Hammerin’ Hank Aaron

5^th Sunday after the Epiphany | Global Impact 2 | February 3, 2021

Just these lines, my friends …

… to say what a special weekend. Jenny Savage has been at the heart of church life for Matthews United Methodist (MUMC) for many years. On Saturday, January 30, Jenny was approved as a candidate for ministry in The United Methodist Church through our MUMC Charge Conference. She is now released from MUMC to the District Committee on Ministry where she will continue her preparations for how God might use her in pastoral ministry. It was a high, holy moment listening to Jenny bear witness to God’s work and calling in her life.

Our Charge Conference then transitioned from Pastor Paul’s leadership to an Administrative Council meeting led by Jon Pollack, our Ad Council Chair. As a part of the gathering, our 2021 Spending Plan was approved. If you’d like to view the plan, please click here.

Also on Saturday, nearly 90 church leaders gathered virtually for our annual Leadership Connection. We heard helpful, practical and inspirational words from Rev. Paul Craig and Rev. David Hockett (our District Superintendent), and music from Craig Estep and John Woodall.

Here are some highlights:

• David Hockett – “So, the temptation, as we come out of the pandemic, and think about how to be the church … may be to approach this work with the mindset, ‘Can’t we just go back to March 2020?’ before all this happened … The way we avoid nostalgia, or clinging to old wineskins is focusing on missional questions. This means that healthy United Methodist congregations will ask themselves …

              1. Identity – Who will we be?
              2. Purpose – What difference are we called to make?”

• Paul Craig – “Servant Leaders are always identified as people who AREN’T concerned about acquiring or holding onto power; focused on maintaining reputation above all else; obsessed with staying ahead of everyone else; using domination or fear to control others; thinking in terms of controlling people at all, really. They place a high value on what’s good for the church and community rather than themselves. They’re committed to the growth and improvement of those being led.”

If you’d like to have more of a taste of this inspiring morning, please click here.

Wednesday Devotional

My Wednesday devotional is about Hammerin’ Hank Aaron, one of the greatest players to ever play the game of baseball. click here to watch.

Global Impact Celebration (GIC) 2021

Pastor Brad launched us on a great start to our annual Global Impact Celebration. This year we are seeking to Listen Well by listening to God, listening to our callings and listening to others. I hope you’ll watch the worship service from this past Sunday here.

This Sunday, February 7, we have a wonderful guest speaker with us for GIC — Kathy Izard. She is described as an author, encourager and warrior for the Homeless. She stands firm in her belief that people should “Trust the Whisper.” She believes we all have a calling, we just need to take the Leap of Faith to follow it. Kathy is an award-winning author and speaker who helped bring transformation to Charlotte in homelessness, housing and mental health. Her memoir, The Hundred Story Home, has been featured on NPR as well as the Today Show, inspiring people to be change makers in their communities. You can watch the Today Show clip of her by clicking here.

Here are some other ways to participate this year in GIC:

• Virtual Mission Trips – You can find the details by clicking: Here for Zoe Empowers.  Here for Belize.
• LOVE NOTE Event – You can click here to register.
• Donation Collection for Charlotte Rescue Mission’s Dove’s Nest & Rebound: February 7 – March 8.Collection Bins will be available through March 8 in the Breezeway for gently used men’s and women’s clothing to support individuals currently in residence at Charlotte Rescue Mission’s Rebound (men) or Dove’s Nest (women). Click here for details.
• Drive-Thru Celebration – Sunday, February 14, 2-3 pm. Return your Faith/Life Commitment Cards, LOVE NOTES for local partners, and Donation Collection for Charlotte Rescue Mission; and receive Holy Communion–all from the safety of your vehicle. You can click here for details.

Easter Earthquake

In the spring and early summer we are going to embark on a worship series titled Easter Earthquake. In this series we hope to address the difference the resurrection makes in the way we face the critical issues and concerns of our time. So if you will, please help me by answering the following question: “What are the biggest concerns you have in your life?” I find it most impactful to hear about the things you are facing. Your notes to me are very special. I think I have a few pretty good ideas, but I’d like it confirmed with your feedback. Please contact me via note, text, email or phone with your biggest concerns. Thank you for the good feedback you are providing.

DATES TO REMEMBER

• Who Lynched Willie Earl? – The February 1947 lynching of Willie Earle in Pickens, SC and the subsequent trial in Greenville, SC attracted international attention. When an all-white jury exonerated Earle’s confessed killers, it was a national scandal that led to the formation of the nation’s first Civil Rights Commission. On Tuesday, February 16, at 7 pm at YouTube.com/MatthewsUMC, Bishop Will Willimon from Duke University will be with us in our 11th Community Forum on Racial Bridge Building. Topic: The Carolina’s Last Lynching. DETAILS
• Ash Wednesday 2021 – Please join at YouTube.com/MatthewsUMC for our first worship service in the holy season of Lent on Wednesday, Feb. 17, 7 pm
• 2021 Lenten Sermon Series – Our sermon series “The Jesus Way,” seeks to answer the question: What would it mean for the way Jesus lived, died and rose again to become the way in which we follow him? Eugene Peterson’s book, The Jesus Way provides the thematic grounding for our Lenten worship series. Peterson writes, “The ways Jesus leads are necessarily the way by which I follow … Following Jesus is radically different than following anyone else.” Sermon Snapshot leading through Lent to Easter
• Emotionally Healthy Spirituality –You can’t be spiritually mature while remaining emotionally immature. This 8 session course awakens participants to a biblical integration of emotional health and the classic practices of contemplative spirituality. DETAILS

This Sunday in Worship

Please join us for online worship this Sunday at 9:30 am (contemporary), 11:00 am (traditional) or 12:30 (Spanish-speaking). This week our CCH community will begin a new worship series, Safe Friendship in Uncertain Times. Pastor Roldan will be preaching from John 15:15-17 with his message titled, “A Forgotten Call.”

In our morning services at 9:30 am and 11:00 am, light your candle and prepare for worship and our time with Kathy Izard. Please know the treasure that is mine to be one of your pastors. If we can be there for you, please don’t hesitate to reach out to me.

And as always, during these strange, uncertain, tumultuous and perilous days remember … God does God’s best work in moments like this.

We are in this … together,

Dr. Charles (Chuck) W. Wilson II

Did you know that several church members & Homebuilders Sunday School class members are adding a downstairs bathroom for the family of Pat Bowes, to assist in the struggles of living daily with ALS?  Thank you, Lee Goldstein, Fred Goolsby, Nelson List, John Ross, and David Sproat, for showing the love of Christ to the Bowes family in this way!

Did you know that this is the 17th year that United Youth has partnered with the annual Souper Bowl of Caring mission that is happening nationwide this Sunday? This initiative allows Youth to support local nonprofits. All are invited to participate by dropping off non-perishable items & monetary donations to MUMC at the portico this Sunday, February 7, from 1-3 pm.

Did you know that we have some great new Short Term Studies that you can register for here?  Be sure whenever you register for a study or event through Realm that you receive a confirmation email, if you do not then you are not registered.

Did you know “Talking About Race: A Conversation with 5 Black Men” that featured our own Leaton Harris aired Sunday night on WSOC-TV? Kim Holt — Manager of Investigations & Special Projects for WSOC-TV — is a church member and leader at MUMC, and was instrumental in creating and making this segment possible! View the seven-part series: www.wsoctv.com/community/family-focus