Southwest District News [link removed]
If you have any requests that you would like us to prayer over, please let us know.
* Pray for all the changes happening in leadership and churches among our denomination.
* State of the Church

We are praying for each of you, your families, and your congregations.



Dream Lab Retreat – August 24-25
Get out of the office and into a creative headspace. Dream Lab, a 24-hour retreat to the Lodge of the Four Seasons, is designed for you and your team to imagine and brainstorm about something new for your ministry. A facilitator will guide your group through creative prompts and questions to allow the Holy Spirit to lead you into the next dream God has for your church. Learn more and register your local church team at
[link removed] Click Here →



[link removed] Click Here →


The conference is once again requiring churches to enter their weekly attendance numbers into Vital Signs. This reporting was temporarily paused during the first couple of years of the pandemic. If your church has not resumed doing that yet, please do so starting with January 2023 numbers.
If you need help with this please email mailto:[email protected] [email protected]



Have a ministry idea that needs an extra boost? There’s a grant for that! Funds are available through the Missouri Conference and its related entities for your new or existing ministry idea. Missouri United Methodist Churches can apply for funds through several grant programs supporting local ministry projects. We encourage you to apply for multiple grant opportunities. Each program has a different focus and requires a different application. Learn more about each, and their spring application deadline
[link removed] Click Here →



If you are interested in information on Lay Leadership please contact:

Mitch Ross
District Lay Education Coordinator
mailto:[email protected] [email protected]
[link removed] (417) 808-0218



Karensue Hensley
District Lay Leader mailto:[email protected] [email protected]

Greg Weaver
District Lay Leader mailto:[email protected] [email protected]
[link removed] (417) 848-9145

Free Implicit Bias Course Available
The Missouri Conference has partnered with the UMC General Commission on Race and Religion to create a Missouri-specific version of the course “Implicit Bias: What We Don't Think We Think.” Any Missouri Conference member – clergy or lay – is invited to take the training for free to learn about the unconscious bias we all experience. Learn more and enroll at [link removed] [link removed]

Colorado Soul Connections Retreat
Join us July 31 through August 4 at Glen Eyrie Castle and Conference Center near Colorado Springs for a time of rest, renewal and play with the Rocky Mountains as the backdrop. Using enchantment as our guiding theme, together we’ll sit in awe of God’s creation and explore where spirituality and play intersect. Learn more and sign up at [link removed] www.moumethodist.org/soulconnections




Please contact the district office for any district listings or events you would like promoted on future newsletters!

Job Opening
at King's Way United Methodist Church in
Springfield, MO



[link removed] [link removed]

Please don’t hesitate to reach out if you have any questions or concerns to our District Staff:

Alice Fowler, District Superintendent - [email protected]
Rebecca Courtney - [email protected] or 417-499-8334
Tiffany Freeman - [email protected] or 417-499-6840
Ethan Owens - [email protected] or 417-623-2382




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Southwest District of the Missouri Annual Conference
2517 E 20th, Joplin, MO, 64804-1037
(417) 623-2382
southwest.moumethodist.org southwest.moumethodist.org