“Friendly”
I was a stranger, and you welcomed me…” Matthew 25:35
Keep on loving one another as brothers and sisters. Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some have entertained angels unaware.” Hebrews 13:1-2
“You have the friendliest church!” I hear this statement from my mother nearly every time my parents come to visit, and often whenever the subject comes up when we’re on the phone. “People are just so nice, they go out of their way to welcome us,” she always says. “They introduce themselves, share how much they like your boys and Sara,” (somehow my name never comes up).
We are a friendly congregation. I hear it from those who have been here for many years, and even those who have come back after being gone awhile. Each week I watch as people gather to visit with friends and family members in the Sanctuary, coming early just so they can catch up and share a friendly word, walking across the room to check in with others. It really is a great thing to see a congregation that cares about each other the way ours does – trust me, that isn’t always the case.
But, I want to share another scene that I see frequently, too. Every week I pray for people to come to our service for the first time and to feel the warm welcome of both God and neighbor in our midst. Many weeks we are blessed to have guests join us, some new to the community and some who have been in Boonville for years, but each arriving as the Spirit led them our way that particular morning, sometimes at the invitation of a family member or friend. Often what I see is our congregation being so friendly to one another, talking joyfully with friends, family, small group members, etc., that the new folks are sometimes not greeted. We spend lots of time being friendly to those we know, but sometimes the guests in our midst go either unnoticed or unwelcomed.
For many, getting up the courage to visit a church for the first time is a major victory. And people often carry into the Sanctuary with them hurts that have come as a result of how they were treated at a church, or how they were treated by others in the name of God. Some come seeking community and acceptance, looking for a place to belong and be known. And too often, we are so busy being friendly with our friends that we forget what it feels like to come into a church and not know anyone, not have anyone welcome us, hug us, tell us how glad they are that we’re there.
In the scriptures above, both Jesus and Paul remind us of the importance of welcoming strangers. Jesus says when we welcome a stranger, it is as if we are doing so to God. Paul tells us we might be “entertaining angels” when we show hospitality to strangers. I share these above stories not to shame anyone or to make you feel like you shouldn’t catch up with friends when you come to church, but to remind you that someone you don’t know might be waiting for a warm welcome or a friendly face to greet them. I encourage you this week to consider greeting someone you don’t know or don’t know well. Consider being friendly even to those who aren’t your friends, and extend the love of God to those angels among us.
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 is the fourth Sunday of Lent. Our Message Series this Lent is titled “Letting Go.” This Sunday’s focus will be on letting go of busyness. Our Scripture lesson this Sunday comes from the Gospel of Luke, chapter 10, verses 38-42:
As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said. But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do all the work by myself? Tell her to help me!”
“Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed – or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.”
Our 8:00 service will begin with the song Fill My Cup by Andrew Ripp. Our Praise Band will open our 10:20 service with the song How Great Is Our God. Our other songs include Holy Is The Lord, Sweet Hour of Prayer, and It Is Well, With My Soul.
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 10:20 am with our Gathering Song. Additionally, we post a recording of our messages to our website by early Sunday afternoon.
Announcements
Holy Week Schedule:
Update on the Directory Update – Thank you to everyone who has updated their contact information for the directory. If you haven’t done so already, please fill out one of the forms available in the back of the Sanctuary or East wing, or you can fill out an electronic version at the following link: https://forms.gle/rMLfxccrJmLxnQG36.
Also, a big thank you to Mike Thomas for generously donating his photography skills as we updated family pictures. If you did not get your picture taken but would like to an update, please email an updated photo to pastor Chris at chrisksnyder@gmail.com. Our hope is to finish this update project in the coming weeks.
Methodist Men’s Sagrada Work Retreat – The Methodist Men are planning on their annual retreat/workday at Sagrada Bible Camp March 24-25. The group will meet Friday afternoon/evening to carpool and plan to return Saturday mid-late afternoon. The time away will include spiritual development, fellowship, meals and projects preparing the property for the summer camping season. All men are invited, as are all youth (with a parent or approved guardian). A signup sheet is in the East Wing Narthex. For more information, please talk with Tim VonEngeln (660-882-3348).
Palm Sunday Dinner – The Education Team will be hosting a carry-in dinner for Palm Sunday, April 2nd, after the morning worship services. There will be an Easter egg hunt for the children while the food is being put on the serving tables and readied for the dinner. Each child that participates will be given a bag of wrapped candies; donations of candies can be brought to the 3-5 years old classroom.
To ensure a good variety of foods, we request the following distribution:
Family names A to F Dessert
Family names G to L Side Dish
Family names M to S Meat Dish
Family names T to Z Salads
Foundations Books – More Foundations books are in and located in the back of the Sanctuary for those that signed up and didn’t receive their copy.
Church Work/Cleanup Day – In place of their April meeting, the Methodist Men will host a work/cleanup day Saturday, April 8 beginning at 8:30 am. Tasks include wiping down/polishing pews and other woodwork, cleaning up entrances and common areas, cleaning out some storage areas, and other tasks not a part of the weekly cleaning tasks. Everyone is invited to join in this effort as we prepare our building for guests on Easter Sunday. Donuts and coffee will be provided.
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:
Sunday, March 19: Foundations Small Group, 6:30 pm, Church Lounge
Monday, March 20: TOPS, 9:30 am, Lounge
Al-Anon, 8:00 pm, Fellowship Hall
Tuesday, March 21: Administrative Board, 6:00 pm, Fellowship Hall
Wednesday, March 22: Women’s Bible Study, 10:15 am, Lounge
Al-Anon, Noon, Fellowship Hall
Friday, March 24: Methodist Men Retreat to Camp Sagrada, meet at 4:00 pm to carpool
Al-Anon, 8:00 pm, Fellowship Hall
Saturday, March 25: Methodist Men Workday at Camp Sagrada
Closing Words of Wisdom:
The pretense leads up to the real thing. When you are not feeling particularly friendly but know you ought to be, the best thing you can do, very often, is put on a friendly manner and behave as if you were a nicer person than you actually are. And in a few minutes, as we have all noticed, you will be really feeling friendlier than you were. Very often the only way to get a quality in reality is to start behaving as if you had it already.” ― C.S. Lewis