Outside The Box: Ash Wednesday Begins Lenten Journey

Dear Fellow Ministers,

Thank you for your support of our Global Impact ministry! Our Saturday Serve Day was a great success with over 118 people participating (more info & photos below). We are grateful to Gaston Warner, CEO of Zoe North, for preaching a marvelous sermon on Sunday. And most importantly we are grateful for your commitment to our mission ministry by your Faith & Life Commitment to Global Impact. If you were not able to make a commitment on Sunday, you can drop your cards off at the church anytime or in the offering plates during worship or pledge online here. A healthy church always supports missions, and this church continues to show its health! Thank you.

Today, Ash Wednesday, begins our Lenten journey. According to Hoyt Hickman in Handbook of the Christian Year, “Lent is a time for evangelism and true conversion – a time for growing through repentance, fellowship, prayer, fasting, and concentration upon our baptismal covenant. We are to be signs of God’s kingdom in this world. Lent is thus not giving up something but rather taking upon ourselves the intention and the receptivity to God’s grace so that we may worthily participate in the mystery of God-with-us.”

There are ways you can grow deeper in your Lenten journey and we hope you will participate in our Lenten theme, “Resilient Love,” by reading our online Lenten Small Group Study and Devotional booklet. There will also be special services along the way (tonight’s Ash Wednesday service, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, Sunrise Service) in addition to our regular Sunday offerings. (Read about all of our Lenten happenings here.) The point is that it is a time for us to be intentional about growing in our faith.

We want to be transparent and let you know that offerings to our General Fund are trending behind where we normally are this time of year. Due to weather, we had to cancel in-person worship two Sundays in a row, which can be hard financially. Thank you for considering ways you can financially help our church start the new year in a positive way. Please know that you can always give online to the life & ministry of MUMC.

This coming Sunday, I invite you to prepare for worship by reading through our sermon text from Mark 1:9-15. This scripture will invite us to find God’s resilience in claiming our unique voice. Thank you for your willingness to take the love of Christ outside the box of our regular experience. I look forward to being in ministry with you this week. Be sure to check out my weekly video!

In Christ’s Service,
David

Did you know that the Faith Sunday School Class joined the Room In The Inn team with hosting our friends for dinner & overnight last Thursday? Individuals or groups can sign up here to help with a variety of tasks.

Did you know that we had over 118 participants helping Global Impact partners at our Saturday Serve Day? We sent groups to six different ministry partner locations to clean, sort, organize and make decorations. Approximately 41 people went to ministry partner sites and 59 people served at MUMC assembling 400 bags, making hundreds of bracelets, making cards & goody bags, assembling 100 teacher gifts, and baking hundreds of cookies for our friends at Room In The Inn. THANK YOU for coming out to serve with us!

*Featured Header Photo: Our Zoe Empowers groups made a basket, pastor’s stole and drum that was presented to our leadership. MUMC has supported 724 young people in Africa!

*Matthews UMC has a job opening for Executive Assistant/Office Manager. If you or someone you know values a team environment, enjoys detailed work, and is technology proficient with administrative experience, view the job posting and email your resume to David Christy.