WORSHIP WITH US
Find your spiritual home with St. Matthew's Episcopal.
From service times to our most frequently asked questions, learn more about our beliefs and the Episcopal Faith.
SERVICE TIMES
SUNDAY
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8 a.m. Worship in person: This is a quieter, shorter service and smaller gathering without music. The service is a good fit for someone who prefers more simplicity and less sensory stimulation during worship.
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10 a.m. Worship in person or through a livestream: This service features organ music and a vocal choir (September through June). A livestream recording is available through YouTube.
WEDNESDAY
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10 a.m. Worship in person: This is a quieter, shorter service and smaller gathering without music. Community gathering time follows.​
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9 p.m. Compline online: This service follows the Compline order of service from the Book of Common Prayer. The log-in is through Zoom:
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Zoom link is here
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Passcode: 141279​
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Meeting ID: 840 3031 0538
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The St. Matthew’s community gathers weekly to offer thanks and praise to God through worship. The Book of Common Prayer, as well as liturgical variations authorized by the wider church and the Bishop, are the basis for services. The typical Sunday worship service is Holy Eucharist, Rite II. Some consider St. Matthew’s services traditional and others...less so! One’s perception will vary depending on familiarity with styles of worship. Music is an integral part of Episcopal liturgy, and at St. Matthew’s, worship incorporates choral hymns with organ or piano, handbells, and small instrumental ensembles.
St. Matthew’s prides itself on being a welcoming community. Parishioners are known to enjoy extended greeting time during the passing of the peace.
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Members of the community include lifelong Episcopalians, former Evangelicals, former Roman Catholics, converts to the faith, the curious, the wanderer and the wondering. All bring their own stories, assumptions, and norms to the table. All are welcome!
Real elements like bread, wine, flowers, candles, and music enhance the worship experience. Congregants also use their bodies: they may sit, stand, kneel, sing, eat, drink, greet others, and possibly bow or cross themselves. If this seems challenging to a newcomer, there’s no need to worry! All are invited to follow along as is comfortable and let the community carry them through the experience.
WHAT DO WE BELIEVE?
Episcopalians are united by worship and the three-fold source of authority which includes Holy Scripture, Tradition, and Reason. The Episcopal Church seeks to follow a "via media" or "middle way" between Roman Catholic and Protestant doctrine and practices. In this sense it is both Catholic and Reformed, seeking the middle ground between extremes. Because of its "middle way" approach, the Episcopal Church encompasses a wide latitude of beliefs and practices where everyone can find their "place" within our community of faith. A gift of the Episcopal Church is its willingness to tolerate and comprehend opposing viewpoints while at the same time stressing unity in worship and diversity of beliefs. We take seriously our belief that all are welcome! ​The Episcopal Church publishes its own Book of Common Prayer (BCP), containing most of the worship services (also called liturgies) used in the Episcopal Church. Because of its widespread use in the church, the BCP is both a reflection of and a source of theology for Episcopalians. The center of Episcopal teaching is the life and resurrection of Jesus Christ. The basic teachings of the church, or catechism, include: Jesus Christ is fully human and fully God. He died and was resurrected from the dead. Jesus provides the way of eternal life for those who believe. God the Father, God the Son (Jesus Christ), and God the Holy Spirit, are one God, and are called the Holy Trinity ("three and yet one"). The Old and New Testaments of the Bible were written by people "under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit." The Apocrypha are additional books that are used in Christian worship, but not for the formation of doctrine. The two great and necessary sacraments are Holy Baptism and Holy Eucharist. Other sacramental rites are confirmation, ordination, marriage, reconciliation of a penitent, and unction (anointing of the sick) Belief in heaven, hell, and Jesus' return in glory. Emphasis on living out the Great Commandment to love God and neighbor fully, as found in Matthew 28:18-20.
WHAT IS THE EPISCOPAL CHURCH, ANYWAY?
The Episcopal Church (TEC) is part of the worldwide Anglican Communion, a network of denominations united by their common history and fellowship with the Church of England. TEC is divided into nine provinces and has dioceses in the U.S., Taiwan, Micronesia, the Caribbean, Central and South America, as well as the Convocation of Episcopal Churches in Europe and the Navajoland Area Mission. The Episcopal Church describes itself as being "Protestant, yet Catholic." It is the nation's 14th largest denomination. ​ The church was organized after the American Revolution when it separated from the Church of England, whose clergy were required to swear allegiance to the British monarch as Supreme Governor of the church of England, and became the first Anglican Province outside the British Isles. ​The Episcopal Church was active in the Social Gospel movement of the late nineteenth century and since the 1960s and 1970s has played a leading role in the progressive movement and on related political issues. For example, in its resolutions on state issues the Episcopal Church has opposed the death penalty, and supported the civil rights movement and affirmative action. Some of its leaders and priests marched with civil rights demonstrators. The church calls for the full civil equality for all people regardless of age, race, gender, ability, or sexual orientation. On the question of abortion, the church has adopted a nuanced position. About all these issues, individual members and clergy can and do frequently disagree with the stated position of the church. The Episcopal Church ordains women to the priesthood as well as the diaconate and the episcopate. The previous Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church is Michael Curry.
OUR BELIEFS
Purpose:
The purpose of the Church is to restore all people to unity with God and each other in Christ.
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Mission:
We do this through worshiping God, educating ourselves and our children, caring for each other and serving our neighbors, sharing faith stories with others, and caring for all our resources (our time, treasure, and talent).
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Vision:
As disciples of Jesus, we aspire to open our hearts to the community. With love for God and neighbor, we offer restoring, caring hands to send forth the Good News to all with passion and determination