Churches

Saint Matthew’s Churches in Dallas

From the very beginning, Saint Matthew’s clergy have strived to follow the Lord’s instructions, “Go into all the world and share the gospel with every person” (Mark 16:15). Besides having revival crusades across America, we endeavored to plant churches as well. Through the Lord’s calling and guidance, we began several churches in Dallas, Texas and pastored them for years. The Lord blessed our efforts and expanded Saint Matthew’s ministry even more than we could have imagined at the time, which leads to an important question.

Why does Saint Matthew’s Churches spend so much time, effort, and the Church’s resources to preach and publish Christ’s Holy Gospel? It is what Saint Matthew’s Churches is all about – getting the good news of the Gospel of Jesus Christ out to a lost and dying world. Look around and see what is happening in our world, and you will see the importance of the Church remaining busy. We must sound the trumpet that Christ is coming soon, that death is sure, and that eternity without God is not what anyone would want to experience. For God’s children and all clergy, time is running out for the world. We can see Christ’s warning signs all around us. “I must work the works of Him who sent Me while it is day; the night is coming when no one can work” (John 9:4).

Saint Matthew’s Churches in Los Angeles

Saint Matthew’s has worked tirelessly for decades to reach people for Christ in some of the largest cities in America. When we saw some of the distressing things happening in Los Angeles, we reached out to several communities by planting churches in those areas. We firmly believe that “…The Lord’s hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; nor His ear heavy, that it cannot hear” (Isaiah 59:1). Over the years, we have committed time and resources to reach people all over the U.S., and especially in areas that desperately need spiritual renewal such as Los Angeles, Chicago, Baltimore, Houston, and other major cities.

We felt called to start a church in Southgate, because there was a deep need for spiritual revival. Though the area may have had its difficulties, our mission to reach the lost never changed. We decided to reach other communities as well that needed help and spiritual guidance. God blessed us to develop another church in the greater Los Angeles area. After a while, Saint Matthew’s turned the church over to leaders and clergy in the community, that way they could oversee the day-to-day operation of a church in their own community.

Another tremendous blessing came when Saint Matthew’s was able to establish a church at 7th and Hill in downtown Los Angeles. Thousands of dear people attended along with celebrities, politicians, and notable athletes. Saint Matthew’s outreach was and always will be to all who will come. Over the years we have endeavored to see people through a Gospel lens no matter their background. We only want to see them as souls that need a relationship with our loving Savior, Jesus. “For God so loved that He gave…” (John 3:16).

Saint Matthew’s Churches in New York

The accompanying pictures show our first church service in New York City at Saint Matthew’s Church, which was planted back in the 1990’s. Since then, we have had other churches in various locations in New York and Brooklyn. Saint Matthew’s Churches plans to continue spreading the Good News of the Gospel throughout the United States, to reach as many souls for Christ as we can.

As one can see from the photos, our ministry encourages all people to come to our church services. Everyone is welcome. At the same time, it is important that each person respects the house of worship as a sacred place where we encounter God’s presence. Notably, in our services we minister to the needs of individuals who are sick, hurting, or in distress. As well, The Lord’s Supper or Communion is an integral part of our services.

“…On this rock I will build My church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it” (Matt. 16:18). “My house shall be called a house of prayer for all people” (Isaiah 56:7).

Here is a picture of another one of the churches that we had in New York City; we shared the church with a Presbyterian congregation. In the church services, people from diverse backgrounds and denominations attended regularly. We welcome all people to come and share in uplifting services. As well, we pray for the needs of individuals in a dignified and personal way. Prayer, worship, and sharing an inspiring Gospel message are all parts of Saint Matthew’s services.

We had the opportunity to have a church for several years in Brooklyn, a borough of New York City. God blessed us to be able to restore this very old church to its former glory, so that it could once again have a wonderful spiritual presence in the surrounding neighborhoods.

As believers we are called to be salt and light in this world (Matt. 5:13-16). We are to be the salt of the earth, which means to be kind and trustworthy. As well, we are to be a light to others, which signifies that we must first love them. Because Jesus first loved us, we need to love others in the same way (John 13:34). The Lord provided us the best example of what true love means; if we truly love, we will be willing to sacrifice for others and give freely to them as He has so freely given to us.

Saint Matthew’s Cathedral in Houston

The former archbishop of Canterbury, George Carey, presided over the dedication of Saint Matthew’s Cathedral in Houston, Texas on September 16th, 2007. Archbishop Carey served as the 103rd Archbishop for one decade, following the 102nd Archbishop Robert Runcie and followed by Archbishop Rowan Williams. Saint Matthew’s clergy are honored to have Archbishop Carey as a longtime, dear friend.

The first thing I must do is to say how delighted my wife and I are to be with you on this special occasion as we dedicate this Church, Saint Matthew’s, to the Glory of God. Our personal and grateful thanks must go to our hosts (the clergy of Saint Matthew’s)… We cannot speak too highly of them. They were of immense support when I was Archbishop of Canterbury, and in our retirement, they continue to pray for our ministry and support us in whatever way they can… They are the kindest of people, and their love for Our Lord and His kingdom cannot be…doubted. Like me, they dislike boundaries that separate people; they are color blind when it comes to race; they are impatient with divisions in the Christian family; and like me, they yearn that all should know the love of God found in Jesus Christ.

My brothers and sisters, we live in difficult days and in a desperate world. Around us we see families collapsing, we note the difficulty that ordinary people find in making ends meet financially, we see young people being drawn into crime and drugs. At the international level…extremists threaten democracy, and the gulf between the very poor, and the very rich continues to increase. At the spiritual level, people are confused and searching for meaning.

Our service today, therefore, takes place in this context of anxiety and fear. There is great need for a faith that meets the challenge of our times, and I believe that our reading from (1 Peter) supplies it. He challenges his readers to sort out their priorities. What I want to say to you boils down to three things: God’s people must keep their Lord central; be built together as His people; and proclaim the good news to others. First, God’s people must put Christ first in their lives. Many of us here know the importance of family life. I am aware that in (some) traditions, families are very important and that is something to be treasured and nourished. To keep families going, however, members have to constantly return home to renew their love and maintain that precious relationship.

So it is with Christ, says Peter. “Come to Him,” he says. Of course, we may have come to Him when we first believed, but in this passage the writer uses the present tense, “keep coming to Him.” And as we come, we build our lives on Him. But why should we come to Him? Well, Peter says that Christ is a “living stone.” That is a very strange expression, isn’t it? Stones are not alive, unless you are watching a (science fiction movie) where all kind of odd things happen! But two things are meant by this. First, that Christ as a stone, refers to the solid foundation on which we build our lives. Do you want a contented life, a life filled with purpose, hope and love? Then make Christ the cornerstone of your life. Trust in Him; confide in Him, let Him direct your paths and you will be blessed.

But He is a “living stone” – that is to say, He is alive today and He is the author of life. That means Christianity is not a dead religion of empty ritual, but a relationship with a person who wants to live within us. So that is our first priority – to keep Christ at the center of our lives, to come to Him regularly and keep him central in all we do.

The second priority follows on: build your lives and this church on Him. Peter’s vision is of a glorious spiritual building being erected in which each individual is a stone within the structure. It is a marvelous image of a community where everyone matters, and where no one is excluded. Note the amazing words he uses of the church, a chosen people, a holy people, God’s possessed people, and a priestly people. Yes, I know that the church has special people set aside for ministry whom we call priests or ministers, and their ministries deserve to be supported and cherished – but Peter is actually saying that each one of us has spiritual and priestly ministries to perform. Not everyone has gifts of evangelism or teaching gifts or pastoral gifts – but each one of us have our own individual and unique abilities that God longs to be used in His service.

Let me give you a personal illustration. Just last week my wife and I received a surprising letter. Indeed, (this man) had spent most of his life in prison. In 1993 my wife and I invited a group of prisoners from the local prison to come and have tea with us. About 12 men came along. They were very nervous and shy. They had never met an Archbishop before. Mind you, we were worried too! We had never had 12 prisoners in our home for tea before. But we had a wonderful time with them. We lost touch with them all, until last week. Michael who wrote, said that the tea was a turning point in his life. All his life he had been rejected, but that afternoon he felt special and at home. He made a vow and said a prayer asking for God’s strength to live life as a free person. He left prison and for a time it was very hard; no one would give him a job. Then, he said, he met a lovely woman who befriended him. They fell in love and got married. That woman played a major role in helping him settle down. Then they had a child and his happiness deepened. And the letter I received last week…thanked us for helping him start again… What a wonderful story of God’s love reaching out through the simple gift of hospitality. Never doubt that God can use us powerfully to reach out to others.

The third thing I notice in the passage is that we are to proclaim the excellence of God to others. Today we are dedicating this building and God is very good at using church buildings to His honor and glory. His desire is that this place will be a place of sanctuary and peace for all; that it will be a place of teaching for the young and those eager to learn; that it will be a place of challenge as men and women are called to God’s service. But the focus is not on a building, as much as on people. As we dedicate this building today, we are dedicating ourselves to God’s service. The aim is that we may “declare the wonderful deeds of Him who called us into His marvelous light.”

The verb for “declare” is rather like a trumpet blowing, or a huge advertisement that you cannot miss. Peter is saying, what you have is so special, and the difference that the Lord has made to you is so remarkable, that your natural job should be to shine it forth. Tell it out; don’t apologize, don’t be meek about it – but rather be proud of what the Lord has done for you.

I am so glad to be here with you on this special day. I said at the beginning that we live in difficult days with violence and crime eating away at the moral fabric of our nations, and despair and cynicism undermining the foundation of civic life. In the words of Oscar Wilde “We know the price of everything and the value of nothing.” Yes, desperate times.

That is why an event like this one is so special, because what this place stands for are values that live forever; that stand the test of time. This building is made to last because it is founded on Christ the living stone, the Lord of life. Be proud of this faith, value and cherish it daily, and may this new Cathedral be at the center of your spiritual lives – nourishing and leading you to declare His wonderful deeds.