Win, Lose, Pray

23rd Sunday after Pentecost | Beyond Hospitality
Just these lines, my friends …

… to say that Sunday was a wonderful day of combined worship and glorious music followed by our Above & Beyond Lunch in the Gym & Commons that truly went Beyond Hospitality as celebrated Team MUMC (Matthews United Methodist Church)! It was delightful to see everyone come together as we imagined what could be possible for the future with our guest speaker, Tony Marciano. The game day theme provided for a fun atmosphere with Sir Purr and Sir Minty making feature appearances. (See all pics here on our Flickr account.)

If you were not able to attend the lunch & receive your Beyond Hospitality Annual Stewardship & Capital Campaign packets, they are coming to you in the mail this week, or you can pick one up at the Welcome Center. On Commitment Sunday, November 10, in all of our worship services, we will place them in the Joash Chest, giving our pledges to the 2025 General Fund & 3-year Capital Campaign. (Remember… we give our pledges to Global Impact mission efforts in February.)

For more information on our Beyond Hospitality campaign efforts or to submit your pledge to the 2025 General Fund or Capital Campaign online, click here. You can also review the FAQs for our Sanctuary & Auxillary Space improvements here. AND … if you missed being with us in worship, you might want to click here for a lot of inspiration and to see our full house.

I do hope you’ve heard by now about the remarkable $500,000 Challenge Grant that looms large for us in our efforts with Beyond Hospitality, which I announced on Sunday. This unbelievable gift is for our building project related to our Sanctuary. Our goal has been $2 million with the challenge of MUMC raising the first $1.5 million and then the grant comes our way. This grant possibility comes to us from the Stuart and Eulene Murray Foundation in Atlanta. The Murrays were lifelong United Methodists. Their nephew and Foundation Trustee, Mike Williams is also a member of MUMC with his wife, Leslie & their children, Lori & Ryan. Now, the opportunity is ours to receive this beautiful gift if we can do our part. It will take all of us to get there, but we can do it. November 10 is the date for this beautiful miracle.

On another note from Sunday … how about all those wonderful new members joining us in this adventure? They are as follows: Paula/Harold Bell, Joan Brownell, Matt/Eleanor Burmeister (Alexander), Sue Demick, Daryl Ghent, Sheena/Mike Marshall (Cordi, Benny, Collette), Jane Merritt, Celeste Rackley (Olivia), Vern/Bebe Wilkinson (Frances and David), Fran Watson and Eon Malan. And coming from Wesley United Methodist Church: Sam/Martha Moore, Greg/Linda Crystal, Maury/Paula Rapp, Wanda Garland and her father, Tom Talbert, Helen Keller, and Steve/Susan Houghton. What a gift they are to us!

Video Devotional

Over the years I think I’ve lost more election campaigns than I have won. My first real recollection of going to the polls was walking with my mom to the college campus in our hometown and watching her go behind that gray cloth curtain to cast her ballot for John F. Kennedy, I am sure. My folks and East Tennessee were full-on Republican, but for some reason Kennedy captured her imagination. So, watch and listen as I give you a little of my electoral history by watching my devotional for the week, which is titled Win, Lose, Pray.

Upcoming Events

• Trunk or Treat presented by Age-Level Ministries – Sunday, Oct 27, 6:00-7:30 pm. PLEASE consider donating candy! Bins located in The Commons. Details
• Meet the Pastors Membership Interest Gathering – Sunday, November 3, 3-4:30. This will begin our next Disciple’s Path series which will take place on Sundays, November 10 – December 8, 10:45 – 12:00. (Note: Joining date is December 15.) Details
• Commitment Sunday – November 10 – In all our morning worship services, we will be celebrating our Veterans as well as sharing together in the culmination of our Beyond Hospitality efforts. Please prepare to make your commitments to our General Fund for 2025 and our Capital Campaign for the next three years.
• MAGI Spiritual Gifts Workshop – Saturday, November 16, 8:30-12:00. Details
• Arts & Crafts Extravaganza – Saturday, November 23, 9:00-2:00. Details
• Community Thanksgiving Service – Sunday, November 24, 5:00 pm at Morning Star Lutheran Church (12509 Idlewild Rd, Matthews) Details
• Advent Study -The Christmas Letters – Purchase book here. Hear about the miracle of Christ’s birth from those who first told the story.
  • Monday Morning Women’s Study, 10:00-11:30 am, December 2-23, Led by Carolyn Perlman, Register here.
  • Wednesday Evenings, 7:00-8:30 pm, December 4-December 18, Led by Jessica Fraser, Register here.

This Sunday in Worship

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

In our Spanish-speaking CCH community, Pastor Roldan is preaching a generosity series, Practical Stewardship. His sermon title this week, Administrators, Not Masters from Luke 12:41-48.

This coming Sunday, we are in week two of our Beyond Hospitality emphasis. This week we’ll explore the Old Testament story of Rebekah with my sermon title, For Your Camels Also from Genesis 24:10-25. Maybe we’ll even get to see some of our folks who have returned from being in Canton, NC all this week, doing disaster recovery work from the flood that hit Canton over three years ago. This trip has been scheduled for nearly a year now. Our incredible servants are Ivan Johnson/Beth Dasher, Carol/Fred Goolsby, Mike Butts, Joe Culpepper, Rick Laurie, John Klotz, Sid Riddick, Debbie/Vince Rieck and Don Morrison. Joining them are former MUMCers Tom/Brenda Haughney from St. Simon’s Island and Tom/Linda Schick from Raleigh.

As always, I hope you’ll consider inviting someone along to church with you this Sunday. Maybe you know a friend, relative, co-worker, or acquaintance who thinks the church is filled with self-absorbed, me-focused people who can’t think beyond the end of their own nose. All you have to do is introduce them to the incredible people listed above. Suddenly, they’ll see the incomparable servant-hearted people that make MUMC the church it is today.

Now, as always, God does God’s best work in moments just like this.

Going Above and Beyond,
Dr. Charles (Chuck) W. Wilson II

Did you know that Leonard Blessing celebrated his 104th birthday on October 16 at Walton Wood on Providence. Leonard is the father of Leslee Mabee. It was a wonderful celebration of a special man!

Did you know that your Global Impact contributions funded a new shed for the Genesis Garden? Now our tools and supplies are all in one place and stored in a convenient spot, making room for the new HVAC system when it is installed. Thank you to the Handy Man Ministry for assembling the shed and thanks to the garden team for painting it. Well done!

Did you know that MUMC member Ralph Messera received the Walter Donham Excellence in Service Award for his continued service at Greater Matthews Habitat for Humanity? This award recognizes an individual who has demonstrated a profound service to others and has inspired others to act within the community. Congratulations Ralph! You are such a blessing to our community!