It Wasn’t Jesus
What’s easily lost in the excitement of Pentecost in the upper room two thousand years ago is that in all that followed in that rapid-pace story, Jesus is not present. The excitement, the 3,000 who are converted, the healings that follow, the church pulling their resources together to make sure all have enough—Jesus is nowhere to be found.
It was the Holy Spirit—present in the hearts and lives of the believers—who animated all of that incredible outreach and achievement … and all of them volunteers. There were no clergy, no paid staff, no church buildings; just people who knew the unconditional love of the risen Christ, determined to share that same unconditional love with all. They were doing the miraculous: loving on others!
I think about that as I reflect with thanksgiving on the last two weeks in the life of FUMC Plano:
Dozens of our member volunteers preparing and carrying off a Vacation Bible Camp for 200 kids
A dozen Yardbirds and landscape volunteers beautifying our grounds for company last week (as they do every week)
Dozens of our member volunteers preparing and hosting a successful Clergy Session for some 600 clergy and friends from across Texas
Lay volunteers going to camp, on mission trips, and choir tour
Still more volunteers collecting, organizing, and getting food to neighbors in our community who experience food scarcity
More trained volunteers running a high-quality livestream operation so that hundreds can join us in worship weekly
People volunteering their financial gifts that have cut our debt in half in just six weeks
You begin to get the idea. It wasn’t people waiting for Jesus to do something. It always is faithful people understanding that the Spirit of the living Christ is resting on them taking advantage of their opportunity to be Jesus to those around them, starting with the church–just like those volunteers did at Pentecost 2,000 years ago.
Thank you for being FUMC Plano. Thank you for being a Pentecost church. I am so proud to be among you as your pastor starting my 10th year. Thank you for living the love of the risen Christ for others in his name. Amen.
Matt Gaston
Lead Pastor
Clockwise from top: About 175 women clergy gathered for dinner following the Clergy Session, where FUMC Plano hosted nearly 600 clergy; top right, Carolyn Ellis, Pam Turner, and Sue Hunter prepare for Clergy Session as part of the decorating committee; bottom right, Pastor Matt with Nick Gray and JT Henry attending to final exterior details in preparation for Clergy Session; center, our Crossfire Youth Choir on tour in Atlanta, sharing their gifts and faith through music; bottom left, Lisa Wilson, Barbara Edhlund, and Cammy Gaston welcome campers during last week’s Vacation Bible Camp.
Does the Wind Blow? Yes, but It Helps to Ask
In North Texas, we rarely have to ask the wind to blow; it has a mind, regularity, and velocity all its own—just ask any allergy sufferer. During the summer, we occasionally have “ozone alert days,” when pollution and haze hang in the air due to a lack of wind. But for the most part, because of where DFW is positioned geographically, we receive steady winds: from the northwest in waves during the winter and generally from the south and Gulf southwest the rest of the year. We rarely have to ask.
This Sunday is Pentecost, when we remember the blowing of the wind—the Spirit, the breath of God—into the lives of the believers gathered in prayer in an upper room somewhere in Jerusalem. We imagine it as a dramatic moment where, “suddenly,” the wind began to blow, the believers were animated, and they began speaking in languages not their own. The excitement was bubbling over in the crowd.
But I think there was a precursor to that rush of transformation in their lives. I think they asked for it.
Jesus had told his disciples that he would ask the Father to send them another Companion—one who would be with them forever (John 14:16). He also told the disciples and other believers to go to that upper room in Jerusalem and wait until the Spirit came, when they would be filled with “power from heaven” (Luke 24:49). I can only imagine that as they waited, they prayed ... and they asked precisely for that gift.
Pentecost, like Christmas and Easter, is not a spectacle event or remembrance to take in from the mezzanine. It is, every year, an opportunity to be a participant—especially if our lives feel like an ozone alert day: still and going nowhere. Jesus has asked the Creator of the universe to send a Companion—the Spirit—to blow into each one of our lives and move us in new and live-giving directions.
But it helps to ask.
Connecting God and Grace to Self and Community,
Matt Gaston
Lead Pastor
Good News, Slow News, Best News
GOOD NEWS
Preparation for Vacation Bible Camp is looking perfectly outdoorsy, just in time for summer and for the 200 children and 50 volunteers joining us next week.
Plans are humming along to host our Bishop and about 500 clergy for the first Clergy Session of the new Horizon Texas Annual Conference on June 8. Our Yardbirds and our Landscaping Team are beautifying our grounds, while a volunteer team inside is getting “our house” ready for company.
Kevin Clanahan, Jill Stoel, John Shell, Donna Gaskill, Tim Hopson, and I will represent FUMC Plano at the first full Horizon Texas Annual Conference that will meet at SMU that same week.
We received 7 more commitments for a total of 161 totaling $1,946,000 toward our $2,000,000 Free to Grow goal. We are 97% of the way there!
Over $40,000 came in last week as “first fruits” for our Free to Grow campaign, as our debt quickly drops from the $400K range toward the $300K range.
There is always a place and a time for you to be part of this concerted progress—and the fun!
SLOW NEWS
The City of Plano Permitting Staff continues to find new requirements we must meet before issuing us our permit to proceed with the construction of our parking lot addition and new Yardbird shed. We believe we’re finally close.
Several survey stakes with flags—plus a porta-potty—continue to tease us about this project that will not take long once it begins.
Giving always slows during the summer months. It would help our ministry if it slowed less this summer. There is a lot of goodness going on.
My grass. It seems to take forever to fill in winter’s bare spots.
The coming of the Holy Spirit.
BEST NEWS
Wait
Hardest word to hear. But that is what Jesus told his disciples to do before he left them for the second time – this time, for heaven.
This Sunday is Ascension Sunday—centered around Holy Communion—where we practice slowing down and waiting for the Holy Spirit to come and renew our spirits.
That is hard to do. But then again, the best things in life often require it.
As we slow down to kneel, reflect, pray, and commune with Christ, may we enjoy the anticipation of all that is surely coming—because Christ said so. Amen.
Matt Gaston
Lead Pastor
Getting Together Over a Meal
One of the things Ruben Garza said to me as we were preparing for the wonderful memorial service/fiesta we prepared for his wife—and family matriarch—Mary Alice, was, “I look forward to being back in church with my friends.” That’s not surprising. The Garza family has always centered around being together—especially around a meal.
Son-in-law Eddie Clinton reflected on his and Anna’s wedding, which stretched into four days before they could finally leave on their honeymoon. Every day brought another breakfast, lunch, and dinner with extended family and friends getting together over a meal. “My gosh, Anna—we just SAW these people last night!” Eddie said. Then he smiled and added, “And it never ended.”
This Memorial Day weekend, we will remember those who never made it home for dinner—those who sacrificed their lives so that we might continue to gather as families around the table. And then, on the following Communion Sunday, we will gather as a church family around the Lord’s Table. Jesus told us that this is where we are most connected—to one another, and to him. He promised to be present with us. There is a warmth, a give-and-take, a sharing, an intimacy with Christ, and a joy in the physical presence of one another when we get together over a meal. Jesus told us to remember that every time we do so.
I am so thankful for Mary Alice, who dedicated her life to creating family in the broadest and most beautiful sense of the word—by bringing people together over a meal. Just nine days before she died, she was up at church greeting members of the Multi-Cultural Outreach Roundtable, an organization the mayor of Plano tasked her to establish two decades ago. This gathering of diverse people—across color, language, and religion—met, of course, around a potluck meal. Because that’s what family does: bringing themselves and bringing their best, for each other. Just as Jesus did. That’s what family and friends do.
Thank you, Mary Alice, for lovingly, brilliantly, and always brightly showing us how.
Matt Gaston
Lead Pastor
Representing Our Church; Creating a Conference — Anyone Interested?
Truth be told, our new and larger Horizon Texas Conference was officially created last August in Abilene by a unanimous vote. But June 8 marks the beginning of the first full Annual Conference of this new Conference — which now stretches from Paris to Brownwood and from Amarillo to Round Rock … and it all begins right here at our church, with a gathering of nearly 500 clergy before the opening worship for everyone that evening at SMU and continuing for two days of business.
Kevin Clanahan and I will serve as FUMC Plano’s matching clergy and lay members (United Methodist conferencing always includes an equal number of clergy and laity). In addition, Jill Stoel and John Shell will serve as at-large lay members to help fill in where other churches are short of their required lay representatives.
Together — along with inspiring worship and singing — we will listen to reports, debates, and educational pieces and vote on legislative items and reports. The votes of clergy and laity count equally — one of the great strengths of our polity (system/organization).
Would you like to join us?
We still have room for three more at-large lay members, and the venue at SMU is as close as Annual Conference is likely to get — next year we could be headed to Waco! Jill and John are planning to carpool, and there’s room in the backseat for you! There’s no minimum age, but you do need to be a full member in good standing. If you’re interested, just contact me through the church office.
In the meantime, we’re sprucing up the place even more to welcome all those clergy on Sunday afternoon, June 8. We’ll need volunteers to show some FUMC Plano hospitality. If you’d like to help us host and be part of a “first” (Bishop Ruben Saenz, Jr. will be presiding!), please contact Liliana Peña in the church office.
It really is a historic year for us and for our Conference — and we’d love for you to be a part of it. See you around!
Connecting God and Grace to Self and Community,
Matt Gaston
Lead Pastor
What Mom Taught Me
When I was five years old in Independence, Kansas, distances seemed enormous to walk—especially when the neighborhood kids had bikes. So, I wanted a bike. My mom and dad were agreeable to this and said if I saved up my “chores” money, I could get one.
Mom gave me a brass piggy bank about the size of a softball, complete with eyes, ears, a curly tail, and a slot on top. I was eager to put in my pennies, nickels, dimes, and the occasional quarter (a huge amount!) that Mom gave me for doing tasks around the house. I had my eye on an orange Schwinn Stingray, complete with a banana seat and wide handlebars. I could picture myself riding—rather than walking—the mile to school with my friends each day.
I was more than happy to skip 5-cent candy and 12-cent comic books for a season so I could get that bike more quickly. My postponed gratification was rewarded when the bank was full, and I was able to go to the Schwinn store with my parents to celebrate my triumph.
Fitting for the Easter season, there is a lot of triumph in our church’s future: becoming debt-free; creating a perpetual revenue stream through a funded endowment; enhancing our worship and online experiences; and upgrading our building systems.
So far, 148 families are postponing some purchases in order to help us reach our $2,000,000 goal. The commitments have been inspiring. Surpassing our goal is well within reach as more families respond to the prayer, “God, what do you want to do through me?” About 50 more commitments will get us where we all want to be. You can make yours HERE.
Will you be one of those families?
Will you remember what our mothers taught us?
Will you be part of the triumph?
See you Sunday as we celebrate our mothers,
Matt Gaston
Lead Pastor
Personal Piety + Social Holiness = Easter Season
It is neither accidental nor incidental that we hold our Mission Together after Easter—in this case, this Sunday with ONE WORSHIP SERVICE at 10 a.m. followed by acts of service (come in your work clothes!).
John Wesley insisted that, for the people called Methodists, “personal piety” (prayer, scripture reading, Christian fellowship, communion—like this Sunday with ONE WORSHIP SERVICE at 10 a.m. followed by acts of service) must go hand in hand with “social holiness” (feeding, educating, healing, and creating just systems). Wesley insisted on both faith and works, just as Jesus did—both in his teachings and in his life.
After the resurrection, Jesus appeared to his followers over the course of 50 days before Pentecost (Pente = 50). One of those appearances included a memorable conversation with Peter following a fish breakfast Jesus had prepared after they returned from their boats. Three times, Jesus asked Peter if he loved him. Though Peter answered “Yes” each time—nearly in tears by the third—Jesus was making a point: loving him personally was not enough. Peter, who would become “the rock” of the Church, had to actively love, feed, and tend the sheep in Jesus’ care—in other words, the world.
We United Methodists have a long and proud history of engaging both the people and systems of the world to love, feed, and tend toward a better world for all—not just some. That kind of engagement isn’t always popular, but it is the gospel of Jesus. As our blue FUMC Plano t-shirts say on the back: “It’s what we do.”
So, wear your jeans and blue t-shirts (we still have some for sale—see Mardi Bowen or Stacy Spears), and come ready to practice both personal piety in ONE WORSHIP SERVICE at 10 a.m. and social holiness afterward. After all, it is the Easter season: He is risen; alleluia!
Connecting God and Grace to Self and Community,
What, Another Celebration?!
Hard to imagine—after Easter and after Palm Sunday, the Egg Scramble, and Celebration Sunday the week before that! But this Sunday, April 27, we celebrate what we can do together as the body of the risen Christ.
Our Free to Grow Campaign Co-Chairs, David and Cindy Boatfield, announced on Palm Sunday that 67 families have already committed $1,538,969—77% of our $2,000,000 goal! In this Easter season, the rest of us have the power to push the campaign over that goal.
It’s important to remember:
Every three-year gift matters—from every person who considers FUMC Plano their church.
Our gifts may not be equal in size, but they are equal in sacrifice.
The outcomes will reshape the financial future for the next generation.
Keep praying: “God, what do You want to do through me?”
The new flooring is in, and the new maintenance building, driveway, and parking lots are being staked out for construction. Yes, there’s a lot to celebrate—especially knowing the risen Christ is going before us.
Bring your Commitment Card to the prayer rail this Sunday, if you haven’t already, and let’s see what God can do through all of us!
Connecting God and Grace to Self and Community,
Matt Gaston
Lead Pastor
I Dare You
It wasn’t always smart—but it was (and still is) an essential part of growing up. You were dared to do something you’d never do on your own because of fear. But then someone pushed you—sometimes literally—and suddenly, you were going where you'd never imagined going.
Jumping off the edge of the pool into a parent’s waiting arms.
Jumping off the high dive for the first time.
Maybe even leaping from a cliff into a lake 30 feet below—between the rocks.
You remember. We all have those stories.
What’s common in all of them is facing the thought, “I’m going to die.” And the exhilaration afterward is that you didn’t. In fact, you felt more alive—vital, energized and exuberant—in a way you never could have without accepting the dare. I think that is the relationship between Good Friday and Easter.
Easter without Good Friday is like easing into the shallow end without ever jumping from the height of sheer terror. The water feels good and everyone is having a good time splashing around—but there’s no real risk or cost for the experience. Maybe that’s why so few churches lean into Good Friday—not for their members, and not for their guests. We’re afraid to face the dark places of our fears. Yet, this is precisely why God came to earth in Jesus: to help us face all of our worst fears (mostly internal) especially the fear of dying, so that we can experience the exhilaration of overcoming them and live a vital, energized and exuberant life.
This year, we’ve tweaked our Good Friday experience. It will feel different—especially at the end. If you’re bold enough to come, you’ll have the chance to sit in silence and face the worst fears you hold onto so tightly. But if you’re brave, you’ll go one step further. You’ll jump past your fears, and trust that our God will catch you and bring you to the surface Easter morning—bubbling, buoyant and alive as you have never experienced before.
So, go ahead.
Friday at 7 p.m.
In the Sanctuary.
I dare you.
Connecting God and Grace to Self and Community,
Matt Gaston
Lead Pastor
The Alignment of Hope This Sunday
As we were planning for our Free to Grow campaign last fall, a good question was raised among the staff about the timing of overlaying a capital campaign on top of Lent and Easter. Our consultant, former UMC pastor Don Smith, said it was actually the best time. I’ve pondered that response and found meaningful parallels between these two journeys toward Jerusalem:
Both begin with the proclamation of good news that a new age is coming.
Both are future-oriented, yet bring hope and excitement now.
Both start with a few believers and grow in numbers as the word of hope spreads.
Both have doubters and dissenters around the whole proposition.
Both unfold in the midst of great uncertainty.
Both persist faithfully in the face of that uncertainty.
Both succeed in the end in ways that amaze and inspire.
This Sunday, our children will process and wave palms as we commemorate Jesus and his small band’s triumphal entry into Jerusalem—an entry that anticipates his glory through the cross and the tomb. At the same time, we will celebrate what a small group of Jesus’ followers have already faithfully committed toward a future hope that will be realized over the next three years and free our church to grow.
Onlookers of this faithful parade will be surprised, inspired, and want to join the movement, and that is worth celebrating—right alongside a donkey carrying Jesus into Jerusalem. It’s an alignment of hope.
So make every effort to be here this Palm Sunday! There will be specialty morning foods and coffee personally served, followed by hot dogs and sliders for everyone—a picnic on the grounds. Bounce houses and games will be available for the kids, and fun for the whole church family.
It begins our Holy Week journey to Easter; it begins the home stretch toward our hope-filled future as First United Methodist Church Plano.
See you there,
Matt Gaston
Lead Pastor, FUMC Plano