Guerrillas of Grace

8th Sunday after the Epiphany | Global Impact Commitment Sunday
Just these lines …

… to say that Sunday brought the gift of new people coming our way. They were presented to us by Rev. Bill Roth. They are as follows: Deb/Rod Aldrich, Khoi/Marcie Le (Anna and Hattie), Ruth Robison, Kay Rosene, Anna/Neal Morgan (Reese and Parker), Bonnie/David DuBois (Charlie and Graham), Jonas/Lindsey Amoss (Lim, Ruby, Everly) Christine Lively, Aimee/Charles/Katie Russell (Case), Jan Stora, Kathie Stora (Colette and Eva), Amy/Vince Sumner, Robert Ellis. What an amazing group joining us to make God’s love real to ALL as we Reach, Teach, Praise and Serve. They are a gift to us.

On Sunday, we were also wonderfully surprised by the visit of Rev. Pam Carter, the spouse of our Bishop, Ken Carter. She presented us with a lovely quilting design linked to Western North Carolina mountain culture. She shared this, which is inscribed on the back: “This quilt block has been crafted and given in sincere appreciation for the ways that MUMC has responded to those affected by Hurricane Helene. In our darkest hour you have been bringing the light and helping many to rebuild the heart of their homes. Thank you for being the hands and feet of Christ within our Western North Carolina Conference of The United Methodist Church and making God’s love real.” My heart is full of such deep gratitude by how our church has responded to the needs of our Western North Carolina mountains.

It’s been an active week around the Church! On Saturday, we continued our Global Impact Celebration with Saturday Serve Day. Over 135 people served at 8 Global Impact ministry partners to paint, pressure-wash, clean and sort clothing. In The Commons, we had families make food and crafts for 6 other ministry partners! At noon we all gathered outside for ice cream with Treats with Friends from Rainbow Express Ministries. Thank you for showing up to serve!

 

Enjoy Dessert & Conversation with Kathy Izard, Trust the Whisper author on Wednesday, March 19 in The Commons.

On Sunday in worship, we were fortunate to have Brian Mateer and Maggie Armstrong, who are leading our United Methodist efforts for recovery from the devastation of Hurricane Helene in Western North Carolina. If you missed being here on Sunday, you can worship here. If interested in a work trip to WNC, contact Joe Culpepper, MUMC Work Trip Coordinator.

Make Prayer Beads at our Community Workshop to provide hope to Western NC neighbors. on Sunday, March 9 at Noon.

We held our 19th Community Forum on Racial Bridge Building last Tuesday evening at MUMC. A wonderful group of persons from MUMC and other churches came together to hear a challenging presentation on Our Trespasses: White Churches and the Taking of American Neighborhoods. This is a deeply moving Charlotte story around urban redevelopment in the 1950s and 60s and the displacement of a predominantly Black community. You can watch the presentation HERE (sound begins at the 3:10 mark).

This week we also had large funerals in the Sanctuary celebrating the lives of Kathryn Jackson and Susan Wright. Both of these women were the brightest of lights.

Wednesday Devotional

Ted Loder served a United Methodist Church in Pennsylvania for 38 years. I think it was the one church he served his entire career as a pastor. I came across his Guerrillas of Grace a couple of decades ago and it was transformative. I want to pray one of his prayers for you today. Back in January at our annual Leadership Connection, I asked all our church leaders to pray his prayer with me in unison. You can watch my devotional by clicking here.

Annual Report of the Matthews United Methodist Church Endowment

Click here to read the 2024 report on our Endowment. I’m so deeply moved by the amazing steps we’ve taken over the last few years. I’m beyond grateful for our Endowment community of leaders and their devotion to this ongoing project. They have a remarkable vision that will strengthen the ways we Reach, Teach, Praise and Serve at MUMC for generations.

Their current focus is to help educate our congregation on God’s principles for handling money and provide tools through Financial Peace University, a 9-session course offered on Sunday evenings beginning March 9 from 6-8 pm. Register now…you can’t afford to miss this! Through the years at MUMC, 133 families have taken advantage of this program and reported a total combined savings of $273,312 as a result of using their new skills.

Click here to read all about our Endowment fund.

The Season of Lent

Lent is just around the corner. I hope you are already making preparations. I love hearing from some of you about your observance of some Lenten disciplines: fasting, scripture reading, prayer, service and so much more.

• Shrove Tuesday Pancake Supper – March 4, 5:00-7:30. Community pancake supper sponsored by United Youth Ministry. No reservation required, and all donations go towards helping youth and college students participate in Summer Mission Trips. Details
• Ash Wednesday Service – March 5, 7 pm in the Sanctuary. We are delighted to have Rev. Dr. Joshua M. Noblitt as our preacher. Josh is a child of MUMC and an ordained Elder in the Western NC Conference of The United Methodist Church. (Learn more about Josh here.) Our worship service will include the Imposition of Ashes.
• Butterfly Project – Order caterpillars & habitats and care for your butterfly to be released on Easter Sunday. Order here by March 23 and pick up in The Commons on March 30 between 9 am -12:15 pm.
• Draw Close: A Creative Lenten Group – Thursdays, March 6 – April 17, 11:00 am-Noon. Details & registration info here.
• 24 Hours That Changed the World – Women’s Thursday Night Lenten Study, March 6, 6:30pm on Zoom. For info, contact Cheryl Sherrard.
• Beginning Sunday, March 9, we will launch our Lenten Worship Series, Shaping the Virtuous Heart in all our morning worship services.
  • The 21st Century has been hard on the church. Long before the pandemic of the 2020s put the church in isolation for a year plus, the church was already weakened by declining numbers, denominational struggles over human sexuality, and increasing division along social and political lines. We wonder how we can go forward without a map.

I hope you’ll join us each week during Lent. For seven weeks (through Easter), we are going to dust off these practices of the heart. You can read more about this series here.

This Sunday in Worship

We invite you to join us this Sunday 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).

This Sunday in our Spanish-speaking service (CCH), Pastor Roldan will be preaching from Matthew 8:23-27, and his sermon title is Peace in the Middle of the Storm.

This Sunday is Commitment Sunday for our Global Impact efforts. My sermon will be titled Certainty or Trust from Proverbs 3:5-7, and we will make our Life & Faith Commitments to mission beyond the walls of our church. Pledge cards were mailed to homes the end of January, or you can pick one up at the Welcome Center. Click here for more information, and here to make your pledge online.

I’m hoping you will invite a friend to see and experience the people of MUMC dedicating themselves to God’s work in the community, in the region, and around the world.

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

Trusting in the Whisper,
Dr. Charles (Chuck) W. Wilson II

 

Did you know that our Hope for Minds & Hearts Mental Health Ministry is focusing on LGBTQ Health Awareness and Bipolar Disorder for the month of March? For further information, click LGBTQ+ Communities and Mental Health and Bipolar Disorder.

Did you know that the Greater Matthews Habitat for Humanity (GMHH) broke ground on their second duplex in the Crestdale community of Matthews this past Saturday? GMHH has built over 100 homes in the Matthews, Mint Hill & Stallings communities, and MUMC offers support to GMHH as a local Global Impact partner.

Did you know that, culminating on Souper Bowl Sunday, our Youth & Confirmands contributed & collected $3,000 in cash and 522.6 lbs. of non-perishable foods to be shared with our local non-profit partners? In addition, the youth’s collection received a $2,500 donation to be given directly to Common Heart. So, that is a total of $5,500 collected to fight hunger in our community. These monetary gifts & food donations will be shared with Common Heart, COSKids, Matthews HELP Center, Turning Point Domestic Violence Center, Mt. Moriah Missionary Baptist Church, and The Village at Covenant Community Church in WNC. United Kids & Youth thanks all of you for your support!

Did you know that this past Saturday, our Youth Basketball Ministry completed their season? More than 300 local teens, led by more than 50 volunteer adult coaches, played 130 games during the season. Only one team in the league was made up of players from MUMC, the rest were from the community! It was loads of fun & brought hundreds of new people into our Church.