Introducing the Matsons- October 2019

While this story is a rather odd way to introduce us to the church family here at the Presbyterian Church of Wellsville, it allows for a clear starting point for our respective journeys in the Christian faith.

Elizabeth comes from a family of three children, with her being the youngest. It was a family that was constantly moving as her father worked for the Southern Baptist Convention as a Church Planter, and due to this Elizabeth attended a variety of different churches over her childhood. After finishing with high school, she attended Houghton College, and then Auburn University, where she earned her PhD in Mathematics. This was also where she met me.

When compared to Elizabeth, I had barely moved, having grown up in the exact same house my parents still own in Central Massachusetts. Throughout my childhood we attended a Dutch Reformed Church, and then in my years in college I attended an Evangelical Presbyterian Church. Needless to say, I was exposed to Reformed Theology. When Elizabeth and I met, I was in training as an Infantry Officer in the US Army in Georgia, and as described previously, our relationship developed quickly.

We have been married since February 27, 2016 and have moved three times since then and had our son Arius. One of the first things that we talked about in our dating was how our faith had shaped us, and also what we felt God was calling us to do with our lives. Elizabeth felt that her gift of teaching, particularly in the realm of mathematics was her calling. I, on the other hand, had been very disenchanted with the US Army and felt that it was a bad environment in which to start a family. Thus, with a significant amount of prayer, and a leap of faith that still makes my stomach turn, I resigned my commission in the Army, and Elizabeth applied to tenure track positions throughout the country.

By God’s providence, she was offered a position at Alfred University and we transferred our life to Alfred NY where we have been since. Upon attending the Presbyterian Church of Wellsville shortly after that move we knew that we had discovered our church home in NY. Since then the congregation has been welcoming to us, as well as a great encouragement during the struggles that came with our transition. We as a family thank God that he led us to this part of the country, and to this particular church body.

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