Pastor | Christian Educator | Music Director | Organist
Office Administrator
Pastor
William P. Matthews, Jr. (“Matt”)
Bio Statement: I was born and raised in the presbyterian church. There was never a time when weekly worship attendance, the giving of tithes and offerings, and fellowship with church friends and neighbors was not a part of my routine. I grew up hearing words like 'stewardship' at least once each fall, John Calvin felt like a distant cousin, and the word 'grace' was like grits at Shoney’s: it came with breakfast whether you ordered it or not. I learned early that the church was filled with imperfect people, crusty saints, sinners like me. I felt right at home.
My older sisters had married and moved away by the time I was in first grade, so I was raised almost like an 'only child' by a mom and a dad who tried to live their creed of respecting and loving others in God’s name. Dad was of the silent generation and he would rather have had fixed your plumbing or weeded your garden than talk about his faith. But he had it, evidenced in small ways such as the dinner prayer he prayed at every one of mom’s servings of homemade slow food. While I secretly pride myself in being able to mix my prayers up as an adult, I can hardly utter my late father’s prayer without weeping. It has become written in my heart.
My mother continues to epitomize grace, not because of her perfection (she isn’t) but because of her tenacity. Grace keeps giving us chances and always looks at you in a kindly, hopeful way. When I peer through the mirror dimly, I see the outline of Mom’s face.
There are other faces. Among my earliest formal lessons in theology were those gotten standing on my side of the coveted ping pong table in our church fellowship hall. Rev. Andrews stood on the other side and let me ramble and ask questions and try out concepts such as predestination and topspin. He steadily hit everything back, both the balls and the questions.
I studied journalism at Virginia Commonwealth University, then went to Union Seminary in Richmond. I was the studio manager of a presbyterian church's small radio station during those years, played volleyball in the field behind Lingle Hall, studied Rheinhold Neibuhr with fear and trembling under John Leith, and met a marvelous woman from Texas named Rachel.
I followed Rachel to her first call in Arkansas a year after she let me marry her. I took a call at First Presbyterian Church across the Arkansas River in Dardanelle, in the shadow of Dardanelle Rock and at the foot of steep Mount Nebo. We watched movies, lead youth trips, supported the presbytery camp, and were nurtured by wonderful saints in the River Valley.
Joseph was born before we left Arkansas, and, after accepting a call to Simonsdale Presbyterian Church in Portsmouth, Virginia, Benjamin and John Mark came along. God has blessed us by entrusting these charming boys (ages 13, 9, and 7) to our care. They are a mystery and delight, full of questions. I still don’t know why the sky is blue, but I’m pretty sure God doesn’t make the kitchen microwave work.
Rachel, a pastoral counselor and frequent workshop leader and supply preacher, is working on her D.Min. at Garrett Evangelical Seminary in Evanston, Illinois, in pastoral counseling and psychotherapy. She has finished her residency at Tidewater Pastoral Counseling Service, Inc., and is active in the American Association of Pastoral Counselors.
I enjoy writing, playing with my boys, dinner dates and arty movies with Rachel, and inventing chords on my six string. I am shopping two novels to agents: Mercy Creek is for young adults, and A Reason to be Glad is a novel of stories about Maggie Henry’s observations about the faith at the Presbyterian Church in Evidence Gap on Virginia’s Eastern Shore. I have stalled in the writing of my third play. I am overjoyed to have begun my work as pastor at St. Giles Presbyterian Church. God is good. (All the time).
Credo
I believe God is love and, that by sheer grace, God loves sinners like me. My response is---with joy and thanks, and with the help of God’s Spirit---to say “yes” to God’s irresistible invitation, likewise, to love God, self and neighbor by seeking justice, loving kindness, and walking humbly in the way of Jesus the Christ.
I believe God is Sovereign, Lord of all that is, seen and unseen.
I believe we see God most clearly when we look at Jesus, God’s son. In Christ we find the perfect shepherd willing to lay down his life for the flock. God anointed Jesus to proclaim good news to all people, and because of his redemptive work---his life, death, and resurrection---Jesus is our great high priest, prophet, and king.
I believe God sustains us by the power of the Holy Spirit. “I will not leave you orphaned,” are among Jesus’ most heartening words. God’s Spirit is always present as a light that shines, a fire that burns, a water that soothes, and as the eternal embrace of God’s disparate brood.
I believe that without God in our lives, something is missing. We are, in fact, miserable without the assurance of knowing that we “belong, body and soul, in life and in death, not to [ourselves]” but to God. Christ delivers us from our misery by knitting us into the household of God.
I believe that the sacraments of baptism and holy communion are visible signs of God’s invisible grace and thereby nourish, encourage, and teach us, as do the words of both the Old and New Testaments which are God’s trustworthy word for us.
I believe that God calls us to be good stewards of our lives, using all we’ve been given for the common good.
I believe everyone falls short of God’s glory. While God endowed us with good gifts, we are lower than the angels and called always to bow down and look up seeking God’s forgiveness for the ways we mar God’s image in self and others.
I believe God isn’t through with me yet. God is doing something good in my flesh, still shaping, still bringing into bloom something that God will more fully use as a blessing in the world. God is active and present doing something good in all of creation, coaxing shalom and beauty from even the most wretched newspaper headlines. This good news gives us every reason to have hope for our future and, with our whole being, to trust God’s providential care and amazing grace.
With awe, and thanks, my words echo those of Julian of Norwhich, 'All will be well. All will be well. All manner of everything will be well.'
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Christian Educator:
Graduating from the University of Kentucky with a degree in English, Laurie Snyder, began her educational career teaching high school English in Lexington, KY. With a move to Louisville, KY, Laurie tutored students in remedial English for the University of Louisville and later with yet another move, did two long-term subbing assignments in Ohio. Education has always been an important part of her life, but specifically Christian Education has been her love. She served for five years on the Christian Education committee, taught Sunday school, LOGOS, and VBS, and served on several ad hoc church committees. Laurie and her family moved to Greenville in 1993 and joined St. Giles that year. Laurie became a staff member in 1997, where she serves as the Christian Education Facilitator. Laurie and her husband Bob have two children, a daughter, Alex, and a son, Jimmy. Other interests including reading and traveling.
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Music Director:
Charlene Means, a native of Lancaster, SC, has always been active in church and began working with church music at age 9. Her piano teacher, Mrs. Sarah Walker deserves alot of the credit for Charlene's love for music and love for church music. During her first three years of college she served as Music Director/Organist at a Methodist church. She is a graduate of Winthrop College in Rock Hill, SC, where she received her B.S. in Piano Pedagogy. Charlene began her ministry as Music Director at St. Giles Presbyterian in April, 2002 and also teaches several piano students. My hobbies include reading, gardening, riding a Honda Goldwing motorcycle with my husband and music, music, music.
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Organist:
Cassie Boyd is our new organist, photo and bio available soon.
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Office Adminstrator:
Wanda Allison is a native of Greenville, SC, and has been employed with the church since May 1994. Prior to that she was employed by Dun & Bradstreet for eleven years. Wanda and her husband Robbie have three children, two daughters, Ashley and Rene’, and a son, Rob. Her hobbies include reading, watching movies, and spending time with family and friends.
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