News – St. Matthew

A Drug Epidemic: Families in Crisis

Sunday, April 29, 7 pm in the church. Please make this a priority for your family and plan to attend.

On average, 115 Americans die every day from an opioid overdose. (CDC)
In North Carolina, opioid-related deaths increased by over 800% between 1999 and 2016.
Union County EMS has had a 600% increase in overdose calls in the last four years.

The current opioid epidemic is the deadliest drug crisis in American history. Overdoses, fueled by opioids, are the leading cause of death for Americans under 50 years old – killing roughly 64,000 people last year, more than guns or car accidents, and doing so at a pace faster than the H.I.V. epidemic did at its peak.

How overdose deaths rippled across the United States.
Credit Haeyoun Park and Matthew Bloch/The New York Times

Join Union Country District Attorney Trey Robison and a panel of experts on Sunday, April 29, at 7 pm in the church to learn more about this epidemic plaguing our communities and how we can save our children from suffering from this rampaging dilemma.

If you would like more information on this epidemic click here.

Jennifer Fulwiler Event

Join bestselling author and national radio host Jennifer Fulwiler on Wednesday, May 9 at 7pm in the Parish Center for the One Beautiful Dream tour! Jen will host an evening of inspiration and camaraderie in which she shares her secrets to living with purpose and balance as a wife, radio host, author, and homeschooling mom of six children. There will also be an opportunity for Q&A, as well as a chance to get her new book, One Beautiful Dream, a humorous memoir in which she shares her tale of learning to follow her personal passions while still putting God and family first.

Tickets are $15 for ages 12+, 12 and under are free. Get your tickets here!

To visit Jennifer’s website and learn more about her, click here.

To check out Jennifer’s Instagram, click here.

For Jennifer’s Twitter, click here.

To listen to her podcast, click here.

To find Jennifer’s Facebook page, click here.

Parish Picnic

Save the Date! Family Parish Picnic Saturday, April 28 on the Waxhaw Campus. Join us for a spring evening of music, games and dinner- and a family cornhole tournament! Following Mass, the food trucks will open and the games will begin! Please feel free to bring your own picnic and join us for fellowship and games. Faith Formation Registration for 2018-2019 will also begin at this event.

To sign up for the cornhole tournament or to volunteer to help make the picnic a smooth-running success, visit Signup Genius.

Easter Message from Father Pat

Father Pat shares the good news of the Resurrection!

Father Pat Pilgrimage

Sept. 25 to Oct. 3, 2020. Travel through Austria and Germany, and see the world-famous Passion Play in Oberammergau, which is only presented every ten years. A $200 refundable deposit is due by Jan. 31, 2018. Save your place now by calling Corporate Travel at 313-565-8888 x 121.

Corporate Travel

Click here for more information on the Passion Play.

Celebrate Lent with Family and Friends!

Small groups share friendship, faith, and reflections on the messages of Lent to enrich their spiritual path while building community.

This year, join us, beginning Wednesday, Feb. 14, for our Lenten small group series Live Lent! The series is designed to bring family and friends, both old and new, together in small groups to discuss and share the Lenten experience.

Small groups meet in homes, workplaces or any comfortable setting. Live Lent! includes a participant book to serve as a guide. Each week, the group will reflect on and discuss select topics. The book provides an easy host-friendly format.

Why Participate?

♥ A small group is great way to make new friends and connections with St. Matthew parishioners and others.

♥ Being part of a small group is a way to grow in faith-filled relationships.

♥ It is a short term commitment… Just during lent beginning Feb. 14.

Still unsure about small groups? Click here for Small Group FAQ.

If you would like to host a group, click here.

If you want help finding a group to join, click here.

If you have further questions, email anyone on the Small Group Planning Team or call 704-543-7677 x 1193. A member of our team will respond as soon as possible.

Stewardship of Treasure

Dear Friends in Christ,

St. Matthew is a vibrant and growing parish community with access to wonderful facilities, the daily celebration of Mass, education and faith formation all of which offer the opportunity to encounter Christ, experience His presence and receive His grace. We share that same love during life’s joys and certainly in its sorrows, providing support through counseling services, food distribution, outreach and bereavement ministries. We are able to do all of this because of you and your generous offertory support. Money’s value isn’t found in what it can get, but in what it can give, and you have given a foundation of faith, an encounter with Christ, and for many a new beginning.

Please take a moment to reflect on your planned giving for 2018 and complete the commitment form linked here.
I thank you for your continued and generous support of our parish.

Click here for the 2017 Tithing Report.

Yours in Christ,
Father Patrick T. Hoare, Pastor

Small Groups

SMALL GROUPS at St. Matthew

Join a small group to share friendship, faith, reflections and the messages of Jesus to enrich your spiritual path while building community. Small groups are designed to bring family and friends, both old and new, together in small groups to discuss and share our experiences.

These small groups meet in homes, workplaces or any comfortable setting. You can meet weekly, every other week, monthly, or seasonally. The group will reflect on and discuss select topics. Easy, host-friendly material will be provided.