I thought we had a very good class last week. And this week we move on to a tantalizing subject—After-Death Communications—loved ones who speak to us after they are gone.
Class at 9:45. Breakfast after.

Breakfast this Sunday

This is a “We Bring Sunday.” Don’t forget that. Feel free to help. Breakfast is at 10:30.

Last Sunday and This

Mary will be out this Sunday visiting her grandmother in (I believe) New Mexico. And Kristi will be gone (along with Steven). So, Blake will do the piano thing. And Julian will sing the beautiful Above All. (The choral anthem last Sunday was very powerful.)

And—OK—since I talked last week about the younger brother in Jesus’s great Prodigal Son parable, I’ll talk about the older brother this Sunday.
My sermon title is: God Is Not Just.
And let me add—you don’t want him to be.

We Will Not Ask

Two dear friends of mine—former members of this church—died last year in Oklahoma. They have left some money to St. Matthew, and it will cover the very expensive work we are about to do on our sound and light system. We could not, in fact, do this work without the loving gift of Fred Stearns and Eileen Engleson Stearns.

When they moved to Oklahoma, they never found a church like St. Matthew. Their membership remained here, and they continued to watch our services online.

So, my request is that we continue to be faithful in our regular giving. Help us pay our bills from week to week. Let us keep the work of St. Matthew going. God knows that we are here.
I believe God wants this church living and serving.
I believe God will help us meet our needs.
Thanks be to God.

See you Sunday.
God bless—MB

Peace and love to all of you in the name of Jesus Christ,

The Saint Matthew UMC newsletter happens every week, 52 weeks a year. I have had a “corner” in the newsletter for longer than I can remember, but my newsletter articles are usually late getting submitted to Jason. I wish it were not true, but my organizational skills paired with a calendar that looks like mine create problems with meeting this Tuesday at 4 p.m. deadline. Today (Monday), I have set an intention to get my newsletter article written and submitted for editing on Sunday after church or Monday by 3 p.m. at the latest. I am sharing this with you because that reinforces my commitment to do this. Jason is very patient with me every week, but he also has a calendar that looks like a hurricane, and so I want to be respectful of his responsibilities and time. By setting an intention and not just a reminder, I am making a promise to myself to do better.

I wonder what other intentions I need to set in my life? My intention this season of Lent has been to draw closer to God. Reading, praying, meditating, and physical movement have all been centered around this intention since Ash Wednesday. Jesus “steadfastly set his face to go to Jerusalem,” knowing the fate that awaited (Luke 9:51). To be more like Jesus, we must also “set our face” toward whatever is in front of us. Pick one thing when you read this newsletter. Write one word about the subject toward which you will set an intention. Share your word with someone you trust, and then tell God. And if you want to share it with me, please email me: mary.teague@saintmatthewumc.com.

My love to all of you!
Mary

P.S. We raised $3,675 toward payroll at Eastside Ministries! Thank you for your continuously generous spirit. I will keep you posted about their future and our part in keeping this vital ministry open in East Fort Worth.