The 2014 Conference Youth Event will be held on February 15-17 at Camp MoVal.  The theme is "Pray, Play and Stay Together: In God's Embrace."  The youth will connect with God in nature and fellowship, hang out with friends, experience cool workshops, enjoy awesome games and share their gifts with others.  The cost of registration is $120 and is open to grades 9-12.  Click here for further information and keep watching the eCourier for new updates!  Be sure your church is represented at the 2014 event, show your youth spirit!!! 

The Early German Evangelical Church and the Right to Health Care

               In this era of acrimonious debate over the right to health care for all, it might be helpful to look at what our early German Evangelical ancestors had to say on the subject. In the 1850's, Rev. Louis Edward Nollau, a German Evangelical pastor in the St. Louis area, founded the Good Samaritan Hospital to provide care for those who didn't have the means to obtain medical care. In Rev. Nollau's first report to the board of the hospital, the board agreed to accept the following principle:

            No distinction of creed, race, nationality or color will be made in the acceptance for treatment of patients. Nor was the hospital conceived as a proselytizing agency, but a place of refuge for the needy, where poor patients were treated without charge and where everyone was assured of expert medical attention and friendly care."

            As in our day, there were concerns about whether those receiving help were "truly worthy." In one of his later reports to the Board, Rev. Nollau's answer was the following:

            The person who is poor and sick has a just claim to our compassion and support whether his need results from his own doing or not, and, as important as it is to exercise discretion in distributing charity, still it is better to give to two people unworthy of   charity, than it is to reject one single person who is in need and deserves our      help....Even in our great and rich city there is much need and misery, in every season there are sick people without help, and if we recognize health and other earthly blessings as the undeserved gifts of God, as we were intended to, we would express our thankfulness to the giver of all gifts and do more to care for our fellow citizens."

               I believe that we have much to learn from these "pioneer pastors." Sadly, Rev. Nollau's answer could be written to our legislators today, 150 years later, without changing a word.

Respectfully submitted, Rev. Nancy Nollau Mack, Pastor

Ebenezer UCC, Augusta, MO

Miracles are perfectly amazing signs that remind us of God's power in our lives and in the world. What is more amazingly miraculous than the new-found faith of a young person, or the open discussion that uncovers a brilliant new idea? Many miracles occurred in our churches and conference this week. Did you see them?

Your Church's Wider Mission (OCWM) offering recently supported some perfectly miraculous activities:

• The Youth and Young Adult Ministry of the Conference is working together to plan the upcoming very exciting weekend event for any and all of our churches' teens. This is one of the most powerful ways young people explore and build their new-found faith in God.
• The conference staff is part of the regional ecumenical faith leadership group who will gather next Monday to spend the day discovering how ministry and outreach can expand through joint efforts.
• The UCC's national appeal to raise funds for relief to the Philippines has reached two thirds of its goal of $250,000. Though many of our UCC churches in the Philippines were destroyed, the members of those churches are working to help those in desperate need.

You gave, and it was a perfectly miraculous week.  Our Church Works Miracles!

OCWM: creating miracles every day.

There's Still Time to Support Starsky's Street Sleep Out

Dear U.C.C. friends & colleagues,   

Each year 2 million children face homelessness in this country, including more than 2,000 youth sleeping in vacant buildings and under bridges in St. Louis tonight. As the largest service provider to homeless youth in North America, Covenant House does its part to address this issue. Covenant House Missouri (CHMO) is a non-profit organization dedicated to serving homeless, runaway, and at-risk youth in the St. Louis area and beyond. They empower these youth to live independently and become contributing members of our community. This great organization is led by one of our own UCC members, Sue Wagener.

Grace and peace,

Starsky Wilson  

"Follow That Star: A Jazz Nativity"   

Follow That Star: A Jazz Nativity returns this December for its third season with  an  all-new  production. Reimagining the Christmas story through the artistry of jazz and the magic of storytelling, this year's program will feature new jazz arrangements of Christmas music and dramatic twists that will creatively bring an ancient story to life for today's audience.

The Oîkos Ensemble under the direction of saxophonist, Rev.Cliff Aerie, will return as our musical hosts.This year we welcome one of St. Louis' great jazz vocalists, Ms. Kim Fuller, as our special guest artist.

A performance will also be held in Kansas City, MO: 

• Saturday, December 21st at St. Peter's UCC, Kansas City - 2:00 pm (KC poster)