And Mary played Santana in Worship!
With September as Hispanic Heritage Month, St. Matthew's hosted the talented Steven Kendikian, a double-major of Spanish and Voice at West Chester University, to sing during service. He did it all! from singing a verse of each of the hymns in Spanish, to teaching the kids Spanish "This Little Light of Mine." Our own Mary Sugar, played vibrant instrumentals as well to accompany our services: Eres Tu, Amigos Para Siempre, El Condor Pasa, and Oye Como Va. To quote the pastor, "Really? Santana? In church?? COOL!!"
To paraphrase Pastor John, he preached on a disturbing parable of Jesus (Luke 16: 1-13) about a dishonest manager whose master commends him for his shrewd business dealings. Is Jesus commending dishonesty? However, as is often the case with Jesus' parables, more is going on here than meets the eye. Instead of celebrating the manager's dishonesty, Jesus is suggesting that his disciples take action for the sake of God's Kingdom rather than sitting back and wringing their hands when things get rough. Even if it means being smart once and a while.
With so many committed staff-members, you never know what you might miss on a Sunday at St. Matthew's!