Be Still

9th Sunday after Pentecost
Just these lines, my friends …

… to say that we had two wonderful Rainbow Express Camps this week: the kids’ camp during the day and the young adult camp during the evening. What a beautiful community of people of all ages offering children and young adults with and without disabilities opportunities to share their gifts, to build friendships and to serve others! And, all of it rooted in the abounding love of God. By the way, I had the privilege of serving the Lord’s Supper at the Young Adult Camp on Friday. Holy. Holy. Holy.

We continued into week three of our summer worship series on Sunday. It is titled The Good Life … The God Life from Matthew 5:1-12. This past Sunday we took a deep dive into v. 4, “Blessed are they that mourn, for they shall be comforted.” I hope you will click here if you missed worshipping with us.

A number of persons are making their way to be a part of MUMC from a sister church, Wesley UMC on Rea Road. Wesley has had to make the excruciating decision to close their doors due to the inability to sustain ministry life. This brings enormous heartbreak to these friends. We are more than delighted they are coming our way, but sensitive to the grief they are experiencing. Be on the lookout for them and welcome them wholeheartedly into our midst.

2024 Capital Campaign & Questions We Hear You Asking

If you missed the announcement regarding the feasibility study survey results and background that led to the unanimous Charge Conference vote to move forward with a 2024 Capital Campaign, please click to read the complete details. We appreciate all the feedback, questions and ideas received during the feasibility study process. Please tune in over the coming weeks as we feature answers to your questions or click on the FAQ document for an updated list.

Q. Will the new sound system in sanctuary have a hearing aid compatibility component?

A specific hearing aid system will be installed to enhance sound for people with auditory devices. The newest hearing aids are usually equipped with this technology.

Q. Will we be able to accommodate Christmas decorations in the new space, with the necessary electrical wiring for the tree, wreaths and hanging star?

The initial plans provided do not seem to eliminate the ability to accommodate our current decorations. This will be kept in mind as plans progress.

Q. Shouldn’t we install motion access vs. push button access on the doors to sanctuary and bathrooms?

We will request this of the architect for doors that are appropriate for the wave style operators, all may not be.

Q. Can the scope of ADA improvements be increased to include automatic doors on all entrances and wheelchair accessible bathrooms across the campus?

The original scope of work was to include the failing HVAC system and Sanctuary Area. We can ask the architect to review all other bathroom doors, and bathroom configurations, for estimates of cost to remodel as needed to accommodate this request. Consideration for these additional projects will likely need to be funded out of “gifts over and above what is necessary for the initial planned scope of work” provided we raise more money than planned. The church could also explore this being funded incrementally out of regular Trustee ReFresh & ReNew funds, as available.

Wednesday Devotional

No summer is complete for me without taking a look at Psalm 46 and the often-quoted verse 10, “Be still, and know that I am God.” I hope you’ll take a watch at my devotional this week, titled Be Still.

Upcoming Events

• Serve at VBS – July 22-26. YOU make sharing God’s love possible: 80% of campers who attend VBS do not attend church or have a church home. All adults & youth are invited to sign up to volunteer and share a few hours at any point during the week.
• Calling All Singing Men! Men of the congregation are invited to join the men of the Sanctuary Choir to lead worship Sunday, Aug 25 at the 8:15 & 11 am services. Rehearsals begin Thursday, July 18 at 7 pm in the choir room. All are invited. Contact Craig Estep if interested.
• Sacred Rhythms study – July 24 – August 28, 10-11:30 am. Details
• Disciple Bible Study begins in August! Details

This Sunday in Worship

We invite you to join us 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).

Our Spanish-speaking community (CCH) continues the summer worship series titled Intentional Discipleship. Pastor Roldan’s sermon is from Matthew 9:9-15, and is titled Effective Discipleship. Last Saturday was a big day as several people made their entrance into the church through baptism.

In all our morning sanctuary services, we will be in week #4 of The Good Life … The God Life. We’re living with the Beatitudes all this summer, those peculiar exclamations with which Jesus begins the Sermon on the Mount. Hugh Martin is remembered in England as one of the formative leaders of the Christian Student Movement and an energetic communicator of the faith during and after World War II. He called the Beatitudes “… a startling reversal of the ordinary point of view.”

My guess is that we will never really hear the Beatitudes until they shock us. We will never get the point until we hear the way Jesus turns the tables on the accepted values of the culture around us. My longtime friend and pastor of Myers Park United Methodist Church, James Howell, says in his book on the Beatitudes, “Something subversive is on the loose. If Jesus is serious, he is talking about turning the world and its values upside down.” (The Beatitudes for Today, p. 32-33) Well, it is no wonder that when we hear Jesus say in this Beatitude, “Blessed are the meek …” we want to shout back, “Jesus, you’ve got to be kidding!”

Maybe it is time to regain meekness as a necessary Christian value and reclaim its biblical meaning. What if we were to reintroduce meekness to a world that desperately needs people who speak softly, carry a big stick of grace, and do whatever it takes to bring in God’s kingdom of justice, hope and shalom? Let’s wrestle with Jesus’ next upside-down statement on Sunday.

Also, as always, I hope you’ll extend an invitation to someone to come to church with you this week. If you will, I trust they will hear, see and experience the subtle, subversive and sublime way of Jesus (our summer worship series).

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

We are better … together,
Dr. Charles (Chuck) W. Wilson II

Did you know that Shannon Williams, our Director of Communications, was awarded Honorable Mention for a photo she captured on Easter Sunday? The WNCCUMC Creation Care Ministry Team hosted a photo contest during Annual Conference for “Celebrating God’s Creation.” Her award-winning photo taken at our Butterfly Release is below. Click here to see the award-winning photos. Congratulations, Shannon!

Did you know that YOUR contributions to Global Impact allowed us to provide daily dinners for residents of Turning Point? Turning Point provides shelter, counseling and resources for those impacted by domestic violence. When their chef was ill, we provided dinners for eight days for their ten residents. Your generosity helps Global impact react quickly when help is needed.

Did you know that our Home2Home Ministry delivered 62 pieces of furniture on Saturday? An empty apartment became a home for this family. Thank you for supporting Global Impact so we can help Home2Home do this important work.