“Heated Conversations”

In one of the early seasons of The Simpsons, there’s an episode where the Simpson family (minus the father, Homer) attends church one cold Sunday morning. The church’s furnace is broken and everyone is sitting in the Sanctuary rubbing their hands together—their breath fogging the air. At one point in the service the pastor (Rev. Lovejoy) warns the congregants about the fires in hell – which, ironically, seems to the congregation a preferable experience to the discomfort of their current environment.  I think this past Sunday, some in our congregation might have had a similar experience!

I thought I would use this space to let you know what is going on with our heating and cooling systems.  As some of you might remember, this past summer the air conditioning unit that cools our sanctuary broke.  We contacted an HVAC company, and they were able to provide us with a short-term fix, along with a quote for repairing everything in that system.  However, that system (which also provides circulation for our heat) is approximately 25-30 years old. Repairing it would have been the equivalent of putting a new transmission into a car with 300,000 miles on it.  In short, it would prolong the life, but only for a short amount of time and might not be the best investment. 

At the same time, another of our air conditioner units stopped working and needed a recharge of freon.  We were informed by HVAC professionals that this unit could not be serviced in the future, as the freon it required was no longer going to be available.  Moreover, the same was true for the rest of the units servicing our building.  While these units have served us well, it became clear that the time had come for us to begin the process of replacing/upgrading our HVAC systems. 

Over the past couple of weeks, we have had representatives from 3 different companies (each of which was highly recommend to us from others who have commercial HVAC needs) come look at our setup.  Each of these companies is preparing their recommendations for replacement/upgraded HVAC systems which will provide heating and air conditioning for every room in our building.  The Administrative Board will receive these bids and use that information to make a decision on the best path forward. 

Unfortunately, the air-handler that services the Sanctuary furnace has deteriorated quicker than we had hoped or expected, which is what is causing the noise in the East Wing.  The Ad Board is exploring affordable options to work around this and appreciate your patience and understanding. 

I want to reassure you that the church leadership is well aware of these issues and is working diligently to resolve the situation.  Again, I thank you for your understanding and patience as we work to address the needs of our building.  There is nothing quick or easy about this process, but we will continue to keep you updated on the status of this project.  Unfortunately, as you might expect, we know this is not going to be inexpensive.  As you pray over this project, I also invite you to begin praying about how you and your family might be able to help financially support the continued maintenance of our historic building and mission outpost.  Again, we will share more information and begin a formal fundraising campaign as we have more details.  For right now, I want to you know how much we appreciate the concern and all the ideas people have shared.  Please bear with us and join us in prayer for God’s direction during this process (and for some warmer weather on Sundays).

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 conclude our message series on the Book of Esther titled “For Such A Time As This.”  This week we will focus on Esther and her role in saving her people.  Our Scripture lesson will come from the book of Esther, Chapter 2, verses 15-18:

When the turn came for Esther (the young woman Mordecai had adopted, the daughter of his uncle Abihail) to go to the king, she asked for nothing other than what Hegai, the king’s eunuch who was in charge of the harem, suggested.  And Esther won the favor of everyone who saw her.  She was taken to King Xerxes in the royal residence in the tenth month, the month of Tebeth, in the seventh year of his reign. 

Now the king was attracted to Esther more than to any of the other women, and she won his favor and approval more than any of the other women.  So he set a royal crown on her head and made her queen instead of Vashti.  And the king gave a great banquet, Esther’s banquet, for all his nobles and officials.  He proclaimed a holiday throughout the provinces and distributed gifts with royal liberality.” 

Our services will begin with the song Plans by Rend Collective.  Our opening song will be Leaning on the Everlasting Arms.  Our praise song will be Blessed Be Your Name, and our closing song for the morning will be O Jesus, I Have Promised.

Virtual Worship Information

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

Announcements

Baby Grace Diaper Drive – Baby Grace is having a diaper and wipes drive during the month of February!  We keep sizes 1 through 4 on hand with size 3 and 4 being the most popular.  A package of wipes is included with each distribution of diapers.  Please consider helping with this mission.  There is a crib in the church foyer for contributions.  Monetary gifts are also welcome.  Just make the check out to Nelson Memorial, UMC and put in the memo line Baby Grace Diaper Drive.  Thank you.

Kids Host Valentine’s Lunch February 12 – Make plans to attend the Annual Valentine’s Lunch hosted by Nelson Kids on Sunday, February 12th, following the 10:20 service.  The kids are going to be serving a spaghetti lunch. We are asking the families of the Nelson Kids that attend Children’s Church to bring a dessert to share!  Thank you so much!  This is free so please make plans to attend, and share in love and fellowship with our church family.

Say Cheese! – The time has come to update our church directory and we need your help. Directory information forms are available in the back of the Sanctuary and in the East Wing Narthex. Additionally, you can fill out an electronic version of the form at the following link: https://forms.gle/rMLfxccrJmLxnQG36. In addition to updating your information, we are going to offer opportunities to update your directory picture. Mike Thomas has generously volunteered his photography services to help with this project. Mike will take pictures beginning Sunday, Feb 12 and continuing the following 2 weeks (2/19 & 2/26). Mike will be taking pictures between services and following the 10:20 service. A signup sheet for appointments will be in the back of the church beginning Feb 5. Thank you for helping us to update our directory.

Giving Through 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:

Monday, February 6: TOPS, 9:15 am, Lounge

Al-Anon, 8:00 pm, Fellowship Hall

Tuesday, February 7: Choir Rehearsal, 7:00 pm, Sanctuary

Wednesday, February 8: Women’s Bible Study, 10:15 am, Lounge

Al-Anon, Noon, Fellowship Hall

Friday, February 10: Al-Anon, 8:00 pm, Fellowship Hall

Saturday, February 11: Methodist Men, 8:30 am, Lounge

Youth Group, 9:00 am, Fellowship Hall

Closing Words of Wisdom:

Prayer is not asking. Prayer is putting oneself in the hands of God, at His disposition, and listening to His voice in the depth of our hearts.” – Mother Teresa