August 9, 2022
Responding to Flooding in St. Louis
On August 4, the U.S. National Weather Service in Saint Louis posted that the previous two weeks was the “wettest two-week period in STL ever.” Over one-third of the area’s normal annual rain (41.70") occurred between July 24 and Aug. 4. The record-shattering rains affected hundreds of homes and cars. Damage assessment teams examined 1,338 homes and found that more than 750 of them had “sustained major damage.” Of 206 businesses inspected, 131 had sustained major damage, according to Gov. Mike Parson’s office. Missouri Conference Disaster Response joined in, helping at Multi-Agency Resource Centers (MARC) in the St. Louis Areas. Over the course of the five MARC's, 1,744 households and 4,616 members of those households were assisted. Read more here →
Upcoming Events
Explore Alpha Online Training
Explore Alpha is a virtual workshop that introduces church leaders to Alpha, an 11-week series of group sessions exploring the basics of the Christian faith, and shares why this tool is perfectly positioned to reach people during our current season – one marked by isolation and confusion – by providing an opportunity to connect and explore questions of life, faith and meaning. Learn more and register for this free training→
Other Upcoming Events
See the full events calendars at www.moumethodist.org/events
Featured Resource
Coster-Fulton Grant
The Mission, Service & Justice Team will be awarding Costner-Fulton grants for launching mission projects in 2023. Complete the grant application form by October 1, 2022. The application requires a mechanism for evaluating the success of the mission after six months and 12 months, and a budget showing anticipated expenses and demonstrating other fund sources.
Vital Worship Grant
This grants program for worshiping communities is especially focused on projects that connect public worship to intergenerational faith formation and Christian discipleship, a theme that can unfold in many facets of worship from Bible reading to preaching, public prayer, baptism, the Lord’s Supper, congregational song, visual arts, storytelling, and more. The Calvin Institute of Christian Worship encourages grant proposals developed through a collaborative process from emerging and established churches; seminaries, colleges, and schools; hospitals, nursing homes and other tax-exempt organizations.
Having Words with Jesus
The “Having Words with Jesus” sermon series is designed to reflect a variety of moods and meanings. Maybe we want to argue, or turn away, or give up. Or maybe we really want to know Jesus, to spend some time in his presence to understand and to explore, and finally, to hear. This is a call to listen again, even to the more difficult passages that we sometimes want to skip over. Join in this month as we have words with Jesus in worship.
See the full resource library at www.moumethodist.org/resourcelibrary
