“Outside the Church”

Last Sunday I shared the story of John Wesley, the founder of the Methodist Church, being told in church and after church that he was no longer welcome to preach in their buildings.  After these less than warm receptions, and seeing some successful ministries to the masses in the open air, Wesley decided he would take the word of God to the people instead of trying to get the people to come to the church. 

This approach was unheard of in the 1730s Church of England.  Wesley himself described the preaching of God’s Word outside the walls of the church as being “vile.”  However, seeing thousands at a time receiving God’s grace and opening themselves to God’s transformative love was all he needed to convince him that the practice had merit. From that point forth, he committed himself to meeting people where they were and helping them to get where they needed to be.  Once Wesley and those early Methodists who followed him dedicated themselves to this innovative and risky form of following God, their renewal movement couldn’t be stopped. 

This morning I came across an article about two churches in East Ohio who have decided to follow this “vile” pathway and take the Word of God outside their walls and into their community in unusual ways.  I encourage you to read the stories of these churches and their decision to go where the people are.  After reading this, I encourage you to think about where you feel God might be leading you, and our congregation, to be more vile.

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 the second part of our two-week message series titled Being United Methodist.  This series is an overview of the beliefs and behaviors of the people of the United Methodist Church.  This week, we look at the practices and actions that have come to define Methodists and how we live out the faith we profess.  The scripture this week will be from the Prophet Micah, Chapter 6, verses 6-8:

With what shall I come before the Lord and bow down before the exalted God?  Shall I come before him with burnt offerings, with calves a year old?  Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams, with ten thousand rivers of olive oil?  Shall I offer my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?

He has shown you, O mortal, what is good.  And what does the Lord require of you?  To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.” 

Our 8:00 service will begin with the song Cornerstone by Toby Mac.  In the 10:20 service, our Praise band will lead us in Cornerstone by Hillsong United as our Gathering Song.  Our other songs for the morning will be Lord, I Want to Be a Christian and A Charge to Keep I Have.  Additionally, we will celebrate the Sacrament of Holy Communion this weekend.

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 our Praise Band leading our Gathering Song.  Additionally, we post a recording of our message each week to our website by early Sunday afternoon. 

Announcements

Annual Church Picnic – Thank You! – Thank you to the United Methodist Men for organizing a wonderful Church Picnic last Sunday!  A great time was had by all.  And thank you to everyone who brought the delicious dishes to share!  Everything, including the weather, was wonderful.  Here’s to another wonderful picnic next year!

KIDS HOPE USA – Did you know that our church is blessed to participate in a really amazing ministry called Kids Hope USA?  For those not familiar with Kids Hope, it is a program that matches an adult with a student in grades 3-5.  They spend one hour a week together doing a variety of things – reading, completing worksheets, playing board games, playing basketball – and most importantly, developing relationships.  Many of the kids in Kids Hope could benefit from having another adult in their life who cares about them (and really, what kid couldn’t use this).  The times are flexible, you can even do it virtually if needed. 

If you are interested in becoming a mentor to a child at David Barton Elementary, you can do two things: 1) talk to one of our current mentors about the experience and difference this makes, and 2) let Debbie Maxwell, our KIDS HOPE Coordinator know that you are interested!

North Central District Kickoff –

Last month we shared that the district our church belongs to, the North Central District of the Missouri Annual Conference, has expanded its geographical boundaries and added more churches.  Coming up on September 10, the District is hosting a “kickoff” event at Central Methodist University.  This event will begin at 11:00 am and include a time of fellowship, campus tours, all kinds of activities for kids (and kids at heart), a tailgate party prior to the CMU football game, and attending the football game together.  Not only is all this happening close to home, it is free for everyone.  Each church is encouraged to have as many people attend as possible.  Registration is requested.  Please register here.  (https://www.centralalumnievents.com/) If you don’t already have plans for September 10, please consider joining in this time of fun, friendship, and football!

Becoming a Liturgist – If you are interested in helping in worship through our Liturgist Ministry (being the one up front who reads the Call to Worship and some of the other worship emelents), please let Pastor Chris or Debra know.  The schedule gets updated every few months, and we are putting together the upcoing schedule.  Each liturgist takes a turn once every 6-8 weeks or so (this depends on how many liturgists we have).  Again, if you’d like to participate in this ministry, please let Pastor Chris or Debra know and we can give you more information.  Even if you’d prefer not to be on the schedule but would be willing to be a backup or substitute, that is always needed as well.

Events this week:

Monday, September 5: Labor Day – Office Closed

Al-Anon, 8:00 pm, Fellowship Hall

Tuesday, September 6: Education Team, 5:00 pm, Lounge

Choir Rehearsal, 7:00 pm, Sanctuary

Wednesday, September 7: Al-Anon, Noon, Fellowship Hall

Friday, September 9: Al-Anon, 8:00 pm, Fellowship Hall

Saturday, September 10: Methodist Men, 8:30 am, Lounge

North Central District Kickoff, 11:00 am, Central Methodist University

Closing Words of Wisdom:

If you want to reach people nobody is reaching, you’ve got to do things nobody is doing.” Craig Groeschel