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_4.png?width=536) If you have any requests that you would like us to prayer over, please let us know.
Pastor Susan Schmalzbauer, Please be in prayer for her family her mother-in-law passed away.
We are praying for each of you, your families, and your congregations.
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It’s evaluation season.
Here are a couple of things to know.
1. Full time pastors will be evaluated individually
2. Part time pastors will be evaluated in groups of 4
3. If you are a bi-vocational pastor we will be offering evening evaluations
4. All in-person evaluations will be done at the Southwest District office in Joplin, MO.
There have been some changes made to them for this year. The separate forms for the Associate pastor have been discontinued. Each pastor, whether they are the lead pastor or associate pastor will fill in a pastoral evaluation form that they will review with at least the PPRC chairperson as in the past. Some of you may have filled out last year’s evaluation forms at charge conference time, but we need you to fill out the new forms, please.
Who does not have to be evaluated?
1. Those who are retiring
2. Those who are disaffiliating and have already had your church conference
Who do you send the signed and completed evaluation forms to?
1. Send all signed and completed forms to [email protected] no later than April 14, 2023. Evaluation interviews will begin April 24, 2023.
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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 [email protected]
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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
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Join Bishop Bob and Susan Farr and the Missouri Annual Conference on a nine-night Advent in the Holy Land tour, November 28 to December 7, 2023. If you are interested in this trip opportunity, attend the upcoming virtual info session at 7 p.m. on Thursday, March 9. Educational Opportunities Tours Conference Coordinator Rev. Melissa Dodd will share more about the trip, offer cost and logistic details, and answer any questions. RSVP for the info session, click below
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RMC Collab in Aurora
The Rural Missouri Connection invites you to come see what’s happening in rural Missouri as people engage in mission of all kinds across our state. We’ll share ideas and explore how Aurora UMC is using strengths- and solutions-based ministry efforts to create long-term impacts through its Project RISE program. Learn more and register at:
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The Art of Hospitality conference is back in-person for the first time since 2019! It be held at Church of the Resurrection at their Leawood, KS location April 25-26, 2023. An in-person conference enables participants to be immersed in an environment of exceptional hospitality and to experience firsthand the impact a great experience can have on guests. A positive first experience and a warm welcome lead to a significantly higher return rate for first-time guests and make our churches more engaging.
The conference will be led by Yvonne Gentile, Guest Experience and ShareChurch Lead Director at Church of the Resurrection, in Leawood, KS. and Resurrection Executive Director Debi Nixon, and will focus on the ministry of welcome and intentional hospitality. Participants will learn key principles and methods to create a culture of radical welcome which permeates the entire congregation, including key touchpoints, attracting visitors, effective follow-up, and volunteer training. Churches are encouraged to send pastors, staff or volunteers engaged in the ministry of welcome, visitor outreach or connections to this high energy and value packed conference.
For more information, please visit sharechurch.com/events. For answers to any questions you might have, please reach out to me at [email protected], or contact Kathy Carter at [email protected] or Jonathan Bell at [email protected].
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Starting a Wesleyan Class
Meeting
The Class Meeting is a means of grace that has the ability to transform each of us and facilitate spiritual growth. Students will learn how and why the class meeting became an essential element of Wesleyan spirituality that expanded the Methodist movement for over a century in England and America. The instruction focuses on the origins of the class meeting, the fundamentals of Wesley’s means of grace, and the qualities of a class leader. This class will be led by Mitch Ross, Southwest District Lay Education Coordinator. The required reading for this class is The Class Meeting by Kevin M. Watson.
Class Details and Logistics
When: April 29, 2023
Time: 9:00 AM - 3:00 PM
Where: First United Methodist Church Carthage, MO
- Lunch is provided (if you have food allergies, please check with the instructor or provide your own lunch).
- A registration fee of $10 is required for lunch and classroom supplies.
- Registration will close one week prior to the date of the class.
Course Materials
- Required reading is The Class Meeting by Kevin M. Watson. Students must purchase their own book. The book is available from: Amazon.com or Cokesbury
Transforming Evangelism – How
to Reach Out
This class will help congregations learn to build relationships and reach outside their church to connect people with Jesus Christ. The class will discuss questions like: What are the obstacles in your church to reach out into the community? If someone responds and comes to your church, what opportunities do you offer them? Transforming evangelism is about loving others enough to share your faith and letting the spirit of God do the rest. Said another way, evangelism is about welcoming and accepting others into the church community as they are. Larry Johnson from Branson UMC will lead this class. Larry was the Ozarks District lay leader for ten years. The required reading is Transforming Evangelism by Henry Knight & Douglas Powe.
Class Details and Logistics
When: April 29, 2023
Time: 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM
Where: First United Methodist Church; Carthage, MO
- Lunch is provided (if you have food allergies, please check with the instructor or provide your own lunch).
- If you want copies of the presented material, please contact the instructor.
- A registration fee of $10 is required for lunch and class room supplies. The deadline for registration is one week prior to class.
Course Materials
Required reading is Transforming Evangelism by Henry Knight & Douglas Powe. The book is available from Amazon.com or Cokesbury.
Before Class
You need to purchase and read the book.
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If you are interested in information on Lay Leadership please contact:
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Mitch Ross
District Lay Education Coordinator
[email protected]
(417) 808-0218
Gail Compton
District Lay Education Coordinator
[email protected]
Karensue Hensley
District Lay Leader
[email protected]
Greg Weaver
District Lay Leader
[email protected]
(417) 848-9145
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Journeys of Paul in Turkiye & Greece with Chaplain Cliff & Martha Rawley | May 1, 2023