at St. Matthew’s
St. Matthew’s offers many opportunities to volunteer at church. For the most recent opportunities, visit the latest issue of The VOICE newsletter or the most recent Weekly Announcements.
Sunday mornings are special days for worship and education. Worship services could not take place without the volunteers who take on a variety of roles, such as ushers, communion preparers, greeters, youth acolytes, and nursery attendants.
If you would like to learn more about these opportunities, please call the church office, (414) 774-0441 or email office@stmattslutheran.org.
Sunday morning assistants can view their schedule by logging in here.
in the Community
Outreach and service are a key component to living out our faith and St. Matthew’s mission statement. Jesus said, “If you love me, feed my sheep.” God calls us to reach out to our brothers and sisters and live in partnership with them.
Caring Ministries
Sharing God’s love and care to others is an important way to live out our faith. We have several more structured programs for doing this – other ways are lived out daily through relationships among caring Christians. Our pastors make regular calls on those who desire a pastoral visit.
St. Matthew’s Lutheran Church offers a variety of opportunities for you to express your faith and love for others. Please see the descriptions below. For more information about any of these ministries, contact the Church Office.
Prayer Chain Ministry
The Prayer Chain of St. Matthew’s is continuously praying for the needs of the congregation and the community. These prayers are sent out weekly, or more often as needed by email.
If you would like the prayer chain to be praying for your circumstances or needs, on Sundays you may use the blue cards in the pews, click the link below, or if you wish to speak to a staff person or pastor about your prayer request, call the church office at (414) 774-0441.
Sharing and Caring Program
Making a warm meal for someone who has been ill, has a new baby, or in another situation makes a big difference. Through the Sharing and Caring Program, members make meals for those in need.
Stephen Ministry
Stephen Ministry is a ministry in which trained
and supervised St. Matthew’s laypersons
provide one-to-one Christian care to
individuals facing life challenges or
difficulties. This may include the bereaved,
hospitalized, terminally ill, separated, divorced, unemployed, relocated, and others facing a crisis or life challenge. Stephen Ministers are caring, Christian friends who listen, understand, accept and pray for, and with, those who are working through a crisis or tough time. Stephen Ministers are trained caregivers whose role is to listen and care, not to give advice or counsel. Stephen Ministry helps our pastors and congregation provide quality caring ministry for as long as people need it.
The Stephen Ministry is active in over 10,000 congregations.
Learn more about becoming a Stephen Minister or get connected to a Stephen Minister by contacting the Church Office.
Stitches of Love Quilt Ministry
Meets approximately 3-4 times a
year, between September and May,
usually on Saturday mornings. Watch
The VOICE newsletter and
Sunday bulletin for details on dates
and times.
The quilt ministry strives to make beautiful quilts, afghans and receiving blankets from donated fabrics for distribution to individuals who are in physical, emotional or spiritual need. Quilts are donated to ministries serving the needs of the Greater Milwaukee area, charities and foreign missions.
Prior to the quilts and blankets being distributed, all receive a prayer of blessing on Mother’s Day as they are displayed in the sanctuary of the church.
Bev Etzelmueller is the coordinator and she can be contacted through the Church Office (414-774-0441) with questions.
Care for Creation
God created the heavens and the earth and gave them to us. We show thanks to God for these gifts by caring for them. Check out statistics from
St. Matthew’s rooftop solar panels!
El Salvador
Every January, a group from St. Matthew’s travels to El Salvador to walk in solidarity with members of the Salvadoran Lutheran Church. With the help of social media, the friendships that form can be sustained through frequent contact. Members of both church bodies hold one another in prayer.
St. Matthew’s is privileged to sponsor approximately 25 Salvadoran students, enabling them to pursue secondary education. The students and their sponsors maintain a close and enduring relationship. On each January journey, the St. Matt’s group visits Casa Esperanza, a homeless shelter in San Salvador, which St. Matt’s supports financially.
International Partnerships
We have a newer partnership with Pan de Vida Lutheran Church (Bread of Life) in El Salvador.
People who have traveled to El Salvador are always ready to spread the word about the remarkable Salvadorans who have blessed them in their journey. “El Salvador” means “the Savior,” and many travelers from St. Matthew’s have learned that El Salvador changes lives.
Tanzania
St. Matthew’s partners with the Sing’Isi congregation of the Meru diocese in Tanzania. We are always united by prayer and in person on a regular basis.
A group from St. Matt’s travels to Tanzania approximately every few years and helps sponsor visits by members from Sing’Isi. St. Matt’s provides financial assistance to the congregation as well as to several students so that they can receive a secondary education. ELCT Meru Diocese Bishop Elias Kitoi provides an especially strong link with the Meru diocese.
Our Synod Meru Partnership now has a website: partnerswithmeru.org
Meal Outreach Ministry
The Meal Outreach Ministry has grown very quickly through the efforts of dedicated volunteers. Our Meal Ministry encompasses many areas, including five opportunities that are described below. Volunteers for these areas of ministry are always needed and appreciated.
Please contact the Church Office.
Cross Lutheran Church in Milwaukee
St. Matthew’s has provided a monthly meal at Cross Lutheran Church in Milwaukee on the 4th Wednesday of each month, which is attended by those in the surrounding neighborhood. This meal has been on hiatus since the time of the pandemic, and we look forward to resuming it when it returns to Cross’s ministry offerings.
Guest House of Milwaukee
The Guest House of Milwaukee is a homeless shelter providing services and housing for about 100 men per evening. A varied group of people from St. Matthew’s provides and transports the dinner to the Guest House, and serve it to the guests. During the pandemic, the ministry continued by providing delivery of the meal to the shelter. Serving the meal by members of our congregation has resumed now that it is safer to gather in a group.
Repairers of the Breach
Bag lunches are provided to homeless people at the shelter Repairers of the Breach in Milwaukee. On two Sunday mornings per month, members of St. Matthew’s gather to assemble about 100 bag lunches, with food provided through donations. A volunteer transports the lunches to the shelter. Volunteers are welcome to help with this whenever convenient. Call the office for dates and times, 414-774-0441.
