Christmas Traditions That I Love

I love Christmas. I love the singing of Christmas Carols, the smell of fresh cookies baking in the oven and the anticipation of gathering with the family to open presents. I love shopping for that one perfect gift for Dallas and collaborating with her on what to buy our 3 sons. I love running through my neighborhood streets lined by houses lit with multicolored lights and the messages of hope, peace, joy and love.


I love seeing the eyes of children sparkle as they look at the tree and then sit in Santa’s lap.  I love seeing my hulking three sons walk through the doors shouting “I’m home” and give their mother a big hug. I love the tradition of assembling with family for a delicious meal and heart warming fellowship. Shoot, I even love wrapping presents,  and placing them beneath the tree.

I love Christmas. I love everything about Christmas!

But most of all, I love seeing people stepping up to serve and love their neighbors. I love seeing the angels disappear from the tree and watching gifts miraculously reappear. I love seeing you answer the call to distribute those gifts to our neighbors in need. I love listening to your sing on Christmas Eve, watching you receive communion and bringing your sacrificial gifts for the least and the lost. I love seeing our  Birthday Gift to Jesus bear fruit among our Ethiopian friends.

I love Christmas and all her traditions!! Even more I love it when the light comes on for someone and they realize how much God loves them and are moved to accept Jesus as their Lord and Savior.

I love you Church, but more importantly God does and the greatest Christmas tradition you can practice is sharing the Good News of God’s love with someone you know. Invite them to come and see the gift God wrapped in swaddling clothes and placed in the manger just for them, the gift of His Son, the gift of His love, the gift of Jesus. And I suspect when you see the light of God’s love sparkle in their eyes, inviting others to “come and see” will become number one on the list of “Christmas traditions that I love”.

Merry Christmas,

Rick

Christmas Eve Worship Celebrations

Friday December 24,

Contemporary 4:00 & 5:30 PM

Traditional 6:30 PM

"What is a Thanksgiving Blowout?"

Thanksgiving Blowout

Sunday November 21, 2010

The ARC

5:32 PM

The “Thanksgiving Blowout” was born 24 years ago and quickly became an important St. Mathew tradition. Though the venue, style and persona of this tradition has changed over the years , its importance and value have only increased. You don’t want to miss it!


The “Blowout” began as a spontaneous, last minute, thrown together fun event. It was as simple as calling 15 families and saying “Come on over this Sunday night. We’re having a party! Bring a covered dish and let’s have some fun.”

Between 40 and 50 people, gathered in what is now the former nursery for a pot luck dinner. After the meal we hastily took down the tables and did a spontaneous spoof on the what was then known as "The Gong Show.” It became a tradition to call out a different emcee each year to give comic order to the evening. It was so bad it was hilarious. We laughed till we cried. New friendships were made. Old friendships deepened and a tradition was born.

It was quickly named “The Thanksgiving Blowout” because we blew the roof off with great food, outstanding and awful talent, boisterous laughter and over capacity crowds. It was and is the largest annual gathering of the St. Matthew family.

The gathering grew each year until we had to move across the street to the Mound Elementary cafeteria. Our church family was growing by leaps and bounds and so was the talent. Every year St. Matthew stars were born in what was the “Best Little Variety Show in Texas.” Standing room only crowds gathered to share a meal, elect elders and deacons and meet their growing church family.

We had two traditional services and families were joining every month. Besides being an event where we assembled to laugh till we cried, and groaned till we rolled our eyes, it became like a family reunion. Two different worshipping congregations came together to connect to family not seen in a while and welcome those who had since joined the clan. From standing in line for food to laughing, crying and groaning during the show to cleaning up after a long night, lasting relationships were forged, memories were made and the church felt small even as we grew larger and larger.

After years of a standing room only crowd at Mound, we joyfully moved “The Blowout” back to St. Matthew in 2003 after the ARC was built. By then we had grown to three worshipping bodies. From year to year “The Blowout” format changed, talent shows, concerts, dances, skits, but the aim was always the same. As the church grew, help make the church seem small and simply enjoy the gift of life that God has provided.

Today we have 5 worshipping bodies, two Sunday morning small group hours and numerous small groups that meet throughout the week. The venue, style and persona of this tradition has changed over the years , but its importance and value have only increased.

This year we will assemble for the same purpose but the tenor of the night will have an added element. As always, we will share a covered dish feast, wear name tags, enjoy sweet fellowship and elect elders and deacons. But we also gather as 5 different worshipping congregations to give thanks to God for all he has done in St. Matthew’s 39 year history. After the meal, the choir and band will jointly lead us in a time of praise and worship. The children will sing and prayers will be offered. We will elect deacons and elders, hear a report on our financial status, celebrate the past, dream about the future, and give thanks to God for the present moment. The evening will conclude around 7:30 with the sharing of the Lord’s Supper.

So “Come on over this Sunday night. We’re having a party! Bring a covered dish and let’s have some fun.” Bring a your favorite recipe. Bring the whole family. Bring a friend. Bring an appetite. Bring a thankful spirit but whatever you do come! The whole family is coming over and it won’t be the same without you. It is time to get reaquainted with the  whole family. St. Matthew now consists of five different services, but there is only one Father, one Lord, one Holy Spirit, one purpose and one family.

The tradition continues.

Proud to serve as one of your pastors,

Rick

Thank You God

Thank you God…….


....for the six families who stepped out in faith 39 years ago to start St. Matthew, Fuhlendorfs, Gomers, Methenys, Swans, Vandevenders and Wallaces.

....for all of the risk, taking, faithful, obedient elders and deacons who dared to follow your vision

….for pastors Tom Campbell, Charles Wallace and Don Thomas paving the way

….for the support of our denomination as we dared to be different from the status quo

….for the generous tithe’s and offerings of God’s people.

….for all the musicians and vocalists who have led us into worship

….for Wanda Gomer playing the organ for all 39 years

….for every youth sponsor, Sunday school teacher, small group leader, and bible teacher

….for every servant who cleaned, built, painted, moved chairs, accessed technology, folded

….for every meal cooked and shared, hospital visit made, funeral hosted

....for every mission engaged hand in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and the ends of the earth

….for every staff person who sacrificed a lucrative salary for a rich rewarded calling

….for every acre of land and square foot of building

…. for every baby born and every resident of heaven

….for every child and every teen

….for every lost person saved, spiritual battle won, depression lifted and addiction defeated

….for every relationship restored, marriage preserved and brokenness healed

…..for sins forgiven

….for every prayer offered, heard and answered

….for every small and large group where life has been shared, celebrated and enjoyed

….for a bright and promising future filled with visions and dreams

….for hope, laughter, friendship, fun, energy, passion, drive, obedience and love

Thank you God for a great 39 years and the promise that the best is yet to come. Amen.

Night Time Prayers

2:00 AM Okay God, I’m up and yes the burning in my spirit continues. Millions of people are sleep walking in a catatonic trance with messed up lives and they need Jesus. Some have isolated themselves from community to deal with their private pain. Others are oblivious to the ache in their soul because they have mistaken emptiness for ambition. They cover the pain with fake smiles, weak “I’m fine how are you?” and placebo medications. They try and satisfy the emptiness in their gut with knowledge, accomplishment and power. Draw near to them Lord Jesus, met them at their point of pain. Fill the emptiness with words “I love you” from your lips. Save them I pray from themselves and give them peace. Draw them into a relationship with you……….


2:53 AM I’m back Lord. There are couples sleeping in the same bed but they are thousands of miles apart. Some live under the same roof but they might as well be strangers who meet on the street. Others are engaged in WW III. Vicious warfare has created gaping, bleeding wounds in body, mind and soul. Children bury their heads under a pillow to drown out the vile bickering and yelling. Whether it be a cold war or brutal battle send Peace into those homes. Send in angels of mediation and demand a cease fire. Bring husband and wives to the table of reason, humility, and forgiveness. Do a new thing in them Father. Save them from imminent destruction, if nothing else for the children. Teach them how to give and receive love. Heal them I pray…….

3:38 AM I praise you O God for the St. Matthew faithful who are planning on inviting their unchuched neighbors, friends and family to your place of worship. In the name of Jesus Christ, prepare the hearts of those whose names are on this stack of cards I hold. Create a hunger in their spirit so they are ready to say “yes” when they are invited to attend worship or a small group. Give wisdom to our St. Matthew family as they look for the right moment to extend an invitation. Let them know when to speak and when to listen, when to press on and when to back off, when to invite and when to follow up. Use these your servants I pray to share the love and grace of Jesus day after day after day after day. Move them to care for, respect and love people where they are in their life journey………

5:31 AM  Ok, I’m up for good Lord and Hallowed be your name. I praise you for giving me a safe place to live, eat, work and pray. I praise you for my beloved wife and three sons. I praise you for surrounding me with great friends, an awesome staff and a great church. I am blessed beyond measure. My life is so rich. I have the best parents in the world, sisters whose families love the lord and in laws who I love like blood relatives. I live in the greatest nation on the face of the earth. I can breathe. I can see. I can hear. I can taste. I can feel. Thank you God for life and as you open your Word before me this morning, teach me something new about you. Teach me how to follow Jesus. Teach me how to lead our church family to the place of promise you had in mind at our conception. For 39 nine years we have stood at the river, ready to cross over. We are ready Lord. Take us to the other side that we might dwell in the land of milk and honey, where people are saved, filled with the Holy Spirit and living 24/7 for you Lord……..Teach me, guide me, love me………..and help me do for others what you have done and are doing even now for me….…….. You lead and I will follow………..

6:01 AM  One more thing.......As your folowers and seekers arise this morning, grant them joy. Fill their homes with your presence. Greet them as soon as they are moving about. And fill them with the expectation that today you are going to do something new in thier lives......In Jesus name.....Amen.

                                   
Peace,
Rick

Modified Weekend Worship Schedule

Make Over Weekend November 6-7

Modified Worship Schedule

Saturday

6:00 PM Contemporary

Sunday

8:15 AM Traditional

9:30 AM Contemporary

11:00 AM Traditional & Contemporary

Trial Period: Assess by Easter 2011

In November 2009, your session decided that we would launch a second Sunday morning Contemporary Worship service in 2010 for the purpose of reaching new people for Christ. This decision will come to fruition on the 39th birthday of St. Matthew, November 7, 2010 at 11:00 AM.

This was a God led, prayer driven decision influenced by gathered facts and current data. In the spring of 2010, we began the diligent work of determining the best time to host the new service. Our intuition was validated by prayer, listening to the unchuched , local and national research. All sources revealed that 11:00 Sunday morning contemporary worship is the best time and music style to attract the unchurched.

We began in earnest May 2010 having conversations with the church body, seeking creative insight as to how to launch this service with minimal negative impact among our own congregation, particularly 10:55 traditional worshippers. Based on the worship surveys taken in the summer of 2009 and the feedback received in the summer of 2010, your session and staff jointly agreed upon a schedule that consolidated our 8:15 and 10:55 traditional service into a single service at 8:30.

Since the announcement of that schedule, the grief and inability of many long time 10:55 traditional worshippers to attend an 8:30 service became apparent. Your session being wise and compassionate, revisited the proposed worship schedule and revised as above.

It is not uncommon for large churches to have simultaneous services where the message is viewed by live video feed in more than one location. We are not financially prepared to launch such an ambitious endeavor by November 7t,h so though the message will be the same in all five services, there will be rotating messengers in the 11:00 traditional service. After the new contemporary service has been solidified, I will join the 11:00 Traditional service message rotation. We will continually evaluate the simultaneous worship format and asses s the viability of such a plan by Easter 2011.

It is my personal hope and prayer that someone will soon be God led to provide the funding needed to facilitate the live feed. Rotating messengers means a program staff person will be reserving preparation time to deliver a message I have written. That means some of their primary duties will be ignored because in good conscience I will not ask any of our staff to add anymore hours to their work week on a regularly basis. Research and history indicate that congregants prefer the consistency of a primary messenger. Furthermore, off sight satellite campuses are in our future; live feed capabilities accelerate the reality of this vision and would even enable us to provide a message to churches that are in between pastors.

Our great God has given us a great vision, a powerful purpose, an awesome congregation and called out a tremendous leadership team. I am humbled to serve alongside such a large group of godly men and women. I trust they are listening to God and I am confident that we are headed in the right direction. Praise be to God for such a hard working, spirit filled loving session and staff!! Thank them every chance you get because they are doing a marvelous job.

Thirty nine years ago 6 families left their home churches to start a new church. They prayed, gathered resources, sacrificed, deliberated where and when and then invited their neighbors and friends. St. Matthew was born. We are here today because of their sacrifice and commitment to glorify God by reaching the lost and unchurched for Jesus Christ. It is out turn to do the same. Let’s do it!

TGIM, Rick

Together We Can, Together We Will

Thursday 5:00 AM, Sept. 2, 2010

Beginning Nov. 6-7, 2010
Extreme Weekend Make Over Worship Schedule

Saturday 6:00 PM Contemporary

Sunday 8:30 AM Traditional

9:45 & 11:15 AM Contemporary

To some of you the thunder storm that rolled through early this morning was a welcome change. Though awakened by booming thunder and pounding rain you simply pulled up the covers, sunk deeper into your beds relishing in the comfort and shelter of your home. The lightning, bright and cracking like a loud whip in the still of night, was cleaning the air and super charging the rain with nitrogen. The dry places of planet earth were receiving much needed nourishment; God was taking care of his creation. You rolled over and went back to sleep knowing that all was well and a fresh new day would soon begin.

To others the storm was just the opposite, a startling, unwelcome interruption of your comfortable, routine sleep patterns. The loud thunder and lightning streaked sky so startled your rest that you were unable to go back to sleep. Maybe you even jumped out of bed and stared out the window hoping that your gaze could cause the storm to dissipate so the night could return to normal. Though you were awake you were not rested and dreading the approaching sunrise. You sought comfort, assurance that the storm would not last.

Some of you were surprised by the sudden sound of the heavens releasing its power but for some reason you were not shaken. You lay there eyes wide open pondering the new reality, contemplating the impact it would have upon your upcoming day and adjusting your mind and plans accordingly. Soon you went back to sleep while the fresh rain fell and the clouds collided. Change is inevitable.

A few of you were energized by the changing horizon that came when the routine of night was interrupted by the unexpected weather patterns because you know that storms means added work. Down power lines, turned over fences, interrupted internet, knocked out traffic signals, high water, broken limbs and sundry other problems will impact the lives of people. Those people expect help and demand answers.

Ten days ago a thunder storm moved across our church family when our Extreme Make Over weekend worship schedule was announced and understandably the responses have been the same. Some are excited about the change, believing that God will use the new schedule to reach new people for Christ. Some are hurt, angry, confused, startled that their service time has been changed and worried that things will never be the same. Some are surprised by the announcement and though they aren’t excited about the change see the big picture and are ready to adapt. And then there are lay leaders, elders, deacons and staff who are excited about the possibilities to reach new people for Jesus but feel a particular responsibility and burden for those 10:55 worshippers who are being asked to make the greatest sacrifice.

Your session and staff have been praying, researching, working and conversing with you since last November about this make over schedule. Go to our web site for a snapshot of the factors and criteria that led to our conclusion. Ultimately after much prayer, considering and evaluating the feedback and ideas from the body, considering all of the options and more prayer, the session acted on their understanding of the Holy Spirit’s leading.

When a storm moves across a community the experience of each member is different, not wrong, better, worse, or perfect, just different. So what do we do?

We rally the wagons. We listen and pray. We comfort, reassure, encourage and pray for those who are having a hard time adjusting. We plan, trust, communicate, execute the plan and we pray. We stay in the Word and we pray. We recite our purpose statement over and over again and we pray. We listen for the Holy Spirit, pray and act accordingly. We grieve and pray for those who will leave the St. Matthew family. We think and pray for the lost, the unchurched, and the hurting who will be reached by the new schedule. We pray and invite others to join our efforts to reach the world for Christ. We pray some more.

Ultimately, I invite you to join me in praying that God will use this storm to saturate our souls with the freshness and power of the Holy Spirit so that “streams of living water” flow in us and then through us into a world that needs Jesus. Together we can, together we will.

I love you.

Rick

“ ‘If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him.’ By this he meant the Spirit……….” John 7:37-39

Extreme Weekend Make Over!

Get ready for an Extreme Weekend Make Over! From the moment a household drives on to the parking lot to the moment they drive off, we are vigorously working to raise the bar on how we connect and serve God’s people on the weekend. Though the adjustments and changes will impact the whole week, the focus is on every ministry and activity that occurs during the 24 hour period between Saturday and Sunday nights.


Already the parking lot has been restriped, play ground freshened up, ARC floor resurfaced, new door entry mats and trash cans put in place. Underway is the remodel and relocation of our nursery and children’s class rooms. Soon to come will be the repair of the wall paper in the ARC, bathroom upgrades as needed, freshening up the coffee bar outside the fellowship hall, black out window screens for the ARC and an upgrade in our Data base system. We hope to have funds to replace the projectors in the sanctuary and remodel the fellowship hall into a worship area for Family Ministry.

Funding for these upgrades come from a recent gas lease check, a generous donation and monies from the February 2010 Round Up Auction.

The Extreme Weekend Make Over is much more than a face lift to our facility.

- Session intends to approve our new Sunday morning service schedule during our August meeting. The makeover will most likely result in having one Traditional and two Contemporary services on Sunday mornings, late October launch. You will be informed when a decision is made.

- Our Children and Youth ministries are joining forces to create what is called Family Ministries. Leslie Lummus will oversee the ministry as a whole but she is partnering with Becky Prince, Children’s Minster, to help families make their homes the center of their Christian life.

- Youth programming is being turned upside down so we can intensify of our efforts to disciple St. Matthew’s own.

- Guess Services is doing a great job on the weekends, but Judy and some of her leaders are evaluating how to better connect with worshippers and build family units among those who sit next to each other, weekend after weekend.

- Jeff Gehle, small group minister, is assertively working to expand how we connect baby Christians with a small group.

- Judy Madden is recruiting and training the Body to provide pastoral care to each other.

- Allan and Lisa Latham are leveraging all of our available tools to improve the quality and frequency of our communication to the body as a whole.

- Melissa Hagler and her team is working to help every small group be engaged in a mission outreach.

- Chris Bohon is on the cusp of introducing two new worship leaders for our Contemporary services and Mike Mabry is gearing up the choir for a spirit moving fall run and Christmas Cantata rehearsal.

Time and space does not allow me to share all that is going on, but I hope you get the drift. We are not standing still. God is making us over into a new creation and the possibilities are unlimited. I invite you to join the movement of God that is taking place in our midst. I invite you to invite your friends, neighbors and family to join us as well. I invite you to be unified for a common purpose, to glorify God and share the love and grace of Jesus Christ with as many people as we can.

Peace,

Rick