“Back to School”

I don’t think I realized it when I was a kid, but I really like learning.  When I was younger, it was practically required to hate school.  First, we were forced to go, didn’t have any say so in the matter.  Second, school was (at least in our minds) boring and got in the way of having a good time.  And of course, there were too many rules to follow.  But, now that I’m (I hate saying this) older, I’ve come to understand how much I really like learning new things.  I used to wonder why I needed to know a certain thing (like how to diagram a sentence), but now I get excited to learn a knew piece of knowledge.

Tom Maxwell loaned me a book recently titled Sacred Duty, about the Army regimen that serves Arlington National Cemetery.  (We are going on a family vacation to DC later this summer.)  While I knew Arlington had a storied tradition and rich history, I had never really given much thought to the troops who serve there.  I have been fascinated to learn about all the different military groups at Arlington, and the myriad ways honor those who dedicated themselves to our country and now rest from their labor.  I never knew there was so much to know about those hallowed grounds.

A former U.S. Defense Secretary, Donald Rumsfeld, coined the phrase “You don’t know what you don’t know.”  While I’ve often thought this seemed like a bit of a folksy phrase, I find it to be so true in regard to education and knowledge.  Knowledge truly is power.  If you have ever thumbed through the book of Proverbs, you read over and over again the writer’s praise of the power of knowledge, as well as his reminders to constantly seek after it. 

To that end, I want to ask you to pray for me as I am going to start a new educational endeavor.  I was nominated by our District Superintendent and awarded by the MO United Methodist Foundation a scholarship to participate in a graduate level program at Dakota Wesleyan University designed to help pastors grow in their leadership abilities.  This program will begin in the middle of July and run for 13 months.  I will attend 3 in-person events for a few days each, and the rest of the classes will be online throughout the rest of the year.  Additionally, I will work with a leadership coach and have a faculty mentor helping me grow in my knowledge and skills.  I am cautiously excited about this program and appreciate your prayers as I begin this endeavor.

“We don’t know what we don’t know,” but I believe the truly wise know they have lot more to learn.  I encourage you to seek after wisdom in some way as you continue your journey of growth and sanctification.

It remains an honor and pleasure to be your pastor and to be in ministry alongside an amazing God who never ceases to give us greater understanding. 

Blessings, Chris

Mission

To make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.

Vision

Nelson Memorial UMC seeks to be a place where all God’s broken, hurting, and imperfect children discover wholeness and community while experiencing the warm and welcoming love of Jesus Christ.  We seek to connect with one another to grow in our knowledge and love of God, to encourage each person to live out their unique calling to serve God, and to make a difference in the Boonville community and throughout the world.

Priorities

Developing and Nurturing Faith in Children and Youth

Fostering Growth and Community in Worship and Small Groups

Provide Opportunities to Serve God in Boonville and Beyond

Worship This Week

This Sunday will be a special one in worship.  As I will be attending the Annual Conference session in Branson, Sara will bring the message this week.  Her message is titled “Live the Story.”  The scripture focus this week will  be from the book of Colossians, Chapter 1, verses 10-14.

We pray that you’ll live well for the Master, making him proud of you as you work hard in his orchard. As you learn more and more how God works, you will learn how to do your work. We pray that you’ll have the strength to stick it out over the long haul—not the grim strength of gritting your teeth but the glory-strength God gives. It is strength that endures the unendurable and spills over into joy, thanking the Father who makes us strong enough to take part in everything bright and beautiful that he has for us. God rescued us from dead-end alleys and dark dungeons. He’s set us up in the kingdom of the Son he loves so much, the Son who got us out of the pit we were in, got rid of the sins we were doomed to keep repeating.”

Our services will begin with the song Nobody by Casting Crowns.  The hymns for the morning include I Love to Tell the Story, and Make Me a Servant.  Our praise song for the morning will be Amazing Grace (My Chains Are Gone).

Virtual Worship Information

In addition to in-person worship, each Sunday we will live-stream our 10:20 worship service. The service can be viewed on our Facebook Page.  The service will start at approximately 10:25 following the Gathering Song.  Additionally, we post a recording of our message each week to our website by early Sunday afternoon. 

Announcements

Vacation Bible School – Making Waves – Let us share our love for the Lord with your kiddos! Through fun activities, engaging lessons, crafts, and God’s Word, we’ll help kids understand how they can share God’s love with the people around them. His love has a strong ripple effect that can change the world.  July 6-July 8^th, 9:00 am to 11:30 am. To register, please click here.

Summer Outing to Big Surf Water Park

On Sunday, June 26th Nelson Church family is invited to enjoy a fun afternoon at Big Surf Water Park. We are planning on meeting in the Big Surf parking lot between 2:00 and 2:15. Be sure to sign up on the clipboard if you are interested.  We will plan on eating dinner together at 6:00 when the park closes. Bring a side dish or dessert to share.  Sandwiches and drinks will be provided. We hope you can join us for some summer fun! 

Planning Ahead – Dates for Your Calendar

June 19, 2022:  Father’s Day

June 26, 2022:  Big Surf Water Park Summer Outing

July 31, 2022:  UMM Ice Cream Freeze Off

August 10, 2022:  National S’more’s Day

August 28, 2022:  Church Picnic

New Way to Give – As we continue to pursue virtual ministry and ministry in our modern times, we have found we need to keep up with digital technology trends.  We are excited to announce that in addition to being able to give to Nelson Memorial by check or Vanco (automatic withdrawal from your bank account), we now are accepting offerings via Venmo.  We can be found on Venmo at @NelsonMemorialUMC. If you don’t know what Venmo is and would like to learn more, information about giving through Venmo can be found on our webpage at https://nelsonmemorialumc.org/give/venmo/. 

Events this week:

Saturday, June 11: Methodist Men, 8:30 am, Church Lounge

Monday, June 13: TOPS, 9:30 am, Foundations classroom

Al-Anon, 8:00 pm, Fellowship Hall

Tuesday, June 14: NAMI, 6:30 pm, Foundations Classroom

Wednesday, June 15: Women’s Bible Study, 10:15 am, Church Lounge

Al Anon, Noon, Church Lounge

Thursday, June 16: Baby Grace Distribution, 5:00 pm, Church Annex

Friday, June 17: Youth Group, 7:00 pm, Jackson’s home

Al-Anon, 7:00 pm, Church Lounge

Closing Words of Wisdom:

The more you know, the more you know you don’t know.”  Aristotle