The ECW Stitchery Group meets the third Saturday of each month from 9AM to noon in an "open house" environment. Participants are free to drop in and bring a sewing project or stitchery project of their own to work on independently, or to get coaching in learning a new skill. All are welcome. Contact Ellen Mykkanen via office@stmatthiaswhittier.org for more information.

The Order of the Daughters of the King is an international organization for women whose vision is to call upon the Holy Spirit to help them know and follow Jesus Christ, to make God known to others and to become reflections of God’s love throughout Saint Matthias and the world. In the past year, the DOK sponsored Quiet Days in Advent and Lent open to everyone to prepare spiritually for the celebrations of Christmas and Easter. The Daughters meet monthly on the third Sunday of each month at 1PM in the Chapel. All women in the parish are welcome to explore this option for spiritual growth and community. For more information, contact the Church Office at office@stmatthiaswhittier.org. 

The Saint Elizabeth’s Guild provides additional opportunities for fellowship for the women of Saint Matthias. The group meets at 12 noon on the third Thursday of each month in the Chapel or at the home of one of the group members. Contact Diana Jimeniz via office@stmatthiaswhittier.org for further information.

ECW is the umbrella organization for all women’s ministries of the church and includes opportunities for service, study and spiritual growth. All women of Saint Matthias are welcome. The Saint Matthias chapter meets on the fourth Saturday of each month at 10AM in the Chase Room. For more information, contact the Church Office at office@stmatthiaswhittier.org.

The next meeting of the Bibliophiles Book Club will take place Tuesday, September 1 at 6:30PM via ZOOM. The group will be discussing Framed: Astonishing true stories of wrongful convictions by John Grisham and Jim McCloskey,

"John Grisham is known worldwide for his bestselling novels, but it’s his real-life passion for justice that led to his work with Jim McCloskey of Centurion Ministries, the first organization dedicated to exonerating innocent people who have been wrongly convicted. Together they offer an inside look at the many injustices in our criminal justice system.

A fundamental principle of our legal system is a presumption of innocence, but once someone has been found guilty, there is very little room to prove doubt. These ten true stories shed light on Americans who were innocent but found guilty and forced to sacrifice friends, families, and decades of their lives to prison while the guilty parties remained free. In each of the stories, John Grisham and Jim McCloskey recount the dramatic hard-fought battles for exoneration. They take a close look at what leads to wrongful convictions in the first place and the racism, misconduct, flawed testimony, and corruption in the court system that can make them so hard to reverse.

Impeccably researched and told with page-turning suspense as only John Grisham can deliver, Framed is the story of winning freedom when the battle already seems lost and the deck is stacked against you.”

As we approach that date, Fred Adams will provide information for the ZOOM link. Remember, everyone is welcome to attend and participate even if you haven’t read the selected book. Please join us for the lively discussion and commentary.

Contact Fred Adams or the Parish Office for details on participating with the Bibliophiles.

Fred Adams penned the following invitation to encourage all of us to participate in the Bibliophile's Book Club:

"We the members of the mighty Bibliophiles Book Club of Saint Matthias humbly invite you to join us. Recognizing how busy we all are in our daily lives and work, we have changed our meetings from every month to every 6 weeks beginning on June 3rd. Whew! I feel relieved already. Now that we have more breathing room perhaps more folks can break free for some refreshing conversations and fellowship. We will still meet at 6:30 pm on Zoom. 

The meetings are pretty lively and let me publish once again this well-known fact. You do not have to have read the book! What? -- a book club meeting without having read the book? Yes, indeed. And here's why. While the conversation starts out with a discussion about the book, it inevitably evolves into the larger issues brought out by the author; topics about which each of us often have something to add. So, there is something for everyone!"

Contact Fred or the Parish Office for details on participating with the Bibliophiles.

"Oh the places you'll go! There is fun to be done!"

Dr. Seuss

Bible Study is on a summer hiatus during the months of July and August. It will resume Wednesday, September 2 at 10AM in the Chapel. All are welcome to participate in person or via ZOOM: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88198890910 Meeting ID: 881 9889 0910.

Gentlemen of Saint Matthias, mark your calendars: The next meeting of Men Eating Badly will take place Saturday, September 5 at 8AM at the Greenleaf Café (7203 Greenleaf Avenue) in Historic Uptown Whittier. Join the group to enjoy great conversation, good food, and wonderful fellowship.

"Once a month, a small group of men from Saint Matthias gathers at Greenleaf Café. We call it “Men Eating Badly,” and while the name is offered with a wink, what happens around that table is anything but trivial. Our group is modest in size and simple in format – just some fellas sharing a meal and conversation.

Most of us have collected a few days of living, and all of us bring a few stories, different perspectives, and different ways of seeing the world. And yet, sitting together over coffee and eggs, something quietly meaningful takes place.

Fellowship like this has a way of revealing what we hold in common even as it opens our eyes to where we differ. Over time, those differences become not obstacles but gifts – invitations to move toward one another with greater love and respect.

There is no agenda, no program, no requirements beyond showing up. That simplicity is precisely the point. This is fellowship in one of its most elemental forms: men present to one another, breaking bread, and finding that enough.

All men are welcome at the table. If you’ve been looking for a low-key way to connect with other men in the parish, we’d be glad to have you join us. Watch the bulletin for details on our next gathering!"

Tim Adams

Stephen Ministers are lay people who are trained to work with parishioners going through challenging or stressful times, including a death in the family, job losses, divorce, and many other problems. Stephen Ministers become a friend to their care receivers and compassionate advocates for people who need to be seen, heard, and comforted; they also have resources available to make referrals to professionals if and when a situation demands it. All conversations and visits with Stephen Ministers are absolutely confidential. If you are interested in learning more about this important program, whether you are a person in need or think you might make a good Stephen Minister yourself, please contact the Parish Office at office@stmatthiaswhittier.org. Our current Stephen Leaders are Faye Jackson, Terry Dodd and Sophie McIntosh. The group meets the fourth Sunday of the month at 1PM in the Chapel.

Acceptable Items
Audio
Cassette Recorders, CD Players, Cell Phones, Digital Music Players, Electronic Piano Keyboards, Office Phones, Speakers, Stereos

Visual
Cable Boxes, Cameras, DVD Players, Projectors, Televisions, VCRs

Computer Equipment
Circuit Boards, Cords and Cables, Computer Keyboards, Computer Mice, Fax Machines, Laptops, Mainframes, Modems, Printers/Scanners, Servers, Tablets, Video Game Consoles

Non-Acceptable Items
Air Conditioners, Alkaline Batteries, Bulbs, Ceiling Fans, Large and Small Household Appliances, Microwave Ovens, Fire Extinguishers, Furniture, Refrigerators, Smoke and Fire Detectors, Treadmills