Outside the Box with Pastor David Christy: Depth of Discipleship

Dear Fellow Ministers,

I continue to be amazed and inspired by the amazing ministries of MUMC! Thank you for being engaged in a depth of discipleship that the world is needing. Pastor Susan and I have been honored to be guests of so many ministries over our first three months. Each one we leave amazed at the good these ministries are doing for Christ! Sunday night we met with the youth for their weekly gathering, worship, and small groups. (See pics from games and worship below.) Suffice it to say that the future looks bright! We have lots of gifted youth in our midst.

I hope you can join us for one of our five weekly worship services this week: 8:15 a.m., 9:30 a.m., 11:00 a.m., 12:30 p.m. (Centro Cristiano Hosanna Service), or 6 p.m. (Youth). We will celebrate “Youth Sunday” at our 8:15/9:30/11 a.m. services. You will be blessed!

As we move into October, we will begin a series called ALL IN: Bringing All of Our Gifts. This will be a time that we will consider the vows we make to the Church, to support it with our Prayers, Presence, Gifts, Service, and Witness. We will have opportunity to make a commitment on November 9, in worship, on each of those vows.

Our church is committed to caring for the whole person God created us to be. We are so excited that Dr. Elaine Heath will be with us on October 19, and will have a time of presentation and Q&A after worship on October 19. Please register so we can plan for the event. Dr. Heath is a renowned preacher/leader (and former Dean of Duke Divinity School) around issues related to mental health and our faithful response. Our Annual Conference is also leading a Healing Centered Church Initiative where several members of our church will be trained.

Please continue to invite folks to worship with us. We have the greatest Good News ever! You can share the following links to invite them to view last week’s worship link and our latest video update with pictures of the sanctuary renovations.

Please join me in praying for our shared ministry and our witness to the world. I am honored to get to be one of your pastors. I look forward to being in ministry with you this week!

In Christ’s Service,
David

Did you know that Scouts in Troop 39 earned the 50-Miler Award on a recent Canoe to Canada Adventure? Purchase BBQ to show your support this Friday, October 3 from 11 am – 7 pm in The Commons.

Did you know that Joe Culpepper led a team of 13 individuals from 4 area United Methodist churches to Black Mountain? They worked with CORE and repaired homes damaged by Hurricane Helene. Thanks, team, for being the hands and feet of Jesus!

Did you know that we welcomed Byron Murphy as our new Director of Contemporary Worship September 21? Welcome to the staff team, Byron!

Did you know that we received $14,775 in donations for rebuilding of churches and communities in our mountains after Hurricane Helene one year ago? Thank you for supporting last Sunday’s special offering!

Did you know that 45 members of the Sanctuary Choir and their families gathered for a picnic at Squirrel Lake Park on September 20? It was a great day of fellowship. Thanks to Tonya Terry and Dori Peterman for planning this fun outing!

Did you know that our weekly Celebration newsletter distributed on Fridays has an open rate at just over 1,000 opens each week? Thank you for being proactive around our church-wide ministry news and happenings! Please attend our All-Church Gathering on October 27 at 7 pm to hear about more exciting initiatives!

Check out all that is happening at Matthews UMC by reading the latest Celebration News!