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The Inaugural Celebration of the Holy Communion
for the new Anglican Mission of Lapeer County was held, Saturday, January 1,
2005. Liturgy began at noon with 85 people in attendance. St. Matthew’s is
an Ecclesiastical Corporation founded under the laws of the State of
Michigan and holds a 501c3 status with the IRS.
The office of the church was first run from
the dining room table of Fr. Steve Dewey with his Administrative Assistant
Kim Thompson. In February 2005 the Ministry Center at 66 N. Saginaw St,
Lapeer, Michigan 48446, was leased and operations began at that location.
After much prayer
and thought, in April 2005, the church was formally named St. Matthew’s
Anglican Church. In May 2005 it was decided that to be a member of St.
Matthew’s there needed to be a Membership Covenant signed. This document
was instituted for adults in the congregation.
In June, 2005, the present structure of St.
Matthew’s was begun using the Purpose Driven Church model; having been
restructured during the first five months. The Body Leadership Team (BLT
or church board)
was created under the guidance of Fr. Dewey; reflecting the five purposes
for which St. Matthew’s strives. The 5 Purposes are – Worship (love God),
Community Outreach (love neighbor), Discipleship (make disciples), Family
Life Development (baptize) and Christian Education (teach them).
Also
in June 2005 St. Matthew’s became a member of the Northern Deanery, Diocese
of Bolivia, under Right Reverend Bishop Frank Lyons. Also in June St.
Matthew’s was received as a member of the Anglican Communion Network in the
United States. In October 2005, Bishop Frank Lyons made his first
visit to St. Matthew’s. During his visit the present altar was dedicated.
In July 2006, Fr. Steven Dewey was
diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. His last worship service was celebrated
September 10, 2006. He struggled for many months but on October 13, 2006,
Fr. Steven Dewey went to be with His Risen Lord Christ.
During the following 10 months St. Matthew’s
searched for a new leader. During that time with out a spiritual leader,
membership did not decline and donations increased. The search for a new
“Home of Our Own” continued as our building fund continued to grow. Limited
space in our current facility was slowed further growth. The building we
are renting has a seating capacity of 90 with 72 chairs. We have a
membership of 100 with 69 to 75 in attendance each Sunday. Sunday school
was being held on Wednesday evening and the building was continually used
for meetings and training 7 days a week. Our church Administrative
Assistant Kim Thompson was on duty during the normal business day and helped
coordinate services, meetings, and schedule visiting priests to conduct our
weekly service and special events as the need arose.
This was a time of continuing to build on the
foundation laid for us by Fr. Steven Dewey. There were several priests in
the Anglican Church that helped during the intervening time: Fr. Richard
Dalton, Fr. Jack Lumanog Dean, Fr. David Kulchar, Fr. Jack Irvin, Fr. Scott
Danforth, and Fr. Dean Cole.
In July the Body Leadership Team (church board)
issued a call to Fr. Jack Irvin of Akron, Ohio, then the assistant rector
of St. Ann’s Anglican Church. Fr. Jack accepted and began duties at St.
Matthew’s on August 19, 2007.
St. Matthew's applied for membership in the
Anglican Mission in the Americas on November 16, 2007.
St. Matthew's moved to 1009 Saginaw St. in March
2008. We leased the church facility from New Hope Church. They
share space with us two nights a week. The balance of the time the
church is ours. New carpets were installed, we painted the Nave of the
Church and Narthex. A major cleaning was undertaken prior to our move
in the week of March 3. We also purchased and are installing a new
elevator system for use on the stairs of the church.
New WIFI system was installed in the church
offering internet access through out the facility. Sound and Video
projection systems are in place and functional. Internet access will
allow showing of internet clips during service and other meetings.
The search for a permanent location continues
with the "Home of Our Own" group looking for acreage on which to build a new
structure in one to two years.
The Anglican
Church's roots stretch back over 2000 years through apostolic progression.
Starting when Jesus Christ sent his Disciples out to save the world.
The Archbishop of Canterbury is the Archbishop of the Anglican Church. |
