“Anxious Moments”
Blessed are those who trust in the Lord, whose trust is the Lord. They shall be like a tree planted by water, sending out its roots by the stream. It shall not fear when heat comes, and its leaves shall stay green; in the year of drought it is not anxious, and it does not cease to bear fruit. Jeremiah 17:7-8
What makes you anxious? Anxiety is a word you can hear pretty frequently in the Snyder household. Anxiety comes around fears for the future, uncertainty about health or financial matters, and about the behavior of our dogs. I feel anxious when I don’t know how something is going to turn out, when I worry things won’t go my way, or even when I just don’t have control of a given situation.
I’ve come to understand over the years that most of the time, my feelings of anxiety say more about myself than about the situation which produced those feelings.
This past Sunday, in our 10:20 service, many of us experienced some anxiety. No, it wasn’t concern about us getting out on time or even feeling uncomfortable about something I said. The anxious moment came when someone unknown to our congregation stood up to share some thoughts during our “By These Signs” moment. The speaker’s words revealed his wrestling with matters of faith and his desire to lead a more Spirit-led life. However, the longer he spoke and the more animated he became, many in the room (myself included) experienced an anxious moment.
I’ve spent most of the week trying to understand exactly why I felt so anxious in that moment. To be completely honest, I still haven’t come to a conclusion. But I want you to know, if you too felt anxious last Sunday, you are not alone. While I don’t have lots of answers, I have found comfort in the above words, the reminder from Jeremiah that our God is with us and can overcome any of our fears and anxieties.
At our Church Board meeting this past week, we spent a considerable amount of time discussing our anxieties around this experience and what we might be able to learn from it. Our conversation included ways to help educate ourselves about what to do when we feel uncomfortable in public spaces, what we can do to continue to have an environment where we can stay fully present in worship without worrying about our safety, and how to be a witness to everyone who comes to be a part of our congregation. We reaffirmed our desire to be a church where all God’s broken, hurting, and imperfect children can experience the warm and welcoming love of Jesus Christ. And as we do so, we will experience the peace and presence of the Holy Spirit, even in the midst of our anxieties and fears.
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
We continue the season of Lent with our “Who Is Jesus” message series. In this series we are taking a look at the “I Am” statements in the Gospel of John. This week we look as Jesus’s statements “I Am the Resurrection and the Life.” Our Scripture reading will be from John, Chapter 11, verses 17-25.
On his arrival, Jesus found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb for four days. Now Bethany was less than two miles from Jerusalem, and many Jews had come to Martha and Mary to comfort them in the loss of their brother. When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went out to meet him, but Mary stayed at home.
“Lord,” Martha said to Jesus, “if you had been here, my brother would not have died. But I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask.”
Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.”
Martha answered, “I know he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.”
Jesus said to her, “I Am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never die.”
Our services will begin with the song Jesus Loves by Zach Williams. Our opening hymn is Guide Me, O Thou Great Jehovah. We will then sing You Are My All in All and close our services with ‘Tis So Sweet to Trust in Jesus. Our Choir will bring a prelude at the 10:20 service titled Make Me A Servant.
Virtual Worship Information
In addition to in-person worship, our service will be live-streamed. We are moving our livestream to YouTube. Our YouTube channel is Nelson Memorial UMC, and can be found at https://www.youtube.com/@NelsonMemorialUMC/streams. We will post a link to our Facebook page once the service begins. 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
New Ministry Opportunity – The Methodist Men are exploring a ministry opportunity with an organization named Sleep in Heavenly Peace. Their mission is to help provide beds and bedding to children and to ensure “No Kid Sleeps on the Floor.” We will meet with a representative from the Columbia chapter of SHP tomorrow, Monday, March 24 at noon in the Fellowship Hall. If you would like to know about SHP or more information in helping us bring this organization to Cooper County, please join us tomorrow. Lunch will be provided. If you have questions, please contact Norm Richert or Pastor Chris.
Spring Cleaning – One of the Spring cleaning projects being undertaken at the church is cleaning out the garage/shed/storage area on the northwest corner of our property. This space, as so often happens, has become a dumping ground for those items we don’t have a current need for, but “you never know.” With an idea for utilizing this space for a new missional purpose, we are looking to clean out many of the items that no longer have a need for our ministries. Please take a look at the pictures at this link to see if there is anything that you know needs to be saved or is used on a regular basis. Please contact Pastor Chris or Mike Krohn and reference which picture the item is in. https://nelsonmemorialumc.org/2025/03/14/garage-contents/
Time to Order Easter Lilies – Those of you that would like to purchase an Easter Lilley in memory of or in honor of a loved one, please fill out a form that is located on the table in the refreshment area or by the front doors. Please deliver the form to the church office by Monday, April 7th or place it in the offering box. Please make checks payable in the amount of $15.00 to Nelson Memorial, UMC, and in the memo line write Easter Lily. The Easter lilies will be displayed at the Easter services. You may take your lily home after the 10:20 a.m., Easter service.
Sagrada Bible Camp Work Day and Men’s Retreat – The Methodist Men will hold their annual mini-mission trip to Sagrada Bible Camp April 11 – 12. You are invited to come down Friday evening for a time of fellowship and devotion, or to come down Saturday morning and join in the work to help get the camp ready for the summer season. A signup sheet is in the East Wing Narthex. Reach out to Bill Salyer with any questions.
Youth Mission Trip this Summer – The Youth are planning a mission trip this summer to LifeWise St. Louis July 24 – 27. If you or your youth are interested in participating in this trip or have any questions, please contact Chelsea Jackson, Jo Parker, or Sara Snyder.
Easter Cards for Elders & Friends – This year again we are asking the congregation to mail out Easter cards or other greeting cards with your own personal Easter greeting. The addresses for the names listed below will be located on the refreshment table or the counter next to the front entrances.
Virginia Brownfield, Ada Gingrich, Elise Langkop, Phyllis Otis, Gene and Donna Reagan, Bart Riley, Leona Schmidt, Helen Taylor, Hessie Watts, and Dorothy Whitten.
We know all the recipients will experience a special Easter blessing because of the thoughtfulness of all those who participate in this endeavor. Thank you for remembering these special people.
Holy Week Events April 13 thru April 19
- Holy Week begins with our Palm Sunday worship on Sunday, April 13th.
- We will have a Maundy Thursday worship service on April 17th at 7:00 PM.
- Good Friday we will have a worship service on April 18th at 7:00 PM.
- On Easter Sunday, April 20th worship times will be 8:00 AM and 10:20 AM.
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 23: Youth Group – 6:00 pm, Jackson’s Home
Monday, March 24: TOPS – 9:30 am, Lounge
Info Session about Sleep in Heavenly Peace – Noon, Fellowship Hall
Al-Anon Meeting – 6:00 pm, Fellowship Hall
Wednesday, March 26: Women’s Bible Study – 10:00 am, Lounge
Al-Anon Meeting – Noon, Fellowship Hall
Thursday, March 27: Praise Band Rehearsal, 6:00 pm, Sanctuary
Friday, March 28: Al-Anon Meeting – 6:00 pm, Fellowship Hall
Closing Words of Wisdom:
Pray, and let God worry.” ― Martin Luther