Men’s Group
Each Wednesday morning, a group of mostly retired men gathers in our Fellowship Hall for continental breakfast, fellowship, and an engaging study of what it means to be Christian men. They are always glad to have drop-ins as they gather at 8:30am.
About every six weeks, a group of men and boys gather for fellowship suppers. This group is commonly known as St. Matt’s Guys. Younger dads bring toddlers and little guys. Older dads bring their sons or sons-in-law. Some guys attend by themselves. Others invite a Christian friend. One gathering was an Oktoberfest in a park where the kids could play after supper while their fathers kept close watch. One gathering was a BBQ supper in the Fellowship Hall. Another gathering was an Oyster Roast and burger cookout at the creekside home of one of our guys. The guys also gather for workdays including decorating the nave for Christmas and sprucing up the outside and inside of our facilities. Newcomers are always welcome. Watch for the next posting in the Commons.
Women of the Church
Several women’s circles have been meeting for years on a monthly basis for study, prayer, and fellowship. Other women’s circles are formed, from time to time, for evening Bible study and encouragement. When a church member dies, the women’s circles provide a meal for the grieving family on the day of the funeral.
Any women’s group is always open to newcomers. Please consult the monthly newsletter calendar for times. Donna Capozio, our administrative assistant, will be glad to help you make a connection with one of the groups.
Our 2010 Christmas luncheon picture is shown below.
Alcoholics Anonymous and Al-Anon
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AA and Al-Anon groups meet on Mondays and Thursdays at 7pm and on Tuesdays and Saturdays at 8pm. Alcoholics Anonymous groups meet in the McCombs Fellowship Hall. Al-Anon groups meet in smaller rooms. Just arrive early and ask the greeters where each group is meeting. |
Wilmington Interfaith Hospitality Network
St. Matthew’s participates with twelve local churches in a ministry for homeless families with children. Once each quarter, St. Matthew’s creates a temporary home for up to four families who are trying to get back into their own housing. It takes many hands to host successfully these families. Some of our members cook supper, serve it to the families, and clean up afterwards. Others act as overnight hosts, providing a caring face to those suffering the humiliation of homelessness. Others provide food items or set up and take down the living space at the beginning and end of the week. Others drive the WIHN van on weekdays to ferry families and children back and forth to the WIHN office where the children catch their school bus and parents take the city bus to work. Others wash sheets and towels at the end of the week. Others do a thorough clean up at the end of the week. Watch for sign up sheets in the Commons.
Social Ministry
The Social Ministry Committee works to keep before the congregation some ways we can share God’s love in Christ with a broken and tattered world. We invite the local chapter of the American Red Cross to conduct blood drive in our McSwain Center twice each year. We collect canned goods and staple items for the local food pantry, Mother Hubbard’s Cupboard. In response to disasters, we collect offerings for Lutheran Disaster Relief. On Mother’s Day we have Blanket Sunday; we honor our mothers by collecting an offering to provide blankets to the poor through Church World Service. Several times a year, we gather money for Lutheran World Relief’s hunger ministry. We join with other Lutherans to build a Habitat for Humanity house. We receive offerings for Lutheran Services for the Aging and will be serving in a variety of ways at the new Trinity Grove Nursing Home opening in April 2011. We participate annually in the Christmas Child program, providing gift boxes for children around the world. We gather items to be shared with international visitors through the Seamen’s Center. We also contribute to several other synodical and local caring ministries that reach out to those in need.
