Matthew 25 Summit Garners a WOW
by Ginger Johnston, First Presbyterian, DeLand
What a wonderful time of fellowship and learning at the PCUSA Matthew 25 Summit in Atlanta, GA in January 2024! My church is a Matthew 25 church, but it was never explained to our congregation. That is why I attended. I wanted to see if it was just another program, or was it really based on scripture from Matthew 25?
Matthew 25:31–46 describes Jesus’ judgment to take place when He returns as King with His angels and takes His place on the throne. He will divide those judged into two groups: "sheep" and "goats." The sheep will be welcomed and praised for serving those in need. The Lord’s teaching on the final judgment challenges every disciple of Jesus to be an active participant in God’s kingdom in a broken world helping the least of His. When we welcome others, we welcome Christ!
The Matthew 25 Summit in Atlanta introduced me to other believers who are working and are called to serve Jesus by contributing to the well-being of the most vulnerable in all societies. I learned about affordable housing to community gardens, just educational and employment opportunities to include everyone to see and learn how to question and ways to enact policy change. I felt and saw Jesus calling us to perform ordinary acts of compassion in daily life. The summit showed me there is not just one way to be a part of the Matthew 25 movement. That we all can participate in our own local community’s needs. To look for the unseen, listen to their needs and keeping our eyes open for eradicating and dismantling racism and poverty. To see the unseen and welcome them in God’s kingdom with open arms. To have a church that is moving forward to really believing everyone of God’s children are welcome to rest and be seen in His church. That is not my church – YET. But, I was with believers who showed me it is possible, that it is a beautiful way to worship our Lord and the hope that all churches can grow and learn and change.
The workshops were informative and made me question my thoughts; what my reactions are going to be; my next steps; and what am I going to do with this information. The sessions were well organized and covered the 6 main focuses of the summit.
I attended “The Role of White Voices in Anti-Racism,” where the room was standing room only. I was hoping for a Presbyterian 3-point sermon. That is not what I got. I was introduced to the statement “You’re a racist, pure and simple, and without a lifetime of conscious effort you always will be.” That hit home. Then, we talked about our white privilege, social injustice, and racial inequality and segregation in our white churches. What a powerful class. The class came to an end too soon, with the participants having many more questions.
Then I attended a welcoming class, which was so upbeat and the presenters excited to share their knowledge with us: “We are still here, and we are still Queer.” They shared a timeline of 1970-to-today in the Presbyterian churches’ views on LGBTQIA+. The information from-where-we-have-come-to-where-we-are-now and the life stories shared made me smile and love my friends at home more. I cannot wait till I learn what the Lord wants me to do with this information.
All I can say is - WOW!! The preaching and songs were uplifting.
We Praised and thanked the Lord together. Please go to the Matthew 25 Summit site and listen to the Praise services and the guest speakers. You will be challenged and feel the love of our Father for His people.
My task is now Prayer: Lord where do You want me to learn more, so I can see the least of these? Lord how can I change to see the unseen? What can I share with my church - so we can learn to ask and listen. “I see you - what do you need? How can I DREAM with my Church to bring God’s Kin-dom here and now?”
Ginger Preston-Johnston
First Presbyterian DeLand
Matthew 25:31–46 describes Jesus’ judgment to take place when He returns as King with His angels and takes His place on the throne. He will divide those judged into two groups: "sheep" and "goats." The sheep will be welcomed and praised for serving those in need. The Lord’s teaching on the final judgment challenges every disciple of Jesus to be an active participant in God’s kingdom in a broken world helping the least of His. When we welcome others, we welcome Christ!
The Matthew 25 Summit in Atlanta introduced me to other believers who are working and are called to serve Jesus by contributing to the well-being of the most vulnerable in all societies. I learned about affordable housing to community gardens, just educational and employment opportunities to include everyone to see and learn how to question and ways to enact policy change. I felt and saw Jesus calling us to perform ordinary acts of compassion in daily life. The summit showed me there is not just one way to be a part of the Matthew 25 movement. That we all can participate in our own local community’s needs. To look for the unseen, listen to their needs and keeping our eyes open for eradicating and dismantling racism and poverty. To see the unseen and welcome them in God’s kingdom with open arms. To have a church that is moving forward to really believing everyone of God’s children are welcome to rest and be seen in His church. That is not my church – YET. But, I was with believers who showed me it is possible, that it is a beautiful way to worship our Lord and the hope that all churches can grow and learn and change.
The workshops were informative and made me question my thoughts; what my reactions are going to be; my next steps; and what am I going to do with this information. The sessions were well organized and covered the 6 main focuses of the summit.
I attended “The Role of White Voices in Anti-Racism,” where the room was standing room only. I was hoping for a Presbyterian 3-point sermon. That is not what I got. I was introduced to the statement “You’re a racist, pure and simple, and without a lifetime of conscious effort you always will be.” That hit home. Then, we talked about our white privilege, social injustice, and racial inequality and segregation in our white churches. What a powerful class. The class came to an end too soon, with the participants having many more questions.
Then I attended a welcoming class, which was so upbeat and the presenters excited to share their knowledge with us: “We are still here, and we are still Queer.” They shared a timeline of 1970-to-today in the Presbyterian churches’ views on LGBTQIA+. The information from-where-we-have-come-to-where-we-are-now and the life stories shared made me smile and love my friends at home more. I cannot wait till I learn what the Lord wants me to do with this information.
All I can say is - WOW!! The preaching and songs were uplifting.
We Praised and thanked the Lord together. Please go to the Matthew 25 Summit site and listen to the Praise services and the guest speakers. You will be challenged and feel the love of our Father for His people.
My task is now Prayer: Lord where do You want me to learn more, so I can see the least of these? Lord how can I change to see the unseen? What can I share with my church - so we can learn to ask and listen. “I see you - what do you need? How can I DREAM with my Church to bring God’s Kin-dom here and now?”
Ginger Preston-Johnston
First Presbyterian DeLand