Ask God to help us walk in the newness of life and freedom from sin we have through our baptism into the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Prayer Ventures, Living Lutheran, June 26, 2020

Help us discover our new life in Christ!

Engaging A New Normal Renewal Retreat Weekend!

St. Matthew’s will be hosting a DreamLeaders Initiative weekend August 14-16.

The weekend is designed to encourage, inspire, and instill renewed hope in the congregation as we face our future and the post-pandemic recovery challenges that lie ahead.

The weekend is based on the witness of the Apostle Paul in Ephesians 3:20 “By the power at work within us, God is able to accomplish abundantly far more than all we can ask or imagine!”

The weekend will be led by Pastor Jeff Linman. Jeff served for 20 years as the founding pastor of Spirit of Joy Lutheran Church in Orlando where he and his congregation experienced Ephesians 3:20 in action…moving from a small group of retirees to a large multi-generational congregation…from a tent to a renovated bowling alley…and from serving homeless neighbors to serving Lutherans in the overlooked African nation of Burundi. In the past 5 years

Pastor Linman has led over 40 congregational renewal weekends around the country and looks forward to being with the people of St. Matthew’s.

2021 ELCA Youth Gathering Update from Rich Langston

Hello everyone! Have not posted in a while, so my apologies. I mainly just wanted to convey that the Gathering Team continues to monitor all issues surrounding planning for the Gathering. Our world is changing more than normal these days, but I know the right decisions will be made. I promise to get back to posting more next week, but I’ll leave you with a copy/paste from Molly Beck Dean and her team from the national FB page. Please let me know if you’ve got questions or concerns now about anything. Take care everyone!

“Gathering leadership continues to work through a variety of scenarios of what this ministry may look like in the time of COVID-19. We have decided to pause our upcoming webinars, the release of the Getting Ready Materials and the start of financial assistance, so that all may be adjusted accordingly for any possible changes.

We also hope this pause allows congregational leaders to continue focusing on serving their young people during these unusual times, without needing to devote special attention to Gathering readiness. The Gathering timeline will be adjusted accordingly as updates are announced, so that adult leaders have the necessary time to prepare. All updates will be shared on our social media as well as on our website ( elca.org/YouthGathering/COVID19).”

With gratitude for those who have gone before and hope for the future, the ELCA gives thanks to God for the ministry of women. In 2019 and 2020 we celebrate 50 years of Lutheran women being ordained in the United States, 40 years of women of color being ordained, and 10 years of LGBTQIA+ individuals being able to serve freely.