Ch-Ch-Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes
There was a catchy pop song by the late David Bowie who challenged the listener to, “turn and face the strange, ch-ch-ch-ch-ch-changes.”
Change, though a known fact of life, always seems to feel strange to us when it comes again. We also know inside that the best way to deal with change is to turn and face it straight on – like we have done a dozen times before in our lives. Your reading this column says that you made it through!
2026 is, like 2025 and 2024 (and 2023 and … ), bringing changes for us at FUMC Plano:
A right-sized and almost finished campus
A right-sized and trimmed budget to match our recent giving trends
A debt-free year and an endowment quickly reaching earning capability to fund our work
Transitions of a pastor and a children’s minister
New mission initiatives with area United Methodist churches
New families joining our church and outreach to the community
New lay leadership taking strong roles in the same
New discoveries and growth in individuals as they walk with Jesus through Lent
And as Jesus did in the wilderness, so do we: we face the challenge of changes straight-on and grow through them.
To this end, I will be fully engaged in what industry calls, “change management,” walking with staff, laypeople and groups to equip and assure them that they are fully capable of continuing the strong ministry FUMC Plano has always done. That’s one of the great advantages of our United Methodist Church – we are a strong partnership of clergy and laity; we are connectional!
Like you, I am curious and excited to discover who our bishop will appoint to be the next lucky pastor to lead FUMC Plano, and I pledge to you that I will do all in my power to equip her or him in that transition before their arrival in July. In the meantime, I thank you for your prayers for the process, your new pastor, and your participation in facing faithfully and expectantly the always strange yet hope-filled ch-ch-ch-ch-ch-changes!
Breathe peace.
Still Connecting God and Grace to Self and Community,
Matt Gaston
Lead Pastor
Being Tested
As I do each spring, I will be away from our church for 3-4 days working with our Horizon Texas Conference’s Board of Ordained Ministry. About 45 of us are charged with the responsibility of evaluating candidates called to ordained ministry as either Deacons or Elders.
Before we interview them for over two hours, we read and evaluate 50-60 pages of written responses that each candidate provides. It covers (just to name a few):
their call to ministry;
living to the highest ideals of the Christian faith;
their understanding of United Methodist polity (organization);
the nature of the sacraments;
the nature of God and the nature of evil;
and their understanding of atonement (what happened on the cross)
To be sure, the candidates feel thoroughly tested. At the end of the interviews and much discussion, our Board votes to either endorse the candidate or continue them for another year where they have opportunity to work on growing edges of their work, understanding and ministry.
It can be rigorous, as it should be.
Jesus was clear that to follow him meant taking up a cross. For him, that was literal. For us, that call can be metaphorical. It’s what the 40 days of Lent afford us: the opportunity to be tested in what we think, what we feel and what we practice.
Some of that falls short of the mark because of our sin – our predisposition to think we have a better idea and way of living than God has. This was the temptation Jesus experienced in the desert: to trust his own provision, his own power, his own headlines. But in each instance, he was clear that God’s way and God’s glory were fundamentally more important than his own. So, in his fasting, in his praying and in his thinking, he kept God first before all things.
That is love.
What if we were to open the fullness of our lives to God’s evaluation – all of ourselves instead of just the parts we cherry-pick (as though God doesn’t already see or know of the rest)? What if, like our candidates for ministry, we aspired to live up to the highest ideals of the Christian life? And what if Jesus were to walk with us as he evaluates our efforts?
That is the opportunity given to us during Lent: to be tested, but also to be accompanied by the Christ “who has been tempted in every way, just as we are” (Hebrews 4:15).
So that by Easter, we may be striving more fully to live the highest ideals of the Christian life for the sake of the world Jesus came to redeem.
With you in the walk,
Matt Gaston
Lead Pastor
A Steady Word in a Season of Change
A Healthy Reminder from Your Director of Communications
Over the past few weeks, there has been a lot of news: transitions, retirements, and changes in leadership. For some, that feels energizing. For others, it feels unsettling.
For many, it’s simply a lot to take in.
Please know that change does not mean unraveling. It just means preparation for what comes next.
Churches have seasons. Pastors retire. Staff members discern new calls. New leaders step in. Through every season, what holds steady is not a personality – it is our purpose!
For generations, First United Methodist Church Plano has existed to "connect God and grace to ourselves and our community." That vision does not retire. It does not resign. It does not disappear when leadership shifts.
Transitions naturally raise questions about what will change and what comes next. The truth is often simpler than our fears suggest. The Church is larger than any one role, and stronger than any one season. We have a gifted staff, faithful lay leaders, and a congregation deeply rooted in service and worship. That foundation remains.
It’s okay if this season feels fragile. It’s okay if it feels uncertain. But, be rest assured, it is stable.
We will walk this season the same way we’ve walked every other season — together. With prayer. With honesty. With trust in the One who has led this church for nearly 180 years and is not finished yet!
If you have questions, ask them. If you need reassurance, seek it. If you are feeling the weight of change, know that you are not alone.
This is still your church.
This is still our community.
And God is still at work among us.
With faith and gratitude,
Nancy Bryan-Ellison
Director of Communications
Meaning-making
Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of a six-week opportunity for meaning-making in our lives. Lent, from the Latin Quadragesima, or “Fortieth,” calls to mind Jesus’ 40 days in the wilderness as he made essential determinations about who he would be and what he would not be. He fasted, he prayed, he discerned; and angels ministered to him along the way.
More than giving up chocolate, Lent invites us into new behaviors that give our souls space to encounter the Spirit of Christ more profoundly. A few time-tested possibilities include:
Silent prayer, on your own and in worship, inviting the Spirit to reveal what you need for growth in Christ.
Prayer journaling or drawing/painting. Pour onto paper your questions, thoughts, feelings, and prayers, trusting God to reveal answers in that ongoing conversation.
Congregational singing, even when you think you can’t sing. There is soul-filling power when we lift our voices together in praise and prayer.
Tithing/“almsgiving.” Consider giving a tenth to God of what God gives you over these 40 days.
Dedicated service/mission. Commit to reaching out regularly for someone else during Lent. We can suggest lots of possibilities!
Begin a Bible study, book club, or Sunday School class. Spend Lenten learning with a group of fellow searchers.
And yes, even fasting. Try not eating from sunrise to sunset. Drink water to stay hydrated if you like, though our Muslim friends don’t even do that during Ramadan!
You might also consider signing up for a fast-breaking meal with some Muslim neighbors on Tuesday, Feb. 24 (RSVP HERE). This year their Ramadan and our Lent overlap, which should make for some meaningful table talk with new religious friends. Seating is limited for the delicious meal they will serve us, so sign up now!
Meaning-making. It gave Jesus grounding and direction for his life. Lent creates space for the same in us.
With you on the journey,
Matt Gaston
Lead Pastor
Celebrating Mardi and Her Ministry with Our Children
by Kristin White
Chair, Staff Parish Relations Committee
After thoughtful discernment, Mardi Bowen has shared with SPRC that she will be transitioning from her role as our Minister with Children and Families, with Easter Sunday serving as her final Sunday on staff, as she returns full-time to her work in real estate and embraces a season that allows for more weekend time with her family.
Mardi has served our congregation with deep care and creativity over many years – first from 2009-2015, and again from 2018 until now. Across those years of service, Mardi has helped plant seeds of faith that will continue to grow in the lives of children and families for generations to come. Through children’s worship, special events, curriculum leadership, and countless moments of presence and joy, she has helped shape a ministry where children are known, welcomed, and loved.
In recent years, Mardi has led our Children’s Ministry through a season of rebuilding and renewal, helping it grow in strength, participation, and joy. With that foundation firmly in place, she steps into this next chapter with confidence in the ministry she has helped reestablish and the leaders and families who will carry it forward.
Mardi’s gifts, energy, and heart for children have made a lasting impact on FUMC Plano, and we are deeply grateful for the ways she has served with love and dedication. While we will miss her presence on staff, we celebrate this transition with her and give thanks for all that has been entrusted to her care.
As we look ahead, we will be actively searching for our next Minister with Children. A full position description will soon be available. If you know someone who may be a great fit for this ministry, we invite you to share the opportunity with them when it becomes available.
In the coming weeks, we look forward to sharing opportunities to express our thanks and to celebrate Mardi’s ministry together. Please hold Mardi, her family, and our children’s ministry in prayer during this season of transition.
We give thanks for all that has been – and trust God’s faithfulness in what comes next.
Reaching Across Divides
Rev. Judith Reedy preached an outstanding sermon Sunday that spoke to the creative ways people like you and me reach across divides of income, race, education, and cultural stances for the sake of what is good, right, and biblically true. “Act justly, love kindness, and walk humbly with your God” was the clarion reminder from pulpit and choir loft. Judith read a letter from our bishop, Ruben Saenz, Jr. to the Horizon Texas Conference who called us to this same mindset. He echoed the message of a letter that came out recently from the Council of Bishops, who shepherd all of the United Methodist churches around the world. We are sending both letters tomorrow in a dedicated email.
Like Judith’s message, our bishops are reminding us that as followers of Jesus, we must live out his message of unconditional love by reaching across all divides between people everywhere. There is no other option for those who claim the Christian faith. “Those who say, ‘I love God’ and hate their brothers or sisters are liars. After all, those who don’t love their brothers or sisters whom they have seen can hardly love God whom they have not seen!” (1 John 4:20). We have to be intentional to love those who are different from us. We have a good opportunity during Lent to practice that.
On Tuesday night, February 24, the Dialogue Institute of Dallas will host a Ramadan dinner for us. This wonderful group, of mostly Turkish Muslim background, will be our guests and our hosts! They come to prepare and serve us some favorite items for dinner as we join them in breaking their daily fast during their season of Ramadan, which overlaps with our season of Lent! Both of these seasons mark a time of prayer, reflection, and sharing … of reaching across divides to God and to each other. I hope you will register to join us for this very special evening.
We cannot fix all that divides and denigrates people in our world, but we can help create what Meg Wheatley calls an “island of sanity” (see her excellent book, Who Do We Choose to Be?). As Mark Miller says in his song, “God has work for us to do.” I can think of nothing else more important to do than reaching across divides, joining hands, and creating something better. I look forward to doing that with you this Sunday and every day.
Connecting God and Grace to Self and Community,
Matt Gaston
Lead Pastor
An Important Announcement from Rev. Matt Gaston
It is with much prayer and great thanksgiving for you, my church family, that I announce I have sent a letter to Bishop Ruben Saenz, Jr. requesting retirement status effective July 1, 2026.
It has been a true gift to serve as your pastor for the past 10 years. It is an honor to preach the Word, celebrate the sacraments, and be with you during those sacred moments of our lives. It has been a joy to live and laugh with you as we have grown in our discipleship to Christ and service to our mission field. My life is richer for loving faithfully with you.
Together, we have connected God and grace to ourselves and to the community. We have welcomed an increasing diversity of God’s children into our fellowship, right-sized our campus, created a new front door for a new chapter, become debt-free, and will soon have a $1M Permanent Endowment to help fund ministry going forward.
For me, 2026 marks 67 years of life, 40 years of ministry, 40 years of marriage, and 10 years at FUMC Plano. The time is right for a fresh voice with fresh ideas to have the privilege I was given in 2016 – to love and work alongside you for the sake of the next chapter of Christ’s mission in our region.
I will work diligently with our Staff Parish Relations Committee, our District Superintendent, Rev. Philip Rhodes, and our staff to pave the way for a smooth and successful transition for my successor, just as Jan Samuels and Rev. Ron Henderson did for me. I am thankful to God for this incredible church and people. You bless me daily, and I love you all.
Breathe peace,
Matt Gaston
Lead Pastor
A Needed Timeout?
Picking up from my Wednesday devotional, I am fascinated by the timing of our unexpected snow days. As I have talked to people about this unplanned, unstructured time, many have been cleaning out closets, baking, spending time on the phone with family and friends, and generally getting to things that would have been postponed had it not been for this timeout. For many, it has been a reset. Timeouts and resets have good biblical grounding.
God calls Abraham apart.
God gives Moses pause with a burning bush.
God calls Moses to a mountaintop—alone.
Jesus is driven into the wilderness.
Jesus calls his disciples to a quiet place.
Jesus goes to pray—alone.
Saul winds up in a home where he realizes his call as an apostle.
All of these were timeouts that resulted in course corrections or reinforcement. With the temperature of our culture running high right now, a collective timeout is in order – to pause, reflect, and reset. At its best, this is what planned worship does, even without snow days.
After last week’s snow day from in-person worship, we will again gather Sunday for a spiritual timeout:
Listening to instrumental music
Confessing our harried hurriedness
Listening for God’s word in the biblical text and sermon
Staying at the prayer rail as long as we need before receiving Holy Communion
Thanking God for the reset by the end of the service
Timeouts – both unintended and designed – can be wellsprings of new hope, strength, and peace. May it be so for you, our church, and our world.
Amen.
Connecting God and grace …
Matt Gaston
Lead Pastor
Out of an Abundance of Caution
Patti Pachula, Director of our Weekday Program, sat quietly at our staff meeting Tuesday and just smiled. I think I may have detected a suppressed giggle.
We were discussing options for Sunday worship. At that point, forecasters were predicting a wintry mix and snow totaling 6–12 inches by Sunday. So, we were strongly leaning toward moving all worship online (pre-recorded) and simply closing the building out of an abundance of caution for everyone’s warmth and safety. Patti’s smile and suppressed giggle? Patti is Canadian, and like most folks north of the Mason–Dixon line, she was amused by all the excitement a little “dusting” can create.
As it is, forecasters are now calling for 1–2 inches of mostly sleet (which is often easier to drive in though still potentially slick), plus a bit of snow Sunday morning. We will still record all the key portions of our worship, just in case the forecast worsens significantly, but at this time we are planning for:
One service on Sunday at 11:00 a.m., both in-person and live-streamed, with lots of congregational singing (no choir);
No Sunday School or child care;
Lots of coffee and hot water;
Shoveled and salted pathways to the the “New Front Doors” to the Gathering Area (1) and the Church Office entrance (2) – see graphic below;
Pats on the back and hugs for all who wish to come and be the body of Christ in person;
If weather conditions worsen, we will shift to a livestream-only service out of an abundance of caution. Please check back to our website, social media and Realm for any new developments. If you feel any hesitation about coming, please stay warm and safe out of an abundance of caution and join us online for worship. As the psalmist says in our text for Sunday:
I have asked one thing from the Lord—it’s all I seek:
to live in the Lord’s house all the days of my life,
seeing the Lord’s beauty and constantly adoring his temple.
Psalm 27:4
It is both metaphorical and literal. We look forward to sharing that joy with you this Sunday.
Connecting God and Grace to Self and Community,
Matt Gaston
Lead Pastor
Please use the following entrances this Sunday: 1. “New Front Doors” to the Gathering Area, 2. Church Office entrance.
The Beloved Community
This was Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s affectionate term for the larger church that he spent his life working to rally for the sake of so many suffering the injustices of prejudice, fear, and violence at the hands of their fellow citizens and their government. While King’s work across his abbreviated life was often seen as a “Black issue” by Americans, he rightly saw it as a Christian and human issue.
He worked across denominational lines, reminding pastors and congregations of Jesus’ call always to come alongside the poor, the oppressed, the immigrant, the stranger – even the enemy – and always with nonviolent love. This he learned from Jesus and Gandhi. Increasingly, King became disappointed that the larger, white churches remained largely on the sidelines as the struggle for equal rights marched forward. “In the end,” he said, “we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends.”
“Will we as Christians be silent now?” King would ask us today.
Sunday afternoon at 4:00, I will be part of a panel discussion with three other faith leaders around Martin Luther King Jr.’s legacy and the impact of the church – the “beloved community.” It will be at the Robinson Fine Arts Center in Plano. All are invited to attend. I hope you’ll join us.
Connecting God and Grace to Self and Community,
Matt Gaston
Lead Pastor