"Jesus Challenges Us"

Scripture: John 6:35, 41-51

Rev. Erin Wyma

Click here to sign up for Sunday service volunteer opportunities (reader, greeter, acolyte, or usher)

All members are encouraged to stay after church on Sunday, August 11th, for a special congregational meeting called to discuss campus updates. 

Click here to attend the meeting on Zoom at 10:30am on Sunday.

The link will be emailed again on Sunday morning.

Marian Park is holding their annual picnic for residents on Monday, August 12th. St. Matthew will be handing out socks for ‘back to school.’ If you signed up to buy socks, the deadline to drop off at church is Sunday, August 11th. Contact Stu Blake or the office with questions.

Thanks for your continued support of Marian Park.

Wednesday, August 14th, 5:30pm, at Northside Park in Wheaton.

Bring your own beverages (non-alcoholic only, per Park District rules), place settings, and an appetizer, salad, side dish, chips, or dessert to share. Membership Life will provide fried chicken and games. Sign up in the narthex or online.

Let’s go back to where it all began!

Did you know that the “Warming Hut” at Northside Park is the building where St. Matthew UCC held our very first worship services back in 1959? The Warming Hut will be open for a short time during the picnic to allow us to tour it, and our own Marilyn Giese (a charter member) will be there to share some memories of the services that took place at Northside.

Marilyn remembers that services were held at the Warming Hut until the weather got cold and the Park District needed it for the ice skaters. St. Matthew had to move to a different location for church. Marilyn will share some stories of those first services. As we start our next 65 years, let's take this opportunity to reflect on where we started!

During the month of August, we reflect on what a church music colleague humorously called “the carb portion” of the lectionary: scripture about Jesus Christ as the bread of Life. To assist our focus, we will be learning a new song, “All Who Hunger.” This is actually not a new hymn to St. Matthew. We already sing it to the 19th-century tune HOLY MANNA, but we will be learning a contemporary (1993) melody to keep the hymn fresh and singable. It was presented on August 4th as special music, and we will then learn it over the coming weeks.

The hymn is written by Canadian clergywoman Sylvia Dunstan (1955-1993), who became one of the leading hymn writers in North America during her brief life. Sylvia attributed her love of song to her grandparents, who kept song alive in the family and entrusted Sylvia's formal musical education to one of the nuns at the local convent. Our hymnal has five hymns by Sylvia Dunstan.

“All Who Hunger” comes directly from Dunstan’s experience at an annual conference of the Hymn Society in the U.S. and Canada where she was asked to lead a session exploring her hymns. “After the conference, some of us vacationed at Folly Beach outside Charleston, S.C., where I worked out this text, wandering up and down the beach singing the tune HOLY MANNA,” she said.

Bob Moore is a musician with a multifaceted résumé, having worked professionally as a composer, arranger, conductor, performer, and teacher. To date, he has published over 300 choral and instrumental works, many of which have been recorded on seven CDs and appear in various hymnals. In addition to sacred music, his catalog contains art songs, film scores, and compositions for solo piano, chamber ensembles, band, and orchestra.

Bob wrote a new melody for Dunstan’s beautiful words. The final two lines of each stanza form a refrain: “Taste and see the grace eternal. Taste and see that God is good.” This is an obvious reference to Psalm 34:8, “O taste and see that the Lord is good!”

We learn from this hymn the nature of the meal and how important it is for all who share it. Those who partake in this meal “yearn for days of fullness” (stanza one), are “never strangers” (stanza two), and will find that “Jesus Christ is living bread” (stanza three).

This is not a memorial hymn that recalls Christ’s suffering, but a joyful hymn of community to be shared at the table. As the writer notes in stanza three, “Blest are those who from this table live their days in gratitude.”

Sylvia Dunstan died on July 25, 1993, almost four months after being diagnosed with liver cancer. She left behind a ministry that combined a compassionate concern for the needy and distraught with a consuming love of liturgy.

- Brian Dobbelaere, Director of Music

Do you receive calendars for the next year from vendors or charities that you just don't use or need? We'll take them! Drop the 2025 calenders in the box in Dobstaff, and Karen Fenney will bring them to the DuPage Convalescent Center in December. The residents really appreciate them!

August 25th

September 22nd

Bring your own chair.

Weather permitting. In case of inclement weather, we will move the service inside.

The nursery will be closed on Outdoor Worship Sundays.

NO coffee hour after outdoor services. 

August dates are still available!

If you would like to share your talent this summer, please consider signing up to provide special music during the summer. There is a sign-up sheet in the narthex or click here and sign up online!

St. Matthew will be sending a group of work campers to Back Bay Mission this November 10th-16th. Our time there will include working on housing rehabilitation projects, serving in the Micah Day Center, working at the BBM food pantry as well as serving at the local Loaves and Fishes.

Many of our participants carpool together to and from Biloxi, while some travel by air. There is a $250 charge per participant for accommodations at the mission.

If you are interested in joining us you can notify the church office, sign up in the narthex, or reach out to Jeannine Adams. You can learn more about the great work done at Back Bay by visiting their website at https://thebackbaymission.org/. Please join us in a rewarding and fun-filled week.

Sunday School is on summer break!

It will resume on Sunday, August 18th. The children are invited to experience church in the sanctuary.

We need an adult volunteer in the nursery every week.

Slots are available through the end of the year.

Click here to volunteer

We are looking for some friendly folks to volunteer to greet people on Sunday mornings before church. Contact the office if you would like to be a part of welcoming people to worship!

We have a few extra St. Matthew t-shirts available for purchase, sizes M, L, and XL. They are $20 each. Contact the office if you would like one!

Download the Instant Church Directory app from the Apple® App store in iTunes®, Google Play™ store and the Amazon Fire App Store. Simply search for “Instant Church Directory” to get the download. 

You will need to use your email address as listed in our directory to create a log-in the first time you use the directory online and via the mobile app.

To view the directory online, go to members.InstantChurchDirectory.com and follow the prompts under “Sign In” to “Create a login now.” Please remember, you must confirm your email address before you can sign in.

Contact the office with questions.

Pastor Erin would like to engage with you in person about involvement in this beloved community. Reach out to Pastor Erin via email to setup a time to chat or contact the office. 

For coffee after church, please consider bringing a treat on the following weeks:

Last names A-C, 1st Sunday

Last names D-H, 2nd Sunday

Last names I-O, 3rd Sunday

Last names P-Z, 4th Sunday

Anyone, 5th Sunday

Please contact Wendy Fanning if you are able to set up or clean up coffee hour. Thanks for your help.

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!