Advent Ache

2nd Sunday of Advent
Just these lines, my friends …

… to say that the new church liturgical year began this past Sunday with the first day of Advent, and it began with a boom and a crash for Matthews United Methodist Church (MUMC). The music was both haunting and uplifting as we began our waiting for the coming of the Child of Christmas. That’s why the first of our Advent candles we lit on Sunday is The Candle of Hope. If I’ve learned anything about people in my 47 years of service in the church: they want help, home and hope.

In addition, on Sunday I preached one of the most unusual sermons (boom and a crash) I’ve ever preached for the first Sunday of Advent. It was titled The Urgency of Christmas, and it was Sermon #1 in the series, A Baby Changes Everything. You can dig a little deeper by clicking here and worshipping with us.

Also, in each of the morning worship services, I announced the astounding results of our Beyond Hospitality Capital Campaign efforts. The goal for our campaign was to raise $2 million. Well … as of December 2, we have pledges and advance gifts of $3,205,938! (See chart below.) In addition, two households came to us with the desire to leave significant estate gifts to our MUMC Endowment Fund. These two gifts are each to be $1 million gifts. Both of these estate gifts will be gifts to give in perpetuity. What began as a $2 million effort turned into $5+ million for the glory of God. These results just blow me away!

Stunning. Amazing. Beyond Belief. Thanks be to God!

Our MUMC Endowment is a crucial part of the future of the church and for our long-term ability to support our mission. It truly is a Legacy of Faith and a chance to make a lasting impact; Think of it as generosity for generations. And here at the end of the year, you may want to consider a tax-deductible gift to the Endowment. If you’d like more information on the Endowment, please feel free to reach out to me by contacting the church office – 740-847-6261.

In the meantime, what follows is an update on our first phase efforts with our heating and air conditioning (HVAC).

Our facilities community (led by Del Funderburk) has been instrumental in the work being done with Facilities Systems Services (FSS), our heating & air contractor. The boilers, which are a key component to the heating process, have arrived at the FSS facility and are now being prepared for the installation on our campus. There will be some demo work ahead of the installation to make room for all the new equipment in our boiler room. We are in anticipation of that happening in the coming weeks with no downtime around the installation process for the Sanctuary. In case it is needed, satellite heating for the Children’s Wing is being explored with Weeks-Williams-DeVore boiler controls company. Thank you for your patience in advance of this much-needed improvement on our campus.

Update on General Fund Giving for 2024

We have accomplished so much the past 12 months but still have a long way to go. Please consider making a gift today to help us raise $376,200, which is what is needed by December 31 to make our income goal for year-end. These funds are needed for operational expenses, which support all aspects of church life. Contribution statements were emailed yesterday, and you can also read our Guidelines for Year-End Giving. We are so very grateful to those of you who have fulfilled your pledges for the year!

Video Devotional

I can’t exactly explain Advent to you, but you will know it by the ache. Let’s talk about it this week in my devotional, Advent Ache.

The Annual Charge Conference

The important work of the church was conducted on Monday evening, November 25 with the Annual Charge Conference. The Charge Conference is open to anyone, but the voting members would be your Administrative Council. We gathered to approve pastoral salaries for 2025, elect faithful disciples to service, recognize amazing service, express gratitude for connectional giving throughout The United Methodist Church, and finalize our 2024 membership audit.

• If you’d like to watch the Charge Conference, please click here.
• If you’d like to see a listing of the newly elected officers of the church, please click here.
• If you’d like to read Pastor Chuck’s report, please click here.
• If you’d like to review the pastoral salaries for the year ahead, feel free to contact Debbie Fitts, our Director of Operations and Church Treasurer.

A second Charge Conference was conducted to approve funding for the second phase in our Beyond Hospitality efforts: new lighting and visual screens for the Sanctuary. Work will begin in February.

Upcoming Events

• Advent Study: The Christmas Letters – Starts tonight…last chance to register! Wednesday Evenings, 7:00-8:30 pm, December 4-December 18, Led by Jessica Fraser, Register here. Purchase book here.
• Western NC Disaster Relief: – Tool Collection for the WNCC Rebuild Trailer on Campus until Dec 31. This tool trailer is shared among churches in our Conference as we rebuild homes damaged by Hurricane Helene. Donate from specific items needed: NEW Tools Wishlist (Simply select your items and choose “Amy DeVore/Registry Address,” and the tools will ship directly to MUMC.)
  • God’s Pod open Mondays thru Jan 6 from 1-3 pm and by appointment by calling the Church Office. New Items Only from this NEW Supply List | Sign Up to Serve | Additional Details
• Family Worship – NEXT Sunday, December 15, 9:30 AM in the Gym. Details
• View all Christmas happenings at MUMC here, including a Parents Night Out, Melody Makers Concert, The Light of Christmas Concert, and much more!

This Sunday in Worship

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

In our Spanish-speaking CCH (Centro Cristiano Hosanna) community, Pastor Roldan continues the worship series, Closer Than We Think, from Philippians 1:3-11. His sermon title is, Let Us Take Care of our Quality.

This Sunday, we move into week two of Advent with our worship emphasis, A Baby Changes Everything. We will also experience the lighting of the Candle of Peace by people within our church community. Pastor Paul will be preaching his first of three final sermons before his retirement at the end of January, which is titled Expectancy from Luke 21:25-32.

In preparation for Sunday, Paul writes: “I think the Advent and Christmas seasons can be summed up in one word: Expectations. Most of us have expectations about how to prepare and celebrate the coming holidays. We have expectations about how to decorate the house and yard, which ornaments to use, about our family and the gifts we’ll give and receive. More than 2,000 years ago, people also had expectations. Some were expecting a Messiah. King Herod was expecting a threat. Joseph was expecting to get married. And Mary…well, Mary was expecting a baby. So, ‘What are you expecting this Christmas?’ Today, we continue our Advent journey to find out what happens when God’s people focus their expectations on just one thing… a baby…a baby who changes everything!”

The Season of Advent is a great time to invite someone to church. The music of MUMC is gorgeous. Do you know someone among your friends and sphere of influence who may have never experienced an Advent season in a church? Who knows … it may be just what someone in your world needs.

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

A Baby Changes Everything.
Dr. Charles (Chuck) W. Wilson II

Did you know that Tuesday, December 3 was the International Day of Persons with Disabilities? As we are called to celebrate and include all people in the life of our community, regardless of disability status, take some time to revisit the resources available to you through MUMC’s website here or to read about the movement behind International Day of Persons with Disabilities here.

Did you know that your generosity provided gifts to 260 people in our community, from 2 months to 98 years of age? The Angel Tree gifts were prayed over and sorted for Global Impact partners to pick up on Monday, December 2. THANK YOU for bringing joy to those in need during this Christmas season.

 

Did you know that Kids and Youth Sunday small groups took part in a “Countdown to Christmas” to kick off the Advent season? The morning focused on acts of service and kindness for the local community as kids prepared Love bags for seniors, Holiday cards for troops, Cat toys for the Union County Animal Shelter, and Craft bags for residents at the Ronald McDonald House in Charlotte. Kids also created their own Advent wreath which they will add to at home each time they complete an act of service. What a great way to share God’s love this Christmas season!

Did you know that 17 volunteers (some from the Faith Foundations Sunday School Class) put up the manger in the courtyard? The manger is used throughout the season for family pictures (tag us on social @matthewsumc), and there will be live animals after the 1:00 pm and 11:00 pm Christmas Eve Services. Thanks to all those who helped: Brian Brown, Clark Holmes, Joe Bates, Matt Burgemeister, Ed Ernst. Michelle Hewitt-Hartley with Holden, Helena, Harrison and Hanson Hartley, Jody Jennings, Chris Oldham, Kyle McGrath, Errett Roth, Marc Rizzo, Rick Schlieper and Beau Snider.

 

Did you know that United Youth & Kids Ministries hosted their third annual Drive-In Movie Night for the community? This is a free event where all ages are welcome to come and kick-off the Christmas season together as they enjoy a movie with popcorn and some delicious hot chocolate. This year was a blast as those who attended braved the chilly weather to enjoy the movie, Arthur Christmas.