Outside the Box: Give Me That Old Time Religion

Dear Fellow Ministers,

I hope you are having a great week and will be able to enjoy some downtime over this holiday week when we celebrate our nation’s independence. As our nation celebrates 250 years this year and our church prepares to celebrate 150 years in 2027, it is only natural to look back on our history. And we should! However, we cannot dwell in the past. How do we honor the past, be honest about the joys and difficulties therein, and still move forward? We are going to be considering that in the worship series that starts this Sunday, “Give Me That Old Time Religion“. This Sunday we will consider Luke 5:33-39. I hope you will pray through that text with me as God forms a sermon in us.

If you missed worship this past week, you can view our 9:30 a.m. and/or our 11 a.m. services here. We were blessed that Amanda Marcell shared her “experience of the Holy Spirit” and you can view that here. She reminded us of the impact an invitation can have. Would you consider sharing our worship service with someone as a way of inviting them to church?

One of the hallmarks of this church is our outreach. We are gearing up for Rainbow Camp, Vacation Bible School, and Music and Arts Camp. Our youth celebrated their completed mission trips at the Youth Worship this past week. And, of course, our weekly opportunities are always available. Please view our constantly updated website to see all the happenings of Matthews UMC.

We are excited to have a new Prayer Station outside the sanctuary that Pastor Susan has set up for us. Anyone can share prayer needs, concerns, or joys there. We hope this can be a more interactive way for us to pray together. We do have a prayer team that lifts up the prayer opportunities before God every week.

Please view our midweek video of “The Bucky Schwartz Show” here as Bucky continues to introduce us to staff members. This church is blessed by the dedication of our staff. This week, we meet Meg Hopkins!

I am honored to be one of the pastors here. I look forward to being in ministry with you this week!

In Christ’s Service,
David

Did you know that your contributions to Global Impact helped purchase mulch for the Genesis Garden? This garden provides vegetables and flowers to ministry partners in our community. THANK YOU, members of the Parousia class, for spreading the mulch in the garden!

Did you know that Matthews UMC meets with other United Methodist churches in the area to share ideas and information? Through this connection, everyone is invited to learn about Burial vs. Cremation with Heritage Funeral Home and Forest Lawn Cemetery this Thursday, July 2, at 3:30 pm at Wesley Chapel UMC, 120 Potter Road South in Monroe.

Did you know that the United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) supports people impacted by natural disasters? If you would like to support those devastated by the earthquakes in Venezuela on June 24, you can do so online here. We will send special contributions to MUMC designated as ” Global Impact/Disaster Relief – Venezuela” to UMCOR for their efforts in the region. Thank you.