Saint Matthew United Methodist Church

  • Kids’ News – “The Widow’s Gift”

    Sue Kelcey

    The temple was busy that day. People were coming and going, placing their offerings into the large collection box. Some of the wealthiest men stepped forward, making sure everyone could see them as they dropped in large amounts of money. Their fine robes shimmered in the sunlight as they stood tall, proud of their gifts.

    Then, a woman stepped forward. She wasn’t dressed in fancy clothes, and no one paid much attention to her. She was a widow, and she had very little to give. Carefully, she reached into her pocket and pulled out two tiny coins—all she had left. Without hesitation, she dropped them into the offering box and quietly walked away.

    Jesus had been watching. Turning to His disciples, He said, “This poor widow has given more than all the others. They gave from their extra money, but she, in her poverty, gave everything she had to live on.” (Luke 21:1-4)

    Jesus wasn’t focused on how much she gave—He saw her heart. Worshiping God isn’t just about money. We can give our time, our kindness, our talents, and our love. When we give from the heart, even the smallest gift becomes something great.

    What We Learned

    God cares more about how we give than what we give. Even the smallest gift, when given with love, matters to Him. We can worship God not just with money, but by sharing our time, talents, kindness, and faith with others.

    See you in church on Sunday!

  • Newsletter for February 19, 2025

    Jason Hardy
    2025-02-19 St Matthew TodayDownload

  • To Be or Not to Be

    Jason Hardy
    YouTube player

    Watch the full service on our YouTube channel by clicking here.

    https://creators.spotify.com/pod/show/saintmatthewumc/episodes/The-Greatest-Commandment-e2v2o6c
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    Micah 6:8 New International Version

    8 He has shown you, O mortal, what is good.
        And what does the Lord require of you?
    To act justly and to love mercy
        and to walk humbly[a] with your God.

    Matthew 25:32-45 New International Version

    32 All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33 He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.

    34 “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. 35 For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36 I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’

    37 “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38 When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39 When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’

    40 “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’

    41 “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. 42 For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, 43 I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’

    44 “They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’

    45 “He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’New International Version

    8 He has shown you, O mortal, what is good.
        And what does the Lord require of you?
    To act justly and to love mercy
        and to walk humbly[a] with your God.

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  • Friday’s Word: Some Have Gone to the Dark Side

    Max Brennan

    The lies are clearly lies. There is no effort to make the lies sound true.

    The leader of The Dark Side once said, “Nothing you say has to be true. If you say it, people will believe it.”

    Nor is there any attempt to hide the evil: cancer research ended, food withheld from children, and medicine for HIV patients stopped.

    The poor will be poorer. Millions of people may die.

    And democracy, “the great experiment,” the dream of our founding fathers, may be over.

    Yet the latest poll says that 53% of Americans are all for it.

    That tells us something.

    The great Carl Jung said that, in a crisis, you can depend on only 40% of people to act rationally.

    A study has shown that, on the other end, 40% will act selfishly and without compassion.

    That leaves 20% in the middle who can swing either way.

    So, there is no “moral majority.” There is only a moral minority.

    Democracy is always up against these numbers.

    And so is the church.

    And, sadly, much of the church is in the morally confused category.

    The firm moral standard of unconditional love, which Jesus preached, is not popular with many Christians.

    Jesus is not popular.

    Someone checked the sermons of Rev. Jerry Falwell over 10 years; 93% were based on Old Testament scripture.

    Not much talk of Jesus.

    So, no wonder! We see why so many conservative Christians have gone to the Dark Side.

    They don’t hear much about the Light.

  • Max’s Corner

    Max Brennan

    The Big News

    Rev. Beverly Tye will be preaching for us this Sunday. Expect a great service!

    Beverly is also giving the devotional at the Women’s Luncheon this Thursday at 11:30 AM in the fellowship hall. Lunch will be followed by a special program.

    Discovering God Class

    We will consider a remarkable experience this Sunday—one that is hard to believe and unlike anything most people have ever heard.

    If it happened (and it did), then God is real and does intervene in our lives in very dramatic ways.

    Join us at 9:45 AM—breakfast afterward!

    Breakfast This Sunday

    This is a “Winston Sunday.” Feel free to help!

    Breakfast is at 10:30 AM.

    Sound Repair

    Our in-house sound was out last week, and I had to “push it” while preaching. I don’t want Beverly to have to do that!

    Chuy from Stage4 will be at the church Wednesday at 5:00 PM for repairs.

    We also have a new project for him: moving Jason and Robert out of the small, hot “media loft” at the back of the sanctuary. The plan is to relocate all sound equipment to a booth on the floor, which may require building a new sound booth.

    Jason and I will meet with Chuy on Wednesday to discuss it.

    Attendance & Giving

    We had 58 in attendance last Sunday—still aiming for 70!

    Here’s some good news: Giving was up substantially in 2024 compared to 2023. This made life much easier for us last year.

    We are grateful for our faithful church—and for the Lord who leads us.

    Ash Wednesday – March 5

    Lent begins soon. Our Ash Wednesday service will focus on music and prayer.

    We will have a sandwich supper at 6:00 PM, followed by the service at 6:30 PM.

    Let this service be important to you.

    See you Sunday!

    God Bless,

    MB