Archive for 2020
IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT REGARDING POTENTIAL COVID-19 EXPOSURE- JULY 1, 2020
| July 1, 2020
Dear MBC Church Family, Last Wednesday evening, June 24th, the MBC Students (High School and Middle School) had a Night of Worship. A visiting student who attended the event has since tested positive for COVID-19.
Please contact the church office with any questions or concerns. Please remember to pray for our church’s leadership team and to continue approaching this fluid set of circumstances and our family members with grace as we try to navigate these complex waters. Matt Reynolds, on behalf of the MBC Elder Team |
Christmas in July!
Prison Ministry fundraiser
The MBC Prison Ministry began in 1998 in answer to the calling found in Matthew 25: 36
“I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.”
The mission of the prison ministry is to give encouragement and hope to “the least of these”, which society deems worthless and undeserving. Without hope spirits die and lives spiral into ruin.
Lives can be touched and changed when what is given can’t be returned and what is received can’t be paid for. This is accomplished by shining the love of Christ into the darkness and reclaiming territory lost to the enemy.
This ministry focuses on preparing offenders for reentry back into society.
- This accomplished in several ways: The ministry provides general chaplaincy operations which include counseling, administrative support, and religious programming for the 1050 men in the Sanders Estes Unit located in Venus, Texas.
- An annual distribution of Christmas gift bags to inmates each December. In many instances, these gift bags are the only Christmas presents that some receive. To prepare for this event, we have a “Christmas in July” fundraiser throughout the month of July.
- The ministry hosts marriage seminars throughout the year to provide inmates who will soon be returning to their families a day with their spouse to reconnect and begin the reintegration process. One wife commented that the seminar saved her marriage.
- Finally, the ministry provides incarcerated veterans specialized trauma and benefit counseling and other special programs. For example, inmates in the program lead Veteran’s and Memorial Day observances which give a sense of meaning and purpose to others. One member once said that “I feel as if I am worth something again.”
Currently, due to the pandemic, outside organizations are not able to enter the prison. However, the MBC Prison Ministry is working closely with Chains of Grace—another ministry that provides re-entry supervision and services for men and women coming out of incarceration—and plans to be ready with support and programming for inmates as soon as the prison reopens to visitors.
Contact Bill Curry at 972.951.3122 or chapcurry18@charter.net if you’d like to know more or get involved.
JONAH: God’s Great Mercy – Jonah 1:17-2:10, A Sinking Prophet & Merciful Deliverance
Live Stream Sermon – June 28, 2020
Blankets for BESTWA
Blankets for BESTWA
- BESTWA needs blankets, sheets, and other supplies for its clean birth initiative! Our goal is to provide 100 receiving blankets and 50 twin sheets for Andy Perkins to take on his next trip to Liberia which will be this September (Lord-willing). Please bring any of the following items to MBC over the next five weeks and put them in the “Blankets for BESTWA” Pack-n-Play display in the Hub:
- New or gently-used receiving blankets (flannel preferred)
- New or gently used twin sheets (cotton preferred)
- Quart-size Ziploc bags
- Rubber gloves
- Single use Neosporin/antibiotic ointment packets
- Hotel-size bars of soap
- Stethoscopes (new or used)
- Blood pressure cuffs
- In addition, to support this initiative, the next MBC Women’s Coffee and Conversation event will be a Sewing Night on July 12th from 7-8:30pm. You can hone your sewing skills or learn some new ones by making blankets here at the church! We will provide supplies & instructions on how to make basic blankets, as well as how to sew a quick nine-patch strip quilt. Register in Realm or on our MBC website for the “Blankets for BESTWA” event, so we have enough supplies and space for everyone.
JONAH: God’s Great Mercy – Jonah 1:17-2:10, A Sinking Prophet & Merciful Deliverance
MBC Weekly News – June 18, 2020
Sermon Recap for June 14, 2020
Title: A Runaway Prophet & God in Pursuit
Passage: Jonah 1:1-16
- Scene 1: God’s commission. 1:1-2
- Scene 2: Jonah’s flight and spiral down in rebellion. 1:3
- Why does Jonah run from God?
- He did not want to share God’s mercy with the Ninevites
- What about you?
- Are you running from God in some way?
- Why does Jonah run from God?
- Scene 3: God’s merciful pursuit and loving discipline. 1:4-16
Respond to the mercy of God and show the mercy of God.
Thoughts
The example I have which ties into this week’s sermon came pretty quickly after I heard Pastor Matt tell the story of “Wrong Way Roy.”
Back in the early 2000s, Mike was stationed at McGuire AFB, and our family lived in southern New Jersey—about 20 minutes from Philadelphia. We would often go into the city to visit various attractions and historical landmarks such as the Philadelphia Zoo, the Liberty Bell, the US Mint, and Independence Hall.
Once when Mike was deployed somewhere in the Middle East, I decided to take our three kids (all of which at the time were four years old or younger) and my mother to the Franklin Institute to learn more about Ben Franklin. All in all, it was a great visit. Four o’clock rolled around and we had satisfied our desire for history for the day, so we headed out to the garage where I had parked our minivan. I got everyone strapped in and proceeded to drive down the labyrinth of spirals to exit the garage. By the time I reached the attendant and paid for parking, I was thoroughly turned around. (Please note: This was before cell phones, GPS satellites, and Waze.)
I sat at the exit to the parking garage for a moment trying to figure out whether to turn right or left. There was a traffic light over the exit to the garage and it displayed a bright red left arrow. For some reason, I took that to mean that I wasn’t supposed to turn left out of the garage.
Unfortunately, that was not what the traffic light meant.
It meant I should have just waited for the arrow to turn green. Instead, however, I turned right—and proceeded the wrong way down one of the busiest one-way streets in Philadelphia. And did I mention it was rush hour?
It didn’t take long for me to realize my mistake as a street full of cars, led by a huge, red double-decker tour bus began to barrel toward me, their horns blaring. The bus driver gesticulated frantically for me to get out of the way. I began to panic as an accident with the bus seemed unavoidable.
However, at the last moment, the driver of the bus–my perceived threat–pulled diagonally across all four lanes of traffic and slammed on his brakes. He used his bus to block the oncoming car and signaled for me to turn my car around. I did so with great haste and a hot face. Then I high-tailed it out of there.
Now, I’m no Jonah, and it wasn’t a matter of me rebelling that got me into trouble. However, I did make the choice to go the wrong way down a one-way street—which could have had serious consequences. The interesting part is the person I dreaded the most—the bus driver– it was his mercy that saved my family and me from serious harm that day.
I don’t know what lesson God is trying to teach you with Matt’s message from Jonah. But I do know this: Mercy is always appropriate. If you’ve been wronged, show mercy. If you’ve done wrong, ask forgiveness and pray for mercy. Thank the Lord for His continual mercy upon us. (Psalm 103:1-5) And if God has shown you something He wants you to do and you’re not doing it, if nothing else, the story of Jonah shows us that it’s futile to continue down that path. The longer you wait to follow God, the more it will hurt you and people you love. Turn around now. You don’t want to get flattened by a bus.
Noteworthy:
New and Improved Service Options!
- Click here to see a video where Pastor Matt explains the changes, but here they are in abbreviated form:
- There will be only one 8:45am service, and it will be located in the Senior High School room.
- Pastor Mike will work with Andy Keener to create a worship time that includes more traditional songs, choruses, and hymns
- Matt will speak live with a full sermon
- The 10:30 am Family Service will continue in the Middle School Room.
- Zeke will lead the worship portion along with selected MBC Students
- Matt will speak live for 20 minutes
- Please park in the back lot of the church and enter & exit through the east/Childcare entrance doors.
- We will have the normal 11am service in the sanctuary/gym.
- Ryan will lead this more contemporary worship time
- Matt will speak live with full sermon
- Park in the front lot and enter through the west/main Family entrance to the building
- An 11am Mask-Only service will be held in room A104.
- This worship service will be viewed as a livestream from the sanctuary
- Park and enter by the north Office entrance to the building
- We will only be Livestreaming the 11am service for now. Click here or paste the following link into your browser to view this service: https://youtu.be/uaeP9djEPIw
- There will be only one 8:45am service, and it will be located in the Senior High School room.
Blankets for BESTWA
- BESTWA needs blankets, sheets, and other supplies for its clean birth initiative! Our goal is to provide 100 receiving blankets and 50 twin sheets for Andy Perkins to take on his next trip to Liberia which will be this September (Lord-willing). Please bring any of the following items to MBC over the next five weeks and put them in the “Blankets for BESTWA” Pack-n-Play display in the Hub:
- New or gently-used receiving blankets (flannel preferred)
- New or gently used twin sheets (cotton preferred)
- Quart-size Ziploc bags
- Rubber gloves
- Single use Neosporin/antibiotic ointment packets
- Hotel-size bars of soap
- Stethoscopes (new or used)
- Blood pressure cuffs
- In addition, to support this initiative, the next MBC Women’s Coffee and Conversation event will be a Sewing Night on July 12th from 7-8:30pm. You can hone your sewing skills or learn some new ones by making blankets here at the church! We will provide supplies & instructions on how to make basic blankets, as well as how to sew a quick nine-patch strip quilt. Register in Realm or on our MBC website for the “Blankets for BESTWA” event, so we have enough supplies and space for everyone.
MBC Students
- If you have middle or senior high school students, mark your calendars now for the “ONE Weekend” in-house retreat from Thursday, July 30 through August 2nd.
- In order for Zeke and his crew to pull off an event of this magnitude, they need host homes (students would arrive between 10-11pm and depart by 9am) on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. If you are able to help provide lodging for a small group of students, please contact Leah Austin (click here) or Zeke Garcia (click here) ASAP.
No Minor Prophets Study this Sunday night! They will continue their study by examining Nahum on June 28th. Contact Mike Hogue (click here) for more information.
Fitness and Fellowship continues Monday afternoons @ 4:30pm (Cardio/Step), Tuesday mornings @ 9am (Strength and Stretching), and Thursday mornings @ 9 am (Cardio/Step). Classes are free and we’d love to have you join us. Contact the church office (click here) for more info.
After cleaning the church library, we have a number of extra Bibles and other resources to give away. Stop by the table in The Hub and take as many as are useful to you or your family.
Thank you for continuing to show us (the staff) grace as we seek to provide the best worship experience possible for you while still following the Governor’s COVID Pandemic guidelines. As Matt has pointed out, none of us have ever had a class in “Pandemic Management.” And, like you, we all hope these times pass by us as quickly as possible so we can get back to “normal”–whatever that will look like.
Unfortunately, that was not what the traffic light meant.
In service to Him and to you,
Heather Hogue
JONAH: God’s Great Mercy – Jonah 1:1-16, A Runaway Prophet & God in Pursuit
Live Stream Sermon – June 14, 2020
MBC Weekly News – June 13, 2020
Sermon Recap for June 12, 2020
Title: The Glory of God, the Gospel, & Ethnic Harmony
Scripture passage: Various
Two questions
Why should ethnic harmony matter to every follower of Christ?
- The image of God is reflected in ethnic diversity (Genesis 1:26-27)
- Sin and Satan are the root of ethnic disharmony (Genesis 3)
- The Gospel of Christ is answer to the root of ethnic disharmony (Colossians 3: 12-13)
- The Gospel Mission is ethnically diverse (Matthew 28:19, Acts 1:8, Revelation 7:9–10)
What should I do as a follower of Christ to pursue ethnic harmony?
- Examine my heart & repent where needed
- Listen & learn to understand
- Be a minister of reconciliation
- Pray
To be honest, last week was exhausting for many—myself included. It was exhausting to read the how my black brothers and sisters have suffered injustice. It was exhausting to see how good police were lumped in with those who murder.
So I was toying with the idea of not putting out an update this week, since the one from last week was almost a precursor to Pastor Matt’s message on Sunday. However, I started to hear from various people who shall remain nameless, “What happened to the update for this week? Are you okay?” and I felt compelled to write this short follow-up.
I checked my Facebook feed this morning, and in a strange coincidence, I saw that June 12th is officially Loving Day in several states. And if you look up the history of Loving Day--and I encourage you to do so–you’ll see why I wanted to get the update out tonight. As believers, we know we should celebrate Loving Day every day since we are supposed to love the Lord our God with all our hearts, souls, and minds and love our neighbors as ourselves (Matthew 22:38). In fact, that was one of Matt’s recent messages. However, what you may not know is that June 12th is Loving Day because it marks the anniversary of the 1967 US Supreme Court decision to strike down individual states’ bans on interracial marriage. It is called “Loving Day” because the couple at the center of the original court case were Richard and Mildred Loving from Caroline County, Virginia.
In another strange coincidence, as I prayed and thought about an example of ethnic harmony to write about for this update, I kept coming back to one of my earliest memories. I had a bright yellow dress with special hand-embroidery and a white hat to match that I only got to wear on special occasions such as spring holidays or school pictures. However, my mom told me to put it on one Saturday morning when I was about four years old. I asked her where we were going; she said it was to a wedding. I remember asking, “Who is getting married?’ She replied that who it was, wasn’t important. But it was important that we go to the wedding. I never understood more than that until recently when I was going back through some pictures my mom sent me.
In the stack of pictures, I found one of the wedding! There I was in my yellow dress, wincing with the grief of every four-year-old who has had to suffer through a long wedding ceremony. There was my mom, beautiful as always, smiling brightly at the newly-pronounced man and wife. And there were the bride and groom—an interracial couple in Madison, Wisconsin.
What an epiphany. The moment my mom thought was too important for us to miss. We went because she knew it was essential to show love and support to this couple as they demonstrated their love for one another. And this Loving Day, may I also challenge you to also show Christ’s love and acceptance, regardless of race, to all the ethnicities represented in Midlothian…and beyond.
Noteworthy
Service info!
You have FIVE ways to participate in worship this Sunday! They include:
1. 8:45 am livestream on our YouTube channel
- Click here or paste the following link into your browser: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2etkcORDbxI
- This message can then be viewed any time thereafter
2. 8:45 am Regular Service in the Sanctuary/Gym
- Park in the front lot of the building
- Enter and exit through the front doors (west entrance) of the building ONLY
3. 8:45 am Mask Only Service in the Senior High School room.
- This service will have a pared down worship team (keyboard only) and an emphasis on more traditional songs (hymns).
- Park in the back lot of the building (east/childcare)
- Enter and exit through the high school doors
4. 10:30 am Family Service in the Middle School Room (upstairs) NOTE THE TIME CHANGE!!!
- This service is geared toward families with young children
- Bring a blanket and sit on the floor with your kids because this service is “wiggle-friendly”
- Park in the back lot of the building (east/childcare)
- Enter and exit through the main east entrance (childcare doors) ONLY
5. 11am Regular Service in the Sanctuary/Gym
- Park in the front lot
- Enter and exit through the front doors (west entrance) of the building ONLY
Request
In addition, since we have added so many new options for worship, we need new greeters. Research shows it is important that we have people in place to help answer questions and make people feel welcome. Even with all the COVID restrictions in place, we had at least one new family attend last Sunday! Please respond to this email (click here) if you are able to help us greet at any of our in-person worship services this Sunday.
Small/LIFE Groups
Several small groups are also beginning to meet again on Sunday morning in person including the Women’s group, the Ambassador class, and the BeVier’s class, so check with your group leader to see if yours is included.
Blankets for BESTWA
Candi Summers and the team at BESTWA has asked to help provide new linens for BESTWA’s clean birth initiative. Our goal is to collect 100 receiving blankets and 50 twin sheets. To support this goal, MBC Women will make our next Coffee and Conversations event on Sunday, July 12 from 7-8:30 pm a sewing session to help those who don’t know how to sew a receiving blanket and to provide a place to spread out and construct blankets for those who do. If you are unable to join us on the 12th, please consider donating a receiving blanket (flannel is preferred) or twin sheet (cotton is preferred). They can be new or gently-used. Bring your donations and leave them in the Pack-n-Play that is part of the “Blankets for BESTWA” display in the Hub. Andy Perkins will be taking them when he goes back to Liberia in September (Lord-willing).
Final thoughts
We don’t have much credibility as Christians if we send money and supplies to missionaries in other continents, but we don’t demonstrate God’s love and acceptance to our neighbors here in Midlothian. This is not about taking a side against police. Many police officers marched with us last Saturday and Sunday at events here in Midlothian. This is about ethnic harmony and racial reconciliation—ideals we are called to as believers. So make the effort. Take on what may feel awkward and uncomfortable at first. Pray. Listen. Really try to listen. Examine your heart. Take steps to reconcile with “brothers of different colors” when needed. #Bethechange that Midlothian and the rest of the world so desperately need to see right now.
In service to Him and to you,
Heather Hogue