05/12/2026
James Maddox shares his thoughts of gratitude for St. Matthew's:
Before deciding on St. Matthews as our church home, my wife and I had explored many parishes in the area. Some were from sects that I had encountered in my youth, such as Presbyterian. It was natural to revisit what you knew once in the hopes of finding comfort in the familiar. Some were entirely new, such as Methodist and even Eastern Orthodox. It is also natural to seek fresh inspiration by opening a new chapter. One was also Episcopalian, a sect that we had recently encountered in Virginia, in part because it was within walking distance of our home, but more so because it took seriously the power of the mind to pe*****te ideas and implied confidence that in doing so, one could uncover deep spiritual truths that would anchor the soul in a way that belief alone could not. The parishes we visited clearly had beauty and goodness in their communities and were making efforts to further their journeys towards more beauty and more goodness, and we were grateful for the time spent in those places, however brief.
But when we came to St. Matthews for a visit some six or seven years ago, there was something even more beautiful to us that made us want to stay, that makes us want to stay still, and which has, by degrees, welcomed us into ever-larger circles of service within the Christian community - to give back and say “thank you” and as a natural evolution towards taking care of others as we are cared for ourselves. What we encountered was love, old as the hills, and as fresh as the spring rain. It wasn’t loud, it wasn’t pushy, it wasn’t preachy. No one quoted the Bible to me or gave me a test of my spiritual beliefs. There was no pressure, and there were no demands. They just showed us love. We were not metrics to increase the membership tally. We were not potential donors to help fill the church's coffers. We were not voices to bolster the choir or hands and feet to do acts of service. We were children of God, and the way in which we were received made that clear, and that’s why we stayed. I’m reminded of a verse that I’m sure you know well…
Love is patient, love is kind. It is not jealous, is not pompous, it is not inflated, it is not rude. It does not seek its own interests, it is not quick-tempered, it does not brood over injury, it does not rejoice over wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth.
It is one thing to read such things, but quite another to experience them. And when you experience them, you don’t need to read them, because you’re living them; the scriptures are now in the very air you breathe, and so is He. Now, I’m almost certain that for the people that we encountered that day, it was just another day. There was no special preparation or planning, no strategy or gameplan. It was natural. And that is the beauty of it, because it means that in private, when others weren’t looking, they had been trying to live as Christians as best they could, in whatever way it meant to them, which in our case manifested as genuine care, interest, humor, well-wishing, and affection. They clearly cared about us in those initial greetings and conversations, not themselves. At St. Matthews we found Christians being Christians naturally in spite of all of the things that life threw their way and which life throws everyone’s way. And we just wanted to be a part of that.
Roll the years forward to today, and along the way our whole family has grown with the church by teaching Sunday school and attending Sunday school, acolyting, caring for little ones in the nursery, both attending and chaperoning youth activities, staying at Camp McDowell, a baptism, attending mission trips, participating on various committees, including representing St. Matthew’s to other parish leaders, and who knows what next?
So, all of this is just to simply say, “thank you, St. Matthews”, and to remind you of how special you are. Thank you for being who and what you are. Thank you for making space for us to take part in your journey and to help us grow together. And thank you for helping St. Matthews continue to be a place where love, authenticity, and laughter accompany us on our journey to ever deeper communion with the mystery and majesty that lie at the heart of the Christian faith, reminding us all that whatever we appear to the world, in truth we are all children of God. And that is more than enough to uplift a life, a church, a community, indeed, a world…
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