Thanksgiving

Christ the King Sunday | Thanksgiving Week
Just these lines, my friends …

… to say that Sunday was such a spectacular day and nearly a full house as well…AND it was one of my holiest moments ever in church life watching, listening, and worshipping together with our wonderfully blended/diverse group of children, directed by Abigail Okland, as they sang Family/Familia. Moreover, it is always the holiest of moments watching you stream forward to place your commitments in the Joash Chest. This year, I invited you to come, just the way the grateful leper came to Jesus (Luke 17:11-18). You came and offered your financial commitment for 2023 in gratitude to God for the extravagance of his grace in your life. If you’d like to see what I’m talking about above, click to online worship here.

When I see the photo below, I remember the words of the musician, JJ Heller. She says, “It’s not a building or music or the sermon, although those are all beautiful elements. The church is people, living life together, sharing food and fears, reminding each other of the goodness of God and spurring each other toward love.”

I saw wonder and beauty in Chuck DeLong, Fred Goolsby, David Shepherd & Skip Hull for all the effort behind the preparation of our meal on Sunday. All in all, over 100 work hours were put into our meal. They are an amazing group, and we are profoundly grateful. A special thank you to all our volunteers in making our day so special.

What is the Impact of Your Giving?

One answer comes in part from our 2022 Generosity Report, which shares the amazing ways that you have been a part of reaching others in our community and around the world. Read it and give thanks for how God has been at work in and through the people of Matthews United Methodist!

The other answer comes from your submission of your Estimate of Giving Pledge for next year. It will help our Finance Committee and other church leadership make important decisions about the ministries that we can offer in 2023.

Both the Generosity Report and your Estimate of Giving are related in this important way: the number that you prayerfully submit for your Estimate of Giving will directly shape the numbers that we see in the Generosity Report this time next year. Your generosity will be a powerful way through which others will be transformed.

The Joash Chest will be open on Sunday mornings, November 20 and 27. Just drop your card in the Chest. You can also pledge online by clicking here.

Together, let us offer ourselves to God, that others may experience the transformative Way of Jesus.

Wednesday Devotional

I hope you’ll take a few minutes to watch my devotional for the week titled, Thanksgiving.

Staff Transition

It is with a heavy heart that I share that Elizabeth Carpenton is resigning from her position of United Kids & Youth Associate (4^th-9^th grades), and her last day will be November 22. Through prayer and discernment, Elizabeth was led to a new opportunity of employment at Common Heart and will serve as their Partnership Engagement Lead.

Common Heart is a non-profit organization that was founded to eradicate food insecurity and eliminate generational poverty, and is actually a new partner with our Global Impact Ministries here at Matthews. This new position will allow Elizabeth the opportunity to explore a new world of non-profit ministry, and continue to make a radical impact on the Matthews/Monroe community. We will certainly miss Elizabeth & her leadership.

Even though Elizabeth will be starting a new job, Matthews UMC will continue to be her family’s church home.

Community Thanksgiving Service this Sunday, 6 pm at Mt. Moriah Missionary Baptist

I hope you’ll make every effort to join us this Sunday, November 20 at 6 pm. It will be a beautiful evening of Thanksgiving worship as we join our friends from Mt. Moriah, Matthews First Baptist and Matthews Presbyterian. Let’s make sure we fill the Sanctuary of Mt. Moriah with Methodists.

This Sunday in Worship

We invite you to join this Sunday at 8:15 am (traditional; in person only), 9:30 am (contemporary; in person or online here), 11:00 am (traditional; in person or online here) or 12:30 (Spanish; in person or on demand here).

In our Spanish-speaking CCH community, Pastor Roldan is preaching from John 3:14-19 and his sermon title, A Choice, Which We Must Make Daily.

The author of I John wrote the following powerful words: “That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched – this we proclaim as the Word of life.” (I John 1:1) These words and their focus on our senses provide the trajectory for Sunday morning Christmas season focus. As you can imagine, this will be a sense-sational Christmas. Through a series of six messages, we’ll explore the unique paths to the Christ child our senses can provide. Welcome to the feast! You can dig a bit more into our Christmas worship series by clicking here.

This Sunday, we begin with the sense of taste, as we enter the holiday season of guilt-free gourmandizing. My sermon is from Luke 14:15-24 and is titled, The Gourmet God.

I do hope you’ll invite someone to church this week that may be looking for an inspiring start to a sense-sational holiday season.

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

We are the church, together,
Dr. Charles (Chuck) W. Wilson II

Did you know that there are over 60 vendors signed up for this Saturday’s Arts & Crafts Extravaganza on November 19 from 9 am – 3 pm? You will find creative, unique gifts along with baked goods for your Thanksgiving meal!

Did you know that, as part of our ongoing campus safety initiative, the Main Entrance is now designated at the Chapel Entrance doors? Please use the video doorbell connected to our reception desk for easy entry during regular Church Office Hours (Monday – Thursday, 9 am – 5 pm). Outside these normal office hours, doors around campus will continue to be unlocked according to events scheduled. Please call Facilities at 704-815-1914 with questions. This new procedure will go into full effect on December 5, 2022.

Did you know that members of Matthews UMC and Mount Moriah are going on a Civil Rights Journey to Selma and Montgomery, AL on March 16-19, 2023?  We will visit museums and explore the history of the Civil Rights movement in Alabama.  Please contact Amy DeVore at 704-815-1985 if you want to join us on this trip.  Space is limited and the deadline is November 18!

Did you know the Sanctuary Choir cleaned out our Choral Music Library this weekend? Members of the choir came armed with spray bottles and big smiles as a part of an ongoing project to preserve over 500 titles in our library. This has been a huge undertaking, but many hands make light work!

Did you know that Greater Matthews Habitat for Humanity presented MUMC with the “Raise the Roof” award for partnering with them to impact the housing crisis in our community? Over 1 in 4 Matthews households are either living in poverty, near poverty or considered “house poor.”
This organization addresses the immediate need for affordable housing in Matthews, Mint Hill and Stallings, and is one of our Global Impact partners. Thank you, Ralph Messera, for being our Global Impact Champion and for your dedication to Matthews Habitat for Humanity, and thank you, MUMC, for your gifts to Global Impact so we can partner with groups that make a difference in our communities.

 

Did you know that Laura Budd, member of Matthews UMC, was elected to the NC House for District 103? Congratulations, Laura!

Did you know that Julie DeVore, daughter of Fred & Amy DeVore, received the Distinguished Alumni Award this week from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro? Julie graduated from UNC-G in 2010 with a BFA in Drama-Technical Production.  From there she moved to New York and has worked in stage management on Billy Elliot, Wicked, Nice Work If You Can Get It, On the Town, School of Rock, King Kong and American Utopia, among others.