St. Matthew`s Changes Lives

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Join us for worship on Sunday mornings
Traditional Worship: 8:15 & 11:15am
Modern Worship: 9:45am
Classes & Studies for all ages: 9:45am
CHILDREN
Fall Mission Project Update
Fall Festival
Thanksgiving Fest
Club 56 Pie Baking
Preschool Thanksgiving
Stories and Songs
Family Advent Celebration
St. Matthew’s Changes Lives
During November you will have the opportunity to invest in changing lives by making
your 2015 commitment to St. Matthew’s. That’s a bold promise, changing lives, but one
that we take very seriously. Whether St. Matthew’s is a consistent guiding force in a family’s life, a source of nourishment to a hungry child, providing a warm, safe home in Appalachia, offering spiritual guidance to those who are incarcerated or offering shelter from
the cold to our homeless neighbors, we are in the business of transforming lives through
the love of Jesus Christ. Please consider being part of changing lives through your generous commitment to our 2015 operating fund. Consecration Sunday is November 23.
You can submit your pledge online at www.stmatthewsumc.org under the Give tab. We
look forward to hearing from you.
The Stewardship Committee
YOUTH
Worship Choir Schedule
Fall Retreat Reflection
MISSION/PRAYER
Among our Congregation
November Prayer Focus
Fall Service Day Re-Cap
Thanksgiving Basket
Donations Needed
IN THIS ISSUE
A Note from Pastor Neil
Among our Congregation
November Prayer Focus
Weekday School Update
St. Matthew’s November Events
November 1
Connectional Table Event
Children’s Ministry Fall Harvest Festival
November 2
New Member Class Begins
November 11
Veteran’s Day - Church office closed
November 15
Parent’s of Young Children
Preschool Thanksgiving Stories & Songs
November 16
Thanksgiving Feast for Senior Adults
November 21
20s/30s Dinner Church
November 21/22
24th Annual UMW Craft Fair
November 22
The Common Table Day of Holy Conversation
November 23
Blood Drive
November 27/28
Thanksgiving Holiday - Church Office Closed
November 29
Hanging of the Greens
November 30
First Sunday of Advent
Christmas Cantata
New Sermon Series
Lunch with the Pastors
UMM Christmas Tree
Project
UMW 24th Annual Craft
Fair
Hanging of the Greens
UMW Christmas Brunch
Scripture Readers &
Communion Servers
Needed
Worship Music Schedule
New Member Welcome
Blood Drive
New Member Class
A Note from Pastor Neil
For three Sundays in October, Pastor Grace and I preached a sermon series called, A
Church for the 21st Century. In our messages we made six statements that describe the
kind of church that we think is relevant in today’s world. What we hoped you would hear is
that this is the kind of church we think God wants St. Matthew’s UMC to be; a church that:
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Believes that Jesus is the way
Is clear about its purpose
Has an ancient-future faith
Passes on its faith to the next generations
Believes in the power of grace
Believes in miracles
(If you missed any of the sermons in the series, or want to hear them again, you can listen to them on the church website:
www.stmatthewsumc.org.)
In preparing those sermons, we realized that there are many more things we could (or should) have said about the church
in the 21st century. But one of the things we hope you heard was that, when planning ministry, a church for the 21 st century thinks about people in the church family and the people who are not yet part of the church family. This is vitally important. It means that we must pay close attention to the world around us and to the people God wants us to serve. It
means that we must make an investment in programs and ministry that help us fulfill our mission to help future generations become faithful followers of Jesus Christ. It means that we must make an investment—both time and money—in programs and ministry that will help people who are outside of the church have a life-changing encounter with Jesus Christ.
I’m telling you this now, because in the coming weeks, you will be hearing about plans for 2015 and our operating budget.
I’m going to ask you to make a tangible, financial commitment to God’s work through St. Matthew’s ministry. You’ll also
be hearing about opportunities to serve God in a variety of ministry programs, and I’m going to be asking you to help the
church make a difference in the world by making and renewing the basic commitments of our Christian faith.
My hope is that you will come to see that your gifts of time and money are both a response to God’s love and grace—a
recognition that God has given you all that you have and made you all that you are—and a way of participating in everything that God is doing to change lives through St. Matthew’s Church. If you will make this investment, I believe you will
see a return that is beyond your ability to imagine.
Now to him who by the power at work within us is able to accomplish abundantly far more than all we can ask or imagine,
to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen. (Ephesians 3:20-21)
In Christ,
Pastor Neil
Current Sermon Series
Between October 26 and November 23,
our worship services and sermons will
focus on 5 Commitments That Will
Change Your Life. These commitments
represent not only the promises we make
as members of St. Matthew’s Church,
they are also the commitments that –
when we make and keep them – God uses
to transform our lives. Every Sunday, we
will consider one of these essential commitments. We will think
about why they are important and what will happen to us as individuals and as a church family if we keep them. The 5 Commitments
are:
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October 26
November 2
November 9
November 16
November 23
Worship God
Grow in Faith
Serve Christ
Give Generously
Share Your Faith
THANKSGIVING BASKET DONATIONS NEEDED
Thanksgiving is a time for gathering with loved ones, sharing warm memories, and being grateful for the year’s
blessings - and it all starts with a meal. Share your blessings and be a part of someone’s Thanksgiving memory this
year - give the gift of cranberry sauce, stuffing mix, gravy, mashed potato mix, canned vegetables or a frozen turkey.
The Food Closet is accepting regular and holiday food donations, as well as monetary donations, for our annual
Thanksgiving Basket drive. In order to prepare everything in time, we need all items by Friday, November 21st. Contact Lisa Cawthorne at [email protected] with additional questions or concerns.
Advent Sermon Series
October Baptisms
 Harold James Lang - Son of David and Lillian
Lang
 Hanna and Brian Lloyd - Daughter and Son of
Steve and Mandy Lloyd.
 Genesis-Grace Adowa Mansa Mpeh - Daughter
of Cynthia Adwadzi
October In Sympathies
 Willard Palmer - Brother of Lefty Palmer. Our
prayers are with the friends and family of the
Palmer Family
 Colonel Robert W. Trost, Jr., - Grandfather of
Erin and Caitlin Trost and father-in-law of Carol
Trost. Our prayers are with the friends and
family of the Trost Family.
 Kim Brown, cousin of Aaron Martin. Our prayers
are with the friends and family of the Browns and
Martins.
 Andrea Tooker, Sandy Von Kuegelen’s sister.
Our prayers are with Andrea’s husband Greg,
their children Holland and Sue Tooker and Scott
Tooker, and with Sandy and Bonnie Von
Kuegelen.
November Prayer Focus
“Devote yourselves to prayer, being
watchful and thankful.”
Colossians 4:2
Take a Journey to
Bethlehem at St.
Matthew’s
Advent is the fourweek Christian season leading up to
Christmas, which
invites us to make a Journey to Bethlehem with Mary
and Joseph and greet the newborn baby Jesus. Encountering God in the baby Jesus is the beginning of a lifelong journey every person is invited to make. During a
new sermon series that starts on November 30, we’ll
answer four (4) questions: what happened in the time
leading up to the first Christmas? What does the story
teach us about the character of God? What does the
story tell us about the child whose birth we celebrate?
What does this story mean for our lives today? Invite a
friend and plan to join us each week as we Journey to
Bethlehem together.
Fall Service Day Re-Cap
Thank you to everyone that was able to come out and help serve
our community. We had over 100 volunteers on Saturday October 11th. We packed 507
P3 packs to feed hungry children in our area. We made
45 Hug Blankets. We took
brunch to 25 residents at
Wesley Housing. The night
before our service day 22
Club 56 members participated in preparing goods and
setting up for the event. It
was a wonderful day to be
together serving our community.
SCRIPTURE READERS & COMMUNION SERVERS
NEEDED
We are looking for people of all ages to help lead us in
worship as Scripture Readers and Communion Servers!
Look for sign up sheets at the Welcome
Center near the church entrance, or
online at the church’s web page
(www.stmatthewsumc.org)
under “Get Connected,” then “How to
Get Involved,” then “Church Volunteer
Opportunities.”
St. Matthew’s Inclement Weather Policy
It is that time of year again when we will be dealing with inclement weather. The inclement
weather policy for St. Matthew’s is as follows: The church office follows the Fairfax County
School guidelines on weather related closings. The office will be closed when Fairfax
County Schools are closed.
Thanksgiving Feast for Senior Adults
Hosted by St. Matthew’s Children
On Sunday November 16th at 12:30 p.m. the children
of St. Matthews will be hosting the second annual
Thanksgiving Feast for Senior Adults. The children
will prepare, host, and serve a traditional Thanksgiving meal in the Social Hall. All senior adults are invited! There will be a special time of prayer and
sharing for the children and seniors to participate in
together. There is no charge for the meal but an
RSVP is needed. To attend please fill out and return
the RSVP insert in your bulletin or contact Carrie
Schwab at [email protected] or by calling the church office.
Children’s Ministry Fall Festival
Saturday Nov. 1st at 4:00 p.m.
Children’s Council will host our first
Fall Festival on Saturday, November
1st. Children and their families are
invited to come enjoy games and family fun! Bring a portion of your trick or
treat loot to send to the troops overseas.
Costumes are optional.
Children’s Ministry Fall Mission Project Update
This fall the children of St. Matthew’s have become
pen pals with the children of The Community Outreach
Program of Roanoke. St. Matthew’s missionary Rebecca Parsons is the director of the Outreach Program and
is helping us to be in mission with her by building relationships with the children in her program. This month
our children will continue to exchange letters with
their new pen pals. In addition to writing letters, our
children will create daily encouragement cards to send
to their pen pal as a way to remind them of God’s love
each day. We are looking forward to the chance to
meet Rebecca Parsons in person when she visits St.
Matthew’s on Dec. 7th to share about her ministry.
Senior Adults and Children enjoying the Thanksgiving
Club 56’s Thanksgiving Tradition of Service
For the past 8 years the 5th and 6th graders in Club 56
have made homemade pies to be given away in St.
Matthew’s Thanksgiving Meal Baskets. These baskets go to families in need in our community to help
them celebrate Thanksgiving. On Sunday Nov. 23rd at
12:30 p.m. Club 56 will gather once again to bake 40
apple and pumpkin pies. This has become a favorite
tradition of our Club 56 crew!
Club 56 members busy making pies.
The children enjoyed working on their letter to their
new pen pal.
Get the Christmas Season Off to a
Great Start at the Family Advent
Celebration
Mark your calendars now – the Family Advent Celebration will take
place on Friday Dec. 5th at 6 p.m.
Help your family set the tone for a
Christmas season focused on Christ!
Come to enjoy a meal, carols, make
an advent calendar for your family, and hear a very
special Christmas story!
St. Matthew’s Hanging of the
Greens
24th Annual Craft Fair
St. Matthew’s UMW
Friday November 21 10AM - 6PM
Saturday November 22
10AM - 3PM
More than 35 exciting crafters!
Shop while enjoying lunch in our café.
Pick up a sweet treat at the fabulous bake sale.
(Donations to the bake sale are always appreciated)
All proceeds benefit UMW mission projects
2014 ANNUAL CHRISTMAS TREE PROJECT
Come help us "deck the halls" of St. Matthew's to create a warm,
inviting atmosphere for
the Advent and Christmas seasons! We have
garlands, swags, stars,
angels, nativity sets,
wreaths, bows--all
kinds of ways to beautify our worship space
with visual reminders
of Christ's birth! We
will meet on Saturday,
November 29th at 9:00 AM - 12:00 noon.
Come help and enjoy Christmas music and hot
apple cider too! Questions? Contact Kathy
Frakes at [email protected] or Debbie
Creekman at [email protected].
Hope to see you there! You can sign up by
clicking here.
St. Matthew’s United Methodist Men will begin offering an excellent selection of fresh-cut Concolor,
Douglas, Fraser, Grand, and Mediterranean Fir Christmas Trees on Saturday, November 29th. A wide
selection of beautiful trees from 6 to 9+ feet in height will be available. This will be a perfect opportunity
to purchase a marvelous Christmas tree and support church activities at the same time.
All proceeds from the sale of Christmas trees are used to support programs, missions and equipment improvements at St. Matthews. During 2014, proceeds were used to fund youth programs such as the Jeremiah and Appalachia Service Projects, hypothermia and other mission projects, the Venture Crew and Probation House scouting programs, St. Matthew’s Early Response Team, new and lighter tables for the social
hall, and several other worthwhile purposes. All of this is made possible by your generous support of the
UMM Christmas Tree Project.
And for the first time, the UMM will be offering Gift Certificates to purchase as a part of the 2014 Christmas Tree Project. What better way to bring that wonderful, nostalgic scent of a freshly-cut Christmas tree
into the home of a family member or friend than to give them a gift certificate to use to select their perfect
real tree. You might also consider purchasing an additional gift certificate that could be given to a less
fortunate family who may not be able to enjoy a real tree otherwise. What a unique and thoughtful gift this
would be.
Each year this project requires a significant number of volunteers to help unload newly arriving trees and then to sell Christmas trees from
November 29th through December 18th. This is a wonderful opportunity for adults and youth to fellowship with both new and longtime
friends at St. Matthews. We will once again be using Signup Genius to staff these volunteer opportunities. Whether sell or buying trees or
purchasing gift certificates, your help is important and vital to the success of this project. If you have any questions, please contact Jim
Godlove at 703-255-1292, Darold Plate at 703-425-4470 or Keith McCartney at 703-425-2523.
Youth Fall Retreat Reflection
Last weekend, the youth from St. Matthews went to Camp Highroads on their annual fall retreat. The weekend was packed full of spiritually
moving services, fun games, beautiful weather and scenery, great food and so much more. The entire weekend was themed on "being sowed
on good soil". The guest speaker, Grace Han, along with the youth leaders prepared three very intriguing and compelling services. All three
of these programs began and ended with great music which was very moving. Reverend Grace talked about how Jesus preached a parable;
the sower of the seeds. Grace told us that we had to be the good soil through Jesus to make changes in the world and those around us.
Aside from the worship services, we were divided into groups and participated in many activities and interactive projects to help us physically understand the messages we were being taught. We went on hikes, made posters, drew pictures and brainstormed about different topics. We shared our faith among our peers.
On Saturday afternoon we had the opportunity to complete the high rope course as well as the nearby zip lines. All of us had an amazing
time facing our fears and jumping off the ledge for a flight through the trees on the zip line. Along with this, we were catered with enriching
activities that got the energy out of us so we could focus on the lessons and sermons which followed.
Tying this together, the youth and leaders were all smiles all weekend during this amazing, compelling, and beautiful retreat. We are all
excited to come back again next year!
Stay Grounded,
Ryan Bailey
Traditional Worship Music Schedule: October & November
Nov. 2nd
8:15 Men’s Ensemble
11:15 Men’s Ensemble
Dec. 7th
8:15 Altar Choir, Carol Ringers
11:15 Sanctuary Choir, Peace Ringers
Nov. 9th
8:15 Sanctuary Choir, Rainbow Ringers
11:15 Chapel & Wesley Choir, Celebration
Ringers
Dec. 14th 8:15 Cantata: Sanctuary & Chapel Choirs
11:15 Cantata: Sanctuary & Chapel Choirs
Nov. 16th
8:15 Sanctuary Choir, Mitchell Ringers
11:15 Altar Choir, Chancel Ringers
Dec. 21st
Nov. 23rd
8:15 Sanctuary Choir, Peace Ringers
11:15 Chapel Choir, Carol Ringers
Dec. 24th 4:00 pm Family Service—Wesley/Altar Choirs,
Rainbow/Praise/Chancel Ringers
Nov. 30th
8:15 Sanctuary Choir
11:15 Chapel Choir
8:15 Chapel Choir, Celebration Ringers
11:15 Wesley & Sanctuary Choir, Mitchell Ringers
8:30 pm Sanctuary Choir/Celebration Ringers
11:15 pm Chapel Choir/Carol Ringers
WE NEED MORE VOICES FOR THE CANTATA!
We need those adults who like to sing, but don’t have time year round. You may sing in
the Christmas Cantata on Sunday, Dec. 14 with a 13 piece professional orchestra
accompaniment!
Rehearsals for the cantata will begin Thursday, Nov. 6 from 7:30 to 8:30 PM in the vocal
choir room. For information: [email protected] or 703-978-3500 x232.
St Matthew’s Weekday School
Matthews Weekday School Is Looking for a Few Good Substitute Teachers! Do you like working with children?
Do you have some spare time you would like to fill? Would you like to make a difference in a child’s life? If you answered yes to any of these questions, you may be the person we are looking for. If you would like more information
about being a substitute please contact the school office, 703-978-6242 or email at www.stmatthewswds.com.
The month of November is filled with blessings at St. Matthews Weekday School. We are
blessed with wonderful children, a fabulous staff and great parents! Are you looking for a
Thanksgiving treat? You are invited to attend one of our Thanksgiving Programs on Monday, November 24 or Tuesday, November 25 at 10:30 in the Social Hall. Come, you will be
blessed!
WDS Fund Raiser: Did you know there are 54 shopping days until Christmas? Let St.
Matthew’s WDS help make things easier. Our fall fund raiser is full of yummy gift ideas
and dinner ideas. Once again we are teaming with Claire’s Gourmet to raise money for St.
Matthews WDS. We will be taking orders for Elegant Desserts, great gift ideas for the
person who has everything, Treats & Sweets, quick and easy cookies for all the holiday
parties and Pizza and other ideas for meals on those busy days you just don’t have time to
cook! Brochures are available in the WDS & church office. Orders will be taken until November 17 and will be delivered December 9th.
All proceeds will be used to pay for the mulch and sand that was replenished this fall.
Thanksgiving Stories & Songs: Preschool Ministries is inviting all preschool aged children and their parents to Thanksgiving Stories & Songs on Saturday, November 15th at
10AM. We will read, sing, make a craft, and learn about Thanksgiving and why we celebrate it. Please contact Christine Moser at [email protected] for questions.
Welcome Lloyd Family
If you have seen Steve and Mandy Lloyd’s photo in our
new church directory, you can guess where they met – at
Virginia Tech. More specifically, they met at the Wesley
Foundation of Virginia Tech! Steve, a native of Annandale, is a cost analyst/engineer for the Navy. Amanda, a
native of Galax, Virginia, is a certified Conscious Discipline Instructor. The Lloyds are the proud parents of two
children – Hannah, a first-grader at Canterbury Woods,
and two-year-old Brian. The Lloyds have already been
active in St. Matthew’s children’s, music, and mission
programs. They appreciate our church’s family-friendly
environment. Please be sure to extend a warm welcome
to this beautiful young family.
Welcome Poole Family
Tim and Katie Poole have considered St. Matthew’s
their church family since 2005 when their daughter
began attending our Weekday School. They are very
happy to make their membership official. Tim is in
IT at Lockheed Martin while Katie works as a Prevention of Blindness vision screener. The Pooles
have three children – Griffin, an eighth-grader at
Frost and member of this year’s confirmation class,
Caroline a sixth-grader and Delaney a first-grader,
both at Wakefield Forest Elementary School. The
Pooles stay active coaching soccer, attending scout
meetings, and chauffeuring to gymnastics. They
look forward to becoming more active here at St.
Matthew’s. Please give a warm St. Matthew’s welcome to the Pooles and invite them to join your own
activities here at church.
New Member Class
If you are new to St. Matthew’s and would like to learn
more about Methodism, our St. Matthew’s congregation,
and ways to get involved in our church community, come
join our New Member class. This class will meet for three
consecutive Sundays starting November 2nd. For more
information and to sign up, please contact Lynne Studeman
at [email protected].
Don’t forget Daylight savings ends on November
1st. Be sure to “fall back”
your clocks one hour.
BLOOD DRIVE NEWS
First, please give a big "Thank You" to Kendra Martin and Amy Anderson-MacMurdo when you see them around church for all their
hard work in leading the blood drive these past few years. Thank you Amy and Kendra! Second, please look for Debbie and David
Throckmorton, our new BD leads, in the commons in-between services to sign up for our next Blood Drive on November 23, 07301130. Giving blood is a fast, easy, as well as rewarding opportunity we have here at St. Matthew's. For more details or to sign up,
please contact Debbie or David at 703-208-3505 or email them at [email protected] or [email protected].
St. Matthew’s United Methodist Church
8617 Little River Turnpike
Annandale, VA 22003
St. Matthew’s United Methodist Church Staff
Senior Pastor: Neil Hough
Bookkeeper: Andrea Crews
Associate Pastor: Grace Han
Finance Secretary: Jackie Dinker
Associate Pastor of Senior Adult
Office Assistant: Liz Dutton
Ministries & Visitation: Bill Moberly
Senior Administrative Assistant: Nancy Manning
Director of Music: Nancy Cappel
Director of Youth Ministries: Mike Fujiura
Organist: Carol Workman
Director of Welcoming Ministries: Lynne Studeman
9:45 AM Worship Leader: Kevin Bennear
Director of Children’s Ministries: Carrie Schwab
Worship Media Coordinator: Dan Frakes
Preschool Ministries Coordinator: Christine Moser
Office Resource Assistant Volunteer: Claire Adams
Director of Communications: Allison Campion
Weekday School (WDS) Director: Gail Pepin-Vivian
Music Assistant: Tammy Freeman
WDS Business Administrator: Laura McLean