News
October 22, 2018
Consider the Source
By Fred Koenig A few months ago I was hiking around a mountain that had many flowing streams. People were drinking freely from these streams. I did so myself when I was high on the mountain. I did it less as I got ...
October 22, 2018
Delegation Update
By Brian Hammons This message from Paul to the people of Philippi was one of the key scripture passages that helped the members of our General Conference delegation as we prepared for the 2016 conference for which we ...
October 22, 2018
Double Your Dollars for C2FM
The Clergy and Church Financial Ministry (C2FM) is making a difference for Missouri’s pastoral leaders. On #GivingTuesday (November 27) you can join the cause with an online gift at www.mumf.org/giving-tuesday. Even ...
October 22, 2018
Faith: Knowing God's Love
By Hal Knight Sometimes faith is used to mean what we believe. We affirm our faith when we say the Apostles Creed or the Nicene Creed. To say we believe in the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit as they are described in those...
October 22, 2018
How to Create the Perfect Place for Preschoolers
By Amy Houts What’s a bright spot in your church that can continually bring in — and keep — new families? Why, the preschool, of course! It’s true that people may seek out a church home at any age and stage in life, but...
October 22, 2018
Parting Shot
By Eric Mattson For as long as I’ve created images in any media going back into my youth, I’ve crafted images depicting that which is flawed, neglected or in a state of decay such as the fence in this infrared photo. I’...
October 22, 2018
Presenting the Plans
Delegates Hear About Proposals to be Considered at Special Session By Fred Koenig On February 23 United Methodists from around the world will meet in St. Louis to make decisions around things that could significantly ...
October 22, 2018
Ramping Up
Men's Group Goes Modular To Increase Effectiveness By Fred Koenig When someone is injured or recovering from a surgery, most people just want to be home. But sometimes getting through the front door can be a challenge. ...
October 22, 2018
Regional Conversations
By Fred Koenig Immediately following the South Central Jurisdiction meeting of General Conference delegates Bishop Farr launched into a statewide tour of regional conversations, beginning with the Gateway and Southeast ...
October 22, 2018
Small Groups in a Big Way
By Fred Koenig The crowd that filled the parking lot at Christ Community UMC in Joplin on October 3 would be enviable at many churches on Sunday morning, but October 3 was a Wednesday. The church has developed small ...
October 22, 2018
Synching Electric
By Ryan McLouth The last few months, we’ve been talking about the standard role of instruments in the contemporary worship ensemble. So far we’ve covered acoustic guitar, bass guitar, and drums. This month, let’s talk ...
September 21, 2018
A New Place
By Fred Koenig The Gathering is certainly a New Place for New People. That’s the entire point. With The Gathering, that has always been the point. Their mission statement states that they exist to create a Christian ...
September 21, 2018
Hope for the Present
By Hal Knight Beginning in John Wesley’s day a new form of hope captured the imagination of the Western world. Instead of hoping to leave this world for a better one, more and more people began to want to make our world...
September 21, 2018
Keep the Beat
By Ryan McLouth For the last two months, we’ve been discussing the role of different instruments within the worship music ensemble. We began with the acoustic guitar, emphasizing the harmonic and rhythmic role of the ...
September 21, 2018
Kickoff Time: Churches Encouraged to Move Forward With Action Plan
By Fred Koenig On the second Saturday in September crowds gathered in Columbia and at locations around the state to see the big kickoff first hand or on their screens. It wasn’t the Mizzou football game, that kickoff ...
September 21, 2018
Let the Outsiders IN
By Bishop Farr In Acts 15, we find the Apostle Paul, Barnabas, and other apostles and church leaders at a church board meeting at the Jerusalem Church. They were advocating for their outreach mission when some of the ...
September 21, 2018
Next Generation Ministries Building to a Solid Future
By Sarah Dumas In 2017, Bishop Farr challenged Next Generation Ministries to host 10,000 campers in its three camping ministries: Ignite Mobile Camp, Infuse Core Camp and Impact Service Camp. Although that goal hasn’t ...
September 21, 2018
Parting Shot
By Eric Mattson Light and shadow are both part of a compelling photo. Light illuminates and shadow defines. The blending of light and shadow yields depth and texture. Light plays a god-like role in photography. And yet ...
September 21, 2018
Prayer
By Amy Thompson I remember one of my first small group experiences as a young adult was about prayer. Several members of the group wanted to learn how to pray, so our group leader found a book that would guide us in ...
September 21, 2018
St. Louie to Dupree & Back to St. Louie
By Fred Koenig This year when a group of United Methodist youth from the St. Louis area took a mission trip to an Indian Reservation out west, they went one step further. They brought the people they were in mission ...
September 21, 2018
The "November Nudge"
That busy season is upon us, and our to-do lists are growing. As you build your church’s list, remember to add this: Order Foundation Year-end Giving Brochures! It’s free, it’s online, and it’s just one more way to give ...
September 21, 2018
The Little Engine That Could
By Kim Lambeth “If you need to get something done, ask a busy person,” the old adage goes. Often the most active church members are also active in community organizations. Central United Methodist Church in Webb City ...
September 21, 2018
Through Water & Spirit
By Fred Koenig At more than 180 years old, Smith Chapel United Methodist Church isn’t a New Place for New People. But in the past year this church, which has worship services every-other Sunday, has demonstrated it can ...
August 22, 2018
First EarthKeeper Commissioned in the Missouri Conference
By Cheryl Y. Marcum The Center for Mission Innovation at the General Board of Global Ministries launched the innovative EarthKeepers program in 2016. It nurtures and equips United Methodists, who discern a call from God...
August 21, 2018
Bass Talk
By Ryan McLouth Last month we started a series discussing the role of each instrument and voice in a contemporary worship ensemble, starting with the acoustic guitar. In this issue, we’re all about that bass. In the ...
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August 21, 2018
Communicating via Art
By Fred Koenig Jewell McGhee describes herself as a community artist who uses diverse mediums to reach diverse communities. Sometimes that means employing her artistic talents to help pastors communicate with their ...
August 21, 2018
Costner-Fulton Mission Start Up Grants
By Fred Koenig Applications Due October 1 The Costner-Fulton Fund for Missions is a grant program of the Mission, Service & Justice Team. Tom and LaVerne Fulton shared a passion for social work in their professional ...
August 21, 2018
Cut
By Fred Koenig Tex Sample felt sorry for me. I don’t blame him. Sometimes I feel sorry for myself. I got him talking about the working class and class in America – his passion and life’s work. He had quite a bit to say....
August 21, 2018
Focus
By Bishop Farr As most of you know, I wear glasses. I have worn glasses since second grade. They have changed in size, shape and color over the years. They have gone from single focus, to bifocal and to trifocal over ...
August 21, 2018
Living Word Church Partners with Meramec Elementary School
By Kelly Vincent St. Louis Public School District developed a Faith Initiative program which partnered individual schools with local churches to assist in student achievement. Children’s ministry staff, Rev. Brenda ...
August 21, 2018
Parting Shot
By Eric Mattson This young rider is getting introduced to the cowboy/cowgirl wisdom which says life’s not about how fast you run or how high you climb, but how well you bounce. One thing which gives this rider ...
August 21, 2018
Pastoring in Partisan Times
By Fred Koenig “They are my people. It’s where I came from,” Sample said. Sample grew up in Mississippi. His father had a fifth-grade education. His mother completed school through the 10th grade. His dad worked various...
August 21, 2018
This Is My Body: Embracing the Messiness of Faith and Motherhood
By Fred Koenig Hannah Shanks always loved writing, and had a childhood dream of being a writer, but this isn’t the book she would have dreamed of. She wrote it out of necessity. “This is the book that I needed that didn...
August 21, 2018
Three Priorities
By Amy Thompson While at Annual Conference, the Bishop introduced to us the three conference priorities that have been affirmed by the Mission Council and Cabinet. During my laity address, I provided a brief ...
August 21, 2018
Tuesday Night Worship Express
By Fred Koenig Lawson UMC recognized that sometimes attending a Sunday morning worship service does not work out for people. They wanted to try to give the people who couldn’t come on Sunday morning an opportunity to ...
August 21, 2018
Wesley on Prayer
By Dr. Hal Knight Recently there has been a public debate over prayer. Persons have been criticized for offering “thoughts and prayers” for victims of things like gun violence while taking no action to address the ...
August 13, 2018
GC2019 Hospitality Leadership Team Announced
In preparation for the called session of General Conference February 23-26, 2019 in St. Louis, Missouri, the Missouri and Illinois Great Rivers Conferences has assembled their hospitality leadership team. Both ...
July 27, 2018
5 Cups of Coffee
By Amy Thompson We are all called to be in relationship with God. We are called to be active in the world sharing God’s love with others. Sometimes it is difficult to respond to the second call. We sometimes do not know...
July 27, 2018
Advance Planning For Advent
By Fred Koenig It’s hot outside, and there’s still more than a month of summer ahead. Even though back-to-school time is closing in, that doesn’t mean it’s a bad to begin to think about ... Advent. Some Missouri ...
July 27, 2018
Gift Annuity Rates Are Going Up
By Fred Koenig For the first time since 2011, the American Council on Gift Annuities (ACGA) has recommended an increase in gift annuity rates for all new gift annuities, effective July 1, 2018. This is great news for ...
July 27, 2018
Keep Families Together
By Fred Koenig Francis Street First United Methodist Church in St. Joseph hosted a rally on June 30 on behalf of the Interfaith Alliance to show support for children and families who have been separated at the border. ...
July 27, 2018
Licensed To Lead
By Fred Koenig The licensed local pastor is a critical part of the United Methodist Church in the Missouri Conference, and the percent of clergy in this category is growing larger each year. A key step in becoming a ...
July 27, 2018
Meetings That Matter
By Cody Collier It’s August, and I have a feeling that many church leaders are looking at their calendars, working to find out through email or Google e-vite the best date/time for a meeting in the fall. Some of you, ...
July 27, 2018
Parting Shot
By Eric Mattson A God can reach into our brokenness if we sit prayerfully even if we can’t put our finger on what our need for healing is. Romans 8:26 tells us “… the Spirit helps us in our weakness; for we do not know ...
July 27, 2018
Summer Lunch Program at Saint Luke’s Goes into Neighborhood
By Fred Koenig Saint Luke’s United Methodist Church in St. Louis has a long history of doing acts of mercy to help the less fortunate. Often, this was collecting donations of things like books and coats that were then ...
July 27, 2018
The Role Of The Acoustic Guitar
By Ryan McLouth So, you’re a strong singer, you’re pretty good at accompanying yourself or others from the guitar or keyboard, and you have a gift for leading a congregation in song. That’s awesome, but do you know what...
July 27, 2018
What is a church?
By Dr. Hal Knight The New Testament is filled with many images of the church: people of God, body of Christ, temple of the Holy Spirit, household of God, bride of Christ and many more. It would be beneficial for local ...
July 26, 2018
Transition
By Fred Koenig I found this note on the back of an offering envelope in church one morning. My first thought was perhaps it had been written by Senior Pastor Fred Leist and passed to one of the acolytes. It was his ...
July 12, 2018
Bishops seek declaratory decisions on three plans submitted to General Conference
WASHINGTON – The Council of Bishops of The United Methodist Church is asking the Judicial Council for declaratory decisions on the constitutionality of the petitions submitted by the Commission on a Way Forward to the ...
July 09, 2018
UMC Bishops amend call for 2019 Special Session of General Conference
WASHINGTON, D.C. _ The Council of Bishops (COB) has amended its call for the Special Session of the General Conference of The United Methodist Church (UMC) to be held February 23-26, 2019 in St. Louis, Missouri, USA, in ...