As we enter the Season after Pentecost what is the Lord doing in your life? How are you approaching your discipleship? What does your devotion to Jesus look like?
Below is an introduction and link to an article by Fr. Andrew (also known as Henry Ernest Hardy), an ordained Anglican priest and monastic who had influence on the English Church during the two World Wars. He has been a great encouragement and inspiration to me over the years.
“The end of devotion is not, to become extraordinarily devout. It is possible to fill one’s life with practices of piety and yet not to get more Christ-like. It is possible to spend much time in devotion, and yet to be hard and critical and to lack a-missionary and loving spirit. It is a terrible, as well as a salutary, thing to remember that it was devout people at a time of special devotion who killed our Lord.”
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Fr. Tom
Upcoming Schedule
Adult Christian Ed Class Sunday, 9 AM.
Choir Meet/Practice
Wednesdays, 4:30 PM, in the choir/organ loft
Inquirers Class
Wednesdays, 6:00 PM, starting April 17th for 9 sessions
Men’s Breakfast
Saturday, June 8th, 8:00 AM
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.
THE ANGLICAN DIGEST
You will notice as you enter the Parish Hall or the Sanctuary that there are some new booklets in our Information/Pamphlet Stands: The Digest is published quarterly throughout the year and has been in print for 65 years. It is geared towards the thoughtful Anglican worshiper and is written in a very approachable style and format. I encourage you to give it a read.
Each quarter of the year an Episcopal Parish is also featured in the Digest. The current editor, the Rev. Dr. Fred Robinson, is serving in our Diocese as Interim Priest of Memorial Episcopal Church in Champaign, IL, and has made me aware of the periodical. He has also invited St. Matthew’s to be the highlighted parish in the Spring of 2025 (which will include an article from your priest as well).
There is no charge for the Digest, but they rely on donations from the faithful of the Episcopal Church to continue to operate. They have supplied us with 25 copies as an introduction, but they are also interested in who might want to get the digest regularly through a free subscription. If you have any questions or would like to subscribe, please let me know (Fr. Tom).