E-Connections

March 2008

 1.  St. Louis Ministerium Meeting for March

March 3, 2008

The St. Louis Association Ministerium's March Meeting will be on March 12 at First Congregational UCC of St. Louis (6501 Wydown) beginning at 10:00 a.m. Lansford Lawrence will be our worship leader. Please come if you are able. For additional information contact Ellen Hiatt at ellen.hiatt@charter.net 
 

 2.  Seder Dinner at 1st Congregational, Bonne Terre

March 3, 2008

“On the night he was betrayed, Jesus sat at the table with his disciples…” First Congregational Church in Bonne Terre invites all to come share in “the last supper”. The meal is also known as The Seder meal, or the Passover meal. The centuries old ritual will be followed, concluding with Jesus’ introduction of the Christian celebration of communion. Dining will begin at 6pm on Thursday, March 20. Reservations are required – call 573-358-1677 to make reservations. At 7pm all will go to the sanctuary to share in scripture and song reminding us of the time Jesus spent in prayer in Gethsemane.
 

 3.  Mission Trips in 2008

March 3, 2008

As we all look forward to the coming spring and summer our thoughts begin to turn to Missions Trips. We were excited to feature almost twenty of our churches on the Mission Moments page of the latest edition of The Courier. Learn more about these trips and see additional pictures featured on the website at www.mmsucc.org/events/MissionTrips2007.asp 

We would also like to share information on the website about trips you are planning for 2008. There may be small churches that would like to join together with others to go on these Mission Trips. If your congregation is planning a Mission Trip in 2008 please reply to Sandy Roland and share the information with her. We’d like to know the church name and city, if this is a youth oriented trip or for all ages, where you are going and when, as well as what you will be doing on these trips, and finally, are others welcome to join you. Sandy will post the information on the conference website.
 

 4.  UCC Legal Fund has been generously supported

March 3, 2008

A message from John Thomas:

Dear members and friends,
As of this morning, UCC members and friends have contributed $59,564 to support the UCC Legal Fund. We are so grateful for the generous support that so many have provided since we were notified that the IRS had initiated a church tax inquiry due to a speech given by U.S. Sen. Barack Obama, a UCC member, at our 2007 General Synod.

Because of the overwhelming response from so many, we feel it is necessary, at least momentarily, to suspend additional requests for gifts to this important fund.

Today, we are announcing that WilmerHale, a prestigious Washington, D.C.-based firm, has been retained to represent the church.
Seth P. Waxman, former Solicitor General of the United States (1997 to 2001), will lead WilmerHale's top-notch team of attorneys working on our behalf. Read more at: http://www.ucc.org/news/top-washington-dc-law.html 

As a sign of its strong support for the position taken by our church and the First Amendment issues inherent in this case, the WilmerHale firm also has graciously said it will not charge us for its attorneys' time.

While we know there will be other significant expenses associated with our defense, we are profoundly grateful to WilmerHale for offering its time without the customary hourly fees.

Therefore, at this point, thanks to the immediate and generous outpouring from our members and supporters, we feel it's best to suspend additional fundraising and to wait to determine, in the weeks to come, if additional money will be needed. We will keep a careful accounting of our costs, and we will ensure that the intent of our donors is honored. Questions about giving can be directed to our Financial Development Office at giving@ucc.org

Again, the response over the past week has been incredible. Thank you!

The Rev. John H. Thomas, General Minister and President, United Church of Christ
 

 5.  Conference Office closing for the day

March 4, 2008

The Missouri Mid-South Conference Office will be closing today by 10 am due to inclement weather. We follow the schedule of the Webster Groves School District and they have cancelled school today as has Eden Seminary. Depending on the weather we hope to open on Wednesday at our normal time.
 

 6.  Emmaus Homes Announces New Board Chair and Members


March 5, 2008

Emmaus Homes, a not-for-profit organization providing residential, habilitative and social/recreational services to more than 300 adults with developmental disabilities, has announced the appointment of the Hon. Gael D. Wood as chair of its Board of Directors, as well as the addition of two new board members. These individuals, along with current board members, will be instrumental as the organization enters a new phase of its strategic plan to ensure a care continuum for its clients through all stages of life.

Gael D. Wood of Washington, MO., is the Presiding Judge of the 20th Judicial Circuit in Missouri, which is comprised of Franklin, Gasconade and Osage Counties. He has been a member of the Emmaus Board of Directors since 1998, most recently serving as Secretary. Wood has also served with the 20th Judicial Circuit Bar Association, the Franklin County Child Protection Team, the Washington Public Library Board and the Washington Rotary Club, as well as on the boards of East Central College, the Washington Area Chamber of Commerce, the Washington Foundation for Educational Excellence (WINGS), and the Washington United Fund.

Gerry Frankenfeld of St. Louis, Mo., and John F. Moran, Jr., of Chesterfield, Mo., have been appointed to their first terms on the Emmaus Homes Board of Directors.

Frankenfeld, who is retired, has been a volunteer with Emmaus Homes for many years, serving on and acting as chair for the Open Your Heart Dinner committee. His grandfather, Rev. J.W. Frankenfeld, was superintendent of Emmaus’ St. Charles campus from 1907 to 1929. Frankenfeld also works with the Washington Historical Society and is on the board of the 4-Rivers YMCA.

Moran is the CFO of LPD/British American Forfaiting in St. Louis. He is a member of Immaculata Catholic Church and has served on the board of Boys Hope Girls Hope, as well as worked with Mathews-Dickey Boys’ and Girls’ Club and the St. Louis University High School Alumni Association.

Emmaus Homes provides services to adult men and women with cognitive, intellectual and other developmental disabilities at its campuses in St. Charles and Marthasville, Mo., as well as in over 40 community homes. Emmaus’ 600 employees are committed to enhancing the quality of life for clients by providing warm, compassionate, person-centered care with an emphasis on safety, health and happiness. For more information on Emmaus Homes’ programs and services, visit its website at www.emmaushomes.org
 

 7.  Helping Kids Cope with Stress, Trauma and Violence

March 6, 2008

Helping Kids Cope with Stress, Trauma and Violence

March 29: Columbia, MO (Daniel Boone Library)
April 12: Springfield, MO (Drury University)
May 3: St. Louis, MO (Forest Park)

These Saturday workshops are from 9:30 am till 3:30 pm with lunch provided.

Presenter Eve Dyson is a licensed professional counselor with expertise in recognizing and treating post-traumatic stress disorders. Her presentation will help people of any faith know what stress-related symptoms to look for in youth, particularly those in middle and high school. Whether stressed by family crises, school violence, local disasters or national emergencies, young people need a faith community that is prepared to help them cope. Eve's workshop (and her user-friendly guides) will help congregations develop a proactive plan which will be ready when bad things happen to good kids. The notebook provided with the workshop provides an easy-to-follow template to help your congregation when the need arises.

A flyer giving information about registration is available on the Conference Website www.mmsucc.org  For additional details, contact Rhonda Coleman, Grant Coordinator, P.O. Box 594, St. Albans, MO 63073; rhonda.coleman@hotmail.com  636-451-6032;
314-614-2582 (cell).
 

 8.  Eastern Association called to gather together

March 6, 2008

LET US GATHER TOGETHER

We would like to call your attention to some upcoming events in the Eastern Association and Missouri Mid-South Conference. We hope that this notification will help in planning your schedule and also encourage better attendance at our gatherings:

April 27 Spring Gathering of the Eastern Association, theme “Church Vitality.”  Hosted by St. Peter’s UCC, New Haven, registration beginning at 1:30pm and ending with dinner at 5pm

May 18 Conference-wide farewell & celebration of ministry for Rev. John Dorhauer, Associate Conference Minister. Located at Columbia UCC, Columbia at 4pm

May 31 Installation of Rev. Jeff Whitman as Missouri Mid-South Conference Minister. Hosted by Central UCC, Jefferson City at 1pm

September 15-17 Conference-wide Persons in Ministry Retreat, theme “Worship & Multi-Media”
Located at Port Arrowhead Resort, Lake of the Ozarks

September 28 Fall Meeting of the Eastern Association.  Time and location to be announced

October 17-19 Conference Faith Works, theme, “Creating and Celebrating Healthy & Vital Churches” Located at Tan-Tar-A Resort, Lake of the Ozarks

Since we are covenantal partners, these opportunities to gather for work and worship are important occasions for us to strengthen the life of our church. When a congregation or a pastor is not able to attend, our experience is diminished. These common covenantal life experiences often nourish us and call forth our gifts in new and exciting ways for God’s mission. It is important that we build up our life together by exercising our responsibilities and rights as congregations and clergy in the United Church of Christ.

We look forward to gathering with you throughout the year.

Rev. Don Bizer                     Rev. Bill Schwab                                 Rev. Krista Betz
President,                           Committee on Ministry                        Acting Associate
Association Council Chair                                                              Conference Minister
 

 9.  Gene Bartell to retire from Neighborhood Houses

March 6, 2008

A Letter from Rev. Eugene Bartell, Announcing his Retirement from Neighborhood Houses

Dear Sisters and Brothers,

In the next few weeks, I will have served as the Executive Director of Neighborhood Houses for 12 years. This is a significant amount of time, not only in relation to my own ministry career, but it is also significant in relation to the 95-year history of Neighborhood Houses.

I have decided that now is the right time for me to retire from this ministry. It is, of course, never easy to leave a place that has claimed one’s deepest loyalty and affection for so many years; but the burden of leaving is tempered knowing that the future of Neighborhood Houses is bright because of the work we have accomplished together. It is also that time in my life to leave behind the day-to-day demands that a vital ministry like Neighborhood Houses requires, and to spend more time pursuing interests such as grandchildren, family, friends, travel, and artistic endeavors that have been lying dormant for many years! I love this organization and everything that it stands for, but we only have one life to live and I need to get on with it!

I am profoundly grateful for current and past members of the Board of Directors who have served this ministry and given so generously of themselves for the great work that has been entrusted to us. If anyone has spent even a brief period of time with me, they would soon come to know how immensely proud and grateful I am for the Neighborhood Houses team that serves this organization with such passion and zeal.

I am looking forward to May 30 as my last day at the office, but in the meantime, we will be pursuing every opportunity to keep Neighborhood Houses “on the go and on the grow.”

With a Grateful Heart, Eugene P. Bartell
 

10.  Prayers for Betty Thaller

March 6, 2008

Our prayers surround Betty Thaller as she recovers at home following surgery this week to remove her thyroid. Betty is the Licensed Associate Pastor at Salem UCC, Higginsville. Her home address is 508 West 27th Street, Higginsville, MO 64037.
 

11.  Information about St. Louis Association Ministerium Meeting

March 6, 2008

St. Louis Association Ministerium Meeting

First Congregational Church of St. Louis looks forward to hosting the next meeting on Wednesday, March 12 at 10:00am. Please be advised that they are having work done on their elevator, and there will be no elevator service for the meeting. Additionally, please park on the street (not in the parking lot) and use the Wydown Blvd. entrance.
 

12.  Choir Robes - Free to a good home!

March 6, 2008

FREE CHOIR ROBES

19 gold choir robes in various adult sizes with 16 white stoles…good condition

We will happily donate these choir robes from our closet to yours! We have purchased new robes and no longer have a need for these. If interested or if you have questions contact the Ebenezer UCC, Augusta Choir Director, Janet Fuhr at 636-228-4334 or dfuhr@mail.win.org 
 

13.  Insurance Board Reports Financial Stability

March 7, 2008

Press Release from the UCC Insurance Board
(Cleveland, Ohio - 3/6/2008)

“I am happy to report that 2007 was a pivotal year financially for the United Church of Christ Insurance Board (UCCIB). The September, 2007 audited financial statements show a clean, unqualified opinion and that unrestricted net equity increased by $720,000 during the fiscal year,” stated Cathy Green, CEO and president of the IB. In her report to the conference ministers at the annual meeting in New Mexico on February 25, Green identified 2007 as a year of regained solid financial stability for the provider of insurance, liability and risk management solutions to Disciples of Christ and UCC churches throughout the United States.

“We have come a long way, and accomplished much over the past year. I feel a positive momentum has begun and our directors and staff are all energized,” Green added.

Green was commended by the conference ministers for her leadership of the IB at this crucial time in its history which included the relocation of the corporate offices from Maryland to the United Church of Christ Church House in Cleveland, Ohio. Green told the conference ministers that with staff in place, and the relocation complete, the IB is “Focused on our top two priorities for the current year: adding churches to the program and enhancing risk management tools to participants.”

Currently more than 2,300 UCC and Disciples churches and related organizations are active participants in the IB program. And, according to Green, ”New business is up dramatically over levels seen in the past two years, although not yet at the pace we have targeted for the 2007/8 fiscal year.” Green also informed the conference ministers that claims frequency and severity were favorable during 2007.

The conference ministers approved the 2007 audited consolidated financial statements (which include the United Church Insurance Company, captive insurance company for the IB).

Rev. Alan McLarty, Conference Minister for Penn West Conference, and director for the IB, presented recommendations to the conference ministers that included a plan to reorganize the two boards of directors (the IB and UCIC) so that they routinely meet together and function as a single board. The other recommendation reflected the IB’s desire for a deeper partnership with the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). The conference ministers affirmed this aspiration and expect to receive a more comprehensive plan later in 2008.

One significant by-law change that was detailed to the conference ministers was the expansion of the board of directors for the IB to allow no less than 15 and no more than 21 directors. The change was prompted by the merging of the UCIC and IB boards. With the boards merged, three directors who previously served on the IC board were now elected to the IB board: John M Derby, UCC Hawaii Conference; Michael Downs, President, The Pension Boards of the UCC; and William MacKay-Heckles, UCC Connecticut Conference.

The conference ministers elected two new board members: Keith Bowden, UCC Massachusetts Conference; and Carla Fletcher, Disciples of Christ Mid-America Region. Re-elected were: Davida Foy Crabtree, UCC Connecticut Conference; Alan McLarty, UCC Penn West Conference; John M. Richardson, Disciples of Christ North Carolina Region; Glenn Pruiksma, UCC Pacific Northwest Conference; and Kathy Houston, UCC office of the executive minister. The Insurance Board also announced that Davida Foy Crabtree, Conference Minister of the UCC Connecticut Conference recently was elected Chair of the Board for the coming year, and that all other officers were re-elected.
 

14.  Prayers for Armin Klemme

March 7, 2008

Let us keep Rev. Armin Klemme in our prayers. Armin is a retired clergy in the Eastern Association. He had surgery on Monday for an intestinal blockage and is still hospitalized at St. John's Hospital, Washington as of Friday morning. His wife Norma reports that he is recuperating and doing well. Cards and well wishes may be sent to their home at 724 South Oak, Union, MO. 63084
 

15.  Two Events to be held at Cape Albeon

March 7, 2008

“Hurry, hurry, step right up to good health!” Cape Albeon Annual Health Fair on Thursday, March 27, 2008 between
10:00 A.M. – 2:00 P.M.

Cape Albeon will host an Open House on Saturday, March 29th, 2008 between 11:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.

For more information about either of these events, please contact: Pat Weltig, Marketing Director, 3300 Lake Bend Drive, Valley Park, MO 63088; 636-861-3200 ext.303; 636-861-6073 (fax); pweltig@standrews1.com  www.capealbeon.com 
 

16.  Death of Tom Conran

March 7, 2008

We are saddened to share the news of the death of Thomas J. Conran, PhD unexpectedly on Monday, March 3, 2008 at the age of 51. Services: The Funeral Mass will be celebrated at St. Francis Xavier (College) Church, Grand at Lindell, St. Louis, on Saturday, March 8 at 10 a.m. Services to conclude at church. In lieu of flowers, memorials appreciated to Lydia's House, P.O. Box 2722, St. Louis, MO 63116 or to the charity of one's choice. The family will receive friends at THE LUPTON CHAPEL, 7233 Delmar Blvd., University City, on Friday from 3 p.m. until 8 p.m.

Tom had many connections with the conference. He worked as a counselor at Care & Counseling. He headed up Project Tamar there which brought a religious voice to issues of domestic violence. In that capacity he often spoke to church groups and clergy to support their understanding of spiritual issues involved in abuse. Tom presented workshops in a number of venues on that subject at Lydia's House. He was involved in the early days of boundary training as a workshop presenter. Dr. Tom Conran was a Marriage and Family Therapist who worked with many clergy and churches, including the UCC. Tom was generous with his time,
supportive in the face of sensitive issues and situations, and very gentle in his presence. He was also supportive of Lydia's House. Tom's own faith community was St. Francis Xavier Roman Catholic.
 

17.  Get Ready for Summer Camp!

March 7, 2008

Everything your church needs to get ready for an exciting and enriching summer at Camp Mo-Val can be found on the camp web site. There you’ll find PDF files with the 2008 Camp Schedule, Clip-Art and items to insert in bulletins, information about the registration process, work days, volunteers and more!

Go to www.campmoval.org  and then move your curser over the Camp Mo-Val tab on the right side of the page. From there, go to Summer Schedule.

REMINDER: Camp Brochures will be mailed to churches and former campers via first-class mail in mid-March.
 

18.  Spring Work Days at Camp Mo-Val

March 7, 2008

SPRING WORK DAYS at Camp Mo-Val – MARCH 15 & APRIL 5

Help spread the word. Please share this information at church.

Each year scores of volunteers turn out to help with the maintenance of our outdoor ministry facilities. Volunteers work from approximately 9:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. Lunch is provided. Skilled and general labor projects are available.

This year, we will be working on the renovation of the old shop into the new Office and Welcome Center, as well as many other indoor and outdoor projects.

Additional information, including photos and articles about past Work Days, registration materials, a schedule for the day, a list of items to bring or wear, a poster and even a bulletin insert are available on the Conference web site at www.mmsucc.org

The more advanced notice we have regarding your group's planned participation and any special skills volunteers may bring - the better prepared we will be for your arrival.

For more information or to RSVP, contact Camp Mo-Val.

If you have questions, or if this date doesn't work with your schedule, contact Shirley in the camp office to set up an alternative date for your group.
PHONE: 636.583.2730 or 1.877.344.2267 toll free
E-MAIL: moval2@mmsucc.org
 

19.  LIFE program for April

March 10, 2008

The April 25-26 Retreat in the LIFE program offers two fine resources for lay leaders in congregations.

The Basic Course is The Church: A Learning Community. It will be taught by Dr. Karen Tye, recently retired from Eden Seminary as the Professor of Christian Education. Her newest book, Basics of Christian Education, is the recommended reading for the course. Participants in this course will explore what it means to educate Christian disciples and what it takes to be a learning community.

The other course offered in April is Conflict Resolution in Congregations. It will be taught by Rev. Dr. Mark Robinson, the Executive Director of the Center for Creative Conflict Resolution in St. Louis. Participants will explore the reality of conflict in all our lives and how we respond as God’s people.

More information about both courses is available on their website: http://www.lifeateden.com  Click on the Continuing Education link and then choose the April 25-26 LIFE Retreat link.

LIFE retreats offer worship, Bible study, and fellowship in addition to six hours of class time. The fee for those staying overnight is $125; $115 for those not requiring overnight lodging. Some scholarship money is available. The LIFE programs are sponsored by the Missouri Mid-South Conference and the Illinois-South Conference.

Nancy Livingston, LIFE Administrator
 

20.  Prayers for Mitzie Payne

March 10, 2008

We ask for prayers for Mitzie Payne who will have surgery tomorrow on her left hand. This will be the forth surgery on her hand. Mitzie works as the office manager at Shannondale. Get well wishes can be sent to her at: HC62 Box 340, Salem, MO 65560.
 

21.  Holy Week activities at Zion, Florissant

March 11, 2008

GUIDED LABYRINTH WALK at Zion UCC, Florissant. Guided walk offered 12:00-3:00pm on Friday, March 21st and 8:00-9:00am on Easter morning (3/23). Reflect on the last seven words spoken by Jesus before his death as you walk the permanent, outdoor labyrinth located at Zion United Church of Christ (5710 North Highway 67, 1/4 mile west of Jamestown Mall). (314) 741-1590. Labyrinth accessible dawn to dusk, 365 days each year. Located off the back parking lot.

EASTER EGG HUNT: Zion United Church of Christ (5710 North Highway 67, 1/4 mile west of Jamestown Mall) invites all children of the community to participant in an Easter Egg Hunt on Saturday, March 22nd, beginning promptly at 11:00am (excited children just can’t wait past the starting time!) Bring a basket for your eggs and join in the fun. Separate area for toddlers. Free. For information call (314) 741-1590.

FUNDRAISING EASTER BREAKFAST: The Youth Group of Zion United Church of Christ (5710 North Highway 67, 1/4 mile west of Jamestown Mall) invites everyone to join them for a home-cooked breakfast on Easter Sunday, March 23rd, 9:00-10:00am (before 10:30am worship). Cost is $6.00 per person with a $20.00 family maximum. Proceeds benefit the Zion Youth Mission Trip Fund. (314) 741-1590 for information. Reservations not required.
 

22.  Pastor-Parish Relations Workshop

March 11, 2008

The work of a Pastor-Parish Relations Committee is critical to the health and wholeness of a congregation and clergyperson.

Consider these questions:

Is there a climate of trust and openness among the clergy, church leadership and congregation in which you hold your membership?
Do you have an intentional process of setting goals together?
Do you collaborate? Are you cohesive and creative?
Do you share successes, frustrations, hopes and stumbling blocks?
What about expectations, evaluation, education?
Do you talk annually about compensation?
What happens when there is a breakdown in communication?
A workshop, presented by our St Louis Association Committee on Ministry, will address these questions and more. Come to one of two opportunities –

St. Johns (Chesterfield) on Monday, March 31st from 7-8:30pm
St. Lucas on Saturday, April 5th from 9-10:30am

[It may be best to come with others from your church, but you could come by yourself and find great value.]  Questions? Please contact Kevin Cameron, Co-Chair of St Louis Association Committee on Ministry, at 314-872-9330 or kevin@parkwayucc.org
 

23.  Help Wanted at Friedens, St. Charles

March 11, 2008

Friedens UCC, St. Charles, is seeking an engaging, dynamic, Christ-centered individual who loves to be around young people, and the young at heart, and who feels called to help them grow in their relationship with God. This is a part-time position for someone to be a focus for children and families, assisting them with their spiritual education and guidance by implementing the objectives of the Board of Christian Education (BCE). It is understood that the demands of this position ebb and flow with the various seasons of the Liturgical year. However, the BCE determines that the work-hours for this position should average to no more than 19 per week. Please note, it is a monitory requirement to be present at church on Sunday’s during the Sunday School season and also at BCE sponsored events. For a complete job description, which includes sources of accountability and expectations, interested parties can email the church office at friedensoffice@friedens-ucc.org
 

24.  Personal Spiritual Retreat offered at Eden Seminary

March 12, 2008

Time for a personal spiritual retreat.

Stop, Look, Listen... a discernment retreat offered at Eden Theological Seminary.
Retreat facilitator: Reverend Dr. Martha Brunell.
Saturday, April 19, 2008 Cost: $40
For more information contact Carol Shanks cshanks@eden.edu  314-918-2501
Registration deadline: April 10
 

25.  Message from John Thomas re: the 5th anniversary of the Iraq War

March 13, 2008

A Message from John Thomas:

It's the 5th anniversary of the Iraq War. How will you be a light for peace on March 19, 2008?

In one week, on March 19, the world will pause to commemorate the fifth anniversary of the war in Iraq. Five years of bloodshed, destruction, displacement and death.
As a participant in the UCC’s “100,000 for Peace” movement, you are invited to mark the day by being a prayerful, proactive voice – by joining as one of “100,000 Lights for Peace.”
On March 19 — the Wednesday of Holy Week — our members, supporters and congregations will be remembering the day with meditation and action, either as individuals or as groups. Together, on March 19, we will move from lamentation to action to hope.
Using a common liturgy that utilizes three distinct prayers for morning, noontime and evening, we hope to become “100,000 Lights for Peace.”
Here’s how you can participate:
• In the morning, light a candle and begin the day with a Prayer of Lament, based on Psalm 130 and the UCC’s Pastoral Letter on the War in Iraq.
• At noon, take action for peace. Be a light for peace, and light up the Capitol Hill switchboard at 202-224-3121. Ask to speak to your elected Members of Congress. A Meditation for Mid-Day Action is provided to undergird your spirited witness for:
   1. an end to the war in Iraq;
   2. for greater responsiveness to the needs of returning soldiers and their families;
   3. for greater U.S. aid for Iraqi refugees and others displaced by the fighting and bloodshed.
• At evening time, join others for a candlelight vigil and tolling of church bells. “Open the way to peace in Iraq” will be our shared petition in our Evening Prayer of Hope.
Take a moment now to indicate your plans to join our March 19 witness of lament, action and hope. We are hoping to count at least 100,000 participants!
One week from today, let the United Church of Christ pray in one unified offering, “We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you, for by your cross and resurrection you have triumphed in Love with its power to cast out fear and overcome hatred.”
Sincerely,

The Rev. John H. Thomas, General Minister and President
United Church of Christ

P.S. You can find all three of the prayers for March 19 in one, easy-to-download file on our website at www.ucc.org/100kforpeace/100k_lights.html  along with a search box to look up your members of Congress.
 

26.  Prophetic Renewal Event

March 13, 2008

Prophetic Renewal – Spend a day learning ways in which you can help your church have a future.

The Keynote Speaker of this event hosted by the Missouri Mid-South Conference is Michael S. Piazza, a spiritual visionary, author and social justice advocate who currently serves as Dean of the Cathedral of Hope, known as the world’s largest liberal Christian church with a predominantly lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender outreach, as well as President of Hope for Peace and Justice, a non-profit ministry of Cathedral of Hope whose mission is equipping progressive people of faith to be champions for peace and justice. A native of Georgia, Rev. Piazza has served in ministry for more than three decades, pastoring churches in Texas, Georgia, Oklahoma and Florida. He holds Bachelor Degrees in history and psychology from Valdosta State College in Georgia and a Master of Divinity from the Candler School of Theology, Emory University in Atlanta. The Advocate magazine named Rev. Piazza one of the most influential people in the gay and lesbian movement (August 1999). He has six published books, Holy Homosexuals (to be re-released in 2008 as Gay by God), Rainbow Family Values, Mourning to Morning, Growth or Death, Queries: Questions Lesbians and Gays have for God, and the recently released The Real antichrist: How America Sold its Soul. He is currently at work on Prophetic Renewal, a book designed to help restore vitality to liberal congregations. Rev. Piazza and his partner Bill have been together since 1980 and have two daughters.

“We simply cannot allow Christianity to become a fundamentalist, vindictive, excluding religion. I believe our progressive values and vision are most congruent with the gospels’ witness of who Jesus was and what he taught. We cannot allow the world to come to believe Jesus is the vengeful fundamentalist messiah that, all too often, he is depicted to be. We have a word of grace to speak to the soul of a hurting world. We cannot be silent. We must not allow our witness to die away. It is my conviction that what we have to offer is exactly what people need at this time in history. We must not be apologetic or timid in offering it.”
— from Prophetic Renewal by Rev. Michael S. Piazza

Conference Schedule
1 – 3 p.m. Session 1:
Can these bones live again? Breathing New Life into the Body of Christ
In this session we will explore the hopes and dreams for the Church’s future. We also will share our struggles and challenges as the leaders who must be the midwives of that future.

3:30 – 5:30 p.m. Session 2:
A Living Parable of Renewal: The Story of the Cathedral of Hope
One of the secrets of successful leadership in any field is learning from the successes and failures of others. In this session, Rev. Piazza will share how the Cathedral of Hope survived its death and experienced genuine resurrection. Our situations and settings are different, but many of the principles are the same.

7 – 9 p.m. Session 3:
21st Century Liturgy: Speaking an ancient word so it can be heard by modern ears
In many contemporary churches video screens are the modern stained-glass windows. How do traditional and smaller churches meet the needs of their future without alienating their current congregations. You will hear practical advice for bringing the Church into the electronic age.

Host Locations:
Monday, April 7
St. Paul United Church of Christ
115 West B Street
Belleville, IL 62220
Hosted by the Illinois South Conference

Tuesday, April 8
St. John’s United Church of Christ
15370 Olive Blvd.
Chesterfield, MO 63017

Registration:
To register for the April 7 conference, Contact Sheldon Culver at:
The Illinois South Conference, 1312 Broadway, Highland, IL 62249
sculver@isucc.org   (618) 654-2125
There is a $6.00/person registration fee for the April 7 conference. Registration deadline is March 31, 2008.

To register for the April 8 conference, Contact John Dorhauer at:
The Missouri Mid-South Conference,  411 East Lockwood Avenue, St. Louis, MO 63119
john@mmsucc.org  (314) 918-2601
 

27.  LIFE announces scholarship winners

March 13, 2008

L.I.F.E (Lay Institute of Faith Exploration) is happy to announce that three Schroer Pastor's Scholarships have been awarded to Missouri Mid-South recipients:

Robyn Keough, Christ UCC, Maplewood; nominated by Pastor Brian Newcomb

Marquita Pace, Bethel UCC, Kansas City; nominated by Pastor Karen Aitkens

Larry Gaines, Pilgrim Congregational UCC, St. Louis; nominated by Pastor Cynthia Bumb

The Lay Institute of Faith Exploration is a three year series of weekend retreats for active lay members of our churches, and is designed to build a foundation in faith around key issues of life in the church. We are pleased to hear that Robyn, Marquita, and Larry will be able to take advantage of this gift. If you have active lay members who are interested in deepening their faith and pursuing a deeper enrichment of their Adult Christian Education experiences, they should consider enrolling in the L.I.F.E. program. To find out more about how to do that you can contact Nancy Livingston at nlivingston@eden.edu
 

28.  Free to a new home - Phones & Hymns

March 13, 2008

St. Paul’s UCC, Oakville (St. Louis) has two phone systems that they will give away. One has 5 phones and little technology and is almost new. The other is quite old but works well, but would require installation and programming; it probably has ten to 15 phones that work well.

They also have several hundred "Hymns for the Family of God" that they would be delighted to have someone use.

If interested, contact St. Paul's Oakville, office phone 314.892.3332, or Keith Karau spkak@charterinternet.com
 

29.  Peace gathering at Christ, Maplewood

March 14, 2008

Recognizing that not every congregation can or will host an event marking the 5th Anniversary of our War in Iraq with a gathering to pray for peace, peace activists and those who desire to gather to pray for peace from around our St. Louis Association of the UCC and beyond are invited to join together at Christ UCC, at the corner of Bellevue & Bruno in Maplewood, MO for a candlelight prayer vigil at 7 pm on Wednesday, March 19.

All will gather outside (in the sanctuary if the weather is forbidding) on the steps of the church, and use adapted readings provided by the 100,000 Lights for Peace materials for this occasion, the Prayer of Lament, a reading aloud the letter from our UCC Collegium read at the General Synod last summer, and the Evening Prayer of Hope. The gathering will conclude with 5 minutes of silence and the ringing of the church bells.

All are welcome to attend, and feel free to spread the word to like-minded persons. If you can, please email to BQNandSUS@aol.com  to let Christ UCC know that you are coming and how many so they can plan to have enough candles ready. But no need to rsvp... just come and pray together.
 

30.  Family Night Samoan Style

March 14, 2008

Family Night Samoan Style

You are invited to join the Samoan Congregational Christian UCC for a family night celebration on March 29 at 5 pm. Enjoy Samoan food, Island dancing, fun and fellowship. Bring a friend and a healthy appetite. A recommended contribution of $10 per person in support of the Samoan Parsonage renovation project will be most helpful and appreciated. The event will be held at the Fairmount Community Center, 608 South Ash, Independence, Missouri. Please RSVP to Dale Parson at 816-257-9826 or fdparson@sbcglobal.net
 

31.  Last chance for Yearbook information - PLEASE HELP

March 17, 2008

Why should you take the time to complete the Yearbook information? Within the three Associations of the Missouri Mid-South Conference, your church is allotted delegates based on the number of members it has. This is true also as each church is allotted delegates to the Biennial Meetings of the Conference. And once again, the number of members of the churches is used to determine how many delegates the Missouri Mid-South Conference is allotted at the General Synod Meetings. If one of our churches does not complete Yearbook reports then we use the last known data to assist in the allotment of delegates. If the last known data for your church is not correct then representation is not correctly reflected either on the Association level, the Conference level or the National level. PLEASE HELP THE MISSOURI MID-SOUTH CONFERENCE BY COMPLETING YOUR YEARBOOK INFORMATION.

The online data entry system will be closed at noon on Wednesday, March 19th. This is the VERY LAST chance to complete the data. It MUST be done online. If you can’t access the links, please call Sandy Roland at 314-918-2605 (1-877-877-5884 toll free) and she can do it for you while you give her the data over the phone. There are still 48 Missouri Mid-South Churches that have not sent in their reports. Please help us and contact Sandy ASAP.
 

32.  Giving Ministry requests your assistance

March 17, 2008

Dear Conference Director:

Giving Ministry requests your participation in presenting the 2007 Our Church's Wider Mission (Basic Support) certificates of appreciation. We hope that you will be willing to make a presentation in a UCC Church near you and if needed your own church as well.

If you are willing to participate in this effort to have every church in the Conference acknowledged in a personal manner, please contact Rev. Mike Krewson, member of Giving, who is coordinating the effort. Mike's e-mail is mandmkrewson@yahoo.com  Please indicate the name of your local church, if you are willing to present in a neighboring setting, and if you have a specific preferred neighboring congregation, the name of that church also.

The 2007 OCWM certificates will be available soon. Giving Ministry will send letters of appreciation to each church as well.

Thank you for considering this request.
 

33.  Sabbatical Grants for Pastors

March 17, 2008

Lilly Endowment: National Clergy Renewal Program ( www.clergyrenewal.org  )

The National Clergy Renewal Program, an initiative of the Lilly Endowment, provides support to Christian congregations throughout the country whose pastors wish to take time for reflection and renewal. The program provides grants to congregations whose pastors and parishioners, working together, produce compelling plans for an extended sabbatical time for the minister and a complementary set of activities for congregational renewal. In 2008, the program anticipates awarding as many as 120 grants of up to $45,000 each. Christian congregations whose ordained pastors have a master of divinity degree from an accredited theological school are eligible to apply. The application deadline is May 14, 2008. Requests for proposals may be downloaded from the website listed above.

Our thanks to Sharon Fenoglio of Evangelical Children's Home for sharing this with us.
 

34.  Ten Questions to ask political candidates

March 18, 2008

The following opportunity came to our attention through the Impact Board. Given the reports about the UCC and the IRS, many of you may find this enlightening and helpful.

Go to www.firstfreedomfirst.org/big-event  to reserve your seat today!

Join others at this gathering to learn about the threats to church-state separation and to demand that candidates for elected office answer questions about key issues dealing with individual freedom. Ten questions to ask candidates that have a direct impact on Americans' lives will be featured.

Peter Coyote, celebrated Hollywood actor and filmmaker, will emcee the program, which will include such special guests as The Bacon Brothers (featuring actor Kevin Bacon and his brother Michael), actors Michael J. Fox; Jack Klugman; James Whitmore; Wendie Malick; Dan Lauria; and Catherine Dent; comedian and Air America host Marc Maron; singer/songwriter Catie Curtis and satirist Roy Zimmerman.

In addition, Americans who have fought for individual freedom against great odds will tell their stories. Guests include Bryan and Christy Rehm (who fought creationism in Dover, Pa. science classes), Matthew LaClair (a New Jersey high schooler who exposed religious indoctrination at his school), Roberta Stewart (an Afghanistan War widow who fought for equal rights for Wiccan veterans), Dr. Susan Wicklund (who wears a bullet-proof vest to provide reproductive services in underserved areas) the Rev. Madison Shockley (pastor and reproductive rights advocate) David and Ryan Altoon (who oppose fundamentalist proselytism at U.S. military academies) Melinda "Lindy" Maddox (who successfully sued Alabama "Commandments" Judge Roy Moore) and Susan Jacoby (author of The Age of American Unreason).

Don't miss out on this special event! Go to www.firstfreedomfirst.org/big-event  to reserve your seat now.
 

35.  A letter from John Thomas on the topic of Jeremiah Wright & Trinity UCC

March 18, 2008

What Kind of Prophet?
Reflections on the Rhetoric of Preaching in Light of Recent News Coverage of Jeremiah A. Wright, Jr. and Trinity United Church of Christ by John H. Thomas, General Minister and President, United Church of Christ

Over the weekend members of our church and others have been subjected to the relentless airing of two or three brief video clips of sermons by the Rev. Dr. Jeremiah A. Wright, Jr., pastor of Trinity United Church of Christ for thirty-six years and, for over half of those years, pastor of Senator Barack Obama and his family. These video clips, and news stories about them, have been served up with frenzied and heated commentary by media personalities expressing shock that such language and sentiments could be uttered from the pulpit.

One is tempted to ask whether these commentators ever listen to the overcharged rhetoric of their own opinion shows. Even more to the point is to wonder whether they have a working knowledge of the history of preaching in the United States from the unrelentingly grim language of New England election day sermons to the fiery rhetoric of the Black church prophetic tradition. Maybe they prefer the false prophets with their happy homilies in Jeremiah who say to the people: “You shall not see the sword, nor shall you have famine, but I will give you true peace in this place.” To which God responds, “The prophets are prophesying lies in my name; I did not send them, nor did I command them or speak to them. They are prophesying to you a lying vision, worthless divination, and the deceit of their own minds. . . . By sword and famine those prophets shall be consumed,” (Jeremiah 14.14-15). The Biblical Jeremiah was coarse and provocative. Faithfulness, not respectability was the order of the day then. And now?
What’s really going on here? First, it may state the obvious to point out that these television and radio shows have very little interest in Trinity Church or Jeremiah Wright. Those who sifted through hours of sermons searching for a few lurid phrases and those who have aired them repeatedly have only one intention. It is to wound a presidential candidate. In the process a congregation that does exceptional ministry and a pastor who has given his life to shape those ministries is caricatured and demonized. You don’t have to be an Obama supporter to be alarmed at this. Will Clinton’s United Methodist Church be next? Or McCain’s Episcopal Church? Wouldn’t we have been just as alarmed had it been Huckabee’s Southern Baptist Church, or Romney’s Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints?

Many of us would prefer to avoid the stark and startling language Pastor Wright used in these clips. But what was his real crime? He is condemned for using a mild “obscenity” in reference to the United States. This week we mark the fifth anniversary of the war in Iraq, a war conceived in deception and prosecuted in foolish arrogance. Nearly four thousand cherished Americans have been killed, countless more wounded, and tens of thousands of Iraqis slaughtered. Where is the real obscenity here? True patriotism requires a degree of self-criticism, even self-judgment that may not always be easy or genteel. Pastor Wright’s judgment may be starker and more sweeping than many of us are prepared to accept. But is the soul of our nation served any better by the polite prayers and gentle admonitions that have gone without a real hearing for these five years while the dying and destruction continues?

We might like to think that racism is a thing of the past, that Martin Luther King’s harmonious multi-racial vision, articulated in his speech at the Lincoln Memorial in 1963 and then struck down by an assassin’s bullet in Memphis in 1968, has somehow been resurrected and now reigns throughout the land. Significant progress has been made. A black man is a legitimate candidate for President of the United States. A black woman serves as Secretary of State. The accomplishments are profound. But on the gritty streets of Chicago’s south side where Trinity has planted itself, race continues to play favorites in failing urban school systems, unresponsive health care systems, crumbling infrastructure, and meager economic development. Are we to pretend all is well because much is, in fact, better than it used to be? Is it racist to name the racial divides that continue to afflict our nation, and to do so loudly? How ironic that a pastor and congregation which, for forty-five years, has cast its lot with a predominantly white denomination, participating fully in its wider church life and contributing generously to it, would be accused of racial exclusion and a failure to reach for racial reconciliation.

The gospel narrative of Palm Sunday’s entrance into Jerusalem concludes with the overturning of the money changers’ tables in the Temple courtyard. Here wealth and power and greed were challenged for the way the poor were oppressed to the point of exclusion from a share in the religious practices of the Temple. Today we watch as the gap between the obscenely wealthy and the obscenely poor widens. More and more of our neighbors are relegated to minimal health care or to no health care at all. Foreclosures destroy families while unscrupulous lenders seek bailouts from regulators who turned a blind eye to the impending crisis. Should the preacher today respond to this with only a whisper and a sigh?

Is Pastor Wright to be ridiculed and condemned for refusing to play the court prophet, blessing land and sovereign while pledging allegiance to our preoccupation with wealth and our fascination with weapons? In the United Church of Christ we honor diversity. For nearly four centuries we have respected dissent and have struggled to maintain the freedom of the pulpit. Not every pastor in the United Church of Christ will want to share Pastor Wright’s rhetoric or his politics. Not every member will rise to shout “Amen!” But I trust we will all struggle in our own way to resist the lure of respectable religion that seeks to displace evangelical faith. For what this nation needs is not so much polite piety as the rough and radical word of the prophet calling us to repentance. And, as we struggle with that ancient calling, I pray we will be shrewd enough to name the hypocrisy of those who decry the mixing of religion and politics in order to serve their own political ends.

March 17, 2008
 

36.  Missouri Civil Rights Initiative Petition

March 18, 2008

MISSOURI IMPACT OPPOSES DECEPTIVE “MISSOURI CIVIL RIGHTS INITIATIVE”

Missouri is one of five states that have been targeted by the American Civil Rights Institute based in Sacramento, California, to ban state and local government affirmative action programs. The Missouri Civil Rights Initiative, based in Grain Valley, Missouri, is currently conducting a campaign in Missouri to collect enough signatures to place the proposed Missouri constitutional change on the ballot at the November 4, 2008 election.

Affirmative action programs have made significant contributions in opening up opportunities for women and minorities to participate in millions of dollars of public contracts as well employment and educational opportunities. They have been enacted to correct a major, documented injustice in the basic economic, political and religious structures of our society: the systematic exclusion of persons of color and women from the privileges and opportunities of our nation. Affirmative action programs have been an effective tool in reducing both intentional and unintentional racism in our nation and creating a more just, fair and peaceful society.

Missouri IMPACT declares its strong opposition to this initiative petition effort with the misleading name “Missouri Civil Rights Initiative”. This initiative would amend the Missouri Constitution to “ban state and local government affirmative action programs that give preferential treatment in public contracting, employment or education…” Abolishing affirmative action programs by state and local governments and making them unconstitutional as proposed in this initiative will harm the cause of justice

Missouri IMPACT is a united voice of people of faith who are committed to public policies grounded in the principle of justice, equity, and the wellbeing of all. Because our religious convictions emerge from the Hebrew and Christian scriptures we embrace diversity and engage in grass-roots mobilization and non-partisan political efforts to work for the common good, for protection of the most vulnerable and oppressed and for a more just and peaceful society.

Therefore, Missouri IMPACT urges all persons of good will to become well informed about the true purpose of this initiative and to think very carefully before signing a petition to put the issue on the ballot next November. Missouri IMPACT also urges all persons to join the We Can Coalition which has been formed by religious, community, and labor groups to oppose this campaign to ban affirmative action in Missouri. You may contact the We Can Coalition at its web site "www.wecanmo.org".

Missouri IMPACT invites and encourages the Missouri Civil Rights Initiative to inform all Missourians of the persons and organizations, both in state and out of state, that give their financial support to the Missouri Civil Rights Initiative to ban affirmative action programs. We have a right to know who is asking us to change our constitution.
 

37.  Prayers for Howie and Wahneta Bischoff

March 18, 2008

After more than a month of treatments and skin graft surgeries for second and third degree burns, Wahneta Bischoff's medical condition has not improved. Following consultation with the fine staff team at the Kansas University Medical Center, careful deliberation and abundant prayer, the family has determined that continuing life support systems would not be in
Wahneta's best interests. This desire has also been her clear wish as expressed in her advance directives. She will receive palliative care. Please keep Wahneta, her husband, Rev. Howie Bishchoff, and their family in your prayers--especially this day.

Howie Bischoff, retired UCC pastor, has served churches in Kansas, Nebraska and Iowa. Wahneta was a vital part of each of these ministry settings. Expressions of prayer, love and sympathy may be sent to Howie Bischoff at 1812 SW Walnut, Blue Springs, MO 64015-4049.
 

38.  NYE 2008: registration, travel and other questions answered

March 18, 2008

National Youth Event is a once-in-a-lifetime experience! Every four years, United Church of Christ youth gather from across the country to engage in this incredibly fun and faith-feeding experience. Until the last General Synod, no U.C.C. gathering was larger than NYE! See below for answers to your NYE questions, including detailed information on registration and travel arrangements.

Q: NYE – What is it all about?
A: Check out the NYE info and video at www.ucc.org/youth/nye

Q: Are we traveling as a group to Knoxville, Tennessee or do I organize that?
A: Missouri Mid-South Conference participants will be traveling on two buses to Knoxville, Tennessee. One bus will be originating out of Wichita, Kansas on the evening of July 23rd and making stops along I-70 (such as in K.C., Higginsville junction and Columbia). The other bus will be originating out of St. Louis at 5:00 AM on July 24th and picking up people in the Illinois South Conference on the way to Knoxville. The cost for transportation is $120 per person.

Q: $120 sounds like a lot of money on top of the $345 for NYE registration. What are the negatives and complicating factors of driving one’s own group?
A: The negatives are having to make the travel arrangements yourself, no rest time for adult leaders who serve as drivers (the youth will be ready to go when you get to TN and you might not be…), you’ll miss out on bonding time with other church groups from your conference and finally, unless you have a church bus, volunteers donating gas and mileage or rental connections, you won’t save much money. Complicating factors you also need to think about and address are whether your church’s insurance will allow for youth to be transported to the event in the manner you are choosing and whether they have special requirements. For instance, some church insurance policies will not allow youth to sit in the backs of 15 passenger vans (or possibly in 15 passenger vans at all). As well, many insurance companies require those that drive youth to have a Class E chauffeur’s driver’s license and be age 25 or older.

Q: I want to travel on the conference bus, but live in the southern part of the state, Little Rock, Memphis or another location of the conference (not near the I-70 path of the other bus) that makes it hard to get to St. Louis by 5:00 AM.
A: We’ve thought of two options that we hope will help. First, the church where our 5:00 AM pick-up is taking place has showers. You are welcome to come the night before if you let us know in advance. As well, our buses should be traveling through Paducah, KY on the way to Knoxville. If it would be easier for you to get to Paducah, we could pick you up there.

Q: How do I register my group?
A: Follow these steps:

STEP ONE: Pre-registration
Follow this link and fill out the pre-registration form for your entire group: http://www.ucc.org/youth/pdfs/nye-preregistration-form.pdf
Return this form and one check that includes a $25/per person event registration deposit to the University of Tennessee address indicated on the form. DO NOT SEND THESE DEPOSITS TO THE CONFERENCE OFFICE. We are not expecting them and they will be greatly delayed in getting to the university (which means you will not receive your full registration packets in a timely manner). Make sure that on your pre-registration form, you checkmark “I am a youth group leader bringing a group.”

STEP TWO: Full Event Registration
Once you complete and submit the pre-registration form to the University of TN with a non-refundable deposit of $25 per person, you will be mailed a full NYE registration packet (which will have more detailed information regarding the event, workshops, accommodation, etc.) Have participants fill these out. THEN MAKE TWO COPIES of each person’s registration packets, and mail the originals to the university as indicated on the packets and on the national website. Include ONE CHECK for the remainder of your registration costs, as instructed on the national website: www.ucc.org/youth/nye 

STEP THREE: Conference Pre-registration
Of the two registration packet copies you made for each NYE participant, please keep one copy for your records. Then please do the following:
A) Send the second copy of all NYE participants’ registration packets to the Missouri Mid-South Conference office (for conference records, housing purposes and further NYE activity organizing).
B) Along with these copies, please fill out the “NYE Group Travel Registration Form” (downloadable on the conference website: www.mmsucc.org )  .
C) Please make out ONE CHECK that includes a non-refundable $25 deposit for each person riding to NYE on the conference bus. Checks should be made payable to MMS-UCC.
D) Mail registration packet copies, the group travel registration form and your church check for travel deposits to the conference office, no later than April 30th:

Missouri Mid-South Conference – NYE 2008
411 E. Lockwood Ave.
St. Louis, MO 63119

STEP FOUR: Completing Conference Registration
Please submit one check for the remaining amount of travel costs ($95 per person if the deposit was $25 per person), payable to MMS-UCC and mailed to the same 411 E. Lockwood address. THESE FINAL TRAVEL PAYMENTS ARE DUE BY JUNE 1ST.

Q: Will there be time for youth from our conference to bond with one another?
A: We are trying to make sure that there is! This is part of the reason conference travel plans and conference knowledge of participation is helpful. Besides seeking to travel to the event as a conference, we will be housed by floors as conferences. As well, many conferences arrange end-of-the-evening vespers services if volunteer leadership is willing. And even just walking around on campus – youth tend to greet one another by what conference they come from: “Hey Iowa!” “Hey Hawaii!” National Youth Event is a great place for youth to not only realize their identity as a member of the United Church of Christ, but to grasp their part in the smaller covenantal group that is their conference.

Q: Who do I contact if I have questions about NYE registration or travel details?
A: Please contact Youth and Young Adult Working Group Associate, Karin Oelzen at Immanuel UCC in Ferguson: 314-521-7324 or by e-mail: koelzen@immanuelucc.org
 

39.  Death of Wahneta Bischoff

March 20, 2008

Our sympathy is extended to the family of Wahneta Bischoff who died peacefully at 1:20 p.m. on Wednesday, March 19, almost exactly 24 hours after life support systems were disconnected. Wahneta had suffered severe burns a month earlier in an accident. We especially hold in prayer her husband, Rev. Howie Bischoff, their children, Angie, Gretchen, and Robin, and other family members. Wahneta and Howie have lived at Blue Springs Terrace since 1993 and are members of Ivanhoe UCC, Raytown. A memorial service will be held next week, arrangements pending. Condolences may be sent to Howie Bischoff, 1812 West Walnut, Blue Springs, MO 64015-4049.
 

40.  St. Louis Association Spring Meeting

March 20, 2008

MARK YOUR CALENDAR!

On April 17, The St. Louis Association of the Missouri Mid-South Conference of the United Church of Christ will come together at Church of the Master for our Spring Gathering. Our Mission Partners will have their exhibits ready to view at 4:30 pm. Dinner will be served at 5:30, followed by the program and service. Clela Anderson will talk with us about Global Missions.

The evening will conclude with saying good bye to John Dorhauer. Some of John's friends will share their thoughts and reminiscence. There will be laughter and tears as we wish John well as he moves on to the Southwest Conference..

Further information will follow.

See you on April 17!
 

41.  Habitat for Humanity Fundraising Dinner at Zion, Florissant

March 20, 2008

Habitat For Humanity Fundraising Dinner – Zion United Church of Christ (5710 N. Hwy 67, Florissant) invites you to a fundraising dinner on Saturday, April 5th from 5:00 – 7:00pm. Tickets are $8.00, $4.00 for children 5 – 11, and children under 5 years are free. The menu includes: meatloaf, mashed potatoes, green beans, corn, apple sauce, coleslaw, dessert and a drink. Donations are welcome and will be forwarded directly to Habitat For Humanity. For reservations or questions please call 314-741-1590.

The dinner will benefit the 2008 UCC Habitat for Humanity build. UCC Congregations will be building their 17th Habitat for Humanity home this year in the Jeff Vander-Lou Neighborhood. Please join us in supporting the work of Habitat for Humanity.
 

42.  Holy Week Message from John Thomas

March 20, 2008

Holy Week Message

John H. Thomas
General Minister and President, United Church of Christ

March 19, 2008

Sitting among the memorabilia on my bedroom dresser is a glass communion cup, the cup I used on Maundy Thursday about forty-five years ago on the night I was confirmed and received the sacrament for the first time. Through many moves and transitions I have managed to keep it intact; it still evokes memories of a darkened sanctuary, rich with the aroma of grape juice, the familiar faces of cherished family, pastors, and friends shadowed by the growing darkness of Tenebrae and the annual recital of the betrayals and desertions that followed the meal in the Upper Room. I “owned the covenant” that evening, as was the custom in my New England Congregational church, promising to join the walk with God and my fellow church members that God would reveal to us in the “blessed Word of truth.”

This year politics and controversy have forced their way into Holy Week. For many members of the United Church of Christ these have been unwelcome guests, disturbing and alienating. My own Palm Sunday celebration in a wonderful renewing congregation in West Virginia felt wedged into a media storm that was relentlessly portraying our church in distorted and damaging ways. Response to my own reflections on these events ranged from deep gratitude to bitter calls for resignation. Interviews have disrupted schedules, and countless UCC folk have kept the phone ringing to offer help and to urge their own recipe for responding to all of this. The IRS inquiry lurks in the back corners of my mind and, like most of our pastors, various administrative challenges that can’t be deferred demand attention, crowding out time set aside to ponder the mysteries of the Cross and the Empty Tomb.

Then, amidst it all, we pause this week to remember the war and all that has been lost in these five years. “Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord. Lord, hear my voice!”

Along with these public concerns, I find myself sitting in the pew this Holy Week carrying my own more private worries and thoughts, not unlike so many other members of our churches who will look to their pastors for a word of grace framed by Thursday’s shadows and Easter’s promise. My twenty-five year old son, recently deployed with his National Guard unit to Afghanistan, is never very far from my thoughts. And I will squeeze in a hurried trip tomorrow to Baltimore to visit my 93 year old mother, recently moved to the health center in her retirement community with severe back pain. Concern for her and guilt that distance and professional preoccupations have left it to my sister to carry the difficult load of consultations with physical therapists and doctors, arranging aides in the hope that she might be able to return to her apartment, etc. – these thoughts, too, linger.

So this Holy Week in particular I cherish my little glass communion cup and the rich meaning associated with it. It points to the centered spirit found in Christ’s presence and shared in Christ’s community, the centered spirit that we all need in these demanding and disturbing times. The renewal of my baptism that Maundy Thursday long ago seems very distant at times. But one of the church fathers, writing of the baptism of Jesus and of our own baptism, reminds us that although that day belongs to the past, the power of the mystery which was then revealed has not passed away; we are not left with a news report of bygone events, to be received in faith and remembered with veneration. God’s bounty toward us has been multiplied, so that even in our own times we daily experience the grace which belonged to those first beginnings. (St. Leo the Great)

May the mysteries into which we are now entering remain powerful for each of us this year, offering healing and hope. May the grace of those first beginnings, whenever and wherever they took place for each of us, endure and grow. And, as we pray for our wounded and weary world this Holy Week, so often dividing and disrupting, may we also remember to pray for one another that we may each encounter the Risen Christ on our walk from the Upper Room toward Emmaus.
 

43.  Report from Disaster Coordinator, Steve Redman

March 20, 2008

A report on the storms and flooding from the Missouri Mid-South Conference Disaster Coordinator, Steve Redman:

13 Dead, 3 Missing in Central US Storm

PIEDMONT, Mo. (AP) - Residents of low-lying towns stacked sandbags or grabbed belongings and evacuated Wednesday after a foot of rain pushed rivers and creeks out of their banks in the nation's midsection. At least 13 deaths had been linked to the weather, and three people were missing.

Record or near-record flood crests were forecast at several towns in Missouri. Flooding was reported in large areas of Arkansas and parts of southern Illinois, southern Indiana and southwestern Ohio, and schools were closed in parts of western Kentucky because of flooded roads.

``We've got water rising everywhere,'' said Jeff Korb, president of the Vanderbugh County, Ind., commissioners.

The National Weather Service posted flood and flash flood warnings from Texas to Pennsylvania. After two days, rain had finally stopped falling by Wednesday afternoon in much of Missouri and Arkansas as the weather system crawled toward the Northeast, drenching the Ohio Valley and spreading snow over parts of northern New England. A parallel band of locally heavy rain stretched from Alabama and Georgia to the mid-Atlantic states.

Atlanta police closed some downtown streets in case the stormy weather knocked down more broken glass and debris from buildings damaged by Friday's tornado.

In Ohio and other areas, the rain fell on ground already saturated from heavy snowfall less than two weeks ago.

A foot of rain had fallen in sections of southern Illinois and at Mountain Home, Ark., and Cape Girardeau, Mo., while 6.2 inches fell at Evansville, Ind., the weather service said.

Five deaths were linked to the flooding in Missouri, five people were killed in a highway wreck in heavy rain in Kentucky and a 65-year-old Ohio woman appeared to have drowned while checking on a sump pump in her home. In southern Illinois, two bodies were found hours after floodwaters swept a pickup truck off a rural road.

Searches were under way in Texas for a teenager washed down a drainage pipe, and two people were missing in Arkansas after their vehicles were swept away by rushing water.

Searchers in Missouri found the body of Mark G. Speir Jr., 19, on Wednesday about 2 miles downstream from where he was reported swept into a creek the previous evening. ``He was going down the creek screaming and hollering,'' Lawrence County emergency management chief Mike Rowe said.

An estimated 300 houses and businesses were flooded in Piedmont, a town of 2,000 residents on McKenzie Creek. Dozens of people were rescued by boat.

Outside St. Louis, the Meramec River was threatening towns including Eureka and Valley Park, where Chandra Webster's kids ran bags of toys and clothes to the car while she moved boxes of belongings to the second floor and her husband moved furniture out of harm's way. ``It's a lot of work, but it's worth it to save your stuff,'' Webster, 34, said Wednesday. ``In '82 we lost everything when I was a little girl. I don't want to put my kids through that.''

The Meramec hit a record 39.7 feet that year; flood stage is only 16 feet. A levee completed just three years ago is designed to hold a flood of 43 feet, three feet above the crest forecast for later this week. Valley Park alderman Steve Drake helped fill sandbags. ``We've got everybody working together,'' Drake said. ``It's going to be interesting.''

Gov. Matt Blunt said he was seeking a federal disaster declaration for 70 of Missouri's 114 counties and the city of St. Louis.
Widespread flooding in Arkansas had washed out some highways and led to evacuations in some areas, said Tommy Jackson, a spokesman for the Arkansas Department of Emergency Management. The Highway and Transportation Department reported state roads blocked in 16 counties.

Some residents of southern Illinois had to evacuate. In Marion, firefighters in some cases used their own fishing boats to rescued 13 residents of the city's housing authority.

Key roads were closed in the Cincinnati area, where water 4 feet deep was reported in businesses in the suburb of Sharonville, police said. Ohio rescue workers were busy helping people out of cars swamped by the flooding. ``The biggest problem has been people driving into floodwater,'' said Frank Young, emergency management director in Warren County. ``There are a lot of stupid people. When that sign says 'Road closed, high water,' that's what it means.''
 

43.  Emmaus Choir at Ivy Chapel, Chesterfield

March 20, 2008

Members of the Emmaus Choir will participate in worship at Ivy Chapel United Church of Christ on Sunday, March 30, during the 10 a.m. service. The Emmaus Homes ministry currently serves 330 adults with cognitive, intellectual and other developmental disabilities in two campus settings and community homes. Several members of an Emmaus residence in Creve Coeur regularly attend church at Ivy, located at 620 North Woods Mill Road, Chesterfield, 63017. For more information, call 314-434-4991 or 314-434-4162.
 

44.  Installations of Joe Rowley, Parkway, St. Louis

March 20, 2008

The Reverend Joe Rowley to be installed as Associate Pastor and director of Christian education and youth ministries at Parkway UCC, St. Louis, Missouri, Sunday, April 6, 2008 at 3:30 p.m.

Please join in celebrating and solemnizing the installation of Joe Rowley, with a pizza and music infused reception following the service.

Joe was called July 15th, 2007 to be associate pastor at Parkway, and ordained November 11 at his former home church in Brodhead, Wisconsin. And now the Saint Louis Association and Parkway United Church of Christ have the opportunity to celebrate and finalize (FINALLY!) that a call has been discerned and accepted. Leah Atkinson, Missouri Mid-South Conference Coordinator of Youth and Young Adult Ministries, preaching.

For directions, details, or additional contact information, please visit www.parkwayucc.org
 

45.  St. Louis District Ministerial Alliance Mountain Top Experience

March 20, 2008

The St. Louis District Ministerial Alliance of the CME Church is sponsoring a "Mountain Top Experience" on Friday, April 4, 7:00 pm at Pilgrim Temple CME Church, 1800 East Trendley Ave., East St. Louis.

The Vision for this event: Members of the CME Church and the ecumenical faith communities will participate enmasse, recreating the original service/rally "March on Washington" to honor Dr. King on the 40th anniversary of his death.

To commemorate Dr. King by speaking for justice the St. Louis District Ministerial Alliance of the CME Church has planned a worship service that will include leaders of the CME Church, other faith communities, civic, and political leaders to unite their voices.

For more information contact Rev. Sucena Clark at 618-271-3470 or Rev. Patricia Havis at 217-454-8740 or pastorpat@insightbb.com
 

46.  Festival of Homiletics opportunity

March 20, 2008

The Festival of Homiletics will be held in Minneapolis from May 19-23. This preaching conference features well-known scholars and preachers like Barbara Brown Taylor, Walter Brueggemann, Frederick Buechner, Nora Gallagher, Jim Wallis, William Willimon, and Anna Carter Florence. The week will include lectures, workshops, music and worship. Go to www.goodpreacher.com  for more information.

Jeanne Lischer (Immanuels UCC-Holstein & St. John's UCC-Pinckney) is planning to attend and is looking for others who would like to share travel to Minneapolis. You can contact her at immstjohn@centurytel.net 
 

47.  Christ Church, Maplewood to host special concert

March 24, 2008

Christ Church, Maplewood, to host a special, intimate solo concert with Mike Roe, with special guests opening, Susan Drake and Julie Jennings on Tuesday, April 15th. Doors open at 7:00 pm and Music begins at 7:30 pm. Tickets are $10 at the door.

Mike Roe has played Christ Church many times, with both his bands, The 77's and Lost Dogs, and a solo. We are happy to welcome him back, along with Susan & Julie.

Christ Church is located at 7126 Bruno Ave. (corner of Bellevue and Bruno) in Maplewood. For more information, email Pastor@MaplewoodUCC.org  or call the church office at 314-644-3033.
 

48.  A Celebration of John Dorhauer' Ministry in MMSUCC

March 25, 2008

The Missour