“I have held many things in my hands, and I have lost them all; but whatever I have placed in God's hands, that I still possess.” - Martin Luther

About St. Matthew's Evangelical

As of October 2, 2011, St. Matthew's Evangelical is a member congregation of the North American Lutheran Church (NALC). The NALC is "Christ-Centered", "Mission-Driven", "Traditionally Grounded", and "Congregationally Focused".

St. Matthew's Evangelical is a small, friendly, dedicated community of faith, witnessing to the truth of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and seeking ways to serve Him in Riverside and the surrounding community. We offer a traditional worship service, Bible-based preaching and teaching, Sunday School classes for children and adults, children's church, an active women's fellowship, monthly pot-luck dinners, Vacation Bible School, and other special activities. Our hymnal is Hymns for the Family of God. We are also an Outreach Center for a food ministry, MidAmerica Foods. You will find more information about our activities on this website.

St. Matthew's was founded in 1844, on the same spot where it now stands, and is one of the oldest churches in continuous existence in the Kansas City area. You may read more about our history HERE.

Whether you are a new resident of the Riverside area or are just seeking a church home, we invite you to worship with us at St. Matthew's and participate in our activities.

On the Calendar

Every Sunday:

Sunday School 9:30-10:15 a.m.

Worship 10:30-11:30 a.m.

Children's Church: 10:45-11:30

Time of fellowship: 11:30 - (coffee, treats, visiting)

*Communion (the Lord's Supper) and Food Pantry Sunday are the first Sunday of each month. All who have accepted Jesus Christ as their personal Lord and Savior and have been baptized are invited to partake in communion. We offer grape juice (white) and wine (red). All food and household items donated to the food pantry will help persons and families in need.

The renovation of our sanctuary walls began on Monday, January 23. While this work is going on, we will meet for worship in the fellowship area upstairs. Some activities normally done in the fellowship area may move downstairs during this time.

Saturday, January 28 - MidAmerica Foods pick-up, 6:30-9:00 a.m.

Friday, February 3 - Acoustical Jam, 7-10 p.m. Please join us for a fun evening of music, food and fellowship!

Wed., February 15, Women's Fellowship/Quilting, 6 p.m.

Sunday, February 19, Pot Luck Dinner following worship; Consistory meets following the meal.

In the event that bad weather (ice/snow) causes us to cancel services, we will notify the local TV stations (Channels 4, 5, 9, and 41), as well as post the closing on this web site.

Adult Sunday School Lesson Schedule

Our curriculum is the Bible in Life series published by David C. Cook Publishing. We invite you to join us in studying and discussing God's word. For the greatest benefit, read both the lesson and the scriptures before coming, but we will also read and discuss the lesson in class. The 12-13 week studies generally alternate between the New Testament and Old Testament.

On Jan. 22 we began a study of Judges and Ruth. We hope you will join us in this very interesting study.

Acoustical Jam

For 14 years St. Matthew's has hosted an "acoustical jam" on the first Friday evening of each month, October through June, from 7:00-10:00 p.m. Anywhere from 10 to 20 musicians, young and older, come each time to play and sing for the audience to enjoy. Instruments include guitar, fiddle, banjo, mandolin, bass, etc. We hear gospel, bluegrass, country, folk, rock and roll, etc., and have some laughs too. Everyone has a great time. At 8:30 we break for snacks (we always have a wonderful variety of goodies).

We invite you to join us, whether you are a musician or a spectator! The next Jam will be Friday, February 3, 2012, 7-10 p.m. We hope to see you then!

Steppingstone

Steppingstone is a program of the Evangelical Children's Home (now called Every Child's Hope, or ECH) that our church has helped support for many years. Steppingstone serves young people age 16-21 who are at risk, homeless, etc. Steppingstone provides a safe place to live, educational assistance, life skills training, job placement coaching assistance, medical care, individual therapy, and case management. Helen H. is our representative to Steppingstone and she does a lot of volunteer work with them. Please click HERE for more information.

Emergency Assistance

St. Matthew's is a small congregation and has very little resources available to assist with financial emergencies, such rent, utilities, gasoline, etc. We generally refer people with such needs to United Services, Hillcrest Transitional Housing and the Salvation Army. Please click HERE for the Northland Human Services/Senior Services Directory of other resources available through various agencies and organizations.


Friday

Church Improvements

The beautiful plantings that you see in the church photos on this website are the result of the hard work and creativity of Helen H.   In 2008, with the help of Mary Lou B., Helen cleaned out the area under the big stained glass window and planted these beautiful "knock-out" roses and other flowers and plants.  We have enjoyed them every year since then.  The way they set off our red doors is truly stunning!

Some other projects over the last several years that improve the appearance and function of the church building include the repainting of the church, new protective coverings for the stained glass windows that allows the beautiful colors to show through, new chairlift, new front doors (painted red again), a new roof,  new handicap ramp and handrails, new bathroom fixtures, a new concrete pad for handicap parking, paved parking lot, fresh paint and a new ceiling in the fellowship hall next to the sanctuary, and new back doors and improved rear entries.  In the fall of 2010 we installed beautiful new carpeting in the sanctuary.

Our project to renovate the walls in the sanctuary was begun on Monday January 23, 2012. We expect to be "displaced" to the fellowship area for no more than 2 weeks. Check back soon for pictures of the finished work!
the pews have been temporarily moved to fellowship area
Stained glass windows are carefully protected
Everything's covered and masked



ceiling is masked off

The Buzzard, the Bat, and the Bumblebee

The Buzzard: If you put a buzzard in a pen that is 6 feet by 8 feet and is entirely open at the top, the bird, in spite of its ability to fly, will be an absolute prisoner. The reason is that a buzzard always begins a flight from the ground with a run of 10 to 12 feet. Without space to run, as is its habit, it will not even attempt to fly, but will remain a prisoner for life in a small jail with no top.

The Bat: The ordinary bat that flies around at night, a remarkable nimble creature in the air, cannot take off from a level place. If it is placed on the floor or flat ground, all it can do is shuffle about helplessly and, no doubt, painfully, until it reaches some slight elevation from which it can throw itself into the air. Then, at once, it takes off like a flash.

The Bumblebee: A bumblebee, if dropped into an open tumbler, will be there until it dies, unless it is taken out. It never sees the means of escape at the top, but persists in trying to find some way out through the sides near the bottom. It will seek a way where none exists, until it completely destroys itself.

People: In many ways, we are like the buzzard, the bat, and the bumblebee. We struggle about with all our problems and frustrations, never realizing that all we have to do is look up! That's the answer, the escape route and the solution to any problem! Just look up.

Sorrow looks back. Worry looks around. But faith looks up! Live simply, love generously, care deeply, speak kindly, and trust in our Creator who loves us!.

"Do not worry about anything; instead pray about everything." Philippians 4:6.