• Please be in continuous prayer for James Yost's wife Michelle who is still in KU recovering from effects of Covid. James reports that she is getting better and gaining strength everyday and is very thankful for all the prayers. James pastors Sarcoxie UMC. Notes of care and concern can be sent to:
  25193 Beech Rd
  Sarcoxie, MO 64862 
  
   

*Welcome Tiffany Freeman to the SW District!!!*

 Please help us welcome Tiffany Freeman as the new Administrative Assistant for the Southwest District! Tiffany is an Ordained Minister with the Church of God. She and her husband Brian, along with their four boys, pastor a church in Carthage. She loves spending time with her family and advancing the kingdom of God. Welcome Tiffany!!!

 *Audits*

Audit forms are due in the district office by June 1, 2021. Rev. Fowler has made it mandatory for every church to turn in a 2020 Audit. To access a copy of the 2020 Audit, please select the link below.

Please email all audits to [email protected]
or mail them to
2517 E 20th St
Joplin, MO 64804

*Evaluation Forms*

Evaluation forms were due April 29th. You cannot schedule an evaluation meeting with Rev. Fowler until BOTH evaluations forms are turned into the district office. You can email the forms to the district office at:
[email protected]
or you can snail mail them to:
2517 E 20th St.
Joplin, MO 64804
You can download the forms at the MO Conference website or by clicking the link below.

*COVID-19 Guidelines for In-Person Worship* 

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued new guidance that may allow reducing restrictions on gatherings, particularly in outdoor spaces. In the spirit of doing no harm, Bishop Farr suggests that local churches first consider their county health guidelines*, continue to mask for indoor events and adhere to social distancing guidelines. That said, Bishop Farr trusts the local church to make decisions regarding safety protocols for their ministry context. If a local church decides to lift its masking or social distancing policy, don’t do so all at once. Offer a gradual approach. If a local church lifts is policies and has a case of COVID-19, return to stricter guidelines.
*Please continue to look at your local (county) vaccination rates as well as test positivity rates. The state of Missouri claims that 36.4% of the state have initiated the vaccine with only 27.8% completed. We celebrate the progress toward vaccinating our population.
 

*Virtual Session Planned for MOAC21* 

REGISTRATION IS NOW OPEN!!!

Based on where we currently are in the vaccination rollout and in our efforts to do no harm, we have decided to hold this year’s annual conference session virtually with invitation-only in-person attendance. This means that the vast majority of clergy and lay members to annual conference will attend and participate in annual conference virtually at home or wherever your internet connection takes you. We will have about 300-350 people in attendance physically (masked and socially distanced) in Springfield at any given moment through the course of the weekend. Those invited to attend in person include Conference and district staff, worship leadership, presenters, select Conference and district leaders as well as the guests of those being honored through our memorial service, credentialed, commissioned, ordained or retired. We have sent special communication to those people being invited to attend in person earlier this morning.

Another significant change to this year’s session is the move to two days of annual conference rather than three days. The session will be held on  Saturday and Sunday, June 12-13. We plan to use Friday, June 11, for quadrennial boundaries training. Read more on the plans for MOAC21 at https://www.moacinfo.com/news/virtual-session-planned-for-moac21.

*Below is a revised version of the 2020-2021 Southwest District Timeline*

*Spotlight Ministries*    We want to hear about some of the great ministries and events you are having in your churches! If you have a ministry or event coming up and you would like for us to post it on the Southwest District UMC Facebook page, please email [email protected]. We are so excited to hear about the difference our churches are making!     *District Listings* Arthur St.Onge is an experienced bookkeeper with United Methodist Church. He has worked several years in Methodist churches with bookkeeping and the UMC audit system. If you are looking for an experienced bookkeeper or needing some help with your yearly audit, please contact him at: [email protected] or (816)716-4394  Please contact swdistoffice@moumethodist.org for any district listings you would like promoted on future newsletters! Please continue to check both sites for more information.   http://southwest.moumethodist.org Please don’t hesitate to reach out if you have any questions or concerns.  Alice Fowler - [email protected] Rebecca Courtney - [email protected] or 417-499-8334 Tiffany Freeman - [email protected] or 417-623-2382