Who will call religiosity fully to life in our men,
invigorate it, and nurture it?
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“We believe that healthy growing congregations have a balance of masculine and feminine spirit, reflecting our triune God. We envision female and male believers, lay and clergy, serving Christ as co-laborers and partners in Christ. This is a unity issue, not a gender issue. We must become ONE in Christ.”
“Women and men must stand side-by-side as co-laborers in Christ. The difficult challenges facing ministry to men must be enjoined by men and women in genuine partnership. We need each other, more than ever.”
~ from UMC Men’s Ministries Guidelines
“The alienation of many men from the femininity of Christian spirituality has created grounds for an enormous misunderstanding about men and religion that every pastoral caregiver must recognize and confront. The absence of so many men from so many churches, their lack of involvement, their diffidence and even hostility to Christian piety, has created a mostly unconscious assumption in our culture that men are not naturally religious. It is widely assumed that prayer and spirituality are basically female enterprises and that all but a few unusual men can relate to religion in only a peripheral way.
“A trip outside the bounds of American Christian culture, a journey into the temples, monasteries, and shrines of the world’s religions, would quickly shatter such a misandrist illusion”
“Our religion-alienated American men represent neither a wave of the future nor a rational advance over centuries of superstition. They are an anomaly, a quirk, an oddity in the community of all the men who ever lived, who ever wondered at the Unspeakable Mystery, sought alignment with the Eternal Tao, burned with affection for the Great Holy, or trembled before the Totally Other. And all of this ancient affinity for God – every bit of it – still lies buried deep in their unconscious, waiting to be called forth into a spiritual life that will make them a little less mad and a little more human. It waits there, this penchant for the Holy, drowned out by Muzak and numbed by the dreariness of shopping malls, paralyzed by stress and enervated by neglect, until something wakes it. Who will call religiosity fully to life in men, invigorate it, and nurture it in the face of the death-dealing boredom of modern secularity? That is the task of the church in its care of souls.”
~ from “The Crisis of Men and the Church” in Masculine Spirituality and the Bible, by Patrick M. Arnold
Dear Brothers in Christ,
The December shelter meal is only two weeks away. The men of the church have a complete Christmas meal to prepare for the men of Prince George’s House men’s shelter. As such, I need your help, not only financially, but also personally. We will gather at the church on Sunday, December 15 to prepare the meal. I need helpers for Sunday morning to prepare the turkeys for roasting and later in the afternoon to prepare the rest of the meal. Please let me know if you can help in any way possible.
Thank you.
Ray
“Faith is about doing. You are how you act, not just how you believe.” Mitch Albom, American author, journalist, and musician.
CALENDAR
Monday 6pm Guiding Eyes for the Blind – Fellowship Hall
7pm Gloria Ringers – Choir Room
Tuesday 9:45 a.m. Bible Study – Parlor
11am Angel Gang – Zoom
7pm Advent Bible Study – Zoom
Wednesday 8am Men’s Breakfast – Rip’s Country Inn
5:15pm EEC Staff Meeting – Fellowship Hall
7pm Simple Prayer Service – Sanctuary
7:30pm SPRC Meeting – Room 126
Thursday 7pm Chancel Choir – Choir Room
Saturday 10:30am Altar Guild Workday – Sanctuary
Sunday 10am Traditional Worship Service – Sanctuary and Online
11am Children’s Sunday School – Room 222
11am Adult Sunday School – Parlor
11am Coffee Fellowship – Fellowship Hall
12pm God & Guinness – Location to be determined
4pm Youth Group – Room 226
CONNECTING IN CHRIST
Luke 21:25-36)
Jesus said: 25 “There will be signs in the sun, the moon, and the stars and on the earth distress among nations confused by the roaring of the sea and the waves. 26 People will faint from fear and foreboding of what is coming upon the world, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken. 27 Then they will see ‘the Son of Man coming in a cloud’ with power and great glory. 28 Now when these things begin to take place, stand up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.”
29 Then he told them a parable: “Look at the fig tree and all the trees; 30 as soon as they sprout leaves you can see for yourselves and know that summer is already near. 31 So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that the kingdom of God is near. 32 Truly I tell you, this generation will not pass away until all things have taken place. 33 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.
34 “Be on guard so that your hearts are not weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and the worries of this life and that day does not catch you unexpectedly, 35 like a trap. For it will come upon all who live on the face of the whole earth. 36 Be alert at all times, praying that you may have the strength to escape all these things that will take place and to stand before the Son of Man.”
Daily Scripture Readings
Monday: Matthew 3
Tuesday: Colossians 1:9-23
Wednesday: John 18:33-37Thursday: Isaiah 43:1-21
Friday: Hebrews 10:11-25
Saturday: Zephaniah 3:14-20
Opportunities to Study and Worship
- Tuesday Morning Bible Study meets Tuesdays at 9:45am in the Parlor. Currently studying the Gospel of Mark.
- Tuesday Evening Advent Bible Study meets at 7pm on Zoom.
- Wednesday Evening Simple Prayer – Join us in the Sanctuary at 7pm.
- Children’s Sunday School meets at 11am in room 222.
- Christian Book Club resumes on December 17, at 7pm on Zoom.
- Adult Sunday School meets in the Parlor at 11am. The 8:45 am class is on hiatus until further notice.
- Youth Group meets Sundays at 4pm in Room 226.
- God & Guinness – Meets on next Sunday at 12pm. Location will be announced later.
Upcoming Special Holiday Services:
- Blue Christmas Service, Wednesday, December 18 at 7:00 PM (a prayer service of comfort and support for those who find the holiday season especially challenging)
- Christmas Eve Family Service, Tuesday, December 24 at 5:00 PM
- Christmas Eve Service, December 24 at 8:00 PM, with performances by the Gloria Ringers, Chancel Choir, Oboe, and Bassoon
- Watch Night Service with Communion, Tuesday, December 31 at 7:00 PM
Morning Prayer Call: Monday-Saturday, 6:30-6:45am. Dial 267-807-9601 and enter access code: 111-576-270 #. Leader for December 2 – 7: Bill Greaves.
Say Hello on Facebook! When you view our Sunday Service on Facebook, don’t forget to send greetings in a comment. We love to hear from you!
Advent Bible Study – Begins Tuesday, November 19th at 7pm – ZOOM Our Advent Bible Study will run for 4 weeks. We will study Rev. Rachel Billups’s book “An Unlikely Advent”, which is available in paperback or Kindle at Amazon.com. ZOOM links will be emailed. Please let the church office know your email if you think we do not have it.
Advent Bible Study – Begins Tuesday, November 19th at 7pm – ZOOM.
Christian Book Club – Tuesday, December 17th at 7pm – ZOOM
The group will discuss the first 56 pages of Rachel Held Evan’s book Wholehearted Faith. As usual the meeting will be via ZOOM. All are welcome.
MAKING A DIFFERENCE
Giving Envelopes. Pick up your box of envelopes, so the church can save the cost of mailing them, in the narthex in December. Your online giving information will remain the same for 2024 but if you would like to make changes, please contact Lisa Wilson at 240-997-2772 or email at financialsecretary@stmatthews-bowie.org.
St. Matthew’s Staff Bonuses—2024. Once again, we are requesting donations to thank our dedicated church staff for their valuable service in 2024. Donations can be made either in person or online:
- For in-person donations, please indicate No. 343 or Gift on your envelopes.
- For on-line donations, go to the dropdown menu and select: Gift or Bonus.
Funds collected will be equally divided among our staff and presented to staff during the worship service on December 22nd. These donations are not tax deductible and will be appropriately designated as such on your year-end giving statement. Once again, SPPRC would like to thank you for your continued support and generosity.
Year-End Donations – due to church by 11am on Sunday, December 29th. The Finance Committee would like to thank each of you for your generous contributions throughout 2024, which have enabled us to continue to serve God in our local community and throughout the world. Please do not forget your church and the financial commitment you made through your pledge last year. Due to deadlines imposed by our bank, for your contribution to be recognized in your 2024 giving, it must be received by 12/29. Those received after will be included in your 2025 giving statement. If you have questions, please contact Lisa Wilson, Financial Secretary (Lisawilson@stmatthews-bowie.org).
Your Church Needs You! The worship committee needs your help! We are looking for new volunteers to be ushers, greeters, acolytes, altar guild, Scripture readers, etc. To volunteer, email the worship committee at STMWorshipChair@gmail.com with the group(s) you’re interested in helping or you can complete the following electronic form at Worship Committee Volunteer Request (office.com) link in Midweek Messenger. Your information will then be relayed to the appropriate head of that sub-group, who will contact you.
Little Free Pantry Update. This is the month to visit our local Giant and buy a reusable bag for $2.75 and earn a dollar for our LFP!!! The bags are a good size for carrying home your Thanksgiving turkey and other sides for your feast!
Bowie Food Pantry. The Bowie Food Pantry is extremely busy now with clients needing food. Their greatest needs are for condiments (ketchup, salad dressing, spices, etc.), peanut butter, jelly, and pasta sauce. Financial donations are welcome as the Pantry is providing gift cards to their regular clients for the purchase of their Christmas meals. Funds can be donated through St. Matthew’s noting the fund for Bowie Food Pantry. Please leave donations in the cart in the coat room.
Help a Church Member: If you know of any church member who has not attended worship services lately, or who may be sick and in need of prayers, please contact the church office at (301) 262-1408. You can make a difference in a person’s life by letting us know about anyone’s absence. Their absence could be due to illness.
Help a Church Member 2. If you know of a church member who needs a ride to church services, please offer to give them a ride.
INCLUSIVENESS
Chesapeake Chorale Holiday Concert – Saturday, December 7th at 7pm. Get into the spirit of the holidays with the joyful music of the Chesapeake Chorale at their “Singing Our Holiday Stories” concert at Elizabeth Ann Seton Catholic Church, 1800 Seton Drive, Crofton, MD 21114! Special guest appearance by the St. Matthew’s Gloria Ringers. Tickets may be purchased at the door if still available; however, this concert is traditionally very popular and could sell out. Ticket prices are $18 for Adults, $12 for Seniors/Military, and $5 for Students. To ensure you get your tickets, order them now at: Chesapeake Chorale – Concerts – Chesapeake Chorale. Please consider bringing a can of food to donate at the door to help the Chorale support the Crofton Community Caring Council’s food pantry in its efforts to combat local food insecurity.
Midweek Messenger. To ensure that your item is included in the Midweek Messenger, please send it to enews@stmatthews-bowie.org by noon on Wednesday. Anything received after that may be held for the next week’s edition.
Bulletin Announcements. Email announcements to announcements@stmatthews-bowie.org no later than 12pm on the Wednesday before the Sunday service when it should appear. Thank you!
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St. Matthew’s UMC is an inclusive church, connected to our community, and committed to welcoming all persons in every phase of church life. We choose to live by Christ’s example, affirming that all people are created in the image of God.
We celebrate our diversity of sexual orientation, gender identity, race, age, marital status, nationality, physical abilities, mental abilities, and economic position.
Through the Spirit we commit to live in the words of John Wesley to
“love alike though we may not always think alike.”
Wherever you are in your faith journey, you are welcome here.
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Ray Denmark
St. Matthew’s United Methodist Church
14900 Annapolis Road
Bowie, MD 20715
raydenmark@stmatthews-bowie.org
(301) 651-3643