwood Methodist Church. I said I would and decided to try to express how one could be dedicated to science and still believe in God without separating the two.

I started to speak and then froze and could not continue. I mumbled an apology and then sat down. Mel was very kind and tried to comfort me, but it was something I never really got over.

My reconciliation happened relatively recently with a realization of just what it meant to me that “God is Love.” With the understanding that God is really love in all its forms and manifestations, I was able to accept that I  did not need to know the mechanism of Love’s impact on the universe, I just needed to keep my heart open to seeing it.

What we have to give to one another is Love. The gift can take many forms, but love must be at the core of it. Giving is not a transaction for which I receive something in return. The giving is itself the reward. That is why it is More Blessed to Give than to Receive. My instant reward is the blessing of giving the gift.

There is a second side to Giving and that is receiving a gift. I believe it is a sin to refuse a gift sincerely offered. By doing so we deny the giver the Blessing they deserve. It is important to keep in mind that the giver is receiving a greater gift than we are and by declining the gift we deny them their blessing.

As we approach the giving season of our church, I hope we can all think of the many giving opportunities we have and strive together to produce abundant blessings.

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Melvin Wheatly was the minister at Westwood Methodist in the 1960s when we lived in Westwood and I worked at UCLA. He later became a Bishop and presided over the Rocky Mountain Conference where he appointed the first openly gay minister in the Methodist Church.

Teagan

I’ve been a Christian ever since I was born. I’ve gone to this church since before I can remember. However, I don’t think I ever truly connected with God until about half a year ago when I reconnected with all of you.

This church has helped me to ground myself and be more mindful so that when I go back out into the world I am able to spread love and positive messages within my community. Everyone in this church is so supportive and caring, always offering kind words and anecdotes, and it inspires me to treat each new person I meet with kindness. I have also taken the messages I’ve learned in Pastor Steve’s sermons and shared them with the girls in one of the clubs I run at school called Girl Up. Spreading his words of empowerment and love uplifts the girls I speak to, and it makes me so happy to see them walking through school with smiles on their faces. Christ’s message of acceptance drove me to become a peer leader at my school as well, meaning I fight defamation, discrimination, and bullying by teaching kids at school about different forms of hate and how to combat them. God, and this church have helped me make a positive difference at my school, and for that, I am so grateful.

Kris

Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. Phillipians 4:6 NIV

I am a firm believer in the power of prayer and I think I have always felt this way. But it didn’t take root until I was an adult. I grew up with the understanding that bedtime prayers were said at the side of my bed, on my knees with my hands folded. I recited the prayer above my bed and then asked God to bless everyone I knew and my pets. It was a good start. I had believed that prayer was serious business, hands folded and only one person speaking at a time. Well, that all changed when I started my teaching career in a evangelical church. Prayer was not quiet and many people spoke at once and some in a different language. There was a learning curve here for me. I asked a lot of questions to a trusted colleague and friend who patiently answered every single one. I can’t say that I understand everything that I saw and heard, but I know it was all from the heart and sincere petitions and thanks to God.

My work for 9 years in Christian schools and Disciple Bible Study helped me to explore my own feelings about prayer.  I looked into many aspects of prayer. There was a lot of exploration and deepening of my relationship with God during this time. My family dubbed my co-workers the “God Squad” and sincerely asked them to intercede on their behalf on many occasions.

During my journey, I met many different prayer warriors who mentored me. One such person was my dear friend Judi Perry. Judi’s faith in God and prayer was amazing. She turned everything over to God. She suffered from many  physical ailments that limited her physically, but did not shake her faith in God. I used to kitty sit for her when she and her husband went on vacation. She had prayer lists everywhere. They were on bulletin boards and the refrigerator. And they were in her kitchen cabinets! I used to smile every time I came across the paper that said, “ Pray for a loving husband for Krissie.” It moved around the kitchen over the years. Her theory was that when she opened the cabinet she would be reminded to stop and pray for whatever was on the note. What a wonderful way to remember to pray. Sadly, this great woman of prayer passed away last winter. At her memorial service, her faith in God and amazing prayer life was mentioned in many ways.

Another such prayer warrior brought me to St. Matthews, Cynthia Goode. She came to Old South UMC in March of 2014 about a month before my wedding to do a workshop on prayer. It was a great workshop for this stressed out bride. She had talked about the different ways we can pray. The best part of this was the flexibility she gave to prayer. There is no formula. You don’t have to be kneeling beside your bed with hands folded. You can pray anywhere, driving to work, out for your morning jog or swim. If you feel so moved to pray while you are in line at the grocery store, God is there and ready to listen to you. That is the best thing about our God, He is ready to listen when you are ready to talk.

The hardest part about prayer for me, is when God and I are not on the same page for the outcome.  Most of the time I can see why His plan is better than mine, but not always. One such example came in November 2014. My brother in law was in the hospital, terminal with cancer that had spread throughout his body. He was fighting to live. He took the awful chemo that might work on the cancer, but did a number on the rest of his body. He wanted to live. He wanted to beat this. He had a wife and a four-year-old son to live for. Yes, my sister had me reach out to the “God Squad” and they were praying. One Monday, my phone rang at school, even though it was on “Do Not Disturb” and I had someone in my room helping me out. Coincidence? No. God. It was my sister calling to let me know Jason had taken a bad turn. I went to my sister. That night when she got back from the hospital, we were all settled in for the night when the phone rang and my sister let out a wail. We feared the worst. Back to the hospital I went with my sister. I am driving and she is praying. Then she looks at me and says, “Why aren’t you praying?!” I had been praying quietly, backing up her prayers, but she could not hear me. We got a call in the parking lot that this was it and we ran. While they worked on Jason I held my sister, praying for her and her son. Praying for Jason. Praying for his parents and brother. Again, she pleaded with me to pray so she could hear me and to just keep praying. So I did. I so wanted Jason to beat the odds and heal, but that was not His plan. But, just because God’s plan was not my plan does not mean I should stop praying and end my relationship with Him. I just need to learn to give it all to Him. I am still working on this by the way,

Not to leave this on a gloomy note. God does answer prayer. Earlier this year, my co-worker and friend was put on the transplant list for a new heart. She had been told that her heart condition was irreversible unless she got hooked up to this machine that needed to be plugged in each night and came with a car adapter in case of power loss. She fought and looked for other treatments. She got a second opinion which came back with “You got your miracle. There is no evidence of congestive heart failure. Go home and enjoy your life.” Whoa! God does answer prayer.

Prayer deepens our relationship with God. It is a different journey for each person. Everyone has their own prayer routine and needs. God does answer prayer, just not always the way we want him to. There is no wrong way to pray. He is always available 24/7 and always willing to listen.

And finally,  some words of wisdom from my mom on the subject of prayer.

Never pray for patience because God will just give you opportunities to practice.

And, Pray like it all depends on God and act like it all depends on you.

___________________________

• Lina
• Witness

Good morning everyone. My name is Lina. I am currently a junior at the Groton-Dunstable High School. The stewardship theme for this month is witness and I was asked to speak about stewardship in my daily life. I think when most people think of stewardship, they think of matters involving the church budget or organizing some major church project, which, don’t get me wrong, is really awesome! I admire people who dedicate so much time to such wonderful projects, but it can seem pretty daunting and sometimes it’s just not the right moment to take on such big responsibilities. It’s my understanding that I was asked to talk about this topic because stewardship is also about living your life in a kind, thoughtful, and caring way, which anyone can do!

My family has lived in Groton for almost 5 years now and we started coming to St. Matthew’s about 4 years ago. Before Groton, we lived in central New York and went to a church there, so the church has always been a big part of my life. My parents both grew up involved in the church and so they’ve brought me to church for my entire life. Every church I’ve gone to has really nurtured me and helped to shape me into who I am today. I was always taught to love everyone, even the people who were different from me and even those who were mean to me in some cases, and to serve others. I remember in my Sunday School class when I was in about 3rd or 4th grade, we were having a small Communion, separate from the rest of the congregation, and my Sunday School teacher put a big emphasis on serving the person next to you rather than
letting them take bread from the plate themselves, and that has always really stuck with me.

Growing up in the church, I’ve always seen a lot of examples of people serving others and it’s become almost a habit for me now. My dad especially goes out of his way to help others so it’s always been something I’ve done. I try to be helpful as much as I can. If I see someone who spilled a drink, I get paper towels and help clean it up, I try and offer help whenever someone is carrying a lot of boxes or books. And obviously, my help sometimes isn’t accepted or even appreciated, but I think it’s the thought that counts. Mostly, I like to do this because I know when people have done this for me, I really appreciated it. It always makes my day better when someone offers to help me, even if it’s something small and even if I say I don’t need their help. I think these small acts of service are a big part of stewardship and a big part of accepting the responsibility to take care of the Earth and all the creatures on it.

It doesn’t even have to be a physical act of service for someone, it can be smiling at someone as you pass them by, even if you don’t really know them. Or even just offering to listen to someone who’s having a bad day can make all the difference. In my old school district in New York, there were three elementary schools that combined into two middle schools and the students of one of the elementary schools were split between the two middle schools, so a good amount of the kids coming to my middle school didn’t have any friends at the beginning of 5th grade because their friends now went to the middle school on the other side of the district. Some kids had an easy time making new friends or knew some kids from local sports teams, but there were a few kids who were left out. There was one girl who went to the same after-school program as me and she always seemed to be excluded from activities in school and in the after-school program. I remember noticing this and I was always nice to her, but in the beginning, she made me uncomfortable. Eventually, as I got to know her, I realized how wonderful she was. She was so sweet and thoughtful but people were so quick to judge her. Before we moved, she told me how much our friendship meant to her and that it made her feel more welcome at our middle school and it made me feel really good. I didn’t necessarily realize it then, but when I befriended this new girl, not only was I a friend for someone in need but my friendship with her became The great thing about stewardship, I think, is that when you put something in, you get something even better in return. My relationship with God has really enforced this state of mind and encouraged me to keep on working on my stewardship to do the most I can. I think just being a kind person to everyone around you is such a significant part of stewardship that people
sometimes don’t think about, so hopefully sharing my story helps everyone realize that they practice stewardship every day and it’s such an easy thing for everyone to do! Thank you.

___________________________

• Wayne
• Service

Good Morning.  My name is Wayne and I‘ve been asked by the Stewardship team to talk to you today.  Each month, the Stewardship team has been emphasizing one aspect of stewardship, and for May, that topic is Service.

Many of you may not know it, but I enjoy working with my hands.  I’m not real creative, so I don’t design furniture or create sculptures.  Instead, I like fixing things.  I try to get them back into working condition and decent shape.

In part, this is what led me to travel to Worcester a few weeks ago, along with eight others from the Saint Matthew’s community, to help Rebuilding Together Worcester rehab the home of an American veteran and his wife.  Living with them in their house are their son, daughter-in-law and two grandchildren.

While there, we helped rebuild a deck, installed railings at the front entrance to the home, replaced some flooring, did some painting, and worked on cleaning up the basement, attic and the yard.  About two dozen volunteers, under the guidance of people experienced in construction, began the work of making the house back into a home.

Leslie, who came on this year’s trip said “Helping others WITH others is particularly sweet! We not only get to deepen our relationship with God, but with each other as well. I was particularly grateful to experience Rebuilding Together with my husband. We are at different places in our faith journey, but this was something we both fully and whole-heartedly participated in together and that felt like such a blessing”

Susan said “For me, the best part of Rebuilding Together Worcester was deepening relationships with people from St. Matthew’s and making new friends.  I worked in a tiny bathroom with a young woman who is an EMT in her spare time, rides a motorcycle and has a tattoo.  We shared our stories and the Love of the universe as we worked side by side.  I snuck away numerous times to sit and listen to the owners of the house.  For me sharing the love of Christ was as important as the physical work which is also an expression of that love.”

A couple of years ago, another group from Saint Matthew’s went into Boston to do similar work at the home of a nice elderly woman who just couldn’t keep up with the repairs needed at her home.

In both cases, there was both more and less physically demanding work, allowing volunteers of all capabilities to help out the people who needed some assistance.

Another Service project that some members of Saint Matthew’s undertook last fall was traveling into Boston and working with New England Seafarers Mission.  There we served Cruise Ship workers, some of whom are away from home for as much nine months.  We helped them send money home, collect packages they’d had sent there, and helped them buy some small items to make their time on board the ship just a little bit better.

In all three cases, although we had to give up some of our weekend time, the feeling of satisfaction in knowing that we had helped others more than compensated for it. And serving together with a group of people you know helps build an even more tightly knit community.

Many of you know that feeling as well.  Whether you travel to far off lands or serve meals in Acton, you know what volunteering to help others feels like.  Maybe you work in a food pantry, visit nursing homes, or work with disabled veterans service personnel. I’m sure that many of you volunteer in ways that few people here even know about. And I believe that you also feel that special warmth inside that occurs when you share God’s love by helping someone else.

I urge you to look around and see where you can help someone who could use a helping hand.  Maybe you can’t build a deck, but can you bake some cookies to brighten someone’s day, or give them a ride? Can you knit a prayer shawl? Can you provide a meal for someone recovering from an illness or surgery?  Or maybe you CAN swing a paintbrush or a hammer, or can do a little gardening.  In that case, imagine the feeling if we as a church were to help someone in need right here in our own community.

Sharing God’s love through helping others doesn’t necessarily require a journey of thousands of miles.  It does require us to look at how we can get out of our comfort zones and reach out a helping hand.   So does Stewardship. Remember Stewards and Stewardesses don’t just sit on airplanes waiting to be served but instead serve those around them.  Thank you for your attention this morning.

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• Ben
• Stewardship of the Earth

Good Morning! My name is Ben, and I am in 3rd grade at McCarthy-Towne School in Acton.

My family has been a member of St Matthews United Methodist Church for almost 3 years, and I have 2 younger brothers, Zeke and Owen. I am in Mr. Dave Hart’s Sunday School class.

Today I wanted to talk about what stewardship of the Earth means to me and my family. Stewardship means taking care of something, so Stewardship of the Earth means being a caretaker of all the people, all the plants, all the animals, all the dirt, all the rocks and all the air
on our planet. That’s a VERY BIG JOB!

God asked us to take care of our Earth. Even the Golden Rule in our Bible tells us to take care of each other, “Do to Others as You would have them do to You.” Being Christians, we need to think very carefully every day about how to better care for our natural resources and each other – no matter what part of the Earth we live on.

My parents are scientists- marine biologists in fact, so we talk a lot about oceans and coasts and unexplored places in the deep ocean where they are still finding new species of strange and wonderful animals and microbes! I want people coming after me and my brothers to have those same “WOW MOMENTS” about cool stuff in the ocean and on land. We have to think very carefully and work very hard to save these special places and living things. I think God would be very happy if we all worked together to make this happen.

I am also a cub scout (BEAR scout!) in Pack 70 in Acton. Scouts think a lot about conservation and taking care of the Earth. Boy scouts have adopted the seven “Leave No Trace Principles for Kids” (Center for Outdoor Ethics; www.LNT.org) to help guide us. I wanted to read some of them for you today:

• Trash Your Trash (#3): Use Bathroom Facilities when available. Follow Campground rules for handling dishwater. Pack out all your trash unless the campground has trash pickup.
• Leave What You Find (#4): Leave any natural treasures where you find them so other campers can find them too. If you want a souvenir of your campout, take a picture! A good saying to remember is, “Leave nothing but footprints, take nothing but pictures, kill nothing but time.”
• Respect Wildlife (#6): Travel quietly and give animals enough space that you don’t disturb them. You’re visiting the animals’ homes, so be considerate.
• Be Kind to Other Visitors (#7) Be respectful of other visitors by keeping voices down and not entering other groups’ campsites without permission. Be polite to other people you meet. Give them the respect you expect from them. Wouldn’t it be great if everyone followed these principles -not just in the wilderness, but in EVERYDAY LIFE. Can you help me do this? Thank you for letting me speak to you today!
  I can’t wait for Earth Day next week!
  Can you?

___________________________

• Diane

• “Sharing God’s Gifts”: The Gift of Presence Our presence—our presence can be a gift. When we pledge to support the church with our presence, we may think of it as more of a commitment, a requirement, but our presence can be a gift to others. We never really know the effect our presence has on others, but it is real. We may not even need to say a word for our presence to be felt by another. This phenomenon is often known among clergy as “the ministry of presence.”During my lifetime, I have been privileged to be in the presence of church folks whose lives gave testimony to their faith. Their presence (knowing them) was a gift that fostered faith development in others. When I was a teen I came to know Mr. B., a father of three youth in my home church. Mr. B. was a caring person who had a very warm, outgoing way of connecting with young people. He always had a smile and a kind word for each of us, even amidst a battle with cancer that claimed his life at age 42. Mr. B. was beloved; our church family was shocked and saddened when he died. Yet, who could deny that we had been privileged to witness the power and strength of his faith at a time of ultimate personal challenge? Back in the ’70s when dark clothing colors were the choice for funerals, Mrs. B. told the young people of the church to wear only cheerful colors (nothing dark) to the funeral. At that time, it was a “revolutionary” idea, and yet it was so fitting that we turned out in our Easter finery to honor a man who had touched us with his enthusiasm for life and his deep love of God. In such a way we thanked God for the gift of Mr. B.’s life, for the strength of his quiet presence. He was not a church schoolteacher that I can remember. I cannot even tell you if he ever served on a committee. However, the way he lived his life, and the courage with which he met his challenges, was known and made a difference to those who had been graced by his presence. Our presence encourages each other; we become rooted in a community of faith. Some of us may have been called to this place seeking answers to life’s questions. Then surprisingly we may discover that somewhere along the path of interconnection, the answers once sought have become less important than our growing awareness that we can live with the questions and still remain faithful and able to call life precious. Our presence, the sharing of our lives in even the simplest of ways, is a gift that can touch others beyond measure. Untold times I have been blessed by just such a gift, and for that, I am ever grateful. Diane

  ___________________________

  Cal

  I’m Cal, chair of the worship committee here at St. Matthew’s. At our meeting last month, we talked about how we loved it during stewardship when folks from the congregation stood up to tell their faith stories. The old-fashioned term for this kind of story is a testimony. A statement. Bearing witness. We need more of these during worship, I said. We need to hear each other’s profound, true stories on a regular basis.

  Great idea Cal, everybody said. You go first.

  Okay, sure, I said. No problem. I’m a writer, stories are my life. Then I went home…and struggled. Because even though I’m a writer, when discussing faith and God, I feel like I need a new vocabulary. Maybe even a new language altogether. But I’ll do my best.

  My journey, like everyone else’s, is complex and circuitous, but I guess you’d say it started off pretty straight and narrow. I’m a preacher’s daughter, brought up in a home that revolved around the church. Dad was in the pulpit, Mom was in the choir. I earned a collection of perfect attendance pins in Sunday school. I went to a Christian summer camp and youth group. As an adult, I sang in several choirs and served on dozens of committees and cooked many a casserole for many a covered dish supper. We raised our daughters in the church. I became a trained Stephen Minister. I was in discipleship groups and Bible studies and adult Sunday school classes.

  And then, about ten years ago, I lost my religion.

  It had been slipping away a little at a time as I slogged through an obstacle course of life tests and upheavals and loss that left me reeling and on uncertain footing. To sum up: life happened, and it changed me. I became someone different, someone new. And I discovered that my old models of church and dogma and religion didn’t fit me anymore. They were too confining, too rigid for the new person I’d become. I decided I was done with church, finished with religion.

  But I see now I was like a hermit crab who had outgrown its shell. I longed for, hungered for… something more in my faith, something bigger. Something that would provide me room to grow.

  There’s nothing more frightening than being a hermit crab between shells, all vulnerable, raw and exposed. I won’t lie, it was a scary time. But finally, I found a new shell, one that included a fascinating combination of science and mysticism and oceans of unconditional God love. It fed me and challenged me. It didn’t need a church or a religion.

  When I first came to St. Matthew’s, it wasn’t for me. It was for my dad, the retired Methodist minister. Also, I was curious. A close friend had shared a poem/meditation written by Steve that knocked my socks off. I wanted to see if he was as good a preacher as he was a poet.

  He was. He is. I thought to myself that first Sunday morning, this church feels different. Pastor Steve is different. His interpretation of God’s love is compatible with mine. That first Sunday, I thought with uncommon clarity, Steve and I need to do some work together.

  Even with that prompt though, I didn’t dive in right away. It’s taken me about 3 years of circling the perimeter, dipping a toe in and pulling it out again, before finally taking the plunge to become an active, involved member at St. Matthew’s…but for what it’s worth, I’m here now.

  And I feel like I’m on the verge of another change. My hermit crab self is in the process of yanking itself out of its former shell, in search of a new one. I know it will be transforming, I know it will be good, but I’m not sure what it looks like yet. It has to do with all of you. It has to do with this church. It has to do with some new, very insistent writing projects that won’t let me rest. But I’m feeling vulnerable, and I ask for your prayers as I seek the new shell that will accommodate all I’ve got going on right now.

  No, I don’t have my faith fully figured out—who does?—but I’m trying, and I’ve found this a good place to try, with good people who are also trying. Here, we can support each other and lean into the mystery together. And our faith stories are a vital part of this.

  Will you share yours with us?

  Let’s talk.

  ___________________________

  Ann

  There are a number of reasons I give to St. Matthews, but I wanted to share just one today, the one that’s most important to me – which is:
  St. Matthews led me back to God, and that has given me my life back.

  When I was a young adult, there were three tragedies that happened in my small family, and I couldn’t seem to recover from that. It was hard for me to believe that God existed anymore – so I just retreated from God and from people and I buried myself in my work.

  That’s how things stayed for decades.

  But then, about 5 years ago I came to St. Matthews on Easter. Just by chance, I was seated next to Ed and Marilyn Roman, who were really welcoming. And so was Lynne Osborn. That meant a lot to me. And then, shortly into the service came the children’s time. I had never really heard anything like Steve’s children’s time. He talked about how much God loves us – always – and how God wants nothing more than to be with us.

  Somehow that day I heard that message, and I wanted to keep hearing it.

  So I started coming to church every week, and I signed up for pretty much every class that Steve was teaching. Then, the next fall, Beth offered the Companions in Christ course. I took that, and afterwards, all of us Companions continued on with three more shorter courses on our own. And then –we took the full course yet again. I think what happened over those years was that week after week, I was surrounded by these loving, caring, supportive people, who were all figuring out their own journeys with God. And at some point in that journey, I realized that I was starting to heal. There were starting to be these little cracks in the walls that I had put up. I started to trust that God was with me again, and probably had been all along – keeping me going, getting me stronger, finally giving me the courage (as Steve says every week in his prayer) to trust God’s deep desire for me. That knowledge, that trust, changed everything, and it got me back to something resembling the person I had been decades before.

  So I give everything I can to St. Matthews: my money, my time, my energy, because I want St. Matthew’s to stay strong. So that all the resources – all the love and opportunities, the classes, the groups- everything that was given to me will be available to anyone who walks through the door. So that anyone who needs healing will find it
  here.
  I’m grateful to everyone here for what you have given me, just by being a part of this wonderful community. Thank you.

  __________________________

  Betsy

  Good morning.  My name is Betsy.  Today it’s my turn to talk about giving.

  When I first came to St. Matthew’s, I was not a healthy person. My once-happy marriage had become a source of deep anguish for me, and I had trouble seeing any meaning in my life. For some reason, I made a New Year’s resolution to see what it would be like to return to church after an absence of 40 years. You could say “I decided” or you could say “God led me,” but the result was that on the first Sunday of 2007, I walked through those doors.

  And here you all were!

  You welcomed, nurtured, and befriended me.  You gave me the space to find God in my life.  With you, I have been striving, as Steve puts it, “to live in harmony with God’s grace.”  We play and pray, sing and worship, study and reflect.  We love and help each other.  And we work on making our church and the world better places.

  As I traveled the country with my sister on our hunger project, I worshiped at dozens of churches. Some were huge and impersonal and felt like social clubs.  Some were old and dusty and felt like they were stuck or in decline.  Some were preaching something that didn’t sound to me like the way of Jesus.  In the end, only a handful felt as loving, inclusive, alive, and Christian like St. Matthew’s.

  So with enormous gratitude and eagerness,I give.

  ·      I offer my prayers, my presence, and my witness.

  ·      I offer my service in areas like ushering, collecting food, and chairing MOA and the Festival of Sharing.

  ·      And I offer my gifts by helping where I might be particularly useful and by making sure that my monetary pledge is generous and increasing every year.

  Now my son, my in-laws, and I are mourning the death of my ex-husband.
  I know you will help us through that process,  just as I know you will do your part to keep our beloved church vibrant and healthy.

  ___________________________

  Nick

  Good morning. My name is Nick, and I’m here with my family David, Susan, and Lena and we moved to this area back in 2013. We started looking for a church after more than 10 years of going to 2 different Presbyterian churches, both of which we were very comfortable with and were very hard for us to leave each time. So, we started visiting churches in the area and realized very quickly that there aren’t very many Presbyterian churches around here.  So we started looking at other denominations; we visited an Episcopalian church in Westford. We visited a Methodist church also in Westford and neither of those churches really captured us.  We weren’t really quite sure why but in both cases we were not in a rush to go back to either Church.  A smarter person might have thought we were making excuses and what not but it was difficult for us.

  So we started looking for Presbyterian churches in the area and there is one in Sudbury, which is a bit far for us.  When we were talking about visiting this church, I was doing a crossword puzzle in the Pennysaver magazine and I saw a write-up about a pancake dinner at Saint Matthew’s before Lent and I said, “well we could go to this place that has pancakes”.

  We visited Saint Matthew’s one Sunday, not really optimistic, you know maybe we’d get some more good cake or something like that.  Once we arrived we were immediately drawn in by the love that just comes out of this place. By Pastor Steve, Beth, and everybody here and this is easy to recognize when you come in the doors here, not only by how people behave and act and that they are welcoming to you but by all of the Outreach missions that emanate from the people here and extend around the world.

  Now most importantly, I think that this church is our family.  We’re both from Ohio and we don’t have immediate family in the area and that’s another really important thing we found here, and it starts with the dedicated Sunday School teachers extends into the office staff and all of the generally outstanding people here.  So in short, we are pleased to give because this place brings together everybody here and I think this place serves as a shining light to the world.

  ___________________________

  Amy

  As many of you know, I have a long history with this church. I grew up in Acton and came to Sunday school and church here with my older sister, Jennifer, and my mother, Jane Griffith. I attended until I was old enough to tell my mom that I’d rather stay in bed. But my mother remained an active member right up until she died at the age of 60. Her funeral was held here in August of 1987. I married my husband, Kevin, here in October of 1993. My four children, Jane, John, Jason, and Julia, were all baptized here. And my husband and I renewed our vows here. During those years I would sporadically come to church, trying to like it and wanting to feel like something spoke to me. But I never felt any of those things, so I never stayed.
   
  In the Summer of 2015, when I was already in the midst of a very emotional and troubling time of my own, my husband and I suffered the tremendous loss of a very close friend. But it wasn’t until I heard one very profound statement spoken at his funeral that a piece of me suddenly woke up with enormous gusto and started to incessantly nag at me. It became clear to me that I needed something “more.” I started speaking with a very close friend who is deeply devoted to her faith, and I began reading a little bit; nothing too heavy, just some daily devotional books at first, until I bought myself a bible. I couldn’t get enough of all this “new-to-me stuff.” I couldn’t wait to read more and talk about it more and ask a million very basic and elementary questions about everything. I felt a change happening within me. A good change. In the Fall of 2016, I began wanting more. I wanted to begin attending church, but I wanted to try different churches so I could find one that was exactly right for me. I was fairly certain that St. Matthews would not become “my” church since I was never drawn to it in the past, but I didn’t know where to start, and I really had no idea what it was that I was looking for. So I thought starting somewhere familiar would be best.
   
  I came to St. Matthews on Sunday, October 23 last year. I feel I need to describe this day because it was so profound for me and led to my being here today.
   
  I walked in and was immediately greeted by Pastor Steve, who made me feel like he was genuinely glad to meet me and more importantly, he made me feel like he was interested in me as a person and not as just another potential new member. While talking with him, out of the corner of my eye, I saw a friendly and familiar face, my second-grade teacher, Charlene Twenty. As a little girl, it was always a big thrill to see my teacher out of the classroom and at church. I sat with Charlene that day. It felt good. Looking around I saw some other familiar faces from way-back-when. One person, in particular, warmed my heart like no other. He was a couple of rows ahead of me but he happened to turn around and his sparkling eyes met mine. He instantly recognized me and he flashed his big infectious smile. Of course, that was Gary Lawton. He was a very special guy, as most of us know. He was my dance partner a good many times at the square dances that we had here back in the ’70s. He was one of the last people to spend time with my mother before she died, and he was a pallbearer at her funeral. It felt very comforting to see him that first day back at church, and it continued to feel that way every time I saw him and Bunny after that. I can’t really put into words why I felt that way. It was as if just seeing him there made me feel like I was protected somehow and that everything would be ok. That’s the only way I can think of to describe it.
   
  During the “peace sharing” portion of the service, I saw Dot Werst, another familiar face from not only my childhood days at church but also from my high school days as she was my musical theater teacher. I went over to her and tapped her on the shoulder and she turned around, her lower jaw briefly dropped before a huge smile spread across her face and she opened her arms to envelope me in a hug.
   
  Those instances few instances, before the service was even over, was when I began to feel that in St. Matthews, I found my home.
   
  Everything about the service that day spoke to me and touched me. It was as if everything was scripted and choreographed just for me. I never wanted the sermon, the singing choir, or the service to end. When I was little, I loved watching the choir stand on the stage in Campbell Hall and sing in their fancy robes. And there they were again, in full dress and singing brilliantly! As I looked at them, I recognized a few more familiar faces. But I kept focusing on one face I hadn’t seen before. I don’t know why I was so drawn to her, other than she sort of reminded me of an angel with her long hair and how she showed so much emotion when she sang. After the service, this “angel,” whom I had never met before, cheerfully introduced herself to me and talked with me in her extremely kind and very personable way. Her name was Beth Bennet. She, along with so many others, made me feel almost overcome with a sense welcomeness, belonging, and love.
   
  Everything about that day, from the moment I walked in until the moment I left, was exactly what I needed. I was home. I never tried out any other churches.
   
  Upon joining St Matthew’s I quickly began to participate in some study groups, then I became a member of the SPRC, and soon I will be sharing the job of Financial Secretary. I also try to help out with other committees, Sunday School, and other endeavors and activities when I can. I spend a lot more time at church than I ever could have dreamed I would actually eagerly want to. And I love every minute of it. Obviously, I also give what I can monetarily, which isn’t as much as I’d like to, but it’s the best we can do for now.
   
  All of that sounds, great, right? So here’s a slight twist. It will all come together at the end, trust me. My husband and a friend of his started an advertising agency, just the two of them, from the ground up, in 1999 and it quickly became very successful. A few years ago, after being in business for 16 years, Kevin’s partner wanted out to pursue a different career path and it just so happened that at about that time, a large, privately-owned agency based in NY wanted to acquire, but not buy, their company. After seeking professional advice from their Board of Advisors and many other experienced professionals, their lawyers carefully negotiated a contract and it was eventually signed. Kevin’s business partner was free to pursue his new career, and Kevin would be employed for 5 years in a high-level vice-president position. Everything was great until a few months went by and it began to feel like a bait and switch. I’ll spare you the details, but here’s what the owner of the company, a wolf in sheep’s clothing, did to Kevin and my family this past June. Despite Kevin’s stellar performance and being held in high regard by virtually everyone he comes in contact with at the company, the owner blatantly ignored what was agreed upon in the contract, and without justification or any warning, he told Kevin his salary was being cut by 25 percent effective immediately. But he didn’t just stop there. He had to go even further and twist the knife to make sure it really hurt. So he also blatantly broke MA and NY state employment laws, in a few different ways actually, but one way he did so was by making that 25 percent pay cut retroactive to January, which means Kevin’s salary would be and has been, cut in half for the remaining six months of the year.
   
  I can’t even begin to tell you how incredibly hard it has been to come to terms with this. It has been a huge financial and emotional blow to us, and it is particularly hard for Kevin in ways I can’t even imagine. But just financially speaking, it’s devastating to a family of 6 with two kids in college and 2 others that are in outrageously expensive braces and have yet to go to college. And of course, Christmas is coming up.
   
  Now here’s why I told you that whole piece.
   
  Because of our new financial situation, we were looking to see where we can make some cuts in our spending, and my husband mentioned my pledge to St Matthew’s as one place where we could cut back. He said, “I think you should cut back to $20.”  I said “a week?” thinking that was too extreme. And he said, “No, a month.” Despite our dire financial situation, that was just absurd to me. So I told him I couldn’t do that. At first, he didn’t get it. But then I explained it like this: “I might give more money than you would like me to give right now; and I might volunteer for more things and spend more time than you wish I did doing “church” things; and I know you think that St. Matthew’s should be paying me; but what I get from St. Matthew’s is immeasurable and invaluable to me. The church gives me far more than I could ever give back, but I really need and want to try.” I went on to say “when I first went back to St. Matthew’s last year, I was still pretty broken. But ever since I started exploring my faith and what it means to me, and ever since I’ve been going to church and participating, I can feel the broken pieces of me finding their way back together again. I can feel myself becoming whole and who I’m meant to be.”
   
   A friend of mine, who I met here at church, summed up how I feel perfectly when she said: “I feel like my soul is being fed.”
   
  Well, obviously he couldn’t argue with any of that; and he is happy for me and very supportive of me. So despite our financial situation, I continue to give what I originally pledged because I feel it’s the least I can do for a place and a community that does so much for me. And I still wish I could give more, and I’m hopeful that someday I can.
  ___________________________

  Marilyn

  Why do I give to St. Matthew’s? What motivates me to give my time and my money to St. Matthew’s?

  The answer to that question is YOU – each and every one of you. There is a warmth and an energy here because of YOU. We are surrounded by talented, kind, caring, prayerful, people.

  We are truly blessed as a congregation, to have so many people showing God’s love by giving a piece of themselves and sharing their talents with each other and with the greater community. In fact, everyone seems to do something in some way or another. It might be a mission trip, or advocating for those who are food challenged, or organizing and running a Boston outreach group, or providing music for worship, or creating beautiful flower arrangements for Sunday, or leading an education class, or taking freshly baked cookies to someone just home from the hospital, or lingering after worship and lending a listening ear to someone in need of an extra prayer or a chat – the list goes on and on. Big things and little things – all making a difference in people’s lives. We are surrounded by thoughtful, caring people going that extra mile for others in true Christian spirit. It is amazing what this congregation does for each other and for the greater community.

  In addition to the energy of the members of the congregation, over the years, we have been blessed to have some amazing pastors minister to us. Each one has had a slightly different style – all have shared their talents with us. Pastor Steve is a perfect example with his music, his writings, his eloquence, his rapport with the kids, his prayerful support of us all – again the list is long. We are so very fortunate that over the years we have had pastors who inspire us and care for us and challenge us.

  For all of these things, I am very grateful. I give to St. Matthew’s so that we as a congregation can continue to grow, to serve, to thrive, and to be challenged. I give in the hopes that even more people will come to St. Matthew’s to share their talents and caring spirit. I give because I am so very thankful for the warmth of this congregation.

  St. Matthew’s has been an integral part of my life for more than 40 years and I give because I’m up for another 40!

  ___________________________

  Peggy

  My name is Peggy and I have been a member of St. Matthew’s for about 28 years. I would say St. Matthew’s has been a big part in my growth as a person. I’ve been involved in various activities along the way. I would say that my faith leads me to step up and do something when I am able. I think way back to when I was involved in teaching Sunday School for years, and how I became Superintendent for a year and how I was not 100% enthusiastic about taking on that particular role. But the sky never fell in, and I actually learned a few things about myself. One was that being involved was rewarding, both in the relationships developed and in the work itself and even the support in the struggles. Being involved and seeing the energies of people at St. Matthew’s coming together and making good things happen serves to strengthen my faith all the time. I see it happen over and over again.

   

  In the past few years, I’ve been involved with the Missions, Outreach and Advocacy committee and also a group of us working on immigration issues. My interest in immigration issues was strengthened in a group called Faith Circle, which was a group of women in this church who got together and focused on certain issues in depth. One of the issues was Immigration. We each took a piece of it and presented it. I took the piece on the history of the laws on immigration. I’m a law-abiding citizen and this part interested me.  I also looked at these laws in the context of the UMC Social Principles and Jesus’s teachings.

   

  I developed a greater understanding of how laws are sometimes flawed and my deepening personal take away from this study was that my lens went from a focused law view to a wider angle Christian view. I saw some overriding guidelines from Jesus’s teachings. Love your neighbor, include not exclude, welcome the sojourner. He says it over and over. I believe this is an overriding guiding directive, and I saw and see that some laws do more harm than good. At the beginning of this year I felt a strong need to act on my faith in a meaningful way, and so became much more involved with Immigration. Everything that we have organized has led me deeper into the issues and reaffirms for me the trueness of these teachings. It just feels right.

   

  That Faith Circle study was a bit of an “Aha” moment for me. All of the classes and groups that I have been part of at St. Matthew’s since then have strengthened me in these guiding principles and not just applying to immigration. This informs my wanting to help those who do not have love, support, acceptance, and inclusion because we all feel better and live better when we have these things. St. Matthew’s continuously helps my faith grow through groups and classes and relationships, and gives me many opportunities to put it into action with others. This is why I keep coming to St. Matthew’s and give to St. Matthew’s.

   

  Peggy

  ___________________________

  Lynne

  In an attempt to address my own uncertainties in teaching our high school seniors and to provide something of a measuring stick, I decided to set some goals for what I hoped we could accomplish together over the course of four years.  This was the result.  For each person, I hope they will:

  • to have a clear sense of themselves, their values as they begin to make consequential life choices.
  • to learn to value their own minds and interpretations and to feel comfortable sharing their thoughts.
  • to grow comfortable speaking out by practicing this skill in a loving, accepting community.
  • to see how a book, parts of which are over 3000 years old, still has relevance for their lives and their world; and further to see how this book urges us to reach out, to connect, to be comfortable being uncomfortable.
  • to know the many gifts that come from being part of a faith community.

  As I looked at the list I realized two things: that it also spoke to what I hope for me and that undergirding much of this was community.

  At the same time, I was reading a moving, powerful and sometimes quirky book entitled Accidental Saints by Nadia Bolz-Weber.  In the chapter where she is describing the ways her congregation marks the events of Holy Week I found the following:

  After Peter denied Jesus, he experienced Easter, but after Judas betrayed Jesus, he bought a field, tripped and fell, and his guts burst open.  He died alone in a field of blood.  He died knowing he was a sinner and perhaps thinking that God did not want him.

  There was no Easter for Judas.  There was no Resurrection.  There was no light shining which the darkness could not overcome.  Judas never got to be filled with joy and disbelief at Pentecost like those in the upper room.  He never got to stick his fingers in the wounds of God.  He never got to eat sacramental broiled fish on a beach, served to him by the resurrected Christ.  Judas never experienced the defeat of sin and death revealed in the breaking of the bread.  He chose death before seeing that death was done for.  Our brother Judas.

  But was what he did so unforgivable?  How is it that Judas, who betrayed Jesus once and was filled with remorse, became the villain, while Peter, who denied Jesus three times and wept bitterly, became the rock on which the church was built?  When it comes down to it, what is the difference between Peter and Judas?  Well, maybe nothing.  And maybe there’s not a whole lot of difference between us and them too.

  But we get to share something with Peter that Judas never got to experience and it’s the thing that could have made all the difference.  In Judas’s isolation, he never availed himself to the means of grace.  Judas carried with him into that field the burden of not experiencing God’s grace because he was removed from the community in which he could hear it.  In Judas’s ears, there never was placed a word of grace.  And let me tell you, that’s not something the sinner can create for him or herself.  It is next to impossible in isolation to manufacture the beautiful, radical grace that flows from the heart of God to God’s broken and blessed humanity.  As human beings, there are many things we can create for ourselves: entertainment, stories, pain, toothpaste, maybe even positive self-talk.  But it is difficult to create this thing that frees us from the bondage of self.  We cannot create for ourselves God’s work of grace.  We must tell it to each other.  It’s a terribly inconvenient and oftentimes uncomfortable way for things to happen.  Were we able to receive the word of God through pious, private devotion – through quiet personal time with God – the Christian life would be far less messy.  But, as Paul tells us, faith comes through hearing, and hearing implies someone right there doing the telling.

  And that, for me, is the St. Matthew’s community: welcoming, challenging, forgiving and utterly precious.  And I will support this community fully and to the greatest extent I am able.

  Lynne

  __________________________

  Thelma

  

  My faith journey began when I was a little girl.  My family went to church every Sunday and we were an integral part of a loving church family working, learning, playing, worshiping and giving our gifts to Praise God and to spread God’s Love.
  I cannot imagine my life without such a church family and St. Matthew’s has been my Church home for over 45 years.

  Here at St. Matthew’s I have served in many ways,  teaching Sunday School and Vacation Bible School, Chairperson of Education, leading craft groups, worship leader, etc. However, for more than 20 years I have created the worship flowers/ visuals for the Sunday worship almost every Sunday.  I began slowly with special designs like Pentecost and Thanksgiving but soon became fascinated with creating designs that I like to call “Scriptures in Bloom”. In January of 2000, the church hosted a seminar called “Treading on the Verge of the Jordan”.  The worship committee wanted an expressive design so I suggested an underwater. You can imagine the reaction!!!

  I gave it my all and it was a success! People were curious so it turned into a Children’s sermon for an explanation. From there I designed several Lenten and Advent series, which also served as visuals for Children’s sermons.  Many of the flowers used had liturgical meaning and symbolism. In November of 2001, St. Matthew’s hosted a liturgical art show and worship arts festival, titled “The Light of Christ: Imagination and Illumination. Expressive works for each liturgical holiday and sacrament were created by the poet, Thomas Troeger, the liturgical fabric artist, Becky Rogers Witsell and me, the floral designer. I presented a workshop to participants from all over the state on creating meaningful designs for worship. What this whole experience has done for my faith is amazing to me! It has led to more reflective Bible study, communication with church members who wish to share special occasions or memorials with the congregation through flowers, and meaningful prayer times as I create memorial arrangements.  I love nature and flowers. It is a way I spend time with God.

  One of the highlights of my life was attending the Washington National Cathedral Altar Guild Flower Seminar in January of 2002. On my nametag, it read, Flower Arranging in Holy Spaces. It was awesome and inspiring to design right in the beautiful cathedral and to actually create the flowers for the upcoming Sunday services. Risk, Trust, and Faith took on new meaning.  I arrived at the College of Preachers where we stayed, physically all alone but with a keen awareness of God’s presence.  A week later I left with an abundance of liturgical and floral inspiration and many flower friendships all across the country.  I would like to read to you excerpts from a letter from the preface of our textbook, Flowers to the Glory of God, written by Ronald H. Haines, a Bishop of Washington, DC as it expresses many of my feelings.

  Excerpts from the letter:                        We read in scriptures “…let us offer to God an unending sacrifice of praise….” Those words call to mind the ministry of the Altar Guild.  The atmosphere of reverence and beauty, whether in a majestic cathedral or in a tiny mission, so often reflects the work of loving hands and devoted servants of the Lord.

                          The beauty of God’s creation is a wonder to behold.  To me, the beauty of a flower reflects the glory of God.  In a world that is scarred and drab, a flower is a sign of hope.  I admire the creative gift of those whose ministry it is to present to God offerings of beauty.  This book on floral arranging is designed to enrich the ministry of those who serve on altar guilds.  It has been lovingly prepared as an offering to God and for the benefit of the Church.                             Ronald H. Haines, Bishop of Washington, pro-tem

  In closing, I wish to thank St. Matthew’s for the honor and opportunity to design flowers for the Glory of God most Sundays. It is a meaningful path helping me to strengthen my faith and a way I can give Praise to God. I hope the altar arrangements are meaningful to all of you and I welcome others to join me in this ministry.

  Faithfully,Thelma

  ___________________________