Update November 6, 2024

News Events Resources Groups Congregations About

Upcoming Events

November

6 - Registration due for 11/9 Boundary Training - TODAY

9 - Boundary Training, 10-4, Community CC Jefferson City

10 - Commissioning of Stephanie Himmel, 4:00 pm, FCC Hannibal

16 - ARPRJM Workshop - Voices of Arrow Rock, 10-3, Arrow Rock Federated Church

17 - Thanksgiving Special Offering for Higher Education

20 - How to Get to Joy: Honoring Loss During the Holidays webinar, 11:00 am

24 - Thanksgiving Special Offering for Higher Education

23 - Disciples Women Gathering, 9:00 am, via Zoom

Opportunities

Help Week of Compassion support hurricane victims.
Applications are now available for the Disciples Women's Ministry Woman-to-Woman Worldwide trip to Kenya, Africa, September 3 - 18, 2025.
Pathways to Wholeness retreat Nov. 21-23 in St. Louis.
Disciples Church Extension Fund is offering two new investment rates! Learn more>
Get Imagine Together stewardship resources from the Center for Faith & Giving.
Pastor Partners is open to all clergy partners on the 1st Tues. of each month via Zoom.
Online clergy continuing education opportunities.

Items Available/Needed

Affton CC has a variety of banners available.

FCC in Lathrop has about 20 copies of the Chalice Hymnal available.

West Lake CC has a piano and a communion set available.

Webster Groves CC has some choir robes, bell ringer robes, and communion sets.

First CC in Troy has chairs to give away.

First CC in Maryville has chairs, some Veggie Tales event kits, and several photocopier parts and supplies.

Elkland CC has communion sets and table, high-backed chairs for chancel, and a pulpit/dias. Contact St. Louis office.

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Branson CC is interested in obtaining any handbells, bell supplies, or music that congregations may have but are no longer using..

Need Boundary Training?

Join us at Community CC in Jefferson City this Saturday, November 9th.

Registration due by midnight TONIGHT.

Learn more & register now>

Mid-America clergy must participate in this training every three years for their standing.

Trunk or Treat

Bethany Christian Church held their third annual Trunk or Treat and Weenie Roast on October 20th. They had over 20 youth trick or treaters, around 20 “trunks” with an estimated 75 enjoying the Weenie Roast. Most importantly, they were able to donate 552 pounds of dry goods and $56 cash to the Ministry Center in Maryville!

It’s one of the congregation's favorite events for sure!

Rev. Frank Chlastak Retires

After 52 years in ministry and the last nine at First Christian Church in Poplar Bluff, Rev. Frank Chlastak retired on October 27. He and his wife Doris (pictured) were celebrated by the congregation after worship. He was featured in local news where he stated, "It has been my challenge and pleasure to serve the members of First Christian Church as Senior Pastor and to also be involved in the community in various activities. I look forward to continued activity to better our community."

Please Complete 5-Question Survey

Rev. Teresa Spear serves as Co-Chair of our Rural Ministry Ambassadors and is currently enrolled in a Master of Theological Studies program through Phillips Seminary. An intersection of these two endeavors is around the level of theological engagement within our adult Church School content. To that end, she has developed a survey to ascertain the rigor and breadth of Sunday School curriculum—from Bible to book studies to topical pre-packaged video series.

We invite you to complete this short 3 - 5-minute survey so we can understand more fully what our congregations are currently offering and what resources might better serve them going forward. The survey results will remain confidential, and the survey is voluntary. Thank you for participating in this important discernment.

Sincerely, Rev. Ron Routledge, CCMA Regional Minister

DHM News

Disciples Home Missions is pleased to announce a Pre-Assembly Conference for Youth Pastors and Volunteers next July in Memphis.

Find all the information about General Assembly here>

Read the October DHM Youth & Young Adult newsletter>

How to Get to Joy

Sometimes sadness and grief can overtake the joy of the holiday season. The bustle and craziness of preparations turn into a feeling of just going through the motions in order to survive. Naming the sadness and loneliness and finding ways to honor it can bring joy back to life. Ideas for how to find joy in sadness will be shared and invited. Join us Wednesday, November 20 at 11:00 am.

This free webinar is brought to us by NBA Older Adult Ministries. Learn more and register here>

From the Wider Church

This coming week's Global Ministries prayer request is for East Timor.

This week's College of Regional Ministers prayer request is for

Disciples Pension Fund.

For anyone interested in going through the Climate Ambassador Training with Blessed Tomorrow, there is a Zoom session on Saturday, November 16th that includes break-out rooms divided by denomination. Register now for a live virtual Christian Climate Training for a faith-based way to make a difference advocating for our climate. Join @BlessedTomorrow & The Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in caring for creation.

The National Benevolent Association and Obra Hispana are partnering to offer a Grant Writing 101 webinar on November 19th at 7pm. This bilingual webinar will provide you with the essentials to grant writing. This is a free resource, but you must register in advance. Learn more and register>

As the guest on New Church Ministry’s webinar, Unpacking the Core Competencies of DisciplesNEXT: Faith-rooted Organizing, Elizabeth will share how she advocates for public policy that embodies the Christian value of loving your neighbor as yourself through equity and justice. Learn how she went from being a conservative evangelical to serving as the Volunteer State Lead for Pete Buttigieg's 2019-2020 presidential campaign.

To join her on Nov. 20 at 2pm CST, register.

Can’t attend? Sign up anyway! All registrants receive a link to a recording of the webinar.

Find previous IMPACT presentations here>