St. Matthew`s Anglican Church – Profile

St. Matthew’s Anglican Church – Profile
• Cover Page
• Vision Mission
Statement
• Our History
• Worship
• Community Outreach
• Discipleship
• Family Life
• Christian Education
Vision and Mission
Vision:
Sharing the peace and good news of Jesus with his
world.
• Our Parish
• Our Community
• Organization
• Relationship with the
AMIA
Mission and Core Purpose
To Fulfill the Great Commandment and the Great
Commission of Jesus Christ. Making disciples who
make disciples.
• Envisioning the
future
• Call for a priest
St. Matthew’s Anglican Church, 1009 N. Saginaw St. Lapeer, Michigan
Phone 810-667-8910 - Fax 810-667-8911
[email protected] www.stmatthewsfamily.com
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Our History
The Inaugural Celebration of the Holy Eucharist for the new Anglican Mission of Lapeer
County was held in the St. Louise Chapel of the Immaculate Conception Roman Catholic Church
in Metamora, Michigan. It was held on the feast of the Holy Name, Saturday, January 1, 2005.
Liturgy began at noon with 85 people in attendance. Many of these people had left Grace
Episcopal Church to begin a new biblically based church.
The office of the church was first run from the dining room table of Fr. Steve Dewey with
his Administrative Assistant Kim Thompson. February 2005 the Ministry Center for St.
Matthew’s was opened at 66 N. Saginaw. St. Matthew’s was founded by The Home Missionary
and Evangelical Society, an Ecclesiastical corporation founded under the laws of the State of
Michigan and holds a 501c3 status with the IRS.
The order of Daughters of the King (DOK) was begun immediately as many who came
from Grace Episcopal Church were already Daughters. The new chapter, St. Monica’s, was
instituted at St. Matthew’s in November 2005. The chapter later disbanded after it became
apparent that their beliefs paralleled those of the Church we had left behind.
In June, 2005, the present structure of St. Matthew’s was begun using the Purpose Driven
Church model; having been restructured during the first five months. The Body Leadership
Team (BLT) was created under the guidance of Fr. Steve Dewey; reflecting the five purposes for
which St. Matthew’s strives. The 5 Purpose Teams are – Worship (love God), Community
Outreach (love your neighbor), Discipleship (make disciples), Family Life Development
(baptize) and Christian Education (teach them).
A small group tried to establish by-laws but hit snags. At the present St. Matthew’s has
no by-laws. There are, however, policies that have been written and are still being written to this
day. The finance small group was not able to begin a budget as there was no history using the
current building; therefore struggled through the first 9 months. In Oct.-Nov. 2005 they were
able to establish a rough budget for 2006. Beginning in 2007 there will be a formal budget.
In March 2005, two octaves of hand bells were donated by Chuck and Carol Lambert.
The hand bell choir played for the first time April 2005 with Carol Lambert as director, and
Roberta Eckel assisting.
After much prayer and thought, in April 2005, the new Anglican Mission of Lapeer
County was formally named St. Matthew’s Anglican Church.
In May 2005 membership requirements were established. The current requirements to be
a member are: Baptism, Completion of the Alpha Course, Attend 101 Membership class, sign the
membership covenant, and confirmation.
On Saturday, June 25, 2005, at St. Luke’s Church in Akron, Ohio, St. Matthew’s sought
official oversight from Bishop Frank Lyons. On Sunday June 26, 2005, Bishop Lyons officially
St. Matthew’s Anglican Church, 1009 N. Saginaw St. Lapeer, Michigan
Phone 810-667-8910 - Fax 810-667-8911
[email protected] www.stmatthewsfamily.com
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and publicly received Fr. Steven Dewey and the congregation of St. Matthew’s Anglican Church
into the Anglican Church of Bolivia and the Anglican Province of the Southern Cone –
Archbishop Gregory Venables, Primate. At that time, Fr. Steven Dewey signed the document
agreeing to the following:
Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments to be the Word of God and containing all
things necessary to salvation.
Agreement with the Thirty-nine Articles of Religion, the Book of Common Prayer and
the Rites for Ordination of Bishops, Priests and Deacons.
The doctrine of the Anglican Church presented in these documents is in conformity to the
Word of God; and in public prayer and the administration of the Sacraments I will use the
Rites approved in these books and in no other, unless approved by legitimate authority.
Fr. Steven Dewey further declared “under oath to God Almighty’ that I will give legitimate
and canonical obedience in all things true and biblical to Bishop Lyons and his successors.
Bishop Lyons made it clear that his oversight is temporary, until either the Anglican Province in
the USA is reorganized without the ECUSA or the ECUSA repents and chooses to live within
the standards of authority established by the whole of the communion – beginning with Holy
Scripture as the standard for that authority.
On June 30, 2005, Fr. Steven Dewey received a letter from Bishop Robert Duncan, In part it
read:
As Moderator of the network of Anglican Communion Dioceses and Parishes, it is with great
joy that I welcome St. Matthew’s Anglican Church to the Network based on the approval by the
Steering Committee of your application to affiliate as an “Anglican Communion Partner.” I
rejoice in counting you among the congregations and clergy who are standing together for
Gospel truth and our faithful expression of Anglicanism in North America.
The first Alpha group of St. Matthew’s was begun September 2005 with 10 participants. Also
in September 2005, the first St. Matthew’s 101 course was offered. The course is the beginning
of a series of four courses leading to leadership at St. Matthew’s. In October 2006 the first 201
CLASS was offered and taught by Carol and Charles Lambert. This course was offered each
month through the winter and spring of 2007 with 301 and 401 in the planning stages.
In October 2005, St. Matthew’s present altar was dedicated by Bishop Frank Lyons.
The first anniversary of St. Matthew’s was celebrated with Holy Eucharist on January 1, 2006
by Fr. Steven Dewey.
In July 2006, Fr. Steven Dewey was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. His last worship
service was celebrated September 10, 2006. He struggled for many months but on October 13,
2006, Fr. Steven Dewey went to be with Jesus.
.
St. Matthew’s Anglican Church, 1009 N. Saginaw St. Lapeer, Michigan
Phone 810-667-8910 - Fax 810-667-8911
[email protected] www.stmatthewsfamily.com
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Bishop Frank Lyons returned and stayed in Lapeer during Fr. Steve’s last week, delaying his
scheduled departure for home in Cochabamba, Bolivia. Bishop Frank led the funeral service
with the sermon given by Fr. Steve’s close friend and colleague Barb Schmitz. Over 400 were in
attendance with 11 priests and bishop assisting with the service. The use of St. Louis Chapel
was graciously given by the local Roman Catholic parish for us to use for the service.
During the following 10 months St. Matthew’s searched for a new leader. During that time
with out a spiritual leader, membership did not decline and donations increased. The search for a
new “Home of Our Own” continued as our building fund continued to grow. Limited space
slowed further growth in the current facility. The building we were renting had a seating
capacity of 72. We have a membership of 100 with 69 to 75 in attendance each Sunday. Sunday
school was being held on Wednesday evening and the building was continually used for
meetings and training 7 days a week. Our church Administrative Assistant, Kim Thompson was
on duty during the normal business day and helped coordinate services, meetings, and schedule
visiting priests to conduct our weekly service and special events as the need arose.
This was a time of continuing to build on the foundation laid for us by Fr. Steven Dewey.
There were several priests in the Anglican Church that helped during the intervening time: Fr.
Richard Dalton, Fr. Jack Lumanog, Fr. David Kulchar, Fr. Jack Irvin, Fr. Scott Danforth, and Fr.
Dean Cole.
In April 2007 the policy book was adopted for the running of the day to day operation of St.
Matthew’s Anglican Church.
In July the Body Leadership Team (church board) issued a call to Fr. Jack Irvin, Sr. of Akron,
Ohio and then the assistant rector of St. Anne’s Anglican Church. Fr. Jack accepted and began
duties at St. Matthew’s on August 19, 2007.
September 2007 saw the first 301 CLASS at St. Matthew’s taught by Carol and Charles
Lambert. This class will help members discover their unique spiritual gifts. 2008 saw the
beginning of the 401 class led by Fr. Jack Irvin, Sr. This class helps members discover their
mission.
September 2007 Fr. Jack with the Body Leadership Team, and the Home of our Own group
has continued a search for a suitable property for our next growth stage. Several properties have
been evaluated based on the criteria previously established.
On January 1, 2008, St. Matthew’s celebrated its third year in existence. Much happened
during that year. January 9th Fr. Jack was accepted into the AMIA and as our priest. Our
application to become a member church was also accepted and we became an active AMIA
parish.
In March, 2008, St. Matthew’s, at the urging of Fr. Jack, moved to New Hope Missionary
Church at 1009 N. Saginaw St., Lapeer. Currently it shares the building with New Hope. New
Hope uses the building on Wednesdays and Saturdays and St. Matthew’s the rest of the week.
We are renting the space and moved lock, stock and barrel March of 2008 after refurbishing the
St. Matthew’s Anglican Church, 1009 N. Saginaw St. Lapeer, Michigan
Phone 810-667-8910 - Fax 810-667-8911
[email protected] www.stmatthewsfamily.com
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sanctuary with paint and carpet. The building has worked out very well except for the stairs. It
is handicap accessible but the accessibility is a ramp outside; down through another door; with a
small ramp that goes into the office. The growth of the church in 2008 was minimal. Finances
during 2008 have not been good and a decision was made to cut the Administrative Assistant’s
(as she was called then) time in half. That was a difficult time for everyone. Patty Irvin
continued to search for a job with no success.
In January of 2009 St. Matthew’s celebrated its fourth anniversary. By March, it was evident,
that Patty would not be able to find work and the separation on both Fr. Jack and Patty was
taking its toll. March 19, 2009, Fr. Jack informed the BLT that he would be leaving June 7 to
return to Akron, Ohio. On March 22 he informed the entire parish of his leaving. With much
regret, the BLT accepted his resignation. Since then the parish has been in a transition mode
with the leadership beginning the process of gathering a Search Group to find a new pastor.
July 10th Deacon Colleen Dewey was ordained to serve the community through St. Matthew’s
Anglican Church.
In August 2009 work started on an adding a second service to our Sunday schedule. The second
service while following the outline of the liturgy, will allow more time for the Holy Spirit to
work in the service. A team of five is performing all the background work needed bring the
service to life each week.
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Worship
Our worship service is a blended liturgical service. Our music choices closely follow the lead
of the alternative lectionary and are decidedly more modern than traditional hymns. During the
passing of the peace members share their testimony as to what God is doing in their lives. We
use a clavinova with prerecorded music, as we do not have anyone that is gifted to play live
music for us at this time. We have an adult choir which sings on all major church occasions. We
also have a hand bell choir that plays at least once a month and on special occasions. An active
intercessor group prays for the needs of the congregation and others as requested. They also
cover all important meetings with prayer.
We have a new praise and worship service at 11am. This relaxed service is designed to reach the
unchurched in our community.
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Community Outreach
Deacon Colleen Dewey and our outreach team are called to minister to the community. We
are called to look outside the church into the community and grow God’s Kingdom. We are
involved in assisting various groups in our community. We were involved in starting the Refuge
Homeless shelter in Lapeer. It is open during the winter months and hosts from 1 to 20 guests a
night. We help with the Personal Item Needs closet to provide soap and paper products to the
St. Matthew’s Anglican Church, 1009 N. Saginaw St. Lapeer, Michigan
Phone 810-667-8910 - Fax 810-667-8911
[email protected] www.stmatthewsfamily.com
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needy. We support the Habitat for Humanity with workers. We also provide a lunch at least
once a year to Habitat.
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Discipleship
We currently do not have a program to train people to be disciples. We are looking at a
couple of programs to help us learn how to proceed in this area. We will be looking for our
Priest to take a leadership role in implementing this program. The goal of this purpose is to
equip the core members of St. Matthew’s with the tools they need for their ministry. We do offer
a women’s and men’s book and bible study groups from time to time.
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Family Life Development
Fellowship is the goal of Family Life Development. The target group of this purpose is the
congregation, to help them commit to membership. The benefit to the congregation they build
networks of support in the church. All activities that involve the family of St. Matthew’s are
handled by this group. Special events such as the:
Seder meal,
Young adult group call the OTTYTY
Summer Picnic,
Celebration dinners
All Saints Day party & potluck in 2008
Lapeer Days parade and float
Yard sale
Church picnic and campout
Trip to Alma Highland Festival the last week in May
Retreats
Thanksgiving Dinner at St. Matthew's open to anyone
Men’s Group
Women’s Group
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St. Matthew’s Anglican Church, 1009 N. Saginaw St. Lapeer, Michigan
Phone 810-667-8910 - Fax 810-667-8911
[email protected] www.stmatthewsfamily.com
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Christian Education
We have education programs in place for the committed members, helping them develop
their spiritual gifts or SHAPE for ministry, and finding your mission. We also have Christian
education for various age groups available. We want to develop a teaching program on how to
be a disciple, and how to disciple. Our web site summarizes all the activities, and training
currently available. www.stmatthewslapeer.org
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Our Parish
We recently conducted an anonymous survey in an effort to compile accurate data for this
parish profile. 41 adult members / parishioners responded to this survey which comprises two
thirds of our congregation. The average age of survey participants was 52.
We discovered our St. Matthew’s family is very comfortable sharing their faith with others.
Some indicated they would like some training, but the results revealed an overwhelming
willingness of all to share their “Love of God” with others.
In respect to worship style we based our questions on a scale of 1 to 10 with one representing
traditional worship and 10 representing contemporary worship. Most members felt that we
currently worship at a 4.3 on the scale. When we asked for a future vision of worship at St.
Matthew’s the majority felt they would like to see worship at a 6.6 or greater. While
parishioners do feel worship is the strongest purpose at St. Matthew’s the survey is suggesting
that God is moving us toward a more contemporary style of worship. We are currently struggling
with worship style. While this is not our focus as a church it is one that we feel important to
spend some time on. Possible solutions are
Pray for guidance as to the type of service that will bless and praise Christ
A time of listening to each other
Two services one contemporary and one more traditional
One service with a mixture of music and worship styles from week to week
We recognize our weakness and our need to improve and strengthen ourselves in the areas of
discipleship and outreach. We know what God expects of us; we need leadership to set the
direction on what to do and how to get there. We look forward to this new direction as a way to
reach the unchurched in Lapeer County.
Our final survey question asked which spiritual gifts are the most important for our new priest
to possess. The three are Teaching, Leadership and Faith.
Weekly attendance ranges from 62 to 93, with 98 active members on our rolls. We have 39
pledging families and individuals.
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St. Matthew’s Anglican Church, 1009 N. Saginaw St. Lapeer, Michigan
Phone 810-667-8910 - Fax 810-667-8911
[email protected] www.stmatthewsfamily.com
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Our Community
St. Matthew’s is located in the City of Lapeer, Michigan. Lapeer is about 45 miles north of
downtown Detroit, 20 miles east of Flint Michigan, and 50 miles west of Sarnia, Ontario,
Canada. Lapeer is located on transcontinental (Canada to Mexico) Interstate I-69 and various
main federal and state highways and has a local municipal airport. We are a regular stop on the
AMTRAK passenger train system that runs between Toronto, Canada and Chicago, IL. St.
Matthew’s is within 1 to 1 ½ hours of four international airports. There is population of over 5
million with in the same 1 hour drive time.
Lapeer is a hub city of 9,000 in a county of 90,000 people. The “Metro” area around the
city has population of 40,000. There is a large retail community here. We have Kohl’s, Home
Depot, Super Wal-Mart, Super K-Mart, Meijer’s and many smaller national and local stores. We
also have a full complement of restaurants, coffee shops, and fast food. A regional shopping
center is planned for Lapeer.
We are a rural community that has seen a 20 year period of growth. We are now seeing a
reduction in population and workers leave the state to find work in other areas. Current
unemployment in Lapeer is about 15%. A large number of homes are being foreclosed on in the
city and the surrounding area. Population reached a peak in 2005 at 93,361 and in 2007 stood at
91,732. We do have a number of newer homes for sale in the area for very attractive prices.
Five percent of the economy of Michigan depends on the auto industry, which is in a
current major downturn. In a 10 mile radius there are thousands of un-churched people being
hurt by the current economic situation. Demographic data shows that families with head of
household between 25 and 44 years of age are in a majority south of Lapeer and an older
demographic lives north of Lapeer. We are located 12 miles north of the third most affluent
county in the USA.
We have a good school system with two high schools one of which currently being
extensively renovated. The elementary and middle schools are being remodeled or being
replaced with new buildings and technology. Reading scores for 4th, 7th graders and the class of
2007 are better than the state average. We have a charter school for elementary students and two
parochial schools one Catholic K-6 and one Lutheran K-7. We also have a Mott Community
College campus in the city.
Local statistical information on children reflects the current economic situation. 50% of
the housing in City of Lapeer is rental units. Most are old homes divided into apartments; some
with 4 or 5 units.
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St. Matthew’s Anglican Church, 1009 N. Saginaw St. Lapeer, Michigan
Phone 810-667-8910 - Fax 810-667-8911
[email protected] www.stmatthewsfamily.com
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Organization
Our foundation is based on the Great Commandment and the Great Commission given to
us by Jesus Christ as written in Matthew. Our church organizational structure is based on the
“Purpose Driven Church” model. Our body leadership team is starting to refocus us on the five
purposes.
We are based on the five purposes given to us by Christ. The purposes are: love God,
love your neighbor, make disciples, baptize, and teach them the rest of their lives. Each purpose
has an appointed team leader who serves as a member of the Body Leadership Team. The BLT
and in fact all of St. Matthew’s strives to operate on a consensus rather than voting structure.
This team, with a representative of church administration and the priest comprise the leadership
of the church. We are electing three Trustees’ that perform the audit function. We are dedicated
to our current leadership structure.
We have found that elected internal leadership such as a vestry may lead to: an inward
focus, cause splits in the church, create winners and losers, be composed of people not involved
in the ministry of the church, and waste resources. We have a policy book that outlines our
operational procedures.
Each team leader has several small groups in their team. Each leader has a part to play in
magnifying the purpose of the team of which they belong. Team leaders are core members of
the church family. To be a core member of the St Matthew’s you must meet membership
requirements and have taken classes 201 Maturity and 301 Spiritual Gifts.
Our annual budget for 2009 is $109,000. We have a small fund balance carried from one
year to the next. As needs arise God provides the resources we have needed.
We have a building fund called “Home of Our Own” with approximately $90,000
available at this time. The fund is restricted and can only be used for purchasing property and
bricks and mortar. It is funded by weekly pledges from members of the congregation. Funding
also comes from other events held through out the year. One major source is our annual yard
sale in August each year.
We are part of a 501c3 organization called The Home Anglican and Evangelical Society
(THAMES). This organization was formed to support new works in the Anglican Church
through providing a ready-made tax exempt structure. This allows the work to start and establish
structure at a later time. The THAMES board meets from time to time to review their progress in
supporting new works in the church.
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St. Matthew’s Anglican Church, 1009 N. Saginaw St. Lapeer, Michigan
Phone 810-667-8910 - Fax 810-667-8911
[email protected] www.stmatthewsfamily.com
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Relationship to the AMIA
St. Matthew’s Anglican Church is a member congregation and serves in the Light House
Network, in the Heart of North America, Anglican Mission in the Americas, Provence of
Rwanda and the Anglican Church in North America. Our Bishop is Rev. Doc Loomis, Hudson,
Ohio. Here is a link to the AMiA web site http://www.theamia.org/
Envisioning the future
We have an annual review of our progress toward meeting the needs of the five purposes
of the church. As we increase God’s Kingdom we need to use our resources wisely. We have
recognized that we cannot do all that needs to be done at one time. Proverbs 24:3-4 (LB), “Any
enterprise built by wise planning becomes strong through common sense, and profits
wonderfully by keeping abreast of the facts.” God says it makes good sense to plan.
The Body Leadership Team met at retreat on November 7th and 8th to plan the future of
St. Matthew’s. The plan developed at the meeting will move us toward accomplishing the
Vision by focusing on implementing our Mission and Core Purpose this coming year. The
process we used helped us identify many areas to work on. Through the process we determined
that these goals are the most critical to our success as a congregation in Christ’s Church over the
next 12 months.
There are many more items on our “to do” list for each of the five purposes. If time
allows we will be able to start working on them later in the year based on priorities established at
the retreat.
Each goal has a due date and a person assigned to be accountable for its success. Each
team will be focusing on their goals this coming year. Some goals are intermediate and will lead
to more goals to implement as the year progresses.
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Call for a Priest
St. Matthew's Anglican Church in Lapeer, Michigan, a parish of the Anglican Mission in
the Americas (AMiA) is seeking an Anglican Priest who:
Believes the Bible is the inspired Word of God
Is experienced in Spirit led Anglican worship
Is spiritually gifted in Teaching, Leadership, Faith, and Pastor
Supports and empowers male, female, young and old Lay persons to serve
Understands and supports the "Purpose Driven Church" model
Desires involvement within the local community
Will lead and teach this flock in areas of Discipleship (evangelism) and Outreach
Possesses a minimum Bachelor's theological degree
Additional information is available on our website in the “About St. Matt’s” option
and should be reviewed prior to providing your resume.
• Send all resumes and cover letters to St. Matthew’s Anglican Church, Attn:
Search, 1009 North Saginaw St., Lapeer, Mi. 48446
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St. Matthew’s Anglican Church, 1009 N. Saginaw St. Lapeer, Michigan
Phone 810-667-8910 - Fax 810-667-8911
[email protected] www.stmatthewsfamily.com
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