Dear St. Matthew’s Family,
We are nearing the end of Lent. The annual time to reflect and purge, to consider our faith and ourselves in it. I know many people make it a practice to give something up during Lent as an attempt to dive deeper into that reflection and personal purging. Other people find adding something like prayer or a particular reading or devotion to their schedule to be helpful. This year I tried something different. Instead of adding or subtracting, I have been focusing on the idea and practice of connection. Connection with friends and family, connection with those people in my life I want to stay in close contact with and those with whom my connections have maybe slipped a bit. I’ve been thinking of how Jesus was forever bringing people into connection and into fellowship—it wasn’t just work and mission, it was relationship. Throughout his ministry, he seemed to be looking around to see who was present and who was not and repeatedly inviting everyone into the fold. The idea of connection this season has been a wonderful reminder of personal priorities and some wonderful connections. I’m thinking I might take the theme with me into Easter—maybe you’ll join me? You know the people in your lives that really matter and the ones that may have slipped away more than either of you would like…
We are nearing Holy Week and the pinnacle of the Christian year, Easter Sunday! I hope that you will join us for some if not all the worship opportunities we have coming forward. Read further on the eBlast or website for the dates, times, and details.
As winter has been working its way into spring, so has the life of St. Matthew’s. It’s fun to feel the forming energy and transition that is happening in so many ways. You’ve known that the Transition Committee has been hard at work since they began gathering in January. Their congregational survey is coming out and your thoughts and responses are eagerly anticipated. The information gathered through the survey will be a large part of what goes into how we describe ourselves as a congregation to potential pastors. So, take the opportunity to share your thoughts. Connect with the survey and with one another!
When we voted on our Ministry Plan in December 2021 for the calendar year 2022, we included finances with which to hire a bookkeeper. We started working with Candee from SSAS in Manassas last week. It will take us a few weeks to transition into a new way of working, but we are on our way! Darryl will still be our Treasurer but without all the bookkeeping responsibilities. Darryl has worked a lot of years in the role of Treasurer for St. Matthew’s, and he spends an amazing amount of time in the office every week taking care of our bookkeeping and financial needs. We’ve been lucky to have someone so dedicated to the work, and now we are going to give him back some of his time. Thank you, Darryl, for your long service!
Speaking of a long time, it’s St. Matthew’s 50th Anniversary celebration this year. Plans are beginning to take shape for a weekend celebration in October. There is much to do and much to be a part of, so join in! This will be a great opportunity to not only connect with each other but to connect past, present, and future as we lean into what is beyond these 50 years…what might years 51 and beyond bring??? It’s going to be fun to see!
Pastor Kirsten
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