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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
 

* Keith Lamont Scott
* Brentley Vinson
* Terence Crutcher
* Betty Shelby

These are the names of those who have been shot and killed by the police in Charlotte, North Carolina, and Tulsa, Oklahoma, as well as those police who have shot and killed these African American men. Each of these individuals was created in God's image to live with peace, hope, love, and possibility.

Many of us, upon hearing the stories and watching the videos of these recent police shootings of unarmed African American men - many of us are angry, frustrated, tired, scared, anxious, and wish this would just go away. These are seeds of hatred that have the potential to more anger, fear, pain, anxiousness, and denial. Our question as followers of Jesus is, "What do we do with our angry energy?"

As I sat with this question in my meditation this morning, I held with me the sages of wisdom from our past - because if we cannot learn from our history and her story, then we are doomed to repeat our mistakes over and over and over again. And so I turned to the Rev. Dr. Howard Thurman, who, from 1932-1944, was the first dean of the Rankin Chapel at Howard University, founded by the Congregationalist branch of the United Church of Christ.
I began my doctoral of ministry studies at Howard University and each week I would drive to Howard University and sit in the Rankin Chapel and learn about the ministry of Dr. Thurman. As Dr. Thurman processed his own anger from his experience of racist oppression, Dr. Thurman realized there was another way. In 1944 he founded the first interracial interdenominational church - Fellowship of Reconciliation - in San Francisco, California. It is from this place that Dr. Thurman wrote:

"Above and beyond all else it must be borne in mind that hatred tends to dry up the springs of creative thought in the life of the hater, so that one's resourcefulness becomes completely focused on the negative aspects of one's environment. The urgent needs of the personality for creative expression are starved to death. A person's horizon may become so completely dominated by the intense character of one's hatred that there remains no creative residue - in one's mind and spirit - to give to great ideas, to great concepts."

We have witnessed too many examples of hatred drying up the springs of creative thought in the life of those who hate another, those who are white and those who are African American. Rev. Dr. Thurman reminds us that it is only when we channel our hatred into creative energy - in mind and spirit - that true expressions of reconciliation occur.

As we are Living Our Change with the anger and anxiousness of unjust police shootings of unarmed African American men - what creative responses is the Holy Spirit inspiring us to imagine? In our rural, urban, and suburban churches in the Missouri Mid-South Conference - how do we take our energy from the recent shootings and channel them with creative peace?

Christ the King UCC in Florissant is hosting a Revival for Justice event next week with the Rev. William Barber, Rev. Dr. James Forbes, and Rev. Traci Blackmon. Many of our churches have put up Black Lives Matter signs in their front yards and on their church signs. Kirkwood, UCC, has had 10 Black Lives Matter signs stolen in the past year as they have held witness to the injustice of African American men and women experiencing discrimination.  And if you say - we live in a rural community - where our town is 90% white - there's nothing we can do, I would invite you to reconsider. Kristen Aardema Faigh, pastor of Zion, UCC, in Mayview, has begun a conversation with the African American pastor in Mayview about ways they can embody respect, relationship, and true dialogue with each other. Creative holy spirit in our cities, towns, and UCC churches.

We cannot let our anger, frustration, fear, and denial take root in our spirits because that energy will suffocate us. Instead we must follow the ways of Jesus and Dr. Thurman and open ourselves to the creative Holy Spirit naming the injustice of these police shootings, reaching out to those whose skin color is different than ours, inviting relationship, and developing interracial church, community, conversation, and relationships together. Only when we respond from God's Love rather than hatred and anger will we truly embody the Beloved Community.

Blessings, Ginny
Ginny's Schedule
Location 
Date 
Description 

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
Houston, TX
9/26-9/29
Continuing Education

9/30
Out/Sabbath Day
Houston, TX
10/1

St. Louis, MO
Owensville, MO
10/2
Worship at Grace UCC
CROP Walk
Speak at Gasconade County Bible Society Meeting

10/7
Out/Sabbath Day
Columbia, MO
10/8
Committee on Ministry Covenanted Ministry Meeting
Chesterfield, MO
10/9
Worship at Ivy Chapel UCC
Houston, TX
10/10-10/12
Work from Houston

10/14
Out/Sabbath Day

10/15
Conference Council Meeting
Cosby, MO
10/16
Worship at Hope UCC
St. Louis, MO
10/17
Worship/preach at St. Louis Assn. Women's Meeting

10/21
Out/Sabbath Day
Raytown, MO
10/22
Eastern Assn. Fall Meeting
Weldon Spring, MO
10/23
Worship at St. Johns UCC
Houston, TX
10/26-10/28
Work from Houston

10/29
Out/Sabbath Day
Deepwater, MO
10/30
Worship at Valley Center UCC
Tyler's Schedule
Location 
Date 
Description 

9/23
Out/Sabbath Day
Chesterfield, MO
9/24
St. Johns UCC, St. Louis Assn. Fall Meeting
Raytown, MO
9/25
Worship at Southwood UCC
Higginsville, MO
9/25
CROP Walk
Florissant, MO
9/27-9/28
Christ the King UCC Justice Revival
Raytown, MO
9/29
Southwood UCC Boundary Training and Global Ministries Round Table

9/30
Out/Sabbath Day
Springfield, MO
10/2
Worship/preach at St. Johns Chapel UCC, World Communion Sunday
Kansas City, MO
10/6-10/7
Empower Missouri with Justice & Witness Covenanted Ministry

10/7
Out/Sabbath Day
Dittmer, MO
10/9
Worship/preach at St. Martins UCC
Independence, MO
10/16
Preach/lead Workshop at St. Luke's UCC, ONA Kickoff
Webinar Opportunities for Interim Ministers 
 
One-hour webinars on the new Local Church Profile are available specifically for intentional interim ministers. If you are an interim minister within our Conference and wish to participate, please to RSVP to Malcolm Himschoot ([email protected]), MESA Minister for Ministerial Transitions, with your choice of the following dates:
  •        Weds, Oct. 12, 2:00 p.m. Eastern
  •        Thurs, Oct 13, 2:00 p.m. Eastern
  •        Fri, Oct 14, 10:00 a.m. Eastern
Authorizing Ministry for the 21st Century Event
 
The 2016 MESA (Ministerial Excellence, Support & Authorization) Authorizing Ministry in the 21st Century (AM21) gathering will be held in San Antonio, TX from November 30 to December 3. UCC logo

Registration is now open to all conference staff, seminary presidents, deans, regional theological education deans, national staff and affiliated ministry partners, and committee on ministry members (in conversation with their conference staff*). The focus of AM21 2016 will be on the materials developed by the Habakkuk Group toward a new Manual on Ministry, as well as new materials related to Search & Call in the United Church of Christ.

Registration, including hotel registration, is available online at http://events.uccpages.org/am21.html and closes on October 15. The event schedule is also located on the registration site.
 
Committee on Ministry members will especially want to note the availability of
FOUR REGIONAL MINI AM21's in 2017, which will offer condensed presentations from December's AM21 to all members of the United Church of Christ:
  • March 2-3, 2017: Manchester, New Hampshire
  • April 24-25, 2017: Chicago, Illinois  
  • September 21-22, 2017: Denver, Colorado
  • October 23-24, 2017: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Learn more about MESA here.   

National Voter Registration Day, September 27
 
For people of faith, the public arena we know as "politics" represents much more than the partisan politicking we see on the news. It is a means by which we live out the commandment to love our neighbor as ourselves.
In 2008, six million Americans didn't vote because they missed a registration deadline or didn't know how to register.

Through the Our Faith Our Vote campaign we are working to ensure that all the people in our pews are empowered to lift their voices this November. Will you commit to making sure that everyone in you congregation is registered and ready to vote?
Learn more:
Read more here about Our Faith, Our Vote.    
World Communion Sunday, October 2, Neighbors in Need Special Offering
 
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.

 
29th Annual Schmiechen Lectures at Eden 
 
Please join us for the 29th Annual Schmiechen Lectures on Eden's campus Wednesday, October 5. Dr. Robin Jensen, the Patrick O'Brien Professor of Theology at the University of Notre Dame, will share two lectures: "The Cross as Icon: The Emergence of the Cross in Early Christian Art" and "The Cross as the Tree of Life: Reimagining the Cross in Christian Tradition."
 
Dr. Jensen's teaching and research explores the intersections among Christian theology, liturgical practice, and material/visual culture. She is trained in both the history of art and the history of Christian doctrine and liturgy, having received her B.A. from Concordia College in Moorhead, Minnesota, her M.A. from Columbia University/Union Theological Seminary, and her Ph.D. from Columbia University in New York City.
The Schmiechen Lectures were inaugurated in 1988 by Marie Schmiechen in memory of her husband, Samuel John Schmiechen a member of Eden's class of 1932. Each fall the annual lectures provide an opportunity for a noted theologian, scholar, or clergy to address the Eden community regarding the cutting edge of his or her scholarship. In endowing this significant lectureship, Marie Schmiechen indicated her desire to hold in high esteem the importance of ministry and to provide recognition for the critical nature of the preparation of men and women for ministry.
 
The day begins with worship at 9:30 am in Wehrli Chapel followed by the morning lecture at 10:00 am. Lunch takes place at 11:30 am followed by the afternoon lecture at 1:00 pm. Lunch tickets may be purchased for the price of $7 in the Eden Bookstore.
 
All are welcome to attend! Register for the Schmiechen Lectures at this link: 
Introducing Rev. Nia Chandler 
 

The Missouri Mid-South Conference is pleased to introduce Rev. Nia Chandler, our new Communications Consultant!  We welcome Nia and the gifts she will bring to our organization. 

Consultant Rev. Nia Chandler has looked for innovative ways to be more efficient and effective in communications. With 20 years of experience in sales and marketing; visualizing and developing branding statements designed to capture the very essence and work of ministry partners, Nia goes beyond the development of communication plans, as she realizes individuals and ministry partners need support in not only identifying their brand, creating support materials, designing logos, and developing web-sites - which ultimately contributes to a comprehensive communications infrastructure and strategy.

"It is my goal to work with a forward thinking Missouri Mid-South Conference Minister, Communications Covenanted Ministry, and various stakeholders to ensure that every person who desires to receive communication about this growing MMS Conference, has access to the communication vehicle that is most suitable for the message, messenger, and receiver! With a heart for God and God's people - together we will get there! I look forward to advancing the work that God has called me to do for the Missouri Mid-South Conference!"  
Welcome aboard!  We look forward to Nia guiding us into a dynamic communications partnership with our lay people, ministers and congregations.   
Member in Discernment Gathering Reflection
 
- submitted by Bethany Meier, Western Association
Member of Country Club Congregational UCC, Kansas City  

Last month, I had the opportunity to attend the Member in Discernment Gathering at the national UCC headquarters in Cleveland, Ohio. Over the course of the three days, I learned more about both the United Church of Christ and the ordination process. I loved having the chance to explore the national offices, and to meet many of the people who do ministry there. We were blessed to hear Rev. Dr. Traci Blackmon shared an inspirational sermon about never losing the reason why we do ministry. General Minister and President Rev. John C. Dorhauer also spent some time with us, answering our questions and expressing his hopes for the future of the UCC.
The highlight of the gathering was the connections that I made while I was there.  It was incredible to be able to spend time networking and fellowshipping with other MIDs from across the country. The diversity present at the conference was inspiring. We represented a multiplicity of ages, races, genders, gender identities, and sexual orientations. We are chaplains, ministers, activists, and musicians. We are called to many different ways of doing ministry, but all of us are passionate about doing it within the United Church of Christ.













I am very thankful for the time I spent in Cleveland. It helped to clarify some the questions I have had about both the ordination process and the UCC.  Meeting other people who are on similar journeys gave me hope for the future of this beautiful faith tradition which we are all a part of. I look forward to continuing to foster these connections and grow within my relationship to the UCC as my MID journey continues!  
UCC Youth Video Contest
 
Calling All UCC Youth (Grades 9-12)!  Help Refugees - Win Scholarships - Share your Creativity!

ENTER the SYRIAN REFUGEE ACCOMPANIMENT VIDEO CONTEST

Show your awareness of the response to the Syrian refugee crisis and highlight your local community's plan of action for awareness-raising and welcoming.

Submit videos between October 1 and November 11, 2016. Three scholarships ($2,000, $1,000 and $500) will be awarded.

Your work will be shared on ucc.org during the month of December as part of the Our Stillspeaking Voice multimedia initiative.

More information and the submission form are on the video contest webpage: http://www.ucc.org/SyrianRefugeesVideoContest

Give a boost to the visibility of a UCC extravagant welcome.  Join other congregations in opening hearts and communities to refugees.  First Federated Church, North Jackson, OH and Sylvania UCC share their mission trip experience via video walking "Hand in Hand" with Syrian Refugees resettling in Toledo, OH.

Questions?  Contact Mary Schaller Blaufuss, UCC Global Sharing of Resources Team Leader, [email protected] or 216-736-3214.
 
National Church Leaders Institute Event Reflection
 
submitted by Rev. Scott Lohse,
Pastor at St. Martins, Dittmer, MO

Our Conference recently sent fifteen delegates (the largest group which was present) to the National Church Leaders Institute (NCLI) presented by the Center for Progressive Renewal in Atlanta, Georgia. Each month those who were in attendance are being asked to write a note to share something of value which we brought home with us (and we brought home plenty!). 

 One of the most quotable quotes, which I have been repeating a lot since I returned home from NCLI, was a lesson which Doug Pagitt (Pastor of Solomon's Porch and the presenter at our MMSUCC Vitality Day two years ago) taught. Doug said, "When we are talking about 'change' - change in the world, change in the Church, change in our own individual lives - we shouldn't begin by assuming that everyone dislikes change." Actually we really seem to like change. Why else would marketers spend so much energy telling us that everything they want us to purchase is 'NEW' and 'IMPROVED'?
 
What we don't like, and what we do tend to want to avoid, is loss - and 'change' always implies a loss of some type. For example the apostle Paul says in 2 Corinthians 5:17f - (and I like the way that the Message Bible translates the words) "...anyone united with the Messiah gets a fresh start, is created new. The old life is gone; a new life burgeons! Look at it!" Note the excitement of the 'burgeoning' (exclamation point)! But, don't miss the news that "the old life is gone."
Dale's Sabbatical 

Rev. Dale Parson is on Sabbatical from July 1 to October 31, 2016 
Contact Us
MMS Logo 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 - 9/23/2016
Ginny's Journeys
2016-17 Worship & Preach Schedule for Ginny
If you are interested in asking our Conference Minister, Ginny Brown Daniel, to visit your church to preach or worship with your congregation, please request dates for 2017 only.  Ginny's 2016 schedule is now fully booked.

To make arrangements, please contact Kris Scott in our Conference office at 314-918-2605 or email [email protected].

Weekly Podcast by the Rev. John Dorhauer


'Into the Mystic' is the Rev. John C. Dorhauer's weekly podcast on UCC.org. The United Church of Christ General Minister and President is creating these weekly messages so that "the art and practice of spiritual reflection is modeled as a priority and not just a part time avocation."

Listen to John's messages.

Boundary Training

Boundary Training is a requirement to maintain mini
sterial standing with our  associations of the Missouri Mid-South Conference and must be completed every three years. Typically, each association offers several Boundary Training opportunities per year. Please see dates below:

St. Louis Association:
  • Saturday, October 15, 2016 - Church of the Master - Florissant, MO.  Facilitators: Rev. Ann Wilson and Rev. Mark Robinson
  • Saturday, October 22, 2016- First Congregational UCC- Memphis, TN.  Facilitator: Rev. Joe Pfeiffer
Western Association:
  • Thursday, September 29, 2016 - Southwood UCC - Raytown, MO.  Facilitator(s): Rev. Jane Fisler-Hoffman
For further information on boundary training, please contact Kris in our Conference office 314-918-2605.    

MMSUCC Fall Association Meetings

Two fall Association meetings are TOMORROW: 

The Eastern Association Fall business meeting will be held on Saturday, September 24 and hosted by Emanuel UCC in Jackson, MO. 
11 am lunch and meeting 1-3 pm.  Please visit the EA page of the Conference website for further information and registration. 

The Fall Business Meeting of the St. Louis Association will be held on Saturday, September 24 beginning at approximately 9:00 a.m. at  St. John's United Church of Christ in Chesterfield, Missouri.  Please visit the SLA page of the Conference website for further information and registration. 

The Western Association Fall Gathering will be held on Saturday, October 22 from 10am to 3pm at Southwood UCC in Raytown, MO. 
Come experience and explore new ways to conduct worship. A variety of workshops will be presented after the morning worship service and will be repeated again after lunch
 
Registration begins at 9:30AM and the welcoming will be at 10:00AM followed immediately with the opening worship service.  Please visit the WA page of the Conference website for further information and registration.
CROP Hunger Walk
The 2016 CROP Hunger Walk will be September 25, held at Eden Theological Seminary, 475 E. Lockwood Ave., Webster Groves, MO  63119.  Registration/check-in will be at 12:30 pm, and step-off at 1:30 pm.  As in the past, we will have both a one-mile and a three-mile route through the lovely neighborhoods of northeastern Webster Groves.
 
Also, please check our website for updates:  www.crophungerwalk.org/stlouismo  and please see our Facebook page.  On Facebook, search "CROP Hunger Walk St Louis 2016" and please "like" the page to help us spread the word.
 
Church World Service, of which CROP is the division that addresses issues of hunger and poverty, both locally and throughout the world.    25% of funds raised stays in the St. Louis area to benefit many partners.
 
Questions?  Contact Clint McCann at 314-395-5826; or contact Jordan Bles, CROP's Community Engagement Specialist at [email protected]

Space and Place Event
Join us October 12-14 on the campus of Eden Seminary for the Walker Leadership Institute's inaugural Space and Place event, From Plant to Pivot. During our time together, you will hear from local congregational leaders and reflect on the ways our sacred spaces can serve to benefit and impact the community in strategic ways, and you will learn about churches both young and old that have broadened their ministry, planted a new ministry, or completely rebranded or pivoted their ministry to serve a specific need in the local community.

Registration is free, and all meals are provided.  Space is limited. Preference will be given to active clergy leaders.

Visit
for more information and to register.

African American Women in Ministry Event
  
"Sisters' Lives Matter: Facing the Fierce Urgency of Now!"
October 13-15, 2016
Franklin Center at Bricks, Whitakers, NC

Beginning in the early 1980s, with approximately 15 African American women, this gathering of the hearts, minds and souls of sisters first occurred in a Catholic retreat center located in the Brookland section of Washington, DC.

This network, African American Women in Ministry (AAWIM) focuses solely on UCC African American women in ministry. The purpose of AAWIM holds firm; that every African American woman would recognize who they are and where they are on this sacred journey. Our hope is that through this network, women will be moved to reach beyond the table, embrace one another and offer a warm welcome to their sisters in ministry.

Having come a long way from the initial gathering of women, AAWIM continues to move onward by faith.  Event flyerRegister on website.
Spirituality & Health Connection
DATE/TIME: Thursday, October 20, 2016 at 7:00 p.m.  Doors open at 6:30 p.m.

LOCATION: The Lodge Des Peres   
1050 Des Peres Rd

RSVP: Kristen Ratican
[email protected]  314-336-1081
This event is free, but reservations are required
Join this special presentation as Lisa Miller, Ph.D. presents the next BIG idea in psychology: THE SCIENCE AND POWER OF SPIRITUALITY. She explains the clear, scientific link between spirituality and health and shows that children who have a positive, active relationship to spirituality:
  • are 40% less likely to use and abuse substances
  • are 60% less likely to be depressed as teenagers
  • are 80% less likely to have dangerous or unprotected sex
  • Show an increased sense of meaning and purpose
Combining cutting-edge research with broad anecdotal evidence from her work as a clinical psychologist, Dr. Miller will illustrate just how invaluable spirituality is to mental and physical health.

Dr. Miller is Professor of Psychology and Education, Director of the Clinical Psychology Program at Columbia University Teachers College and is Founder of the Spirituality Mind Body Institute, the first Ivy League graduate program in spirituality and psychology. For more information on Dr. Miller, please visit www.lisamillerphd.com
 
This presentation is open to the public and designed for anyone interested in learning more about the spiritual connection to emotional well-being. There is no charge, but reservations are required. Be sure to make your reservation today!
Jazz for the Journey

November 3-5, 2016
Eden Theological Seminary
First Congregational UCC, Webster Groves

An exciting event exploring the power of jazz in the church's worship and ministry. Experience jazz worship, keynote addresses, workshops, creative jazz/spirit reflections, and more.  
 
For the second National Jazz Symposium! Featuring Keynote Presenter, The Rev. Geoffrey Black, Visiting Professor of Leadership and Ecumenical Studies at Eden Seminary. Geoffrey served as General Minister and President of the United Church of Christ from 2009-2015 after more than forty years of ministry in local and regional settings. Having a deep love for jazz, he often incorporates jazz into his expansive ministry. Geoffrey plays the bass and co-produced the first jazz symposium held in Cleveland three years ago.

For more information and to register visit www.eden.edu/jazzjourney 

For further information contact Cliff Aerie, symposium Producer, at  [email protected]. We look forward to seeing you in St. Louis - a great city for Jazz and Spirit!  
Employment Opportunities
Future eHappenings

The next eHappenings will be
shared on Friday, September 30. 
Please send your events and
items to advertise
to Kris by 9/28/16.
Quick Links
MMSUCC Conference Website
National UCC Website
Email Your Conference Office