PSST Food Drive Helps Area Needy Households

Here's a press release just sent to the local newspaper about our PSST Food Drive. (PSST stands for peanut butter, spaghetti, spaghetti sauce, and tuna.)

The second phase of the Saint Matthew Lutheran Church PSST Food Drive happened on Saturday, May 16, resulting in at least 218 bags of food for Hocking County households. “They filled two offices and a hallway” at the Hocking County Jobs and Family Services, where the items were taken for distribution, noted assistant director Cindi Garrelts.

On May 9, thirty-four members of Saint Matthew distributed empty sacks to about 800 Logan households. Attached to each sack was a flyer asking residents to donate peanut butter, spaghetti, spaghetti sauce, and tuna, place them in the sack, and then set the filled sack on their porch the following Saturday.

On May 16, Saint Matthew members went out to collect the sacks. About 40% of all the households receiving the sacks filled them with food donations.

The sacks were then brought back to Saint Matthew’s fellowship hall where, joined by six employees of Jobs and Family Services giving of their time during “off-hours,” the food was sorted into the 218 bags for distribution among needy households in our county. Jobs and Family Services will see that families they serve receive the food.

About 50 Saint Matthew members were involved in the pick up of sacks. Among the words used by them to describe the experience were “Fun!” and “Awesome!”

Becky Webb, who chairs the committee which spearheaded the effort, Saint Matthew’s new Servanthood Team, described herself as “overwhelmed.”

“I am so thankful to the people of our community who responded so generously,” said Saint Matthew pastor, Mark Daniels. “I also can’t thank the people of Saint Matthew enough for their hard work on this project and for their Christian compassion,” Daniels also said. He added, “Of course, the biggest thanks goes to God for working in our community in this way.”

An additional forty pounds of food not bagged will go to the CHAP emergency food bank. Several people who said they’d forgotten to get the PSST items donated cash, which will also be used for the Servanthood Team’s efforts.

The Logan Kroger store provided the sacks, Daniels noted. “We’re thankful for their help,” said the pastor on Saturday.

It was a fantastic event. Sharing the love of Christ with others is a mountaintop experience...and it can also be a lot of fun!


Some of the 50 Saint Matthew members who participated in the second phase of PSST sorting food in the church fellowship hall. [Click to enlarge image.]


Saint Matthew members formed "bucket brigades" to get completed sacks from the fellowship hall to vehicles waiting to take them to Hocking County Jobs and Family Services. [Click image to enlarge.]

Today's Announcements

Here are announcements shared this morning before worship.

1. Next Sunday, please bring your canned food offerings for the CHAP emergency food bank. As you can imagine, with the economic and employment situations as they are, the food bank is especially important for our community these days. We thank God for the free gift of new life we receive from Jesus by worshiping with our whole lives and that includes what we give to help our neighbor. Thanks to all of you for your help with the food bank!

2. The new adult Sunday School class begins one week from tomorrow. It happens at 7:00 to 8:30pm. We’ll be looking at the New Testament book of Hebrews. Hebrews is a somewhat strange book. But as you delve into it, you’ll learn a lot about the strength God gives in tough times. Call the church office to register for this class.

3. There will be a special meeting for all youth in the sixth through twelfth grades, their parents, and interested adults next Sunday, January 25. The first part of the meeting will deal with the mission trip, happening June 14 to 19. We want to try to get the exact number of those who are going and also answer any questions you may have. That portion of the meeting should last about twenty minutes or so. The rest of the get-together will be practice for the upcoming Bible Bowl. Now, in case you don’t know whether to show up or not, I’ll tell you this: There will be pizza!

4. Thanks to everybody who helped take down the directions last week. You helped make it go quickly and smoothly!

New Adult Study Begins January 26

The new evening adult Bible study, which starts on January 26, from 7:00 to 8:30pm, will be on the book of Hebrews. The whole thing will last six weeks. It’s meant to dovetail with the youth group’s participation in the Bible Bowl. (After that, it’s been suggested that we do a study of Genesis. After that, we hope to do a comparative study on how Mary, the Mother of Our Lord, is viewed by we Lutherans and Roman Catholics.) Register for the Hebrews class at 385-2272 or by sending the pastor an email at MarkLuth@aol.com.

Sign Up for Prayer Vigil, April 10-11

Good things happen when God's people pray! Last year, before Pentecost, we had our first overnight prayer vigil. People have wondered if we could do another one and not just once a year. There will be a Good Friday-Holy Saturday Prayer Vigil taking place after the Good Friday Tenebrae Service on April 12, and running through 7:00am, April 13. You'll be asked to come to the chapel for a half-hour shift of prayer. (If you can't come to the Saint Matthew chapel in person, you're asked to take a half-hour shift at home.) The idea is for someone from Saint Matthew to be offering prayers for three things, along with the usual prayer requests included in our weekly bulletins. The three things we'll ask God to do are:

(1) That God will help Saint Matthew to be a blessing to Logan and Hocking County by sharing Christ with and by being faithful followers of Christ in our words and actions;
(2) That God will show us new ways to serve others in Christ's Name;
(3) That God will use us to reach the county's young people with the life-changing power of God's love, given through Christ.

There will be a sign-up sheet in the fellowship hall, with slots both for those praying in the chapel and those praying at home during the Vigil.

Bible Bowl Happens March 1: The Whole Congregation is Invited

Make plans now to attend the 2009 Southern Ohio Synod Bible Bowl on March 1. Cheer on the young people from Saint Matthew as they compete (and have fun with) youth from other Lutheran congregations in our synod. The competition will focus on the New Testament book of Hebrews and happens at First Lutheran Church in Springfield, Ohio, from 3:00pm. Dinner will be provided during the event. We'll plan on forming a caravan for the trip over that day!

Get Ready for Lent, 2009

Our Lenten worship series this year will be geared to whole families, from the youngest to the oldest. Lent starts on February 25, with Ash Wednesday. We will have midweek gatherings on Wednesdays through Lent, potluck dinner happening at 6pm, followed by worship at 7pm. Watch for details.

A Message from ELCA Presiding Bishop Mark Hanson

Bishop Hanson talks about the November 4, elections, not taking sides, but reminding Lutherans of our call to responsible citizenship, among other things. Read his statement here.

Get Your Shoeboxes Ready!

After worship on Sunday, November 16, you're invited to participate in a very special Christmas gift-wrapping event!

The youth of Saint Matthew would like for you to join them in sharing the joy of Christmas with children in other parts of the world through Operation Christmas Child.

What is Operation Christmas Child? Here's a video that will tell you all about it:



And here's a video that will tell you how to pack your Christmas shoebox:



On Sunday night, our youth went to Walmart in order to put together sample shoeboxes. We bought plastic storage boxes about the size of shoeboxes, meaning that the recipients of the Operation Christmas Child gifts will be able to use the container for other purposes.

For more information on Operation Christmas Child, go here.

A Special Message from Pastor Mark

Dear Saint Matthew Friend:

"I wish I knew more about my faith"

I hear statements like this from Christians all the time.

They also say things like, "I wish that my children [or grandchildren] [or nieces and nephews] had a closer relationship with God."

At Saint Matthew, we try to address these very real concerns. We provide a variety of learning opportunities not just to fill people's heads with information, but to help them to live each day with confidence and hope and joy!

One of the missions of Christ's Church is to make disciples. That isn't just about evangelism, sharing the Good News with those outside of the fellowship of the church. It's also about growing in our own faith. That growth is something that mostly happens in our Monday through Saturday worlds, where followers of Jesus Christ face their daily ups and downs with faith, prayer, service, and immersion in the Bible.

But, if you're serious about your own growth as a Christian or the growth of the faith of the important children in your life, then we have some great opportunities to help you with that at Saint Matthew.

For example...

Sunday School kicks off its 2008-2009 program year tomorrow morning. There are classes for every age group. Adults start at 9:00/ Everybody else at 9:15. (If parents want to wait to show up for the adult class in the Luther Room until after their kids are in their classes, that's fine.)

Searching for the Truth, a six session class in which we compare our Christian faith to the beliefs of other world religions, begins on Monday, September 22. Each session will run from 7:00 to 8:30pm. (No class on September 29.) I've just been doing some work on this class and I'm getting really excited about it!To register, contact the church office at 385-2272.

Catechism is Saint Matthew's three-year program to prepare sixth, seventh, and eighth graders for their lives as adult Christians. The great thing is that we have several high school students who have decided that they want to be part of the class as well. If you have a young person in your life who would like to be part of this exploration of Christian belief, they can be registered by calling the church office at 385-2272. The first class for the 2008-2009 year happens on October 18, from 9:00am to 2:30pm. (Breakfast and lunch provided by parents on a voluntary basis.) We actually have a ton of fun in Catechism. Our focus this year will be on The Small Catechism by Martin Luther.

Watch for more opportunities for help with becoming more joyful and assured in your relationship with Jesus Christ!

Blessings in Christ,
Pastor Mark

To Help You Prepare for Worship on Sunday

See here.

Last Sunday's Sermon...

is here.

More Mission Trip Pictures #6

To find out what Bailey, Jesse, and Pastor Mark are doing here, scroll down and read the post about Mel Trotter Ministries.

More Mission Trip Pictures #5

Jesse, taking a break from his endless sorting, shows how truly dangerous static cling can be.


Why is Garth Brooks sneering from Kylen's T-shirt? Doesn't he like the color of paint she's using?

More Mission Trip Pictures #4

Jacob and Fran (top and bottom pictures) joined Sam and John, along with folks from other congregations, in cleaning the Potter's House School in inner city Grand Rapids. The school began as a prayer, a dream, and a dare of faith with almost no cash. The school has continued to grow and bring the hope of Christ to a community that needs it more than most.

Our youth and adults were inspired by Potter's House.

They also worked very hard...including cleaning the entire building with paper towels!

More Mission Trip Pictures #3

Becky strikes a pose with her crew. They put in a full week at Mel Trotter Ministries.


Ask Hannah about her definition of tedium. It's bound to include as an example planting grass...one single blade at a time!

More Mission Trip Pictures #2

At the thrift store of Mel Trotter Ministries in Grand Rapids, a number of Saint Matthew mission trip campers joined their work crews in sorting through donated shoes, articles of clothing, sporting goods, toys, books, and other items. Literally thousands of shoes, each needing to be paired together with rubber bands and classified, were poured out of boxes where campers did the tedious work on the loading dock.

Mel Trotter Ministries, named for the man who in the early part of the century led it, helps people addicted to alcohol and drugs to get a new start in life. It's done in complete reliance on Jesus Christ. You can learn more about Mel Trotter Ministries in the book, Man with a Mission: Mel Trotter and His Legacy for the Rescue Mission Movement.

More Mission Trip Pictures

Stephen on the job.

Kylen and fellow crew members showing off the muscles they developed from their service.

Mission Trip Picture #1

In June, eight youth and four adults from Saint Matthew participated in the Group Work Camps Foundation's 'Week of Hope' mission trip in Grand Rapids, Michigan. It's one of a number of such mission trip camps run by Group each year. Our particular camp brought together sixty campers from four congregations from three states.

The daily routine included opening worship, work at various agencies, schools, and homes, daily devotions, and evening worship. Participants also had a lot of fun.

Pictured above is the Saint Matthew group. Each day, they were put with people from the other churches in work groups of which they were a part all week long.

[Click on the image to enlarge it...if you dare.]

Picture #1 from Saint Matthew's Vacation Bible School

Power Lab, Saint Matthew's Vacation Bible School for 2008, took place from August 4 through 8. A fantastic group of adult and youth volunteers made sure that the 21 children who came to Power Lab had a great experience and learned for certain through Jesus Christ, God gives us all powerful love. AHA!




[If you don't know what the AHA is about, ask one of the participants in this year's VBS.]

Jesus' Love is Powerful!

Clay and Ryan demonstrate that Jesus' love is powerful during this year's Vacation Bible School (VBS) at Saint Matthew, held, August 4 through 8.