Gentlemen of Saint Matthias, mark your calendars: The next meeting of Men Eating Badly will take place Saturday, April 4 at 8AM at the Greenleaf Café (7203 Greenleaf Avenue) in Historic Uptown Whittier. Join the group to enjoy great conversation, good food, and wonderful fellowship.

Bible Study continues this upcoming Wednesday, April 8 at 10AM in the Chapel. The Group's focus is on the Acts of the Apostles, the second of the two-volume set consisting of the Gospel of Luke and the Book of Acts. Reverend Carole is leading the study and is providing an in-depth look into the significance of this compendium to the origins of Christianity. All are welcome to participate in person or via ZOOM: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88198890910 Meeting ID: 881 9889 0910.

Reverend Carole Horton-Howe will be presiding over the Healing Service with Holy Eucharist on the second Saturday of every month. The Service includes the Rite of Healing, the Anointing of the Holy Oil, and Holy Eucharist. The next service will take place Saturday, April 11 at 5PM. The Healing Service will also be streamed via Facebook. For those In-Person, a reception will follow the Healing Service in Lewis Hall and/or the beautiful Saint Francis Patio depending on the weather conditions. Please plan on participating with us in this spirit-filled event.

The Saint Elizabeth’s Guild provides additional opportunities for fellowship for the women of Saint Matthias. The group meets at 12 noon on the third Thursday of each month in the Chapel. Contact Diana Jimeniz via office@stmatthiaswhittier.org for further information.

The ECW Stitchery Group meets the third Saturday of each month from 9AM to noon in an "open house" environment. Participants are free to drop in and bring a sewing project or stitchery project of their own to work on independently, or to get coaching in learning a new skill. All are welcome. Contact Ellen Mykkanen via office@stmatthiaswhittier.org for more information.

The Order of the Daughters of the King is an international organization for women whose vision is to call upon the Holy Spirit to help them know and follow Jesus Christ, to make God known to others and to become reflections of God’s love throughout Saint Matthias and the world. In the past year, the DOK sponsored Quiet Days in Advent and Lent open to everyone to prepare spiritually for the celebrations of Christmas and Easter. The Daughters meet monthly on the third Sunday of each month at 1PM in the Chapel. All women in the parish are welcome to explore this option for spiritual growth and community. For more information, contact the Church Office at office@stmatthiaswhittier.org. 

The next meeting of the Bibliophiles Book Club will take place Tuesday, April 21 at 6:30PM via ZOOM. The group will be discussing Camino Ghosts by John Grisham.

"Mercer Mann, a popular writer from Camino Island, is back on the beach, marrying her boyfriend, Thomas, in a seaside ceremony. Bruce Cable, infamous owner of Bay Books, performs the wedding. Afterward, Bruce tells Mercer that he has stumbled upon an incredible story. Mercer desperately needs an idea for her next novel, and Bruce now has one.

The true story is about Dark Isle, a sliver of a barrier island not far off the North Florida coast. It was settled by freed slaves three hundred years ago, and their descendants lived there until 1955, when the last one was forced to leave. That last descendant is Lovely Jackson, elderly now, who loves her birthplace and its remarkable history. But now Tidal Breeze, a huge, ruthless corporate developer, wants to build a resort and casino on the island, which Lovely knows, deep down, is rightfully hers.

Mercer befriends Lovely, and they plunge into an enormous fight over who owns Dark Isle, taking on Tidal Breeze Corporation, its lawyers, lobbyists, and powerful Florida politicians. But Lovely knows something about the island that could seriously cloud the dollar signs in the developer’s eyes: the island is cursed. It has remained uninhabited for nearly a century for some very real and very troubling reasons. The deep secrets of the past are about to collide with the enormous ambitions of the present, and the fate of Dark Isle—and Camino Island, too—hangs in the balance.”

As we approach that date, Fred Adams will provide information for the ZOOM link. Remember, everyone is welcome to attend and participate even if you haven’t read the selected book. Please join us for the lively discussion and commentary.

Contact Fred Adams or the Parish Office for details on participating with the Bibliophiles.

Fred Adams penned the following invitation to encourage all of us to participate in the Bibliophile's Book Club:

"We the members of the mighty Bibliophiles Book Club of Saint Matthias humbly invite you to join us. Recognizing how busy we all are in our daily lives and work, we have changed our meetings from every month to every 6 weeks beginning on June 3rd. Whew! I feel relieved already. Now that we have more breathing room perhaps more folks can break free for some refreshing conversations and fellowship. We will still meet at 6:30 pm on Zoom. 

The meetings are pretty lively and let me publish once again this well-known fact. You do not have to have read the book! What? -- a book club meeting without having read the book? Yes, indeed. And here's why. While the conversation starts out with a discussion about the book, it inevitably evolves into the larger issues brought out by the author; topics about which each of us often have something to add. So, there is something for everyone!"

Contact Fred or the Parish Office for details on participating with the Bibliophiles.

"Oh the places you'll go! There is fun to be done!"

Dr. Seuss

Stephen Ministers are lay people who are trained to work with parishioners going through challenging or stressful times, including a death in the family, job losses, divorce, and many other problems. Stephen Ministers become a friend to their care receivers and compassionate advocates for people who need to be seen, heard, and comforted; they also have resources available to make referrals to professionals if and when a situation demands it. All conversations and visits with Stephen Ministers are absolutely confidential. If you are interested in learning more about this important program, whether you are a person in need or think you might make a good Stephen Minister yourself, please contact the Parish Office at office@stmatthiaswhittier.org. Our current Stephen Leaders are Faye Jackson, Terry Dodd and Sophie McIntosh. The group meets the fourth Sunday of the month at 1PM in the Chapel.