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Welcome!
Who We Are
Located about four miles south of downtown Charlotte, Mouzon United
Methodist Church is nestled on the corner of Selwyn Avenue and Woodlawn Road.
An urban church in a neighborhood setting, the 490-member congregation is
a diverse mix of all ages and stages. Mouzon offers a welcoming and
encouraging environment for personal and spiritual growth.
Dedicated to supporting local service organizations and global mission
projects through hands-on involvement, as well as funding, Mouzon reaches out
with the love of Christ to serve both the needs of Charlotte and our world
community.
Come Visit Us
Please come worship and serve God with us. We're sure you'll find us to be a warm and
welcoming faith family. We invite you to participate in any of our ministries
and activities. Please contact us for more
information.
To see a photo collage of our people and ministries, click the star.

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What's in a Name? |
| Many people ask about the name "Mouzon"
(pronounced moo-zon). The church, formed in 1945, was named in honor of
Bishop Edwin D. Mouzon, who served the Western North Carolina Conference
and was known for his involvement in and support of Christian mission
ministries. |
The
Pastor Ponders | Pentecost is May 11
this year. It is always 50 days after Easter,
and it is the holy day that celebrates the coming of the Holy Spirit and
the birth of the church. One of my favorite hymns about the Holy
Spirit is a fairly new one, UMH No. 544 "Like the Murmur of the Dove's
Song."
The third verse reads,
With the healing of division, with the ceaseless voice of prayer,
with the power to love and witness, with the peace beyond compare:
Come, Holy Spirit, come. Healing, prayer, power and peace are gifts of
the Holy Spirit that we long to experience.
In any organization, family, institution, community, team, gathering of
folk, there is division at times. We do not all have the same opinion,
perspective, understanding. Even as Christians in the church we do
not all agree. And one of the subjects we especially do not agree about
is the pastor. Some folks like the personality; some do not. Some really
appreciate the preaching; some are left cold. Some feel really supported
and nurtured; some do not. Some value the administrative skills;
others care more about pastoral care. No one person is going to make
everyone happy and meet all needs. So, we disagree, and it is hard to
make decisions about whether a particular person is the right fit for
the congregation at a particular time in the growth of the
congregation.Are folks being picky or too idealistic about what anyone
person can do?
Is it time for a change so that new needs are met? Hopefully, such
decisions are made prayerfully and with great consideration of all souls
involved.
One of the factors that figure in all of our conflicts at church
is the underlying anxiety that tends to live in congregations.
In fact, we live in a very anxious society these days; maybe
humans always do. When we get anxious and worried and uneasy about
something, we want to relieve that anxiety however we can. And
sometimes the relief is not really the most effective relief.
If we do not face the anxiety and relieve it in some healthy . way,
it goes underground and will cause a congregation to be prone to feeling
anxious pretty easily. These patterns happen all the time in our
individual lives, families, as well as in churches. The Christian story
is a challenge to our human tendencies to handle dIfficulties WIth
violence and resentment. Jesus died for our SillS, but he dIed
forgiving US, "Lord, forgive them, for they know not what they do."
Jesus shows us a new way to deal with the anxiety in our lives:
to face the truth and allow the truth to set us free. The solution to
our anxiety lies within our own ability to live as forgiven and
forgiving people.
The Charlotte District spring seminar was on the topic of
"Leadership and Anxiety in the Church: A Family Systems Perspective."
The seminar looked at the challenge presented by rising levels of
anxiety being experienced in churches today, as well as the role that
self-differentiated leadership can play in calming such anxiety. I want
to bring some of the information that three of us gained in the seminar
to Mouzon. So, a seminar is scheduled for May 31,9 am-2:30 pm for all
church leaders and interested members. The
leader is Cheryl Greenwood, who lives in Huntersville and has been
trained by the Lombard Mennonite Peace Center (the presenters of the
district seminar). The seminar description that she has provided is as
follows:
Conflict is inevitable and normal. Everyone experiences conflict.
This workshop is designed to help Christians respond well to personal
and congregational differences. During the workshop, conflict in
the New Testament will be explored as well as personal styles of
handling conflict and healthy ways to handle congregational differences.
The aim of the workshop is to increase healthy skills to clear the way
for a vital and dynamic sense of mission and purpose.
Before I leave as your pastor, I would really like Mouzon to move a bit
further toward developing a strong sense of identity and purpose. Mouzon
is a vital place for ministry and mission no matter who the pastor may
be. And whatever gifts a particular pastor lacks (and all of us lack
some of them), the laity can fill the gap.
So please consider comIng to the semInar to learn some new skills and
perspectives that will in- form your life together as a congregation as
well as skills that can be used at home and at work as we continue to
grow in our understanding of what it means to be human and Christian.
The Holy Spirit is ever ready to give us heal-. ing, prayer, power, and
peace. Come, Holy Spirit!
Blessings, Pastor Lisa
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The Touch of the Master’s Hand | |
Was battered and
scarred, and the auctioneerThought it scarcely worth his while to waste
much time on the old violin, But he held it up with a smile. “What am
I biddin’, good folks?” he cried.
“Who’ll start the
biddin’ for me?”
“A dollar? A
dollar. Then two? Only two? Two dollars and who’ll make it three?”
Three dollars
once. Three dollars twice! Going for three...but no.
From the room far
back, a gray haired man came forward and picked up the bow.
Then wiping the
dust from the old violin, and tightening the loosened strings, He played
a melody, pure and sweet, as the caroling angels sing.
The music ceased,
and the auctioneer, in a voice that was quiet and low, Said, “What am I
bid for the old violin?” And he held it up with the bow.
“A thousand
dollars?! And who’ll make it two?
Two thousand! And
who’ll make it three?
Three thousand
once, three thousand twice, and going and gone!” said he.
The people
cheered, but some of them cried, “We don’t quite understand.
What changed its
worth?” Swift came the reply, “The touch of the master’s hand.”
And many a man
with life out of tune, and battered and scarred by sin, Is auctioned
cheap to the thoughtless crowd much like the old violin.
A mess of
pottage, a glass of wine; a game - and he travels on.
He’s going once,
and going twice, he’s going and almost gone.
But the Master
comes, and the foolish crowd never quite understands,
The worth of a
soul and the change that is wrought by the touch of the Master’s hand.
(Author unknown)
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