The Amazing Miracle Prayer Rug

I was a little skeptical when reader Virginia sent me this package of info about Saint Matthew's Churches' Amazing Miracle Prayer Rug. It isn't often that someone sends you a fundraising letter with a picture of Jesus that actually winks at you. I felt like I needed to check the church out.

Running the name through Google, I found their website. They look legitimate to me. They even have pictures of their services. I'm not sure where these pictures were taken because the only address provided was the one for their lawyer. Now, that might sound kind of strange, but they have a good explanation for limiting public knowledge of their church locations in this way--it's a security measure:

Mr. JC Joyce, Esq., advised us to have the church?s mail sent to a post office box in Tulsa, and to have the mail delivered to a secular firm, completely independent of Saint Matthew?s. In accordance with that advice, we did hire a secular company to open each church letter under video security cameras. Following the highest caliber recording and accounting procedures, the secular and independent company deposits every dollar into a bank, and records of the checks with which Saint Matthew?s pays church bills are kept impeccably. Not a single member of Saint Matthew?s clergy is ever near the church tithes or offerings.

• Following is the method the church follows for the donations form Saint Matthew?s members:
• Church members mail their letters to a post office in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
• The United States Post Office delivers the church mail to the secular firm that opens it and removes donations.
• Donations are deposited into Saint Matthew?s bank account from which Saint Matthew?s writes checks to pay church bills.
• Then, and only then, every letter is sent to Saint Matthew?s where they are read and prayed over five times each day.

Although the website would be enough for most people, I decided that I owed it to my readers to do a little more research. That led me to another site where a number of good Christian people defended the church:

Saint Matthew's Churches turned my life around and I am a firm believer in God. The donations are what pays for distributing the brochures, coupon booklets for the tithings and postage and spreading the word of God to various people. The nonbelievers don't have to read information distributed or give tithings to that church denominations. People ought keep comments about christian beliefs vs non christian beliefs to their selves.

Lisa - Harrisburg, Illinois
U.S.A.

I too hae been recieving these letters. I have not sent any money to them except a dollar to two. It is intresting to see how some people are really upset with this. I personally just use the service has a reminder for prayer that is needed. I also know that God will supply my needs no matter how much I give to anyone. Even if this group is not really legitamate, I still feel good thinking someone may be praying for me.

Marie - Saginaw, Michigan
U.S.A.

I too have been receiving these letters. All I can say is that everything in their literature is biblically sound and in alignment with the word of God.

Lawrence - Phoenixville, Pennsylvania
U.S.A.

Well, that was enough for me. I decided to look at the prayer rug to see if Jesus would really wink at me. He didn't. Instead, he looked me straight in the eyes and told me a filthy joke about a traveling salesman and a milking machine. I'm sure it was some kind of parable, but I can't figure out what it means.