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The Messenger March 2026

Edition 65

²⁵On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?”

²⁶“What is written in the Law?” he replied. “How do you read it?”

²⁷He answered, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’”

²⁸“You have answered correctly,” Jesus replied. “Do this and you will live.”

²⁹But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” (Luke 10)

Dear friends,

I invite you to meditate on the Great Commandment in a world that wants to justify its love, compassion, and justice to disenfranchise and dismember anyone who doesn’t fit its criteria of neighbor.

LOVE GOD WITH EVERYTHING YOU HAVE AND

LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AND LOVE YOURSELF

CHANGE THE WORLD

These days call for a church that is merciful to all and abounding in steadfast love. These days call us to be students of compassion and the way of Jesus, who emptied himself out for others, taking the form of a servant. During this Lent, let us confess our lack of unconditional love for God, others, and self; let us repent and make room for more love and less apathy. I preach to myself in these words and invite you into such contemplation for yourself and us.

I am reminded of Eli Wiesel’s quote: “The Opposite of Love is not Hate, it’s Indifference. The opposite of art is not ugliness, it’s indifference. The opposite of faith is not heresy, it’s indifference. And the opposite of life is not death, it’s indifference.”

Elie Wiesel, a Holocaust survivor and Nobel laureate argued that indifference—not hate—is the most dangerous, insidious force because it enables suffering and ignores humanity, effectively treating people as non-entities.

This is our aspiration as a community, as Jesus preached from Isaiah in Luke 4:

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,

because he has anointed me

to bring good news to the poor.

He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives

and recovery of sight to the blind,

to set free those who are oppressed,

¹⁹to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”

²⁰And he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant, and sat down. The eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him. ²¹Then he began to say to them, “Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.”

Let us us live such a fulfillment for such a time as this.

In Christ,

Father Joe

Enjoy a relaxed time and a beverage with your St. Matt’s wardens, Mark Flanders and Donna Wyatt. We want to hear from you and share the many ways that St. Matt’s needs you. What excites you about St. Matt’s? What concerns you? Mark and Donna and others will be there for fun, conversation, learning and listening. Come!

Ladies' Holy Happy Hour

Women of St. Matt's and their friends are invited to gather at the PTL House (30 E. College Ave., Westerville) for an informal time of conversation and discussion.

Wednesday, March 4

6:30 pm PTL House

This month's theme:

What is your nagging question for God?.

Please bring a pot-luck item to share. Wine provided.

A Lenten Offering

Not to Miss:

Pray as you Go

Click here to listen to Pray as you Go, a guided prayer, every day.

This online Lenten recording is highly recommended by St. Matt's parishioners. A meditative session of beautiful music juxtaposed with a Bibllical references lends consistency to your Lenten journey.

Meditation sessions use Ignatian spirituality, a practice of prayer based on the spiritual exercises created by St Ignatius of Loyola. Imagination in prayer was really important to Ignatius, and he encouraged the use of all of our senses, allowing for a creatively deep moment with Jesus through the scriptures.

Fr. Joe to Speak at

Lenten School

Monday, March 23

7:00 PM – 8:30 PM

St. Stephen's Episcopal Church

30 W. Woodruff Avenue, Columbus

St. Stephen's is offering a series of five presentations that follow Jesus through cycles of death and rebirth. Every evening there will be a speaker followed by small group discussion and prayer.

Rev. Dr. Joseph Kovitch will present on "Healing" and how individuals and communities adjust to new ways of being after healing takes place. Fr. Joe will guide the conversation on healing through the lens of his work as a pediatric chaplain and someone who lives with a disability. Click HERE to see the entire series of Monday evening events.

Opportunities to Serve

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Otterbein's Promise House

Donations of cereal are always welcome by the students at Otterbein. Office hours of the PTL House are M-F 9 am-1 pm. Stop in with your donations.

Street Church

St. Matthew's will be serving a hot meal at Street Church on March 8 in downtown Columbus. If you would like to help that effort in any way, contact Marsha at 614-477-9122.

Support Immigrant-Owned Businesses

Click HERE a list of immigrant-owned businesses that may be of interest, compiled by Community Refugee and Immigration Services (CRIS).

Pancake meal at the PTL House for Shrove Tuesday. Thank you, Marsha and Jo Ann!

Street Church was difficult to set up due to the snowstorm days before. Even though the parking lot had not been scraped, the team managed to serve a meal as usual. The lower two photos are courtesy of our Diocese' newsletter. (The diocesan Transitions Minister, the Rev. Melanie Slane was visiting St. John's and gave the simple sermon that day in the cold.)

Ash Wednesday Services at the Pray.Think.Love House

Vestry Retreat. St. Matthew’s vestry retreat will be held Saturday morning, March 28, at the PTL House.

Where is Mother Abby? The Rev. Abeoseh Flemister (AKA Mother Abby) is St. Matt's ambassador when she is not with us on Sundays. Last month she preached and led the services at St. Mary's Episcopal Church in Hillsboro, and she plans to do so again at the same church on March the 15th!

Kairos Preparation. Glenn M. tells us Kairos teams have begun formation for the upcoming April Kairos Weekend at Marion Correctional Institution, and they will need a lot of cookies (4,200 dozen to be precise.) The pickup dates are April 14 and 15. More info to come.

A Gardener's Opportunity. We have been given permission to place a planter at the entrance of the Otterbein Chapel if we can maintain it properly. Please contact Donna Wyatt to learn more.

Regarding our friend Clifton F. who fell after the recent snowstorm, Mother Abby tells us: "...we give thanks to God for the solution: family, hospital, the Christian Community, etc. available to us when the unexpected happens to the 'Unexpected'. Clifton is recovering nicely following the surgery, Dr's. instructions, elevating the leg, coupled with medications. His post surgical visit is March the 5th. He fractured his right leg Tibia and ankle. Clifton appreciates the prayers and goodwill messages toward him from the congregations..."

When Donna W. asked for a photo for The Messenger, Clifton himself sent the photo above along with this commentary: "Hi Donna, Abby said you wanted a picture {as proof that I actually have a broken foot} and not just trying to get out of work. As you can see, I have an elevated foot, and have books, laptop and tablet around me. Most of the books are the ones I have yet to read, or are reference books. There is very little pain. Thanks to all for the caring.

Sunday Conversations with Refreshments/Coffee

Sundays after the 10:30 am Worship Service, Otterbein Chapel, 88 Cochran Alley.

WholeHeart Tuesdays

Tuesdays, 6:30 pm. Pray.Think.Love House

An hour of prayerful conversation from poetry or current book led by Fr. Joseph. The group is studying Black Liturgies by Cole Arthur Riley.

Ladies' Holy Happy Hour

Every 1st Wednesday, 6:30 pm, Pray.Think.Love House

Ladies, join us for a chance to meet new friends and catch up with old ones. A meal will be served plus wine.

Pause and Paint

Every 2nd Monday, 7-8 pm, Pray.Think.Love. House

A meditative, Christ-centered time with artist Mah Leah Cochran, designed to unite the community through creative expression.

PIMIL

Partners-in-Ministry-in-Liberia

Have you ever thought about sponsoring the education of a student in Liberia through St. Matthew’s Partners-in-Ministry-in-Liberia, PIMIL? The ministry overall has paid for over 2000 school years’ worth of education for several hundred young people in Liberia. This is an extremely cost-effective investment in the lives of the students and their families and in the country’s development. Liberia suffered through a civil war for almost 20 years at the turn of this century, resulting in the country’s educational system and infrastructure being devasted.

There is a critical need for tuition assistance for students. One reason the PIMIL investment in the education of students is cost-effective is because it is cheap by American standards.

Below is what it costs to sponsor a student.

Kindergarten-Primary Students (K-3rd Grades), $200 per year

Elementary Students (4 th -6 th Grades), $250 per year

Junior High Students (7 th -9 th Grades), $300 per year

Senior High Students (10 th -12 th Grades), $350 per year

Please consider if God is calling you to contribute to this ministry, and contact Mother

Abby or PIMIL Council leader Greg Leaf to learn more.