Faith Formation is an ongoing, continuous pursuit:
we’re all on a life-long journey of faith (and learning)!
Are you ready to discover more, or to develop your faith? Are you yearning to deepen your relationship with Jesus and our community? Please check out our many offerings and consider joining one, or more! We strive to include something for everyone!
If you are interested in becoming Catholic, or in completing the Sacraments of Initiation as an adult, you can find out about the Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults by clicking HERE or by emailing Rachel Willoughby at rachelw@stmatthewcatholic.org.
CLASS AND EVENT REGISTRATION:
If you are interested in participating in one of our classes or events, please see below for the current and upcoming offerings. Registrations can be submitted as follows:
- online with a credit card: click on the image of the class and you will be redirected to Faith Direct. You may check out as a guest without creating a Faith Direct account, should you so desire. If troubles come up with Faith Direct, please contact them directly so that they can assist you in completing your registration.
- in person: complete a paper registration in the Saint Matthew church office and pay by cash or check (we are only able to take credit or debit payments with online registrations at this time).
Advent 2023
Rejoice!
An Advent Pilgrimage into the Heart of Scripture
“Rejoice! An Advent Pilgrimage into the Heart of Scripture is a new installment that will immerse you in the readings that anchor us during the Advent season-the Sunday Mass readings. This year’s Advent pilgrimage will bear fruit in your life as Jesus comes to life more fully in your heart, and you experience greater joy and peace throughout the Advent season and beyond. Each day, in a few short pages, Fr. Toups provides you with aids to help guide your prayer:
- A word: Focus on a single word each day to help you enter more deeply into that week’s readings.
- A reflection: Explore each week’s readings and enter more deeply into them.
- A prompt: Space is provided each day to journal. Record how the Lord is speaking to you this Advent.
We will have a morning session and an evening session in Ballantyne on on the Tuesdays of Advent and a morning session in Waxhaw on Wednesdays of Advent.
Registration is NOW CLOSED due to books being sold-out. However, if you are interested in this Advent program feel free to still come out to one of the sessions and partake in the discussion. If you would still like to follow along in the book, feel free to download the eBook available here. There will be no pre-registration necessary for this option.
Lastly, if you still have not picked up your book you can reach out to Alle Juda via email to arrange a time.
Ballantyne:
Tuesdays
Nov. 28 to Dec. 19
NLC 239/240/241
10:30-11:30 am
or
7-8 pm
Waxhaw
Wednesdays
Nov. 29 to Dec. 20
10 am to noon
The Eucharist Advent Study
Join Fr. Davis in watching the Word on Fire series, Eucharist, this Advent:
Thurs. from 9:30-10:15am:
Nov. 30th, Dec. 7th, 14th, 21st
“Bishop Barron offers inspiring insights into the mystery of Christ’s presence in our lives and the centrality of the Eucharist as an important part of that presence. So many believers do not understand the mystery of the Eucharist, which is the “source and summit of the Christian life.” This fresh look at the Eucharist brings to light its reality as sacred meal, the sacrifice necessary for communion with God, and the real presence of Christ.”
**NO SIGN-UPS NECESSARY**
CLASSES CURRENTLY IN PROGRESS:
The Bible Timeline:
The Story of Salvation
Ron Groover
Tuesdays
Sept. 12 to March 24
9:45 to 11 am
UPCOMING PROGRAMS
Presence: The Mystery of the Eucharist
“Although the Eucharist appears to be simple bread and wine, it is actually the “source and summit” of the Christian life. Presence: The Mystery of the Eucharist explores the truth and beauty of Christ’s real presence in the Eucharist, from its origins in Sacred Scripture, to its profound role in the life of the Church and her member. It is the crescendo of the entire story of salvation.”
Waxhaw Campus
Jan 10th until Jan 31st
Wednesdays: 10:00am-Noon
The facilitator is Christine Corbly.
Moving On After Moving In
We welcome ladies new to the area and invite you to join our upcoming nine-week study of God’s role and love in the process of your moving transition. Are you struggling to get your family settled and the kids in a new routine? Do you want to meet other women who also feel a loss of identity due to their moves? Are you yearning for an answer as to why God has brought you to this new place? Our team will embrace and encourage you as we read the book After the Boxes Are Unpacked: Moving On After Moving In by Susan Miller. This book and the weekly discussions serve as a vehicle for personal, spiritual and communal growth and support.
Please contact Becky Malinowski for further information.
Nine Weeks
Wednesdays
Jan 31 to Mar 27
9:30 am to 11 am
NLC 234/235
Living Your Strengths
Saturday January 20th, 2023
9 am – 3 pm
Cost: $40.00
New Life Center Banquet Room
God creates each of us uniquely, and when we discover more about our distinctiveness, we can tap into our unique gifts and learn how to use our God-given Strengths and live out our calling!
Not only will Living Your Strengths change your life but it will also empower you to impact the lives of others in your family and community.
ONGOING PRAYER GROUPS/CLASSES:
The Catechism in a Year
Rachel Willoughby
Thursdays
7 to 8:00 pm
Free
Our last two meetings are on:
November 2, 2023
December 7, 2023
Father Mike Schmitz hosts this new podcast and walks you through reading the entire Catechism of the Catholic Church in 365 days.
Men’s Bible Group
Tuesdays, 7 to 8:30 pm
no fee
Develop fellowship as you delve into God’s Word and how to apply it to your daily life. Encourage and support each other as you reflect on the Scriptures. Join us starting Tuesday, July 26, from 7 to 8:30 pm in the New Life Center.
It’s recommended that you bring a Bible and a pen and notebook with you so you can really dive in to the Word of God.
Lectio Divina
Lectio Divina is not currently meeting.
We hope to recommence at some point in the future.
In the meantime, you can pray with Lectio Divina at home or in a group with friends and spiritual companions. Lectio Divina is a method of reading, meditating on, and praying with the Sacred Scriptures. We will come together as a group to read and meditate on the readings for the upcoming Sunday and prepare together to receive the many gifts that God desires to give us each week through his Word.
RESOURCES AND MINISTRIES:
Living Your Strengths
Living Your Strengths is a ministry designed to help adults maximize their God-given talents in all aspects of life – personal, professional, and spiritual.
So often we are told that to be successful and achieve our goals we need to stop doing this, or start doing that, or work on improving our weaknesses. What if we shifted our focus and started concentrating on doing more of what we are good at doing, and using our limited time and energy to develop our talents and strengths? Who did God plan for YOU to be? See below for the lineup of Strengths offerings available at St. Matthew! No prerequisites, except to take the assessment and discover your Top Five. The ministry uses Gallup’s Clifton StrengthsFinder®, an online assessment tool, as the starting point.
COMING IN JANUARY 2023: Living Your Strengths One Day Workshop (2 options)
OPTION 1 – NEW TO LIVING YOUR STRENGTHS
Saturday January 7, 2023
9 am – 4 pm
Cost: $40.00
New Life Center Banquet Room
*** Registration includes the Living Your Strengths book, the Top Five Clifton Strengths assessment and lunch.
REGISTER HERE
OPTION 2 – REFRESH/DIVE DEEPER
Saturday January 7, 2023
9 am – 4 pm
Cost: $20.00
New Life Center Banquet Room
*** Registration includes workshop day activities and lunch.
REGISTER HERE
STRENGTHS EXPLORATION
Sign up during our annual regularly scheduled offerings or form your own small group and contact us!
Strengths Exploration is a six-week, 90 minutes per week, small-group program designed to help you discover your God-given talents and begin to shift your focus away from fixing your weaknesses. Participants learn to start spending time and energy on doing more of what they are good at doing. With the guidance of trained facilitators, groups begin by exploring each individual’s CliftonStrengths top talent themes—their regular patterns of behavior—and determine how to apply these talents in their personal, professional and spiritual lives to fulfill God’s purpose for each. Positive and uplifting. Sessions typically commence during January and September. Watch the bulletin for more information, or email: lys@stmatthewministries.org.
STRENGTHS COACHING
Strengths Coaches are available for free one-on-one sessions to help you to set goals and apply your God-given talents and strengths. People typically meet once or twice with a coach, to receive guidance on further understanding of the results of the CliftonStrengths assessment, and embrace and unleash their potential in life. Coaching is one of the elements of the Exploration sessions, but we also encourage anyone who has taken the assessment to meet with a coach. Taking the CliftonStrengths assessment (see above) is required to participate. Find the list of Strengths Coaches Bios and contact one of your choice.
To find out about dates of the next offerings, to volunteer or to ask a question, contact:
Valerie Menzel, 862-668-1707 or Leanne Burnett, 704-241-4081, or email lys@stmatthewministries.org.
Young Adult Ministry
Young Adult Life Ministry provides young adults (20s–30s) single or married opportunities to grow in their faith and be active in the St. Matthew community through spiritual, service, and social activities. We welcome all young adults, members or non-members of St. Matthew, to join us for our events.
Email Rachel at rachelw@stmatthewcatholic.org to get connected!
Moving On After Moving In
We welcome ladies new to the area and invite you to join our upcoming nine-week study of God’s role and love in the process of your moving transition.
Are you struggling to get your family settled and the kids in a new routine? Do you want to meet other women who may feel a loss of identity due to their moves? Are you yearning for an answer as to why God has brought you to this new place?
Our team will embrace and encourage you as we read the book After the Boxes Are Unpacked: Moving On After Moving In by Susan Miller. This book and the weekly discussions serve as a vehicle for personal, spiritual and communal growth and support. The $20 cost covers the books and materials for this study. The study is on Wednesdays, January 25 through March 22 2023, from 9:30 to 11 am.
For more information, email Becky Malinowski at welcomeministries@gmail.com.
To register, please click HERE