“Hope”
The hand of the Lord was on me, and he brought me out by the Spirit of the Lord and set me in the middle of a valley; it was full of bones. He led me back and forth among them, and I saw a great many bones on the floor of the valley, bones that were very dry. He asked me, “Son of man, can these bones live?” Ezekiel 37:1-3
While the calendar might have said Spring began on March 20, yesterday was the official beginning of Spring as far as I consider. I say this because yesterday was Opening Day in Major League Baseball.
There’s something about Opening Day that is so special to me. I love seeing the lush green grass, stadiums full of passionate fans eager to end the long winter and welcome the Boys of Summer back to town. Of course, in St. Louis, Opening Day also means the Clydesdales, the whole collection of World Series trophies on display, the “red jackets” greeting the fans, and hope of another trophy to add to the collection. (Now, this season there is a little less hope for the Cardinals coming off a rough year last year. But, even on Opening Day, they still began 2 games ahead of the Cubs.)
The other day I was speaking with a colleague at a smaller church in a rural part of NW Missouri. He was expressing concern about the future of not just his congregation, but many small congregations in rural parts of the state. After listening to his concerns and hearing the resignation in his voice, I asked him if, given his dark assessment, he still holds out hope for the future? His response was one of faith: “Yes, I believe God can do it,” but also a level of doubt: “but I’m still not sure.”
The 37th chapter of Ezekiel is probably the most well-known portion of the prophet’s message. It is a story of him walking through a graveyard, a valley of “dry bones,” and witnessing God bringing new life to one of the least likely of places. It all begins with a question: “Son of man, can these bones live?” What I hear is God asking Ezekiel “do you believe I can do this, that I can bring life back, even in this most desolate of situations?”
The story of God bringing life back to dry bones is meant to inspire us with hope. If God can reanimate the dry bones, God can breathe new life into anything in His creation. If God can bring those dry bones back to life, he can do the same for you and me, for our churches and our communities. If God can work this miracle, imagine the other miracles he can work in the hearts and lives of those who have the faith of Ezekiel to respond, “Sovereign Lord, you alone can do it.”
I invite you to consider the hope that abounds in new life, in new seasons, and the hope we receive from a God who can bring life even to the direst of situations.
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 at Jesus’s statements “I Am the Way, the Truth, and the Life.” Our Scripture reading will be from John, Chapter 14, verses 1-6.
Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. You know the way to the place where I am going.”
Thomas said to him, “Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?”
Jesus answered, “I Am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me…”
Our services will begin with the song I Speak Jesus by Big Daddy Weave and Hannah Kerr. Our opening hymn at 8:00 is He Leadeth Me: O Blessed Thought. At the 10:20 service our Praise Band will lead us in God Really Loves Us. At both services we will sing In Christ Alone and close our services with The Summons.
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 10:20 am with our Gathering Song. Additionally, we post a recording of our messages to our website by early Sunday afternoon.
Announcements
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.
Dear Friends at Nelson Memorial Church – Thank you to our church family for all the messages and acts of kindness we’ve received in the past six weeks as Brett has been going through new health challenges. We are ever grateful for all the love shown to us and thank you for continuing to keep us in your prayers. Brett and Evelyn Rogers
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.
- The Boonslick Area Ministerial Alliance will hold their annual Holy Week service Tuesday, April 15 @ 6:00 pm at Sts. Peter and Paul Catholic Church.
- 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:
Monday, March 31: TOPS – 9:30 am, Lounge
Al-Anon Meeting – 6:00 pm, Fellowship Hall
Tuesday, April 1: Salvation Army Board Meeting – Noon, Fellowship Hall
Congregation Care Team – 6:00 pm, Lounge
Wednesday, April 2: Women’s Bible Study – 10:00 am, Lounge
Al-Anon Meeting – Noon, Fellowship Hall
Thursday, April 3: Choir Rehearsal, 7:00 pm, Sanctuary
Friday, April 4: Al-Anon Meeting – 6:00 pm, Fellowship Hall
Closing Words of Wisdom:
Hope begins in the dark, the stubborn hope that if you just show up and try to do the right thing, the dawn will come. You wait and watch and work; you don’t give up.” Anne Lamott