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The first Episcopal Church serving this part of the Diocese of Alabama was St. John’s in-the-Wilderness located east of Seale in the Oswichee area of Russell County. It was founded before 1844. In 1869, St. John’s was joined by the Church of the Redeemer regularly meeting in the Masonic Lodge of Seale located on Railroad Street.

The Episcopalians in the Seale area ceased to be active around the turn of the twentieth century and only held occasional services and hosted sporadic visits by the Bishop from 1910 to 1951. In this year, a group of seven confirmed members and other interested parties met in the home of Mr. and Mrs. Charles Tigner and reorganized the congregation in Seale. The initial meeting places were homes, the Seale School, other churches and the old Russell County Courthouse.

By 1954, the church had its own building with a name—St. Matthew’s In-the-Pines—selected by the Seventh Bishop of Alabama, the Rt. Rev. George M. Murray. The building was constructed by members and friends beginning in 1954 and completed for services in just 22 days.
Until the year 2000, St. Matthew’s relied on a group of faithful lay readers from Trinity Episcopal Church in Columbus, Georgia; St. Stephen’s in Phenix City and from its own membership to conduct the service of Morning Prayer three Sundays each month. Having a priest to celebrate Holy Eucharist was limited to one Sunday a month. All that changed in 2000 when, in a leap of faith, the decision was made to hire a priest to celebrate Holy Eucharist every Sunday. Because of this decision, St. Matthew’s has grown.

In 2004, the members of St. Matthew’s in-the-Pines embarked on the renovation of our building, made possible by a fundraising drive among its members and a generous donation by the late Charlotte Rhodes Tigner in memory of founding member Kenneth Charles Tigner. The exterior of the building was changed with the application of cedar siding, landscaping, a sprinkler system and a new sign. On the interior, new carpet and tile, relocation of the altar, speakers for the digital hymnal sound system, and most importantly, central heat and air conditioning were added.
In 2008, the new church bell, named Joyce, for her donor Joyce Parker, was consecrated by Bishop Henry Parsley. New stained glass windows were installed in 2009 and dedicated on Easter that year.

St. Matthew’s embarked on a capital campaign to add to Charlotte Tigner’s donation and in 2019 built its first ever parish hall. It was dedicated in September of that year by the Rt. Rev. Kee Sloan, Bishop of the Diocese of Alabama.

We are grateful to our founding members and to the faithful who continued to keep St. Matthew’s going even when the members could be counted on one hand. We welcome you to St. Matthew’s In-the-Pines today, and we invite you to return to worship with us any Sunday at 11 a.m. ET.