At St Matthew’s we believe that our faith has implications – not just for Sundays, but in the whole of our lives.
Jesus called his disciples to bear him witness and to go and baptise the nations. As individuals and as a church, we are committed to reaching out to our local community through proclamation, witness and loving service. Some ways in which we do this include:
The Ecumenical Soup Run
A team from St Matthew’s has been assisting on the Homeless Soup Run for many decades now. We are delighted to support the collective work of the churches in Sheffield City Centre in helping those who are on our streets.
If you would like to volunteer for this ministry, please contact Barry Kelly.
Chaplaincy and Mission to the Moor Market
In 2015, Fr Naylor arrived and started building a strong relationship with the Moor Market stallholders and Management. We now have an established pattern of chaplaincy throughout the year and regular services that take place in the Market at Christmas and Easter. The Market is a special community within the parish because it unites people from all faiths and backgrounds. We are grateful to the Management of the Moor Market for their permission for us to have a ‘pop-up chapel’ in a stall during Advent and Lent, and for hosting two carol services before Christmas and a Good Friday service each year.
The Moor Market is also soon to be home to the Parish Nurses’ drop-in stall which will be a permanent base for Michaela and Marjorie.
Building links in the Community
Our core team work hard to be visible in the city centre and often visit local businesses and their owners. If you live, work or socialise in the city and would like to meet with us please do contact us.
Processions and Street Witness
Being in the centre of the city, we believe it’s really important for Christians to be seen witnessing to their faith on the streets. We have a number of processions during the year including:
- a Blessed Sacrament procession to Devonshire Green for St Matthew’s Festival,
- a Palm Sunday procession along Carver Street,
- a Pentecost procession and act of witness on Barkers Pool.
- We also regularly host festivals for the Catholic Societies which usually include an outdoor procession.
We have processions because it is good for people to see the church of God on the move! In an increasingly secular but also spiritually hungry society, we must not be afraid of singing God’s praises on the street. We have found that this approach has often led to conversions and it has enabled us to build strong links with our local businesses.
Sheffield Street Pastors
The Sheffield Street Pastors do excellent work amidst the night-time economy which surrounds the church. We are very pleased to host this team, which has become such a support to police, club owners and revellers alike. In the early hours of the morning, they provide a wonderful example of Christian service and love.