YOU are Welcome! | St. Matthew's Episcopal Church Fairbanks

Welcome! We are so glad you’re here!

St. Matthew’s has been part of the life of Fairbanks since 1904, and is housed in a historic log building, near downtown Fairbanks, just across from the Chena River.

We offer a Holy space to rest for a bit and engage with our diverse congregation, worshiping in the Episcopal tradition.

Welcome – Wander around our website – Come worship with us in person or online!

Who We Are

We the people of St. Matthew's Episcopal Church, Fairbanks, Alaska receive God's love and are becoming a warm and loving community who share that love with ALL God's Children.

What to Expect

Whether you are new to the ways of worship in the Episcopal tradition, or if you've been an Episcopalian 'forever' - we are glad you are with us!

We use the Book of Common Prayer (BCP) for our liturgies - most regularly using Rite 2, with the more contemporary language. You can find an online version of the BCP at www.bcponline.org, if you'd like to check out our service…

What is the Episcopal Church

We Episcopalians believe in a loving, liberating, and life-giving God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

We believe in following the teachings of Jesus Christ, whose life, death, and resurrection saved the world.

We have a legacy of inclusion, aspiring to tell and exemplify God's love for every human being; women and men serve as bishops, priests, and deacons in our church. Layp…

History

"I made the claim for this Church that it meant light: that it meant more light here in Fairbanks." - Archdeacon Stuck, 1904

So wrote Archdeacon Stuck about the first services held at St. Matthew's. It was Sunday, October 16th, 1904. The Church filled for services both morning and night. Though an Episcopal service (thanks to the mission in Circle) had been held the previous year…

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St. Matthew’s has been part of the life of Fairbanks since 1904, and is housed in a historic log building, near downtown Fairbanks, just across from the Chena River.

We offer a Holy space to rest for a bit and engage with our diverse congregation, worshiping in the Episcopal tradition.

Welcome – Wander around our website – Come worship with us in person or online!

What to Expect What is the Episcopal Church

During the summer months we hope to be doing Mass on the Grass as long as the weather cooperates. When the weather is not so great we will go inside the Church with. Our beautiful building is old and has no air ventilation, therefore all indoor services at this time will require masks to be worn.

When we are inside for worship we are live-stream our services. Please join in our worship opportunities.

Love God, Love Your Neighbor...Practice Kindness, it's contagious... and... wash your hands. We will return to our regular worship when it is safe to do so.

Online Worship

We are grateful, at St. Matthew’s, to have parishioners who speak languages other than English.

Some of our Indigenous members have volunteered through the years to lead the Lord’s Prayer or the Nicene Creed, for example, in the language of their hearts – perhaps the first language they learned as babies…the language spoken in their homes…

We invite parishioners to pray in the ‘language of their hearts’ – which may be English, or Koyukon, or Gwich’in, or French, or Spanish, or... Hearing the familiar words prayed in a language other than our own, simultaneously, brings a sense of fullness, that enhances our worship.

Listen

THANK YOU to all who continue to support the life and ministries of St. Matthew's. With your generosity, we are able to continue our ministries of, among others, offering cold-weather gear to those who need, offer food for the hungry, upgrade our ability to offer live-streamed services, and offer support and 'connection to many in Fairbanks and beyond!

Stewardship is how we nurture St. Matthew’s Episcopal Church and our worshiping community. It is how we carry forward a faith community that was given to us by those who came before, and that we are responsible for handing off to future generations. Click the button below to read the 2022 Stewardship Letter or you can simply click the pledge now button.

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