YEARBOOK REPORTS ARE PAST DUE!!!!

Just a reminder that your church yearbook reports were due to the conference office last Friday.  If you plan to enter your church's information online through the National database, the deadline is March 1.  As of today I have received reports from just over 60 churches in our conference, which is less than half.  If you need the yearbook reports resent, please call me at 314-918-2602 or email renee@mmsucc.org

Renee

Noses to the Ground and Up in the Air

Dr Marc A. Wessels, Associate Conference Minister

Faithfulness springs up from the ground,
and righteousness looks down from the sky. Psalm 85.11 

Walking with my Irish Setters, Kumara and Scarlett Rose recently I was pleased to see Kumara stop and scent for Scarlett. Scarlett had gone on ahead of us as she often does, nose to the ground in search of birds and other creatures. Bred for the purpose of being a gun dog for field trials, Scarlett has an innate sense of smell and is as they say a "good birder". Though never formally trained as to technique, Scarlett forges through the brush and field with a sense of knowledge which is beyond the scope of mere humans. Much of the time when we are out walking in fields and paddocks, along the Mississippi River or in parks or on trails, Scarlett is on the move and full of enthusiasm for the experience.

 Scarlett is now nine years of age, but she acts like she is two. Kumara, who was imported from Australia and whose lineage is honored by her Australian aboriginal name which means "Sweet Potato", has reached the age of twelve. Her age is a fine achievement for a large dog and specifically for her breed. Kumara while more sedate in her stride still heads out for our walks with a sense of joy in the wonder of new opportunities. Kumara was bred for the show ring and comes from a long and distinguished line of Australian and American champions. Even with this distinct line of breeding for appearance and form, she has not lost the ability to function in the field like her sister, Scarlett.

  One of my favorite sights is to see the two of them working a field together as "a brace". As I often say, "There's only one thing better than an Irish Setter... two Irish Setters!"The terminology of "a brace" when applied to Irish Setters has at least two meanings, "a pair of like things" and/or "a position of rigid attention". Seeing the two of them sharing the common experience of the outdoors - exploring fields and meadows, running in the sun or snow is for me a reminder of the wonders of God in the created order and the connection through time of the intimate bond which exists between dogs and humans. Their bond with one another and with me recalls the very basics of human development and survival on this planet as we cooperatively navigate the challenges of life.

Seeing setters with noses to the ground or capturing a scent, with a nose in the air, prompts me to think of the church universal, congregations in particular settings and individual believers. How enthusiastic are we about our purpose in Christ and how doggedly do we pursue the challenges of the Great Commission? Do we have our noses to the ground, aware of our surrounding culture and the impact it is having upon ourselves, members of the church and those who have yet to confess Christ as their personal Lord and Savior? Have we caught the scent in the air of the changing world and an awareness of the ways in which our ministries are no longer effective and perhaps are no longer serving anyone but ourselves?

Do we as partners bound together in the mystery of life and faith hold a position of rigid attention with our eyes on Christ? Are our hearts open to the words of life revealed in the written word of God and the movement of the Spirit?

MISSION 4/1 EARTH ALERT...

Please join us March 7, 2013 for our official launch at Grace Episcopal Church in Kirkwood, MO.   

We will be learning how two local congregations "greened" their buildings while celebrating our commitment to being stewards of the Earth.  

Please RSVP to missouriipl@gmail.com
http://www.moipl.org/index.html

Camp MoVal Covenanted Ministry  

Dear Pastors and Congregational Leaders,

Greetings from the Camp MoVal Covenanted Ministry! We are a ministry of the Missouri Mid-South Conference, accountable to the Missouri Mid South Conference Wider Church Covenanted Ministry and the Missouri Mid South Conference Council. Our purpose is to provide support, guidance and direction for the mission and ministry of Camp MoVal. We are a support network and advisory team for Camp MoVal and our Outdoor Ministries Director, Jeremy Force.

We began meeting in March, 2012; and since then we have hit the ground running, meeting monthly (now every other month in 2013) and helping set the tone for great new ministry opportunities to happen at Camp MoVal. We are working with Jeremy to implement new plans and procedures, and bring a new sense of vitality to this ministry. Through the ministries of Camp MoVal lives are forever changed, as "young" and "young at heart" make new and profound connections with God.

We have formed four teams to concentrate on specific areas of mission and ministry at Camp MoVal, bringing in people outside of our Covenanted Ministry to be part of these teams. These teams include a program team; a property team; a fundraising team; and a marketing team. Three of these teams have been working hard to address specific issues vital to our progress and ongoing work; the fourth team has been hard to assemble.

We are looking for individuals from your congregation who may be willing to serve on a Marketing Team. This Marketing Team may meet every other month in at first, but should eventually go to quarterly meetings. Their purpose would be to "market" Camp MoVal in four specific areas:

• Address ways we can appeal more effectively to United Church of Christ Congregations in the Missouri Mid-South Conference, especially churches that are currently not involved in the ministry of Camp MoVal;
• Investigate how we can reach out to congregations of other denominations;
• Reach out to non-profit organizations around Camp MoVal for rental usage (such as 4-H organizations, Scouts, and other rental groups);
• Market our facilities to school groups to generate rental income.

Other marketing opportunities will be the responsibility of this team as well; publicizing and promoting the possibilities for a greater connection with God and Christ's call to mission, by allowing ourselves to "Come Away, Rest Awhile."

Please submit names of people in your congregation who are/may be willing to serve on this Marketing Team by February 28, 2013. Names may be submitted to Jeremy Force, OMD at Camp Mo-Val; or Rev. Rick Oberle, coordinator of the Marketing Team using the contact information below. Thank you for your ongoing support in 2013 and beyond!

Rev. Rick Oberle

St. John's UCC, Bem    

573.437.3698

rick@bemchurch.com

Jeremy Force, Outdoor Ministries Director  

636.583.2730
jeremy.moval@mmsucc.org                           

Send Us Your Photos!  

Currently, less than 20 congregations have provided pictures which have been used to create an example video of this project.  

Anyone can see the short video by following the internet link provided at the bottom of this article. We cannot stress enough that to make this project a success EVERY congregation MUST be represented. Pictures can either be mailed to the Missouri Mid-South Conference office or emailed directly to Rev. Dr. Doug Kaufman. Both the snail mail and email addresses are provided at the end of the video. Please spread the word about this project because we want each MMS church represented.  

Thanks so much! Keep The Faith.

  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9TThDx_tF5k 

Camp MoVal Lenten Work Day

Come join us for our annual Lenten Work Day at Camp MoVal on March 23 from 9am to 3pm. Work projects will include general site cleanup, pool cleaning, cutting and splitting firewood, screen repair, maintenance building cleanup and organization, trail maintenance and much more. All are welcome to come and participate, please make sure that anyone under 18 comes with an adult chaperone.  We also ask that you please let the MoVal office know in advance of your attendance to make sure we have enough food for all of our volunteers and so we can plan an effective and efficient work day.

I thank you in advance for your support of Camp MoVal and our Outdoor Ministry programs. It is your support that makes our ministry possible. To confirm your presence at the Lenten work day, please email Jeremy Force or call the Camp Office at 636-583-2730.

Festival of Sharing Delivers Kits and Calendars to Prisoners

Several volunteers worked to prepare and deliver holiday gifts for offenders in four Missouri Correctional centers, from the Festival of Sharing. The week before Christmas as preparations were being finalized to deliver Women's Prison Packs, to the Missouri Women's correctional centers, the Department of Corrections asked for changes in the packaging of the kits. Dedicated volunteers came to the Office of Creative Ministries to donate their time to make the changes to each pack and to pack additional kits to accommodate the increased populations and to complete the assembly of the 2013 calendars. Volunteers took a day out of their week to deliver hygiene packs or calendars, to Chillicothe Correctional Center and Women's Eastern Reception Diagnostic and Correctional Center in Vandalia, South Central Correctional Center in Licking and Moberly Correctional Centers.

The Women's Hygiene pack was given to each offender in the Vandalia facility as part of a holiday celebration for the women incarcerated. A total of 2,830 women's hygiene packs were delivered to the two women's correctional centers. "The men are asking daily when calendars will be available, they really appreciate your kindness" said Chaplain Michael Walker of the Licking facility. "Thank you very much for your hard work and generosity." 2,800 calendars were delivered this year to men's correctional centers.   

The ministry of Festival of Sharing touches lives by giving hope to persons for the future. The material gifts from Festival of Sharing are a first step. We seek to go beyond charity reaching where needed most. You can reach out to offenders in Missouri by learning about Restorative Justice programs at the MO Department of Corrections website (http://doc.mo.gov/rj/restjustice.php) and support offenders on their journey back to the outside world.   Or contact Rev. Harold Johnson hmjohnso@sbcglobal.net for opportunities for volunteers at correctional centers throughout the state.  

   

Just became an officer at your church?   

Then, congratulations! You have just signed on to run a small business controlled by statutes and government agencies: FLSA, EEOC, OSHA, ADA, FMLA, WC, ERISA and the EYE-ARE-ESS!  Join us for a discussion of your management obligations, employment principles and the special concerns of clergy employment.

Your Church: Employer & Small Business 20 Feb, 11AM & 3PM Eastern

We'll tell you how to get our new printed resource: "Your Church: Employer & Small Business"

And read our newsletter for other information relevant to your church.

Email & Litigation

In our social media world, we have come to blur the lines between conversation & correspondence. A major casualty has been the decline in writing skills, most notably among children and young adults who carelessly mix standard English with text message abbreviations in their school work. Many have come to think of e-mail as "conversations" that vaporize in the ether after clicking "send." Little thought is given to the virtually permanent footprint of e-mail exchanges. While you as an individual may delete material at your end, you have no control of the other end or your company server files. And then there is the "Reply All" button to make it worse. Read more...