April 2021

 Ongoing Outreach

Wester Elementary: Our church continues to support Wester through prayer and visits to the teachers. Recently money was collected and Wendy “the Super Shopper” Holladay was able to get everything the teachers at Wester needed to the penny with the money collected. This is a wonderful way to help our neighborhood school and teachers and to support the need for effective learning without adding monetary concerns to already stressed teachers. We have many teachers, active and retired, in our congregation in all levels of learning. I applaud each one as we know, especially in today’s world of undisciplined crazy, sometimes teaching seems thankless and very tiring.  Supporting Wester is one way to help one group. Praying is the best way to help teachers.

Aspen Apartments:  St. Matthew also continues to support in many ways the families living at Aspen. Thanks to Pam Ryan (also a teacher), who has ways of finding a few of the needs while we as a congregation have endeavored to help. The latest on the list is an “Egging” (Pam said that is what Todd named it) rather than an Easter Egg hunt).  Due to Covid (I am beginning to really dislike that word) 19 (and number) Pam and others with money collected from our congregation have filled sacks of goodies to dole out to the children at the apartments.  This will be done on Saturday, April 3rd.

Children in our Congregation will be treated with the same “Egging” on Easter Sunday.  

TransformHERs Bible Study: This is a Women’s Bible Study that meets on ZOOM every 1st and 3rd Monday at 7 p.m.  Carol Salesky leads this study. Be sure to keep up through our church emails for all meetings and ZOOM times!

The Tool Shed Men’s Bible Study: Meet via ZOOM every 2nd and 4th Monday evenings at 7:00 pm.  All men of the church are invited and any friends as well.  Again, keep up with emails should times change.

Other ZOOM meetings are ongoing during the week and Pastor Todd or Jeannie sends information at the first of each week with a reminder by a “day of” email. Be sure to be checking your emails from the church daily!

Sunday Morning Services will be on Facebook indefinitely as we have quite a following from people in other states, or former members who’ve moved, members of our congregation not yet ready to be out in crowds. We have also started meeting in the sanctuary and every precaution provided by the Health Department is taken.  

A horribly contagious virus has not stopped the giving, has it?  Just one “more” reason why I love our church family.  Whether one has been ill with this virus or any other sickness or difficulty, we’ve all been “present” as much as we could be during this pandemic. Rest assured, while money and giving certainly keeps our church going in some ways, prayer is the greatest gift we can give to another and our church family and those extended beyond who catch our service on Sundays online –  even if we aren’t in each other’s presence. 

April Birthdays

6-Candance Clawson

7-Katie Ricker

20-Don Holladay

21-Terry Rodgers

23-Todd Sons

29-Brandy Jackson

A personal testimony or witness however one wishes to take it.  Several things have happened to me this Lent season. I haven’t done the fasting, even though I know I should, maybe next year. However, at my tender age of ‘old’, I’ve learned some things I’d never thought of or about in my life of “knowing Jesus”. 

I learned these through two different Zoom meetings I didn’t attend. Pastor Todd has had lunch zoomies every Wednesday and for two of these he talked about the cross (I’m sure he did on all of them, I’m usually at work).

The first time I came home to get ready for a doctor’s appointment to get coveted shots in both my shoulders and Monty had tuned in to Wednesday Zoom.  While I was in my bathroom changing and putting on my face as the mister calls it, I heard the discussions, the songs, and at the end Todd said and I am paraphrasing “Did you identify with anyone on the cross or in the story” and ending with “Were you there?”

As I sat perched in the doctor’s office on that bed of waiting till he comes, I texted Todd and told him I had a few remarks.  With me that is way more than a few. I texted I couldn’t identify with the thieves so much because I’d never been a thief except for the time I stole from myself, my family, my friends, and more so my God through the times I either couldn’t see my way because of depression or stubbornness or just laziness because “I already know the story”.

I couldn’t identify with Jesus because I wasn’t pure and sinless and no matter what Jesus never whined.  I’m a whiner.

What or who I could identify with was Mary because I am a mother and I cannot think of anything worse than seeing my child hurt especially in such a gruesome and cruel way, never mind she knew the gig. I hurt for her because having children were the only two miracles I ever had witnessed in my life. 

I ended with, yea, I was there.  You made me.

The second was just recently, again I was getting ready for work at one. I work part time, sometimes in the morning sometimes in the afternoon for 20 hours a week. I’ve been retired after 30 years at Tech, but this job found me, and I like to be around people, so I took it.

While I was poking my eye with a mascara wand, I heard Pastor Todd turn on a video or discussion, I don’t know which because I wasn’t watching and this man, his voice just grabbed me, and I stopped my wand of black and listened for a few minutes.

His voice was emotionally raspy, and he said not once but three times can you imagine your son, YOUR SON, asking help and you don’t give it?

I got in my car and that voice stayed with me. Throughout the night.  I texted Todd (do y’all do that? When something is bugging you?) I told him that for “me” at my age, I have finally figured out why, though prophesied things took place and why everything was so stark, and cruel, and bloody and vivid if one allows it to be more than a “story.”

I have always thought of God as the Father, Jesus the Son of God, and the Holy Spirit a combination of life and love often unseen to guide us. When I heard that man’s voice, I realized maybe this story was drawn for us to put ourselves in a personal understanding of the depth of pain and suffering not just because it was prophesied, not just because the thieves were sinners, not just because Pilate ordered the crucifixion, not just because Mary was his mother, not just because Jesus was the Son of God and not just because God is our Father.

To my heart came the knowledge that we have faced through time many Pilates, many who want to destroy Christianity.  We are all sinners. Most of us are or have mothers, fathers, sibling. And most of us had fathers.

In my simple understanding it finally dawned on me that maybe God did all this to remind us that we are not so much different than all those years ago this took place.

One must do the job.  It doesn’t matter our role in the story or in everyday life. We must do what we are charged to do, no matter what.

We are the after effect so to speak of carrying this story through. I used to listen to the story year after year and I never really cried. I saw Passion of Christ (which is the most effective movie ever) and cried like a baby. 

But these two zoom meetings I didn’t attend, but listened, brought me full fold to the meaning of each person’s role in the crucifixion.  It was enlightening.  I cried. 

I fully expect since this light has come on in my head, I’m in for more learning each year.  I sure hope so.

I love y’all.                                                    

-Alisa

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St. Matthew United Methodist Church

5320 50th Street

Lubbock, TX 79414