Growing as God's Family is our church motto. We are a family, growing towards God together. Sunday morning services and every other time the church doors are open, the members of Saint Matthew's Episcopal Church represent a family. This year, in honor of the season of Lent, and also in the hopes of becoming an even closer knit family, we are going to offer a Wednesday night Lenten Program. Here's the scoop.

The program will extend for five weeks beginning March 8 and ending April 5. The evening will begin with a dinner provided by Saint Matthew's at 5:30 p.m. During dinner, fellowship activities will be offered for all ages to participate in together. These could range from Bingo to charades to board games. After dinner at 6:30, everyone will break off into age-appropriate classes. Adults will report to "Christians and Consumers," taught by Father John; high school age youth will have a Bible study that takes the current Sunday night study a step deeper; grades 7 and up seeking to be confirmed will attend a Confirmation class taught by Val Gable; 1^st through 6^th graders will participate in stationed activities that include crafts, a lesson, games, and music; and nursery care will be provided for children, ages infant through kindergarten. The evening will end at 8:30. This is sure to be a neat experience for everyone involved. Please make your plans to be a part of this fellowship and education event as we continue Growing as God's Family. For more information, contact Mandy Hodges at mandy@saintmatthewschurch.org or 480-899-7386, extension 12.

U.S. Congregation Life Survey:

The Episcopal Church is conducting a survey of a select number of congregations in the United States and Saint Matthew's was selected to participate in this Congregational Life Survey. The results will be compared to Christian congregations in the United States, Australia, England, and New Zealand. We will take the survey on Sunday, March 5^th during all of our services. Come to church that Sunday and make your opinion count.