Click here to view a letter to Missouri UMC from Bishop Robert Schnase.

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.

• Sunday, February 12th, at 10am & noon in the Sanctuary
• Wednesday, February 15th, at 6pm in the Multipurpose Room
• Sunday, February 19th, at 10am & noon in the Sanctuary 

Join Pastor Amy for coffee (or a coke!) and conversation on Sunday, February 19th, from 6-7pm in the Connector.

Congregations in the St. Louis area will join together to host Martin Rafanan at Compton Heights Christian Church (Disciple of Christ), 2149 S. Grand Blvd. in St. Louis, on Sunday, February 19th, at 2:30pm to talk about the network and processes in place to help us address homelessness. The event is open to all.

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 3rd Grade Sunday School class is collecting non-perishable food items during the month of February for the Columbia food pantry. Please make donations outside the church office (a marked bag has been placed in the waiting area) or in the 3rd Grade Sunday School classroom, Room 405. Thank you for helping with this mission!

Coffee shop construction is in the home stretch! This is an exciting week of painting, plumbing and furniture. Our coffee shop manager, Dana Scheurmann, is on board. We are continuing to work with LaKota coffee for supplies and training on equipment. Read More 

If you are looking for ways to grow deeper in your Christian discipleship, it's not too late to take that first step! Koinonia groups are here for that very purpose! Koinonia groups of 8-12 people meet weekly for 13 weeks to journey in faith together. In their one-hour meetings each week, they gather to pray together, worship, and learn. In addition to those discipleship practices, they explore giving and serving and how they as a group can support those practices as well. This is a great way to get to know new people as you journey in faith together and explore all the wonderful ways God is providing and challenging us in our living! It's not too late to join a Koinonia group - a new group will be starting THIS SUNDAY, February 12th, at 4pm. Child care is available by reservation. Email molly.moore@moumc.org to sign-up.

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. 

Fifteen mentors have been paired up with college-age persons and are beginning to get in touch with one another. This group of 30 people has committed to the Mentor Program for the Spring Semester of 2012. Their goal is to walk with one another as spiritual companions throughout the semester, for support, encouragement and growth in Christ. For conversation starters, they are welcome to use the XP3 curriculum's dialogues for college-age ministry; these are available through the Koinonia ministry. To join this program, please contact Heather Morgan at heather.mccainmorgan@moumc.org or 443-3111.

The Mozambique Initiative allows churches in Missouri to connect churches, groups and individuals with the 180 parishes and 24 districts of the United Methodist Church in Mozambique.  There are currently over 300 active covenants, and there have been 430+ covenants since the partnership was formed in 1998.  Missouri's support includes covenant partnerships with churches, retired pastor support, seminary student covenants, transportation for pastors, development of safe water wells, VIM and other humanitarian projects.

MUMC's 2012 VIM team will be traveling to Mozambique June 12-26, 2012. Click here to check out their blog. Stay tuned next week to learn about MUMC's covenant partner. 

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 in CLC 102. 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.

We are looking for individuals who would like to use live video and operate the computer used to project slides during 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.   

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. 

Avoid the crowds of Valentine's Day and bring your sweetheart to a special spaghetti supper, provided by our MUMC youth, as they raise funds for their summer mission trip to Joplin, MO. Join us on Wednesday, February 15th, at 5:30pm as a part of the WNL program - meal prices are the same ($6 for adults, $4 for children), but opportunities for additional donations and tips will be available. This is a wonderfully easy, and tasty way to support our youth as they prepare to reach out and support others.