News from us [link removed] September 28, 2021
Update on COVID-19 in Mozambique

Mozambique continues to be hit by COVID-19 with a record increase in cases, hospitalizations and deaths. Public hospitals in the three main cities of Mozambique have added more beds for admissions, which are already at capacity with limited staffing, writes Ezequiel Marcos Nhantumbo, Mozambique Initiative Representative, in an update about COVID-19 in Mozambique.
Countrywide lockdowns are a challenge for congregations. The absence of worship services means no physical presence in chapels or continuation of worship traditions. With scarce communication resources for online services, the whole structure suffers. People can no longer freely walk around to gather food in their fields or go to the market for goods to sustain their own families and the Church. This has brought hunger and starvation to communities and to our pastoral families.
[link removed] Read more of Ezy's update about the state of COVID-19 in Mozambique and how you can help pastors in need →

Upcoming Events
In-Person Lay Servant Ministry Course
Utilizing the participant’s book Lay Servants as Christian Transformational Leaders, this course will engage lay servants with fresh perspectives on the definition of transformational leadership, congregational vitality and practical steps to take in this current milieu. The work of Tod Bolsinger and Spiritual Leadership Inc (SLI) will also be utilized during this fruitful day together.
[link removed] Learn more and sign up →
Other Upcoming Events
Sept. 30 - [link removed] Leadership Forward Webinar: No Ministry is an Island with Toska Medlock Lee
Oct. 18-22 - [link removed] Associate Certified Coach Training
Oct. 22-24 - [link removed] Walk Justly
Oct. 28-30 - [link removed] EMERGE: A soulconnections retreat
See the full events calendars at [link removed] www.moumethodist.org/events

Upcoming Grant Deadlines
Due Oct. 1: [link removed] Costner-Fulton Grants
Due Oct. 1: [link removed] MUMF Ministry Grants
Rolling Deadline: [link removed] Library Builder Grants

Lay Servant Ministry Report Charge Conference Form
Have you completed at least one Lay Servant Ministry basic or advanced class in the past three years? If so, please fill out an annual lay servant ministry report. This report is turned in with your church’s charge conference paperwork in the fall and then will go on for signatures from your pastor, your district superintendent and your district lay servant ministry coordinator. This is a way we help track who is staying engaged by learning new and different ways to use their gifts. Please fill it out and turn it in to your pastor or church secretary. [link removed] Download the form → Featured Resource
Pastor Appreciation Month Resources
October is pastor appreciation month. Though the second Sunday, October 10, is the official appreciation day, your church can say "Thank you" all month long. Resource UMC offers several easy, yet meaningful, ways to show your pastor you appreciate all they do. [link removed] View the resource →
More Resources
[link removed] Learn and Lead Podcast: Disruption, Innovation and the Multi-ethnic Church with Mark DeYmaz
Mark DeYmaz began working for a church when he graduated college. This led to an 18-year career in student ministry in all white churches. In the late 1990s, after a move to Little Rock, Arkansas, to serve at a well-established church, it dawned on DeYmaz that the only people of color in an otherwise amazing church were janitors. He quit the church and launched a 20 + year journey of bringing together diverse men and women from all walks of life and economic backgrounds who would worship God together as one.
[link removed] Confessional Small Groups in the Style of the Wesleyan Band Meeting Guide
The Band Meeting was a very small group of approximately five people who would confess their sins and struggles together. Members would talk specifically about their temptations, successes and failures. Creating a safe space for confession and accountability was a part of growing in personal holiness.
[link removed] Get Your Spirit in Shape Podcast: The healing journey for trauma
From UMCOM: Many of us have experienced trauma and how the danger of unhealed trauma can keep us from connecting with one another and with God. In this episode, Rev. Dr. Ron Bell shares about his book that teaches us how, step by step, to tackle the important work of healing, how to move us from victim to survivor and explains why the childhood song, “If you’re happy and you know it…” may offer clues to how we heal.
See the full resource library at [link removed] www.moumethodist.org/resourcelibrary


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Missouri Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church
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www.moumethodist.org