Author Archives: Mary Teague

Mary’s Corner

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Greetings to you, the beloved of Christ,

I pray that you were able to spend some time outside this morning enjoying the beautiful 57° weather. Fall is my favorite time of the year—cooler temperatures and sweaters. I know everyone has their favorite season, except maybe summer in Texas, with its 100+ heat and oppressive humidity.

It was wonderful to be in church with you yesterday morning. Wonderful to hear your voices as you sang those old hymns, praising God and worshipping together. I am thankful for all of you who spoke to me after church about becoming prayer warriors. Many of you expressed a willingness to pray for others and to intercede “with groanings that only the Holy Spirit can understand.” Prayer is a vital part of any ministry and our congregation, as we lift each other up. It’s also important to pray without ceasing for that person in the mirror. Talking to God is the best way I know to bring peace and comfort to your own heart. It’s also the best way I know to keep yourself out of trouble! Ha ha!

I just left Bill Parker’s hospital room. This afternoon, he is surrounded by his loving wife and his amazing sons. Bill is awake and talking to them, but he told me that this morning, he had a dream about heaven. I don’t have to tell you how much Bill loves his wife, his children, and his grandchildren. The one thing he wanted me to make sure everyone knows is how much he loves our church. Bill is an important part of many of our lives, and we are blessed to call him our friend. But I also don’t need to remind you that Bill is very sick, and your prayers are so important to him right now.

I will be attending the Eastside Ministries board meeting on Friday, September 13th, at noon, standing in for Bill Parker. While I can attend this time, I may not be able to get the day off for future meetings. We are still looking for someone who can volunteer to sit on the board of Eastside Ministries as a representative of Saint Matthew United Methodist Church. The food, clothing, and counseling provided by Eastside Ministries to the 76105, 76103, and 76119 zip codes are vital to the survival of the people in these neighborhoods. Eastside Ministries has struggled since COVID, as many of us have, but now is not the time to let our generosity and efforts lag. People need help more than ever—with groceries, clothing for their children, and with occupational, financial, and mental health counseling.

I am putting together a list of items we will need to assist in the Under the Bridge Ministry. The ladies’ group has volunteered to get us started by packing bags with snacks and hygiene products. I am grateful to all of you who are so generous with your time and talents. As I said yesterday, we can’t save the whole world, but we can do our part in our own neighborhood to be the hands and feet of the risen Christ.

My love to all of you,
Mary

Mary’s Corner

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Fall has arrived! At least the fall we know in Texas: rain, humidity that is not quite as bad as summer, and cooler mornings. This is my favorite time of the year. It is raining as I write these comments, making it very hard for me to concentrate. I would rather sit on the porch listening to the raindrops hitting the earth. I spent a wonderful weekend with my family over Labor Day, eating really good food and enjoying each other’s company.

September will be a very busy month. At the end of the month, there is a Convening Conference for the Central, North Texas, and West Texas conferences of the UMC. These three conferences have joined together and will now be known as the Horizon Texas Conference. The name is packed with symbolism and hope, and I am excited that our Central Texas Conference will be part of the healing process of the UMC through relationships with all of the northern portions of Texas. The conference is truly a picture of the “horizon” as you consider that our geographical expanse stretches from East Texas to the border with New Mexico. Please begin to pray for this event, September 26-28.

Please continue to pray diligently for Bill and Linda Parker. Bill remains very ill, and Linda has rarely left his side. There are several specialists on the case, seeking answers and designing treatment therapies to help in the healing process. Bill and Linda are strong in their love for each other and in their faith. Your prayers for them are greatly appreciated, as are all the prayers you lift to God for each other. Intercessory prayer is one of our greatest responsibilities as followers of The Way. Intercessory prayer is powerful in both the life of the one being prayed over and the one voicing the prayers. Continue this sacred act for Bill and Linda and all of our congregation.

Faith Community Nursing at Texas Health Resources will have a Fall Flu Vaccine Clinic at St. Matthew on Sunday, October 13th, from 9:00 AM to 11:00 AM. We will have regular flu vaccines but will not have access to the senior dose of the vaccine. The regular vaccine is identical to the senior dose in every way except dosing. The senior vaccine is a double dose, designed to quickly and powerfully stimulate the immune system. The regular dose just takes a few more days to be at full strength. Anyone 9 years old and older may receive the vaccine.

Blessings to all,
Mary

Mary’s Corner

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Greetings to you, beloved children of God,

I cannot remember a time when I have so desperately longed for fall to arrive. Every day, I anxiously check my weather app to see how many days remain until the lows drop into the 70s and the highs into the 80s. As a child, I remember thinking how ridiculous it was that my parents and grandparents talked so much about the weather. Now, I realize just how important those conversations are. The oppressive heat and humidity we’ve experienced lately is almost indescribable. The heat radiating from the concrete surrounding us, even long after the sun sets, is stifling. Yesterday, as I drove down Meadowbrook Drive after church, I was humbled by the sheer strength and determination of a young woman I saw walking in the median, holding out her hands, asking for help from passersby. She had no protection from the sun and was barefoot. Creator God, please find her and overwhelm her with healing today.

I also participated in a ministry called Under the Bridge yesterday. This not-for-profit organization works every Sunday to prepare hot meals and bags of snacks for people living in and around downtown Fort Worth who have limited or no access to shelter, clean water, and food. You’ve heard me speak about this ministry before, and several of you have prepared and individually packaged snacks to be transported to these events on Sunday afternoons. For that, I am deeply grateful. As I worked yesterday afternoon in the air-conditioned kitchen, helping to prepare and package nearly 300 hot meals for our friends living on the streets, it occurred to me that quite a bit of the work could be done in advance during the week. My mind began to wander, and I came up with some ideas about how the folks at Saint Matthew UMC could further support this ministry. I have some interesting thoughts, and I’ll be discussing them with you during upcoming services.

On Sunday morning, as I turned the corner on Hitson (on two wheels because I was running late 😊), I noticed a new sign next to the one that read “United Methodist Church one block.” The new sign said, “Spraying for West Nile virus in progress in this zip code.” My first thought was, “Mosquitoes don’t congregate by zip code!” I was both startled and concerned. The mosquito spray used to combat the West Nile virus contains DEET, a known carcinogen. Because I was running late on Sunday, I forgot to mention this during the service, but it’s important to know that DEET is deadly to mosquitoes and dangerous for small animals. It can also cause serious health issues in individuals with respiratory or lung conditions. Please be mindful that being outdoors after dark may not be safe until the West Nile spraying has been completed. We live in interesting times and an interesting area. The amount of concrete in our neighborhoods has overwhelmed the ability of trees to help regulate the temperature. Now, at dawn and dusk—the most pleasant times of the day to be outside in August—the mosquitoes become predators, and we are their prey. Finally, just after sunset, the mosquito trucks come out to spray the neighborhood. Max’s sermon was about timing—how God knows what we will experience in our lives, when we will have those experiences, and how He sends us into this world for such a time as this. God is with us, in us, and working through us. I just pray that there are no mosquitoes in heaven.

Continue to faithfully keep one another in prayer, and put feet and hands to your prayers at every opportunity. Love and blessings to you in the name of the risen Christ,

Mary

Mary’s Corner

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Greetings dear friends and family of Saint Matthew UMC,

I want to begin by telling you all that I am so very moved by your response to our new children’s project of raising money to help those less fortunate. Your response Sunday morning was phenomenal. The children ended up collecting $198 in change and small bills. For those of you who placed large bills in the bucket, I’m grateful for you. In the next few weeks, we will have newly decorated buckets, and we will have one large bucket for each child who comes to church.

I also want to tell you that our project with Bill J. Elliott Elementary School is off to a roaring start. We delivered quite a few pairs of undergarments to the school, and I have just been informed that the socks are already starting to show up at the church for our next event with the school. Your generous hearts are the perfect example of a follower of Jesus Christ putting action to their faith. We will have information very soon about a warm coat drive. This drive will include sweaters, hooded sweatshirts, coats, and warm mittens. Connie Michael is our liaison to the school, and we are grateful for her work.

I am excited by the many new connections we are making in our community. I’m also very excited about the work that we continue to do that we’ve always done. I know that a couple of our anonymous angels reached out to Charlotte Holder Sunday afternoon just to make sure that she had everything she needed. I was able to visit with Bill and Linda Parker that same afternoon. Bill is still recovering and still telling those same dad jokes that he always tells. We look forward to the day when Bill and Linda are back with us in worship.

By the time you read this letter, I will either be in the middle of or just finished with my interview with the District Committee on Ministry. You are all aware that the Board of Ordained Ministry opted for me to wait before being approved for ordination as a provisional elder in the United Methodist Church. I was devastated by that decision last March, but from where I stand today, it was one of the greatest blessings of my life this year. The work that would have been involved in being a provisional elder in the UMC is more than I would have been able to complete successfully given the events of 2024. I look forward to talking with DCoM on Thursday, and to interviewing with the board again next March. Your prayers and your support are absolutely vital to my success.

These horrid temperatures and the unsafe conditions they create will remain with us for the foreseeable future. It looks like it may not even be safe to go outdoors during the day before September. I also want you to be aware that mosquitoes carrying West Nile virus have been found in our neighborhood, making dusk also an unsafe time to be outdoors. Please try to remain indoors as much as you can over the next couple of weeks. I look forward to being outdoors with you in the fall, maybe even having a cookout or an outdoor worship service sometime in October. Speaking of October, on October 13th, Texas Health Fort Worth Faith Community Nursing will be at Saint Matthew from 9:00 AM until 11:00 AM giving flu vaccines. The vaccines are not the senior dose of the flu vaccine; we will not have any supply of the senior vaccine. However, we will have plenty of regular flu vaccines for those folks in the congregation who want to receive a free flu shot. We will also be sharing this event with the elementary school for the parents to come and be vaccinated at our congregation. More to come as we will need volunteers to help with setup and managing the traffic I’m hoping we have that morning.

My love to all of you and wishes for a cold front to come sooner rather than later into our lives,
Mary

Mary’s Corner

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Good Wednesday to you from your sacred servant,

Blessings and peace from Jesus Christ, our Lord, to all the sacred servants of Saint Matthew UMC. I am overwhelmed this week by the generosity of this congregation. We have collected $5,000 toward the sound system! We can now move forward with the necessary repairs and even complete a few upgrades that we previously couldn’t afford. I am also deeply moved by the love and grace you extend to each other and to visitors at our events and worship services.

Saturday night was especially touching, not just because of the beautiful music, but also because of the fellowship afterward. Laughter and storytelling filled the room long after plates were cleaned and dessert was enjoyed. What I witnessed filled my heart with joy. I look forward to the day when I can be at the church full-time, so we can schedule even more fellowship time together.

On Sunday, we talked about the sacredness of “never letting your love fail for your siblings” and the importance of serving God by serving each other. What you do at Saint Matthew and in the surrounding area is akin to what the 12 Apostles did over 2,000 years ago to start the church and share the gospel of the Risen Christ. We are all called to this ministry of service, and I am grateful that we are doing it together.

This Thursday, August 15th, at 10:30 am, we will lay to rest the remains of JK Ware in a graveside service at Shannon-Rose Hill Cemetery. Mr. Ware and his dear wife Betty attended Saint Matthew years ago. Cindy and Sheila were members of the church then, and are with us again now. The family will return to Saint Matthew after the service for a meal and fellowship. We need volunteers (aka sacred servants) to help with food preparation, set-up, and clean-up.

I’ve also been in contact with Ms. Blackman, the counselor at BJ Elliott Elementary School. She is thrilled to have the church’s support for their 334 students this year. According to Counselor Blackman, winter coats are the perfect focus right now. Connie Michael will provide more details about when our Winter Coat Drive will begin.

I am blessed to be a part of this church family. You are with me, “like a handprint on my heart,” as Julian and Shannon sang to us on Saturday and Sunday. And I am better because I know you.

Gratefully,

Mary

Jazz Concert Fundraiser for Eastside Community Assistance

Saturday August 24th 6pm @ Meadowbrook/Poly UMC

3900 Meadowbrook Drive Fort Worth, TX 76103