A Word of Thanks

As Worship Arts Team Leader, my primary focus is to encourage worship through the arts. During the 2009-10 program season at Saint Matthew, we’ve experienced an incredible amount of music from folks here at Saint Matthew and beyond. And throughout it all, my hope is that the people of Saint Matthew have been encouraged by the musical diversity that is offered in worship through the amazing dedication and hard work of the many, many volunteers who’ve given of their time and talents.

Worship Team (directed by Jason Bendickson) – Thank you for being the workhorse music team of our church! Your dedication, energy, talent and time are tremendously appreciated.

Choir & Men’s Ensemble (directed by Geoff Carter) – Thank you for an amazing season of incredible music! Our community is tremendously blessed by your musical offerings and worship leadership.

Bells (directed by Geoff Carter) – Thank you for all the hard work you put in this year! Every offering of music from the bells this year was absolutely incredible!

Brass (directed by Jason Bendickson) – Thank you for making those Saturday morning rehearsals and offering your talents on Easter Sunday. There is much more for us to do! I’m looking forward to it.

Kids Praise & Cherub Choir (directed by Laurie Van Buskirk and Jason Bendickson) – Thank you all for your enthusiasm and joyful spirit as we sang songs of thankfulness, service and love to God!

There are also many people who volunteer their time behind the scenes on Sunday mornings to help make Saint Matthew the welcoming and friendly place it has become; if you stop to think about it, it’s actually kind of mind boggling.

Prayer Ministers (coordinated by Laura Hoy) – Thank you for your commitment offering up prayers with and for people during communion and following worship. Your openness to the Holy Spirit in prayer is changing this congregation from the inside out!

Communion Assistants (coordinated by Dolores Niccolai) – Thank you for your presence in worship as we receive the good gift of God that is the body and blood of Christ. Hearing the words “…for you” each Sunday reminds us of God’s amazing love for us.

Greeters (coordinated by Grala Warren) – Thank you for offering the first smile and handshake for all who worship at Saint Matthew! Nothing says “you’re very welcome here” like a warm greeting when you first walk in the door.

Ushers (coordinated by Ed Jerome) – Thank you for guiding us in worship from the back of the worship center.

Readers (coordinated by Kathy Frattini) – Thank you for consistently leading our congregation in prayer and the reading of God’s Word.

Acolytes (coordinated by Kathy Frattini) – Thank you for bringing the light of Christ into our worship time each Sunday!

Welcome Center Volunteers (coordinated by Nancy Pierce) – Thank you for being a consistent point of connection for people who are interested in finding out more about Saint Matthew.

Coffee Volunteers (coordinated by Nancy Pierce) – Thank you for masterfully working those coffee pots to ensure that no one will be in want (for coffee, anyway).

Projection Ministry Volunteers (coordinated by Kathy Frattini) – Thank you for what I think is one of the most difficult worship leading roles on Sunday morning. And thank you for your grace as things inevitably get changed spur of the moment. Y’all are rockstars!

Promiseland & Impact Volunteers (coordinated by Angie Kavert, Kristi Carlton, David Dykes and Melinda Armonstrong) – Thank you for ministering to the youth of Saint Matthew with such consistency, grace and love. Growing disciples is a life-long journey and y’all are at the forefront of that road.

For all the volunteers who serve in the areas mentioned above, and even the ones that I left out, THANK YOU! And as the summer heat begins to settle on the valley and we look forward to long lazy evenings, impromptu barbecues and memorable vacations, I want to encourage you to give thanks to God for the amazing gifts we’ve been given as a community here at Saint Matthew.

Blessings,
Jason

He Knows My Name (Song Story)

We sing a lot of music at Saint Matthew but we don’t often get to hear from the folks who write the songs that we sing. Tommy Walker has written many of the songs we sing on Sunday mornings and I wanted to share an excerpt from an interview with Tommy about how the song “He Knows My Name” came to be written.

- Jason

"He Knows My Name" by Tommy Walker

The first time we went to the Philippines we stayed in an orphanage and there was this little boy who came running up to me and he introduced himself as Jerry. About an hour later he ran up to me again and he said, “What’s my name?”

I said, “You’re name is Jerry."

He said, “We’re friends, right?”

An hour later, he comes up to me again and says, “What’s my name?”

“Jerry.”

“We’re friends, right?”

“That’s right buddy, you got it.”

The next morning he runs up to me and says, “What’s my name.”

I said, “Jerry, Jerry, Jerry. You know I know you’re name.” Then I said to him, “We’re friends, right?”

I realized that Jerry, one of the forgotten people, one of the poorest of the poor, was literally abandoned by his parents on the streets as an infant. I don’t think he even knows his last name. He just wanted somebody to know him, to know his name. And it was so important to him that I knew his name. And then I was able to tell him, “Jerry, it’s great that I know your name, but your Heavenly Father, though you have no earthly father, knows your name and He’ll never forget you.”

I get to share that story all over the world because there are so many people who feel so alone. Alone in their marriage and their family and their job…in their life! God just lets me remind people that in this moment He knows your name. He’ll never forget you, He’s seen every tear and every time you call, He hears you.

Visit this URL to hear Tommy tell this story

http://www.theheartofworship.org/stories/Story-301-HeKnowsMyName-Walker.mp3

Spiritual Life Survey | Begins March 13

In the movie “The Grinch That Stole Christmas”, there was an X-ray machine that could measure the size of the Grinch’s heart. The machine showed us his heart growing bigger. What if we had a way of seeing the size of our own hearts – a way of measuring how much we love God and love people? What if we had a way to understand which things we do together have the most positive impact on our spiritual growth?

Willow Creek has developed a survey that will help us understand Saint Matthew better. The REVEAL Spiritual Life Survey provides a vivid picture of the “unseen” hearts of our congregation and their spiritual growth. It utilizes state-of-the-art research to capture not just spiritual behaviors, but also attitudes, beliefs and felt-needs of churchgoers. The Spiritual Life Survey is a proven way to benchmark and track spiritual growth in a congregation. It moves beyond measures like attendance and financial giving to determine if a church is really making a difference in helping people become more like Christ.

The Spiritual Life Survey is an anonymous, congregational online survey that is easy to understand, simple to administer and repeatable over time to monitor change. We will take the survey at Saint Matthew from March 13 to 27. Late in April, we’ll receive a customized, comprehensive report in presentation form that benchmarks and analyzes Saint Matthew’s spiritual profile. No individual responses are revealed. We’ll see what’s going on as well as how our spiritual attitudes, practices and beliefs compare to the REVEAL survey database of over 500 churches and 150,000 congregants.

We will share the results of our survey and reflect and discuss together what we learn and how God is calling us to move forward. We look forward to this adventure together.

Watch the website and the online Good News for directions to do the survey. We will send emails out with directions, so make sure we have your current email address.
(You can update your contact info online at http://saintmatthew.org/About/directory.htm)

Mike Breen & Michael Frost | Feb 12 & 13, 2010

Missional Theology
Friday, February 12, 2010 - Saturday, February 13, 2010
Saint Matthew Lutheran, Walnut Creek
Registration Form


4.20.21 is code for John 20:21 ... Again Jesus said, "Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, so I am sending you." This preview of our mandate sets the theme for an unprecedented missional learning experience --- co-sponsored by The Renewal Project and Church Without Shoes in 2010. These three gatherings will provide practical insights and stimulate in-depth conversation for the church/ministry leadership teams that will be participating.

Cherub Choir & Kids Praise Start Today

Howdy y'all,

Cherub Choir and Kids Praise start today at 4:15pm. We'll be doing lots of music this fall and I'm really looking forward to working with the Kids.

Here's the performance schedule for the Fall:

CHERUB CHOIR
Oct. 4 - 9:30 & 11:00am
Nov. 1 - 9:30 & 11:00am
Nov. 29 - 9:30 & 11:00am
Dec. 24 - 2:00pm (Christmas Eve)

KIDS PRAISE
Oct. 18 - 9:30 & 11:00am
Nov. 15 - 9:30 & 11:00am
Dec. 13 - 9:30 & 11:00am
Dec. 24 - 2:00 & 4:00pm (Christmas Eve)

OUTFLOW

Starting Sept 6th, we'll be doing a six-week congregation wide study called "Outflow".

Everyone will be encouraged to be part of small group for the duration of the study and make a commitment to being in worship each week. There will be new 6pm worship service that will take place in the Teen Center that also starts on Sept 6th.

You can sign up for a small group here

Songs From The Valley - Website

Check out the Songs From The Valley website. You can learn a bit about the artists who will be sharing their music with us and get a chance to listen to some of the tunes. Enjoy!

Songs From The Valley - Aug 21 at 7pm

Hey everyone,

There's a concert coming up called "Songs From The Valley" featuring Art Heckman, Dave Foster and a group of guys who sing a capella together called "Quint-Essential". The purpose of the concert is to serve as an encouraging time of worship for our community. There is no other agenda other than gathering to spend some time hearing some great music and worshiping through song. If we happen to have a good time and are blessed because of it, then that is the great goodness of spending time together and joining our voices as we worship. Come and sing!



What: Songs From The Valley

When: August 21 at 7:00pm

Where: Saint Matthew Lutheran Church, Walnut Creek, CA 94518

Contact: 925-932-1955 x117 or jasonb@saintmatthew.org

- Jason

Lots Happening at Saint Matthew

Evening Worship Concert
On Sunday November 16, Saint Matthew will host a worship concert featuring Art Heckman from Clayton Community Church, Ryan Morgan from New Life Church in Alamo and other valley musicians. It promises to be an evening of great music with our hearts directed to God in worship. Come give thanks and sing praise! Invite your friends. Concert starts at 7:00pm.

David Matthews Thank You
In September, David Matthews stepped down from directing the Bells of Saint Matthew. Thank you, David for your generous service, leadership and direction. May you be blessed as this new season of life and may God’s peace be with you. We are currently looking for a new director for the Bells of Saint Matthew.

Justin McRoberts at Saint Matthew for Thanksgiving Eve
Justin McRoberts, from Concord, is a highly respected singer, songwriter and speaker who, over the past nine years, has carved out a niche for himself in the independent music scene. Central to Justin’s work is advocacy on behalf of the poor and oppressed, predominately through Compassion International, the International Justice Mission and the Blood Water Mission. Justin will be sharing his gifts and ministry with us on Thanksgiving Eve, November 26 at 7:30pm. Justin's Website

Christmas Singers Wanted
You are invited to join with the Saint Matthew Choir and Worship Team as we prepare for the Christmas Season. On Christmas Eve, we will be singing a Christmas classic: George Frideric Handel’s “Hallelujah” chorus from the Messiah. If you’ve ever sung in a choir or have ever wanted to sing in a choir, this is your opportunity. Please join us and add your voice to the mix to make a joyful noise! Choir rehearsals are every Thursday from 7:30pm to 9:00pm. Worship Team rehearsals are every Tuesday from 7:00pm to 8:30pm. Please contact Jason Bendickson or Laurie Van Buskirk

Free Concert "Songs from the Valley"

“Songs from the Valley”
A free concert at Saint Matthew Lutheran Church in Walnut Creek
Sunday August 17^th at 7:00pm

Featuring
Dave Foster
Worship Leader at Hills Vineyard in Concord
Art Heckman
Worship Leader at Clayton Community Church in Clayton
Jason Bendickson
Worship Leader at Saint Matthew
Keenan Boswell
Former organist at Saint Matthew and Julliard Student

“Being part of the body of Christ in the valley is a real blessing! I’ve gotten to know Dave Foster and Art Heckman over the last few months as fellow worship leaders and musicians who are seeking to know Christ more through the music they create and the relationships they have. Worship is of paramount importance to these guys and I’m honored to have the opportunity to learn from them as they share their hearts and their music with me. Along with myself and Keenan Boswell, we’ll be sharing music that we’ve written as well as songs that we feel are speaking to the hearts, minds and souls of those who live in the valley. Come and sing Songs from the Valley with us!”

- Jason

Joe: The Extraordinary Life of an Ordinary Man

Joe: The Extraordinary Life of and Ordinary Man is a two act play written and directed by Brian Mercer of Asuza Pacific University. The Asuza Pacific Players will be joining us at Saint Matthew on Sunday, June 22nd for an evening performance. Bring your friends for a memorable evening.

June 22
7:00pm
Saint Matthew Lutheran Church
Walnut Creek, CA 94598
www.saintmatthew.org/joe