The Parable of the Good Samaritan

5^th Sunday in Lent
Just these lines, my friends …

… to say that our time in worship this week was so rich: hopeful prayers from our pastors, the reading of a challenging parable by two of our laity, our delightful Flute Choir, amazing energy from our Praise Team and an extraordinary moment of worship with our Sanctuary Choir in their presentation of Depth of Mercy. Thank you! Thank you! If you missed, you can watch here.

I concluded my sermon on Sunday with John Wesley’s 22 questions for self-examination. These timeless questions have been around for nearly 300 years.

The Melody Makers, a group of 50 of our senior citizens and community members gave a concert Tuesday, March 22, in the Sanctuary The group is composed of 14 different churches in the area and they sang a beautiful concert of favorite sacred songs. We invited several area churches and senior living facilities to the concert and we had approximately 275 in attendance. Buses lined the parking lot and everyone had a wonderful time. It was inspirational and it has been asked that we do this every year. It was a truly God-blessed event! If you missed it (or want to watch it again & again), you can watch it here.

 

 

Coming Together, Following Jesus, Changing Lives

Wednesday Devotional

You’ll remember several weeks back I kicked off our series of sermons on the parables by taking a look at the parable of the Good Samaritan. I’d like to revisit it today in my devotional: “The Parable of the Good Samaritan.”

Our Path Forward: The United Methodist Church General Conference Postponement

I hope you can join us in person this Monday, April 4 at 6:30 pm in the Sanctuary for information concerning the Protocol of Reconciliation and Grace, postponement of the 2022 UMC General Conference, and what this means for The United Methodist Church and Matthews United Methodist Church. Please send questions in advance to questions@matthewsumc.org. Learn more on our website or view event online.

Prayer Vigil for Ukraine

I hope you will join us outside on the Green at Town Hall on Wednesday, April 6 at 7:30pm for a Community Prayer Vigil for Ukraine. We will be collecting funds for The Red Cross in Ukraine.

This Sunday in Worship

We invite you to join us this Sunday in person or online at 8:15 am (traditional – in person only), 9:30 am (contemporary), 11:00 am (traditional) or 12:30 (Spanish – in person only).

In our Spanish-speaking CCH community, Pastor Roldan will be preparing the community for Easter. His Lenten sermon series is titled, The Story We All Must Tell. This Sunday he is preaching from John 12:1-8 and his sermon title, It’s Not Worth Skimping.

In our morning services, we will conclude our Lenten series on the difficult, challenging parables of Jesus. My sermon is titled Use It or Lose It from Matthew 25:14-30. In addition, we will be celebrating Holy Communion.

I look forward to seeing you on Sunday, if not before. Be sure and invite someone to church. You never know who might be looking for just a little bit of hope this Lent!

And now, as always, during these strange, uncertain, and hopeful days, remember … God does God’s best work in moments like this.

Lenten mercies,
Dr. Charles (Chuck) W. Wilson II

Did you know that Charlie’s Carnival is this Saturday at Stumptown Park 11:00-3:00? (In case of bad weather, the carnival will be held at MUMC.) Enjoy bounce houses, games, face painting, food trucks, and more. This free community carnival is open to all, but pre-registration is encouraged. All proceeds will support Charlie’s Heart Foundation, founded by MUMC members Michael and Rebecca Holt to remember their vibrant, adventurous little 5-year-old son, Charlie, who died tragically on April 14, 2017.

Did you know that A Celebration of a Life Well-Lived for Iris Miller DeVore was held at the Levine Senior Center? It was a beautiful celebration led by her son, Fred DeVore. We are thankful for the life and legacy of Iris DeVore in our community and church for 55 years.

Did you know that Julie Edwards and Matthew Naughton were married on Friday, March 25 at The View at Emerald Lake, officiated by Pastor Paul? Congratulations, Julie & Matthew!

Did you know Pastor Roldan is gathering our CCH community each morning during the Lenten season (Sunday through Friday), at 6 am for prayer?

Did you know that this past Sunday our CCH Congregation received information about UMCOR, the Methodist Church’s Committee on Relief, and also learned about the upcoming Prayer Vigil for Ukraine which our church is sponsoring on Wednesday, April 6th at 7:30 pm on the green in front of Matthews Town Hall?

Did you know that Lachlan Bailey became Boy Scout Troop 39’s 200th Eagle Scout? Lachlan is the son of our Scoutmaster, Will Bailey. Congratulations Lachlan!

Did you know that United Kids and Youth distributed 500 caterpillars to church families and our friends at the Telra Institute who are joining us for this fun nature project? Butterflies will be released at a special service on Easter Sunday at 10:30 am in the Courtyard.

Did You know that the women of our church participated in the Invitation to Pray Retreat this past weekend? They shared a valuable time of connection with one another and in prayer for the community, church and world. The women worked on a mission project to pack purses full of loving items to bless women through Global Impact Missions at MUMC partners (Turning Point, Inc. & COS Kids) and beyond out in the community. Special thanks goes to the United Methodist Men who made delicious meals!