Events for May 2, 2026 – Missouri Mid-South Conference of the United Church of Christ

We invite you to participate in the Installation Service of Rev. Tracey Harris at 3:00 p.m. at Friedens UCC, St. Charles, MO.

Boundary Awareness Training 3.0: Rural and Small Town Clergy

Thursday, May 7, 2026 at 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM ET
These trainings are for seasoned clergy who have already taken a 2.0 BAT. Often focused on a specific ministry experience, participants will practice new skills and workshop case studies with colleagues. We are currently developing this level of classes.

Rural & Small Town Clergy BAT ~ This explores what is unique (and not) about serving in a rural or small town setting and what particular practices encourage strong and healthy ministry.

Good professional boundaries allow ministry and those who do it to thrive with health and wholeness. Through the lens of clergy wellness, authorized ministers will renew their understanding of and develop skills for maintaining boundaries in an ever-shifting ministry landscape.

The cost for the training is: SNEUCC Clergy – $65.00; all other Clergy – $85.00.

If you have questions regarding the training, please contact Deb Holmes at [email protected] or 508-244-4399. All trainings are listed in Eastern Time.

REGISTER HERE

Class Details

Please note that registration closes 7 days before the session so that participants have ample time to do the pre-work, and classes are capped at 50 participants

Our Boundary Awareness Trainings combine teaching, skill building, small group discussion and personal reflection for a dynamic and collaborative experience. All levels of BAT are in alignment with best practices from the UCC, other denominations and secular professions. Breaks (and lunch when a full day) are included.

We incorporate clergy wellness in all our trainings. Why? Ministry is rewarding; it can also be stressful and demanding. Recent surveys have shown a significant increase in clergy burnout and desire to leave ministry. Clergy whose personal needs are not met in healthy and appropriate ways tend to blur, push or violate ministerial boundaries. A survey of clergy done by Rev. Dr. Jerry Streets found that “clergy who engaged in multiple and frequent self-care strategies experienced higher well-being than that clergy who did not engage in multiple and frequent self-care strategies.” We care about our clergy; we want them to be healthy and whole, for the sake of their ministries and their own belovedness.

Please check with your Association’s Committee on Ministry to inquire whether these trainings meet their requirement for maintaining UCC ministerial standing. You will receive a certificate of completion after the training; it is your responsibility to share this with your Association.

Why Clergy Wellness?

Ministry is rewarding; it can also be stressful and demanding. The last few years have only increased that likelihood. Recent surveys have shown a significant increase in clergy burnout and desire to leave ministry. Clergy whose personal needs are not met in healthy and appropriate ways tend to push and violate ministerial boundaries. A survey of clergydone by Rev. Dr. Jerry Streets found that “clergy who engaged in multiple and frequent self-care strategies experienced higher well-being than that clergy who did not engage in multiple and frequent self-care strategies.” We care about our clergy; we want them to be healthy and whole, for the sake of their ministries and their own belovedness.

What Participants Have Said

“The Boundary Training was superb! It was not only highly informative, but most importantly, you gave abundant tools for growing into more effective leaders. Learning about the connection between good self-care and maintaining the best of healthy boundaries is clearly at the heart of strong ministry.”

“This is the best boundary training I have ever attended. It was incredibly helpful to have a focus on mindfulness.”

“It’s a relief not to sit through the “same old” training.”

“While I was not happy to hear that I needed to have the training again at this time, I would report that I understand even better why it is necessary and encourage the church to continue to require it.”

“The care and modeling by the leaders of the training showing a respect, dignity, seriousness, humanness and professional skill to which we all aspire.”

Come join us to support and celebrate the ordination of Joshua Rau. Ordination begins at 3:00 pm

Gateway Open and Affirming Churches

Annual Convocation

March 13, 2027

Save the Date!

Questions: call Lorin Cope: 314-772-4772 or email: [email protected]

Bill Bay, born and raised in St. Louis, assumed the presidency of the American Bar Association (ABA) in 2024-25. The ABA is the largest voluntary professional association of lawyers, judges, and law students in the world, founded in 1878.

Bill’s topic, the rule of law, so critical to our democracy, is a foundational principle where all persons, institutions, and governments are accountable to publicly promulgated, equally enforced, and independently adjudicated laws.

This is one of Parkway’s acclaimed Speakers Series program and all are welcome from the Missouri Mid-South Conference community.

This program is brought to our friends in the Missouri Mid-South Conference for free by Parkway UCC. We customarily have two programs each month on Sundays following worship. Our topics include a wide array of subjects, some religious, most not as much. We have had beekeepers. birders, and naturalists, judges, public servants, an Amazon supervisor, a trans man, journalists, foreign students, doctors, AI experts, biblical scholars, historians, paroled convicts, federal prosecutors, public defenders, authors, poets, sociologists, genealogy consultants, and scientists. Information about upcoming programs may be accessed via our website at www.parkwayucc.org.

The speaker will appear live in Parkway’s Heritage Room.

Chris Naffziger is a historian of the built environment in St. Louis. He has worked in various museums including the National Gallery of Art and the Saint Louis Art Museum.
The Eads Bridge is one of the most recognizable landmarks in St. Louis and one of the oldest spans across the Mississippi River. But its story also figures into the broader architectural and engineering trends that were developing throughout the world. In this lecture, Chris will explain how the Eads Bridge revolutionized bridge building in America, while transforming the city of St. Louis at the same time.

This is one of Parkway’s acclaimed Speakers Series program and all are welcome from the Missouri Mid-South Conference community.

The speaker will appear live in Parkway’s Heritage Room.

MoVal Earth Day Work Day 2026

More details to come, save the date!

Fall CYE will take place at MoVal! More details to come, save the date!

The Spring Fellowship Gathering of the St. Louis Association

of the

United Church of Christ

First Congregational Church of Webster Groves, UCC

10 West Lockwood Street

Webster Groves, Missouri 63119

Thursday Evening, May 7, 2026

6:00 PM Fellowship with Brown Bag Meal*

7:00 PM Worship

Followed by a

Report from the

New Directions Task Force of the Association

What does the future of the St. Louis Association need to look like to faithfully serve our congregations in the years ahead? The Task Force on Future Directions has been listening carefully, asking hard questions, and exploring new possibilities for how we live out our shared ministry. At the Spring Meeting, the Task Force will share what they’ve learned, the challenges they see before us, and the opportunities that could shape a vibrant and sustainable future. This is a chance to hear where the conversation is heading, offer your voice, and help discern the path forward together. Your presence matters as we imagine what comes next.

Keynote Address by

The Rev. Dr. Jeff Moore

Our keynote speaker, Dr. Jeff Moore, brings both deep scholarship and lived congregational experience to the conversation. Dr. Moore is pastor of Webster Groves Christian Church and an affiliate faculty member at Eden Seminary. In recent years, he and the congregation have engaged in a creative and energizing process to reimagine their future, offering valuable insights for this moment in the life of the church. As a Bible scholar and thoughtful leader, Dr. Moore will weave together biblical reflection, congregational wisdom, and his own experience to illuminate the challenges and opportunities facing the St. Louis Association, creating a lively and engaging tapestry for our evening together.

Rev. Dr. Jeff Moore is an ordained United Church of Christ Minister with partner status in the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), Jeff has been pastor of Webster Groves Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) since March of 2008. Jeff has a Bachelor of Science in Outdoor Leadership from Aurora University, Master of Divinity and Doctor of Ministry degrees from Eden Theological Seminary, and a PhD from the University of KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa. His Doctor of Ministry work

focused on the question of “Christian Connectedness,” and explored this from biblical and liberation standpoints in conversation with the poetry of

Guatemalan poet and theologian, Julia Esquivel. Jeff’s PhD dissertation focused on Theological Education in the Lesotho Evangelical Church as it

relates to the church’s vision and commitment to “abundant life” (John 10:10), and presents a descriptive study following a three-year program of

ethnographic and theological research in Lesotho, southern Africa.

New ways to gather this spring:

*1. Please bring your own brown bag meal. You can pick up something on your way to the Gathering or bring it from home.

Iced tea, lemonade and water will be available

2. There is no registration fee for this meeting, but please reply via email ([email protected]) to register

RSVP, by replying to this email address ([email protected]) and include your name, phone number, church of membership, and if you will be participating in the brown-bag dinner and fellowship time. If you have already registered there is no need to register again. Thank you for your registration.

3. First Congregational will utilize their YouTube connection to stream the evening’s program. The Church’s channel is @FirstChurchWG, and remote participants should go to the Church’s Live tab to access the event.

UPCOMING ONLINE BOUNDARY TRAINING FOR RETIRED AUTHORIZED UCC MINISTERS

UCC MESA team

Date: March 12

Time: 2:30-5:30 pm CST (3:30 -6:30 pm EST)

Registration cost: no fee

To register, please use the link below:

https://UCC.zoom.us/meeting/register/WwxaUcxeS8ywl-gg5IglFg

Centennial Christian Church, Glory to Glory UCC, Pilgrim Congregational UCC, St. John’s UCC – The Beloved Community, and additional partner congregations are coming together to co‑host a sacred time of remembrance, honoring the profound sacrifice of Christ

FLYER HERE

A Black History Tour of St. Louis

Film Screening and Discussion

Hosted by St. Lucas UCC Social Justice Ministry

Saturday, March 14, 2026

Doors Open at 10:00 am

Film starts at 10:30 am

St. Lucas UCC

11735 Denny Road

St. Louis, Missouri 63026

We will be joined by Father Gerald Kleba, who is featured in the film,

and Director Tony West for a discussion and Q&A. We will have pizza

following the film and discussion.

Questions? Contact Dan Herron at 314-616-9808.

he Mission Continues…Outdoor Ministry Mission Mondays are ongoing!

The 2^nd Monday of each month we meet in Salem, MO at Main Street Diner https://www.yelp.com/biz/main-street-cafe-salem at 8:30am for breakfast (each person pays for themselves) before we work at Shannondale until 3:00pm. Lunch will be provided on site each work day. People of all skill levels are welcome. Come for fellowship and mission work at our beautiful Outdoor Ministry sites.