News
November 01, 2017
"... I was in prison and you visited me." Matthew 25
Jesus only names about a half a dozen things people need to do when it comes down to being on the right side of the sheep/goat divide at the end of the line. The whole food, water, clothes, sick care, stranger welcoming ...
November 01, 2017
Boonville Inmates Find Inspiration in Community Service
Story by Yehyun Kim, Photos by Pam Houser A man in a prison uniform stood on a podium Sunday morning at Nelson Memorial United Methodist Church and spoke to a group of church members and nine inmates from the Boonville ...
November 01, 2017
Clergy Encouraged to Consider All Options on Conference Group Health Plan
In October, Director of Finance & Administration Nate Berneking and staff took to the road to explain changes coming to the Conference’s group health plan for 2018. The Annual Conference session approved those changes in...
November 01, 2017
Keep the Movement Moving
Southeast District Superintendent Bruce Baxter has transitioned into his position with a guiding principle that serves as a lens through which to view any present or future ministry. “I ask you to help me stay focused ...
November 01, 2017
New Wineskins
On October 9–11 the Missouri Conference’s Center for Congregational Excellence presented New Wineskins, a conference centered on replicating healthy ministry through multi-site ministries, relocations, creative ...
November 01, 2017
Parting Shot
By Eric Mattson Many of my photos have to do with relationships. My eye is often drawn to images of glances between people, someone touching another in a meaningful way, people engaged in a common activity such as ...
November 01, 2017
Robin Shepard to be next Conference Disaster Relief Coordinator
The Missouri Annual Conference announced that Robin Shepard has been selected as the next Conference Disaster Relief Coordinator. She begins her work this week. Robin grew up in St. Louis, and was trained as a chemical...
October 24, 2017
Global Connect: A New Path To Mission
People who want to make a difference can now start their journey with Global Connect. “The purpose of Global Connect is to prepare people to engage in mission,” said Missouri Conference Mission Strategist Lucas Endicott....
October 23, 2017
Spreading Out
Festival of Sharing to Transition from Single Statewide to Regional Events in 2018
October 20, 2017
Turning Heads
Transforming Grass to Garden in Front of Church Enhances Neighborhood
October 18, 2017
Leading an Active Prayer Life
By Amy Thompson As leaders, it is important to be intentional in your own personal spiritual development. Your personal commitment to growing in your faith could begin with many things. I would like to suggest prayer. ...
October 14, 2017
Music Ministry at CMU
By Ryan McLouth I often have friends in the church community ask me about my position at Central Methodist University and our Music Ministry program. Today I thought I would tell you a little bit about what we do. The ...
October 13, 2017
Legalism: A Danger on the Path to Salvation
By Dr. Hal Knight For John Wesley salvation was not a status attained but a path to travel, with the goal to increasingly love God and others as we have been loved by God in, Jesus Christ. He knew that there are dangers...
October 12, 2017
Pastoring in Partisan Times
By Jim Simpson At ordination, the Bishop lays hands on elders and deacons and says: Take authority to preach the Word of God … Faithful pastors know this authority reaches far beyond the pulpit to include organizing the...
October 10, 2017
Bike to the Future Celebrates First Year
Your alarm blares at 3 a.m. You stash a granola bar in your backpack, throw on your jacket and lace up your tennis shoes with the worn out soles. You head out the door and begin your nine mile walk to work. After a ...
October 06, 2017
Reset the Heart: Unlearning Violence, Relearning Hope
By Dr. Jessica M. Smith As Mai-Anh Le Tran writes in her book Reset the Heart: Unlearning Violence, Relearning Hope, August 9, 2014 “disrupted” her world. It is the day that a young black man Michael Brown was ...
October 05, 2017
Rebuilding Puerto Rico: How You Can Help
People in the Caribbean are still recovering from hurricane Maria. With power still out and water in short reply, first responders are working across the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico. Our Conference has been in ...
October 01, 2017
Biased
I’m biased. I’ll admit it. You caught me. If you look at any of the Festival of Sharing stories I’ve put out in the past 16 years, you’ll read United Methodist quotes, get United Methodist stories and see United ...
October 01, 2017
Disaster Response: Hurricane Harvey
An Early Response Team from Missouri traveled to Texas shortly after Hurricane Harvey to assist with tree removal in wind-damaged areas. They were based out of First UMC in Victoria, Texas. The first to leave traveled ...
October 01, 2017
FREE Handheld Devices!
Communication technology is the wonder of the present moment. Therefore, all feel the irony of how challenging it can be to communicate with a congregation. Social media and smartphones are wonderful and cost-effective ...
October 01, 2017
Imago Dei
A pastor can be so caught up in responsibilities of administration, passion for mission, calls for justice, outreach and congregational care that the spiritual side of life can get neglected. The last week of August ...
October 01, 2017
Parting Shot
By Eric Mattson Why am I driven to work hard to give pictures away? For one thing, I don’t want to have bitter beer face (google it) on the inside. When people are bitter or sour, there’s one reason which seems to pop ...
October 01, 2017
Pastoring in Partisan Times
By Jim Simpson At ordination, the Bishop lays hands on elders and deacons and says: Take authority to preach the Word of God ... Faithful pastors know this authority reaches far beyond the pulpit to include organizing ...
October 01, 2017
Pray Our Way Forward
Over the last six months, individuals, clergy, Bishops and Annual Conferences have signed up to be in prayer for The Way Forward Commission of The United Methodist Church. This movement, initiated by the Council of ...
October 01, 2017
Social Holiness
When Compass was first being developed as a covenantal, continuous peer learning and experience, it was built around four pillars: holiness/pastoral development, leadership & worship, social holiness/missional readiness ...
September 30, 2017
Importance of Rehearsal
By Ryan McLouth Is your worship team rehearsing or practicing each week? There are clear distinctions between these two activities, and I’m sure we have all done both. Additionally, I would posit that these terms can ...
September 22, 2017
A Journey of Granite and Stone
By Glenn Wintemberg My time at Epworth started in 1989. At that retreat we headed down to Vesper Hill, which at sunset had the most beautiful view looking out to Shepherds Mountain. Before entering into Vesper Hill, you...
September 21, 2017
The Jewel Initiative
The Christmas season will soon be upon us. In America, this time of gift-giving is met with generosity within our churches and our community. Christmas is celebrated in Mozambique but rarely includes the giving of gifts....
September 19, 2017
Mission Council Approves New Conference Vision
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Media Contact: Kim Jenne, Director of Connectional Ministries kjenne@moumethodist.org (573) 441-1770 Mission Council Approves New Conference Vision COLUMBIA, Mo. – September 19, 2017 – The ...
September 07, 2017
5 Tips for Getting Started
By Ryan McLouth Help! I just started a new position in music ministry, and I’m not sure what to do! This has happened to everyone at some point. Maybe you’re part of a church plant, you’re a new hire at a congregation ...
September 07, 2017
By the Numbers
Church attendance numbers can get tricky. I’ve been dealing with them long enough now to notice what one might call abnormalities. I know of one church which, on three different occasions, three different sequential ...
September 07, 2017
Can You Just Get Them Through Until Christmas?
Margie Briggs grew up in Windsor. She has always been an active lay person in the United Methodist Church. Her book, Can You Just Get Them Through Until Christmas? The Turn Around Story of One Lay Minister and Two Small ...
September 07, 2017
Finding Common Threads: Church Group Bonds in the Sewing Room
Sometimes a new idea can take hold among old friends and make relationships stronger. The Sew-Cial at Midway Locust Grove United Methodist Church started in January with a couple of women thinking they would get together...
September 07, 2017
Mozambique Initiative: Renewing the Covenant
The Mozambique Initiative’s mission is “partnering to transform people and their communities toward the image of Christ.” The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines partner as “one associated with another especially in an ...
September 07, 2017
Opening Doors for the Next Generation
By Sarah Dumas 4,479 campers. 21 Ignite Mobile camps. 11 weeks of camp. Ten Infuse Core camps. Nine Spark Mini-Mobile camps. Five campgrounds. Two shaving cream fights. One Almighty God. The statistics are clear, ...
September 07, 2017
Raising Up Leaders
By Amy Thompson How do we raise up leaders in our churches? This question is on my mind a lot as the vitality of our churches is dependent on it. It is especially on my mind as we move into the fall when the discussions...
September 07, 2017
Sharing What Works: Books Emerge from Resurrection Downtown Experience
Scott Chrostek grew up in Detroit, Michigan. He graduated from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, with a BS in Organizational Management. While in school he was working in the field of investments with two ...
September 07, 2017
Wesley on Racism
By Hal Knight The recent events in Charlottesville, Virginia, in which a white supremacist rally turned violent, is a distressing reminder that racism remains in 21st century America. While the more than a dozen groups ...
September 01, 2017
Church Finds New Life in Ecumenical Unity
Bellefontaine United Methodist Church held its first class meetings in 1808, built its original worship space—Chapel Hall— in 1855, and by 1950 had over 1,000 members attending services in the North St. Louis County ...
September 01, 2017
Game of Thrones: Season Samuel
1 SAMUEL 16:13-14 / So Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the presence of his brothers, and from that day on the Spirit of the Lord came powerfully upon David. Samuel then went to Ramah. Now the Spirit of ...
September 01, 2017
Parting Shot
By Eric Mattson Well-known portrait photographer Annie Leibovitz noted, “A thing that you see in my pictures is that I was not afraid to fall in love with these people.” She was personally close with writer/essayist ...
September 01, 2017
Sabbath Time: Matthew 12:1-8
I hope you and your family had some Sabbath time this summer. Sabbath means very different things to different people. One Sabbath, Jesus was strolling with his disciples through a field of ripe grain. Hungry, the ...
September 01, 2017
The Many Faces of Outreach Ministry Grants Support Innovation
The churches within the Missouri Conference are reaching out to their communities in many innovative ways to build community, to inspire participation, and to interpret the timeless message of Christ in a changing world....
August 28, 2017
Responding to Hurricane Harvey
HURRICANE HARVEY RESPONSE Click here to download the worship bulletin insert PRAY. Pray for the people of flood-infected areas, for the lives lost, and for first responders. Search Discipleship Ministries for worship ...
August 23, 2017
The Gift of Presence and Music in Mozambique
By Amy Thompson Here are the words from an email that I received in May prior to traveling to Mozambique in June: “We are preparing to receive you and the team. Let me share with you what preparing to receive means. The...
August 18, 2017
Mission Council Renews Annual Conference Contract for 2019-2020 with Springfield
After a 10-month review of proposals to host the Missouri Annual Conference for 2019-2020, the Mission Council selected the plan submitted by the Springfield, Missouri. Convention and Visitor’s Bureau. The current ...
August 16, 2017
Being a Neighbor
Avondale is a small community on the north side of Kansas City, in an area where it’s hard to tell when you go from one town to the next. It’s not far off of Highway 435, or from major landmarks like Worlds of Fun, but ...
August 13, 2017
A Word on Charlottesville
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, The news from Charlottesville, Virginia should come as no surprise to Missourians. We know better than to dismiss the actions of white nationalists and supremacists as something ...
August 04, 2017
Next Level Discipleship
How does the new General Secretary of Discipleship Ministries spend his summer? If you’re Rev. Junius Dotson, you spend it going from Annual Conference to Annual Conference, where you can speak directly to the maximum ...