Each Sunday morning, Missouri UMC offers free rides to our 11am worship service for anyone in need of transportation. Dedicated volunteers make this happen! We are currently looking for a few more volunteers to serve once every 4-6 weeks. If you would like to be part of this important ministry, please email amanda.armistead@moumc.org or sign up through the bulletin tear-off this Sunday.

Last Friday hard working volunteers from Community, Fairview, New Horizons, and Missouri United Methodist Churches filled a 40 ft. shipping container with supplies for Rainbow Network in Nicaragua. The shipment was conservatively valued at $35,000. Read More 

In just a few short weeks, the west end of the Connector has transformed from a counter on the back wall to a budding coffee shop! Last week an espresso maker, grinders, and coffee brewers were added, as well as new lighting over the counters.  Look for new paint and additional seating this week, as we proceed toward opening the Cornerstone Coffee Shop. See Amy's "Pastor's Corner" article for more information.

The Columbia Marriage Encounter Community would like to invite you to a FREE romantic dinner out with your spouse- because we care about you and your marriage! A Spaghetti Dinner will be served on Saturday, February 18th, (please note change in date) at 6:30pm in the Parlors. Childcare will be provided. (We ask that you feed your children before you come.) For more information, contact Dora & Greg Thackery at 874-2067. Reservations and/or childcare arrangements may be made by calling the church office at 443-3111. After dinner there will be a small information session about Marriage Encounter Weekends.

The Festival of Sharing kit for February is the Layette Kit. Layettes provide gentle warmth for infants and basic tools for young mothers struggling with poverty or the consequences of natural disaster. Cost of the kit is $39. Click here for a list of the supplies that go into each kit. 

The Cooperative School of Christian Mission study on Haiti raised $417 for water purifiers to Haiti! We learned that Haiti's troubles are very deep and long-standing. Water purifiers through the Office of Creative Ministries (OCM) are a tried and true avenue to help the poorest country in the western hemisphere. The OCM has set a goal of 24 mission trips to Haiti in 2012 to install water purifiers. Plan now to attend the Cooperative School of Christian Mission July 26-29. Special thanks to Dr. Rhonda Chalfant and Jeff Baker of OCM for their lectures and experiences.

Loaves and Fishes Soup Kitchen will soon have a new home! The location will be moving to the basement (and a room on the main level for wheelchairs) of Wilkes Blvd Methodist Church at 700 Wilkes, 2 blocks west of St. Francis House. The move is expected to take place by March 1st. This move will allow for nearly three times the room for serving the evening meal. Watch for more details to follow.

If you or your group would like to serve dinner at the Loaves & Fishes Soup Kitchen or provide other assistance, please contact Tyler Page at 573-355-1867 or pagetj@missouri.edu. 

The United Methodist Women are sponsoring a workshop called "Love Your Body" on Sunday, February 19th, from 3-5pm. All women from pre-teen through adults are encouraged to attend. The presenter will be an MU faculty member, Suzy Day, who is the Coordinator of the MU Women's Center.  Child care will be provided and refreshments will be served. You may sign-up on the tear off sheet in the Sunday bulletin or email RSVP@moumc.org. 

United Methodist churches in Mozambique are community centers with an impact on every aspect of people's lives. People gather at the churches for worship, fellowship and mutual support. Worship services (held in buildings or mud huts, or under trees) are filled with standing-room-only crowds on most Sundays. The people of Mozambique, traveling by foot to attend church, take their faith very seriously. Read More 

Join us for our February sermon series "MU at MUMC," Sundays, February 5-19, at 8:00, 8:50 & 11:00am.  

For those seeking to become members of Missouri UMC or for those interested in Methodist history and beliefs and what it means to join a church, please join Sandy Ward on Wednesday, February 15th, from 6:15-7:30pm. Please RSVP to sandy.ward@moumc.org or sign up on bulletin tear off this Sunday.

We are currently looking for volunteers to help out in the church office during the week. Duties would include answering phones, general office work and some computer data entry. Morning and afternoon shifts are available. If you have a few extra hours each week and would like to be part of this team, please email amanda.armistead@moumc.org or sign up through the bulletin tear-off this Sunday.

You are invited to pray your way through 2012 and be a part of one of our church prayer groups. Praying the Church Forward is a group that meets on the 1st & 3rd Mondays of each month for the purposes of praying for the church ministries, staff, and Columbia community. They meet at noon in the Chapel and are finished by 12:45pm. Morning Prayer meets on Mondays at 9am in the Library to pray over the needs represented by the worship tear-offs, as well as the personal prayers of those in attendance. If you are unable to join us for one of these groups, please consider taking time out, wherever you are, during one of these times to be in prayer with these people. 

Five brand new members - Rex & Anne Derr, Ted & Ellen Pappas, and Grace Hall - all attended the Hospitality Team training on Sunday.  Way to go, new members, for jumping right in and getting involved!!!!  

Have you observed a random act of kindness? If so, email ann.merrifield@moumc.org so we can share it with others.  

We are looking for individuals who would like to operate the computer that is used to project slides and the DVD player used to play videos at the 8:50 and/or 11am worship services on Sunday. Training will be provided. Email Sandy Ward at sandy.ward@moumc.org or sign up on the tear-off in the Sunday bulletin if you are interested.   

Youth will be making scrumptious sub sandwiches for Super Bowl Sunday. Make sure and get one! Place your order by Wednesday, February 1st, for pickup on Super Bowl Sunday, February 5th. All proceeds benefit this summer's youth mission and church camp experiences. Subs are just $5 each! Place your order in the church office during the week or in the Connector on Sunday mornings. Thank you for supporting youth missions!

Tax-Aide, a free income tax preparation program, began at Missouri UMC this week. Appointments will be done on a first come, first served basis. Tax preparers will be here on Mondays and Tuesdays from 3-7pm, and on Thursdays from 10am-2pm. The program is open to people of all ages and incomes, and will run through April 17th. 

Camp Jo-Ota is need of several Volunteers In Mission teams to help with a 20' x 30' addition to one of the cabins. Most of the work will include sheetrocking the interior, soffit and metal roof work, flooring, and painting and trim. The work needs to be completed by the end of March so the cabin can be ready for April visitors. If you can help please contact "Sarge" at 660-346-8834 or director@jo-ota.org or Jeff Baker at baker@umocm.com.