August 31, 2021

Making Mission Work in 2021

“You always have to be flexible with mission trips,” said First UMC Blue Springs Mission Director Brooke Roskop. “This year you have to be really flexible.”

Blue Springs is very active in mission, both close to home and in other places. Members look forward to the team experience each year and missed having it last year. This year they started planning early and with precautions.

They decided to keep the high school mission team in Missouri, to avoid differing state regulations around COVID-19 protocols. They also decided to work decided to work with Missouri Conference NextGen Ministries to sign up for a YouthWorks camp. They thought that would offer some assurance of compliance with safety measures, not just for COVID-19 but also for Safe Gatherings precautions.

“This is our first time to work with YouthWorks, and it’s been great,” Roskop said. “We will definitely be working with them again next year.”

Upcoming Events

Associate Certified Coach Training -
October 18-22

Everyone wins when a leader is coached. In partnership with Rev. Val Hastings and Coaching4Clergy, the Missouri Conference is offering the three steps of training required to become an Associate Certified Coach (ACC) with the International Coach Federation.
Learn more and register →

Other Upcoming Events

Sept. 9 - Leading in Uncharted Territory with Tod Bolsinger - Registration closes Thursday, Sept. 2
Sept. 9 - WEBINAR: Sharing the Christmas Story, Sharing Our Faith: Advent Studies for Every Church
Sept. 11 - Oct. 9 - Festival of Sharing ShareFests
Sept. 18 - Hope for Families: Coping with the Pandemic
Oct. 22-24 - Walk Justly Conference

See the full events calendars at www.moumethodist.org/events

Upcoming Grant Deadlines

Due Sept. 15: New Places for New People Grants
Due Oct. 1: MUMF Ministry Grants
Rolling Deadline: Library Builder Grants

Featured Resource

Applications Open For Costner-Fulton Grants

The Missouri Conference Mission, Service and Justice Team is offering grant funds to kick-start your new, innovative, or one-time mission program or event. Past recipients have included a community garden project, laundry ministry, reading event with book giveaway and more. Building and construction projects aren’t eligible to receive funds. Learn more and apply by October 1 →

More Resources

How To Plan a Local Mission Trip
NextGen Ministries hosted a virtual gathering with YouthWorks missions where attendees learned how to plan a local mission trip or service day with community partners.

What is Critical Race Theory and What Christians Should Know
From the General Commission on Religion and Race of the United Methodist Church: Critical Race Theory (CRT) examines how laws in the United States have built and supported racial inequities. It is an ideological framework that names race as a social construct and asserts racialized inequities in society are fostered by historic and current systemic, institutional, and legal policies and practices.

5 Cups of Coffee Sermon Series
A 5-week series on discipleship and call designed to help us understand who we are individually and collectively as God’s children, how we encounter God and what God calls us to do in response.

See the full resource library at www.moumethodist.org/resourcelibrary