When teaching on Anglicanism in our Inquirers Class, I always emphasize that the first and most important spiritual discipline for any baptized person is Mass attendance on Sunday. Every week, God meets with us together in a special way in Word, Spirit, and Sacrament when we gather to hear the Word, respond in prayer, and engage the sacramental. It is our central act of worship and connection with our Almighty God through His Son during the week.
That said, it is only the starting place in a week where we are called to serve Jesus as our Lord. As we follow, obey, and grow in holiness through the Spirit, we do so in the presence of God during our everyday activities. However, we are also called to make time for silence, meditation, and prayer.
The scriptures are clear: without personal spiritual discipline, the Christian life will be extremely difficult to live. To keep the values of the Lord at the forefront of our lives, and to ensure the spiritual power we need to fight off temptation and serve others around us, means that we must prepare, train, and immerse ourselves in those things that prepare us for genuine spiritual growth.
Over the summer months, I am going to use my newsletter articles to engage what Holy Scripture (supported by our Anglican tradition) calls discipleship. While there will be nuance and creativity in application from person to person, or tradition to tradition, there are some key foundational elements by which all Christians are to be shaped.
I hope you will follow along.
Fr. Tom
Upcoming Schedule
Adult Christian Ed Class Sunday, 9 AM.
Choir Meet/Practice
Wednesdays, 4:30 PM, in the choir/organ loft
Mass for Seating of Fr Tom
Thursday, July 11th, 6:00 PM wiith reception following
LANDSCAPING CARE TEAM – MEETING
The Lord has blessed us with a beautiful, finished product from our landscaping construction. A special thank you to our Vestry and especially to our Landscaping Planning Committee for all of their hard work and communication. We will have a consecration service for our finished project in the near future. However, now that we have this blessing, we need to be good stewards of the same. There is a meeting this Sunday at 9:15 am in the downstairs “conference area” room. Fr. Tom and Junior Warden, Mark Smith will be leading the meeting. If you are interested in helping us water, maintain, and care for our landscaping, please plan to be at this inaugural meeting.
LESSER-FEAST DAY MAILING LIST
As most of you know, we use a software called “Flocknote” to send out important and timely messages (by e-mail and text). One of the ways that we use this messaging software is to disseminate articles and the corresponding scriptures related to important church fathers and figures. Here is today’s example: https://credo-life.blogspot.com/2024/06/the-feast-of-st-basil-great.html. If you would like to be contacted via this technology or would like to be put on the Feast Day mailing list, please respond to this e-mail which will go to office@stmattsblm.org, and either Pat or Father Tom will respond to you.
SIGN UP FOR SAFETY
A key focus for us this year is our improved safety and ability to respond in a crisis. As a part of that effort, St. Matthew’s has installed the new AED in the main hallway of the Parish Hall. Now it is time for the members of the congregation to increase their training and skills. Please sign up for the First Aid/CPR/AED class on the bulletin board for a day and time that you would be available for training. Maggie St. Peters is leading the effort in conjunction with the American Red Cross to make this process educational and fun. Our goal is to have a minimum of 20 members trained so that there is at least one person certified at every meeting or event at the church. Please do your part to make our church a safe place to worship and sign up this weekend.
CELEBRATION OF A NEW MINISTRY FOR FR. THOMAS REEVES
This August will mark the third year that Fr. Tom has been serving as the Priest of St. Matthew’s Episcopal Church. His contracted status most recently has been as a Priest-in-Charge, which requires a renewal of relationship/contract every 2-3 years. In May, Bishop Burgess granted Fr. Reeves approval for being “seated” as the Rector of St. Matthew’s Episcopal Church. This implies a more permanent contracted relationship with our parish and The Episcopal Diocese of Springfield. The Mass for the Seating of Fr. Thomas Reeves will be held on Thursday, July 11th at 6:00 PM with a reception to follow. Bishop Brian will be presiding and celebrating at the service. We welcome you all to attend this anticipated event.