HOLY WEEK WORSHIP SCHEDULE
Sunday, April 9 Palm Sunday
7:30 a.m. Holy Eucharist
9:00 & 11:00 a.m. Holy Eucharist with Palm Procession
12:30 p.m. Domingo de Ramos con la Liturgia de las Palmas
Tuesday, April 11 Tuesday in Holy Week
6:30 p.m. Tenebrae, the ancient Lenten service of "darkness"
Wednesday, April 12 Wednesday in Holy Week
6:30 p.m. The Stations of the Cross
Thursday, April 13 Maundy Thursday
6:30 p.m. Holy Eucharist with Stripping of the Altar
Friday, April 14 Good Friday
6:30 p.m. Good Friday Liturgy
Saturday, April 15 Holy Saturday
6:30 p.m. Easter Vigil Holy Eucharist with Holy Baptism
Sunday, April 16 EASTER SUNDAY
7:00 a.m. Garden Easter Holy Eucharist
9:00 a.m. Festival Easter Holy Eucharist
11:00 a.m. Festival Easter Holy Eucharist
12:30 p.m. Misa del Día de Pascua con Bautizos
This year, in honor of the season of Lent will offer a Wednesday night Lenten Program. The program will last 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; 1st through 6th 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, mandy@saintmatthewschurch.org or 480-899-7386, extension 12.
FOOD BANK
Saint Matthew's Food Bank continues to grow. Open five days a week from 9:00 until noon, in 2005 the Food Bank served 5,974 families (25,631 individuals). Since the Food Bank opened in early 2001, over 25,000 families and 110,000 people have been served. Total donations of food from all sources for 2005 were 78,359 pounds. This outreach ministry would not be possible without the ongoing support of more than 75 dedicated volunteers.
The first Sunday of every month is Ingathering Sunday for Saint Matthew's Food Bank. Please remember to bring food on those Sundays.
SPANISH SPEAKING MINISTRY
We have a number of English speaking parishioners that help out at the Spanish speaking service on Sundays. We thank you for your dedication and hard work. If you are interested in helping with this ministry please see Fr. Mario.
STEWARDSHIP
As of Monday, February 27, 2006
$ to operate YTD $92,400
$ received YTD $79,180
You can now pay your monthly pledge by charging against your credit card (Visa, Mastercard, Discover, or American Express) or by automatic checking account withdrawals. Contact Cindy Cosmas at the church office, 480-899-7386, extension 18, if you would like to sign up for this new program. We would like to thank the families that have already signed up for this program. We appreciate your financial commitment to Saint Matthew's.
Leaving a Legacy: Have you started planning for your entrance into the glory of God? Please remember to include Saint Matthew's in your estate. We would like to thank those members of the congregation that have already called the church office this year to inquire about leaving a legacy at Saint Matthew's.
Saint Matthew's Building Fund: Did you know we have already started receiving money to begin our next 50 years? You can indicate in your funeral planner that you would like donations to the Building Fund in your memory in lieu of flowers. We would like to thank Marietta Hall's family and friends for their donations to this fund.
