Strange as it may sound (since I’m the preacher), I so thoroughly enjoyed worship last Sunday. I think we had a good service, and I hope you felt uplifted too.

Each Sunday night before bed, I usually check the online recording to see how everything turned out—especially the music. Last Sunday, I went to bed a little discouraged. Not because of the music (our choir sounded beautiful!) but because of what the camera showed.

Here’s the problem: most of us sit toward the back on the left side, so the camera’s wide shot makes it look like we’re preaching to empty pews. When we have 60 or 70 people in worship, the camera makes it look like 15 or 20. If I were a first-time viewer online, I’d probably think, “small and dying”—or worse, “small and dead.”

So, I’ve asked our amazing tech guy, Jason, and his helpers to adjust the camera angles. From now on, the view will focus only on the first few pews and the heart of the action. No more sweeping shots of what I’ve come to call “the wasteland.” Our online service will feel more intimate and better reflect the warmth and spirit we all experience together in the sanctuary.

Be sure to check it out this Sunday and see the difference for yourself!

Pastor’s Class

Some things we were taught may not be true.

Join us at 9:45 AM, followed by breakfast at 10:30 AM.

It’s a “We-bring Sunday”—feel free to bring something to share!

This Sunday

Mary will be back, our choir will sing, and we’re hopeful that some of our missing friends will feel well enough to return.

Sermon: It Is One or the Other

Scripture: Luke 6:27–36

I’ll be looking for you this Sunday.

God bless,

Max

Happy Wednesday to all! 

I’ve just returned from Michigan, where I celebrated my brother Toby’s 30th anniversary as pastor of First Baptist Church of Leslie. It was a grand occasion, with over 150 people gathering to honor his ministry. When Toby was first called to the church, there were only 21 members. At his interview, someone asked what he would change if he were to come. With tears in his eyes, he said, “I would change everything. Look around—there are 21 people here, and this church is dying. We have to change things now.”

They invited him to “come and change us,” and that’s exactly what he did. Together with his wife, Shelli, and their two sons, he built youth, music, cancer support, and grief ministries, and led the renewal of the church campus. Thirty years later, the fruits of that change are clear—God has blessed their faithfulness.

Saint Matthew had a part in their story, too. About five years ago, I asked you to pray for Toby when he was diagnosed with blood cancer. You prayed, and today he is cancer-free. I gave him a big hug from all of us and told him how proud we are of him.

Toby also preached a powerful message called “The Dirtiest Towel.” I’ll share more about that the next time I preach—it’s one you won’t want to miss!

Your prayers are mighty tools in God’s tool chest. Keep using them to do all the good you can, for all the people you can, in all the ways that good can be done.

I’ll leave you with a question: If you could change anything about Saint Matthew, what would you change?

Please share your thoughts with me at mary.teague@saintmatthewumc.com or in writing at the church. This is God’s church, and we are called together to care for it and for our community. Look around at what God is doing through us—and imagine what more He can do when we open our hearts to change.

Love and blessings to all,
Mary