Welcome to our weekly eblast, the Missouri Mid-South Conference eCourier. We are a collection of 140+ local congregations in the United Church of Christ denomination covering the geographic region of Missouri, Arkansas, and Memphis, TN.

No matter who you are or where you are on life's journey, you are welcome here.

We believe in extravagant welcome. This is why we insist that God's communion table is open, not closed, and God's gift and claim in baptism are irrevocable. We advocate justice for all. Our congregations extend hospitality as a sign of God's inclusive love. We teach that evangelism - offering bread to those in search of it - is God's mission. Our perspective is global, not provincial. We work with - not against - people of other faiths. Why? Because God is still speaking,

Ginny's Gems

Ginny shares a greeting from the Amstad Chapel of the United Church of Christ in Cleveland, Ohio. She invites us to consider how the elements of Holy Week should guide us as we discern God's presence with our local churches, conference, and United Church of Christ. We are called to speak prophetically against the powers of our culture, government, and Church to support the voiceless, powerless, and oppressed. The intimacy of Maundy Thursday reminds us of the importance of our relationships together as we live out Christ's mandate to love one another. The suffering and pain of Good Friday remind us that oppressions, discrimination, and even death itself will visit our local churches. And God will never leave us -- even with our last breath. But death itself -- of our churches, conference, and Church as we know it -- never has the last word because we are an Easter People! God's love always creates new opportunities for life, vision, and love. The Amsted Chapel is a beautiful reminder that God is not through with us yet!

Ginny's Schedule

Location	Date	Description
St. Louis, MO	3/18/16	Out/Ginny's Sabbath Day
St. Louis, MO	3/20/16	Worship at St. Lucas UCC
Houston, TX	3/21-3/25/16	Ginny Vacation
	3/25/16	Good Friday, Office Closed
St. Louis, MO	3/29/16	MMS Conference Open House Eden Seminary Convocation
Orlando, FL	3/30-4/1/16	Stepping into Stewardship Conference
Kansas City, MO	4/3/16	Worship at St. Peters UCC
St. Louis, MO	4/6/16	Children's Advocacy Day w/Deaconess Foundation
St. Louis, MO	4/7/16	Young Women Preachers Festival
St. Louis, MO	4/8/16	Out/Ginny's Sabbath Day
St. Louis, MO	4/9/16	Alliance of Baptists Convocation
Owensville, MO	4/10/16	St. Johns (Bem) UCC
Houston, TX	4/11-13/16	Work from home
Riverside, NY	4/14-16/16	Attend Rev. Dr. John Dorhauer Installation
St. Louis, MO	4/17/16	Worship at Calvary UCC

TODAY IS THE DEADLINE - UCC Yearbook Update

We will continue to accept your reports until 3:30 pm TODAY - Friday, March 18. If your paperwork arrives after 3/18, we cannot guarantee it will be included in the upcoming UCC Yearbook.

Please fax (314-918-2610) or email (kris@mmsucc.org) your info to us TODAY.

Thank you to the following 103 churches which provided yearbook statistics to be shared on the national level. We gained 21 more churches than last week - you've been on a roll MMS! Per association, the breakout is:

Eastern Association - 38 churches (way to hang onto the lead, EA!)
St. Louis Association - 36 churches
Western Association - 29 churches

City	Name	State	ASSOC
Little Rock	Faith United Church of Christ	AR	440
Arnold	Saint Mark UCC	MO	440
Hermann	Zion Saint Paul UCC	MO	436
Owensville	Saint John's UCC	MO	436
Berger	Bethany UCC	MO	436
Augusta	Ebenezer UCC	MO	436
Hermann	Zion Saint Paul UCC	MO	436
Billings	Saint Peter's Evangelical UCC	MO	444
Blackburn	Saint Paul's Church UCC	MO	444
Owensville	Saint John's (Bem)	MO	436
Bonne Terre	First Congregational United Church of Christ	MO	440
Boonville	Saint Johns United Church of Christ of Billingsville	MO	444
Mc Girk	Salem United Church of Christ	MO	444
California	United Church of Christ	MO	444
Chamois	Saint John UCC	MO	436
Chesterfield	Ivy Chapel UCC	MO	440
Chesterfield	Saint John's UCC	MO	440
Chesterfield	Saint Thomas UCC	MO	440
Columbia	United Church of Christ	MO	444
Cosby	Hope United Church of Christ	MO	444
Defiance	Saint Paul's UCC	MO	436
DeSoto	Hope United Church of Christ	MO	440
Emma	Saint John UCC	MO	444
Florence	Saint John UCC	MO	444
Florissant	Church of the Master UCC	MO	440
Florissant	Christ the King United Church of Christ	MO	440
Foristell	Saint John's/Cappeln UCC	MO	436
Fulton	Fulton United Church of Christ	MO	444
Gerald	Saint Paul UCC	MO	436
Grandin	First Congregational UCC Grandin	MO	436
Grand Pass	Saint Luke UCC	MO	444
Hartsburg	Peace United Church of Christ	MO	444
Hermann	Saint Paul UCC	MO	436
Higginsville	Salem United Church of Christ	MO	444
High Hill	Saint John's UCC	MO	436
High Ridge	Saint Martin UCC	MO	440
Imperial	Saint Luke's UCC	MO	440
Marthasville	Immanuels UCC	MO	436
Independence	Saint Luke's UCC	MO	444
Jackson	Emanuel United Church of Christ	MO	436
Jefferson City	Central United Church of Christ	MO	444
Kansas City	Bethel United Church of Christ	MO	444
Kansas City	Country Club Congregational UCC	MO	444
Kansas City	Peace Christian Church	MO	444
Kansas City	Saint Peter's UCC	MO	444
Labadie	Pilgrim United Church of Christ	MO	436
Lebanon	First Congregational UCC	MO	444
Lexington	Trinity United Church of Christ	MO	444
Levasy	Ebenezer UCC	MO	444
Lexington	Trinity UCC	MO	444
Manchester	Saint John UCC	MO	440
Marthasville	Saint Paul's UCC	MO	436
Mayview	Zion United Church of Christ	MO	444
Morrison	Saint James UCC	MO	436
New Cambria	United Church of New Cambria	MO	444
New Franklin	Immanuel UCC	MO	444
New Haven	Saint Peter's UCC	MO	436
New Melle	Friedens Peace UCC	MO	436
Saint Peters	Grace United Church of Christ	MO	436
Old Monroe	Saint Paul UCC	MO	436
Owensville	Saint James/Charlotte UCC	MO	436
Owensville	Saint Peter's UCC	MO	436
Pershing	Zion-Saint Peter UCC	MO	436
Pinckney	Saint John's UCC	MO	436
Poplar Bluff	New Life Christian United Church of Christ	MO	436
Raytown	Southwood UCC	MO	444
Ryors	Ebenezer Ryors UCC	MO	436
Saint Charles	Friedens UCC	MO	436
Saint Charles	Good Shepherd UCC	MO	436
Saint Charles	Saint John UCC	MO	436
Saint Clair	Saint John UCC	MO	436
Saint Joseph	Zion UCC	MO	444
Saint Louis	Bethany-Peace UCC	MO	440
Saint Louis	Brentwood Congregational Church	MO	440
Saint Louis	Calvary UCC	MO	440
Saint Louis	Carondelet UCC	MO	440
Maplewood	Christ Church, UCC (Maplewood)	MO	440
Affton	Eden United Church of Christ	MO	440
Saint Louis	Epiphany UCC	MO	440
Saint Louis	First Congregational Church of Saint Louis UCC	MO	440
Saint Louis	Grace United Church of Christ	MO	440
Saint Louis	Glory to Glory Christian Church	MO	440
Saint Louis	Hope United Church of Christ	MO	440
Ferguson	Immanuel/Ferguson UCC	MO	440
Kirkwood	Kirkwood UCC	MO	440
Saint Louis	Mount Tabor UCC	MO	440
Saint Louis	Saint John's Evangelical UCC	MO	440
Saint Louis	Saint Lucas UCC	MO	440
Saint Louis	Saint Paul UCC	MO	440
Saint Louis	Peace United Church of Christ	MO	440
Saint Louis	Prince of Peace United Church of Christ	MO	440
Ferguson	Saint Peter's Evangelical UCC	MO	440
Saint Louis	Saint Philips UCC	MO	440
Saint Louis	Saint John's Church (North Grand)	MO	440
Saint Louis	Samuel UCC	MO	440
Sedalia	Immanuel UCC	MO	444
Springfield	Saint John's Chapel UCC	MO	444
Troy	Zion United Church of Christ	MO	436
Union	Zion United Church of Christ	MO	436
Warrenton	Friedens UCC	MO	436
Washington	Saint Peter's UCC	MO	436
Weldon Sprng	Emmanuel United Church of Christ	MO	436
Wentzville	Faith United Church of Christ	MO	436

*as of 3/17/16. Printable list

You may ask, "Why should our/my church care about yearbook reports - what's the big deal?" Here are eleven reasons why reporting your annual data is important.

The various information/links provided below will give you the tools you need to complete your yearbook reports:

printable Church Instructions (pdf) - please start here and read the entire document for specific instructions
Click here for tip sheets, video tutorials, etc. This is a great source of information for all things "yearbook"
Yearbook Forms (blank)
Access to the Data Hub is now closed to all churches

For assistance on this project, contact our Administrative Assistant, Kris Scott at 314-918-2605 or kris@mmsucc.org. Please DO NOT call or email Cleveland with your yearbook questions - contact our Conference office first!!!

While our Conference did not reach 100% for yearbook reporting, our churches certainly made a difference these last few weeks. Thank you to those who participated!

Renee

Initial Communications Conference Mailing

In an effort to be more inclusive and expansive in our communications activity as a Conference, the newly-formed Communications Covenanted Ministry will be instituting an occasional hard-copy mailing to churches, Pastors and Association/Conference leadership. This mailing will be assembled by a volunteer team coordinated by the Communications Covenanted Ministry and distributed 3-4 times/year. The current plan is for future mailings

to be sent in late August and mid-November, 2016.

The first mailing will be sent this week, so please watch for the envelope at your church soon. Enclosed you will find many event flyers and information to be shared with your congregation. Please read and distribute widely.

This is just one aspect of a multi-faceted plan by the Communications Covenanted Ministry to enhance Conference Communications. Other new initiatives are being developed this spring for roll-out at the Conference Annual Gathering, and possibly at our Association meetings this spring and fall. Watch the eCourier for more announcements and initiatives as we work towards being ever more inclusive and expansive in our Communications Activity!

As Holy Week Approaches, "A Word to the Church"

The leadership of the United Church of Christ, concerned with the political rhetoric aimed at the marginalized people of society in this election cycle, spoke out in support for and solidarity with a Holy Week statement released by The Episcopal Church. The UCC national officers and Council of Conference Ministers, in testimony to the ecumenical relationship between the two churches, expressed gratitude to The Episcopal Church for "the courage to speak, and for granting us the kindness of joining them in this statement."

Here is the text of "A Word to the Church" from The Episcopal Church House of Bishops for Holy Week 2016.

"We reject the idolatrous notion that we can ensure the safety of some by sacrificing the hopes of others."

On Good Friday the ruling political forces of the day tortured and executed an innocent man. They sacrificed the weak and the blameless to protect their own status and power. On the third day Jesus was raised from the dead, revealing not only their injustice but also unmasking the lie that might makes right.

In a country still living under the shadow of the lynching tree, we are troubled by the violent forces being released by this season's political rhetoric. Americans are turning against their neighbors, particularly those on the margins of society. They seek to secure their own safety and security at the expense of others. There is legitimate reason to fear where this rhetoric and the actions arising from it might take us.

In this moment, we resemble God's children wandering in the wilderness. We, like they, are struggling to find our way. They turned from following God and worshiped a golden calf constructed from their own wealth. The current rhetoric is leading us to construct a modern false idol out of power and privilege. We reject the idolatrous notion that we can ensure the safety of some by sacrificing the hopes of others. No matter where we fall on the political spectrum, we must respect the dignity of every human being and we must seek the common good above all else.

We call for prayer for our country that a spirit of reconciliation will prevail and we will not betray our true selves.

continue article

MMS Conference Office Open House, 3/29/16

The Missouri Mid-South Conference will once again be hosting an Open House on

Tuesday, March 29, from 8:30 am until 4:00 pm. If you will be on campus that day attending Spring Convocation at Eden Seminary, we encourage you stop by and say hello! Our office is located at 483 E. Lockwood Avenue, Suite 15, St. Louis, MO 63119 - we are in Schultz Hall - Door A. It's been 5 years since our move from The White House, so if you've never visited us before now is the perfect time.

Of course we will have lots of yummy snacks and beverages (what, you thought we wouldn't have food?!) and several of our staffers will also be present, including Jeremy from Camp MoVal and Jeff Fulk from Shannondale, who will be visiting in the morning. So bring your questions, your smiles and yourselves to our Open House! We look forward to seeing you!

Fossil Fuels - "Keep It In The Ground", 4/24/16

On Sunday, April 24th, UCC preachers around the country will proclaim from their pulpits a simple message: Keep It in the Ground. No, they are not digging up old, arcane arguments about bodily resurrection. They are talking about fossil fuels. Arguably, the most important act of caring for God's creation that our society can undertake today is to keep at least 80 percent of all fossil fuel reserves in the ground. If humanity fails at this mandate prescribed by the laws of physics, then our planet will enter into the red-alert danger zone as it overheats due to the damage done to our climate.

About the recent science that demonstrates this, environmental leader Bill McKibben says, "One lesson of this work is unmistakably obvious: when you're in a hole, stop digging." This April let's preach and teach these simple truths so that people of faith can then go out and do what must be done to care for God's creation.

If you want to join this important effort, please contact me immediately. Then, send me a brief quote about why you are participating along with a headshot by March 16^th.

This preach-in will be the main promotional focus of the UCC national offices for the month of April. We are delighted that it will expand beyond the UCC to include notable public figures such as Diana Butler Bass. But of crucial importance is your participation.

Rev. Brooks Berndt, PhD

Minister for Environmental Justice

berndtb@ucc.org

Festival of Young (Women) Preachers Event

The Festival of Young (Women) Preachers

You are invited to join the Alliance of Baptists

on April 7, 2016 in St. Louis, at Eden Theological Seminary!

Registration: $50 for preachers & mentors, $25 for guests

The event is inspired by the work of the Academy of Preachers (AoP), which has existed since 2009 "to identify, network, support, and inspire young people in their call to Gospel preaching."

We will spend the morning learning from plenary and discussion leaders, as well as from one another, as we explore the work of preaching and ministry. The afternoon will be spent in preaching sessions during which each young

preacher will have the opportunity to share a sermon connecting with the theme of the Alliance's Annual Gathering: Bearing in Courage, Rooted in Hope.

While the focus of the Annual Gathering and our preaching festival will largely be the joys and struggles of the journey for women in ministry, men and women alike (up to age 35; students, church staff members, or new to the work of preaching) are invited to participate.

Young preachers are asked to invite a mentor who will help them to prepare for the event, and will also receive feedback from a preaching coach following the afternoon preaching sessions.

Note: Others who will be in St. Louis for the Alliance's Annual Gathering and who would like to show their support for these young preachers and their mentors are welcome to attend the Festival as well. Please choose the "Guest" option on the registration form.

To learn more about our time together, including accommodations, schedule and preaching texts, click here.

Register today!

Mission Funds Available from Outreach SLA

It is pleasure to serve you in supporting your work in caring for those in our null

community. The Outreach Committee in dialogue with the St. Louis Association Council is working to provide support to mission agencies and new multi- church outreach projects. We are giving preference to existing mission agencies that are closely aligned with the St. Louis Association and new multi-congregational UCC mission projects through one time grants.

Please review the criteria before submitting an application, which is due April 15, 2016.

Click here to read entire letter/criteria and here for application

Building the UCC Database of Refugee Ministries

When the refugee crisis began making daily headlines last year, churches started asking what they could be doing to respond faithfully to this human tragedy. Has your church been part of this movement? Does your congregation feel called to become more involved? If so, the United Church of Christ would like to add your church to the growing database of UCC

congregations involved in refugee ministries, a resource that will encourage other congregations as they start the journey and strengthen the United Church of Christ's Refugee Ministries.

The response of many churches included reaching out to resettlement agencies to start the process of welcoming families fleeing injustice, violence, and oppression while others collected donations to encourage organizations doing this life-giving work. We are eager to hear your stories and to hear about practices that have worked in your contexts.

To contribute to the database, please be in direct contact with Ariel Royer, UCC Partners in Service Volunteer, afroyer@gmail.com and Mary Schaller Blaufuss, Team Leader, Global Sharing of Resources blaufusm@ucc.org.

For more information on the project, read the recent United Church News article, "New project to help connect and resource refugee-welcoming UCC congregations."

2016 National Youth Event Transportation

The Missouri Mid-South Conference has chartered a bus for the National Youth Event (NYE) 2016, which will be held at Walt Disney World in Florida. NYE

participants that would like to ride with the conference should email Alysha Petry at apetry@zionunion.org by May 27 to ensure your space is saved. Even if you have already rented vehicles for transportation, please consider this option.

There are several benefits to riding down as a group, including getting to know one another as a conference. If we have less than 40 riders, vans may be substituted for the charter bus. Youth and their adult leaders/chaperons will have first priority as riders. The bus departs on Monday, July 25 and will return to the St. Louis area on Sunday, July 31. At this time we expect the price per person to be $200. We are seeking monetary support from our associations and individuals in the conference to help lower the price. Please contact one of the following for questions or more information:

Eastern Association: Alysha Petry apetry@zionunion.org, Zion UCC, Union MO

St. Louis Association: Andrea Tukin andreatukin@gmail.com, St. Phillips UCC, St. Louis MO

Western Association: Kurt Grathwohl chevyman3_11@hotmail.com, Evangelical UCC, Boonville MO

See further details regarding NYE here.
PowerPoint presentation.
Letter from John Dorhauer regarding family pricing for NYE

Standing Rules for 2016 CAG

The 2016 Conference Annual Gathering (CAG) will once again be held at the Holiday

Inn Executive Center in Columbia, MO, June 9-11. Below are the Standing Rules and Rules for the Introduction of New Business that have been approved by the MMS Conference Council. Please reference these if you have any new business that you would like us to consider in June. This same information was mailed to all churches back in September along with a letter from Joyce Bathke, Conference Moderator. Another letter was recently mailed to all churches again, along with the two below documents.

Please review the documents explaining the procedures and deadline dates:

Open Door UCC Scholarship Fund

In 2013, the congregation of Church of the Open Door, United Church of Christ in Webster Groves, Missouri agreed that the proceeds from the sale of the church property go to the Missouri Mid-South Conference United Church of Christ. It was further agreed the money would be invested and the earnings would be distributed as follows: one-third to outdoor ministries within the Conference, one-third to theological education (a scholarship for a seminary student from the MMS Conference) and one-third to the Conference operating expenses.

This scholarship was established to utilize the income from this investment. The funds will be disbursed in accordance with the policies and practices of the Missouri Mid-South Conference of the United Church of Christ. The number of scholarships and the amount of each scholarship may vary for year to year. The MMS Conference Executive Committee (Joyce Bathke, David Mehl, Ken Ulmer and Linda Stenger) will review the scholarship applications and select the scholarship recipients. The names of those selected will be provided in the conference newsletter or eCourier. The selected recipients will be notified of their selection and the amount of the scholarship awarded to them.

Scholarship applications must be submitted to the Conference office by June 1 for consideration for the upcoming school year. Scholarships will be awarded during the summer so funds can be disbursed at the beginning of the fall semester. Further information and application.

Contact Us

Missouri Mid-South Conference United Church of Christ
483 E. Lockwood Avenue, Suite 15, St. Louis, MO 63119-3168

877-877-5884 / 314-962-8740 / 314-918-2160 fax

www.missourimidsouth.org

Email Renee Cordes for future submissions. Not all submissions may be shared in future eCouriers, eConnections or eHappenings.

In This Issue - 3/18/2016

Ginny's Gems

Ginny's Schedule

Deadline for Yearbook

Communications Mailing

A Word to the Church

MMS Conference Open House

Fossil Fuels

Festival of Young Women Preachers

Mission Funds Available from SLA

Database of Refugee Ministries

NYE

Standing Rules for CAG

Open Door UCC Scholarship Fund

Contact Us

Ginny's Journeys

Denouncing SJR 39

The Rev. Jimmy Watson Installation

The Rev. Jacob DeNap Installation

Eden Seminary Spring Convocation

Spring Association Meetings

Annual Women's & Men's Retreats

MoVal Christian Music Festival

The Rev. Dr. John Dorhauer Installation

CUE - Explore Scholarship

Employment Opportunities

Future eHappenings

Ginny's Journeys

Check out Ginny's photos highlighting her visits within our Conference. Travel along with Ginny and share her experiences, joys and celebrations each month that make up our Missouri Mid-South Conference! New photos each week!

Denouncing SJR 39 -
Rev. Chase Peeples

Kansas City feels like a landlocked nation fending off the culture wars instigated by people who hold political power in Kansas and Missouri.

On the eastern front, a bill making its way through the Missouri General Assembly purports to bolster religious freedom in the Show-Me State, but in reality invites unchecked discrimination.

Senate Joint Resolution 39 passed the Missouri Senate last week and now goes to the House. It's a proposed constitutional amendment that, if passed by voters, would allow businesses to turn away same-sex couples if religious objections to the customers' sexual orientation are raised.

Running a business and practicing a religion are two different things. Religious freedom is already protected under the U.S. Constitution - always has been.

In addition to being able to freely practice whichever religion they choose without government interference, Americans also have the right, established through civil rights laws, to expect to go into a business and receive service under most circumstances. Exceptions to include, say, if you were too drunk to go back to the bar and get another whiskey sour. Those exceptions don't include putting out a sign that says: "No gay couples here."

SJR 39, on its face, would allow a business to shun a same-sex couple seeking, for example, a block of hotel rooms for their wedding. Religious leaders in Kansas City think that discrimination could extend much further than just the couple walking through the door.

"This means anyone can refuse service to anyone," says the Rev. Chase Peeples, minister for Country Club Congregational United Church of Christ. "Hotels, bed and breakfasts, taxis and limousines, tailors ... where does it end?" continue article

The Rev. Jimmy Watson Installation Service

The St. Louis Association of
the Missouri Mid-South Conference of the United Church of Christ and Immanuel (Ferguson) United Church of Christ invite you to a worship service to install

The Rev. Dr. Jimmy Watson
Sunday, April 4 at 3pm

Immanuel (Ferguson) UCC
126 Church St,

St. Louis, MO 63135

A reception in Fellowship Hall will follow the service. Clergy are invited to join the processional. Please RSVP to the church office by calling 314-521-7324 or email lzappe@immanuelucc.org.

The Rev. Jacob DeNap Installation Service

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

and First Congregational United Church of Christ invite you to a worship service to install

The Rev. Jacob (Jake) DeNap
Sunday, April 10 at 3pm

First Congregational UCC
6501 Wydown

St. Louis, MO 63105

Eden Seminary Spring Convocation

2016 Spring Convocation Brueggemann Kulenkamp Lectures will take place at Eden Seminary March 29-30. This year's theme, Forward from Ferguson: Prophetic & Pastoral Visions, will focus on empowering the ministry of pastors and communities in responding to God's call for social justice from Ferguson and beyond.

Join us for the biblical and pastoral theological scholarship of Walter Brueggemann, Gregory Ellison II, and Iva Carruthers in responding to the challenge of racial justice in the church and its mission. Watch for more information about these scholars on www.eden.edu in the days and weeks ahead. Registration. Event flyer.

Spring Convocation is an opportunity for pastors and lay people to listen to and interact with outstanding biblical and theological scholars. We hope to see you on campus!

2016 Spring Association Meeting Dates

Saturday, April 23 - Western Association, Immanuel UCC in New Franklin, MO
Sunday, April 24 - Eastern Association, Faith UCC in Wentzville, MO
Thursday, May 5 - St. Louis Association, Eden Theological Seminary in Webster Groves, MO

Please mark these dates on your calendar now. Further information regarding the meetings will be shared in our eCourier and on our Conference website soon!

Annual Women's & Men's Retreats

The Annual Women's Retreat will be at Camp MoVal in Union, MO on April 29-May 1, 2016. Enjoy a weekend of spiritual renewal, recreation, crafts and fellowship. This year's event is one you will not want to miss! The retreat is open to all women,

chronologically young and those young in spirit. It is an intergenerational event where we have the opportunity to make new friends and share where we are in our faith journey with others.

Our musical entertainment of previous retreats has been provided by Susan Drake and Julie Jennings. They moved to Alabama this past year but are coming back as our keynoters. They will share their thoughts on "Finding Freedom in Forgiveness", the what, why and how--as we delve into how giving and receiving forgiveness impacts

our daily lives. Brochure and registration.

The Annual Men's Retreat will be at Shanondale in Salem, MO on April 29-May 1, 2016. I personally invest a great deal of my ministry specially reaching out to men in the church and in the community beyond - whom I believe can be the largest neglected minority in the church. Beyond serving on building and grounds committees and civic group style breakfasts, I challenge you to ask yourself how men are included at your church in spiritually transforming ways. Statistics bear out that a man's personal engagement in the

church impacts his entire family.

This weekend pulls together men from many walks of life for a weekend on sacred ground called Shannondale. Men are reached from several approaches that can touch core aspects of his being: through service, rugged recreation, contemplative communal with nature, sharing around bonfires, table (kitchen and grill) fellowship, heart-felt worship, and many one-on-one deep encounters. Aside from the incredible experience, we hope to jump-start communal faith back home at your church. I make it to a point to round-up and wrangle as many men from my community to attend and I make sure my batteries are recharged by attending myself. Will you strive to encourage at least one man to attend? Brochure

- Pastor Paul Koch, Regional Minister Team
The Christian Church in Mid-America

MoVal Christian Music Festival

Camp MoVal is hosting another community event! On April 16 join us for the Christian Music Festival. The concerts will be held across the road at TAMBO. We will have food, fun, and hope to raise funds to help remake TAMBO! There are many exciting things being talked about for the future of this space. Please, come spend the day out at camp and have fun with us in Christian community! All ages and all people are welcome; admission is $10.

Please contact Mariah at mariah.moval@mmsucc.org, find our event on Facebook titled MoFestiVal, or give the camp a call for any additional questions or information at 636-583-2730. Event flyer.

UCC Shares Open Invitation to Three Installation Services for the Rev. Dr. John Dorhauer

Three locations. Three preachers at each service. An extravagant welcome to all who would like to attend.

The Rev. John C. Dorhauer will be formally installed as the United Church of Christ's ninth general minister and president during a three-city worship service in mid-April. The three events, scheduled on April 15 in New York City, April 16 in Chicago and April 17 in Seattle, will include a trio of UCC pastors and leaders who have been invited to offer three brief "vision statements" at each worship location.

But as organizers point out, these three services are not just about the installation of one person; (continue article)

News from CUE Seminaries - Eden - Explore Scholarship

There is not just one road which leads to Eden Theological Seminary. Eden is a place where the life journeys of a diverse group of faithful people intersect to study and experience the unfolding of God's calling in your life.

The gentle nudge of exploration may come from a friend or a family member, from an ad or a newsletter, from a pastor or a professor. There is no one way. We hope the Explore Scholarship will help you acknowledge and act upon that nudge.

The Explore Scholarship is awarded to students beginning a Master of Divinity degree at Eden Theological Seminary. To be eligible for the Explore Scholarship a student must be a member of a Christian congregation, enrolled at Eden full-time (9 credits or more) and participate in Eden's Contextual Education program. This full-tuition scholarship is for the first year of study only.

For more information about how to make the best use of your gifts, please contact Eden's Admissions Office at 877-627-5652.

Employment Opportunities

View all opportunities here

Future eHappenings

The next eHappenings will be shared on Thursday, March 31. Please send your events and items to advertise to Kris by 3/29/16.

Conference Staff Birthdays

April
4/3 - Lorraine Brooks

Quick Links

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