“What’s Your Name?”
As Jesus went on from there, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at a tax collector’s booth. “Follow me,” he told him, and Matthew got up and followed him. Matthew 9:9
I was out to eat with some colleagues on Monday night in a noisy restaurant. We had had a long day of classes and presentations, and were looking to unwind and enjoy time together. Our server, however, was very soft-spoken, so we didn’t catch her name when she introduced herself. She seemed a little flustered as she mentioned it was her day off but they called her in at the last minute because they were understaffed. Her nerves were obvious, taking care of a table for 9, amidst the other tables for which she was responsible.
As she was attempting to take the order of the person next to me, he stopped her and asked her name. As she told us (and it slips my mind now), you could see a smile and light come upon her face that was absent just a moment earlier. She finished taking our orders (that feels strange to write) and walked away, with a little more of a spring in her step. My colleague (Ben) who asked her name then told me he always makes sure to get the name of servers, store clerks, and others in the service industries. He takes great care to call them by name, as a way of letting them know they are seen for who they are, not just the job they have in helping him.
While this is a practice I enjoy and know the power of, I must confess I am not very good at employing it. I get caught up in myself, my tasks, my desires, and my needs and often forget about the person charged with helping me. My me-first attitude reflects not the unselfish love of Christ, but the self-focus common in our culture (a direct violation of that “love your neighbor as yourself” command).
Throughout the Gospels, we see story after story of Jesus seeing people, noticing those that others tried hard to ignore or forget. Jesus sees the poor, the sick, the blind, the lame, the orphan, the widow, the tax collectors and the sinners. And when he sees them, he sees more than that one thing, he sees the whole person and treats them with dignity and love. This is an example for all of us, not only to treat others with more love and respect, but to see the whole person rather than just the function they have to help us.
Tuesday night I grabbed a sandwich at a deli for dinner. I made sure to ask the names of the young man at the counter and the one in the kitchen. I asked them how long they had lived in the area and for recommendations of where to eat the next morning. I showed to them not only that I saw them as more than people who existed to help me, but as people whose opinions and perspectives mattered. This didn’t require any additional time or money on my part, all it required of me was a willingness to see others and show I noticed them.
The next time you are out to eat, checking out at the grocery store, or even buying gas, I encourage you to notice the person helping you, inquire their name, and let them know you see them. In doing so, you might just show the love of Christ to someone who has never seen it before.
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 our message series looking at the life and teachings of Simon-Peter. This Sunday’s message is titled “Maybe I’m Wrong.” Our Scripture lesson this Sunday will be from the Book of Acts, chapter 10, verses 9-16:
About noon the following day as they were on their journey and approaching the city, Peter went up on the roof to pray. He became hungry and wanted something to eat, and while the meal was being prepared, he fell into a trance. He saw heaven opened and something like a large sheet being let down to earthy by its four corners. It contained all kinds of four-footed animals, as well as reptiles and birds. Then a voice told him, “Get up, Peter. Kill and eat.”
“Surely not, Lord!” Peter replied, “I have never eaten anything impure or unclean.”
The voice of God spoke to him a second time, “Do not call anything impure that God has made clean.”
This happened three times, and immediately the sheet was taken back to heaven.
Our services will begin with the song For The Love Of God by Andrew Ripp. Our opening hymn will be For the Beauty of the Earth. We will also sing Open the Eyes of My Heart and Freely, Freely.
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
Ice Cream Freeze Off – The Annual Ice Cream Freeze Off is this Sunday. With temperatures in the 90’s and feels like temperatures over 100, Ice Cream might be exactly what we need. The event begins in the Fellowship Hall (basement) at 4:00 pm, however, those entering Ice Creams are asked to be there by 3:45 pm. Please contact Elvin Farquhar and give him the flavor of your entry. Winners will receive: $25.00 for 1st place, $15.00 for 2nd place and $10.00 for third place. We hope to see you there!
Summer Outing at Big Surf Water Park – Our Nelson Church Family is invited to enjoy a fun afternoon at Big Surf Water Park at the Lake of the Ozarks on Sunday, July 30th. We are planning on meeting in the Big Surf parking lot between 2:00 and 2:15. Be sure to sign up on the clipboard in the refreshment area if you are interested. We will plan on eating dinner together at 6:00 when the park closes. Bring a side dish or dessert to share. Sandwiches and drinks will be provided. If you have any questions, please contact Melissa Baker. We hope you can join us for some summer fun!
Vacation Bible School News – VBS drew around 60 children from our community each day for crafts, music, games, and Bible study. 15 of those families were joining us for the first time and received a Bible courtesy of the Gideon’s. Baby Grace was the organization selected to be our mission focus, and we raised $255 and received 18 packs of diapers, 16 packs of wipes and lots of gently used toys and other items. Hearts were filled with love for Jesus and His light shined through all our volunteers and kiddos. A huge shout out to all our volunteers and especially our Nelson Memorial, UMC education committee! A big THANK YOU to Risa for all the hard work, thought, and prayer she provided as she led this amazing experience. Whatever you do, do it for the glory of God!
Church Library News – We have many authors in our library. Did you know that we have four of our very own great authors? For the month of July, we will feature Sara Snyder. The title of her book is Confessions of the Pastor’s Wife. It is a three-way conversation between the author, the reader, and God. Containing fifty-two devotionals, one for each week of the year. Not only are the devotionals short, sweet, and to the point, they come with a weekly prayer and Scripture Bytes that you can take with you to chew on through the week. Her book will be on display in the library for the month of July. If you are interested in purchasing this book check with Sara.
Prayer List – Prayer is one of the foundations upon which a church, and a life of faith, is built. We thank you all for your faithfulness in praying over the names on our prayer list printed in the bulletin each week. We are currently going through that list and looking to make sure it is as up to date as possible. If you know of any names on the prayer list that no longer need to be on there, please let Pastor Chris or Debra know. Our hope is to have a list that reflects the current prayer requests and needs for our congregation and community. Moving forward, we will keep names on the “Health and other issues” prayer list for 4 weeks, unless requested to do otherwise. Thank you for your help in this endeavor and for your prayers.
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/.
Save The Date:
- Thursday, August 10, 2023 – S’mores Night
- Sunday, August 20, 2023 – Church Picnic
- Monday, August 28, 2023 – Red Cross Blood Drive
Events this week:
Sunday, July 16: Ice Cream Freeze Off, 4:00 pm, Fellowship Hall
Monday, July 17: TOPS, 9:30 am, Lounge
Outreach Team, 6:00 pm, Lounge
Al-Anon, 8:00 pm, Fellowship Hall
Wednesday, July 19: Women’s Bible Study, 10:15 am, Lounge
Al-Anon, Noon, Fellowship Hall
Thursday, July 20: Baby Grace Distribution, 5:00 pm, Church Annex
Praise Band Rehearsal, 6:00 pm, Sanctuary
Closing Words of Wisdom:
Never be so busy as not to think of others.”— Mother Teresa