What is Your Best Advice?

6th Sunday of Easter
Just these lines, my friends …

… to say that hearts were filled on Sunday with the presence of another of our great United Methodist bishops, Sue Haupert-Johnson. You can worship with us and hear Bishop Sue’s outstanding message by clicking here.

Monday was a tragic day in Charlotte with the news of deadly shootings of law enforcement officers. As the General Conference of The United Methodist Church continued in uptown Charlotte, delegates paused to pray for victims and our community. The shootings occurred about seven miles east of the Charlotte Convention Center where GC continues through May 3.

Jennifer Davis is the lead laity delegate for the Western North Carolina Conference and a dear friend to MUMC. She has been here several times leading workshops, staff and lay leader training and Healthy Conversations. After Monday’s tragic shootings, she said, “I hope those directly affected by the shootings would know that ‘the whole world’ – in the form of United Methodist delegates representing different continents – was praying for them.”

I’ve known Jennifer to be for many years a human resources consultant to the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department, training one class of officers after another. “These are the some of the finest men and women I know. They are like my children and many of them call me ‘Momma’ or ‘Mother Davis,’ which they refer to as my church name,” she said. Jennifer asks for our continued prayers.

MUMC, let’s hold this tragedy so close in our hearts as we pray for the health and well-being of all involved and the families and communities impacted. Let’s reaffirm our commitment to our United Methodist Social Principles which call us to be makers of peace in the name of Christ and remind us that “Safety is a human right.”

Also, please hold our awesome Sanctuary Choir (under the direction of Craig Estep and Kathy White) so close in your prayers. They will be leading delegates and observers at the Opening Service of Worship at 8 am this Thursday, May 2. You can watch the service via livestream here. Pray they will be a huge blessing to the thousands gathered at the Charlotte Convention Center.

I continue to ask you to spend some time with the pastoral letter (We are on the Way to a Better Church) from our bishop, Ken Carter. This is an important summation of where The United Methodist Church stands as we move toward the conclusion of General Conference 2024. The letter gives some background to the General Conference and is also intended to be an alternative to statements about our church that may be inflammatory or inaccurate. Thank you for reading and sharing. Please click here for Bishop Carter’s Pastoral Letter.

Below are some links to helpful resources regarding General Conference.

• This report from the Western NC Conference reporting on the first week of General Conference: Understanding & Communicating the First Week of General Conference: Frequently Asked Questions
• Western North Carolina Conference General Conference Webpage – This is an excellent information place for you during the days of General Conference.
• Glossary of Terms for General Conference
• What to Know About General Conference Proposals

And notice throughout our church building these words from Bishop Carter:

“Bear witness, friends, to the love of God in this world. It is a love for all people. We are on our way to becoming a church that says, clearly and boldly, that we are here for everyone, no exceptions.”

 

Video Devotional

I hope you’ll take a few minutes to watch my devotional for the week, titled What is Your Best Advice?

Upcoming Events

• All-Church Gathering: This Monday, May 6, 7 pm in the Sanctuary or via Livestream here. Light refreshments served in the Sanctuary Reception Area at 6:30 pm. Come learn about everything that happened at General Conference, as well as all the wonderful things going on here at MUMC. Details
• Zoe Empowers Info Session & Marketplace: This Sunday, May 5, 9:30-10:30 & 11:00-Noon in The Commons. Hear stories from recent travelers, shop goods made by orphans from Kenya & see your Global Impact dollars at work. Details
• Feasibility Study FOCUS GROUPS for Sanctuary/Auxiliary Space Improvements – Provide Your Response as MUMC explores facility upgrades & accessibility. Open to ALL, No registration required:
  • This Sunday, May 5 at 11:00 am in Room 158
  • May 12 at 9:30 am in Room 106
  • May 12, 11:10 am in The Gym (following Family Worship)
  • May 18, 10:00 am in Room 94 or via Zoom (link here)
  • May 19 at 9:30 am in The Commons
• Leadership Information Session: Wednesday, May 8, 7 pm in Room 94 or via Zoom. Come learn what it means to serve in elected leadership on one of our formal committees. Details
• Congregational DEPRESSION AWARENESS Program (CDAP) – Thursdays, May 9-May 30, 5:30-7:30 pm. Program aims to disseminate valuable information about depression to those directly or indirectly impacted by depression. Instruction, resources, & ongoing support provided throughout sessions. Led by Dr Daniel Hale. In-person & Online. Register

 

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), 11:00 am (Traditional; in person or online here) or 12:30 (Spanish; in person or on demand here).

This week Pastor Roldan will begin a new worship series for our CCH Community. It is titled, Strengthening Family Ties. His sermon is titled, A Room for the Teacher from Luke 22:7-13.

This Sunday, in all three of our morning worship hours, we will be sharing in the sacred actions of Holy Communion. My sermon is from Ephesians 4:1-6 and is titled, Now What? We’ll be talking about how and where we go from here after the conclusion of the General Conference of The United Methodist Church in Charlotte. I think it will be a great day for you to invite someone to church with you … especially if they might like to be a part of a church that is honest, forthright, transparent, and open. I hope you’ll do just that this week.

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

Jesus is on the loose!
Dr. Charles (Chuck) W. Wilson II

 

Did you know that Cynthia Marie Beasley professed her faith and was baptized in the Chapel on Sunday, April 28 by Rev. Jenny Savage? She first came to MUMC with her two granddaughters through our Trunk-or-Treat event held last October. Thanks be to God!

Did you know that Jill Willis, former Music Associate at MUMC, graduates from Queens University this Saturday, and starts her “dream job” as the Director of Music and Worship at First United Methodist Church in Gastonia this Sunday? Read this wonderful article about Jill from Queens University. Congratulations, Jill!

Did you know that Amy DeVore is helping to coordinate volunteer hospitality and welcome at General Conference? Read this article to learn about the red aprons, symbolizing service for all in attendance.

Did you know that General Conference delegates from the Philippines visited Matthews UMC last week? Jim Gutierrez, MUMC member from the Philippines and the son of a retired United Methodist Bishop, brought them to see his church. They enjoyed speaking with staff, including Pastor Chuck, and touring our campus!

Did you know that it was a wild time for all at our African Safari-themed Parent Night Out? Kids enjoyed games, crafts, dinner, monkey cupcakes and a movie!