News
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 ...
August 01, 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 ...
August 01, 2017
Divergent Views of the Deity
By Hal Knight Thomas Kidd recently published a biography of Benjamin Franklin focused on his religious life. Kidd sees Franklin as at the root of a uniquely American approach to religion, which sets aside as unimportant...
August 01, 2017
Granted
You have one guess as to why you’ve got Ulysses welcoming you to this issue of The Missouri Methodists. President Grant wasn’t a church goer, but his parents were Methodists, and abolitionists. They took their belief ...
August 01, 2017
Innovative Program Aims to Commission 500 EarthKeepers
EarthKeepers is a new program of Global Ministries that trains and commissions laity and clergy for the work of caring for God’s creation. EarthKeepers are United Methodists who work within their communities: Lifting up...
August 01, 2017
Parsonage vs. Housing Allowance
The Sanctuary, Fellowship Hall and Education Building are all familiar structures for many United Methodist churches. In addition, most United Methodist churches also maintain a house for the pastor called the parsonage....
August 01, 2017
Parting Shot
By Eric Mattson Philippians 6:8 says: “whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is pleasing, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if there is anything ...
August 01, 2017
The Chronicles of Camping
As dusk approaches croaking frogs intensify, campfire smoke fills the air, the sky turns orange then purple, children laugh and sing to silly songs and sticky fingers result from marshmallow treats. Sitting down by the ...
August 01, 2017
Unsettled
When Della Lamb was started by United Methodist Women in 1897, it was focused on breaking the cycle of poverty wherever it was needed most. At that time the primary population being served was Italian immigrants. It’s ...
July 28, 2017
Practical Divinity
Before Bishop Bob Farr was Bishop, part of his job as director of Congregational Excellence involved consulting with churches on revitalization. Often when he asked the people of a church about their discipleship ...
July 28, 2017
Reclaim the Flame
By Pam Ekey Rev. Charity Goodwin called on the Missouri Annual Conference to reclaim the power of the Holy Spirit during the opening worship service June 9. “We need to reclaim the flame so that we are emotionally ...
July 28, 2017
Seven Ways to Share Faith
By Jennifer Simms & Susan Sneed Roger Ross, newly named the Director of Congregational Excellence for the Missouri Annual Conference, received a warm welcome Saturday afternoon as approximately 250 clergy and laity ...
July 19, 2017
Annual Conference 2018
The 16th Session of the Missouri Annual Conference will be June 8-10, 2018 in Springfield, MO. The theme of next year’s conference will be FREED2LEAD and will focus on leadership. This moves the Conference session to ...
July 19, 2017
Reaching Students with Bright Futures
Churches should not let the separation of church and state dissuade them from being in ministry with their local schools. Often by simply approaching the school and asking what can be done to help, a church can become a ...
July 19, 2017
Strengthening the Black Church
Lia McIntosh opened the workshop on Strengthening the Black Church with scripture from Acts 3:1-10, which tells the story of a man outside of church, who had church people walk by him all day long. “He got ...
July 12, 2017
Making the Move to Missouri
As Roger Ross packs his bags for Missouri this summer, part of it feels pretty natural. His family often came to Table Rock Lake for summer vacations. But now he’s packing more than a suitcase. He’s moving from ...
July 10, 2017
Cheerleader, Coach and Critic
From the moment she walked on stage, praising the Lord with “God is good,” the Conference could easily recognize the life that Tina Harris is going to bring to her new role as Director of Mission, Service and Justice. “...
July 07, 2017
State of the Conference
A year ago Rev. Bob Farr stood before the Missouri Conference in appreciation of having support for upcoming episcopal election, and the Conference was saying goodbye to Bishop Robert Schnase, who had served Missouri for...
July 01, 2017
10 Steps to Growth
Jeremy Vickers and Kevin McNeely, pastors at Grace United Methodist at Lee’s Summit and El Dorado Springs Springs, shared how a satellite relationship can be successful even when the two churches are more than 90 miles ...
July 01, 2017
Beginnings & Endings
Transitions in ministry were recognized for more than 100 persons during a special commissioning and memorial worship service Saturday morning. The Glory Revival band, representing three churches in the Kansas City area,...
July 01, 2017
Camps at Conference
A hot, June afternoon didn’t stop the fun with Next Generation camping staff as they set up equipment from Spark mini-mobile camp. This gave the conference an opportunity to see exactly what it means to have a mobile ...
July 01, 2017
CMU Alive and Well
The Central Methodist University staff and students are proud of their United Methodist heritage and the authentically inclusive atmosphere of spiritual and intellectual growth and service opportunities, said David ...
July 01, 2017
Conference Finances Solid
In the Finance and Administration portion of the Saturday morning Business Meeting, Rev. Nate Berneking reported that the Missouri Conference is as strong financially and administratively as it has ever been. He and his ...
July 01, 2017
Covenant Community
Thirty years ago, Bob Farr and Ron Watts were on the stage at the ordination service, both of them being ordained elder. Now Bishop Bob Farr is the one doing the ordaining, and Rev. Ron Watts was the preacher for the ...
July 01, 2017
Eldest
Mandatory retirement age for United Methodist clergy is 72 years old, but many go straight from being in active service to serving as supply pastors to local churches. Sometimes a decade after retirement, that person is ...
July 01, 2017
Foundation Celebrates 50 Years
The Missouri United Methodist Foundation is a valuable resource for local churches and individuals throughout Missouri. Foundation Director David Atkins invited the attendees to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the ...
July 01, 2017
Fun at Conference
My advice to United Methodist men going to Annual Conference in 2018: stop shaving this fall. By next June you should have enough facial hair for beard braids and a handlebar moustache. It’s a great ice-breaker for your ...
July 01, 2017
Global Connect Facilitates Mission Involvement
Helping people get involved in mission is the purpose of Global Connect, according to Lucas Endicott, Missional Strategist. “Mission happens when we actually get engaged,” he said. Global connect has emphasized three ...
July 01, 2017
Inspiring God's Children
The Annual Conference report on Next Generation Ministries opened with a video from the Missouri Conference Remarkable series (available at https://vimeo.com/channels/moac17). The video introduced the attendees to a ...
July 01, 2017
Making Disciples the Wesleyan Way
Brad Thie, director of the Thriving Rural Communities program at Duke Divinity School, opened the pre-conference learning session on the evening of June 8 thanking the crowd for showing up. “You all must be the A-team, ...
July 01, 2017
Making the Ask
When Myles Hinkel started working for the Missouri United Methodist Foundation, he asked a pastor of a successful new church start if there was anything he would do differently if he had a chance for a redo. “He told me...
July 01, 2017
Mozambique Initiative Celebrates New & Existing Relationships
Craig Stevenson, Missouri coordinator for the Mozambique Initiative, celebrated the continuing partnership between the United Methodist Church in Mozambique and the Missouri Conference. “Our ministry was supported by you...