Vision Statement

Boldly and simply, our vision is  to provide a loving space for ourselves and our neighbors to explore, learn, believe and serve without judgment. We seek to embody the love of Christ in our daily lives.  We humbly strive to practice what we preach.

Core Values

Centered in the gospel by Word and Sacrament and fostering spiritual growth for all, we value:

• Welcoming community

• Joyful celebration of diversity

• Ecumenical witness

• Nourishing liturgical worship

Central to Christian sight is the Christian cross.  It announces the darkness and ultimate last laugh that God accomplished through the life, death and resurrection of our Savior, Jesus Christ. 

A Celtic cross tops the 60-foot steeple of Ascension St. Matthew’s Church and is a prominent image throughout the building.  This cross, which dates back to the seventh century, renders four windows; these windows are framed by the nimbus or ring of this cross. 

The four windows of this particular form of the Christian cross provide a vantage point.  Think of the way a magnifying glass or telescope allows a child of any age to focus. Similarly, these windows of the Celtic cross clarify our sights. In the “reset” that the 2020 pandemic presented, the congregation is renewing its vision.   As the congregation “surveys the wondrous cross”, as hymn writer Isaac Watts penned centuries ago, the people of Ascension St. Matthew’s also survey and lay the course for next steps. 

We understand that God is faithfully charting a new course for and with us and all of creation.  When a community gathers for worship, “intentions” or prayer requests are offered.  The Ascension St. Matthew’s congregation continues to set its intentions, course and future as God leads.  Christ’s cross calls us out of ourselves for the sake of the neighbor.    

Were the whole realm of nature mine, that were a present far too small; love so amazing, so divine, demands my soul, my life, my all.