"No matter who you are, or where
you are on life's journey -
You are welcome and accepted here at
St. Matthew United Church of Christ."
Copyright 2008 St. Matthew UCC 1420 South Gables Blvd. Wheaton, IL 60189 (630) 665-1236
Beliefs
Top Ten Beliefs of St. Matthew United Church of Christ
10. We welcome women into leadership positions. St. Matthew Church belongs to the United Church of Christ (UCC). The UCC was the first church to ordain a woman, Antoinette Brown, into the Christian ministry. At St. Matthew Church women serve as teachers, worship leaders, and Council Presidents. We have women members of the church who are ordained pastors.
In 1853 Antoinette Brown breaks the precedent that only men can lead the church
9. We embrace technology. We recognize at St. Matthew that our culture has shifted into a visually oriented society. We love to use images on Sunday bulletins and on a large screen during our monthly Sunday evening praise service.
8. We believe nobody should get lost in the crowd. We have a Caregiver of the Week ministry where a designated caregiver from the church reaches out with acts of love to all. Meals are prepared for those who are sick or facing other life challenges.
7. We believe people of all ages should get to know the Pastor. All newcomers to the church are invited to have dinner at the Pastor’s home. The Pastor also leads an intensive one year study program with 8th grade students and gives a children’s chat once a month during the 9:30 a.m. worship service.
6. We love all kinds of music. We cherish classical music expressed through a bell choir and the power of an organ. The rhythm of the drums and the moving sound of the electric guitar stir our souls at our worship services. We have multiple opportunities to get involved in praising God through music with two bell choirs, a chancel choir, a children’s choir, and a praise band.
5. We have a non-judgmental theology. We accept all people for where they are on life’s journey. We do weddings, funerals, and baptisms for all. The Pastor performs these rituals for members and non-members. Each person has the right to make the Christian faith his or her own in the reality of worship, in honesty of thought and expression, and in purity of heart before God. The final norm is the word of God expressed through the scriptures.
4. We believe in having fun. Paul the Apostle says, “Be joyful always!” At St. Matthew we follow Paul’s advice. You can attend our one week family camp in August and hike a mountain with your fellow brothers and sisters in Christ or attend a basketball game to see the Chicago Bulls play.
3. We believe children and youth should be given personal attention. Middle and Senior High meet weekly with a staff member for fellowship and Christian growth activities. Youth see the power of sharing God’s love by attending mission trips and celebrate the gift of God’s creation by canoeing on the Boundary Waters. We have an exciting children’s church and Sunday School ministry that affirms the gifts of children. We have a vibrant and very popular Vacation Bible School every summer.
2. We believe God calls us to mission. We travel every fall to Biloxi, Mississippi to build homes for the poor. We have gone to Honduras several times for mission trips. Locally, every month, we reach out to the homeless by providing a full homemade dinner, preparing beds for sleeping, making lunches for those who require them, and supplying a full breakfast. Additionally, throughout the year, we do everything from buying Christmas gifts for needy families at Marion Park to packing emergency food rations for Feed My Starving Children in Aurora.
1. We are Christ Centered and affirm the United Church of Christ Statement of Faith. Our purpose is to become, live, and serve as disciples of Jesus Christ. We strongly believe the preaching and teaching ministries of the Church should be Christ and Bible focused. We affirm the United Church of Christ Statement of Faith as stated below.
United Church of Christ Statement of Faith
We believe in God, the Eternal Spirit, who is made known to us in Jesus our brother, and to whose deeds we testify:
God calls the worlds into being, creates humankind in the divine image, and sets before us the ways of life and death.
God seeks in holy love to save all people from aimlessness and sin.
God judges all humanity and all nations by that will of righteousness declared through prophets and apostles.
In Jesus Christ, the man of Nazareth, our crucified and risen Lord, God has come to us and shared our common lot, conquering sin and death and reconciling the whole creation to its Creator.
God bestows upon us the Holy Spirit, creating and renewing the church of Jesus Christ, binding in covenant faithful people of all ages, tongues, and races.
God calls us into the church to accept the cost and joy of discipleship, to be servants in the service of the whole human family, to proclaim the gospel to all the world and resist the powers of evil, to share in Christ's baptism and eat at his table, to join him in his passion and victory.
God promises to all who trust in the gospel forgiveness of sins and fullness of grace, courage in the struggle for justice and peace, the presence of the Holy Spirit in trial and rejoicing, and eternal life in that kingdom which has no end.
