UPDATE

June 4, 2009

Good Shepherd Items Available:
Considering that Good Shepherd will be closing, there are many items we no longer need. Some are “Church” related, e.g. Communion set with cups. Some of our lesser items have been designated for Victory Mission and/or the Kitchen. Larger items are available. If your church is seeking additional item(s), please contact me if it might be available. Margaret Keltner

AND REMEMBER to let Margaret know how many are coming from your church for the Celebration of the Good Shepherd Church on June 13. They need a count for the catered lunch.

News From Bethany Church:
We have several joys to announce within the Bethany Congregation at Stet. In April, several new members joined the church who have been longtime locals of the community. John and Barbara Finley and Barbara and George Finley were honored in a Church Membership and Baptism Ceremony where we all welcomed them into the fold.

On Sunday, April 12th, we held our Easter SonRise Service at 7am at the church and had a nice breakfast and fellowship afterwards. At the close of April, we held our annual "Bring A Friend To Church" Sunday and had over 60 folks in attendance for our worship hour. I preached a sermon on the precious blood of Christ taken from 1 Peter Chapter 1.

On Mother's Day, we welcomed a special guest, Andrew Stephens, from Cowgill, who shared his musical talents with us on the piano. He can really tickle those ivories! Andrew just graduated from Braymer High School and plans to attend the University of Central Missouri in the fall where he will major in piano performance. This summer, he will take his 3rd trip (I believe) to Romania, where he has been doing missions work sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ to the people there.

In addition, we saluted all of the current graduates of 2009 within our congregation and community by giving them a book of scriptures and a card.

Our attendance at Bethany has currently been up and we are thankful for the increase in interest and devotion to serving Christ w/in our community. Our Sunday School attendance has also grown a little and we even have some interest in getting a children's Sunday School started again. As summer is upon us, we offer our thanks and praise to God who continually moves in us by His Spirit and guidance.

Blessings to all,
Jason Frazer

Disaster Project Set for September:
The 2009 MO/ARK District Disaster Work Project has been scheduled for September 6-12 in Chalmette, LA. All interested volunteers are asked to contact Pat and Jim Dennison for further information at 816-238-1287.

Three to Attend TRIM Class in June:
Marie Froman (Broadwater), Diana Smith (Spring Branch), and Carolyn Schrock (Cabool), all Training in Ministry (TRIM) students of the MO/ARK District, will attend a class as part of their TRIM studies. “Distinctive Marks of the Brethren” will be taught at the McPherson Church of the Brethren June 11-14. Kate Eisenbise will instruct the class for the Brethren Academy for Ministerial Leadership, the agency that manages the TRIM program.

Please pray for these three women as they travel and study together about what makes the Church of the Brethren unusual and different from other Christian groups.

Pastors Training Attended by Seventeen:
The Warrensburg Church of the Brethren hosted the first of two Ethics Training Workshops for our District’s Pastors. Seventeen pastors and spouses were present for this training held every five years. Jim Tomlonson and Barbra Davis led the workshop.

This same workshop will be held again on October 24 at the Cabool Church of the Brethren. It is required for ordination and licensing so those who did not make it to Warrensburg should be sure to mark their calendar and save October 24.

Leadership Team to Meet in July:
The District Leadership Team will meet on July 24 at the Spring Branch Church. The meeting will commence at 10:00 a.m. and the main item of business will be to put the finishing touches on the new structure that will be presented at District Conference this September.

If you have items/questions you would like to present to the Leadership Team, please send them to Elizabeth Irle, LT Convener.

Has Your Camp Recruitment Begun?
It’s time for each congregation to recruit campers for the 2009 experience. And how about counselors and other camp staff?

Each congregation should encourage all their children and youth to consider attending Camp Hammond Mill August 2-9. It’s a wonderful week of Bible Study, campfire, swimming in the White River, float trip, and lots of singing and sports.

The cost per camper will be $80 and the float trip will be $20. Each congregation should support their campers through fund raisers and scholarships. If your church doesn’t have any campers, perhaps you could help sponsor campers from a neighboring church.

For further information contact Barbra Davis at 816-678-7664 or Stephanie Sappington at 314-963-0764.

Please visit the home page for Upcoming Events

Blessings on your summer
Carolyn Schrock
District Coordinator