Two Conversions

3rd Sunday of Easter
Just these lines, my friends …

… to say that we continue to Practice Resurrection in worship during these Easter days. Also this past Sunday, we heard from our two bishops in North Carolina inviting us to pray and participate in the General Conference of The United Methodist Church. If you missed their message, you can view it here. Pastor Paul, then, gave us a great challenge with his sermon and leading us into Holy Communion. You can worship with us by clicking here.

Less than two weeks from now, 862 United Methodist official delegates and thousands more from around the world will gather right here in Charlotte (Charlotte Convention Center) for the General Conference of The United Methodist Church. It will be the fourteenth time that our denomination has gathered for this quadrennial meeting since The United Methodist Church was officially formed in 1968, and 232 years after the first conference of the Methodist Church met in Baltimore, Maryland.

From April 23 to May 3, these 862 delegates and guests will engage in worship and holy conferencing, for the purpose of interpreting the work of The United Methodist Church for the present age. Delegates will consider hundreds of petitions and make a wide array of decisions, guiding the denomination in its allocation of resources, its position on major issues, and its priorities for ministry.

Among the many matters of discernment and consideration will be these four major issues:

• Revision of our Social Principles: to speak into contemporary issues in ways that are globally relevant and biblically based.
• Reduction of the Denomination’s Overall Budget: to maximize resources for local churches to do the work of making disciples.
• Regionalization of the Denomination’s Global Structure: to allow the United Methodist Church to minister in the most effective ways in different global contexts.
• Removal of Discriminatory Language and Policies: to reduce the harm done to LGBTQIA+ persons.

If you have not already, I hope you will take the time to read through these resources about the General Conference:

• Beginner’s Guide
• Welcometogc.org to register as a volunteer
• What to Know About General Conference Proposals
• The Love Your Neighbor Coalition (LYNC) is hosting an Everybody hospitality space at General Conference at Hilton Garden hotel, where they welcome attendees of all abilities. Click here to purchase & donate supplies for this effort.

Video Devotional

I hope you’ll take a few minutes to watch my devotional for the week. It is titled, Two Conversions.

View Devotional HERE

Upcoming Events

• Women’s Empowerment Brunch Featuring Guest Speaker, April Diaz – Saturday, April 20, 9:30 – Noon. At “It’s A Party,” we’re celebrating the strength, resilience, and achievements of women from all walks of life. Whether you’re a trailblazer in your career, a nurturing caregiver, or an as piring leader, this brunch is for you! Details & Register
• Feasibility Study FOCUS GROUPS for Sanctuary/Auxiliary Space Improvements – Provide Your Response as MUMC explores facility upgrades & accessibility. Focus Groups begin Sunday, April 21 in Sunday Morning Groups & Classes. Focus Groups Open to ALL, No registration required:
• May 5 at 11:00am in Room 158
• May 12 at 9:30am in Room 106
• May 19 at 9:30am in The Commons

This Sunday in Worship

We invite you to join in worship this Sunday at 8:15 am (Traditional; in person only), 9:30 am (Contemporary; in person or online here), 9:30 am (United Kids Family Worship in the Gym), 11:00 am (Traditional; in person or online here) or 12:30 (Spanish; in person or on demand here).

This week Pastor Roldan continues a worship series preparing our CCH Community for General Conference. It is titled, The Elephant in the Room. His sermon is titled A Perfect Design from Genesis 1:26-28, 2:18-24.

All are welcome to come experience Family Worship, an interactive, high-energy worship service for the whole family where this month we will be focusing on the virtue of patience. Your family won’t want to miss what Connor and Pastor Corey have cooked up for you this time. Plan to stay for a few minutes following the service in The Commons for a special family treat and activity, with coffee or lemonade.

My sermon for this week is titled, The Good, the Bad, the Ugly: Why I Am Enthusiastically a United Methodist Christian. With the General Conference coming our way, I thought I would do my best to answer the question that is in my sermon title. Our scripture lesson will be Galatians 3:26-28.

Each week I encourage you to invite someone to church with you on Sunday. You never know, but they just might be drawn to a faith community that has been at the heart of Matthews for nearly 150 years, and … always loving, always serving.

And now, during this disconcerting, uncertain, confusing and yet, hopeful week, remember … God does God’s best work in moments like this.

Practicing Resurrection,
Dr. Charles (Chuck) W. Wilson II

Did you know that Doug Hunter led and organized volunteers for the Feed the People Ministry for 17 years? We estimate that over 15,000 bags of food were distributed to those in our community. The ministry is NOT ending, just changing, as Global Impact will make monthly donations to Union County Crisis Assistance. THANK YOU, Doug Hunter, and the Feed the People volunteers. Thank you, MUMC, for your support of Global Impact.