Hello, St. Matthew and friends!

I missed being with you on Sunday, but I have watched the sermon and I know you had a marvelous experience. I look forward to being with you this Sunday. I will be preaching a sermon about names. My scripture text is John 10: 27-28 for those who like to play along. YOUR HOMEWORK: research the origin of your first name, write it on a small note card or piece of paper, and bring it to church Sunday morning. This guarantees two things. First, you will have done a little homework, which has not happened in your life for decades. And, second, I will know who actually reads my newsletter articles.

I spent a joyous time with my family this past weekend, being blessed to attend the wedding of my dear nephew Jacob Teague to a spectacular woman named Emily. I look forward to spending much time with them as they grow in love and in life.

Don’t forget August 4^th is happening very soon!!! Our Back-to-School Bash is becoming a reality. We will have hot dogs and be watching “Puss ‘n Boots 2” in the fellowship hall. I still need a few helpers and the sign-up sheet to help is on the bulletin board in the hallway. I also need 27 more $25-dollar Walmart Gift cards (or the cash equivalent) to give to the 30 children I am praying for God to send to this event. It will be unforgettable!  Brian McCosky has an exciting plan for marketing to our neighborhood. Please let me know this week if you can help. I love you all and am looking forward to our time together this Sunday. PS. Do not forget your homework! All my love, Mary

Hello everyone,

I continue to spend a considerable amount of time humming Broadway tunes from our Saturday concert or just grinning and remembering the joy that filled my heart during the performance. I know many of you were also as moved as I was, I could see it in your smiles and tears. We are so very, very blessed that God sent Shannon and Blake to our congregation. I am looking forward to many more concerts at St. Matthew. Thanks to everyone who brought food and a HUGE thank you to those of you who stayed to help clean up. 

Our next concert is scheduled for August, date and details to follow. Our BACK-to-SCHOOL bash is August 4^th. Hot Dogs and Movie Night are on the agenda. I still need volunteers to help set up and clean up that evening. We also need a room full of school-age kids! Thank you to those folks who gave me money on Sunday morning for the gift cards we will be giving away that evening. I received 3 donations. Only 27 more to go!!

I will be away this weekend celebrating my nephew’s wedding. I will join you online for worship. Blessings to all! Mary

Hello to everyone! I hope you are all staying cool and dry in this heat and humidity. A little bit of rain is helpful, I think. Or it may just contribute to the humidity. Summer in Texas must be the closest thing to Hell we can imagine without actually being there. I look forward to the 3 days of mild fall weather we will probably have in November. 🙂 Yvonne Lee let me know today that her niece Cindy is being discharged this week from rehab and will return home. And Julie Maxwell tells me that Tracy still has serious pain and is scheduled for an MRI and several office visits this week. Charlotte Holder has had some relief from the procedure she had on her back, but she still asks for prayers from you. Keep these and all our folks with health issues in your prayers this week.

We have some exciting things coming up: July 15^th at 6 pm is our “Night at the Theater” featuring Shannon and Blake with a Potluck Dinner to follow. August 4th is our “Back to School Bash” for the kids in our congregation. A sign-up list will be available this Sunday to help with the event. We will have hot dogs and a movie night. This event begins at 5:30 with food and fellowship. The movie will start at 6:30. Everyone is invited, even if you aren’t going back to school. We will not need to purchase school supplies for the elementary school kids, but I think new backpacks would be good for all of them. Or perhaps gift cards so that they can pick out their own. We will discuss.

Finally, the Admin Board meets this Sunday after church. If you have anything you would like to be added to the agenda, please let me or Winston know.

Blessings to all, Mary

Greetings from Lubbock! My son and I have ventured to West Texas to help the family with a few things and to visit will everyone. The evenings here are fantastic (low 80s) and the mornings here are luscious (71 degrees this morning). But there are still not enough trees for me! The cooler mornings made it very attractive to have an outdoor time of study and contemplation, so I took full advantage of the situation. I look forward to those 4 days in November when it is pleasant enough to sit outside and enjoy the morning. 😊 I learned something this week from the Fort Worth ISD website: the school district buys school supplies for all elementary school children! I had no idea. We will still host a back-to-school bash for the kids in our neighborhood on August 4th. I haven’t heard from anyone who wants to help with this event yet. We can still get backpacks for the kids and some general supplies for the classrooms: tissue, sanitizing wipes, etc. August 4th is only one month away. We will begin advertising this weekend. Blessings to all! Mary

Peace and love to you all in the name of the risen Christ! I pray that you are staying indoors and that your indoor is a cool and comfortable place to be. If you are having issues with air conditioning this summer, please email me. I know some excellent HVAC technicians! If you do have to be outside, early morning is best and take water with you everywhere you have to travel. There will be weather advisories to stay indoors for the next few weeks; try to comply with those warnings as much as possible.

I am preaching again this week and our service will also have some patriotic music included to celebrate July 4th. Max will be home resting from his recent adventures to the hospital. We pray for a speedy recovery for our senior pastor and a quick return to service. Shannon Davidson will be our soloist this weekend as Blake is visiting his family in Tennessee. I know it will be amazing. Shannon lost her grandfather last week. His obituary can be found at donnellyscolonial.com. His name is H. Neil Davidson. Please pray for Shannon and her family as they navigate their grief.

Blessings to all, Mary