Thursday, March 19, 2015
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Around Your Conference

Allen's Message to You... 
 

But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.

                                                            Jeremiah 31:33

 

Dear Friends and Colleagues in the Gospel,

 

            The Law of Israel was always an instrument of God's grace ahead of judgment - a way to live in community under a common, benevolent code. But the prophet Jeremiah senses God's affirmation of a striking psychological truth in this passage that understands that we do not see the law as grace unless we have adopted it within, nor do we know the compassion of God unless we have God in our hearts and our desires. When the law is invoked against others, it loses its purpose as an expression of grace.

 

            I will put myself and my law within you, God says.   There will be no more objective me for you to debate over and consider. You will know me in your heart.

 

            How differently from one another all of us define God. Yet the only God that matters to anyone is the spiritual benevolence that grows within us when we are nurtured in the family of God's grace. On the Day of Peace that is always imminent for those who believe, may the law that is within us overshadow all the outward judgmental laws that oppress the human spirit and divide the people of God.

 

            Blessings on your Lenten journey.

                                                                                                                                                          
Allen
Allen M. Fluent, Acting Conference Minister
2015 Boundary Training Dates

Boundary training dates and locations have been determined for two of our Conference associations (Eastern and St. Louis).  Please click here for the current schedule and click here for a registration form.  More dates for boundary training will be announced, so please keep watching the eCourier for updates. 
Ordination of Kristin K. Aardema Faigh

 

 

The Western Association

of the Missouri Mid-South Conference of the United Church of Christ

and Zion United Church of Christ Mayview

 

cordially invite your presence for the Ordination of

Kristin K. Aardema Faigh

 

to the Ministry of the Word and Sacrament

on Sunday, April 19, 2015, at 3:00pm

at Zion United Church of Christ

105 N. Mary Street

Mayview, MO  64071

 

Kristin serves currently as Licensed pastor at Zion UCC Mayview.  Rev. Dr. Tommy Faris from Salem UCC, Higginsville, MO, will offer the sermon.

 

For clergy:  robes and stoles (red or of multiple color) are encouraged.  Please plan to gather by 2:30pm for procession.

Final Tally for Yearbook Reports

The 2014 yearbook process has ended, and I'd like to thank all of the churches which participated.  Please click here to see the final list of churches.  97 churches in our Conference turned in reports to our office or entered their own information into the data hub, which is about 66%.  Here's the breakdown by association:

  • Eastern = 36
  • St. Louis = 34
  • Western = 27

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 in 2015, please read the following article "Eleven Reasons Why Reporting Your Church's Annual Data Is Important."  And if your church wasn't named on the list in the above paragraph, please encourage your UCC pastor or treasurer to complete the forms next year so your church can be included in this nationwide process. 

   

I want to thank Kris Scott, our new Administrative Assistant, who tackled the yearbook process with professionalism and gusto!  Your work on this project was highly appreciated.

 

Thank you again to each MMSUCC church that made the choice to participate! - Renee 

MMSUCC and Saint Louis Association Sacred Conversations on Race Facilitator Training

1 Corinthians 12:12-13 (NRSV):  12 For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. 13 For in the one Spirit we were all baptized into one body-Jews or Greeks, slaves or free-and we were all made to drink of one Spirit.

 

Sacred Conversations on Race is a church-wide initiative for United Church of Christ congregations, as we seek to confront racism in our desire to see the Church live and be as one.

 

Facilitator training for Sacred Conversations on Race is coming!  Do you desire to be in sacred conversations about race?  Do you feel led to be a facilitator in these conversations? The Missouri Mid-South Conference and Saint Louis Association are hosting a facilitator training retreat for Sacred Conversations on Race during the weekend of April 10-12, 2015.  The approximate schedule of the retreat will be Friday the 10th from 5-9PM, Saturday the 11th from 10AM-6PM and Sunday from 2PM-6PM.  Facilitator training will be held on the campus of Eden Theological Seminary in Webster Groves, MO.   

 

Please contact Josh Gibson for lodging reservations.  The facilitator training is collective, throughout the entire weekend, so attendance all three days is necessary.  Leon Sharpe, who has extensive involvement in anti-racism training, will be the trainer.   There will be a cost associated with the facilitator training, and scholarships are available.  This training is available to lay persons as well as clergy.  Please contact Josh Gibson at 314.918.2601 or [email protected] if you are interested in becoming a facilitator for Sacred Conversations on Race.

Spring Convocation at Eden Theological Seminary

 

 

Eden Theological Seminary's Spring Convocation will take place April 7-8, 2015 on Eden's campus at 475 East Lockwood Ave., St. Louis, MO 63119. Christian faith and practice are centered on the table. This year's convocation speakers and events focus on various dimensions of how growing, eating, and sharing food engage with important theological traditions and issues of social justice.

 

Eden's annual Spring Convocation is an opportunity for pastors and laypeople to listen to and interact with outstanding biblical and theological scholars. We encourage you to attend and reconnect with friends and colleagues while sharing in the community life of Eden Seminary.

 

When we focus on food we attend to God's creation, ecology, the equitable distribution of resources, our relationships with one another, the diversity of human culture, and the gamut of human experience from great banquets to famine. Food grounds us in what it means to be God's creatures and reminds us of God's earth and God's provision for us. Food connects us with how we create community, in either just or unjust ways.

 

To go directly to registration www.eden.edu/springconvocation15Convocation speakers will be featured on Eden's website www.eden.edu in the days and weeks to come.  Please click here for a bulletin insert.   

 

We look forward to seeing you on Eden's campus this spring!

MMSUCC Conference Open House, April 7, 8:30 am - 4:30 pm

If you are planning to attend Convocation at Eden Seminary, be sure to stop by your MMS Conference office on MMS Logo Tuesday, April 7 and visit us during our Open House!  Our office is conveniently located on the campus of Eden Seminary - lower level of Schultz Hall, 483 E. Lockwood Avenue, Suite 15. 

We'll have snacks, soft drinks and plenty of smiles to greet you upon arrival.  It's been 4 years since we moved from the "white house" to our new and ever-so-lovely digs in Schultz Hall, so it's the perfect time to take a quick tour if you've never visited us before.  We hope to see many familiar faces and also meet some new friends, too.  Several members of our Conference staff - Allen, Renee, Lorraine, Josh and Kris - will all be here to greet you.  So please visit and allow us the opportunity to tell you how much YOU are appreciated as a member of our Missouri Mid-South Conference!
 
UCC Leaders Journey to Jefferson City for Children on Holy Wednesday

Local UCC clergy and children's mission executives will lead a Deaconess delegation to Jefferson City for Missouri's Annual Child Advocacy Day on Wednesday, April 1.  The group includes
Michael Brennan, CEO of Every Child's Hope,
Darlene Sowell, CEO of Neighborhood Houses,
Rev. Norma Patterson, pastor of Good Shepherd of Faith UCC,
Rev. David Gerth, executive director of Metropolitan Congregations United,
Rev. Traci Blackmon, pastor of Christ the King UCC and
Rev. Donna Philips of the St. Louis Association Council.  

 

Holy Wednesday, the center of our most sacred week, presents two intriguing engagements.  Investing the best of her resources in a caring rite of preparation, Mary anoints the head and feet of Jesus with costly oil.  While later in an act of betrayal, Judas Iscariot accepts thirty pieces of silver to deliver him to his demise. The intriguing becomes scandalous when we consider that both were called his friends.

The choice of Holy Wednesday is Investment or Betrayal. Will we Invest in or Betray our children?  Will those we have elected to lead in Jefferson City pass caring policies for their preparation or engage in scandalous acts of betrayal? Join us on a pilgrimage to ask them.     

 

Limited seats are still available on the bus exclusively for UCC members.  RSVP today to Alex Stallings at Deaconess Foundation: [email protected].
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.  Please mail your check/registration to:
MMS-UCC Women's Retreat
Deaconess Faith Community Nurse Ministries
483 East Lockwood Ave, Suite 106, St. Louis, MO 63119
Please make checks payable to MMS-UCC
Camp MoVal Spring Work Day

 

Come and join us for our final Spring Work Day at Camp MoVal. The last day scheduled is on April 4 from 8am to 2pm.  Projects on April 4 will include cleaning pool, recharge sand filters, putting up tents, opening and cleaning Arts & Crafts and Rustic areas, stocking firewood and much more.  

 

All are welcome to come and participate, please make sure that anyone under 18 comes with an adult chaperone (at least 1 adult per 7 youth). 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.

 

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 either work day, please email Jeremy Force or call the Camp Office at 636-583-2730.

2014 Clergy Information Review Form Sent
 
All authorized clergy, both active and retired, within the Missouri Mid-South Conference should have received their 2014 Information Review form and Minister Code via email on Monday, March 2.  If you do not have an email address a form was snail mailed to you.  The forms are to be returned to our Conference office by Friday, April 10.  
If you did not receive an email containing the form last Monday, please use the below links to find the appropriate form for your Association.  These forms may be completed on your computer:

Below are the Minister Codes for your review:

If you need a form snail mailed to you, please contact Kris Scott, 314-918-2605 or email [email protected]

Quote for your week...Your Inner Thoughts  

 

Watch your thoughts, for they become words. 
Watch your words, for they become actions. 
Watch your actions, for they become habits. 
Watch your habits, for they become character. 
Watch your character, for it becomes your destiny. 
- Anonymous
Employment Opportunities
 
Employment postings will run for one month, unless otherwise specified. 

 

 

Part-Time Administrative Assistant, St. Philip's UCC, South County, 3/19/2015

We are looking for someone who is friendly, can type 40 wpm, and has strong computer skills and an eye for detail.  To view the full job description (includes work hours, salary and benefits) and application instructions, please visit www.stphilipsucc.com and click on "Employment Opportunities" on the red toolbar.

 

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: [email protected] 

Conference Quick Links
 
Conference Website          National UCC Website        Conference Calendar              
      
           2015 Remittance Form        Email Your Conference Office

                        2015 Clergy Compensation Materials

               2014 Commitment to Basic Support/OCWM Form 
           
Contact Us

Missouri Mid-South Conference United Church of Christ  314-962-8740 or 877-877-5884  
 
Email [email protected] to submit information for a future issue.  Not all submissions may be used in future eCouriers.