WELCOME
OUR COMMUNITY IS MADE UP OF ALL PEOPLE. REAL PEOPLE,
JUST LIKE YOU.
If you identify as non-binary, trans, female or male...
Black, Indigenous, Chicana/o, Latinx, African, European, Asian, Arabic...
never stepped foot in a church, if you practice a different religion...
agnostic, atheist, a different brand of Christian, or are a lifelong Lutheran...
gay, lesbian, bisexual, queer, questioning or straight…
single, married, divorced, separated, or partnered...
have, or had, addictions, phobias, regrets, or a criminal record...
own your home, rent, live alone or with family, or are unsheltered...
abled, neuro diverse, or a person of differing abilities...
or hold any other identities...
WE'D LOVE TO MEET YOU WHERE YOU ARE, AS YOU ARE
We are committed to racial equity and affirm the dignity of the 2SLGBTQ+ community
OUR TEAM
KACEY HAHN
PASTOR
MARK BEDSAUL
INTERIM DIRECTOR OF CHILDREN, YOUTH, & FAMILY MINISTRIES
CARTER TORGESON
MUSIC AND
MEDIA CURATOR
AIDÉ GUTIERREZ
SUMMER LUNCH
COORDINATOR
JAEMEE KIM
ACCOMPANIST
RACHEL SAN DIEGO
PASTOR
LIBBY LUCIER
CARE AND CONNECTION COORDINATOR
TJ JOHNSTON
FACILITY MANAGER
ANGEL SWANSON
WEDDING AND FUNERAL COORDINATOR
COUNCIL
Back Row: Andrew Pickering, David Hackney, Amanda Bedsaul, Austin Ahlstrom, Kim Browne
Front Row: John Megow, Monica Rivera, Cam Barsness, Haile Yitref
MINISTRIES
After School Program
St. Matthew’s offers a robust Afterschool Program for McKnight Middle School students. Students can participate in free tutoring, interactive cooking classes, video games, arts and crafts, outdoor games, and enrichment activities.
The After School program will resume in the fall of 2024.
Contacts: Debbie Bathurst, Jocelyn Hernandez
Adult Senior Group
Our group for Adult Senior (anyone with many years of living) meet for occasional field trips during the week to restaurants, museums, and many more fun adventures. If you think you are eligible for this group, you are!
Contact: Pat Lee
Building and Grounds Team
The grounds of St. Matthew’s are lovingly cared for by a group of volunteers who tend to the building and grounds as an act of stewardship. We're always looking for more people to help!
Contacts: TJ Johnston, Ken Gunderson
Worship at the
Youth Detention Center
Three times a year St. Matthew’s leads a bible study and worship for youth at the King County Detention Center.
Contact: Chimene Lautenslager
Music and Arts
St. Matthew’s welcomes all musicians to create and be supported in their artistic endeavors. Whether one wants to ring handbells, sing in a chorale, or jam in the band, there is a musical outlet for it. With multiple outdoor events, Holy Day services, and online meetings, there are many ways in which to engage in music-making. There are also opportunities for drama, writing and liturgical art!
Contact: Carter Torgeson
Church Finances Team
Are you good with numbers or have a knack for organizing budgets? You’ll help manage our finances, ensure we can support our various ministries, and make a real impact. No professional finance experience is required—just a willingness to learn and a heart for service.
Contacts: Leighton Lien (Treasurere), Jacki Kirklin (Financial Secretary)
Can Do Group
The Can Do Group gathers weekly on the St. Matthew’s campus. They sew quilts and matching hats and booties. These items, along with gently used or new baby clothes for babies newborn to 1 year old, are included in a beautiful package. Completed packages are given to the King County Renton/ Kent Public Health Dept. for distribution.
Contacts: Kathy Carris, Laura Lines
Food Hub
Thousands of pounds of gleaned food each week go to relief organizations, including St Matthews. We have volunteer opportunities to help out once a week to stock the food hub.
Contact: Angel Swanson
SMART Team
St. Matthew’s Anti-Racism Team (SMART) was formed to help fight against racism. Working with an understanding that anti-racism is God’s work, as a team, we make change by listening to our siblings of color and actively speaking out against racism in ourselves, within our church body, and in our communities. Leadership roles on the team rotate during the year to distribute workload.
Spiritual Care Companions
This dedicated group of people are equipped and dedicated to hear, in confidence, your experience of pain, trauma and grief with support, confidence and non-judgment. Call the church office for a referral!
Contact: Pastor Kacey Hahn
Transitions Group
The Transitions Group meets once a month on a Saturday morning to discuss life transitions, share resources and offer support to one another. (On break during the summer, will resume in September.)
Contact: Marissa Singleton
Stewardship Team
Stewardship is a joyful journey that brings us closer to who God is calling all of us to be – stewards of God’s gifts every day! The Stewardship Team helps to tell the stories of how God’s generosity flows through St. Matthew’s and out to the greater Renton community.
Contacts: Greg McDole, Dana Rollison
Adopt-a-Family Program
For the last 40 years, St. Matthew’s has partnered with Public Health and Meadow Crest Learning Center to provide gifts and food for over 55 families. Members of the St. Matthew’s community provide resources to support local families. Contacts: Barb Connor, Judy Craig,
Julie Johnston, and Diane Penoyer
OUR COMMUNITY IS MADE UP OF ALL PEOPLE JUST LIKE YOU.
YOU'LL FIND OUR VALUES AND PRACTICES IN ACTION
As a community, we align to these values, and actively commit to them in practice.
VALUE:
Story
PRACTICE:
Listening
Listening is a radical act of love and learning. When we listen to the unique story of another person, without the desire to dominate, correct, or manipulate, God leads us into a holy, transformative space. The practice of listening expands our ability to empathize with others and discover that we are connected to God and God’s global human family.
VALUE:
Welcome
PRACTICE:
Hospitality
Hospitality is more than a smile and a cup of hot coffee. Practicing hospitality is primarily about openness and seeing the face of God in all people. It is a posture rooted and grounded in love. When the Spirit leads us to practice hospitality, we move beyond artificial boundaries and arbitrary walls to cultivate meaningful relationships that are mutual, compassionate and safe.
VALUE:
Humor
PRACTICE:
Playing
God intends for us to have abundant joy! When we practice play as a community, we find delight in connection, spontaneity, and not taking ourselves too seriously. Just as children discover the intricacies of the world through play, we too are invited to continue to wonder and create and laugh. We are not perfect, never will be, so let’s not fake it, but rest in the grace of God.
VALUE:
Hands that Care
PRACTICE:
Restoring
God delights when we roll up our sleeves and tend to eco-justice, racial reconciliation, affirming LGBTQIAA+ siblings, eradicating poverty and homelessness, and advocating for the healing of all bodies, minds and spirits. There is no person or system too broken for God’s grace and justice to bring restoration. When the Spirit inspires us to practice restoration, we become co-conspirators with God, mending everything that is fractured, misaligned or unjust.
VALUE:
Cross
PRACTICE:
Dwelling
Christianity’s most radical claim is this: God takes on a human form in Jesus. Both ordinary and extraordinary, Jesus walks, talks, eats, heals, cries, dies and rises not for his sake, but for the sake of the world. Jesus dwells with those who suffer and offers hope to the despairing. Jesus’ life, death and resurrection point to the ridiculous notion that GOD IS WITH US. As followers of the Way, we are called to be present and responsive to the pain of others, dwelling in heartache and celebrating in promise of new life.
"Love ain't a
Thing
Love is a
VERB"
John Mayer
OFFICE HOURS
Monday - Thursday
10:00am - 4:00pm
Closed Fridays and Saturdays
Ring the doorbell, or
call and make an appointment
(425) 226-2420
Our staff is available and ready
to connect with you. Please call or email!
CONTACT INFO
1700 Edmonds Ave NE
Renton, WA 98056
(425) 226-2420
connect@stmatthewsrenton.org
24-Hour Prayer Request and Spiritual Care Line (text or call):
A church within the
Northwest Washington Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America (ELCA)