Photo caption: St. Matthew’s members and SW neighbors at the 2015 Christmas tree giveaway. Groundbreaking for the new church was in September.
St. Matthews Lutheran Church will be giving away trees again this year.
St. Matthews broke ground on their new building in October. Many of you have seen the large hole forming as work crews dig to the foundation level to begin pouring concrete. Completion of the new church is slated for the beginning of the fourth quarter of 2018. On Saturday, Dec. 3, the congregation will give away 130 Christmas trees to their neighbors.
The Rev. Phillip C. Huber, pastor of St. Matthew’s said, “We just didn’t want to give up what has been a wonderful tradition for us and the community. We are grateful that our general contractor, Clark Construction, has joined us this year as a cosponsor of this event. We appreciate their partnership. We will give the trees away from the fence on M St. SW near the corner of 3rd St. SW. We look forward to what has become an annual Southwest DC holiday event.
The trees will be given away at no cost. However, this year we ask for those who can afford it to join us in our Advent Celebration to give generously to our church’s World Hunger Appeal. When you arrive, one of trees will be decorated with ornaments representing a gift you can give to stem world hunger. The gifts, at varying costs, include: a goat, bees, a cow, a family farm—even a community water well. These gifts will be used in majority world countries to help families and communities become self-sufficient. You can take the ornament home with you!
The Christmas tree giveaway will begin at 10 a.m. on Saturday, Dec. 3. Only those who have obtained a reservation before Dec. 3 will be able to receive a tree from 10 a.m. to noon. Reservations will be given on a first come, first serve basis and can be obtained by either emailing (office@stmatthewsdc.org) or by calling (202-484-3189). Reservations can be made at St. Matthews’s lot beginning at 10 a.m. to pick up a tree, if any remain, after the noon hour.
The congregation will be offering free food and beverages for the community and will have drawings showing the new church design and a photo array from the September Groundbreaking Ceremony.