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Wednesday, December 3, 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 Monday, December 15th.
The deadline for submissions is 12/11/14 at 8am.
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Allen's Message to You... The Lord is not slow about his promise, as some think of slowness, but is patient with you, not wanting any to perish, but all to come to repentance. But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a loud noise, and the elements will be dissolved with fire, and the earth and everything that is done on it will be disclosed. 2 Peter 3:9-10 Dear Friends and Colleagues in the Gospel, Why doesn't God punish the guilty, free the innocent, and create a perfect day of justice right now? I know you've felt that way, and I have too. I'm tired of injustice. I want the guilty punished and the innocent relieved. Why should we have to tolerate the corruptions and cruelties of others? The response of Peter is surprising: God isn't slow, he says; God is being patient. No, not just with the people you want God to straighten out; God is being patient with you! The perfect world of justice can wait a while, because God is too kind to cut us off before we've had the chance to grow and learn and allow ourselves to be molded by God's grace. God lets a few errors pass for a time, for the sake of the slow development of our better nature, sympathy and compassion. We are not born that way, so we need time to grow and learn that we belong to one another in this interdependent world. One day, we hope we will arrive at that place, and then, when we get there, we may not be so interested in judging one another, because we'll have come to see what God already knows about the universal need for grace. God's patience, though, is not an excuse for us. "The day of the Lord will come like a thief." And the thief will ask, "Are you ready now to place the judgment upon yourself and stand under it before our God? I have come to take away all the pretense that is left in you, and call you into the new life of honest dealing with your neighbor." This sounds like judgment, but it too is grace. May the Holy Season of Advent come creeping up on us all, and bring us new awareness of the grace in understanding that precedes any judgments we may hold. Allen Allen M. Fluent, Acting Conference Minister NOTE: Dale Parson and I are both in Savannah, Georgia this week, attending the national "Authorizing Ministry Conference" and other national meetings of the UCC. We'll be back in the office on December 8. I can be reached by cell phone or email, however, throughout the time that I'm away, at 314-971-9041 or allen@mmsucc.org. AMF
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2014 Contributions Deadline!
All contributions for 2014 must arrive at the Conference office by January 15, 2015. All remittances received after this date will be considered 2015 donations. Please share this information with your church treasurer or anyone at your church who handles the Conference contributions. Thank you.
Please click here if you need a 2014 Remittance Form.
If you have questions please contact Lorraine Brooks, Conference Bookkeeper at 314-918-2606 or email accounting@mmsucc.org.
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Health & Wellness Tip Sheet - December
The holiday season is the time in which family and friends gather together in fun and festivities. But it is also a time in which germs can be spread. Flu and colds are spread more quickly as people gather in homes and around tables. Good hand washing decreases the spread of germs and disease.December is National Hand washing month. Deaconess Faith Community Nurse Ministries works with communities to teach good hand washing techniques.
Hand washing with soap and warm water is the "vaccine" that prevents infections and flu during the holiday season. The simple act of washing hands with soap and warm water can reduce illness by 50%. Faith community nurses teach young and old how to properly wash their hands. They teach that hands are to be washed:
Before, during and after preparing food
Before one eats
Before and after caring for someone who is ill
Before and after treating a cut or open wound
After using the toilet
After changing a diaper or cleaning a child that used the toilet
After blowing your nose, cough, or sneeze
After touching an animal, animal food or animal waste
After taking out the garbage
Faith community nurses teach that the right way to wash one's hands includes:
Wet hands with clean warm running water
Lather hands (front and back) and wrists (front and back) with soap
Scrub at least 20 seconds which is enough time to hum "Happy Birthday"
Rinse hands thoroughly, leaving the water on
Dry with clean paper towel, turning the water off with the towel once the hands are dried.
Hand sanitizers may not be effective when the hands are visible dirty or greasy. In those instances, the hands still need to be washed with soap and water.
To have a faith community nurse work with your group in learning proper hand washing techniques, contact Rev. Donna Pupillo at dpupillo@faithnurses.org.
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Camp MoVal 2015 Schedule
The 2015 Outdoor Ministry theme is "Power Up, Living in the Spirit". Campers will learn more about how to live as a follower of Christ powered by the Holy Spirit. Camp MoVal continues to provide quality Christian education and faith formation alongside with many camp activities, outdoor education, and faith building all in a safe and caring  environment. Click here to see the schedule.
New programs for the 2015 program season are a camp for college students and young adults during the summer season along with a winter camp experience for junior and middle school age campers. MoVal continues to develop programs to meet the needs of all and if there is something you would like to see added to our program schedule, please let us know.
Camp MoVal is an accredited camp of the American Camp Association. This means Camp MoVal maintains the highest level in camping standards and deliver a very high quality program and ministry in a safe and sacred space. For more information, please contact the camp office at 636-583-2730. You can also visit our website www.campmoval.org, like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.
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Weekly Prayer Time
Please keep the following churches and clergy in your prayers during this upcoming week:
Prayers for November 30-December 6, 2014
Churches
Peace UCC - St Louis, MO
Carondelet UCC - St Louis, MO
St Johns UCC - Berger, MO
Grace UCC - O'Fallon, MO
Good Shepherd UCC - St Charles, MO
Friedens UCC - Moscow Mills, MO
Parkway UCC - St Louis, MO
St James UCC - Morrison, MO
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Faith and Community Leaders Needed
As you may be aware, the United Church of Christ has been a member of Faith United Against Tobacco (FUAT) for over 10 years and was a founding member working with a large interfaith and denominational coalition on many issues related to tobacco. 
Now, FUAT is working with CDC staff to control this important work on providing tips for quitting smoking and for faith voices to help in state tobacco free state efforts. We are especially looking for key faith and community leaders or persons who are passionate about this issue to assist in planning advocacy and programming around this issue from Southern States (particularly in Louisiana, Kentucky, and Missouri) so we can connect them with key CDC tobacco control folks working in these states.
I would appreciate your sending this word out to persons in your churches and networks that you may know who might want to work on this issue. We would like UCC persons, but they do not necessarily have to be in a UCC church. We are just trying to help connect CDC staff with faith leaders. If you have names and contact information, I will be glad to contact them.
Thank you for your time and effort.
Barbara T. Baylor, MPH
Policy Advocate for Health and Wholeness Issues
United Church of Christ, Justice and Witness Ministries
Washington DC Policy Office
100 Maryland Ave., Suite 330
Washington, DC 20002
Phone: (202) 543-1517, ext. 4202 - Fax: (202) 543-5994
Email: baylorb@ucc.org
www.ucc.org/justice/health
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Camp MoVal Fall Work Day, 12/6
Come and join us for our Fall Work Day at Camp MoVal on December 6 from 8am to 1pm. Work projects will  include general site clean up, raking and burning leaves, trail maintenance and much more. All are welcome to participate, and please make sure that anyone under 18 attends 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 Fall Work Day, please email Jeremy Force or call the Camp Office at 636-583-2730.
Camp MoVal Young Adult Retreat, 12/28-30
This holiday season, Camp MoVal is offering the first Young Adult Retreat between the Christmas and the New Year's Holiday. This retreat is for adults 18-26 years. Come for a time away, to connect with old camp friends and to  make new ones. The retreat will start Sunday afternoon December 28 at 3pm and conclude Tuesday December 30 around 2pm in the afternoon. The retreat theme will have a focus on Sabbath time and how to maintain your faith connection. College and young adult years are a time of great growth and exploration for young persons. This is a time in a young person's life when they complete the formation of who they are, and it is the time for us to keep then engaged in their faith and to help them to continue to grow in their Christian faith. Please come and join us for this retreat and relax and reconnect with others and your faith. Registration information is available on the Camp MoVal website or by calling the Camp MoVal Office at 636-583-2730.
-Jeremy Force
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"When Pigs Fly" Buy-a-Bird Fundraiser
Be a part of this ministry tradition! Your generous donation of $20 will buy a turkey or ham for someone in need,  and a donation of $30 will cover the cost of an entire meal. Isaiah 58 Ministries is depending upon people like you to help make the holidays meaningful for families who are less fortunate. You can help them celebrate the joy of the season as you actively participate in making their holiday season abundant and joy-filled. Isaiah 58 Ministries anticipate serving 300 families both at Thanksgiving and at Christmas, which means they need to raise $18,000 to cover the total cost of the baskets. Will YOU help?
This fundraiser will continue through December 31st. Click here for a printable flyer to share with your congregation or office.
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Employment postings will run for one month, unless otherwise specified.
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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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