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Thursday, February 26, 2015
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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, February 27th.
The deadline for submissions has expired.
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Allen's Message to You... But who do you say that I am? Mark 8:29 Dear Friends and Colleagues, It wasn't the first question Jesus asked. The first had to do with his image in the community. Perhaps the first question was even a political inquiry. Was Jesus checking out his public image when he asked, "Who do people say that I am?" Was he pleased to hear the company he was placed in by the people, when his disciples told him: "John the Baptist, Elijah, or one of the prophets"? Truly that was high regard! 
But then Jesus asked the second question, and we knew at once that this was no matter of personal prestige: "But who do you say that I am?" he asked, and the question moved the conversation away from the role of Jesus as an historical figure and into the arena of our own personal decision about him. That's why the second question is a spiritual one, while the first seems only political. Peter answered the question, but he didn't really get it. Like many people do, he answered it traditionally but not personally: "You are the Messiah," he said. And shortly thereafter he got caught hoping Jesus would escape from living out his role. Many times our answers are no better: Son of God, Savior and Lord, the Christ (Messiah), Very God of Very God. We believe these things, after a fashion, because they have been taught to us; and they're good answers - they aren't wrong. They just don't really answer the question Jesus is asking. He doesn't want to know what we think; he wants to know if we've made our decision. So that's the way the Gospel lesson for Sunday is challenging me this week. May the congregations of our fellowship remember in this Lenten season to listen for the question and to answer it, each of us for ourselves: "Who do you say that I am?" Blessings upon all the vital work you do. Allen Allen M. Fluent, Acting Conference Minister
 DORHAUER NOMINATED AS THE NEXT GENERAL MINISTER AND PRESIDENT OF THE UCC The news is out, and it is our great joy to celebrate the nomination of The Rev. John C. Dorhauer as the new General Minister and President of the United Church of Christ! John, who served in Missouri Mid-South as Associate Conference Minister prior to becoming Conference Minister for the Southwest Conference, will be presented by the search committee to the UCC General Synod, meeting in Cleveland, Ohio, June 25-27, where he will be elected to this office. Click here to see the full press release. THANKS, EVERYBODY. WE'RE IN THE BLACK! The end of the year financial report for the Missouri Mid-South Conference, including the report of Conference operations as well as the operations of our two outdoor ministries for the year, is now completed, and the news is as good as we could have hoped for. All of our endeavors have ended the year with a positive balance. This good news is, of course, partly due to budgetary economies, but could not have been accomplished without faithful stewardship among our congregations. We thank every church that increased OCWM giving in 2014 and every church that made sacrificial decisions to support the work we do together. We are hopeful that this faithful trend in our united ministry will continue with growing commitment in the months to come.
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Ordination of Janice Barnes
The St. Louis Association
of the Missouri Mid-South Conference of the United Church of Christ
and
the First Congregational Church of Webster Groves, UCC
cordially invite your presence for the ordination of
Janice Barnes
to the Ministry of the Word and Sacrament
on
Sunday, March 1, 2015, at 3:00 PM
First Congregational Church of Webster Groves
United Church of Christ
10 West Lockwood Avenue
Saint Louis, Missouri, 63119
Jan has been called to the pastorate of Trinity United Church of Christ, Saint Louis.
The Rev. Carol Shanks, of Bethany United Church of Christ, Cahokia, Illinois, will offer the sermon.
Music by the First Church Music Ministry and the Rainbow Bluegrass Pickup Band.
A reception in Memorial Hall will follow.
For clergy: Robes and red stoles are encouraged, please plan to gather by 2:30 PM for procession.
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Yearbook Report Deadline Extended!
The deadline to submit your yearbook forms has been extended! Your church now has until Monday, March 16th to send reports to our Conference office for us to enter your data. If your church plans to enter their own information into the data hub, the deadline is still Monday, March 9th. 
Thank you to all of the churches who have submitted yearbook reports! Click here to see if your church has participated. As of Tuesday, we have received reports from 43 churches with in our three associations; 19 from Eastern, 9 from St. Louis, and 15 from Western. Way to go Eastern, you're in first place!
The information gathered from the yearbook process is used in a variety of ways within the United Church of Christ. If you are wondering why your church should participate, please read the following article "Eleven Reasons Why Reporting Your Church's Annual Data Is Important." And if your church isn't named on the list in the above paragraph, please encourage your UCC pastor or treasurer to complete the forms so your church can be included in this nationwide process. Below are the yearbook instructions/forms sent on January 14. Your church still has time to fill out the reports and send them into our office, or enter directly into the National data hub:
Please refer to the above Church Instructions link to further assist you. And remember there are many great video tutorials available from Cleveland to help you with every step of the yearbook process.
We hope to see many more of our churches participate in this annual statistical gathering. Thank you in advance for your cooperation. - Renee
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Rebuild. Restore. Renew at The 2015 Conference Annual Gathering
June 4-6 in Columbia, MO
"They will rebuild the ancient ruins and restore the places long devastated; they will renew the ruined cities that have been devastated for generations." Isaiah 61:4 TNIV
According to Luke's Gospel, when Jesus began his ministry, he read from Isaiah 61 a passage that many interpreters have called his "mission statement." Jesus read, "The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free." (Luke 4:17-18 TNIV) This year at our Conference Annual Gathering we will take our lead from Jesus and turn to Isaiah 61 and hear its promises that God stands ready to  Rebuild, Restore and Renew God's people.
Thursday June 4 - "Rebuild Our Churches"
On the first day of CAG, churches in our conference will have two opportunities to learn about ways of rebuilding our congregations to minister in the 21 st century. As a part of Missouri Mid-South's partnership with The Center for Progressive Renewal (CPR), Rev. Michael Piazza will lead workshops on congregational vitality. Read more about The Center for Progressive Renewal here.
Click here to read more about each day's events at CAG!
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Installation of Rev. Lansford Lawrence
First Congregational United Church of Christ
Bonne Terre, Missouri
And
The St. Louis Association of the
Missouri Mid-South Conference
Invite you to celebrate with us
The Installation of our New Pastor
Reverend Lansford C. Lawrence
First Congregational Church UCC
20 Church St., Bonne Terre, MO 63628
Sunday March 8, 2015 at 3:00 p.m.
Clergy are invited to wear vestments and red stoles.
Refreshment will be served after service in the Fellowship Hall
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2014 Clergy Information Review Forms 
By Monday, March 2, all authorized clergy, both active and retired, within the Missouri Mid-South Conference will receive their 2014 Information Review form and Minister Code via email. If you do not have an email address a form will be snail mailed to you, which you should receive by the middle of next week. Please watch for your IR form and code and return by the requested date.
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Annual MMSUCC Men's Retreat & Women's Retreat
The Annual Men's Retreat will be held on May 1-3 at our own Shannondale Community Center. Please click here to view the brochure and registration form. Save the date! The Annual Women's Retreat will be held on May 1-3, 2015, at our own Camp MoVal. This year's theme is "Under the Shelter of God's Wings", with the leaders of Sue Ulmer and Devoree Crist. Please click here to view the brochure, which contains a registration form and further information.
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Free Webinar from The Center for Progressive Renewal (CPR)
As we enter the season of Lent, many congregations will be grappling with repentance for our participation in  systems that perpetuate racism. We're longing for the reconciliation that feels just out of reach. That's why CPR is so grateful to have exclusive access to a new study guide from Dr. Jennifer Harvey to go along with her book Dear White Christians: For Those Still Longing for Racial Reconciliation.
CPR is also offering a free webinar entitled, Dear White Christians...Now What?, with Dr. Jennifer Harvey. This information may be useful for any church currently engaged in Sacred Conversations, or wanting to begin the journey.
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Important Update Regarding Anthem Data Breach
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The below email was shared from the UCC Pension Boards:
You are receiving this e-mail because you are a participant in the UCC Non-Medicare or Medicare Supplement Health Plans.
Please Note:
- As widely reported, Anthem, Inc., the country's second-biggest health insurer, announced on February 5, 2015 it was the target of a very sophisticated external cyber attack.
- Anthem reported that "These attackers gained unauthorized access to Anthem's IT system and have obtained personal information from our current and former members such as their names, birthdays, medical IDs/Social Security numbers, street addresses, e-mail addresses and employment information, including income data. Based on what we know now, there is no evidence that credit card or medical information, such as claims, test results or diagnostic codes were targeted or compromised."
- Although UCC Health Plan members are not Anthem members, Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield, our medical benefits administrator, partners with Anthem to serve UCC members by accessing care and processing claims.
- The Pension Boards has been working closely with Highmark to understand any potential impact for UCC Health Plan members.
- There have been reports of scam e-mail campaigns. Both Anthem and Highmark have confirmed they have not begun contacting members regarding this cyber attack. Do not provide, via phone or e-mail, any personal information regarding this cyber attack to anyone claiming to be from Anthem, Highmark, or the Pension Boards.
- Anthem has established a website with all of the current information (http://www.anthemfacts.com/). On this site is a letter to its members along with a Q&A sheet (http://www.anthemfacts.com/faq).
- Visit our website, www.pbucc.org, as updates will be posted as information becomes available.
As always, please contact us at
1.800.642.6543, Option 6 if you have any questions or need assistance.
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Pension Boards-UCC | 475 Riverside Drive, Room 1020 | New York | NY | 10115 | 800-642-6543 |
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2015 NGLI Application Process
Hopefully you have heard by now about the investment in young transformational leaders and the church of the future through the Next Generation Leadership Initiative. The Pension Boards is seeking to contribute to the greater good by encouraging, equipping and sustaining young clergy for service in local congregations of the United Church of Christ.
Here's a video that tells the NGLI story: NGLI Target 2030 Initiative Program Video and Article  Below are detailed documents about the training provided and the application process. Please help the Church by getting these materials in the hands of any eligible clergy you may know-- notice of intention to apply is due March 27-so don't delay! Spread the word and be a part of the transformation in this way! If you have any questions, feel free to contact me at kbetz@pbucc.org or 800-642-6543 x2716. The website ngli2030.pbucc.org is also a good source of information. Additional helpful documents: Application Process FAQ's NGLI Flyer Rev. Krista L. Betz Director, Ministerial Assistance The Pension Boards United Church of Christ
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Quote for your week... Welcome, March
No winter lasts forever; no spring skips its turn.
~Hal Borland
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Employment postings will run for one month, unless otherwise specified.
Choir/Music Director, Good Shepherd UCC, 2/19/2015
Good Shepherd, located at 3115 Elm Street, St. Charles, MO 63301, is seeking a Choir Director. We are looking for someone comfortable with a small, but dedicated choir. Our Choir currently practices on Sunday mornings prior to worship. Salary to be discussed. Please email interest/questions to Claudia Pohrer: Cpohrer615@aol.com
Office Administrator/Bookkeeper, Webster Groves Christian Church (DOC), 2/4/2015
This is a part time position (9:00 AM - 12:00 PM and 1:00 PM to 3:00 PM Tuesday through Friday - 20 hrs per week), at Webster Groves Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), 1320 W. Lockwood Ave., Kirkwood, MO 63122,
and requires knowledge and facility with bookkeeping procedures and software, website management, Microsoft Office (including Publisher), as well as strong interpersonal and organizational skills, the ability to work with a team, and to keep confidences. Successful candidate will have minimum of Associate degree or comparable experience in accounting/bookkeeping and general office skills. $18-$20 per hour, as per experience. Please send inquiries, resumes and references to jeffmoore@wgcc.org
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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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