IN THE SPIRIT

-- Michele Marr

* Church name: St. Matthew’s Church

* Address: 330 W. Bay St., Suite 120, Costa Mesa

* Telephone: (949) 646-1152

* Web site: o7 https://www.stmatthewsacc.com

f7 * Denomination: Anglican Catholic church

* Year established: 1982

* Service times: At 9 a.m. on Sundays, there is a family Eucharist.

Sunday school for all ages meets concurrently. Children in kindergarten

through fourth grade leave for Sunday school during the processional

hymn. Older children leave for the upper room after they receive

Communion. A High Mass is held 11 a.m. Sundays. On Tuesdays at 6:30 p.m.,

there is an Evensong service. Holy Eucharist is held at 9:30 a.m. on

Thursdays. A morning prayer service is held 6:30 a.m. Fridays.

* Senior pastor: The Rev. Stephen C. Scarlett

* Pastoral staff: The Rev. Richard L Stapp, and Raymond H. Clark,

organist and choirmaster

* Administrative staff: Donna Spell

* Size of congregation: 140 adult members. The church’s Web site says,

“We are not a mega-church. Our parishioners and clergy know each other by

name.”

* Makeup of congregation: All ages from preschool children to senior

adults.

* Child care: Provided for Sunday services.

* Type of worship: Traditional Episcopal worship according to the 1928

Book of Common Prayer. The worship is liturgical, a fixed form that

involves participation by the congregation.

* Type of sermon: Sermon topics generally follow the seasons of the

church year, which include Advent, Christmas, Epiphany, Lent, Easter,

Pentecost, Ascension and Trinity.

* Recent sermons: “We Cannot Overcome Evil Unless We Are Committed to

Being Good,” “The Good Samaritan -- Love Requires Effort,” “The Prodigal

Son -- A Lesson About Grace,” “A Glimpse of Glory,” “First Be Reconciled

to Your Brother” and “Sometimes Obedience Is the Catalyst for Miracles”

are among recent sermon titles. These and other sermons may be read on

the church’s Web site.

* Mission statement: “To follow Christ, to worship God every Sunday in

his Church; and to work and pray and give for the spread of his kingdom.”

* Dress: Business casual to business dress.

* Building design: The church met for years in a storefront facility

on Westcliff Drive, then moved to a new, temporary location in January.

This new location has given the congregation more space and it has easy

access from the Newport Freeway. A map can be found on the church’s Web

site. The church broke ground for the new facilities on May 21 of this

year. The preschool portion of the new facility is currently being

framed. When finished, the preschool will be a distinctly Christian

preschool that will use the Montessori method of instruction.

* Visitor information: There is a guest book for visitors to sign.

Anyone who needs more information about the church can indicate their

wishes when they sign the guest book.

* Church programs: On Tuesday evening there is a light supper and

Bible study at 7 p.m. Wednesday is a day of fasting and prayer for the

church, with a Bible study at noon. This Wednesday the group will discuss

Islam and the concept of holy war.

On Thursday morning a Bible study meets at 10:15 a.m. All Bible

studies are open to the public. Confessions are heard by appointment. The

Sacrament of Anointing for healing is administered at both morning

services on the first Sunday of each month. New Members and Enquirer’s

classes meet at 10:15 a.m. Sunday.

The church has a choir for both the 9 a.m. Eucharist and the 11 a.m.

High Mass. Adults and boys and girls in grades seven and up can

participate in the choirs.

The church’s Women’s Guild meets on the first Saturday of each month

at 10 a.m. All women members of the church are eligible for membership.

* Outreach Programs: The congregation supports several outreach

programs. In cooperation with the United Way’s Friends in Service to

Humanity program, members provide food for the hungry in the local

community. The first Sunday of the month is the official “pantry Sunday,”

though food can be dropped off at the church 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. weekdays.

At Christmas time the church donates toys to FISH to help provide toys

for hundreds of needy children. All the makings for a traditional holiday

meal are provided along with the gifts.

Through LivingWell Medical Clinics, a network of Christian-based

women’s prenatal centers, the church helps provide medical care for

pregnant women who otherwise could not afford it. Spiritual counseling

regarding the sanctity of human life as well as post-abortion counseling

is also provided by LivingWell Clinics.

The congregation provides support to the Prison Fellowship Ministry.

This organization offers financial and spiritual support for prison

inmates and their families, especially the children of prisoners.

St. Matthew’s Church sends financial support to St. Mary’s School for

orphans in India.

* Interesting note: Sunday is St. Matthew’s Day, the feast day for the

patron saint for whom the parish is named. The day will be celebrated

with a parish picnic following the morning worship.