October 12, 2021
Speaking the Word
When Rick Matson, pastor of Prairie Chapel near Fulton, went back and listened to his January 10 sermon, he discovered something troubling. “Two sentences were unintelligible,” he said.
Several months and a speech therapist later, Matson was diagnosed with ALS, commonly known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, after the professional baseball player contracted the disease in 1939. ALS hits different people in different ways and at different rates. Matson’s disease affected his ability to speak and kept getting worse.
Although he has lost most of his ability to annunciate clearly, he’s still a preacher at Prairie Chapel. As his symptoms were progressing, Matson used a service-connected to Boston Children’s Hospital to “bank” his voice. He was recorded reading, and his voice was entered into a text-to-voice program. The process was expensive, but Matson’s speech therapist knew of a former New Orleans Saints football player who also has ALS who paid for the process. Matson was only out for a $120 program for his iPad.
The sermons sound like an artificial intelligence version of Matson’s voice. He refers to it as Robo Rick. But for those who know him well, you can certainly hear his voice in it. His voice was there on a week-to-week basis, and he had no way of knowing how long it would hold out. So he was going to persevere as long as he could.
“I chose to be a person of hope,” he said. “I’m very comfortable there.”
Read more about how technology is helping Matson continue to serve Prairie Chapel →
Upcoming Events
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Virtual Event with Tod Bolsinger
Most leaders assume that navigating the challenges of a changing world, while trying to lead wisely and well, will be the most difficult thing they face. Yet, oftentimes the most important obstacle isn’t the one faced outside the church: It’s the resistance – including sabotage – encountered inside and among a body of believers. In this two-part workshop, Tod Bolsinger will help shape you into the kind of wise, resilient leader who can lead through the external challenges and internal resistance at the same time.
Learn more and register →
Other Upcoming Events
See the full events calendars at www.moumethodist.org/events
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Race and Culture Survey
The Missouri Conference of The United Methodist Church is conducting research to better understand race and culture within our connection and congregations. The survey is confidential and asks for your thoughts and experiences related to racism. Your input is critical as we develop Conference-wide strategies and tactics toward becoming a brave, empowering place for people from all diverse cultures and generations so that we can become a Church for all God’s people. This survey should take no more than 6-8 minutes to complete and will remain open until
November 1, 2021. The survey is sponsored by the Missouri Annual Conference and is being conducted by Discipleship Ministries.
Take the survey →
Featured Resource
Learn and Lead Podcast with Tod Bolsinger
You may not question whether you can lead change, but you’ve probably asked yourself if you can survive it. With so many decisions (and criticisms) coming at our church leaders, how do they prioritize what to do first while simultaneously dealing with the soul-sucking internal resistance they often face when trying to make changes? Tod Bolsinger, author of Canoeing the Mountains and his most recent book, Tempered Resilience shares how you can move from surviving in the crucible of change to thriving in it.
Listen in →
More Resources
Get Involved with Afghan Refugee Resettlement
Della Lamb in Kansas City is experienced in refugee resettlement, and is beginning to work with churches that want to help people who have fled Afghanistan. Click the link above to view the initial video on how churches can help with this effort. The access passcode is ^i%#MN18.
Communicating During Seasons of Change
United Methodist Communications’ Training Team is launching the first in a new series of four week facilitated online courses. The Communicating During Seasons of Change course will run October 18th through November 12th, 2021. Webinar sessions will take place each Tuesday and Thursday from 1:00-2:00pm CT with weekly supplemental work. Registration is open through October 15th.
Recommended Group Studies on Race and Culture
A list of group studies specifically related to race and culture.
See the full resource library at www.moumethodist.org/resourcelibrary
