When we moved to Ridgeland from Quitman in the summer of 2002, we already had friends in Madison County.    I grew up with Frank and Pattie Bonner.  They were, and ARE, (wave at the camera) members of St Matthew’s and suggested we check it out.  Scott and Sandy Maynard, who were also a part of our Starkville crew, brought the Created By God classes here from Starkville and taught them here for a few years, recommended St. Matthews.  Keith Moffat, who had the misfortune of working with me at Ridgeland also invited us.   

We visited a couple of places and then St. Matthews.  The choir was my primary concern, and it was excellent, but that dude Steve Casteel, man…he could talk.  Then we went to Wednesday Night Live.  We wandered in, looking lost, and the first person who found us (within seconds) was Rayford Woodrick.  Could we have done any better?  Rayford knew my parents.  Instant connection.  We were instantly welcomed.

Somewhere along the way I had emailed Tim or had asked Keith to tell Tim we were coming or maybe I just DREAMED that we had somehow warned someone that we would like to come sing one Wednesday night.  We managed to find the choir room, where rehearsal had already started.  

“Yes?”  Tim inquired.

“We’re here!!” I announced in my typically oblivious fashion.

“Ok….who ARE you?”

In typical Tim fashion, he quickly shuttled us in, got us set up, and that was the last time we went looking for a church in Madison County.  

Cadden and Jace were 2-4 at the time.  Dot and the ladies in the back took such tremendous care of them.  Wednesday nights were long for the ladies as they rode herd over our two bear cubs while mom and dad sang, but they were gracious and we were eternally grateful for the gifts of their time and energy.  

We joined a Sunday school class with folks who were also parents of small children and friendships were formed that last to this day.  

As we made all these connections, there was a distinct feeling that St. Matthew’s was a place where all were welcomed.  There was a feeling of non-judgmental grace.  There was a feeling of being in service.  There was a feeling of purpose with the mission works to South America and Forest, Birthday Gift for Christ, Christ’s Cupboard, the great work of Kaye Schlemer with congregational care, and with the leadership of Steve Casteel, this place that home.  

As I mentioned, our boys, Jace and Cadden, were raised in this church.  Nothing, NOTHING, was more important than what this church did for them. They were loved, nurtured, and were given a foundation that has enabled them to grow into guys that their momma and daddy are pretty proud of.  Along the way there were certainly interesting moments. There was the Wednesday night that, unbeknownst to their parents, the boys decided that the Wednesday Night Live crowd was the perfect place to go table to table and take donations to pay for a fence for the backyard so that their parents could afford to get them the beagle that they wanted.  Then there was the time You didn’t kick us out when Jace decided he was hot and decided the time to express it OUT LOUD while trying to take his shirt off was while the cherub choir was singing before the Children’s Christmas musical.  And you gave us the opportunity to sit in the office with Kim Parker while both boys professed their Christian faith.  Few things have moved me more.

My mother looked forward to coming to hear our choir programs.  You were always generous in welcoming her, even if she happened to sit in “your” seat.  When she died, you were there for us.  When Amy’s dad died, even though we were in Florida, you were there. 

You set a standard that others couldn’t meet.  When we spent our 7 years in Florida, we never found a church, not because they were bad people, but because we kept wanting where we were to be St Matthews.  When Amy said I could quit teaching, we flirted with going somewhere else.  That flirtation didn’t last long and we quickly knew where we were going.  

We came home.  Just in time for Covid.  Honestly, we couldn’t have been in a better place to ride that garbage out.  Andy, Tim, and the church staff did unbelievable work to keep us all connected.  Rest assured, that effort didn’t happen near about everywhere. 

Now we find ourselves in another unique time.  I don’t know if you’ve heard about it or not, but we’ve had some pretty tumultuous times recently.   That time left us with some holes.  But WE stayed.  Those of us in this room.  We stayed.  We now have the opportunity to live out what we said we were before all this other stuff got in the way.  We can once again be the place of welcoming grace that has been a part of our creed for the history of this church.  We can recognize that we’re all on a road to the same place, even though we might have slightly different views as to what that road might look like.  

Now is the time for those of us who still call this home to step up.  With those that left, there’s a financial hole.  It’s notable.  If you haven’t made that financial commitment before, I would encourage you to consider it now.  If you have, we certainly hope you will continue and maybe look to see what else you can do.  As a popular podcast that Andy and I both listen to says, “The answer to all of your questions is money.”  It’s true, to be sure, but there are many other places, many other voids that need filling.  

You note the choir is smaller.  It’s crazy for me to say because I was AFRAID to sing growing up.  I didn’t do it.  I was a drummer and drummers didn’t sing…or so I thought.  In fact, the last 2 classes I took in undergrad were the two classes I dreaded most…. speech and voice.  Ironic…Now, I can’t imagine my life without being able to serve by singing in the choir.  If you’ve ever had an inclination, now’s the time to come give us a test drive.   We meet on Wednesdays at 7:15.  There isn’t an audition and you won’t have to sing a solo.  And you won’t find a better person than Tim Rigby.  The rest of the folks in that room are pretty ok, too. 

But there are a million other places to get plugged in.  Children’s choir needs volunteers.  You don’t have to sing.  You don’t have to dance.  That stuff certainly helps, but it’s not mandatory.  Children’s Sunday school classes are some of the most important things that happen in these buildings.  They need teachers and really enough teachers to be on rotations.  Our youth members are currently facing unbelievable and inexcusable pressure from outside.  They need you, if for no other reason just to know that someone else is in the room that cares.  There are countless other projects both home and away in need of leaders and participants. 

Now is the time.  Let’s live in to this opportunity.  Raise your investment in the works of this church.  Let’s make the most of this chance to be in the service of others and show the world what God means to us.