Dr. Kings Rules of Life

2nd Sunday after the Epiphany
Just these lines, my friends …

… to say that last Sunday’s sermon was filled with a great deal of preamble on the question, “Is a same sex marriage a Christian marriage?” I concluded my sermon with the words, “Yes, it can be.” This Sunday, January 19, in all three of our morning services, I will share with you how I came to that conclusion. If you missed church on Sunday, you can worship by clicking here. In addition, you don’t want to miss the moment when Pastor Paul received his first special retirement gift…it is hilarious. You can click here to see the gift.

On Sunday, Pastor Paul also drew our attention to the Los Angeles fires. Karen and I lived in La Canada, CA (about 10 miles due north of downtown Los Angeles, on the slopes of the San Gabriel Mountains) our first year of marriage and we awakened one night to the Santa Ana winds and fire. It was horrifying, but somehow the fire didn’t bear down on our garage apartment.

Our bishop, Ken Carter communicated with us over the weekend about the fires:

“When I am tempted to fixate on the more recent political responses to natural disasters (WNC, now California) that are driven by culture wars for partisan political gain, I see that for what it is: work avoidance, incompetence to do the real work of recovery, and lack of empathy for human suffering. At my best I want to reorient to the goodness of people, which is the image of God in them (Genesis 1), and God’s nature is to give (For God so loved the world that he…gave….).”

The Western North Carolina Conference of The United Methodist Church has already sent a financial gift to the California Pacific Conference of The United Methodist Church. The Cal-Pac Conference had so generously sent a gift to us in our own Western North Carolina disaster. This, my friends is the connection of The United Methodist Church at work. Bishop Carter invites us to “… pray for this region, and for the traumatized and displaced people, and for the land in the midst of the wildfires.”

On another note, this coming Sunday and Monday (January 19-20) is our annual Matthews celebration of the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. I do hope you’ll participate in our Peaceful March to the Town Hall steps on Sunday and our Commemorative Worship Service at Mt. Moriah Missionary Baptist Church on Monday. You can find more information below in the Upcoming Events section.

Video Devotional

Did you know that Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. distributed a “Daily Rule” to all the participants in the 1963 Birmingham Campaign for Civil Rights. He asked people to follow several daily disciplines. I share the “Daily Rule” in my devotional this week, Dr. King’s Daily Rule of Life.

Upcoming Events

• Join one of our small groups or studies, including Strolling With the Spirit, Trust the Whisper, The Prayer Course, I Want to Trust You & Knowing Who We Are.  Details
• Martin Luther King Commemoration Events – Sunday & Monday, Jan 19 & 20.  Details
• Community Bingo Night – Friday, January 24, 5:30 – 7:30 in the Gym. Details
• 2025 Leadership Connection – Saturday, January 25, 8:30 – 12:00 in The Commons. Register by January 19.  Details
• Pastor Paul’s Retirement Celebration – Sunday, January 26, 12:00 noon. See below for details.
• MAGI Spiritual Gifts Workshop – Saturday, February 8, 8:30-12:00. Details
• Emergency Response Training (ERT) – Saturday, February 15, 9:00-4:00 at MUMC. Open to all ages 16 & up (16 & 17 year olds should be accompanied by parent). Register here soon as this opens up to the Western NC Conference on January 20!  Limited to 40 individuals.

Pastor Paul’s Retirement

Sunday, January 26 will be Paul Craig’s last Sunday to be with us. He will be preaching in all three of our morning worship hours that morning. Please plan to help honor him at a County Fair-themed reception beginning at 12 noon in The Commons. Bring cards/notes of thanks & gratitude for Pastor Paul and place them in the designated baskets. We will present these to Pastor Paul at the reception. If you would like to contribute to a love offering for Pastor Paul, you can do so with a gift to him directly (non-taxable for Pastor Paul) or you can mail a check (taxable for Pastor Paul) to MUMC with “Love Gift – Pastor Paul” marked in the memo line. You can also make your gift online. If you are unable to attend and wish to send a card or love offering, please do so no later than January 23 to: Pastor Paul Craig, Matthews UMC, 801 S. Trade Street, Matthews, NC 28105.

This Sunday in Worship

We invite you this Sunday to join us in person at 8:15 (Traditional), 9:30 (Contemporary), 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 community, Pastor Roldan will continue the worship series, Moving Forward. He will be preaching from Luke 9:57-62, and his sermon title, Let Us Not Neglect the Implications. Jesus warns us about what it means to be disciples.

This Sunday morning, I continue with Part 2 of our series, Is Same Sex Marriage a Christian Marriage? Before Sunday, take a look at Leviticus 20:13; I Corinthians 13:1-7; and I Thessalonians 2:5-8. I’m also hoping you might invite a friend to come along with you. We have no easy answers at MUMC, but we do have a community of love, acceptance, empathy and compassion. Who knows, maybe your friend will find hope as well.

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

Better … together,
Dr. Charles (Chuck) W. Wilson II

 

Did you know that the faithful members of the Family Matters Sunday Class support this church each year by setting up and taking down our Christmas season decorations. Two years ago, they raised money to help fund the purchase of a new Christmas tree for the Chrismon decorations. And when we say “Family Matters,” the children of the members join their parents to make it a very meaningful and memorable experience? Thanks to all of the members of the Family Matters Class!

Did you know that, following Family Worship service on January 12, families prepared 80 “Warm Hands” care kits to be given to men attending the Room in the Inn Thursday evening shelter held at MUMC during the winter months?

Did you know that the Tool Trailer has been outfitted and has left our church property? THANK YOU FOR YOUR GENEROUS GIFTS of tools. They will be used by churches around the Western NC Conference as we move to the Recovery phase of rebuilding the damage caused by Hurricane Helene.

Did you know that the friends from Tasty Tuesdays went to Colorado for lunch this week? Well …not really, but we sure had fun posing for this picture, because it is most likely the only snow we will see this spring in Charlotte. If you want to join in the fun find out more about Tasty Tuesdays here.