Posts tagged St. Matthew's UMC

United Methodist Women (UMW) Sunday - May 5th (8:15, 9:45 & 11:15 AM):  Our speaker at all three services will be Anna Cole who spent much of her childhood in Appalachia as a child of United Methodist missionaries.  Anna is a very creative and gifted young woman who feels a call  into ministry and will begin seminary in August.  She has a real commitment to the United Methodist Church and the work of mission and care of women  and children.  After each service, the UMW will also be selling cards and breads to benefit a  mission project. 

United Methodist Women (UMW) Sunday - May 5th (8:15, 9:45 & 11:15 AM):  Our speaker at all three services will be Anna Cole who spent much of her childhood in Appalachia as a child of United Methodist missionaries.  Anna is a very creative and gifted young woman who feels a call  into ministry and will begin seminary in August.  She has a real commitment to the United Methodist Church and the work of mission and care of women  and children.  After each service, the UMW will also be selling cards and breads to benefit a  mission project. 

Family Bingo Night!  On Friday, May 10th from 6:00 - 8:00 PM, the Children’s Council will host a Family Bingo Night . Come for free pizza, bingo, and prizes.

Family Bingo Night!  On Friday, May 10th from 6:00 - 8:00 PM, the Children’s Council will host a Family Bingo Night . Come for free pizza, bingo, and prizes.

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St. Matthew’s Worship Audio - 4.14.2013:  Pastor Brian Johnson continues the sermon series, Encountering the Divine Through Prayer, with the message, Lord, Teach Us to Pray. Revelation 5:11-14; Luke 11:1-13 

What are these angry birds doing hanging out at church? Come find out Sunday at Youth Group (6-8 PM)!  Prepare to get wet!!!!

What are these angry birds doing hanging out at church? Come find out Sunday at Youth Group (6-8 PM)!  Prepare to get wet!!!!

We’re getting ready for tomorrow!  We hope to see you at St. Matthew’s Pink Elephant Rummage Sale beginning at 8:00 AM tomorrow morning (Saturday, April 13th) and ending at noon.  As you can see in the photos posted, our youth, adult UMYF leaders and Parents have all been graciously donating their time for this event.  All proceeds will go to further support our youth programs and youth mission projects.

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Join Pastor Denise Honeycutt as she begins our new sermon series, Encountering the Divine Through Prayer, with the message, It Needs to Be Real for Me. Psalm 150; John 20:19-31. 

Spring Service Day (April 6, 2013) in Photos:

Jim King Imaging: SMUMC Potato Drop April 6, 2013 &emdash;  

On April 6, 2013 181 people gathered in the front of St. Matthew’s to help feed our hungry neighbors on our annual Spring Service Day.  “In 2.5 hours, 181 of us saved 49,000 pounds of potatoes from the landfill and bagged them to be distributed to our hungry neighbors through local food banks.” ~ Pastor Brian Johnson.  

St. Matthew’s member and professional photographer, Jim King, has made his photos of that day available at: http://JwKImaging.zenfolio.com/p430221535/slideshow

Join us at 8:30 AM tomorrow morning for our Spring Service Day!  It should be beautiful weather as we package roughly 49,000 pounds of potatoes to help feed our hungry neighbors.  Even if you’ve never been to St. Matthew’s before, we encourage you to come out and help with this community mission.  All ages can participate so bring everyone you know! Get address and contact information on our website (http://www.stmatthewsumc.org/contact.php). No need to RSVP, just show up, everyone is invited!

Encountering the Diving Through Prayer: Christ is alive – we are resurrection people!  We now enter into the great 50 days of Easter – in which the disciples encountered the living presence of Christ.  We are beginning a yearlong focus on prayer.  Our Sermon Series for the 50 days of Easter will be: Encountering The Divine Through Prayer.  We will look at how the disciples talked with, and related to the resurrected Christ, and how that might inform our prayer life.  We will examine what Jesus taught about prayer.  During the 50 Days of Easter we will be unpacking some of the problems of prayer, how we do it, what it means, how can it be meaningful part of our lives and not just another thing we have to add to a ‘to -do list’?    We will explore different ways of praying that may be more suited to our participate personality or situation in life.

Encountering the Diving Through Prayer: Christ is alive – we are resurrection people!  We now enter into the great 50 days of Easter – in which the disciples encountered the living presence of Christ.  We are beginning a yearlong focus on prayer.  Our Sermon Series for the 50 days of Easter will be: Encountering The Divine Through Prayer.  We will look at how the disciples talked with, and related to the resurrected Christ, and how that might inform our prayer life.  We will examine what Jesus taught about prayer.  During the 50 Days of Easter we will be unpacking some of the problems of prayer, how we do it, what it means, how can it be meaningful part of our lives and not just another thing we have to add to a ‘to -do list’?    We will explore different ways of praying that may be more suited to our participate personality or situation in life.

St. Matthew’s April Prayer Focus: “Christ is Risen, Alleluia”

St. Matthew’s April Prayer Focus: “Christ is Risen, Alleluia”

SAVE THE DATE!  Jonah, a children’s musical, will be presented during  8:15 & 11:15 morning worship on Sunday, April 21st.

SAVE THE DATE!  Jonah, a children’s musical, will be presented during  8:15 & 11:15 morning worship on Sunday, April 21st.

The St. Matthew’s April 2013 Newsletter is now available.  Click here for a PDF copy.

The St. Matthew’s April 2013 Newsletter is now available.  Click here for a PDF copy.

Holy Week

stmatthewspastors:

So it’s Holy Week. Are you taking it seriously? This past Sunday Pastor Brian encouraged us to take Holy Week seriously. How are you doing with that?

Maybe you have taken the time as was suggested to read chapter 22 and 23 of Luke each day. Perhaps you have spent more time in prayer. You may have rearranged your schedule this week to allow you to attend the upcoming Maundy Thrusday and Good Friday services.

Or maybe life is feeling pretty out of control for you. Maybe disappointments with work or with those you care about have you feeling a bit alone. Perhaps you are one of those who have great dreams for your life, for the world but nothing seems to be working quite the way you expected them too.

If you are feeling any of these ways I would suggest that you, of all people are able to take Holy Week seriously. For these may have been some of the very feelings that Jesus experienced the last week of his life. Allow yourself to ‘be with Christ’ with all that you are as you take this week seriously.

Peace,

Denise and Brian

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Join us as we continue our Lenten sermon series, Fifty Shades of Grace, and celebrate Palm/Passion Sunday with Pastor Brian Johnson’s message: King on the Cross. Luke 19:28-40; Philippians 2:5-11. 

Pastors’ Message - March 22, 2013

stmatthewspastors:

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March 22, 2013

Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

This Sunday is Palm/Passion Sunday.  On this day, we will tell the story of Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem and how, just a few days later, the same crowds that hailed him as King demanded that he be crucified by the Roman authorities.  This marks the beginning of Holy Week, a week during which we Christians journey with Jesus to the cross and the empty tomb.  As we delve into the mystery of the death of the One who is God with us, we remember and experience the deepest and darkest night the world has ever known.  On Good Friday, we see God joining us in our brokenness, taking on the consequences of our sin, and accepting abandonment and suffering on our behalf.  And then, on Easter Sunday, we see the bonds of death broken.  Easter is the ultimate reversal – the ultimate celebration of God’s life-transforming (and life-creating) power, even in the face of death.

But, we can’t get to Easter without Good Friday.  We can’t appreciate the mysterious and world-transforming power of Christ’s resurrection unless we first encounter the reality and pain of his death.  So, this week, you have a simple task: take Holy Week seriously.  Travel with Jesus from the Cross to the Empty tomb. Read Luke 22:1-24:13 a few times – perhaps even every day – and reflect on its significance.  And join us here for worship on Maundy Thursday (7pm), Good Friday (7pm), and Easter Sunday (6:30, 8:15, 9:45, & 11:15am).

This is the most important story of our faith.  Indeed, we Christians believe that Palm Sunday to Easter Sunday is the most important week in all of human history.  So, we encourage you to join us in worship as we experience these central moments of our faith.  We hope to see you here.

Blessings,

Brian and Denise