St. Matthew United Methodist Church

Leadership

          Reverend Gregory Holston, Senior Pastor

 Pastor Gregory Holston, son of Andrew and Catherine Holston, is the Senior Pastor of St. Matthew United Methodist Church in Trevose, PA.  Pastor Holston holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Indiana University of Pennsylvania., a Juris Doctorate from Georgetown University, a Masters of Education degree from Cheyney University, and in May 2006, he received his Masters of Divinity degree from Lutheran Theological Seminary of Philadelphia.  Pastor Holston served as a practicing attorney, businessman, teacher and college professor prior to his calling to the pastorate.   He served as an Associate Minister at The Church of the Redeemer Baptist under Rev. Dr. Wayne E. Croft, Sr., Senior Pastor, where he was ordained in 2001.  He then went on to serve as Assistant to the Pastor at Tindley Temple United Methodist Church under the pastorate of Rev. Dr. Alfred S. Maloney.

 In November 2001, Pastor Holston was called to serve at St. Matthew as its Senior Pastor.  With the God-given vision and with Jesus Our Lord as his guide, Pastor Holston began to lay the ground work to reach out to the community and beyond to service the ‘broken hearted.” Pastor Holston continued to teach full time in the Philadelphia public school system, attend The Lutheran Theological Seminary on a part-time basis while pasturing at St. Matthew.  In 2004, Pastor Holston and St. Matthew stepped out on faith when he resigned from his teaching position to become the full time Pastor. As an ambassador for God, Pastor Holston uses his gifts of preaching and teaching that is energetic, inspiring, and thought provoking.  Hearts have been humbled and souls have been won for Christ. The church membership rolls have increased and tithes and offerings have increased by nearly 100%.  The church was brought out of a substantial budget deficit to a budget surplus which allowed the church to buy additional property to be used for expansion.

 Rev. Holston has led the church through two significant church wide discipleship campaigns, Experiencing God and the Purpose Driven Life, which has deepen and broaden the faith of the church. During his tenure, several ministries have been started or have seen significant growth such as the Praise and Worship team, Men’s Ministry, Circle of Love (Senior’s), Mass Choir, Adult Sunday School, Youth Ministry, Drama Ministry, Youth Choir, Jesus Daycare, (Children’s Church), Women’s Ministry, Men‘s discipleship, Women‘s discipleship, Youth Lounge, Youth Praise Dancers and Evangelism Team. St. Matthew has several Outreach ministries including Christmass Toys for Tot’s Campaign where over 1,000 toys were given out on Christmas Eve. Other outreach activities include the Thanksgiving Baskets outreach ,  Angelfood, Love Clothing Exchange and our Summer Basketball League.

 Many new capital improvements have occurred including plasma screens for worship, new parking lot, new front doors, new sound system, new piano, new microphones, electrical rewiring of the church, new roof, and new cushions for pews, new overflow chairs, new air conditioners for offices and classrooms and a computer lab.

 In 2007, St. Matthew started its Discipleship Academy, a small group bible study designed to help members deepen their relationship with the Lord. Over 50 members of the church are engaged in bible study in groups of seven to nine.  Here they are learning to become true disciples for Jesus Christ.

 Pastor Holston has become a leader in the community as a member of the Feasterville Interfaith Ministerium, President of the Black United Methodist Preachers, Officer in Black Clergy of Philadelphia and Vicinity,, member of Building a Better Bensalem Diversity Committee, member of Black Methodist for Church Renewal. With major religious and political leaders, he was honored to attend the Congressional Prayer Breakfast in Washington, DC.  .

 Pastor Holston’s vision is to build a church of vibrant worship, warm fellowship, bible based discipleship, holistic ministries and enthusiastic evangelism that is open to the entire community seven days a week.  This vision includes building a multi-purpose center for worship, education and fellowship that would touch lives of the church, community and beyond.

 Pastor Holston, ordained as an Elder in the Baptist experience, was received as an Elder in Full Connection presiding Bishop Peggy Johnson during the Ordination Service at the Eastern Pennsylvania Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Thursday , May 28, 2009.

 But his most important role is serving as a devoted and loving husband to Deborah, his beautiful wife of twenty three years, and father to the four children they share, Taheerah, Jamila, Nia and Nasser.

     Minister Deborah Holston, Minister of Worship

Minister Deborah Holston is the First Lady of St. Matthew United Methodist Church in Trevose, Pa. She is the daughter of the late Samuel and Lucille Jones and is a native of Erie, Pennsylvania. She holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree from Edinboro University of Pennsylvania and a Masters of Education from Cheyney University. She is presently an English teacher at Central High School and has served in the Philadelphia School System for fifteen years. She and her husband, the Reverend Gregory Holston, have pastored St. Matthew for over five years.

Since arriving at St. Matthew, they have seen church attendance, membership growth and church offerings more than double. Numerous ministries have started or have grown such as Aerobic walking, Men’s Ministry, Women’s Ministry, Youth Ministry, Youth Fun Night, Youth Lounge, Praise and Worship, Circle of Love Praise Dancers, Unity Day, and the Interfaith MLK Service. The church has also embarked on a Building Expansion program that will add a 10,000 square foot addition to the existing church.

As a minister, she serves as a Local Church Servant; Worship Leader for the Praise and Worship Team, Chair of the Worship Committee, Chair of the Women’s Ministry and is a pulpit associate. As a teacher and Conference facilitator, Minister Holston has taught on such subjects as Spiritual Warfare, Praise and Worship, Marriage, and Prayer. She has participated in numerous conferences and received training from the International Worship Institute in Dallas Texas, Prayer and Deliverance at Deliverance Evangelistic Church of Philadelphia, ministry to women from the Women’s Ministry of Church of the Redeemer Baptist, and More than Conquerors Women’s Ministry. Further, she is an annointed soloist/psalmist who has ministered in song in churches, religious events, schools and other venues throughout the Delaware Valley.

She is happily and faithfully married to Reverend Gregory Holston, her partner, husband, and best friend of nearly twenty-one years. Their union is blessed with four children, Taheerah, Jamila, Nia, and Nasser. They reside in Erial, New Jersey.

     Minister Victor Gimenez, Minister of Youth

Minister Victor Gimenez is the new Youth Pastor at St. Matthew. He has been involved in Praise, Worship, and Ministering to Youth for 15 years. His favorite scripture verse: “He giveth power to the fait; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength. Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall: But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.”  Isaiah 40:29-31

Brother Greg Greene, Lay Leader

Sister Carrie Artis, Assistant Lay Leader

Sister Barbara Holston Vass