Wednesday, October 22, 2014
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Around Your Conference

Allen's Message to You...

Allen's weekly message will be suspended for a few weeks while he takes his vacation...
Forum on UCC Justice Ministries, 10/26/14

The UCC has won a great victory in its suit against the State of North Carolina resulting in the freedom of same sex couples to wed legally and the freedom to perform such weddings without fear of sanctions.  At the same time, events in Ferguson, Missouri, have shown the intransigence of racial issues here and across the country.  The UCC has long been a leader in confronting the injustice inherent in both situations.  Because these issues con

tinue to be front and center in our society, please join us for an interesting opportunity to educate ourselves and be in conversation beyond what is commonly reported in the media. 

 

On October 26, 2014 at the First Congregational Church of STL (6501 Wydown Blvd., St. Louis, MO 63105) at 3:00 pm Mr. Donald Clark, UCC General Counsel (left), and the Reverend Dr. John Dorhauer, Southwest Conference Minister (right), will present historical perspectives on these issues, with opportunity for discussion, reflection and fellowship.  A wine and cheese reception will follow. All are welcome.    

       

This is a joint event hosted by the Missouri Mid-South and Illinois SouthConferences and The First Congregational Church of St. Louis. For more information, please contact the FCC church office at [email protected].

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

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 month.

  

Being Centered in Self  

Over the past two months this column has been exploring the things that we do-indeed that our culture has trained us to do-when we experience conflict and are looking to be powerful. Much of what we are taught not only doesn't work...it actually makes things worse.

These include

  • doing nothing: ignoring it doesn't make it go away;
  • fighting: making others lose only encourages them to try to make us lose; and
  • controlling: while we know we can't control other's choices, this knowledge doesn't stop us from trying.

But the most difficult failed tactic, especially for people of faith, happens when we try to take the moral high ground by not being selfish and making others the sole center of our attention. This is also called being codependent.

 

The logic goes something like this: Because I want the esteem of others I will be careful to not consider myself and attend only to the needs of others. Of course this means that I am not acting on my own behalf and thus will do without, but by attending to others I will look caring and will be safe from the criticism of others. But since I don't have what I need I may project my needs onto others and imagine that I know what they need. Since I am not attending to myself, I am not conscious of my needs, don't care for myself, and thus am performing below my abilities. I am getting my needs met only as I am able to coerce or cajole others into caring for me and thus will be seen by them as selfish and self-centered, thus becoming the very person I am trying to avoid.

 

Click here to continue article. 

Ordination Invitation for Joylynn Graham       
           

The Members and Friends of St. John's Mantels United Church of Christ

and the  

Eastern Association of the  

Missouri Mid-South Conference United Church of Christ

 

 Invite you to celebrate with us the ordination of

Joylynn Graham

Sunday, November 16, 2014 at 3:00 PM

 

St. John's Mantels United Church of Christ, 

442 Mantels Church Rd, Washington, MO 63090

 

In honor of the occasion clergy are invited to wear vestments and red stoles and to gather

at 2:30 pm in order to assemble for the processional.

 

A small reception downstairs will follow the service

CHHSM Mobilizes to Support Ferguson

CHHSM convened more than a dozen members Sept. 26 to discuss the current situation in Ferguson, Missouri, where Michael Brown, an unarmed 18-year-old black man, was shot by a white police officer in early August.

 

The incident, which triggered continuing rioting and protests, prompted CHHSM to explore ways members could work together to serve ongoing health and human service needs in Ferguson and surrounding areas.

 

Several CHHSM ministries have been on the ground providing critical care since the August shooting.


Deaconess Faith Community Nurse Ministries, a CHHSM member providing mental, physical and spiritual health services in the St. Louis area, was one of the first organizations to respond to the unrest, administering health assistance and advocating for equal treatment for all people involved.

 

"We spent a lot of time getting people hooked to the resources they need, listening, spending time being present with people, helping them with health needs and giving referrals and counseling services," said Donna Smith-Pupillo, Deaconess Faith Community Nurse Ministries' executive director.

 

Click here to read entire article, courtesy of the CHHSM website.  

 

You will also find an article titled Sacred Conversation On Race from the UCC national website.

Installation Invitation for Rev. Dr. Keith Herron

The members and friends of Saint Lucas United Church of Christ and the

St. Louis Association of the Missouri Mid-South Conference of the United Church of Christ  

cordially invite you to celebrate with us the installation and commissioning of  

 

Rev. Dr. Keith D. Herron

Sunday, November 16, 2014 at 3:00 p.m.

 

Saint Lucas United Church of Christ

11735 Denny Road, Saint Louis, MO 63126

 

In honor of the occasion, clergy are invited to wear vestments and red stoles and to

arrive at St. Lucas UCC at 2:30 p.m. in order to assemble for the processional.

   

A reception will follow the service in the St. Lucas UCC Social Hall.

Weekly Prayer Time
 

Please keep the following churches and clergy in your prayers during this upcoming week:  

 

Prayers for October 26-November 1, 2014

Churches

Samuel UCC �- St Louis, MO

Congregational Christian UCC �- Weaubleau, MO

Pilgrim Congregational UCC �- St Louis, MO

 

Retired Clergy

Rev Roy Priem

Rev Robert Keller

Rev Jesse Pollmann

Rev Donald Becker

St. Louis Symphony Trombones to Perform at Eden Seminary

Eden is delighted to host a concert featuring the Trombones of the St. Louis Symphony tomorrow - Thursday, October 23 at 7:00 pm in the Wehrli Chapel on Eden's campus. The concert is presented by the Webster Community Arts Foundation and is part of the Symphony in Your Neighborhood program. The evening is titled, "Classical Closing" to mark the annual closing day of the Webster Groves Farmers' Market.

The trombones have a very eclectic program planned with something for everyone. Among the pieces they'll be playing: Haydn's "Achieved is the Glorious Work", Prokoviev's "Opus 99", Bach's "Fugue in D Minor", and "Scarborough Fair" arranged by Bill Reichenbach.

  

This event is free of charge and open to all. Please join us for this unique opportunity to hear symphony musicians perform in our own community!

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 [email protected] or Cathy Pettibone at [email protected].  

Don't miss out on this great retreat!
2014 Jazz Nativity 

 

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 O�kos 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 a 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 (revised) with your congregation, friends, family and coworkers. 

 

Jazz Nativity is pleased to announce its partnership with the Deaconess FoundationProviding 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 publicAn 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!
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.    

   

Quotes For Your Week - Taking Action About Things That Matter

Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter. 
- Martin Luther King, Jr.

To be free is not merely to cast off one's chains, but to live in a way that respects and enhances the freedom of others. 
- Nelson Mandela

Safeguarding the rights of others is the most noble and beautiful end of a human being. 
- Khalil Gibran

If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor. If an elephant has its foot on the tail of a mouse and you say that you are neutral, the mouse will not appreciate your neutrality. 
- Desmond Tutu

The truth of the matter is that you always know the right thing to do. The hard part is doing it. 
- Norman Schwarzkoff

When the rights of any group, no matter how small, no matter how marginal, are violated, your liberty, your freedom is put at risk. Let there never be a day when we cast about in horror and have to ask the question, "How did it ever come to this?" 
- Thomas Childers 
 
 
 
Employment Opportunities
 
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 [email protected].  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-directorNo phone calls please

 
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