Saint Matthew's

This weekend, summer officially begins and for churches all across this great nation of ours it means only one thing:

Lower Attendance.

Churches far and wide gird for the coming months of July and August as congregants head out on vacation. Consequently, church budgets get whacked during the summer, some churches hurting more than others. Here at Saint Matthew’s, the coming two months aren’t ones we look forward to financially. Our books will really get hit. Thankfully, by December our budget evens out a bit.

But these coming months hurt.

We do our best here to reduce our expenses, especially on our electricity bills that grow in the summer, and our office expenses, that can always be pared back a bit. Yet even with these attempts at reductions, the finances of Saint Matthew’s will look ugly during the coming months.

In an attempt to help reduce our summer time deficit, we will begin to collect an offering during our Morning Prayer time and our Midweek Services. Historically, these services have been without collected offerings. This isn’t an easy decision, especially when it comes to Morning Prayer. It is a ten-fifteen minute Word and Prayer service; I’ve always felt bad in asking for any kind of donation. Maybe we can set a daily $1 donation limit for our Morning Prayer service.

As a reminder, our Morning Prayer service is held here at Saint Matthew’s beginning at 7:15am each Monday through Friday. If you cannot make it, please take advantage of our Morning Prayer service outline here on our website – you can join us by following along at home or at the office.

I know – I haven’t updated the Morning Prayer page in a while. Thank you to Gennifer, a former Garden State Lutheran now living in Washington State, who follows along and reminds me when I haven’t either updated that page or when I haven’t blogged regularly. The page will be updated later.

By the way, we started reading Micah today – Chapter 1.

There was no Morning Prayer this morning. Don’t look for it tomorrow, either. I will be back in church on Thursday morning at 7:15am.

This morning, we’ll read from Hebrews 5 and Psalm 47.

This week, after more than three years, we’ve changed the Morning Prayer service. We are now using the Responsive Prayer 2 option from our new Lutheran Service Book hymnal. 

You can download the service here. You have to print it out – it is printed for legal sized paper. 

But if you come to church tomorrow morning at 7:15am, you don’t have to print it out at home.

The doors of church are open between 7:00am and 7:30am every morning for what is called Morning Prayer. I don’t just talk about this service during our weekend church announcements because I have nothing else to say. Yes, the doors are open and people are invited to come inside to partake in a most blessed time of hearing the Word of God, reflecting on it, and responding to God in prayer.

It doesn’t take long, yet the spark it gives awakens the soul.

Are there some days when I would rather stay in bed and not run over to church to lead this service? Of course. That even happens — very infrequently, I must say — on Sundays, as well. But I do get up and open the church doors for anyone wishing to come in.

If no one shows up, I am there alone. I will go through the same service walk through I would normally do if the church was packed on a particular weekday morning. I will read a Psalm, a portion of Scripture, recite the Apostle’s Creed and Lord’s Prayer, and then pray specific petitions. On a daily basis, we pray for the sick of Saint Matthew’s and our soldiers fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan. But I change up the other petitions daily.

This is not a long service, but at least to me, it is very meaningful. Hearing the Word and responding in prayer — it is a blessed way to start the day.

When we started this Monday through Friday service at Saint Matthew’s in August 2005, some people thought it would last a few weeks and then it would fall by the wayside. The same was said for our Midweek service with bible class that started a month later. And in Lent 2007 when we started our Saturday evening divine service, there was little hope of that service standing the test of time, much less the Lenten season. Yet, all three services continue, stronger than ever simply because God is blessing these opportunities to spend with Him.

It doesn’t mean that people are knocking down the doors to attend each day or week; we have a small group of devoted people who attend these services. Sometimes, other members of Saint Matthew’s drop by, especially on Saturdays when they know that on Sunday they would not be around. And yes, even visitors drop by to partake on the gift’s of God.

And this service continues unfettered, as does Morning Prayer and our now Tuesday Midweek service with Bible study.

If you have time, remember — church isn’t just for Sunday mornings at 9:30. It is available everyday for your edification.