All In Together

25^th Sunday after Pentecost | Joash Chest Sunday
Just these lines, my friends …

… to say that I cannot believe Advent (November 28) is just around the corner! In a few weeks we will once again anticipate the celebration of Christ’s birth among us. This year will be especially meaningful because we were unable to worship together in-person last Advent.

My heart is full from all of the activity this past week around our church and community. I’m grateful for church key leaders that gathered to prayerfully guide our church on Monday; for our Endowment Committee led by Terry Efird and the beautiful evening they planned last Wednesday with regard to the ongoing work of our Matthews United Methodist (MUMC) Endowment; for pastors that get together in our Matthews Clergy Collective; the Methodist Men hearing a good word from Suzanne Pugh, the President and CEO of Aldersgate of Charlotte and so much more.

This past Sunday was All Saints Sunday 2021. It is always one of my favorite Sundays because so much of what we have here at MUMC is because of the people who have entered life eternal before us. We stand on the shoulders of these giants. I am grateful for their leadership and support through the years. You can watch and be inspired by the naming of the saints from this past year, the lighting of candles, powerful witnesses, moving music and so much more by clicking here.

Please know our pastoral staff is always ready to share the road of grief or thanksgiving with you. Let us remember who we are and the Communion of saints to which we belong.

Our Engage in Generosity campaign is one of the most important church campaigns in recent years. Let us be motivated to turn in an estimate of giving card primarily out of gratitude for what God has given to us, and in recognition that all that we have belongs to God to begin with.

• We will submit our estimates of giving this Sunday at our one combined worship service at 10:30 am. You may print a card or complete your commitment via our online pledge link.
• This year, we will record your commitment in our records, and then they will remain (sealed in an envelope) in the Joash Chest until we mail them back to you later next year as a reminder of your commitment.
• Did you know that you can schedule recurring payments from your bank account or credit card? Visit give.matthewsumc.org to set this up.
• Please review this “Frequently Asked Questions” tool that could be helpful to you and yours as generosity decisions are made in the days ahead. It includes questions like the following: Why did Jesus link our spiritual life so closely to financial matters? According to the Bible, how am I to give? Are the members and attendees of MUMC expected to make financial commitments? 

Every giving estimate makes a huge difference. Your act of generosity and gratitude really matters.

I look forward to seeing you on Sunday on this high and holy day! I love you and can’t wait to worship with you!

Wednesday Devotional
I also hope you’ll take a few minutes to watch my “All In Together” devotional for today. Click here to watch.

This Sunday in Worship

We invite you this Sunday to join us in person or online at 10:30 am for our special all together worship service.

This week in worship we have so many things planned: a one-of-a-kind GodStory, a giving witness from Roy Harrington, a celebration of our veterans, a special announcement of a local veteran being honored, powerful music, and the placement of our 2022 estimates of giving in the Joash Chest. My sermon for Sunday is titled Engage in the Future from Psalm 78:4-7.

Our time together on Sunday is so important. It is my hope that Sunday will enable us to reconnect and deepen our love & value for one another & the mission of MUMC. I hope you will plan to draw close to home and find your valued and important place within the life of this loving community of faith. Together, we will anticipate all that God is bringing to life in our midst and the power of Jesus to unite us as ONE.

And now, as always, during these strange, uncertain, and yes, hopeful days of pandemic 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 Kaitlyn Havican became engaged to Jordan Faircloth a few weeks ago?!?  Kaitlyn & Jordan met while students at Campbell University. Kaitlyn is the band director at Swift Creek Middle School in Clayton, NC, and Jordan is continuing his studies at Lee University pursuing a career in ministry. They are planning a Summer 2022 wedding. Congratulations to this special couple!

Did you know that Maggie Hankins & Nathan Brown celebrated their wedding with family & friends on Monday, November 8 at Brown Mountain Resort, NC? (They were actually married on November 7, 2020 but Covid delayed the celebration until now!) Maggie is the daughter of Amy & Fred DeVore. Maggie & Nathan live in Raleigh. Congratulations to this special couple!

Did you know that United Kids hosted an Action-Packed Superhero Night on Friday, October 29 with over 80 kids and their families in attendance? Many thanks to our local Fire and Police Department heroes for joining the fun and making this night even more special!

Did you know Feed the People (a Global Impact partner) is in full swing delivering 60 food bags a month to Union County Crisis Assistance Ministry?  Feed the People was closed for 18 months due to the pandemic.  During the pandemic they continued to support as many feeding opportunities as possible (Charlotte Rescue Mission, Greenway Park, Hoskins Park and so many more of our Global Impact partners).  We are so grateful for their efforts to open back up and provide such a valuable resource to our community.  If you would like to get involved, reach out to Doug Hunter.

Did you know that the Bridge Builders’ Fellowship hosted their 5^th Sunday Lunch & Fellowship in the Commons on Sunday, October 31?  Fifty-one people from MUMC and Mount Moriah Missionary Baptist Church enjoyed good food and fellowship! Mark your calendars for the next 5^th Sunday gathering which will be held on Sunday, January 30 at Mount Moriah!

Did you know that the Rehobeth Women’s Circle initiated a donation drive for Promise Pajamas (a Global Impact partner) during the month of October? One-hundred one pairs of pajamas were donated and $300 collected for additional pajamas. The circle proceeded to hold a Folding Party and folded 232 pairs this week. Want to follow in their footsteps? Reach out to Debbie Vehr or Valarie Ross.

 

Read below some of the amazing, thoughtful, inspiring reasons why our families support the life and ministry of Matthews United Methodist: 

• We engage in generosity in & through Matthews UMC because “the Lord has been so good to us. The fact that you were sent back to Matthews at this point was a good example of how God has continued to bless us. We can’t calculate God’s love for all of us! I pray that our world will look to God in a bigger way since the pandemic! Our world is so out of touch and we need wonderful churches like MUMC even more to carry the message of God’s love for us!” – Keith & Nancy Richardson
• “I engage in generosity in and through Matthews United Methodist because my dad always said that you can’t out give God. This is so true! I have been richly blessed by God and feel it is not only my duty to give back to Him, but also a privilege. It is also a privilege to be a part of this wonderful church.” – Joye Cauthen
• “I engage in generosity in and through Matthews United Methodist because of the many blessings I have received from God. Luke 12:48 says ‘To whom much is given, much will be required.’ As a Christian I am asked to share those blessings with others.” – Becky Yates
• “We engage in generosity in and through Matthews United Methodist because it is where God has brought and planted us.  As a blended family with very different perspectives on “giving” (Catholic and Methodist), we have experienced and grown in our faith and our understanding that all that we have belongs to God and that we are just the stewards of the resources He chooses to provide.  One of us understood tithing as a Biblical expectation, while one of us saw it as a new and somewhat foreign concept.  Matthews has been a place where we have seen our faith strengthened so that today we see this less as a requirement and more as an opportunity to live the full and fruitful life that God has called us to live.  We cannot fully understand why God has blessed us so, but we do know that He has done so that we might share those blessings with others and we think that MUMC is a great place for that to happen.
  We engage in generosity in and through MUMC because it is a place where we see lives impacted for Christ; because it is a place where we feel the love of Christ; because as imperfect as it may be, there is something special here that makes a difference in the lives of so many both within and beyond the walls of the church.” – Terry & Kathy Efird