Scripture: Proverbs 1:20-33

"Wising Up with Lady Wisdom"

Rev. Allen Mothershed

Come Together Sunday

Masks are now required for everyone while indoors at St. Matthew, regardless of your vaccine status.

Click here to read St. Matthew's Updated COVID response guidelines. 

Join us this Sunday, September 12th, for “Come Together” Sunday (formerly Rally Day). This will mark the official Fall kick-off to our exciting year at St. Matthew UCC. We will gather together following church to enjoy coffee and an ice cream sundae bar. Ice cream at St. Matthew is always a kid favorite -- and a favorite for the kid-at-heart, too!

Hey kids, 5th grade and below,

Please gather in the sanctuary at 10:50 after the ice cream social on Come Together Sunday to be trained to be an acolyte! After you are trained, you can sign up for as many Sundays as you would like to be our acolyte. All are welcome! Questions? Please contact Amy Barnshaw at abbybarn@yahoo.com.

Our church’s kitchen and fellowship hall are looking a bit old and tired these days. Now that we will be returning to fellowship coffee after services, we think it’s time to freshen things up!

We have created a registry for easy shopping!  

Click here to link to the registry.
or copy and paste: https://www.myregistry.com/wishlist/st-matthew-ucc-kitchen-refresh-wheaton-il/2982348/giftlist

Items purchased this way will be delivered to the Petersons and brought over to church. Be sure to select the Peterson's address aOr, you can ship them to your home and bring them to church. Or, you can donate $$ directly to the church, clearly marked for the St. Matthew Kitchen Registry.

All purchases are considered in-kind donations for tax purposes. Just provide Edie DeBoard with your receipt.

Please purchase only those items listed in the registry, so we can be sure to coordinate! (No used items, please.) Our goal is to have everything spruced up by the end of September! Questions? Contact Tracey Blake, Dorothy Peterson, or the office.

We will celebrate World Communion Sunday on October 3rd with an outdoor worship service, weather permitting. We will need volunteers to help set-up beforehand. This is an easy volunteer opportunity for people who cannot offer a lot of time. Please contact the office if you can help. 

Click here to read about Pastor Allen's updated retirement plans.

https://www.ucc.org/appeal-severe-storms-2021/

Several southern states are reeling from the impact of Hurricane Ida with significant power outages and other wind and water damage. The storm’s remnants continue to march northward.

What’s the best way to help now? Send money. UCC Disaster Response and Recovery Minister Lesli Remaly said of Hurricane Ida, “For a storm this size, money makes good sense as we know long-term recovery and rebuilding will be necessary.”

This is a gentle class, suitable for beginners, those over 50, or anyone looking for a slower-paced yoga class. Yoga can be practiced with a chair, if needed.

If you can breathe, you can practice yoga! 

Marla welcomes all members and friends to sign up for the series, Thursdays at 10am September 16th and 23rd. Cost is $10/class. 

Masks will be worn, and we have plenty of space to social distance. For questions or to sign up, contact Marla Mothershed at 630.441.5963.

https://stmatthewucc.org/yoga-in-the-sanctuary/

The nursery will not reopen as scheduled on September 12th. We are committed to keeping our kids healthy during COVID so we do not feel it is wise to reopen at this time. Please feel free to bring your child to the nursery and stay with them or you are welcome to gather toys from the nursery and sit in the narthex so you can enjoy the service. We will reopen the nursery as soon as we feel it is safe.

This year, DuPagePads Run 4 Home will have opportunities for both virtual and in-person this year! Join our St. Matthew team (St. Matthew United Church of Christ). Virtual is from September 15th-30th, and in-person will be at the College of DuPage on September 26th from 12-5pm. Join the fun to support DuPage Pads this September. For more details or to register, please see the website at https://dupagepads.org/run-4-home-2021/. Contact Erin Walsh at 630.660.4651 or edbreit@hotmail.com or Jeannine Adams with any questions. 

Membership Life is planning to have brunch after church on Sunday, October 3rd, at The Courtyard Banquets, located at 3S200 State Route 59 in Warrenville (the west side of Rt. 59 between Batavia and Butterfield Roads). The price is $12.95 per person (plus tax and gratuity) and includes coffee. 

Click here for the Sunday brunch menu. 

Look for the sign-up sheet in the narthex and let us know you’re coming!

The Mission Committee is organizing a Feed My Starving Children event on Columbus Day, October 11th from 11:30am-1pm. Children should be off school this day so this is a great volunteer opportunity for families. This is in addition to our annual Feed My Starving Children event on Martin Luther King Day. Please contact Erin Walsh (edbreit@hotmail.com or 630.660.4651) or Alex Johnson (alexanderjohnson30@yahoo.com) if you are interested in attending or have any questions. We have 30 spots available.

Even though our trip is canceled, we would still like to send Walmart gift cards as a donation. Any amout is appreciated. Walmart gift cards in any amount. Gift cards can be dropped off at the church office. You can also mail them to the church, leave them in the black mailbox hanging outside of the office doors, or place them in the offering plate during church.

Click here to read the updated guidelines. 

Masks are now required for everyone while indoors at St. Matthew, regardless of your vaccine status.

Please do not attend if you are sick or have recently been sick. As always, everyone's health and safety is important to us and we will adjust plans as necessary.

Please send prayer requests via the following link and we can share them (or keep them private, if you prefer). You can also email them to the office.

You can make a prayer request here: https://stmatthewucc.org/contact-us/

The St. Matthew worship service will be streamed every Sunday at 9:30am. The service will be available on our website after the service.

Access the service through the St. Matthew YouTube page: https://www.youtube.com/user/StMatthewUCC

**Once you are on YouTube, you have the option to turn on closed captioning and resize the font. Once the video is playing, click on the setting wheel in lower-right of your screen, choose Subtitles/CC, then choose English.**

You can also go to the St. Matthew homepage (stmatthewucc.org) to access the online service. 

Go to our website for instructions on how to donate to St. Matthew. Thank you!