“Ripple-Effect”
Many of the Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman’s testimony, “He told me everything I ever did.” So when the Samaritans came to hum, they urged him to stay with them, and he stayed two days. And because of his words many more became believers.
They said to the woman, “We no longer believe just because of what you said; not we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this man really is the Savior of the world.” John 10:39-42
It’s Friday afternoon and VBS is officially behind us for another year. What a wonderful, exciting, busy, noisy, tiring, Spirit-filled, educational, wacky, messy, and wild week it has been! Over 70 kids passed through our doors as part of VBS. Each day 30 plus adults and teens volunteered to help pull it all off.
The theme of the week was “Making Waves” and focused on the effects each of us can have on others and the cumulative impact we can make together. This got me thinking about the story of Jesus’ conversation with the woman at the well in Samaria. As a result of experiencing Jesus’ love firsthand, this woman not only changed her life, but shared her experience with many others. As a result of her changed life and witness, countless others experienced a life-change as well. This shows the ripple-effect the love of Christ can make.
In our most recent Church Board meeting, Maryellen McVicker shared a story of those who shared the love of Christ with her. Years ago, over a period of several months, Maryellen’s family experienced medical difficulties and the loss of a loved one. The church community reached out to their family in numerous ways, showering them with God’s love. This demonstration of the love of Christ made an impact on Maryellen and is one of the reasons for her continued devotion to the church – as a desire to share that love she received with others. Most Sundays, we not only see Maryellen blessing others through her friendliness and extensive historical knowledge, but also are blessed to have her granddaughters sharing their love, joy, and orneriness with others. These girls and those they encounter are a result of those ripples of Christ’s love that were set into motion many years ago.
I want to thank everyone who shared their time, energy, knowledge, and love this week as part of our VBS. We may never see the results of the drops we made in the water this week. But I have faith that the ripples which we put into motion this week will continue to reverberate in many lives for many years to come.
As always, it is a blessing to be your pastor and to be in ministry alongside you to an amazing God.
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 we continue our message series “Upon Further Review.” Our message this week looks at the Parable of the workers of the vineyard. The scripture this week will be from the Gospel of Matthew, Chapter 20, verses 1-15.
“For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire workers for his vineyard. He agreed to pay them a denarius for the day and sent them into his vineyard.
“About nine in the morning he went out and saw others standing in the marketplace doing nothing. He told them, ‘You also go and work in my vineyard, and I will pay you whatever is right.’ So they went.
“He went out again about noon and about three in the afternoon and did the same thing. About five in the afternoon he went out and found still others standing around. He asked them, ‘Why have you been standing here all day long doing nothing?’
“’Because no one had hired us,’ they answered.
“He said to them, ‘You also go and work in my vineyard.’
“When evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, ‘Call the workers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last ones hired and going on to the first.’
“The workers who were hired about five in the afternoon came and each received a denarius. So when those came who were hired first, they expected to receive more. But each one of them received a denarius. When they received it, they began to grumble against the landowner. ‘These who were hired last worked only one hour,’ they said, ‘and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the work and the heat of the day.’
“But he answered one of them, ‘I am not being unfair to you, friend. Didn’t you agree to work for a denarius? Take your pay and go. I want to give the one who was hired last the same as I gave you. Don’t I have the right to do what I want with my own money? Or are you envious because I am generous?’
Our 8:00 service will begin with the song God Thing by Anne Wilson. Our Praise Band will kick off our 10:20 service with the song Mighty to Save. Our other songs for the morning include Blessed Be Your Name, There’s A Wideness to God’s Mercy, and Amazing Grace.
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 10:20 with the Gathering Song. Additionally, we post a recording of our message each week to our website by early Sunday afternoon.
District News
July 1 is the beginning of the new year in United Methodism. With the beginning of the new year comes some changes to our Annual Conference’s organizational structure. Previously we were organized into 9 geographic areas called districts. Starting this year, we are divided into 5 districts. Nelson Memorial is now part of the North Central District. While the name is new, we will continue to have Rev. Dr. Mi Hyeon Lee as our District Superintendent and her office will continue to be in Columbia. To mark the launch of this new district, Rev. Dr. Lee has shared a video welcoming everyone to our new district and sharing some upcoming events. I encourage you to take a few minutes to view the video and be blessed by her words. The video can be viewed here.
Announcements
Vacation Bible School News – “Make Waves” drew around 70 children from our community each day for crafts, music, games, and Bible study. Our mission’s project benefitted Soles4Souls through a very successful shoe drive. Hearts were filled with love for Jesus and His light shined through all our volunteers and kiddos. A huge shout out to all our volunteers and especially our Nelson Memorial, UMC education committee! Whatever you do, do it for the glory of God!
Sagrada Bible Camp – The Methodist Men would like to thank all the volunteers who either drove or assisted in the transportation of children to the Sagrada Bible Camp. Sagrada Bible Camp ministers to children who have a parent in prison. The United Methodist Men have supported the camp for many years through maintenance work, transportation of children to camp, and donations.
Ice Cream Freeze Off – Start thinking about what flavor ice cream you will be bringing to the annual Ice Cream Freeze Off contest which will be held in the Fellowship Hall at 4:00 o’clock, on Sunday, July 31st. This year’s activity will be no different, with lots of exotic flavored home-made ice cream. All entries (everyone is encouraged to enter) are asked to have their ice cream at the church by 3:45 for judging. Please contact Elvin Farquhar and give him the flavor of your entry. Winners will receive $25.00 for 1st place, $15 for 2nd place, and $10.00 for 3rd place. We hope to see you there!
Baby Grace News – If you would like to participate in the next Baby Grace “Size and Sort” it will be held on Thursday, July 14, from 1:00 pm to 3:00 pm in the church annex. If you have any questions please contact Cindy Koch. All help is welcome.
Planning Ahead – Dates for Your Calendar
July 31, 2022: UMM Ice Cream Freeze Off
August 10, 2022: National S’more’s Day
August 28, 2022: Church Picnic
Upper Room Devotional – Spend time each day in God’s word with thought-provoking devotions to strengthen your relationship with Jesus Christ. The “Upper Room” devotional books for July and August have arrived. Please help yourself to one in the back of the Sanctuary.
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, July 9: Methodist Men, 8:30 am, Church Lounge
Monday, July 11: TOPS, 9:00 am, Foundations Classroom
Al-Anon, 8:00 pm, Fellowship Hall
Tuesday, July 12: NAMI, 6:30 pm, Foundations Classroom
PEO, 6:30 pm, Fellowship Hall
Wednesday, July 13: Women’s Bible Study, 10:15 am, Lounge
Al-Anon, Noon, Fellowship Hall
Thursday, July 14: Baby Grace Size and Sort, 1:00 pm, Church Annex
Friday, July 15: Al-Anon, 8:00 pm, Fellowship Hall
Saturday, July 16: 4H Meeting, 8:00 am, Fellowship Hall
Closing Words of Wisdom:
You cannot get through a single day without having an impact on the world around you. What you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make.” Jane Goodall
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