“Jesus People”
Nearly twenty years ago I was introduced to an author named Don Miller and a book he had written called Blue Like Jazz. This book was the story of how Miller wrestled with faith, and often found it anew in unlikely places. One of the many matters of faith that he wrestled with was how many who called themselves Christians treated others “in the name of Christ.” He had seen countless people insulted, shamed, and humiliated by people who claimed to follow a savior who preached love as the most important of all the commandments.
Sara and I have heard Miller speak a couple of times, and on one of those occasions he explained that he didn’t refer to himself as a Christian, but preferred to call himself a “Jesus person.” Throughout his remarks, he told story after story of “Jesus people” who were living out Christ’s teachings, truly seeking to embody Christ’s command to love others. He found that people were more open to discussions about faith from someone who called himself a “Jesus guy” instead of a Christian – because their experiences with Christians had not always (or ever) been positive.
For several years after hearing these words, whenever the opportunity arose, Sara and I referred to ourselves as “Jesus people.” We too found that folks were much more receptive to talking to a “Jesus guy” or “Jesus girl” rather than a Christian. That label, “Christian” carried a lot of baggage for many people.
This Sunday we are going to begin a message series titled “Christian …” Each week the message will begin with the statement, “When I say I’m a Christian, I’m not saying …” For instance, this week’s message will begin “When I say I’m a Christian, I’m not saying I’m perfect.” Throughout this series, we will discuss what it looks like to live a real, authentic faith – one that seeks to embody Jesus’ example of love, humility, and grace. We will discuss the perceptions many people have of Christians and how we might try to represent something more than the caricatures in our culture.
I invite you to join us for these next five weeks as we explore these difficult ideas. Additionally, if you know anyone who has had negative experiences with Christianity or those who call themselves Christians over the year, I encourage you to gently invite them to come and join this conversation, or to check out the services online. One of Jesus’ very last teachings in the Gospel of John was to command his disciples to love others. I look forward to this time of exploring the ways we do, and can embody this command.
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
This Sunday we begin our new 5-week message series “Christian.” The first message in this series is titled: “I am Perfect.” Our Scripture focus will be from Paul’s letter to the Roman Church, Chapter 3, verses 21 through 26.
But now God’s righteousness has been revealed apart from the Law, which is confirmed by the Law and the Prophets. God’s righteousness comes through the faithfulness of Jesus Christ for all who have faith in him. There’s no distinction. All have sinned and fall short of God’s glory, but all are treated as righteous freely by his grace because of a ransom that was paid by Christ Jesus. Through his faithfulness, God displayed Jesus as the place of sacrifice where mercy is found by means of his blood. He did this to demonstrate his righteousness in passing over sins that happened before, during the time of God’s patient tolerance. He also did this to demonstrate that he is righteous in the present time, and to treat the one who has faith in Jesus as righteous.“
Our services will begin with the song Black Sheep, by Ben Fuller. Our opening hymn will be Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee. We will then sing Amazing Grace (My Chains Are Gone) and close our services with Just As I Am. At the 10:20 service, our Choir will provide our prelude with their version of We Shall Rise.
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
Thank You! – A big thank you goes out to everyone who helped make our recent Red Cross Blood Drive such a success. We collected 16 units of blood to be used in local areas to assist those in need. Mark your calendars now for our next Blood Drive Monday, June 2, 2025.
Thank You! – What a souper time we had last Sunday at the Outreach Team’s Soup and Sandwich Luncheon! A big thank you goes out to everyone who provided the soups and other goodies. Everyone left not only with a warm belly but also a warm soul. And thank you to everyone who gave so generously to support the work of the Outreach Team! Your generosity makes their work possible. Thank You!
Church Charge Conference – Our annual Church Charge conference has been postponed to Thursday, January 23 at 6:00 pm at the Community United Methodist Church in Columbia. This is the meeting where we approve various reports including the church officers for 2025 and the pastoral salary package. All members are welcome to attend. Please speak with Pastor Chris for more information.
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/
A Word About the Weather –We want to continue to remind everyone about our winter weather procedures. While we encourage our members to attend worship as frequently as they are able, we also know that winter weather can make it unsafe to attend drive (or walk) to church. We do have a company that will clear our sidewalks and steps when it snows, so if the city has cleared the roads, we will have worship services. But, if you do not feel like it is safe for you to get out, please stay home. We will, in all likelihood, livestream our service. Please take advantage of this option.
If a decision is made to not hold Sunday services because of inclement weather, we will post an announcement on Facebook and our Website. Additionally, an email will be sent out to notify the congregation of a cancellation and we will notify the local television stations KMIZ and KMOU and have them add it to their reports. (Just FYI – This past week, KMOU did not broadcast our cancellation for some reason.) If you do not have access to email, or if you do not have access to the media (because of power outages), call a church friend before heading out.
Events this week:
Monday, January 20: Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Office Closed
Al-Anon Meeting – 6:00 pm, Fellowship Hall
Tuesday, January 21: Education Team – 5:00 pm, Lounge
Administrative Board – 6:00 pm, Fellowship Hall
Wednesday, January 22: Women’s Bible Study – 10 am, Lounge
Al-Anon Meeting – Noon, Fellowship Hall
Thursday, January 23: Praise Band Practice – 6:00 pm, Sanctuary
Church/Charge Conference – 6:00 pm, Community UMC (Columbia)
Friday, January 24: Al-Anon Meeting – 6:00 pm, Fellowship Hall
Closing Words of Wisdom:
What does love look like? It has the hands to help others. It has the feet to hasten to the poor and needy. It has eyes to see misery and want. It has the ears to hear the sighs and sorrows of men. That is what love looks like.” – Saint Augustine
“It’s easy to talk about how much you love God, but loving others reveals how much you truly do.” – Elizabeth George