The Conference needed a place for Mary after her ordination. She will be appointed senior pastor of St. Matthew. She will do a fine job.

This is an involuntary ending of my 44-year history with this church. April 19 will be my last Sunday. (Although I will remain senior pastor until July 1st.)

I have no concept of my life without ministry, so I will be doing something somewhere. I will see what God has next for me.

My biggest concern is for those for whom my ministry may be important in their lives. I cannot help but feel that I am deserting people, leaving people behind that may need me, although I had nothing to do with this decision.

But we know that God is working. As I have always told you, life goes on. We will see where God leads.

Join Me on Facebook

I made the invitation on Sunday for folks to join me on Facebook. This will be one way I can stay in touch with people after I am no longer at St. Matthew. I welcomed 35 new friends to my Facebook page this evening. This includes several people who watch the services online.

Memorial Service

This Saturday at 11:00, we will have the memorial service at the church for Diana Eades’ sister, who passed away a few weeks ago. You are invited to share in this time of love and remembrance. May the Lord and our love be with this family.

Pastor’s Class

The class will continue for two more weeks, ending on Palm Sunday. For these two weeks, at 9:45, followed by breakfast.

Breakfast

It’s a “We-bring Sunday.”
Bring something good.

At 10:30, before worship.

Holy Week and Easter are coming.
This is a great season in the church.
Expect a wonderful Sunday.
See you in worship.

God Bless
[email protected]

One day, Jesus’ followers watched him pray. They noticed that when Jesus prayed, it was not loud or showy. He didn’t try to impress anyone. He simply talked to God. So they asked him, “Teach us how to pray.”

Jesus told them that prayer is not about using big words or being seen by others. Instead, he said we should pray quietly and honestly, because God already knows what we need. Then Jesus gave them a simple prayer:

Our Father who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy name,
thy kingdom come, thy will be done
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread;
and forgive us our trespasses
as we forgive those who trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil,
for thine is the kingdom,
and the power and the glory forever.
Amen.

This prayer, which we now call the Lord’s Prayer, reminds us that talking to God is part of our everyday lives. We don’t have to wait for the right moment or the right words. We can simply come to God as we are, trusting that God is listening.

What We Learned

• We can talk to God in simple, honest ways
• God listens to us even before we speak
• Prayer is about a relationship, not just words
• We are called to forgive others, just as God forgives us

We were so happy to have 10 kids in our classroom this Sunday. It was a joyful and lively morning, and we loved spending that time together.

We also want to say thank you to everyone who brought candy for our Easter eggs. Because of your generosity, we will have lots of filled eggs ready for Easter morning. We will also have a movie, popcorn, and juice for the kids during church, so parents can relax knowing their children are safe and enjoying their time.

We look forward to seeing you this Sunday.

This Sunday

Sermon this Sunday—The Power of Trust
What holds us back from God?
What stands between us and God?

In the scripture this Sunday, a paralyzed man has complete trust in Jesus to fix his situation and goes to extraordinary lengths to get what stands between him and the Lord out of the way.

The anthem, a beautiful arrangement of The Old Rugged Cross, will come right after the sermon this week, not right before it.

Pastor’s Class

We will consider the most remarkable experience I have ever had—a time when God answered a prayer in a way I did not think possible, even for God.

That’s at 9:45.

Breakfast

It’s a “Winston Sunday.”
Feel free to help.
At 10:30—before worship.

This is a great season in the church.
Expect a wonderful Sunday.
See you in worship.

God Bless
[email protected]

Blessings and peace, dear siblings,

We are now halfway through the Lenten season. I pray that this time of leaning into God has been meaningful and transformative for you. God is so good to always be standing and waiting for us with open arms.

Please join us for several opportunities to gather and serve together this month. Saint Matthew Women United will meet this Thursday at 10:30 a.m. to assemble hygiene bags for our friends with Under the Bridge Ministries. Lunch will be served at noon, followed by a speaker from the organization. There will also be a funeral on Saturday, March 21, for Diana Eades’ sister. More details can be found in the events section of the newsletter.

Holy Week begins March 29 with Palm Sunday. We will have our annual Easter family meal, and this year we will also celebrate Keith Butterfield’s 99th birthday. More details will be shared soon.

I love you all, and I pray every day at 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. for you, for our beloved community, and for our world.

Mary