Capital Campaign
HISTORY
I became rector of St. Matthew’s in 1986. At that time we met in a single room rented from the Community Church in Corona del Mar. It was a hidden, inaccessible space; not a great setting for mission. In the summer of 1987, I was a little depressed about the whole thing and wondered whether I ought to update my resume and start looking for other work. I called my good friend, the late Bishop John Cahoon (may he rest in peace and rise in glory). He asked, “What is the plan?” I said, “The plan is to give it two years.” He said, “Then give it two years.”
We moved from the Community Church the following year and met for about two years at the Zonta Club across the street from Newport Harbor High School. Then, we leased space in a retail shopping center on Westcliff Drive for about ten years. In 1995 we made an offer on our current property. We signed the documents for purchase in 1997—exactly ten years from the time I had serious doubts about the future of St. Matthew’s. God is always faithful.
As we planned to build, we met regularly to pray and talk about how to be faithful with the opportunity God was giving us. How would we develop an outward, mission-oriented focus in our church? How would we open new doors of entry? How would someone who knows nothing about us progress from visitor to member? This conversation has been the single most important part of the growth of our church. Since we moved to Ford Road in Pentecost of 2002, our prayers and planning have born significant fruit. By God’s grace, we have grown, added staff and expanded our ministry in several directions. Now it is time to pray about and plan for the next season of opportunity God is placing before us.
MISSION
When I first came to St. Matthew’s, being a traditional Anglican was strange. Times have changed. People are tired of the latest new thing in religion and the highly subjective and emotional character of cultural Christianity. There is now a hunger for “the faith…once delivered unto the saints” which we have continued to believe and practice (Jude 3). People are coming to us and being changed by the experience of the life of prayer in our community. God is showing us new and expansive missionary opportunities in these circumstances.
We are being called, not only to build up St. Matthew’s Church, but also to play a central role in the renewal of traditional Anglican faith across our country and around the world. God has brought many gifted people to St. Matthew’s Church and many new doors of opportunity are opening for us. We are already expanding our mission throughout Orange County and southern California. We moved our Sunday evening service to St. Andrew’s Church in Los Alamitos. A significant part of our community lives in the north county area. They gather locally to nurture and celebrate life in Christ, while remaining connected to St. Matthew’s. This is a model for our future mission efforts. We are looking to establish similar outposts in other areas in the future.
We are also involved in discussions with churches around the country about mission and evangelism. We have been encouraging them to join us in fasting and praying for the growth of our churches. With our gifted staff and lay people, we are able to be a resource for others.
We are building relationships with traditional Anglican brethren in places like Africa and India. We plan to strengthen these ties by sending people from our church to work with them, and having people from overseas spend time with us. We will be hosting our Provincial Synod in fall of 2013, which we envision as a global and domestic missions gathering.
CAMPAIGN
We have reached the point where our growth and mission require additional space. The most immediate need is for the expansion of our social and classroom space. We have plans for an expanded patio area with two outdoor rooms that will accommodate social functions and classes. We can build the expanded patio in a relatively short time while we are engaged in the fund raising and planning necessary to build the church, which will take a few years to complete.
A larger facility will assist us in our mission by providing a place for the people God will send to us. It is important to remember that constructing a church building is not the goal of our ministry. The goal of our ministry is to reach out to the world around us so that people will be drawn to Christ and experience conversion of the heart and spiritual growth. We pray that the new building will be a place where people learn to worship God in the beauty of holiness, and a place for making new disciples and training a new generation of leaders in the church. We also pray that our building will be an outward and visible sign of our faith in Jesus Christ.
A successful capital campaign requires more than money. It requires a community that is committed to the mission of the church. This is why we have begun our capital campaign with a season of fasting and prayer. We are fasting and praying for personal renewal and growth for each member of our church, for the ability to reach out effectively to people in new ways, and for God’s provision for our needs.
God has done remarkable things at St. Matthew’s over the years through our committed and generous community of people who faithfully work, pray and give for the spread of the Kingdom. Your role in this campaign is to participate in this new work God is doing in our church. Fast and pray with us. Find the place to use your gifts. Give sacrificially and generously in relationship to your circumstances. God will take care of the rest. God is always faithful.
The Rev’d Canon Fr. Stephen Scarlett