GO

Service Through Christ’s Work Together

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Each week, God meets us in His Word, at His Supper, and returns us to the Font. Here He gives us gifts in Jesus Christ that this world cannot give – forgiveness, life, and salvation. And so, our Gathering, Growing, and GOING might begin anew each Sunday, but they certainly don’t end there!

God created humans to be body and soul creatures. So, our call by Jesus to go baptize and teach (Matthew 28:19-20) and to love our neighbor as ourself (Matthew 22:38-39) isn’t just a call to GO to half a person, but to serve and love the whole person – body and soul.

That means we at Saint Matthew care about our neighbor’s spiritual life – that they know the overwhelming love God has for them in His Son, Jesus Christ. That they understand their worth, and meaning, and purpose, and identity is grounded in a self-sacrificing God who will stop at nothing to make them part of His eternal family – even His own death. That is a spiritual healing worth sharing.

That also means we at Saint Matthew care about our neighbor’s physical life too – that they know the suffering and unmet needs of this life are temporary, and there is an eternal physical fulfillment that we point to as Jesus followers that is yet to come. Its why Christ’s people have always cared for the poor, the sick, the challenged, the oppressed – because life in Jesus points us to something greater – the physical new life that is to come when Jesus returns. So, God’s people work to make small glimpses of what is to come, a reality even now.

To this end, Saint Matthew has had a long past of sharing this Good News of Jesus in body and soul with those around us in Barrington, those in the greater Chicagoland community, and even beyond our national borders. To this continued end, St. Matthew has committed itself to the following:

BODY

• Support our community through a variety of human care efforts by either creating or hosting human care events and programing, or providing volunteer resources to other churches and care entities toward the same ends
• Embody a thoughtful stewardship of Saint Matthew’s campus, ensuring it is equipped to serve current ministry needs, and is a blessing for us to pass on to the next generation

SOUL

• Actively engage the Barrington community with the Gospel of Jesus Christ
• Equip members to share their faith and their church family with others
• Partner with area LCMS churches for international missions in Belize
• Partner with area LCMS churches for local missions in the Chicagoland area