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 shares homemade banana nut bread made by a member of Zion, UCC, in Florissant. Ginny celebrates that one of the perks of being a Conference Minister is receiving yummy homemade food from churches. But even more nourishing than the food are the conversations Ginny has been having with church members. Sometimes the conversations are joyful and other times the conversations are tense and wounded. At one church, Ginny had a conversation around food where members shared honestly with Ginny. One person said, "I came home from a church meeting and asked my spouse, 'What has the UCC done for me lately?'"
Ginny was aware that there was a deep yearning to this question and thus restrained herself from responding with a list of what the UCC does for the local church. After a few minutes of digging deeper with the member, Ginny asked, "So tell me -- What have you/your church done for the Missouri Mid-South Conference/UCC lately?
Ginny didn't ask this in a defensive tone, but instead with the same yearning that the member asked the question of the UCC. Underneath both questions is a yearning to be in relationship. The fact that the member was even wiling to ask the question rather than disconnect from the UCC like area churches have in the past 20 years, is a sign that this relationship between church and UCC is important.
Last year, the Missouri Mid-South Conference's Vision Report identified 5 Mission Imperatives. The above story aptly describes the first Mission Imperative: Cultivating and Nurturing Authentic Relationships.
This Mission Imperative is made radical because the relationships are described as "Authentic." This means that we have to be able to disagree with one another; we have to be able to name our skepticism with one another; we have to ask the hard questions because we yearn to be connected to one another.
How are we cultivating authentic relationships among churches and the Missouri Mid-South Conference? How are we able to name the places where we disagree with one another in relationship with one another?
If we celebrate the fact that we are a diverse denomination, than we must acknowledge and celebrate the fact that we will not always agree with one another as the Missouri Mid-South Conference. And if we truly are authentic in our relationships together, we must trust each other to share where we are and how that might differ from our fellow churches, conference, and denomination.
The reality is that if we can't do it with one another as church and UCC, how do we think we will be able to do it in the deeply wounded places in our towns and nation.
How are you cultivating and nurturing authentic relationships? Pass the banana nut bread and let's continue cultivating and nurturing authentic relationships together. Amen!
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Ginny's Schedule
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Location
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Date
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Description
| Memphis, TN
| 7/24/16
| Worship at First Congregational UCC
Covenanting Service for Angela Moore
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Orlando, FL
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7/26-29/16
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National Youth Event
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7/30-31/16
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Ginny Vacation
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Kansas City, MO
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8/2-3/16
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Visits in KC
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8/5/16
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Out/Ginny's Sabbath Day
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Houston, TX
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8/6-7/16
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Work from Houston
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Atlanta, GA
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8/9-11/16
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National Church Leadership Initiative 2016 Conference
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| 8/12/16
| Out/Ginny's Sabbath Day
| St. Louis, MO
| 8/14/16
| Worship at Mt. Tabor UCC
Ordination Service for Guangyou Lou at Samuel UCC
| Columbia, MO
| 8/15/16
| UCC/Disciples of Christ Regional Staff Mtg.
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| 8/19/16
| Out/Ginny's Sabbath Day
| St. Louis, MO
St. Clair, MO
| 8/20/16
| Preach/Worship at Parkway UCC
Installation Service for Rev. Laura Mignerone at St. John UCC
| Houston, TX
| 8/22-24/16
| Work from Houston
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| 8/25/16
| Out/Ginny's Sabbath Day
| Union, MO
| 8/26-27/16
| Conference Council Leadership Retreat
| Kansas City, MO
| 8/28/16
| Worship at Country Club Congregational UCC
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Ginny will be on vacation Saturday, July 30 and Sunday, July 31.
If you need ministerial support or assistance, please contact Rev. Tyler Connoley - 575-956-3316 or tyler@mmsucc.org. For other inquiries, please contact Renee Cordes at the Conference office - 314-918-2602 or renee@mmsucc.org. Ginny will respond to emails and phone messages upon her return to the office, Monday, August 1. Thank you.
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Tyler's Schedule
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Location
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Date
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Description
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Union, MO
| 7/22/16
| Visit with MoVal Staff
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Florissant, MO
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7/24/16
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Service of Release for Rev. Phiwa Langeni
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7/24 pm to 7/25/16 am
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Out, Tyler's Sabbath Day
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| 7/25/16
| Lafayette Cluster Meeting
| Salem, MO
| 7/27/16
| Visit Shannondale Native Craft Workshop
| Kansas City, MO
| 7/28/16
| Anniversary of Ryan Stokes Shooting Death
| Kansas City, MO
Blue Springs, MO
| 7/31/16
| Preach/Worship at Bethel UCC
Blue Springs Terrace Building 305 Dedication
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8/1/16
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Out/Tyler's Sabbath Day
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Troy, MO
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8/7/16
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Worship at Zion UCC
| Columbia, MO
| 8/9/16
| Central Cluster Meeting
| Mt. Vernon, MO
Springfield, MO
| 8/14/16
| Worship at Zion UCC
Dedication of Building Project at St. John's Chapel
| Columbia, MO
| 8/15/16
| UCC/Disciples of Christ Regional Staff Mtg
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Springfield, MO
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8/18/16
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Boundary Training
Ozark Cluster Meeting
| Kansas City, MO
| 8/20/16
| Hands Around the World Mission Festival
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UCC Mourns Death of The Rev. John Deckenback
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Written by Connie Larkman
The United Church of Christ is grieving the loss of one of its greatest  champions. The Rev. John Deckenback, spiritual leader, tireless advocate for justice and peace, and long-time Conference Minister of the Central Atlantic Conference UCC died suddenly Tuesday evening, July 19. He was found unresponsive at his desk at the conference office and attempts to revive him were unsuccessful.
"John Deckenback was a hero to me," said the Rev. John Dorhauer, United Church of Christ general minister and president. "He was the first conference minister I got to know at a personal level. He took me under his wings and showed me what real presence, real passion, and real advocacy looked like. He met every challenge with the same force, the same intellectual rigor, the same tenacity. He laughed long and loud, and loved deeply. He was a champion of the poor, the marginalized, the disenfranchised. He was the foe of the oppressor, the empire, and any power that lorded itself over others. He let you know when he disagreed with you, and asked you do the same to him."
Deckenback, who served for 24 years as the conference minister of the Central Atlantic Conference (CAC), with 180 churches located in portions of New Jersey, Maryland, Delaware, Virginia, West Virginia and Washington D.C., was also a tireless advocate for justice: in Baltimore, in the United States, in Israel-Palestine, in Colombia and in South Africa.
"John has been conference minister in the CAC just a little longer than I have been senior minister at Plymouth Congregational UCC," said the Rev. Graylan Hagler. "John was a minister's minister, building deep bonds with us in the local church, and helping to make us feel connected to the conference and the national setting of the church. His work informed us all - from challenging racism at home, to lifting of the issues of Palestinians and the occupation, to remaining in solidarity and relationship with the people of South Africa. He just returned from South Africa and reported on the South African United Church embracing the BDS movement. John leaves a big hole in the UCC locally, regionally, nationally and internationally. He is already missed." Continue article.
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Persons In Ministry (PIM) Retreat - Register Now
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September 19-21, 2016
The Inn at Grand Glaize, Osage Beach, MO 
Many Paths, One Mountain
The World's Religions: Primary Perspectives and a Closer Look
Local church pastors, retired clergy, chaplains, youth ministers/directors, Christian educators, and music directors are all invited to this year's PIM! Our journey will begin with an overview that groups religions into three families with similar traits and vastly different ways of approaching the central questions of faith. Then we will spend time exploring Islam, Daoism and Hinduism in more detail. How can we better understand our neighbors? How can really seeing them help us better understand ourselves and our own faith?
Our presenter will be Brian Carwana, Director of the Encounter World Religions Centre in Toronto. His presentation comes highly recommended by our clergy colleagues, Michael Stephens and Karen Aitkens. Enjoy time for fellowship, rest, and renewal, as well. Spouses/partners are welcome!
The cost of registration is $125 until 9/8/16; $135 after that date. Registration is now OPEN. 2016 PIM brochure. All hotel reservations must be made directly with The Inn at Grand Glaize by calling 800-348-4731 or visit their website. Be sure to use the code MMS16 when making your reservation to receive the discounted price of $89 per night for a king bed or $99 per night for two double beds, plus tax.
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UCC Leaders: Peace Must Begin with Us
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Leadership of the United Church of Christ "distressed and haunted by the words of a man who shot and killed these officers" today released a pastoral letter after the second incident in just over a week where law enforcement officers in this country were targeted, shot and killed by a gunman. The pastoral letter from the UCC National Officers and Council of Conference Ministers follows the Sunday morning, July 17, ambush in Baton Rouge La., which left three officers dead and three others wounded. Along with prayer for the victims and their families, UCC leaders are urging clergy across the church to form community partnerships to end the violence, "that promote meaningful dialogue between law enforcement officers and citizen's rights leaders calling for oversight and accountability when another black body is slain. We must seek to find a way to build peaceful pathways in resolving tensions and conflict to give hope to communities who live on the margins. Without that, a cynicism will prevail that leads someone to say that only blood and revenue will matter."
 Here is the complete text of the letter:
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National Youth Event
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This Sunday, please lift up in prayer all of those traveling to the National Youth Event in Florida. Our MMS Conference wishes you all a wonderful, spiritual and exciting adventure next week! God bless. 
This PowerPoint presentation was created by Gina Pona for First Congregational Church UCC in Webster Groves, but please feel free to share it with your congregation as well. If you are not able to open the above, here is a pdf.
NYE dates: July 25-31, 2016
July 25th (Monday travel day) 26-29th (NYE), 30th fun day, 31th (Sunday a travel day)
Coronado Springs Resort, Lake Buena Vista
1000 West Buena Vista Drive Lake
Buena Vista/Orlando, Florida 32830-8403
Please contact me if you have any questions, concerns or suggestions,
Gina Pona
c: (314)650.3571
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2016 UCC Habitat Build
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In our 21st year with more than 24 houses built and over a million dollars donated, our St. Louis area UCC churches are about to begin still another partnership build with Habitat for Humanity.
On August 6 and 13, Church Coordinators and friends will complete demolition of a basement area in preparation for a complete rehab of a house on Norwich in the Riverview Garden's area. Over the course of the next three months, about 24 individual churches,  sometimes in pairs, will be sending Saturday volunteers to work alongside of the future homeowners to make dreams come true. It's exciting to watch first-class affordable housing make dreams come true for families who have often never had a chance to own their own home.
If you have never participated in our UCC Build, contact your local church leaders or speak with Bob Steen or Keith Karau about the possibility of working. You could get a taste for Habitat by working with the demolition crews on August 6 and 13. If you cannot work but would like to make a gift, your check may be sent to Dale Drape at Samuel UCC, 320 N. Forsyth Blvd., Clayton, MO 63105. Please make your check payable to UCC Habitat Build.
We change the world in small ways and with little steps as we work alongside of Christ. God still has need of a few carpenters and a lot of others to help. Workers must be 16 years of age to help (18 is using power tools). We hope you are able to help in some way to continue this wonderful effort.
-submitted by Rev. Keith Karau
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Shannondale's Success with Carbon Credits
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Seven years ago Shannondale Minister Jeff Fulk was full of desperate prayers. His rural mission in north Shannon County had a proud history, but was teetering on the edge of ruin. Although its tree farm had stood since 1949, its future was in question due to the tough times created by the Great Recession.
"After the economic downturn hit in 2008, donations went down for not  only us but for our entire conference, the Missouri Mid-South Conference of the United Church of Christ," Fulk says. "There was serious talk of Shannondale being sold like many other outdoor ministries. I remember sitting up here one day and praying 'God I need a miracle, I need you to tell me what we are going to do.'"
Fulk says his plea was answered three days later in the form of a forester with the L-A-D Foundation who told him about a new innovation, carbon offset credits.
"I'd never heard about any such thing before. At first I was thinking what's the catch, this sounds too good to be true," Fulk says. "But now, after a lot of hard work getting through red tape, we are remodeling our chapel and making other emergency repairs thanks to our conference receiving $900,000 by selling carbon credits, while still having some in the bank... This program has really been our savior.There's a good chance Shannondale would not be here today if it weren't for the carbon offset program."
Continue storyCourtesy of the SalemNewsonline.com
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Communications Consultant Position
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The Missouri Mid-South Conference, upon recommendation of the Communications Covenanted Ministry of the Missouri Mid-South Conference, is soliciting candidates for a part time Communications Consultant. This Consultant would work with the  Communications Covenanted Ministry to develop an infrastructure for communications in the Missouri Mid-South Conference, including but not limited to digital media and social networking. This Consultant would report directly to the Conference Minister of the Missouri Mid-South Conference.
The focus of this position is to plan, develop and produce a variety of materials and publications including print, visual, web-based, multimedia and video materials to convey information about the Missouri Mid-South Conference to a variety of stakeholders. This consultant would help to further develop and enhance the Missouri Mid-South Conference's internet and social media accounts. This Consultant would coordinate with the Conference Minister and the Communications Covenanted Ministry to determine styles of communications and interactions for various stakeholders. This Consultant would conceptualize and implement, administer and monitor a variety of projects using images, graphics, layout, design and devices to disseminate information and materials. One aspect of the job will be to continually experiment with new efforts to increase ease of navigation for the user, maximizing usefulness of information and revising sites based on external and internal feedback. To apply, please email a cover letter, resume, salary requirements to
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A Message From the UCC Disabilites Ministry
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It has been a busy year for UCCDM and we won't let the heat of summer slow us down! Please let us know how you have been participating in our shared work of disability ministry in the UCC by sending your stories to chair@uccdm.org.
What is an Accessible Church?
What does it really mean for a church to be accessible? It is a question I hear a lot. Does accessible mean fully compliant with the ADA? Since church buildings are legally exempt from the ADA it is sometimes difficult to figure out what it means for a church to be accessible. To help create some understanding of what it means for a UCC church to be accessible, the UCCDM Board of Directors developed a "church building and program audit".
Accessibility audits are based on the ADA and provide benchmarks for buildings and or programs that foster inclusion. The UCCDM church building and program audit is designed to help you look at how accessible your congregation's activities may be. Completing a church audit can be a good place to start whether you are wondering how accessible your church is, what you should address in a remodel, or if you are wondering if you should really report your church as "accessible" in the UCC's annual survey of churches.
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Hands Around the World Mission Festival Even
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Learn about the behind-the-scenes, on-the-ground realities of mission.
Hear from three spokespeople who have or now reside in the Middle East. 
Dig deeper into the meaning of "mission" and what mission involvement means. Join with your friends in Christ to network and explore actions in our global communities around the world.
Seven missionaries will visit across four states in UCC and Disciples congregations, then gather in a host church near you for a day of discovery and learning about our Global Ministries.
You have the opportunity for a face-to-face discussion with people who have committed their lives to mission outside of the US, outside of their comfort zone, in challenging situations. Many of these are twenty-something years of age. They are all gifted workers and spokespeople for human rights, development and positive change in our world. Join us.
Saturday August 20, 9:30 - 3:00 pm
In St. Louis, Mid-state, Higginsville and
Colonial UCC Prairie Village KS
Who will your church send? Is this YOUR call to mission?
Or call the MMS Conference office 877.877.5884 or 314.918.2605,
Downloading Site:
Webster Groves Christian Church, or central MO TBD,
or Zion, Higginsville, MO
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Take the UCC Mission Statement Survey
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The leadership of the United Church of Christ is undertaking a process of developing a share d Purpose, Mission and Vision for the UCC, in order to clarify who we are and the work that we are called to do. We are asking for feedback from people across the life of the church on proposed Purpose, Mission and Vision statements. Your feedback to what is being proposed is critically important in this time of change! 
Some Important Details: This feedback gathering survey is designed to receive input from both individuals and groups. The questions are the same for both; but when inputting responses on behalf of a group, comments are more important than multiple-choice responses since those items are more appropriate specifically for individuals (though you are free to respond to these questions for the group). A Discussion Guide and Questions for groups can be found HERE.
Please print and use this guide in your conversations prior to completing the survey.
The survey should take about 10-20 minutes to complete.
Responses will help to inform the leadership's work around developing a shared Purpose, Mission and Vision for the denomination; so please share honestly and openly. Know that your feedback will be anonymous, meaning that you will not be asked to identify yourself or provide any personally identifying demographic information.
Feedback will be collected from June 20 to August 22, 2016. We will then carefully review responses and make any adjustments based on the feedback in order to present a final version at General Synod 2017. As noted above, materials for reviewing and engaging in group conversations can be found HERE. Thank you for participating in this process. Your feedback is critical to the future of United Church of Christ as a whole.
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Member In Discernment Event
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August 17-19, 2016
Cleveland, OH The Ministerial Excellence, Support and Authorization (MESA) Ministry Team of the United Church of Christ invites Members in Discernment (MIDs) to gather in the Church House in Cleveland, Ohio for networking, mutual support, sharing  resources and information, and inspiring worship. The Gathering is for anyone who is officially a MID with a local association for any form of authorized ministry - licensed, commissioned, and ordained. The purpose of the experience is to introduce MIDs within the UCC to the national setting of the Church and to build a foundation for vital relationships with lifelong partners in ministry. The event begins with worship in the Amistad Chapel at noon on Wednesday and concludes with lunch on Friday. The majority of the costs of this event are underwritten by contributions to the United Church of Christ. Individual MIDs and their Associations are asked to contribute $100 each (for a total of $200) toward the cost of the event.Since space is limited to 50 MIDs per year, an individual MID may only participate in this gathering once during their process of discernment.
Be watching the website (http://www.ucc.org/ministers_considering-ministry) for more information and for the Registration Link, which will be available in Spring 2016.
Questions? Please contact Rev. Kathy Clark, Minister for Members in Discernment at clarkk@ucc.org. Event flyer. |
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Rev. Dale Parson is on Sabbatical from July 1 to October 31, 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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In This Issue - 7/22/2016
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Ordination & Installation for Guangyou Lou
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2016-17 Worship & Preach Schedule for Ginny
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Weekly Podcast by the Rev. John Dorhauer
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MMSUCC Fall Association Meetings
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Neighborhood Houses
Job Fair
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Blue Springs Open House & Re-dedication Event
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National Church Leadership Initiative Event
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Evangelical and Reformed Historical Society Event
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African American Women in Ministry Event
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