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Thank you - This communication is made possible by your contributions to
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The next eHappenings will be sent on Thursday, July 31st. Be sure to email your church and organization events to Renee at renee@mmsucc.org.
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Allen's Message To You
Then Jacob woke from sleep and said, "Surely the Lord is in this place - and I did not know it!" And he was afraid, and said, "How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven." So Jacob rose early in the morning, and he took a stone that he had put under his head and set it up for a pillar and poured oil on the top of it.
Dear Companions on the Journey,
All over the world there are standing rocks that testify to the desire of ancient people to point to the places where they felt they were in the presence of the sacred. Some of them are the refined work of artisans, like the obelisks of Egypt. Others give us a sense of awe by the sheer size of rough-hewn stones set upright by  worshippers so committed to their task that they performed heroic, dangerous acts to place them there. The immensity of medieval cathedrals moves us in a similar way. We wonder about the profound experience - "What happened there?" that moved people to build them - not for comfort or convenience, but just for the extravagance of sacred expression in response to an overwhelming sense of awe at a greatness that cannot be seen or touched at all, but caused people nonetheless to stop and wonder and raise a stone.
To be religious is to relinquish our sense of autonomous control, to recognize that we belong to a larger universe of being and that we stand at the gate of heaven within a consciousness that defines us but does not originate within us. Such an awareness does not come to us when we are competing in the struggle of self-interest for a place and a position in our social world; least of all when we confuse God's bounty with our own success in such pursuits. It comes instead, as it did for Jacob, when we feel the fragility of who we are, and, in a lonely dream-filled moment, find joy in belonging to the swirling universe of God.
We need to take that feeling over into our congregations, our worship and our life together - that capacity to let our sacred place release us from ourselves and place us in communion with one another at the "gate of heaven;" so that the mission that unfolds among us is not of ourselves, what we want to keep and what we want to let go, but is the ministry of God.
May the days among us be sacred.
Allen Allen Fluent, Acting Conference Minister
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Persons In Ministry (PIM) Retreat 2014
"Who Do You Say That I Am? Really?" is the theme for this year's Persons in Ministry Retreat on September 15-17, 2014, at the Resort at Port Arrowhead in Lake of the Ozarks, MO. The presenters are the Rev. Dani Loving Cartwright, former DOC Regional Minister; and the Rev. Holly MillerShank, Team Leader of Ministerial Excellence, Support and Authorization (MESA) with the UCC. Our time together will explore themes of authenticity and vulnerability in ministry. There are many excellent reasons to attend the Persons in Ministry retreat. Each of the sessions will include  panelists with DOC and UCC authorized ministers, along with ample time for personal reflection and renewal. We will join with colleagues from the Mid America Region of the Christian Church (DOC). Here is what one of our colleagues, Rev. Mark Lee Robinson, says about the annual retreat: "Most of us in authorized ministry serve in settings where we have few if any peers. At times we may like going it alone. We may forget about the richness of having a community of colleagues. The Persons in Ministry Retreat is an opportunity to hang out with people like us but without a task to complete. To be sure, the content of the program is challenging, inspiring, and brings clarity to our ministries. But the best of PIM is being with our fellows. If you have haven't been in a while I strongly urge you to come this year." There is another great reason to attend this year's gathering: participants will be able to use this as fulfillment of the required boundary training! If you have completed the "basic course," then this retreat will count toward the every three-year required course. To read more about PIM, register, and to see the brochure/schedule, please visit our Conference website or our MMS Facebook page (and remember to Like Us!). All room reservations are to be made directly with the Resort by calling 800-532-3575. Please make your room reservation by September 1 to guarantee the reduced rate. We hope to see all of our MMSUCC clergy at the retreat!
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Our Amazing Congregations
Has your church done something that you think will inspire others? Do you have a story to share? Or maybe you just want to brag a bit about your church! Send your amazing congregation's story to Renee at our Conference office.
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Assisting the Children
Friedens UCC in St. Charles, MO is organizing a response to the crisis of unaccompanied migrant children coming  into our country. The San Diego Immigrant Rights Consortium is committed to assisting Central American refugees who are fleeing life-endangering circumstances in their home countries and are seeking humanitarian relief in this country. In this humanitarian crisis, they open their our hearts and act with compassion, extending what help they can for these women and children in their moment of need.
After a discussion with Keith Clark, Executive Associate Conference Minister, United Church of Christ in Southern California & Nevada, Friedens discovered that the situation is so complex that only specific kinds of assistance can be accepted. Additionally, needs may change rapidly so they will be regularly sending items on regular intervals. When they collect enough to fill a box those items will be sent. In this way the recipients will not be overwhelmed by a large delivery AND any changes to the list can be made immediately as the need changes. See a list of needs here
-submitted by Pastor Doug Kaufman
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A Peacemaking Practice
There are times each day which seem to call for a peace-filled expression, word, prayer or touch. In tense moments it is a challenge to seek peace. Watch for tips, guidance and tools each third week of the month right here.
Personal Peacemaking
Peacemaker Fellowship is our name for a corps of persons trained to minister to the Church by being available to address the inevitable conflicts that arise in the work of being The Body of Christ engaged in ministry. It is individual persons supporting reconciliation in the congregation.
Nevertheless, the training starts with the identification of conflicts in the personal lives of each of those in the  training. We begin with our private experience, not with our corporate experience. This has been a surprise to some. "Why are we focusing on ourselves when what we are ultimately trying to do is to effect healing in the community?"
While there are good many reasons why we start from the place of our personal experience, three rise to the top.
- Conflict in community is ultimately not different from conflict between two parties, just way more complex. It works better to learn the tools of JustConflict (the system of reconciliation taught in the training) by starting with a simple and local issue.
- If we are going to be effective as coaches we have to be (and be seen as being) able to play the game. If we are going to be able to speak with authority we have to be persons who are doing our own work.
- What we are seeking to master here is not so much a Way of Doing-a set of steps that one can follow when one has the correct Mind-as a Way of Being-a capacity to hold a space for healing when one has an open Heart. This is something we master not by learning about it, but by immersing ourselves in it.
For more about the Peacemaker Fellowship go to PeacemakerFellowship.org.
Rev. Dr. Mark Lee Robinson
Minister of Reconciliation and Evangelism, Pilgrim UCC, St. Louis
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Weekly Prayer Time
Please keep the following churches and clergy in your prayers during this upcoming week:
Prayers for July 20 - July 27, 2014 
Churches
St Pauls UCC - Marthasville, MO
Friedens UCC - Warrenton, MO
Emmanuel UCC - Jackson, MO
Retired Clergy
Rev. Dr. James Merrell
Rev. Dennis Lindberg
Rev. Robert Baur
Rev. James Elliott
We, as a Conference, are finding new ways to be prayerfully mindful of each other. We are also building and deepening our relationships. Each week three (in random order) congregations and other clergy, will be named, inviting your prayers during the week. We will rotate through the entire list of churches and clergy in one year. Please join us and share with others in the power of collective prayer.
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Ummm, What Exactly Is OCWM?
Since the response was so favorable to the below OCWM article from last week, we are sharing it again. Also added a YouTube video in the below list of resources.
I was recently asked this question by a person within our Conference and I realized there are probably more folks who would also like to learn the basics about OCWM. Everyone seems to know the donations are always welcomed and used for various support, but where does the money really go? Who or what does it specifically help?
OCWM stands for Our Church's Wider Mission, and in the national setting of the  United Church of Christ there are four Covenanted Ministry partners which are supported by gifts to Our Church's Wider Mission. When you or your church donate to OCWM, a percentage is sent to our National office (currently 20%) and the remaining portion stays within our Conference. The below resource materials may be shared at your church to more fully explain/understand OCWM and how important the funds are to our National office and to our Conference.
- Click here to read how OCWM donations are used at the National level.
- Click here to see our MMS Conference OCWM brochure (please contact me if you would like brochures for your own congregation).
- Click here to see the National OCWM brochure.
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- OCWM Bulletin Inserts - #1, #2, #3.
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Click here to visit the UCC website containing many, many OCWM resources.
- Click here to visit the UCC website for Financial Transformation resources.
- JUST ADDED THIS WEEK: Plain Talk Video on YouTube
I hope you find at least one of the above items useful in the continuing (or beginning) education of OCWM for yourself or your congregation. And a big thanks to the churches and individuals who contribute to OCWM, we appreciate all of you!
"Continuing Testament - Extravagant Welcome - Changing Lives - That's Our Church's Wider Mission"
-Renee
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Quotes For Your Week - Creating Balance
Balance happens when I invite it to happen with my intentional actions and my guided perspective.
- Mary Anne Radmacher  He who knows that enough is enough will always have enough.
- Lao Tzu
Find your balance and stand with it.
Find your song and sing it out.
Find your cadence and let it appear like a dance.
Find the questions that only you know how to ask and
The answers that you are content to not know.
- Mary Anne Radmacher
Life is a balance between rest and movement.
- Osho
my weekly affirmation - life is a balance of holding onto and letting go
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Employment postings will run for one month, unless otherwise specified.
Office Coordinator at Friedens Peace UCC-New Melle, 7/2/14
This part-time position (15-20 hours per week) requires skills in MicroSoft office products, including Power Point, and the ability to work independently. Position responsibilities includes general office duties to assist Pastor and church committees. Send resume and inquires to Search Team, PO Box 28, New Melle MO 63365 or email to
friedenspastor@centurytel.net
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Contact Us
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Missouri Mid-South Conference United Church of Christ 314-962-8740 or 877-877-5884 Email renee@mmsucc.org to submit information for a future issue. Not all submissions may be used in future eCouriers. |
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