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 observe the fourth Sunday of Advent. Our focus this year is on the cities and towns that play a role in the Nativity story. Our message series is titled “On the Way to Bethlehem” and this week’s message in the 8:00 service will focus on Bethlehem – A Place of Humility. This week our Scripture will focus on a prophecy from Micah, as found in the book of Micah, chapter 5, verses 2 through 5a.
But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from old, from ancient times.”
Therefore Israel will be abandoned until the time when she who is in labor bears a son, and the rest of his brothers return to join the Israelites. He will stand and shepherd his flock in the strength of the Lord, in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God. And they will live securely, for then his greatness will reach to the ends of the earth. And he will be our peace …
Our services will begin with the song The Night Before Christmas, by Brandon Heath. Our opening hymn will be O Little Town of Bethlehem. Our 8:00 service will sing In The Bleak Midwinter prior to the message. The 10:20 service will have a treat, as the choir brings our message in song, with a Christmas Cantata titled A New and Glorious Morn. We will conclude both services by singing the first four verses of O Come, O Come, Emmanuel.
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
Christmas Eve at Nelson Memorial – Join us this Christmas Eve as we celebrate the birth of our Savior. We will have two opportunities for worship on Dec 24, one and 4 and the other at 7 pm. We will have childcare available for the 4:00 service. Our Christmas Eve offering this year will go to support United Methodist ministries throughout the state of Missouri and around the world. These funds will support mission efforts, help launch new churches, assist with disaster relief, and help encourage United Methodist pastors and churches in all their efforts.
Inside The Manger: A Live Nativity Event – This Sunday, December 22 will be our annual Living Nativity. This year our children will be our guides through the nativity story. They will present the show twice – once at 5:00 pm and once and 6:00 pm. After each performance there will an opportunity to visit and take pictures with the animals. We will also have hot chocolate and cookies available following each performance. Please help us spread the word about this event throughout our community.
Choir Christmas Cantata – Our Choir has been hard at work the past few months preparing a Christmas Cantata for us. They will share their ministry with us during the 10:20 worship service on December 22. This program, titled: A New and Glorious Morn, is going to be a great celebration of the gift of Christ as we prepare for Christmas. Please join us in person or via live stream.
Christmas Cards for NMUMC Elders and Friends – We are asking the congregation to mail out Christmas cards to the following names below. The addresses for the names listed will be located on the refreshment table. We will also have a supply of Christmas cards for you, if you need them. God bless you for participating in this endeavor.
Virginia Brownfield, Ada Gingrich, Elsie Langkop, Phillis Otis, Gene and Donna Reagan, Bart Riley, Leona Schmidt, Helen Taylor, Hessie Watts, and Dorothy Whitten.
2024 Angel Tree – Another big thank you goes out to everyone who helped make our Angel Tree ministry a success. We provided gifts to 19 families as a result of your generosity.
Puzzled About the Perfect Gift? – We still have a few puzzles of our beautiful stained glass window remaining. We have one 500-piece puzzle and four 1,000-piece puzzles remaining. The puzzles are $25 each and are available on a first-come, first-served basis. Please speak with Jo Parker or Pastor Chris for more information. More puzzles can be ordered as desired.
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, December 22: Choir Christmas Cantata – 10:20 service
Live Nativity/Christmas Program – 5:00 pm & 6:00 pm, Church Lawn
Monday, December 23: TOPS – 9:30 am, Lounge
Al-Anon Meeting – 6:00 pm, Fellowship Hall
Tuesday, December 24: Christmas Eve Services, 4:00 pm and 7:00 pm, Sanctuary
Wednesday, December 25: Merry Christmas, Office Closed
Thursday, December 26: Office Closed
Friday, December 27: Al-Anon Meeting – 6:00 pm, Fellowship Hall
Closing Words of Wisdom:
On the one hand [Mary] was just a girl, an immature and frightened girl who had the good sense to believe what an angel told her in what seemed like a dream. On the other hand, she was the mother of the Son of God, with faith enough to move mountains, to sing about the victories of her son as if he were already at the right hand of his father instead of a dollop of cells in her womb. … When we allow God to be born in us, there is no telling, no telling at all, what will come out.” — Barbara Brown Taylor