Stated Meeting of

Missouri Union Presbytery

Saturday, February 21, 2026 

Meeting to begin at 10:00 a.m.

Community Presbyterian Church

210 N. Owensby St., La Plata, MO

Join us for the Thrive Kick Off!

A lift is available for those unable to navigate stairs! 

Lunch $15 per person - payable by cash or check on the day of the event.

Checks are to be made payable to the church.

Please register no later than February 12th to ensure

an accurate food count.

Bright Spot – La Plata Christian Ministries Food Pantry!

Community PC will be accepting monetary donations as well as non-perishable items. A container will be set up in the Narthex.

Click below to register for the meeting, lunch, and to obtain the

MUP Pac password.

Ezekiel 37:1-3

The hand of the Lord came upon me, and he brought me out by the spirit of the Lord and set me down in the middle of a valley; it was full of bones. He led me all around them; there were very many lying in the valley, and they were very dry. He said to me, “Mortal, can these bones live?” I answered, “O Lord God, you know.”

So many people have looked at the 20-year decline in numbers of folks in our churches on Sunday morning and have mourned the loss. Many have said, “The Presbyterian church is dying!” To be honest, every religious organization, every worshipping community in the U.S. and in the developed world have found the same pattern, some faster, some slower, but all in decline. It is a part of the cycle that has been going on for hundreds of years. But do we have to give up, throw our hands in the air, and close our doors? No.

So… what do we do? There has been significant research into what makes some congregations grow and become livelier when other congregations around them flounder. This year we will begin a three-year journey together of learning, test driving, failing, succeeding, and growing together as we focus on those things that make congregations thrive in this kind of environment. We are calling this journey, this cycle of learning and test driving what we learn “Thrive.”

We will have special speakers do workshops with us. We will have book studies. We will fill our website with resources for our congregations to use what seems best for them. We will have quick start suggestions, newsletter articles, zoom calls and encouraging in-person activities. It is going to be a full, fun and fulfilling year of seeking to follow the Spirit as she moves among us!



We will be laying out “Thrive” at our Presbytery meeting on February 21, 2026 and having a kick-off event. Please come and join us! Make sure your congregation has someone present to gather all the information. This year we THRIVE!

Plan to join us for a book study on

Thursdays, March 5,12,19, 26 and April 2

Noon to 1:00 p.m. on Zoom

We will be reading “Thriving Church”

by Erin Cash and Kory Wilcoxson.

Books will be available for purchase at the Presbytery meeting on

Saturday, February 21, at Community PC in LaPlata,

for $15.00 per copy. If you wish to reserve a copy at the discounted price, please email: office@mupresbytery.org

2026 MUP Directory Now Available Online

The 2026 MUP Directory is available in PDF format on the Presbytery’s website – https://www.mupresbytery.org/directory. The directory file is updated monthly around the middle of each month if changes have been made. When accessing the file, you will need to use the following password: 2026MUPDIR. If you have changes that need to be made to the directory, please email them to office@mupresbytery.org to ensure the directory is as accurate as possible.

February Prayer Circle

It is time for us to answer your great love and sacrifice for us with our love and praise for you. Help us to follow you, to show our love for you by doing what you taught: caring for the poor; comforting the sick, lonely and afraid; welcoming the strangers in our communities; and opening our own hearts even wider to you. Light a fire in the hearts, souls, and minds of every member of our Missouri Union congregations. Call to us, leadership that can draw us together in faith, for we are yours. The fear, confusion, contempt, hate, selfishness of our current culture needs you and the transformation only you can bring. Use us to create meaningful change, for we are your servants and belong to no other. Amen

Session Records Review for 2025

Wednesday, March 18, 2026

Curryville Presbyterian Church, Curryville – 10:00 a.m.

Thursday, March 19, 2026

Coates Street Presbyterian Church, Moberly – 10:00 a.m.

Monday, March 23, 2026 

Covenant Presbyterian Church, Marshall – 10:00 a.m.

Tuesday, March 24, 2026

First Presbyterian Church, Columbia – 6:00 p.m.

Please give this information to the current Clerk of Session.

Either the Clerk of Session or Session Moderator

must attend one of the review sessions.

If your 2024 minutes have not yet been reviewed, please bring them as well.

Lenten Daily Devotional Available for Use...

Rev. Sarah Butler has generously given access to a daily devotional for Lent for all our congregations. Simply click the link and print out or use for your personal devotions. Thank you Sarah!