News


African Style Worship in Kansas City

News Article
On Sunday morning, directly across the street from East High School in Kansas City, you can hear lively worship music coming from the former home of Wesley Heights UMC. Don’t worry if you’re a little late; The worship ...

Applications Now Open for NextGen Leaders Academy

News Article
Missouri NextGen Ministries seeks to support and equip Missouri’s NextGen leaders. One way we do that is through a new program called NextGen Leaders Academy. This six-month program teaches the basics of NextGen ...

Dinner on Broadway: A Legacy of Love, Food & Community

News Article
“She just understood how special it is for people to gather and fellowship around food.”  That’s how Bruce Hageman remembers his late wife, Susan. “She saw how good food -- served in a loving, nonjudgmental, ...

Dreaming of the Future

News Article
The church is in a different place than it has been before. That makes it the right time for new ideas, which is what the Dream Lab was about. “What I’m interested in post-Covid is generative ministry,” Director of ...

NGLA Gives Youth Leaders a Boost

News Article
By youth ministry standards, Dustin Buell is a veteran. Yet, Buell, currently the student ministry director at First (Kearney), says when he started in ministry, he was book smart but didn’t have much practical ...

Surprise

News Article
This fall, Susan and I froze over 20 pints of applesauce from the apples we picked off our apple tree. Most of you know central Missouri has had a very dry summer. Yet, despite the dryness of the year and much to our ...

The Danger of Schism

News Article
The word on my Word-a-Day calendar is “vituperate,” which means harshly or abusively criticizing or condemning. Although vituperation is not desired, it seems prevalent on social media. These days, it is aimed at people ...

The United Methodist Men Seek Leaders Connection

News Article
The Missouri Conference United Methodist Men met at the Missouri Conference Center in Columbia to discuss plans for the future and revitalization of the organization.  Rev. Mel West led a devotional for the group and ...

Waiting on the Lord

News Article
Recently, I’ve been taking a class on the Bible Project app, going through the first few chapters of Genesis. (If you’re unfamiliar with the Bible Project, it’s a fantastic resource. Just go to BibleProject.com). I’ve ...

NextGen Ministry Virtual Meet-Ups

News Article
This spring at our NextGen Listening Sessions, leaders expressed the desire for more connection with NextGen colleagues around the state. To this end, we're excited to introduce monthly virtual meet-ups! Our goal is to ...

Virtual Special Session Registration Now Open

News Article
Registration is now open for the 2023 Virtual Special Session of the Missouri Annual Conference of The United Methodist Church. The Special Session is scheduled for 10 a.m. on Saturday, Nov. 18, via the GoToWebinar ...

Bishop Farr Calls 2023 Special Session of Annual Conference

News Article
Dear Annual Conference Members and Retirees, Following consultation with the Missouri Annual Conference Cabinet and executive committee of the Board of Ordained Ministry, I am calling a special session of the Missouri ...

Meet Our Leaders: Rev. Kathleen Wilder

News Article
Rev. Kathleen Wilder explains what it is like to serve on the Conference Mission, Service and Justice Team and why it matters.

Faith into Action Outside of the Church

News Article
Putting faith into action can happen in many ways that may or may not be directly connected to one’s church. For Sky Krakos, the path came through the YMCA. Krakos has been putting faith into action for the past several ...

Death at a Time of Division

News Article
Divisions within the church can sometimes seem like simple politics. But how does division play out in the real life of those for who these debated "issues" are not mere politics, but deeply personal? How does this ...

Former Houses of Worship with a Future

News Article
“We project that more than 100,000 houses of worship will close by 2030,” said Mark Elsdon, author of We’re Not Broke. Elsdon was on a panel addressing the Religion News Association on this topic earlier this year. He ...

Gertrude Maye Parker: From Deaconess to Clergy

News Article
The road to full clergy rights for women in the Methodist Church was a long and arduous one. One route women took on the road to becoming clergy was that of deaconess. An early proposal advocating the office of deaconess...

Have Plane will Travel

News Article
Missouri Conference Disaster Response was asked to provide cleaning kits. The challenge was getting them from Woods Chapel UMC in Lee’s Summit, one of the Disaster Kit Hub Network locations around the state. Ann ...

Life Persists

News Article
This month. Rev. Melissa Dodd speaks to God's power over what we think is death and endings. "What we think is death could very possibly be life preparing to happen. What we consider the end is the beginning of something...

On the Job

News Article
Elsa Klein takes her job as hospitality ambassador at Concord Trinity very seriously. She gets to the church at about 7:30 a.m. and organizes the “Pray Ground” area for children in the sanctuary well before any arrive on...

Soul Connections

News Article
In your relationship with God, how much is filled with your voice and how much is filled with silence? What might you be missing without time for silence? In this month's Laity Voices, Amy Thompson shares her experience ...

Stewards of Creation

News Article
Can humans affect the climate of an entire planet? The answer is yes. We are the only species to spread over the whole planet. The one commandment of God we seem to obey is to be fruitful and multiply. We are the only ...

Still Serving

News Article
The closing of Creighton UMC did not mean the end of the building's ministry. Thanks to two neighboring UMC Churches, the building continues serving the community.

Youth Unite at CMU

News Article
The vision for UNITE was in its name: To inspire students to unite through worship and mission, create opportunities for students to use their voices, encourage students to be kin(g)dom workers in their local communities...

Fall Grant Cycle Now Accepting Applications

News Article
In the Missouri Annual Conference of The United Methodist Church, we recognize that God is doing new and fresh things through local churches in Missouri to reach new people, collaborate beyond denomination bounds and ...

Equipping & Empowering Laity

News Article
In this month's column, Amy Thompson, talks about the similarities between preparing a child for college and how we equip and prepare laity for ministry in the conference, and the importance of active engagement.

Front Porch Stories

News Article
Tell me about your front porch story. Often while leading a group, I will ask persons to share their front porch stories to help us become acquainted and build connections. I usually start sharing my memory of the front ...

Growing Community

News Article
Many churches have embraced community gardens as a ministry of their congregation. How they approach the operation and purpose of their agricultural ministry varies widely. This month we visit a small sample of gardens ...

More Than 2,000 Campers in 2023

News Article
Missouri Conference churches reached the next generation through various camping experiences this summer. Thanksto partnerships with day-camp providers Eagle Lake Camps and Heartland Camps, just over 1,400 ...

Seeking to be a More Accessible Annual Conference

News Article
The Sessions Team ensures all abilities are included in the annual meeting. Year-after-year, the Annual Conference Sessions Team seeks to improve accessibility services at the Annual Conference Session. As we work ...

Supporting Sustainable Ministry in Mozambique

News Article
A few weeks ago, I stood inside a small parsonage in Barrane, Mozambique, with Bishop Farr and the delegation from Missouri. Over an hour before, we had left the pavement to make our way to this remote congregation where...

The Campaign for Clergy Well-Being: A Heart for Clergy

News Article
“Well-being is more than a trendy buzzword. The well-being of our pastors is undeniably on the hearts and minds of Missouri United Methodists amid unprecedented ministry challenges,” states Rev. Mark Struckhoff, Director...

What is Church?

News Article
Church occurs when people gather for worship, for fellowship, and to serve others. In Wesley’s day church occurred in the small group gatherings (the classes and bands), the larger society meetings, and at annual ...

UNITE 2023 Recap

News Article
By Robby Criswell, NextGen Media Intern This week NextGen Ministries hosted its first-ever UNITE event at Central Methodist University for sixth through 12th graders. Throughout the week, over 300 students gathered to ...

Discounts Available on NextGen Ministry Curriculum

News Article
A foundational tool like curriculum helps leaders do more effective, connectional ministry. New this summer, Missouri Conference NextGen Ministries is excited to offer discounts on curriculum produced by top kids and ...

Friday Night Fun

News Article
David and Thelma Steward are both fans of and friends with BeBe Winans. As the chairman and founder of World Wide Technology, one of St. Louis’s largest companies, David Steward has brought BeBe Winans to St. Louis for ...

You Don't Need Permission to Love Like Jesus

News Article
Rev. Daniel Hilty opened Missouri Annual Conference with an invitation to love like Jesus. Hilty said we behave as if we need permission from our group to love someone outside of it. But Jesus never waited for permission...

A Time of Remembrance

News Article
A memorial service at Annual Conference included lighting candles for churches that had closed in the past year and reading the names of clergy and clergy spouses who have died.

Be UMC: A Renewed Connection

News Article
Rev. Candace Lewis spoke on this theme, based on the scripture of John 21: 1-14, during her learning time at Annual Conference Session. She told how Peter – who had seen Jesus walk on water, feed 5,000, heal people and ...

Conference Votes to Allow 75 Churches to Disaffiliate

News Article
The Board of Trustees report carried a heavy weight this year as the first order of business on the agenda after the standard procedures of establishing the bar and approving the agenda, rules and procedures. The report ...

Designated Religious Persons

News Article
A highlight of the Annual Conference Session is always the celebration of ministry service. This year three deacons were ordained, eight elders were ordained, an associate member was received, and nine were commissioned ...

Helping People Serve Out of Their Passions

News Article
Director of Leadership Excellence Mark Statler opened his report by explaining how their the ministry area relates to the Board of Ordained Ministry, District Committees on Ministry and the Conference Lay Ministries ...

Nominations Committee Calls for Right-Sizing

News Article
Rev. Lynn Dyke, chair of the Nominations Committee, began her report by explaining in the past two years, the Conference has done some right-sizing, reducing the number of districts from nine to five and reducing the ...

Non-Binding Resolutions Pass

News Article
Two non-binding resolutions that were part of a coordinated national effort came before the Missouri Conference Session this year.

Race and Culture Task Force Keeps Moving Forward

News Article
Bishop Robert Farr grew up around people who looked just like him. He now feels so blessed that God put others in his path. It’s not always the easiest path, but it’s the right one.
Page 1 of 39 1 2 3 4 5 ... 39 next