About Us
St. Matthew’s Episcopal Church, located in Hillsborough, North Carolina, is a parish in the Diocese of North Carolina of about 400 parishioners. Our Sunday attendance averages about 170.
St. Matthew’s Mission
“Feeding God’s people from the abundance of God’s grace”
In 2010, the St. Matthew’s vestry adopted mission and vision statements, and core values to better solidify our identity as a parish. Based upon our mission statement, we share the following vision for St. Matthew’s now and in the future:
To welcome all people to share with us in celebrating Christ’s Eucharistic feast in the tradition of the Episcopal Church.
To nurture a multi-generational community through worship, learning, and fellowship.
To celebrate the gifts of the rich history and heritage of St Matthew’s and look to the future in service and fellowship with our Hillsborough community
To carry the spirit of Christ into the world, both locally and globally, by serving and working in partnership with others.
To encourage each person’s spiritual growth through individual and communal service and ministry.
To show respect and gratitude for the abundance of God’s gifts by caring for God’s world and being mindful of the environment in all we do.
– Adopted by the Vestry, February 23, 2010
Our Core Values
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Worship
We principally fulfill our worship core value by weekly Sunday Eucharist for the entire community in accordance with the Book of Common prayer. We build our other core values with worship at the center: as we are fed on Sunday morning we are able to feed others.
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Heritage
We strive to understand the deep roots of our faith through our worship service and education. We honor the rich heritage of the building left to our care by the founding families. We also recognize the role that St. Matthew’s has played historically in the Hillsborough community and Orange County.
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Fellowship
We enjoy fellowship with each other and with our friends, community, and diocese. Fellowship takes many forms, including our relationship with each other on Sunday mornings, our participation in organized fellowship events, and as a beneficial “by-product” realized during the course of other activities.
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Education
We further Christian education through our many programs for adults, youth, and children. We carry forth our learning into the world through our actions and relationships with others.
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Service to Others
We serve others through outreach programs that extend throughout Hillsborough, Orange County and beyond to people who need help. We seek to carry the gifts of our Sunday morning worship with us, sharing them through our fellowship, service to others, and stewardship of God’s creation.
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Holistic Stewardship
We work together as we strive to be Christian stewards of God’s creation and of the other gifts and blessings that God has given us. We strive to practice holistic stewardship, caring for ourselves, our property and environment, and our finances through the use of our time, talent, and treasure.
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Spiritual Practice
We worship collectively on Sunday morning, and in small groups. We nourish the spirituality of each other and those in need through worship, education, and service to others. We also grow spiritually in smaller groups such as the group book study discussions and care and discernment groups.
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Faith & Arts
We draw on the creative talents of our parishioners to enhance our worship and other programs as an expression of our faith. We are dedicated to making St. Matthew’s a place where the performing and visual arts are valued, for the benefit of the Hillsborough community.