Your generosity makes the Missouri Mid-South Conference ministries possible.
Conference ministry is about connection. The Missouri Mid-South Conference exists to connect our churches with one another, with the wider United Church of Christ, and with the resources they need to do faithful and vital ministry in their communities.
Working together, we are the United Church of Christ in Missouri, Arkansas, and Memphis, Tenn. Everything we accomplish together is made possible by your generosity.
Your gift to MMSC:
Because your financial support is such a key component in the thriving of the Conference, both today and into the future, we are thankful for your generosity.
This is the most flexible giving option for individuals who want to support the Missouri Mid-South Conference.
A gift to Friends of the Conference will support general operations, often making an impact in the “area of greatest need” by empowering the Finance Committee to support unanticipated expenses and create stability across the Conference’s annual budget.
You can set up a gift to Friends of the Conference as a one-time or recurring donation.
Become a Friend of the Conference today!
Our Church’s Wider Mission, fondly known as OCWM, is a way for local congregations to support the entire United Church of Christ. When individuals give to their local church, the gifts are pooled and shared with the Conference. These congregational gifts are distributed to ministries in the Missouri Mid-South Conference, and across the whole Church.
As shared resources, these gifts come back to our churches in the form of Conference staff support for churches in transition, educational opportunities for clergy and church leaders, ecumenical and interfaith partnerships, grants to fund congregational initiatives, seminary support and resources for Members in Discernment, and so much more.
With five annual OCWM offerings, the congregations that give annually to all five are known as “5 for 5” churches.
Learn more about each offering and how your congregation can participate.
OCWM Basic Support is the foundation of covenantal giving in the United Church of Christ.
With 80% of a congregation’s OCWM gift staying in the Missouri Mid-South Conference, this gift provides critical support for the ministries of the Conference locally (7.8% of the total gift goes to Camp MoVal, 5.9% of the total gift goes to Shannondale Community Center). The remaining 20% supports the ministries of the UCC national setting.
Some churches include OCWM Basic Support as part of their congregation’s annual budget. Other churches ask for individuals’ financial gifts, and pass on only those gifts. Many do some combination of these two approaches. Ask your Church Council or governing body how your congregation determines OCWM giving. Depending on the church, some give their OCWM donation monthly or quarterly, while others send in their gift once each year.
A consistent practice of OCWM Basic Support giving helps the Conference Finance Committee plan for the financial well-being of the Conference’s ministries.
Strengthen the Church offerings support leadership development, new church starts, youth ministries, and innovation in the church. Missouri Mid-South retains 50% of this offering for initiatives in our Conference, and shares 50% with the national setting of the UCC.
Traditionally, most congregations collect this offering each year on Pentecost Sunday.
Neighbors in Need offerings support local ministries of justice and compassion in the United States. The Missouri Mid-South Conference shares 100% of this offering with the UCC national setting, which uses one-third of these gifts to support the Council for American Indian Ministry. The remaining two-thirds supports Justice and Witness Ministries grants to local churches and organizations engaged in justice initiatives, advocacy efforts, and direct service projects in their communities. Many congregations and partner ministries throughout the Missouri Mid-South Conference have been recipients of Neighbors in Need grants.
Congregations often collect these offerings the first Sunday in October, which is World Communion Sunday.
One Great Hour of Sharing offerings support UCC disaster, refugee, and development ministries throughout the world. With these offerings, we can provide resources for long-term disaster response and the global ministries of the UCC.
The traditional date to collect this offering is the fourth Sunday in Lent.
Christmas Fund offerings are managed through the Pension Boards of the UCC. These gifts become one-time emergency grants and monthly sustaining gifts that provide financial support for retired UCC clergy, missionaries, and their widowed spouses.
Congregations typically collect this offering during Advent, especially the fourth Sunday in the season.
From time to time, the Missouri Mid-South Conference collects gifts for a specific mission project. Recent campaigns have focused on Medical Debt Relief, raising funds to cancel almost $4 million in medical debt across Arkansas, Missouri, and Tennessee; and purchasing a mower for use at Shannondale.
Delegates of the Missouri Mid-South Conference in 2021 adopted a MoVal Redevelopment Plan, calling for a renewed investment in the ministries that happen at Camp MoVal. For a five-year period. this plan has three major emphases: staffing and leadership, programming and retreats, and physical site improvements.
As part of the Redevelopment Plan, a Capital Campaign will raise funds to support the site improvements named in the plan and strengthen the investment fund that sustains Camp MoVal’s operations.
Watch for more information on this Capital Campaign, or reach out to Rev. Mary Nelson at [email protected] to discuss how you can provide leadership for this campaign.
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