The Kindness Revolution – Part 1

2nd Sunday after Pentecost
Just these lines, my friends …

… to say that one of our staff members just stuck her head in my office and said, “Graduation Sunday is one of my favorite Sundays of the year.” Yes, indeed! This past Sunday (6/4) was a beautiful day with Pastor Corey’s message, our Youth Praise Band, our graduates, and Matthews United Methodist (MUMC) scholarships for many of them. If you missed it, you can worship here.

The week was full with other things as well: our Methodist Men’s Group gathered on Saturday and heard an inspiring devotional from Don Morrison and a challenging and deeply moving talk from Steve Hall; our Micah Connection Creation Care Ministry partnered with the Town of Matthews on Saturday with the distribution of Milkweed, the only plant a Monarch caterpillar eats … people came by the dozens, and plants were sold out within an hour; our Home2Home Ministry collected and distributed furniture all week; our Church Staff Community served lunch to our friends at Rainbow Express Ministries to say thank you for the many ways they serve and touch our lives across the life of MUMC; AND … so much more.

It is also that time of the year, too, when our financial contributions to our MUMC General Fund begin to take a dip as we enter the summer months. Remember our General Fund is the heart and soul to sustain our ministries. The summer always brings an increase in our expenses with camps, mission trips and so much more. Our summer schedules of vacations, family and friend gatherings can take us away from the heartbeat of the church, but, as always, you are amazingly faithful. My heart celebrates your faithfulness through generosity. Thank you! Thank you! You can make your financial gifts of generosity by clicking here.

Just a thought: While modern medicine may have realized that optimism is good for the heart, it is truly amazing to think that this merely corroborates the wisdom literature of the Bible that dates back nearly 3,000 years. We cannot control our circumstances, but we can choose how we respond –and a cheerful response is good for both heart and soul.

“A cheerful heart is good medicine.”
Proverbs 17:22

Wednesday Devotional

I hope you’ll take a few minutes to watch my devotional for the week titled, The Kindness Revolution – Part 1.

New Summer Worship Series Begins this Sunday: High Maintenance Relationships

Do you need help in handling the impossible people in your life? Is your spouse a Wet Blanket? Is your neighbor a Gossip? Is your sister a Volcano? Is your co-worker a Competitor? Is your boss a Critic? Is your friend a Martyr? Is your boyfriend a Green-Eyed Monster? Is your brother a Control Freak?

Beginning this Sunday, in all our morning worship services we want to offer practical suggestions, wise advice and helpful biblical insights to help us understand and cope with high-maintenance relationships.

June 11: The Challenge of Impossible People
June 25: The Volcano
July 2: The Cold Shoulder
July 9: The Wet Blanket
July 16: The Competitor
July 23: The Martyr
July 30: The Green-Eyed Monster
August 6: The Gossip
August 13: The Control Freak
August 20: The Critic

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), 9:30 am Summer Jam Family Worship in the Gym, 11:00 am (Traditional; in person or online here) or 12:30 (Spanish; in person or on demand here).

In our Spanish-speaking community, Pastor Roldan continues his series, Practical Apologetics. His sermon is from I Corinthians 1:19-25 and is titled: The Answer is in the Message of the Cross. 

You can participate in a special Summer Jam Family Worship service this Sunday at 9:30 in the Gym. The service will be packed with music, games, skits, and activities to get you ready for the summer and suggest ways you can include Jesus in all the family fun during the coming months. Today is the last day to register for Summertime SONshine Buckets, which contain everything you need for a summer full of weekly activities & devotions to enjoy as a family!

In our morning sanctuary services, my sermon will be our first in the new worship series High Maintenance Relationships. The title for Sunday is The Challenge of Impossible People from Romans 15:1-7. Relationships — whether marriage, friendship, family, or the workplace — are often thought of with aspirational ideals of harmony and warm fuzzies.

Togetherness, we think, builds closeness and security. While this may be true, we need to recall the wisdom of Proverbs which taught millennia ago that relationships are not primarily about warm fuzzies, but about challenge, growth, and change. Iron sharpening iron (Proverbs 27:17) is not a pleasant sound, and sparks are bound to fly – but the result is a better, sharper, more useful edge. Let’s get started on Sunday.

Oh, and … please don’t forget to invite someone to come along with you that might need the love, support, and engagement of our community … and perhaps a little encouragement when it comes to relationships.

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 the Children’s Music Ministry is undergoing a large clean-out project to declutter and renew the Children’s Choir Room and donated a collection of instruments to the Forest Creek Middle School “Special Settings” program? Their choir director, Sarah Gould, came to collect the donation this past week, after receiving a grant to expand her program. She was excited to share about all the opportunities these instruments will bring to her special needs program and was so grateful for the donation from MUMC.

Did you know that our Home2Home Ministry received 189 donated furniture items in the month of May? And….152 pieces were delivered to 153 people in 13 families!

Did you know that we delivered 1,683 lbs of food to our Global Impact partner Common Heart for their food drive? It is amazing what WE can accomplish when we come together! THANK YOU to all of you who donated, prayed, and volunteered to make this food drive a great success!

Did you know that The Micah Connection collected 596 signed letters for our legislators regarding the Farm Bill? Letters will be delivered to each legislative office in the next two weeks. THANK YOU!

Did you know that Church Staff had a wonderful time hosting a surprise gratitude lunch for our friends at Rainbow Express Ministries to say THANK YOU for showing up each week to replenish pew holders, guest attendance books and for straightening up the Sanctuary? We are GRATEFUL!

Did you know that the Metro School shared this video of their students enjoying the Metro Prom, hosted by MUMC Youth Ministries in our Gym & Commons on May 19? This is one of many opportunities for intergenerational connection at MUMC!