UPDATE

November 2, 2009

Carthage Property is Transferred:
October 27 was the closing date for the transfer of the four lots, including church building and parsonage, of the former Carthage Church of the Brethren to the Nueva Vida Congregation. It was a joyous day for all. Pastors Edwin represented Nueva Vida and Andrea Reyes, head deacon Henry and two others. Roger Schrock of the Relationship Committee, and Gary Fike and Carolyn Schrock, legal signers for MO/ARK represented the District.

It was a dream come true for the Nueva Vida congregation and the District was so happy to have worked with them through the past few years to make this transfer possible. The woman at the title company said it was the nicest closing she had ever experienced.

A celebration is being planned. See the following article for details.

MO/ARK is Invited to Celebrate:
Nueva Vida congregation of Carthage is inviting the entire MO/ARK Church of the Brethren to join them in a celebration on November 21, at 4:00 p.m. This will mark the wonderful milestone they have reached as they received the legal title to the property of the former Carthage Church of the Brethren.

This celebration event will begin with greetings and worship at 4:00 p.m. That will be followed by fellowship and food that will be provided by the Nueva Vida congregation.

There will be several homemade quilts for sale by local members and one for silent auction made by Juell Gass, former pastor’s wife. The silent auction will also include three themed gift baskets. Proceeds from these donated gifts will bed added to the air conditioner fund.

Please mark your calendars and plan to join in the worship and fellowship. Come with your cars full of passengers and your hearts full of praise.

Farrenburg Celebrates 120 Years:
On October 27, 1889, the members of the Farrenburg Church of the Brethren worshipped in their church building for the first time. This event was celebrated in the same building on October 25, 2009, 120 years later.

There was a fresh coat of paint on the walls and a new carpet on the floor of the old building when morning worship began with a warm welcome from current pastor, Tim Farrenburg. Remembrances were shared during the service by former pastors Ethmer Erisman, Harold Gass, and Cindy Sanders and former District Executive Jim Tomlonson. Sandra Bosserman, also a former District Executive, brought the morning message envisioning a future filled with hope for the newly revitalized congregation of Farrenburg.

After Worship, everyone enjoyed a bountiful carry-in meal with a huge anniversary cake and ice cream for dessert. Then everyone assembled again in the sanctuary for some more singing and sharing memories.

The Farrenburg church was first listed in the record books in 1887, but was known as the LaForge church until 1898. The community of Farrenburg was a small railway flag station near the church building. On March 3, 1887, elder S.A. Hornberger and Ira P. Eby met at the home of W.A. Farrenburg, which led to their first Sunday School class that met on March 13, 1887. Services have continued in their present building since that historic day in 1889.

Forms, Forms, Forms:
It’s time to fill in forms for the denominational yearbook and other inquisitive souls!! Congratulations to New Hope, Farrenburg, and Shelby County for being the first 3 congregations to get their Form A and Form B reports in. Remember these are due by December 31.

Festival of Sharing News:
Thanks to Phil Miller, master Origami paper crane maker, children’s eyes lighted as they were given a crane. This makes the Missouri/Arkansas District Peace Booth a huge success at the Festival of Sharing, 2009.

The colorful cranes attracted children (of all ages) as soon as they landed on the table. Bumper stickers were also popular.

Thanks to each person who assisted in staffing the booth: Phil and Pearl Miller, Elizabeth Irle, Margaret and Wayne Keltner and Elsie and Henry Troyer.

It was great to see other District Church of the Brethren people as well as friends and acquaintances across denominational lines.

A special treat was hearing Beatrice Biira from Uganda read the book about herself and her family, “Beatrice’s Goat” by Page McBrier. Beatrice said the illustrations were very accurate. Beatrice autographed books for persons who had bright their copies to Festival. (Visit the district website at www.missouriarkansasbrethren.org to see a photo of Beatrice as well as the Brethren Peace booth.

I hope those of you who attended the mini ingathering in your own area had successful and inspirational events. Our efforts do make a difference in fighting hunger and injustice. (Submitted by Martha Louise Baile.)

New Technology Expands the Opportunity to Hear Speakers:
Web casts are not available for some district and denominational events across the country. If you have access to the internet, especially high speed internet, you can turn in to hear a special speaker or a worship service. Many of these are also archived and can be watched later at your schedule’s convenience.

Gathering V: All the worship services and many of the workshops of the Western Plains Gathering were web cast live on October 24 and 25. They are also being available for recorded playback now, after the event. Click here for this session.

Please note that there are multiple other options for participating or watching. Pacific Southwest District Conference will have some live broadcasts with outstanding speakers and workshops (Diana Butler Bass is recorded only live and will not be available later; Charles (Chip) Arn presentations will be archived for later watching). If you go to Bethany’s Webcast Central page you will see other options, some of which have Continuing Education certificates available if you join the live webcast and participate online the entire time. You will find directions there for joining to participate or watch later.

There is also a wealth of other options of lectures and events, current and previous, on the Bethany site.

NYC DVD is Now Available:
The District Office has secured a DVD that provides information about National Youth Conference 2010. If you would like to borrow the DVD, please contact Carolyn Schrock (417-926-1112). I can mail it out to you for a period of time.

PLEASE NOTE THAT THE DISTRICT PHONE/FAX HAS BEEN EXPERIENCING TROUBLE. If you are trying to call the office and can’t get through, try the home phone for the Schrocks: 417-926-1064

Annual Conference Nominations Requested:
"In just over two months the Nominating Committee of Standing Committee will be gathering Elgin, Ill., to prepare the ballot for the 2010 Annual Conference in Pittsburgh, Pa. This daunting yet important task is made easier when brothers and sisters from across the denomination assist us in calling out the gifts of persons to serve the wider denomination.

"You can help by nominating persons online by going to www.cobannualconference.org. Click on “Election Forms” then “2010 Nomination Form.” Complete the form and click “Submit Nomination.” When you do this the Annual Conference office is notified of the nomination and the nominee is emailed a link to the “2010 Nominee Information” form to complete online. We encourage you to contact persons that you are nominating beforehand to get their permission. Also, please make sure that you have a correct e-mail address for the nominee.

"Please don’t hesitate to contact the Annual Conference office if you have any questions about this process and how you can be part of it. Your participation in this process is extremely important. The deadline for nominations is December 1, 2009.

"Thank you in advance for helping us to find the most gifted servants in the church to serve in coming years."

Jon Kobel, Conference Assistant
Annual Conference Office
1451 Dundee Avenue
Elgin, IL 60120
800-323-8039, x229
jkobel@brethren.org

News from Eli and Irene Miller
Hello Friends,
We are here these days, busy building the house. It is on the same order as the house in Mo. was, with the back tire wall only much smaller, the greenhouse in the front for warmth, a porch on the east side. The living room dining and kitchen area are all painted and ready for cabinets and trim, the bedroom is being constructed this week, then there is the bathroom, tile all the floors ect. Lots of work yet but coming along nicely for which we are thankful.

We had a bit of a glitch in building for a few days; Eli was having blood in his urine for almost two months already, not sick but also not quiet well. He was finally diagnosed with tumors in the bladder. He had them removed on Thurs. the 24th of Sept. He is already back at work. Dr. wants to treat the bladder to be safe. The tumor was malignant but contained in the bladder. He will not use chemo but a less invasive medicine. The Lord is Good!

We are enjoying our church Cedar Grove C.O.B. Eli has volunteered to help teach S.S. occasionally. I help the women’s group whenever they have any thing going on ,which they are quite busy. There will be weekend revival starting tomorrow night.

Peace and Love to all,
Irene and Eli Miller
(Shared by Margaret Keltner)

Annual Conference Moderator Requesting Stories:
A second email is coming along with this newsletter. It is a letter received from the 2010 Annual Conference Moderator, Shawn Flory Replogle. He is asking for our stories. Please read the letter and share a story for use at Annual Conference.

Please visit the home page for Upcoming Events

See you at Carthage later this month!!
Carolyn Schrock
District Coordinator