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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I bring you greetings from First Congregational, UCC, in Webster Groves, where I met with the St. Louis Committee on Ministry: Preparation. All of our sanctuaries provide beautiful space to open ourselves to God's presence moving us in our lives. Last week I introduced our new Conference Ministry Theme, "Living Our Change!" The Missouri Mid-South Conference is Living Our Change. But what is that change? How do we live our change as a conference?
The first step we make toward change is prayer. We must open ourselves to God's presence among us by asking ourselves the following 2 questions:
1. Who is God calling the Missouri Mid-South Conference to be?
2. What changes do we need to make in order to live into who God is calling us to be?
I believe that we, as a conference, must be in a spirit of prayer together to open ourselves to God's spirit making room for our healthy and necessary change. For the month of September, I invite all of us to lift up these 2 questions in our prayers with God. For some of us, this prayer energy is verbal and in the context of a worship service. Wonderful! For others of us, prayer energy is experienced walking, riding a bike, or gardening. Great! Wherever you go to experience the sanctuary of God's presence, I invite you to lift up the Missouri Mid-South Conference in your prayer energy with the 2 questions: Who is God calling the Missouri Mid-South Conference to be and what changes need to be made in order to live into who God is calling us to be.
Now I caution all of us from praying with the need to have solutions to our questions when we immediately say Amen. That's not how I understand prayer energy. Prayer is our ability to open ourselves to the divine like a flower opening to the morning sun. It is in our collective opening that God's wisdom, creativity, and vision will come to us in exciting ways! Thank you for your willingness to hold the Missouri Mid-South Conference in your prayer energy! I look forward to Living our Change as we open ourselves to God's creative energy throughout this exciting and dynamic conference!
Blessings, Ginny
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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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9/2
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Out/Ginny's Sabbath Day
| Little Rock, AR
| 9/4
| Worship at Faith UCC
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| 9/5
| Labor Day; Conference Holiday
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Houston, TX
| 9/6-7
| Work from Houston
| Cleveland, OH
| 9/8
| UCC Task Force
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| 9/9
| Out/Sabbath Day
| Columbia, MO
| 9/10
| Columbia UCC, Conference Annual Planning Event (CAPE)
| Springfield, MO
| 9/11
| Preach at St. Johns Chapel UCC
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| 9/16
| Out/Sabbath Day
| Maryland
| 9/17
| Memorial Service for the Rev. Dr. John Deckenback
| Lebanon, MO
| 9/18
| Worship at First Congregational UCC
| Osage Beach, MO
| 9/19-9/21
| Persons in Ministry Retreat
| St. Louis, MO
| 9/22
| 20-30 Clergy Chat
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| 9/23
| Out/Sabbath Day
| Chesterfield, MO
Jackson, MO
| 9/24
| St. Johns UCC, St. Louis Assn. Fall Meeting
Emanuel UCC, Eastern Assn. Fall Meeting
| Chamois, MO
| 9/25
| Worship at St. Johns UCC
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9/26-9/28
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Continuing Education
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Houston, TX
| 9/29 |
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| 9/30
| Out/Sabbath Day
| Houston, TX
| 10/1
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Tyler's Schedule
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Location
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Date
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Description
| St. Louis, MO
| 9/2
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Webster Groves, MO
| 9/4
| Worship at Peace UCC
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| 9/5
| Labor Day; Conference Holiday
| Webster Groves, MO
| 9/6
| Eden Seminary Opening Convocation
| Webster Groves, MO
| 9/9
| Eden Seminary Boundary Training
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Columbia, MO
| 9/10
| Columbia UCC, Conference Annual Planning Event
| Higginsville, MO
| 9/11
| Worship at Salem UCC
| Blue Springs, MO
| 9/13
| Blue Springs Terrace Board Meeting
| Columbia, MO
| 9/15
| Columbia UCC, Boundary Training Planning Team
| St. Louis, MO
| 9/18
| Worship/preach at Pilgrim UCC
| Osage Beach, MO
| 9/19-9/21
| Persons in Ministry Retreat
| Levasy, MO
| 9/22
| Lafayette Area Women's Fellowship
| Chesterfield, MO
| 9/24
| St. Johns UCC, St. Louis Assn. Fall Meeting
| Higginsville, MO
| 9/25
| CROP Walk
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Raytown, MO
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9/29
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Southwood UCC Boundary Training
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Conference Annual Planning Event (CAPE)
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September 10
10am-3pm
Columbia UCC
If you have ideas that you feel would make a difference in the  collective work God is calling our Conference to do, then please plan on attending the second Conference Annual Planning Event (CAPE).
ALL MEMBERS AND CHURCHES IN THE MISSOURI MID-SOUTH CONFERENCE ARE INVITED - YOU ARE NEEDED AND ENCOURAGED TO ATTEND.
Still undecided on whether you should attend CAPE or not? Please finish this sentence: "I wish our Conference would ______________." If you were able to complete the sentence with an idea or thought (positive or negative) you need to be at the event on 9/10. We truly want to hear from you, and this is your chance to make a difference.
THIS IS YOUR OPPORTUNITY TO:
- TAKE ACTION
- JOIN THE CONVERSATION
- BE PART OF THE PLAN
- LISTEN TO NEW IDEAS
- HAVE YOUR VOICE HEARD
- MAKE THINGS HAPPEN
- ESTABLISH OUR FUTURE
WILL YOU SHOW UP AND STAND UP FOR YOUR CONFERENCE?
We will be determining our priorities for the upcoming year and deciding how we move forward with the Strategic Plan Implementation Team's recommendations utilizing the Five Mission Imperatives. WE HOPE YOU WILL ATTEND - YOU ARE THE CONFERENCE!
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20-30 Clergy WebVideo Chat with Ginny
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Thursday, September 22
Noon-1:00 pm
On Thursday, September 22 at noon Ginny will host a noontime WebVideo chat with all authorized ministers in their 20's and 30's to affirm, support, and  empower you in your call to ministry! This 20-30 Chat affirms the 5 Mission Imperatives of the Missouri Mid-South Conference: Cultivating and Nurturing Authentic Covenantal Relationships, Strengthening Congregations, Supporting Authorized Ministers in All Settings, Improving Communication, and Advancing a Mission of Advocacy for Peace and Justice. Watch for Webvideo information soon!
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World Communion Sunday, October 2, Neighbors in Need Special Offering
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Neighbors in Need (NIN) is a special mission offering of the UCC that supports ministries of justice and compassion throughout the United States. One-third of NIN funds support the Council for American Indian Ministry(CAIM). Two-thirds of the offering is used by the UCC's Justice and Witness Ministries(JWM) to support a variety of justice initiatives, advocacy efforts, and direct service projects through grants. Neighbors in Need grants are awarded to churches and organizations doing justice work in their communities. These grants fund projects whose work ranges from direct service to community organizing and advocacy to address systemic injustice. Funding is provided through donations to the Neighbors in Need offering.Most UCC congregations will receive the NIN offering on October 2, 2016 as part of their World Communion Sunday observance. however, some local churches select another date. NIN contributions can be made on-line at any time here.
The 2016 theme for NIN is "This we believe" and connects the issue of child hunger to the work that UCC congregations are doing to serve their community and address this injustice.
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White Privilege: Let's Talk
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White Privilege: Let's Talk-A Resource for Transformational Dialogue is an adult curriculum from the United Church of Christ that's designed to invite church members to engage in safe, meaningful, substantive, and bold conversations on race. Download CurriculumThis is a downloadable resource in PDF format that's free of charge and can be used by any church regardless of size or budget. Divided into four focused parts, each one introduces a different aspect of the dynamic of white privilege: 1. The Spiritual Autobiography Told Through the Lens of Race 2. Whiteness as the Norm: Five Loci of Insights on the Binary of Light/Dark and Black/White 3. The Cash Value of Whiteness or Whiteness as a Tax-Exempt Status 4. On Becoming an Ally In all four parts, each author contributes a different view of the subject matter presented based on their unique personal experiences. The materials include questions for discussion and reflection. Join the discussion.
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Advent Devotional from UCC Resources
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Not typical or tame-but inspiring just the same.
Wolves and Lambs: Advent 2016 Devotional from the Stillspeaking Writers' Group promises you an Advent journey that will challenge as well as enlighten.
See for yourself. Click here to preview. 
Begins Sunday, November 27 and ends on Christmas day, so you get a whole season of unique devotions, with titles such as:
Unexpected Advent
The Someones
Sweat, Mess, and Prep Cooks
Like a Box of Chocolates
and more
Will begin shipping September 23.
5-pack: $16.50 (plus shipping)
Single copy: $6.50 with FREE shipping
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LIFE at Eden Seminary
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September 16-17
Eden Seminary
The LIFE (Lifelong Learner Institute of Faith Exploration) program will kick off the new academic year with a weekend retreat to be held on Sept. 16-17 on the Eden Campus. The LIFE program welcomes laity and clergy seeking to explore their Christian faith. Participants spend Friday evening and Saturday on campus in fellowship with others, taking either a certificate or an elective course, worshiping and eating together.
The certificate course for the September retreat is NT Scriptural Studies with Rev. Dr. Deb Krause. This class will offer participants an introduct ion and overview of the New Testament. Deborah is Eden's Academic Dean and Professor of New Testament. Dean Krause's teaching and scholarship focus on methods of biblical interpretation and their roots in critical theory, theology and politics.
The elective class is Welcoming the LGBTQ Community to Your Church, taught by Dr. Jill Baker, adjunct professor at Eden. This class will provide an overview on formal and informal ways clergy and congregations can be welcoming to the LGBTQ community. The course will cover inclusive language, welcoming practices, and the scriptures known as the clobber passages.
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Seniors Count - And So Does Your Vote in November on Proposition S
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Proposition S focuses on the very serious need to increase local funding for senior services in St. Louis City, St. Louis County, and St. Charles County. Although 52 Missouri counties have passed a Senior Service Fund, the tax has never been proposed in the St. Louis Metropolitan area. A Senior Service Fund in these three jurisdictions would annually generate approximately $20 million for vital services. Revenue raised in each county remains in that county. 
On Tuesday, November 8, 2016, voters will have the opportunity to demonstrate their support to help provide for the growing needs of seniors in our region. Voters in St. Louis City, St. Louis County and St. Charles County will be asked to approve Proposition S, a senior services property tax ($.05 per $100 assessed valuation). Our organization, Seniors Count want you to be knowledgeable as your faith and advocacy directly improves lives of older adults. Our faith is the pillar of our organization, and with your help, we will have the opportunity to extend services to those in need for years to come.
Please inform your congregation of this effort. Speakers are available from Seniors Count who could come to any gathering to discuss this effort and its benefit to seniors in our community by contacting Jamie Opsal at Jopsal@seniorscountstl.com or call her at 314-412-1914.
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31st General Synod 2017 - "Make Glad!"
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Only 300 more days until the 31st General Synod of the United Church of Christ will "make glad" the holy places where God dwells.  The theme of the 2017 biennial gathering, "Make Glad," will invite the denomination to re-energize discipleship in service of God's work. General Synod 2017 takes place June 30 through July 4 in downtown Baltimore.
The scriptural inspiration for the theme comes from Psalm 46:4, which reads, "There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy place where the Most High dwells."
"The water theme is an illusion to baptism, so maybe this gives us a chance to re-experience our discipleship in expanded ways we haven't been called," said the Rev. Sue Artt, moderator for the upcoming General Synod. "Water is a universal agent of healing, cleansing and renewal. It's essential for life, and we anticipate this Synod to be a renewal of how we embrace the future for our church and also our shared culture." To keep current on all things General Synod 2017, check out the UCC website. Here you may also find information from the 30th General Synod 2015.
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Calling all Volunteers - MoVal Needs YOU
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As you all know, Camp MoVal relies heavily on volunteer help and program staff to supplement its programming in the off camp season. Well, it is that time of year again - we need YOU. Here's a list of staffing and volunteer needs for the fall operation of Camp MoVal. If you are interested or can be of service on any of the dates, please contact us at MoVal and we can discuss details. Email moval@mmsucc.org or call 636-583-2730.  It is also important for us to put together a volunteer team if MoVal-oween is going to happen this year. We need a group of 5-10 people to plan and execute the event. It will take 25-30 volunteers for the actual event to have enough coverage. Marci and I will be able to assist the planning group, but we need more hands to make this event happen. Please let us know if you are interested in helping by September 2 with MoVa-loween.
Thank you for your continued support of Camp MoVal and Outdoor Ministry,
Jeremy Force
Camp MoVal Outdoor Ministries Director
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One Year In: A Retrospective Report
from the General Minister and President
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As we are approaching my one-year anniversary, I want to take a moment to share with you a bit of my journey these last 12 months.  It has been a very rewarding year for me, personally. I have had the unique pleasure to travel the breadth and width of this beloved Church. I get to see us at our best - and I have to tell you, our best makes me pretty damn proud. Far from being unified in thought, we are nonetheless one in a commitment to the proclamation of a gospel that changes lives. Seeing this first hand every week is a true joy. I was at Ascension UCC in Norristown PA when they raised their first Pride Flag as they celebrated the 5th anniversary of the ONA vote. I was in Hillsborough NC after they had their Pride Flags stolen and they put up new ones, with over 40 in reserve in case they needed them. Continue report.
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Mt. Tabor UCC, St. Louis - Embracing Change
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Good News from Mount Tabor UCC! Mount Tabor United Church of Christ in south St. Louis city is pleased to announce our new direction of faithful ministry! Effective August 23, 2016, we have closed on the sale of our building and property at 6520 Arsenal St., and have moved to a new space and time in the life of our congregation which allows greater focus of our financial resources to being the Church. We welcome St. Michael's Church of Universal Peace to the property and neighborhood, and give thanks to Rev. Gene Bartell, a UCC clergy colleague whose connections as former Director of Neighborhood Houses here in St. Louis brought the potential buyer into conversation with us. Relationship makes the difference, and our wider UCC covenantal relationships matter in particular! Full press release.
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L-R, Greg Stevenson, Elizabeth "Libby" Crofts, Bishop Wilfert Lee, Herschel West, Bert Nollmann, Janice McCoy, Rev. Carole Barner, and Bishop Michael West.
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Border Convergence Event with John Dorhauer
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October 7-10, 2016
with the Southwest Conference
You are invited to join the Southwest Conference, Oct. 7-10, 2016 in Nogales, AZ/Sonora, Mexico for Border Convergence. This partnership event between the Southwest Conference UCC, School of the Americas Watch, and the UCC national setting will call for the demilitarization of border communities, call out immigration policy injustice, and imagine a future that builds bridges not walls. A flier about the event for you to share with your congregations is attached. The schedule on Saturday, Oct. 8 includes a UCC gathering in the morning and an interfaith prayer vigil that evening; John Dorhauer will be with us that day.
We are calling on all settings of the UCC who are unable to travel to the border to send a cross (2'x1') of witness, support and remembrance. We will deliver the crosses to the wall as part of the UCC actions at the event. Crosses have already begun arriving at our office.
Thank you for promoting this important justice action among your congregations!
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An Educational Experience in Memphis
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Two groups of young people travelled to Memphis, Tennessee, this summer where they learned about critical moments in American history at the Civil Rights Museum and explored the values of higher education on the campus of Lemoyne Owen College. The visit was sponsored by Neighborhood Houses, the UCC's  educational, social and cultural ministry to children, youth and families in the St Louis metropolitan area. The St Louis Association of the Missouri Conference provided financial support for the trips. The first group to visit Memphis rose early in the morning to board a bus at Christ the King Church for the journey. The trip was an educational field trip for the Neighborhood Houses activity programs held in several UCC churches this summer. The group had a full day, and returned very sleepy in the late evening. The young men of " Magnificent Creations" were the second group to make the trip this year, this time staying overnight in the new student dormitory at Lemoyne Owen and receiving a guided tour of the campus and an orientation to the purposes and history of the school. Continue article/photos.
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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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2016-17 Worship & Preach Schedule for Ginny
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Weekly Podcast by the Rev. John Dorhauer
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Persons in Ministry Retreat Event
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MMSUCC Fall Association Meetings
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Rev. Tyler Connoley at Zion UCC in St. Joseph
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Evangelical and Reformed Historical Society Event
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African American Women in Ministry Event
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