Thursday, May 21, 2015
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Around Your Conference

Allen's Message to You...
 
 
Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? And how is it that we hear, each of us in our own native language?

                                                            Acts 2:7-8

Dear Friends and Colleagues in the Gospel,

            For the most part, I imagine, the ancient Galileans stayed fairly close to home. So when they spoke, they mostly spoke to one another, like people living in small towns often do; and they understood each other pretty well. They were a suffering people, so they talked about that. They had a common enemy in Rome. They all understood it. But when we go away from home, it's different, because the stories we tell don't sound the same to people of different circumstances. So when they all got together in one place on that Pentecost day of celebration, you'd expect that the cacophony of language and culture would produce the usual indifference that people feel in a public crowd.

            The miracle at Pentecost was more than a miracle of language, though language is an apt metaphor for what was happening in Jerusalem that day. Why would anyone listen to a bunch of Galileans? What could they possibly have to say to us? They're the powerless, rural peasants, living in an out-of-the-way colony of the great Empire, like those who live in small town America wondering where their way of life has gone, or those who live in urban neighborhoods, deprived of good schools and needed services. Galileans wonder, then and now, if anyone listens to them.

            See now, the streets of Jerusalem filled with the movers and shakers of prosperity and commerce. They have gathered here in festive celebration. But someone remembers a prophet from long ago who spoke about a day that was coming, great and terrible, holy and liberating, when the young would see visions and the old would dream dreams, and the truth that only Galileans know would suddenly be spoken in a language everyone could understand.

            The Pentecostal event that gave birth to the Christian Church was a moment when the unheard voices of those in need were lifted by the Spirit in a single liberating language for all to understand. And on that one day, they did.

            Thank you for all the works the Spirit empowers within you.

                                                                                                                                            
Allen
Allen M. Fluent, Acting Conference Minister
Who is Rev. Dr. John Dorhauer, Nominee for General Minister and President of UCC?

Rev. Dr. John Dorhauer (John) goes where he feels a sense of call. This has sometimes taken him down paths he didn't choose. Rev. Dorhauer says he believes that the sacred moves among us and when his openness to her is genuine, he feels God's pleasure.  By the urging of the sacred and a nudge from friends, Rev. Dorhauer has surrendered to the call to serve the church in this way and at this time in his ministry.

Rev. Dorhauer feels that the best days of the United Church of Christ are ahead of us. That being said, Rev. Dorhauer also feels that the United Church of Christ's "future mission must remain consistent with our historic commitments to maintain the unity of the body in the spirit of peace and our current call to offer God's extravagant love to all." As a result of his passion for the vitality of our shared mission, and his conviction that adaptive abilities are essential to our ongoing health, John's new book Beyond Resistance: The Institutional Church Meets the Postmodern World, addresses what we can be doing to prepare well for a time a great change. It is due out in print early in June.

Click here to continue.
Installation of Rev. E. Paul Emily

 

The Western Association of the Missouri Mid-South Conference  
of the United Church of Christ  
St. Luke's United Church of Christ
 
cordially invite you to the Installation of
Rev. E. Paul Emily 

  on Sunday, May 31, 2015

3:00 PM

 

St. Luke's United Church of Christ

727 N Main, Independence, MO

816-461-0302 

Reception Following Service

 

The Rev. Karen Aitkens will offer the sermon.  Clergy are encouraged to wear robes with red
or multiple colored stoles.

Conference Annual Gathering, June 4-6, 2015

THE TIME TO REGISTER IS RUNNING OUT!  HURRY!!!

Our theme is "Rebuild, Restore, Renew."  Please see the CAG schedule here.

Use the below form to register for the event, which may be completed on your computer.  If the form is not compatible with your computer, please print and complete by hand. 
 
Please read the entire form carefully as we have changed our venue this year, and we are also offering several registration options with various pricing for your convenience. 

Date:  Thursday, June 4 - Saturday, June 6, 2015 
Please visit our Conference website to read the CAG FAQ's and further details  2015 Conference Annual Gathering website page

Regular-priced registration ends on Friday, May 22, which is TOMORROW! 

After May 22, late registration pricing goes into effect.  Registration deadline is Tuesday, May 26!
  Please be respectful of this date as meal counts need to be shared with the Holiday Inn.

We look forward to gathering together in Columbia, MO this June!
Press Release from Emmaus Homes

 

Contact:   Lisa Drier, Executive Director, Emmaus Resident Trust Foundation

               [email protected]  636.534.5251

               Hailey Kintz, Marketing Manager, Emmaus Resident Trust Foundation

               [email protected]   636.534.5214

 

 

Emmaus Homes, Inc. Board of Directors Votes to Discontinue Services on Marthasville Campus

 

St. Charles, Missouri
- On Tuesday, May 19 the Emmaus Homes, Inc. Board of Directors voted to approve the Emmaus executive team's recommendation to discontinue services on the Marthasville campus. The process to transition clients off of the campus and into community homes is expected to take up to 5 years to complete. Currently 77 clients live on the Marthasville campus.   "This has been a long and challenging process for everyone involved and today's decision was not an easy one.  It is an emotional time for our clients, family members and employees," said Reverend Dr. Richard Zuch, Chairman, Emmaus Homes, Inc. Board of Directors.

This recommendation was based on 3 tenants of the organizations strategic plan; best practice, financial stability and good stewardship. The Board of Directors and members of the executive team are working together in the best interest of the clients, families, and the future of Emmaus as a whole. Emmaus does not anticipate any job losses or client discharges.

 

"We plan to work closely with our clients, families and our staff as we work on this very important transition," says Cindy Clark, CEO and President, "As always, our clients remain our first priority."

 

For more than 120 years Emmaus has been a leader in this industry by creating national best practices and standards for adults with developmental disabilities.  As Emmaus continues to expand their services into the community, their focus remains clear; to remain the provider of choice for adults with developmental disabilities.  
 

About Emmaus Homes:

Emmaus Homes is a faith-based mission of families, staff and volunteers, working together to provide compassionate care to adults with developmental disabilities in the St. Louis metropolitan area. Emmaus provides services in safe, comfortable homes for more than 275 residents in communities throughout St. Charles, Warren, Franklin and St. Louis counties.

 

Printable version  

Team St. Louis UCC to Bike in MS 150

Interested in biking? Know others who enjoy the sport? Spread the word among your church members that a TEAM UCC has been formed to participate in the MS 150 this September 12-13 in nearby Godfrey, Illinois.  

 

The route accommodates riders who choose 20, 50, 75 or 100 miles. Minimum age is 12 years. To sign up, go to the link below, click on "join a team" and choose St. Louis UCC.  

 

For more information, call Bill Biedenstein at 636-677-3055 or email [email protected]. http://bikemos.nationalmssociety.org/site/TR/Bike/MOSBikeEvents?pg=entry&fr_id=25028  

 

From L-R:  Donovan Larson, Bill Bidenstein, Adam Rustige 

 

Strengthen the Church Offering

As the Strengthen the Church offering nears on Pentecost Sunday, May 24, I want to share the projects which were funded by the STC offering in 2014. Gifts from the Strengthen the Church offering are shared 50/50 with the national setting. $18,000 of the Missouri Mid-South Conference portion was used for the following projects:

 

1.    Paid fees for Columbia Partnership, our visioning consultant.

2.    Paid for five consultant sessions with a local church by a Conference-assigned consultant.

3.    Peacemaking training led by Mark Robinson for justice-minded participants.

4.    Paid MMSC share of annual costs for assistant legal counsel (new) at national setting.

5.    Training of Conference Staff on new version of management information software.

 

Thanks to the generosity of MMSC folks the Conference was able to provide the financial support for these projects. Only the Colulmbia Partnership project was anticipated, the other four came along after the budget was approved. I give thanks for this funding resource for unexpected expenses in 2014.

 

Please give generously to the Strengthen The Church offering on May 24, 2015.

 

Ken Ulmer

Treasurer, Missouri Mid-South Conference

St. Paul UCC Food Pantry Receives Grant

The Cuivre River Electric Community Trust Board approved a $1,000 Operation Round Up grant to the St. Paul UCC Food Pantry in Old Monroe.  Mary Anne Lee, Food Pantry Chair, said the funds will help purchase meat, food items and personal supplies for pantry visitors, which increased by more than 30% last year. 

The St. Paul Food Pantry is open 11am to 1pm Tuesdays and Thursdays.  Area residents who need to visit the pantry can call the church at 636-665-5329.  Congratulations to St. Paul for receiving the grant money and for helping those in need.    

L-R:  St. Paul Food Pantry Chair, Mary Anne Lee and Pastor Michael Kasevich of St. Paul UCC, Old Monroe, MO   
Faith-based Disaster Preparedness Workshops

 

The Governor's Faith-Based and Community Service Partnership for Disaster Recovery invites faith organization leaders, emergency management directors, local public health agency (LPHA) representatives and Community Organizations Active in Disasters (COAD) members to attend one of the nine regional workshops in May and June. 

 

Because faith-based organizations face unique challenges in helping their communities prepare for, respond to and recover from disasters, The Partnership, along with the Public Health Emergency Preparedness program has put together a program that will provide insightful and practical advice to help with that mission. We hope you can participate.

 

UPDATE:  Please see revised flyer which now lists all dates and locations.  Registration is recommended and may be completed using the following link:  http://training.dps.mo.gov/sematraining.nsf/TrainingSchedule 

 

Our very own Rev. Stephen Redman will be hosting the Region B-June 3 session in Macon (check flyer for details).    

  

These events are provided free of cost to participants. All events are from 1-5 p.m. The dates and locations of each regional workshop are listed on the above flyer.  Please feel free to distribute this information widely.

MMSUCC Boundary Training

New boundary training dates have been announced.  Please visit our Conference website for further information. 

Free Hymnals 

Mt. Tabor UCC in St. Louis is offering to donate 475 hymnals. The title is "The Hymnal", and it was published by United Church Press in New York. The copyright date is 1941 with a renewal date of 1969 by Eden publishing house St. Louis, Missouri. 

 

They are offering to deliver the hymnals within the St. Louis area, or they may also be picked up at the church. 

 

To claim the hymnals or for further information, please contact Nancy Schwab at 314-413-8489 or email
Nepal Earthquake - How to Donate

 

By now I'm sure you are all aware of the devastating earthquake in Nepal. I wanted to send you a quick update on the UCC response as you may receive calls or e-mail inquiries from our congregations and members. UCC Disaster Ministries has a broad network of trusted and reliable partners that we work with throughout the year with capacity and local presence in hundreds of countries. Through these partnerships we are able to effectively and efficiently respond to both immediate and long-term needs following disasters.  

 

Since the quake our partnership through the ACT Alliance has been responding and working hard to help stabilize the situation through provisions of food, water, medicine and temporary shelter.  UCC Disaster Ministries is requesting financial contributions to the International Emergency Relief fund to support these essential on-the-ground efforts. Donors can designate their gift by noting it is for Nepal Earthquake relief.  

 

To give online visit https://unitedchurchofchrist.nationbuilder.com/international_emergency_relief_fund

 

Thank you for your continued prayers for the survivors, rescue teams and relief workers.  If individuals are seeking more information I can be reached at [email protected] or 410-259-6194.    

 

Zach Wolgemuth    
Executive, UCC Disaster Ministries
Employment Opportunities
 
Employment postings will run for one month, unless otherwise specified. 

 

 
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