Welcome Friends

And thank you for visiting our web site. We hope that your visit here will encourage you to join us in one of the many worship and fellowship opportunities we offer each week at St. Matthew's.

At St. Matthew's we believe that our individual and corporate relationship with Christ is at the heart of our life in the Church. Prayer and worship together are essential and the essence of our life and mission both as individuals and as a church.

In order to "know Christ and make Him known," we place a high priority in fellowship, Christian Education and Outreach Ministries. Through fellowship, we seek to know and support one another. By providing Christian Education for all ages we attempt to better know Christ and His will for our lives, while through our Outreach Ministries we strive to make Christ's Love known in our world.

Worship defines those times when we deliberately step out of our routines to come before God in praise, adoration and prayer. At St. Matthew's we believe that worship is done by all the people, so you are encouraged to pray fervently, praise from your heart, listen intently, join in the responses and sing enthusiastically.

We are delighted to welcome as a member of St. Matthew's any who profess faith in Jesus Christ. Join us as we all seek to grow and serve Him in this community.
Yours in Christ,

Chuck Alley

Click here to read a brief biography about our Rector, along with our other staff members.

Little has changed,

other than we have publically acknowledged and conformed ourselves to the theological and liturgical anarchy that is the Episcopal Church. Yes, we have slipped another 100 miles further down the slippery slope. But I am reminded that we are a church whose head is Jesus Christ and not a human Presiding Bishop. We can take heart that Jesus has promised to be with us (Matthew 28:20). God’s word to us is a word of encouragement. We are not called to win the battles, for they are not ours, but God’s. We will be judged only by one criterion – our obedience to God. So with Joshua we receive God’s promise in faith. Read Chuck's thoughts on the 77th Annual Convention of the Episcopal Church.

Our Clergy's Statement in Response to General Convention 2009

Read our clergy's response to the General Convention.

Also, listen to and/or read our Rector's 7/19/2009 sermon titled The Shepherdless, based on Mark 6:30-45,53-56. While our denomination may appear "shepherdless" at this time, "Jesus sees that we are sheep without a shepherd and has compassion on us...He comes into the emptiness of our lives and offers us fruitfulness, meaning and purpose. He applies his healing Spirit to our brokenness and makes us whole."

Our Clergy's Statements About the Diocese of Virginia and the National Church

While repudiating some actions by the Diocese and the National Chuch, our clergy see St. Matthew's mission as clearly proclaiming the Gospel within the Episcopal Church. We believe this to be the place where God has called us to do His work. Read Clergy Statement About the Diocese and the National Church.

Communion Partners

Our clergy participate in several groups of evangelical laity, clergy, and bishops who are committed to staying in the Episcopal Church, in particular Communion Partners and the Anglican Communion Institute. Read a presentation by Rev. Chuck Alley, our Rector, titled, The Communion Partner Vision - A View from the Trenches, given at the Hierarchy and the Episcopal Church Conference in Dallas in February, 2010. Also, read Rev. Alley's 2009 presentation, Standing Together, given at the '09 spring meeting of Communion Partners. Communion Partners also published an article by Rev. Alley, titled, Anglican Conservatives – Different Strategies or Different Goals?

As a member of Communion Partners Clergy, Chuck traveled in April 2010 to Singapore. He preached at St. Andrew's Cathedral, investigated mission opportunities there, and attended the Fourth Anglican Global South to South Encounter as an invited observer. Click here to read his reflections on the Encounter.

For even more insight into these issues, read Rev. Alley's January 2009 article, What Is It About Being an Episcopalian?

Our Mission

"To know Christ and to make Him known through the power of the Holy Spirit, by devotion to Christ, fellowship within the church and the revelation of God's nature in
word and deed."

Click here to read more about our mission and values.

St. Matthew's History

Click here to read how St. Matthew's started 60 years ago at the edge of the suburbs.

Directions to St. Matthew's

Click here to see a map and get point-to-point driving directions to St. Matthew's Episcopal Church.