January 2020 Newsletter
BISHOP’S WARDEN NEWS
I pray everyone is having a blessed Christmas season. We had a wonderful Consecration Sunday service that capped off our annual stewardship campaign with lunch afterwards. Thank you everyone who pledge to support St. Matthias. Instead of our monthly POSM family event on the 3rd Sunday, we will have our annual meeting and pot luck lunch January 19th. We enjoyed our beautiful new advent wreath that sits on the Paschal Candle stand. We purchased it with the donation from Rev. Wayne Bower’s previous church, St. John’s in New Jersey. We had a great Christmas Eve service with Rev. Eric Fenton. He brought a ram’s horn as he shared the Christmas story with the children. The noisy offering for our Outreach ministries was louder than usual with the kids being very energetic. We made several deliveries to the Hospice Thrift Store, Women’s Shelter, Food Pantry and HANK (Helping Abused and Neglected Kids). Thank you everyone who donated items. We will start our weekly Bible Study back up February 5th. We will be using C. S. Lewis’s book “Mere Christianity”. We will meet every Wednesday at 5pm at the Lesieur ranch. We always have a unique and different dinner. We hope to have the wooden walkway between buildings, washed, stripped, and stained this month. Epiphany, which means "manifestation," is the celebration of the magi arriving at the manger and laying their gifts at the feet of Christ, the manifestation of Christ to all nations. The Church celebrates Epiphany on January 6th. It is the celebration of the light of Christ that leads the way overcoming the darkness. Epiphany can also be described as a moment that takes our breath away when we are so closely aware of the magnitude of our Creator! One can experience these "aha" moments while gazing up at the night sky ablaze with countless stars, witnessing a beautiful sunset, or watching a young child eagerly reaching out for communion. The following is from the Diocesan website: Sometimes we are quick to dismiss, or we are unsure of the wealth of gifts God has given us. We might tend to shy away when someone asks about our talents, thinking we do not have some special gift. But God's grace is found in the simplest of gifts. Consider the gift of listening and the challenge of listening. Examine your willingness to truly listen - to your spouse, your children, a parent, a friend a stranger. "Listening is not a need we have, but a gift we give." Michael Nichols. Set aside some time to learn about being a good listener. Make a list of those you want to give the gift of listening to. Tell them you want to be more like Jesus by devoting your full attention to them when they're talking. Ask them to help you. I ask for your prayers on January 6th, 7th, and 9th. I’ll be taking my General Ordination Exams with 3.5- hour sessions in the morning and afternoon each day.
Blessings,
Dexter Lesieur