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 cla  im 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,
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Ginny's Gems
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Ginny celebrates the honor it has been to be invited into so many of our churches where we are asking the same question: Who is God calling us to be? This question has come in conversations surrounding conflict or the change a church is facing from who it used to be to who it is now; this question comes in the excitement when a church realizes God is moving among them in new and creative way; this question comes as a church faces the tough questions of whether they can survive or it is time to end their ministry. All of these issues are different approaches to the same question: Who is God calling us to be?
Ginny has been reading the book, "Facing Decline, Finding Hope," by Jeffrey Jones. Dr. Jones writes the following: "All too often, churches...avoid those issues that, if faced, would require profound and radical change in the church -- from its structure to its ministry to its worship, even to its need for a building. And yet, it is only in facing these issues that congregations can find genuine reason for hope. If a congregation is to become a crucible of hope, it will need to undertake a journey through the valley of the shadow of death where we face all fears and threats. There is something essentially Christian about this process. One might even see it as a process of death and resurrection. And yet many congregations are reluctant to do this. It is almost as if they don't believe their own stuff."
This quote and the conversations Ginny has had with churches connects with the upcoming Pentecost Sunday, where the UCC will receive one of its 5 offerings: Strengthen the Church. Did you know that Strengthen the Church was the lowest offering in the Missouri Mid-South Conference? In 2015, only 36% of all MMS churches gave to Strengthen the Church offering totaling $19,000 (the other offerings were $32k, 34k and 65k). Did you know that 50% of Strengthen the Church offering stays in the Missouri Mid-South Conference where we invest resources to support your local church? Ginny invites you to consider giving to Strengthen the Church offering. To that end, Ginny will personally contribute $100 to Strengthen the Church as a sign of her support that we will literally and spiritually Strengthen each of our Local Churches of the Missouri Mid-South Conference! Won't you join Ginny? Woohoo!
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Ginny's Schedule
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Location
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Date
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Description
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5/6/16
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Out/Ginny's Sabbath Day
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Jackson, MO
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5/8/16
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Worship at Emanuel UCC
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St. Louis, MO
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5/9/16
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SLA Ministerium
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St. Louis, MO
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5/13/16
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Preaching at Eden's Baccalaureate
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5/14/16
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Out/Ginny's Sabbath Day
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Memphis, TN
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5/15/16
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Worship at Holy Trinity UCC
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Houston, TX
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5/16-21/16
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Work from Houston
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5/20/16
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Out/Ginny's Sabbath Day
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Columbia, MO
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5/21/16
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Search & Call Steward Training
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St. Clair, MO
St. Charles, MO
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5/22/16
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Worship at St. John UCC
Installation of Rev. Lisa Martin at St. John UCC
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Kansas City, MO
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5/23-25/16
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Meetings
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5/26/16
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Out/Ginny's Sabbath Day
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Cleveland, OH
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5/27/16
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MESA Training
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Weldon Springs, MO
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5/29/16
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Worship at Immanuel UCC
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5/30/16
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Office Closed;Memorial Day
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Kansas City, MO
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5/31-6/1/16
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KC Clergy Lunch
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Houston, TX
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6/2/16
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Work from Houston
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6/3/16
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Out/Ginny's Sabbath Day
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Columbia, MO
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6/8-11/16
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Conference Annual Gathering
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Dale's Schedule
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Location
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Date
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Description
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Raytown, MO
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5/15/16
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James Fuller Ordination
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Higginsville, MO
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5/16/16
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WA CoM Meeting
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Washington, MO
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5/17/16
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St. Peter's UCC Meeting
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Columbia, MO
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5/21/16
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Search & Call Steward Training
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5/23/16
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Community of Practice
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5/30/15
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Office Closed;Memorial Day
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California, MO
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6/5/16
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150th Anniversary California UCC
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Columbia, MO
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6/8-11/16
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Conference Annual Gathering
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2016 Conference Annual Gathering, REGISTER!
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Registration for the Conference Annual Gathering is NOW OPEN!
Our 2016 theme is
"Gathering at Our Table...For Such a Time as This 3.0!"
Date: Thursday, June 9 - Saturday, June 11, 2016 Location: The Holiday Inn Executive Center, Columbia MOThe 2016 CAG schedule is now available here. Please use the below form to register for the event, which may be completed on your computer:  CAG REGISTRATION FORM (Word) If you prefer to fill out your registration by hand, please use the below form to print and complete: As in year's past, we are offering several registration options with various pricing for your convenience. Everyone attending CAG must register through the MMS Conference office. To pay for your CAG registration online with a credit card, please visit our secure website partner - Vanco Services. This same link may also be found on the homepage of our Conference website. Click the link in the upper right hand corner - "Click here to Donate or Register for an Event." To make your hotel reservation at the Holiday Inn Executive Center, please click here. This link is preset with the discounted group code of CJ6 (don't change or remove) and hotel rate of $102.95 per night during CAG. If you use another website or link to make your reservation, the discounted price cannot be guaranteed. If you wish to call the hotel to make your reservation, please use their local number 573-445-8531, and mention UCC. If you use a toll-free number for the hotel, the discounted rate cannot be guaranteed. The registration deadline is Wednesday, June 1st! Please be respectful of this date as meal counts need to be shared with the Holiday Inn. Registrations received June 2 or later will be charged a late fee, as stated on the form. All of the above information may also be found on the 2016 Conference Annual Gathering website page of our Conference website.See the Clergy of Color event details here.
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Special Music for Ginny's Installation Service
In preparation for our installation service, Ginny asked the Rev. Dale Peterson, her childhood Music Minister (who is a prolific composer) to choose one of his anthems to be sung at Ginny's installation service. He chose, "No Hands, But Yours," adapted from the words of Teresa of Avila. Paul Westcott will practice this anthem with the CAG choir. If any choirs would like to practice before then, please contact Kris Scott for a copy of the anthem.
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If you are interested in attending the event as a table vendor, please use the following forms, or contact Renee Cordes: Letter of invitationRegistration formWe look forward to gathering together in Columbia, MO this June!
Printable flyer to share at your church or at your upcoming Association meetings.
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The Rev. Dr. Ginny Brown Daniel Installation
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Strengthen the Church Offering, May 15
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Strengthen The Church (STC) is a special mission offering to reimagine and build the future of the UCC. Shared at the conference and national levels, STC largely supports youth ministries and full-time leaders for new churches in parts of the country where the UCC voice has not been heard. 
As God calls our congregations to be the "church" in new ways, your generosity will plant new churches, awaken new ideas in existing churches and develop the spiritual life in our youth and young adults. STC funds will also be used to award grants to help congregations communicate the "God is still speaking," message. Most congregations will receive the STC offering on Pentecost Sunday, May 15, 2016
Promotional items for the 2016 offering
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California UCC - 150th Anniversary
| On Sunday, June 5, California UCC will celebrate their 150th anniversary. The  celebration will include special guests and a dinner after morning worship. Rev. Andrew Lovins is pastor at California UCC. Please join them in celebrating this wonderful occasion!
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Global Ministries Missionary in KC
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Elena Huegel, Global Ministries missionary, spoke at Country Club Congregational United Church of Christ in Kansas City about her twenty years as a Global Ministries partner in Chile. During those two decades, she was instrumental in founding the Shalom Center, where church and community folks could gather. During this time, a tsunami struck the coast of Chile. Shalom Center played a key role in providing traumatic stress counseling for those affected by the tsunami.
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|  April was been a busy month for Heifer International Mid-MO volunteers! Find out in the newsletter how the Heifer mission has been shared with community members from Columbia and with FFA members from all around Missouri!
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Change of Heart for Death Penalty in MO
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Below is an article reprinted with permission from the Catholic Missourian. It coincides with the Justice and Witness/MMS Conference sponsored event in March featuring Jeanne Bishop and the death penalty presentations. It is an informatiive follow-up to last year's CAG resolution.
A 16-year-old held Jeanne Bishop's sister Nancy and her husband Richard at gunpoint and then murdered them and their pre-born baby. Illinois had a law against executing people for crimes committed as a minor, so the killer was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Twenty-three years later, Ms. Bishop wrote to him to let him know that she had forgiven him. He replied with a 15-page letter, confessing the crime, apologizing and expressing his profound remorse. "I was able to go and visit him in prison and hear him pour out his shame, his remorse," she said. "It was deeply healing for me to hear about my sister's last moments and to have answers to questions that I had had for so long." She also got to tell him face-to-face about the affect the murders had on her family and on Nancy and Richard's friends, neighbors and coworkers. "That was the best justice I could achieve, continue article.
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International Emergency Relief Fund
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UCC Disaster Ministries authorized a $15,000 grant to support the work of our ACT Alliance partners in Ecuador. This is in addition to the $2,500 grant that was sent to FEDICE, a Global Ministries partner, for early response work. Our partners are engaged in early recovery work such as food distribution, WASH (Water, Sanitation, Hygiene), NFI (non-food items), shelter and community based psycho-social support. 
Giving to support our response to the Ecuador and/or Japan Earthquakes should be directed towards the International Emergency Relief Fund, please see below.
Natural and Human-Caused Disasters affect millions of people worldwide every year. Millions of others are forcibly displaced either within or beyond their national borders. UCC Disaster Ministries and UCC Refugee Ministries are well positioned to respond in most parts of the world through our longstanding partnerships and connections. Donations to the International Emergency Relief Fund enable the United Church of Christ to support refugee emergencies as well as disaster relief efforts, long-term rehabilitation, advocacy and sustainability efforts.
If you prefer to donate by mail, make checks payable to International Emergency Relief Fund. Mail to: United Church of Christ c/o Financial Services office, 700 Prospect Ave., Cleveland OH 44115
Undesignated giving allows the United Church of Christ to respond where resources are needed most but if you prefer to designate your gift you may do so by noting the disaster or refugee emergency in the designated box on the online form or in the memo line of the check. Donate online.
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2016 National Youth Event Transportation
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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:
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Annual Clergy Information Review Forms
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On Friday, April 15th, the annual Information Review 2015 forms were sent to all authorized clergy within our Conference. The majority received the form via email, which can easily be completed on your computer. For those without an active email address, the  form was mailed to your home/church. This annual form is required for all clergy, both active and retired, in order to maintain your standing within the Missouri Mid-South Conference UCC.
You may also find your respective Association form below:
Eastern Association IR form
St. Louis Association IR form
Western Association IR form
The Minister Codes for your review:
Ordained
Licensed
Commissioned
As you are aware, "All Authorized Ministers are expected to participate in....Information Reviews in order to maintain their authorization" (United Church of Christ Manual on Ministry, Section 8, page 9). This instrument is a means for ministers to not only participate in the Information Review process, but to update your personal contact information, and to remain in touch with each of you.
If you have any questions regarding the form or code, please contact your Committee on Ministry. Your annual Information Review form is due to our Conference office by Monday, May 16, 2016.
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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.
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Ordination of James Fuller, Jr.
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Installation of
the Rev. Lisa Martin
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Camp MoVal Event -
Youth Leaders Turn Youth
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Every Child's Hope
Luncheon & Bake Sale
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