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Wednesday, October 15, 2014
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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 Friday, October 31st. Be sure to email your church and organization events to Renee no later than 8am on 10/29.
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Allen's Message to You... 
Allen's weekly message will be suspended for a few weeks while he takes his vacation...
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Moral Monday March in Ferguson
Hundreds of clergy and other civil rights activists from around the country linked arms and marched, chanted and  prayed in the pouring rain in outside the Ferguson, Mo., police station on Monday, pushing across police lines, resulting in several arrests. More arrests came later, when they stormed St. Louis City Hall, blocked entrances to area Walmart stores and demonstrated outside the NFL stadium.
The acts of civil disobedience, part of a planned Moral Monday March through the streets of Ferguson and around Greater St. Louis Oct. 13, capped four days of action and events, not only as a call for justice in the case of Michael Brown, an 18-year-old who was shot to death by a Ferguson police officer, but as a vocal, visible movement for racial equality and the value of life of all young people of color.
 UCC faith leaders, including the Rev. Starsky Wilson, pastor of Saint John's Church in St. Louis, and the Rev. Waltrina Middleton (pictured on left), UCC minister for youth advocacy and leadership formation, first gathered in the group massed outside the station, where clergy and young activists spent four hours and 35 minutes -- the length of time Brown's body was left in the street -- chanting "Hands up, Don't Shoot," kneeling in prayer, and seeking to speak with Ferguson Police Chief Tom Jackson.
Click here to finish article and watch a video, courtesy of the National UCC website.
Click here to read a story also from the UCC National website, dated October 9th, in preparation of this past weekend's events.
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UCC Pension Board
Did you know that the UCC Pension Board offers conference call opportunities scheduled the second Wednesday of every month? Topics range from The Flexible Spending Account (FSA), Optional Additional Life Insurance and Tax-Sheltered Annuity (TSA), How to Reallocate and Rebalance Your Account, The UCC Health Plan 2015... What's Next?, and more.
PBUCC's Member Education Webinar/Conference Call series gives members an opportunity to learn more about benefit plans and programs and have their questions answered by knowledgeable Pension Boards staff. Webinars/conference calls begin at Noon (Eastern Time).
If you are unable to participate in the event, an audio recording or webinar replay will be made available following the event. You may also download presentation slides for any webinars.
Be sure to take advantage of the information available to you from the PBUCC. Visit the Pension Board website to log in for future calls and listen to past recordings. 
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Ordination Invitation for Amy Seat
The Members and Friends of Samuel United Church of Christ
and the
The St. Louis Association
of the Missouri Mid-South Conference United Church of Christ
Invite you to celebrate with us the ordination of
Amy Fairbanks Seat
Saturday, October 25, 2014 at 2:00 PM
Samuel United Church of Christ, 320 N. Forsyth,Clayton, MO 63105
In honor of the occasion clergy are invited to wear vestments and red stoles
and to gather at 1:40 pm in order to assemble for the processional.
A reception in Wiese Fellowship Hall will follow the service
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St. Louis Forum on UCC Marriage Equality Suit - 10/26/14
Because of the historic significance of a lawsuit brought by a mainline denomination against a State, the Missouri Mid-South Conference, the Illinois South Conference and The First Congregatio nal Church of St. Louis have invited Mr. Donald C. Clark, Jr., General Counsel of the United Church of Christ, to be in St. Louis on Sunday afternoon, October 26, 2014. Mr. Clark will present additional information, perspective and analysis regarding the lawsuit and answer questions. The forum will take place in the sanctuary of The First Congregational Church of St. Louis, beginning at 3pm and conclude no later than 5pm, with a reception following in the church's fellowship hall.
Mark your calendars and plan to attend what promises to be a very interesting, informative and spirit filled discussion relating to this prophetic action. No RSVP is necessary but would be appreciated in order to plan appropriately for the event. You may call the church office at 314-721-5060 or send an e-mail message to office@firstcongregational.org. You may also contact me if you have questions prior to the event.
Barnet M. McKee, Attorney for the Missouri Mid-South and Illinois South Conferences
314-361-0800 mike.mckee@charter.net
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Weekly Prayer Time
Please keep the following churches and clergy in your prayers during this upcoming week:
Prayers for October 19-25, 2014
Churches 
St. Paul's UCC - Blackburn, MO
St Peter's UCC - Owensville, MO
First Congregational UCC - Pierce City, MO
Retired Clergy
Rev Rudolph Raber
Rev Dr Gene Becker
Rev Dr James Barnes Sr
Rev Dorothy Lairmore-Michel
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500 Likes on Facebook
Today we hit 500 Likes on our Missouri Mid-South Conference Facebook page! Thanks to our student intern,  Josh Gibson, we finally made it! Our next goal is 600 Likes. Be sure to encourage your family, youth, church members, coworkers (remember, you don't need to be UCC to Like us), friends, and anyone else to Like and Follow our page. To access our page immediately, just click here. Thanks to everyone who took the time to Like us. The Conference office appreciates your support.
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Conference Middle School Event
The Conference Middle School Event will be held November 21st - 22nd at Camp MoVal. All youth in grades 6th - 8th  are invited to attend this awesome retreat along with their adult youth leaders. The fun will start on Friday evening at 7 pm and we will conclude the retreat at 5 pm on Saturday.
Sheltered Reality will be our special guests on Saturday to not only share their music and message with us, but to teach us how to create music together. We will also have plenty of time to enjoy the fun activities of Camp MoVal.
Registration information is available on the Conference website. The deadline to register is November 4th. If you have any questions, please contact Alysha Petry at apetry@zionunion.org or Cathy Pettibone at cathypettibone@gmail.com.
Don't miss out on this great retreat!
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What Child is this?: A Jazz Nativity returns this December for its 4th season with an all-new production! Re-imagining 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 the musical hosts. They will once again welcome one of St. Louis' great jazz vocalists, Ms. Kim Fuller, as their special guest artist. At each performance you will be uplifted by the professional caliber of the musicians, soloists, and storytellers. Be prepared to sing, laugh and feel the true meaning of the Christmas spirit through the joy of jazz. And each performance is FREE! An inspirational and entertaining holiday event awaits you...
Two St. Louis United Church of Christ congregations will be hosting this year's Jazz Nativity, and one UCC congregation in Belleville, IL:
- Saturday, December 6th at First Congregational (Webster Groves) - 3:00pm
- Sunday, December 7th at Parkway UCC (St. Louis) - 3:00pm
- Saturday, December 13th at St. Paul UCC (Belleville) - 3:00 pm
Please print and share the Jazz Nativity poster with your congregation, friends, family and coworkers.
Jazz Nativity is pleased to announce its partnership with the Deaconess Foundation. Providing support to many  local organizations, the Deaconess Foundation helps to ensure essential services to children and youth in need. Through the generous support of Deaconess, the financial sponsorship of our host churches and individual donations, all performances of What Child is this?: A Jazz Nativity are free to the public. An offering will be received to benefit local charities. We hope you will attend one of the performances and please spread the word among your congregation about this fabulous, free musical journey!
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SLA Ministerium Update
Please be sure the following dates/times/places are on your calendar for Ministerium... our monthly gathering of UCC clergy in the St Louis Association. We meet on the second Wednesday from 10-11:30am. Early in 2015 we will have another evening Ministerium to make it more accessible to some of our clergy who are unable to get away during the weekday.
We gather at 10am to continue to build relationships and enjoy light refreshments. We move into a worship experience led by our host and then receive the program. We finish with announcements - UCC, MMS, SLA, congregations, clergy. We hope that you will consider being a part of Ministerium!
Here is our lineup for the rest of this calendar year:
- Wednesday, October 8, 10-11:30am at Parkway UCC, 2841 N Ballas Rd, St Louis 63131; Host: Margaret Philip.
- Wednesday, November 12, 10-11:30am at Isaiah 58 Ministries, 2149 S Grand Blvd, St Louis, MO 63104; 314-776-1410. www.i58ministries.org Host: Executive Director, Brenda Booth
- Wednesday, December 10, 10-11:30am at Doorways, 4385 Maryland Ave, Saint Louis, Missouri 63108; 314-535-1919; www.doorwayshousing.org Hosts: Justine Craig-Meyer and Rev. Dr. Jeff Moore (Webster Groves Christian Church and Doorways Board)
We look forward to being with you.
Peace,
Kevin Cameron (kevin@parkwayucc.org; 314-872-9330)
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United Church of Christ Statistical Profile, Fall 2014
The United Church of Christ is a dynamic, evolving movement of people and institutions across location and time. The contents of this booklet attempt to provide a deeper understanding of this movement, though what is articulated in these pages provides only a narrow view of a much broader landscape.
Information for the profile was drawn primarily from data reported through the UCC Data Hub annually for the production of the UCC Yearbook & Directory. Please click here to view the information. We hope you enjoy this edition! The Center for Analytics, Research and Data (CARD)
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eHappenings Correction
October 24-25, Fall Rummage Sale
Fall Rummage Sale - Friday, October 24th and Saturday October 25th. From 3-5 p.m. on Friday there will be a $3 admission fee. From 5-7 p.m. entrance will be free. On Saturday the hours are 8 a.m.-1 p.m. - free admission. Furniture, household, holiday decorations, clothing, small appliances, books, toys, linens, boutique. Food will also be sold. Mount Tabor UCC, 6520 Arsenal St., St. Louis, MO 63139, 314-645-9025.
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Quotes For Your Week - Forgiveness
Without forgiveness, we remain tethered to the person who harmed us.
We are bound with chains of bitterness, tied together, trapped.  Until we can forgive the person who harmed us,
that person will hold the keys to our happiness; that person will be our jailor.
When we forgive, we take back control of our own fate and our feelings.
We become our own liberators.
Forgiveness, in other words, is the best form of self-interest.
This is true both spiritually and scientifically.
We don't forgive to help the other person.
We don't forgive for others.
We forgive for ourselves.
- Desmond Tutu (Archbishop Emeritus and recipient of Nobel Peace Prize)
If you want to make peace with your enemy, you have to work with your enemy. Then he becomes your partner.
- Nelson Mandela
Do your little bit of good where you are; it's those little bits of good put together that overwhelm the world.
- Desmond Tutu
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Employment postings will run for one month, unless otherwise specified.
Facility & Technology Administrator, St. John UCC-St. Charles, 10/15/2014
St. John UCC, 405 S Fifth Street, St. Charles, is seeking to hire a part-time (25-30 hours) Facility & Technology Administrator who is passionate about working in a church environment. This individual would work 9:30 a.m.-4:00 p.m. Monday-Friday. Primary responsibilities will include facility and technology management, along with overall computer and office skills.
Skills required
- Good computer skills, working knowledge of Microsoft Office (Word, Publisher, Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint), Photoshop Elements, and web page management. Shelby (church data base software experience desirable).
- Facilities management experience
- Excellent organizational skills, ability to multi-task
- Excellent communication skills
- Ability to listen and respond to requests with discretion, tact, patience, and confidentiality
- Comfortable working on a team
- Knowledge of office equipment
To apply, send cover letter and resume to officejob@stjohnucc.org. Resumes only, no calls please.
Director of Advocacy and Communications, The Deaconess Foundation, 10/8/2014
The Director of Advocacy and Communications stewards strategic communications for the foundation. The position's primary responsibility is for the promotion of the foundation's public policy agenda for child well-being. The Director will establish and maintain relationships with policymakers, researchers and media through personal contact and media platforms. S/he will support the CEO in development and implementation of the organization's annual communications plans. To apply for this position, visit the Deaconess Foundation website - http://www.deaconess.org/advocacy-director . No phone calls please
Executive Director, Tall Oaks Conference Center, 9/17/2014
We are looking for a dynamic and dedicated Executive Director who will oversee and lead the operations (budget size of $865,000) and programs of Tall Oaks Camp and Conference Center on a year-round basis. The Executive Director oversees the management of daily functions, program quality, facilities, volunteer and staff development, fundraising and collaborations with community agencies in meeting the needs of its members and program participants. The Executive Director will operate the facility in accordance with the policies, procedures, and standards established by the Regional Board of the Greater Kansas City region, Tall Oaks Ministry Board, and IACCA (International Association of Conference Center Administrators) (see below). This position will involve early morning, weekend, and on-call responsibilities. See full job description here.
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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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