“Intimate Communion”
Below was my morning devotion from this past Monday. These words have stayed will me all week, and now I pass them along to you. I hope they bless you as much as they’ve blessed and inspired me.
Blessings, Chris
The intimate relationship between the Father and the Son has a name. It is Spirit. Holy Spirit. “I want you to have my Spirit.” “Spirit” means “breath.” It comes from the ancient Greek word pneuma. “I want you to have my breathing. I want you to have that most intimate part of me so that the relationship that is between you and God is the same as between me and God, which is a divine relationship.” What you need to hear with your heart is that you are invited to dwell in the family of God. You are invited to be part of that intimate communion right now.
Henri Nouwen
But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” Acts 1:8
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 have a guest speaker, Rev. Kim Jenne, coming to share our message. Kim considers herself an inconsistent but persistent disciple of Jesus Christ. Kim has been serving as the Director of Connectional Ministries for the Missouri Annual Conference since July 2015. Her office is responsible for a wide range of ministries including Boundaries education, Communications, Conferencing and the Office of Mission, Service and Justice. Before her current appointment, Kim served as senior pastor of Webster Hills UMC in St. Louis. She is a die-hard St. Louis Cardinals fan, loves NASA and is sorely disappointed we aren’t already living on Mars.
The message this week will focus on reaching out to people who we may not always know or agree with. The message is titled “How to Talk to People.”
The scripture focus for this week is from Philippians 1:27, and chapter 2, verses 3-4:
Only, live your life in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that, whether I come and see you or am absent and hear about you, I will know that you are standing firm in one spirit, striving side by side with one mind for the faith of the gospel.
… make my joy complete: be of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. Do nothing from selfish ambition or empty conceit, but in humility regard others as better than yourselves…“
Our services will begin with the song Church (Take Me Back), by Cochren & Co. Our opening hymn in the 8:00 service will be Blest Be the Tie That Binds. In the 10:20 service, our Praise Band will lead us in Come As You Are. We will then sing Into My Heart and close our services with We Are the Church.
Virtual Worship Information
In addition to in-person worship, our service will be live-streamed. The service can typically be viewed on our Facebook Page. We are experiencing some issues streaming to Facebook, but hope to have those issues fixed by Sunday. If not, we have a backup plan to livestream on YouTube. If that is the case we will post a link to the stream 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
Ash Wednesday – Please be sure and join us on Wednesday, March 5th at 7:00 pm for our Ash Wednesday Service. This will be a simple service of meditation, contemplation, confession and receiving ashes.
Office Closed – The Church office will be closed Tuesday (March 4) while Pastor Chris and Debra attend a professional development workshop. Regular office hours will be in place the rest of the week.
Charles Edgar Whitten Memorial Scholarship – The intent of this scholarship is to provide one $500.00 scholarship per year for 3rd and 4th year college applicants, with preference given to Nelson Memorial United Methodist Church members and/or those who are actively involved in the church where they attend a university or college. The scholarship may be used for tuition, books, lab fees, or living expenses, as needed to help the scholarship winner continue their studies. To request an application please contact the church office at 882-6223. All scholarship applications must be received by our committee by April 14, 2025, during office hours.
Our Daily Bread and The Upper Room Devotional Books – Spend time each day in God’s Word with thought-provoking devotions to strengthen your relationship with Jesus Christ. “Our Daily Bread” and “The Upper Room” devotional books have arrived, please help yourself to one in the back of the sanctuary.
Pipe Organ Centennial Celebration – 2025 marks 100 years of ministry for our Pipe Organ. Donated by Margaret Nelson Stephens – our pipe organ was originally dedicated for ministry service on April 27, 1924. In honor of this Centennial Celebration, we will host a special service on Sunday, August 24 at 10:20. Dr. Jacob Hofeling, who regularly preforms with the Kansas City Symphony Orchestra at the Kauffman Center in Kansas City, will be our guest organist that day. (This celebration is being planned to coincide with the annual Missouri Festival of the Arts, hosted by the Friends of Historic Boonville. The Festival runs from August 21-23.) Make plans to join us for this special service and celebration of 100 years of music ministry at Nelson Memorial for our Pipe Organ.
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, March 3: TOPS – 9:30 am, Lounge
Al-Anon Meeting – 6:00 pm, Fellowship Hall
Tuesday, March 4: Office Closed
Salvation Army Board Meeting – Noon, Fellowship Hall
Wednesday, March 5: Women’s Bible Study – 10:00 am, Lounge
Al-Anon Meeting – Noon, Fellowship Hall
Ash Wednesday Service – 7:00 pm, Sanctuary
Thursday, March 6: Choir Rehearsal – 7:00 pm, Sanctuary
Friday, March 7: Al-Anon Meeting – 6:00 pm, Fellowship Hall
Closing Words of Wisdom:
God, I want to see You. God, I want to hear You. God, I want to know You. God, I want to follow hard after You. And even before I know what I will face today, I say yes to You.” – Lysa TerKeurst