November 28th, 2025 | Rev. Dr. Mark Charles

Dear Grace-filled Family,

I hope that you and your loved ones enjoyed a truly blessed and restorative Thanksgiving. We have so much to be grateful for, and I give thanks that I get to be part of this grace-filled family.

I also want to express a huge, heartfelt thank you to the many volunteers from Memorial who helped ensure that Christ’s love showed up at the "Open Table of Thankfulness & Love" at St. Peter's Episcopalian Church on Thanksgiving morning. What a wonderful way to serve our community and ensure that #loveshowsup. 

This Sunday marks the beginning of Advent—a special time of expectation and anticipation as we journey toward Christmas and celebrate Christ’s birth. Advent is a precious season designed to focus our hearts and minds on Christ’s coming.

During this special season, we will journey together in a couple of ways:

1. Sunday Worship: Each Sunday morning, we will explore the timeless Advent themes of Hope, Peace, Joy, and Love, as we find them in the powerful Lectionary readings taken from the Prophet Isaiah and the Gospel of Matthew.

2. Wednesday Online Study: We also invite you to join our church-wide online study! Beginning Wednesday, December 3rd, Pastor Rachel and I will host a discussion each week with a special guest, focusing on a chapter from our Advent Study Book, "Come Thou Long Expected Jesus" by Andy Langford & Ann Langford Duncan. (Find out more at mumconline.com/study)

Advent is a time to look around us for those signs of hope, peace, joy, and love that point to Christ's coming. I encourage you to be intentional as you lean into these opportunities to make space for the Spirit this season.

Blessings,

Pastor Charlie