December 14 - 4:00 pm

Advent Lessons & Carols

December 23 - 5:00 pm

Greening of the Church

& Chili Supper

December 24 - 5:00 pm

Family Christmas Eucharist 

December 24 - 9:00 pm

Music of Christmas &

Festival Christmas Eucharist 

December 25 - 10:00 am

Christmas Day

Holy Eucharist 

December 28 - 10:00 am

Service for Ending of a

Pastoral Relationship

(Fr. Wallace's Last Sunday) 

Please remember to check the server list on the bulletin board at church (or click here to see the latest monthly schedule online).

Also, if you are going to switch dates with someone, please inform either Bill Kane or Michael Tautges at the church office.  Thank you!

As 2014 draws to a close, we are mindful of how quickly time passes, God's abundant blessings, and the countless opportunities we have to share His love. It just doesn't seem possible that 2 years have passed since Father announced his retirement ... but time moves on, and, as we all know, this is his last month at St. Matthias'. As Edgar moves into a new and different life, St. Matthias' also enters a new era, one that will no doubt hold some challenges - but most certainly none that we can't overcome, as we continue to love each other and work together as we have always done. I truly know of no other parish where people enjoy worshiping, playing, and working together as we do. Over the past year Edgar has quietly and deliberately lessened his involvement, giving us the opportunity to solve issues, work independently, and figure things out for ourselves ... which we have done. With your trust, cooperation, and most importantly, your prayers, we will all continue to do the work God has given us to do, in 2015 and in the years to come.

As of this writing, the Diocese continues its work to find us an interim priest - it is their hope, and ours, that they are able to have someone in place for us by the first of the year. If this doesn't happen, we have supply priests lined up for Sunday services and to work with pastoral care as needed.

The Transition Team would like to thank everyone for participating in the Sunday morning exercise held at church on August 17. We received many comments and ideas from all of you. The Transition Team also had the opportunity to meet with the Bishop on October 16th and found him to be very engaging, and interested in St. Matthias. He plans to stay aware of our transition and give his support, guidance, and involvement at the appropriate times.

We also want to thank you for participating in the written surveys which were completed very recently. We are now in the process of compiling all the data and information received. This will take some time but will give us a good picture of our church's current demographics as well as how we as a congregation see ourselves and what is important now and as we look into the future. Thanks again for participating.

We are also discussing the details of organizing focus groups which will give an opportunity for you to talk with some of your fellow members in a small group setting which will give us insight into what matters to our church and community. These focus groups together with the surveys will allow us to organize a profile to share with applicants who are looking at St. Matthias as a place to be the next Rector. The date for these focus groups will be late January and February; more details to follow.

Another item which we are working on right now is the position of interim priest. We have met with Vestry members on this subject and based on information available to us including good comments and observations from many of you, we have made an outline of a "job description" and are talking with the Diocese on this subject. Some of the ingredients for the interim position are: P/T position (@1/2 to 3/4), man or woman, interim experience preferred, officiate at Sunday services and special services as necessary, some regular office hours, pastoral care as necessary, interaction with Committees and Teams as necessary, regular meetings with Vestry and Vestry officers.

Our plan is have an interim person ready for "work" by the first of next year. The Diocese, however, at this point in time has not given us any name(s) to fill the interim slot. The Transition Team has been working with Chris Clark, Senior Warden, and has a backup plan to ensure pulpit supply following Fr. Edgar's departure should that become necessary. We stay in regular contact with the Diocese and are hopeful that a "permanent" interim will be identified soon.

Thanks for your support and involvement!

---- The Transition Team            

Caritas has been open for one year: November 2013 - October 2014.

Here are some numbers and facts we thought you may find interesting.

We started with St. Matthias' as the sole financial supporter of Caritas. We now have 7 organizations that provide financial support, plus many generous donations from individuals. Those organizations currently supporting Caritas are: Calvary Lutheran Church, LDF Community Presbyterian Church, Unitarian Universalist Fellowship, Holy Family Catholic Church, Peace Lutheran Church, LDF Lions' Club, and of course, St. Matthias'.

We started with 22 volunteers, all from St. Matthias'. We now have 34 volunteers from 10 different organizations -- the 7 organizations that support us financially, plus Eaglebrook Church, Ascension Lutheran Church and United Methodist Church of the Pines.

We had no steering committee when we started. Now we have a 7-member committee to make policies, help find solutions, and deal with growth.

We were open a total of 95 days. We gave away roughly $20,463.00 to around 150 people.

We at Caritas are very happy with those numbers and facts. But we are even happier about the help we have been able to give to so many people. Much of the help we give along with financial help is a listening ear, respect, confidentiality, and a non-judgmental attitude. We always try to provide true Charity. 

We are also often able to refer a client to an organization or agency that can give more wide ranging and permanent help than Caritas can provide. We are especially grateful to the St. Matthias' Thrift Shop and to the Lakeland Pantry, two organizations that provide so much free help to our referrals.  We are also grateful to the two lawyers, two dentists, and the optometrist who provide pro bono services to our clients.

"I am in awe of our volunteers." one of our 4 managers said that last month after the volunteers that day made many phone calls on a client's behalf and finally found a place for him to stay and help with a medical problem. I've seen our volunteers be comforting to people overcome by sadness, pleasant in the face of rudeness, kind to people who are unsure about what they need, and reassuring to people who are embarrassed for their need. Truly Caritas has been blessed with amazing volunteers this first year and these volunteers have in turn blessed our clients.

Our clients seem to respond to our help. Many come back and visit us more than once. They are happy with our efforts and seem to be beginning to trust us. They recommend us to their friends who need help. They've brought us food treats like cookies. Here are some quotes from some of those who seek help from Caritas:

"Has anybody told you guys you are wonderful? Well, you are wonderful."

"I don't know what I would have done without your help, you were an answer to my prayers."

"Thanks for allowing me to be myself, for accepting who I am. Thanks for being real people of God."

"A lot of churches just pray for you, you guys really do something."

The financial contributions of so many people and churches have made it possible for Caritas to pay the bills of many people who are in emergency situations. The extremely cold weather of last winter broke the household budgets of many people in the Northwoods. Due to the generosity of so many of you, we were able to help a great many people with those bills. This year we have set aside an amount of money to help people especially with heating bills. We have also helped with the increased number of WPS bills due to the extreme weather. We continue to help with medical payments, prescription drugs, car repair, gasoline, work clothes, phone minutes, DMV fees, and many other bills that become too difficult for our clients to pay due to the circumstances in their lives.

Next year we hope to offer new facts and numbers to you with even larger dollar amounts to an even greater number of people. But we believe that the Charity that is provided from our volunteers to our clients will be a constant that we see each and every year at Caritas.

Happy Holidays, AND please remember Caritas in your end of year giving. We are tax deductible, and we can always use more $ help. Donations can be sent to:

Caritas, St. Matthias' Episcopal Church 

PO Box 936

Minocqua, WI 54548

Touchstones:  Change Your Life and Everyone In It

Written by Diane Diederich

A vital part of changing behaviors that aren't working is to see the relationships that surround as a "system." This means that anything that happens to one part of the system automatically causes changes in all the other parts. For example, as you change some of the behaviors that aren't working, family members will notice that they cannot react as they always have. The shift can be profound or subtle, but there will be discomfort because it's not the "same old - same old."

Sometimes when people ask themselves what's different about the times when they get better results, they can only think of changes in the way other people treat them. But since you are the one who has decided to start changing, it is more helpful to focus on what you do differently when things go better.

Although you probably think that your positive behavior is merely a response to the positive behavior of others, you can bet that that is precisely what other people think too. Your family and co-workers believe they are more sensitive to your needs because you are nicer to them. In fact, you are both right. Your behavior may be a reaction to someone else's positive behavior, but your actions encourage additional positive responses from others as well. Ask yourself, "What are we doing differently as a couple, family, or group?" If your goal pertains to a change in a relationship with one or more people, ask yourself what sorts of activities you participate in as a group when things are going more smoothly. Often you discover that the group has gotten to know each other well enough that certain behaviors have been neglected - the very behaviors that helped the group to function well!