Our Women Empowering Women is just what it says, this group of women has been formed to help, nurture, empower, and give voice to women in ministry and find ways to not only keep women in their many roles of ministry but to also encourage others. 

We want to provide a safe place where we can find others that we bond spiritually with from across the miles, women we might not otherwise have had the opportunity to connect with.

We want to keep women in all aspects of ministry throughout our region, and beyond! Women are vital and we need opportunities to be together and share, find spiritual partners, and sift through the challenges that we face, and learn ways to cope and share with others; finding new insights from those who have walked in our steps before and those who have witnessed those walking in these steps.

Women in many rolls of ministry and about ministry. I know some very strong, creative, and wise women who have been surrounded by and infused in ministry that have not necessarily been in ministry roles who could nurture and provide needed sources of encouragement for us all. 

Women, many women supported Christ, supported the church. Women, the last at the cross, the first at the tomb, the first to witness the Risen Christ and the first to be told to go and tell them.

Women, we are needed and we must stand strong, and be Church!

See flyer here> Please RSVP to Rev. Jennifer Long at jennifer.ccma@sbcglobal.net.

Eric has completed the requirements of our Commission on the Order of Ministry and will be ordained to the Church’s Ministry for Jesus Christ. Clergy are invited to robe and stole.

Theme: “Still in the Good Fight” Scripture: 1 Corinthians 2:9

We’re honored to welcome Rev. Dr. Katina Allen-Colon, Pastor of 5th Street Christian Church, as our Guest Speaker. And honor our beautiful church mothers: Mattie Chambers, Violet Black, Geraldine Chandler, and Helen Ferguson.

Before the service, join and fellowship with us for our soulful anniversary lunch as we reflect on the journey, remember those who came before us, and rejoice in all that’s still to come.

Come celebrate 120 years of worship, service, and community — because through it all, we are still in the good fight!

Learn more here>

We are created in and for relationships. Life-enriching relationships, whether with intimate partners, family, friends, colleagues or parishioners, require healthy boundaries. This workshop explores the meaning and practice of healthy boundaries in the context of ministry. 

The session will be led by Rev. Jennifer Long, Tim Long, and Rev. Sharae Kelley.

Clergy with active ministerial standing in the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) must participate in such a boundary training session every three years. The $50 registration fee includes lunch and any distributed materials. Sessions will not be streamed or recorded.

 Consult other known training opportunities.

Registration due by midnight on Wednesday, November 5. Register now>

Mandy has completed the requirements of our Commission on the Order of Ministry and will be ordained to the Church’s Ministry for Jesus Christ.

Disciples Home Missions Youth & Young Adults is partnering with the National Benevolent Association’s Rev. Bere Gil Soto and the M.A.C.C. Foundation for Adulting 101: Things Nobody Taught Me About Money—a three part webinar series empowering youth and young adults to reimagine their relationship with money. Each session blends practical tools with reflection on money as a tool, a privilege, and a responsibility, all through a faith filled, justice minded lens.

Tonight is the first night. Subsequent presentations will be made on December 10 and January 21.

The webinar series is free, but registration is required.

Learn more and register here>

Presented by Older Adult Ministries

Enrich your spiritual life and that of others by following the contemplation resource, “Looking for God Over Your Shoulder.” It will be our guide to a different topic each week. An image, scripture verse, meditation reflection, and prayer will be shared. Then participants will be invited to explore discussion prompts. Rev. Dr. Paul Koch, Regional Minister of the Mid-America Region, has been a participant in contemplative meditation circles in earnest for a decade and will lead our discussions.

This is a four-part webinar series taking place each Wednesday between October 29th and November 19th. Each webinar takes place at 12:00pm ET/11:00am CT.

Learn more and register through our National Benevolent Association here>

This sharing group is for men navigating mid-life changes. It will meet on this date for the first time, and then each Tuesday for seven weeks. Regional Minister Paul Koch recommends this program as part of our ongoing Mid-America Men & Friends ministry.

Our hope for this offering is similar to that of the porpoises in Bernard Moitessier’s book ‘The Long Way’.

“For three hours longer they swim like that, each isolated on his own side, without playing, setting their speed by Joshua’s, two or three yards from the boat. I have never seen anything like it. Porpoises have never kept my company that long. I am sure they were given the order to stay with me until Joshua was absolutely out of danger.”

In some small way we hope we can be like the porpoises and show-up at a dangerous time in a man’s life and help them navigate their way through, to safer waters.“

Learn more>

Randall has completed the requirements of our Commission on the Order of Ministry and will be ordained to the Church’s Ministry for Jesus Christ.

John has completed the requirements of our Commission on the Order of Ministry and will be ordained to the Church’s Ministry for Jesus Christ.

The weekend of November 1-2, Compton Heights Christian Church will bid farewell to its building at 2149 S. Grand Boulevard in St. Louis, celebrating 75 years of ministry.

You are invited to Saturday’s reception to enjoy snacks and refreshments while visiting with friends and sharing memories of the ministries that have called the building home.

Then on All Saints Sunday service at 11:00am, they will name, remember, and celebrate the saints to have served the congregation. See postcard invitation here>

Presented by Older Adult Ministries

Enrich your spiritual life and that of others by following the contemplation resource, “Looking for God Over Your Shoulder.” It will be our guide to a different topic each week. An image, scripture verse, meditation reflection, and prayer will be shared. Then participants will be invited to explore discussion prompts. Rev. Dr. Paul Koch, Regional Minister of the Mid-America Region, has been a participant in contemplative meditation circles in earnest for a decade and will lead our discussions.

This is a four-part webinar series taking place each Wednesday between October 29th and November 19th. Each webinar takes place at 12:00pm ET/11:00am CT.

Learn more and register through our National Benevolent Association here>

All are welcome to join us for this monthly gathering.

This month is by Rev. Dr. Beth Rupe. The title: Encounters With the Wild Goose. Scripture reference Acts 16:1-10. Key verse: When they appeared the province of Mysia, they tried to enter the province of Bithynia, but the spirit of Jesus would not let them. Acts 16:7

Her questions:

1. How do you visualize the Holy Spirit and what he has helped shape that understanding?

2. How does thinking about the spirit as a wild goose a firm and change your understanding of God and God's activity in your life?

3. Share an experience where you have been surprised by God's call and or had your plans changed because of God's call.

4. Paul is directed through a dream to travel to Macedonia. Who or what has helped you understand God's direction for your life?

Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82023503046?pwd=SpHk95GRhnc0gsSwe7dfbUYztITFzu.1
Meeting ID: 820 2350 3046 Passcode: 615850

Conversation Café is a bi-monthly virtual event designed to bring together Disciple pastors, lay leaders, and church staff from across the country to discuss, reflect on, and engage with relevant resources for congregational life and innovation. We will explore topics like creating or reflecting on guiding statements (Mission, Vision, Values) for a congregation, community partnerships, ethnographic evaluations for local communities, and more. This one-hour lunchtime session offers participants a chance to be Church together and share resources that help our congregations thrive in their local contexts. People can grab a meal, settle at their computer or tablet, and join the conversation.

Brought to us by Disciples Home Missions’ Congregational Vitality and Innovation.
Register here>

This Creating Vital Congregations webinar is brought to us by Lexington Theological Seminary. It will explore how congregations can respond to the pressing challenge of food insecurity by establishing and sustaining community gardens as transformative ministries. Drawing from his book, From Soil to Soul: The Impact of Community Gardens on Food Insecurity, Rev. Dr. Michael L. Zachary Sr. will help participants discover how faith communities can become hubs of health, justice, and spiritual renewal. Participants will leave equipped with actionable strategies to cultivate congregational vitality, foster community engagement, and embody the Gospel through faithful stewardship of the land. REGISTER HERE.

Our Rural Ministry Network is hosting a conversation about stitching together rural and small churches. As Disciples, we are all at the same table and together we want to encourage, equip, and connect Disciples of Christ churches in Mid-America as we grow in Christ.

This is a free event and lunch will be provided.
More information, including the agenda, is on the flyer here>

Please register online by October 6 so we can be prepared with enough food for all>

For more than 40 years, Disciples have had a visible ministry to address racism in society. Gifts to Reconciliation Ministry, through its Offering or throughout the year, support programs and initiatives aimed at dismantling racism. Reconciliation Ministry is not supported by Disciples Mission Fund. Learn more>

Read a letter from Isaiah 58 Ministries’ Executive Director Rev. Brenda Booth on why the Reconciliation Offering is so important.

Learn how a place of worship can move beyond activism into true community organizing. The Power of Proximity for Social Impact will explore the difference between organizing and activism, and why proximity has the power to transform both congregations and their neighborhoods. Mid-America's own Rev. Dr. Dietra Wise Baker will be the guest speaker for this IMPACT webinar brought to us by New Church Ministry.

There is no cost to attend but registration is required. Learn more and register here>

Through the process of life review, we reconnect with significant milestones that can bring resolution and wisdom to be shared across generations. Co-leaders Jan Aerie, Coordinator of Older Adult Ministries, Gerontologist and Family Counselor, and Rev. Maudine Wordlaw, Minister of Bereavement for Light of the World Christian Church in Indianapolis for over 30 years, will discuss how individuals and congregations can draw out and share stories, to enrich church life and advance personal longevity.

Webinar is free, but registration is required.
Learn more and register here>

This online book study opportunity will take place on each of the 4 Monday evenings in September.

All are welcome to join in the discussion of Baptizing America: How Mainline Protestants Helped Build Christian Nationalism. Buy the book here>

Please take a minute to let us know you plan to join us>
But still join us even if you didn’t get a chance to register!

Here’s the small group study guide by authors Brian Kaylor and Beau Underwood.

Join us via Zoom>

For more than 40 years, Disciples have had a visible ministry to address racism in society. Gifts to Reconciliation Ministry, through its Offering or throughout the year, support programs and initiatives aimed at dismantling racism. Reconciliation Ministry is not supported by Disciples Mission Fund. Learn more>

Read a letter from Isaiah 58 Ministries’ Executive Director Rev. Brenda Booth on why the Reconciliation Offering is so important.

All are welcome to join us for this monthly gathering.

We will be studying from the Just Women. This month is by Rev. Dr. Beth Rupe. I was fortunate to have her in a Boundary Training class and Train the Trainer in Topeka recently. I am excited to share her study. The title: Encounters With the Wild Goose. Scripture reference Acts 16:1-10. Key verse: When they appeared the province of Mysia, they tried to enter the province of Bithynia, but the spirit of Jesus would not let them. Acts 16:7

Her questions:

1. How do you visualize the Holy Spirit and what he has helped shape that understanding? 

2. How does thinking about the spirit as a wild goose a firm and change your understanding of God and God's activity in your life?

3. Share an experience where you have been surprised by God's call and or had your plans changed because of God's call. 

4. Paul is directed through a dream to travel to Macedonia. Who or what has helped you understand God's direction for your life? 

Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82023503046?pwd=SpHk95GRhnc0gsSwe7dfbUYztITFzu.1
Meeting ID: 820 2350 3046 Passcode: 615850 

This online book study opportunity will take place on each of the 4 Monday evenings in September.

All are welcome to join in the discussion of Baptizing America: How Mainline Protestants Helped Build Christian Nationalism. Buy the book here>

Please take a minute to let us know you plan to join us>
But still join us even if you didn’t get a chance to register!

Here’s the small group study guide by authors Brian Kaylor and Beau Underwood.

Join us via Zoom>

Our Rural Ministry Network is hosting a conversation about stitching together rural and small churches. As Disciples, we are all at the same table and together we want to encourage, equip, and connect Disciples of Christ churches in Mid-America as we grow in Christ.

This is a free event and lunch will be provided.
More information, including the agenda, is on the flyer here>

Please register online by September 18 so we can be prepared with enough food for all>

This is an introductory level session. There are no prerequisites to attend.

Participants are welcome to attend in person at Webster Groves Christian Church (308 Summit Ave., St. Louis, MO 63119), or online. 

Registrants will be emailed documents and videos for advance preparation, as well as log-in information for the training if attending virtually. Completion certificates, follow-up materials, and seminar ideas will be emailed afterward.

This course fulfills the Regional clergy requirement of anti-racism training every three years, and qualifies for four hours of the annually required 15 hours of continuing education.

Find other available sessions here>

This online book study opportunity will take place on each of the 4 Monday evenings in September.

All are welcome to join in the discussion of Baptizing America: How Mainline Protestants Helped Build Christian Nationalism. Buy the book here>

Please take a minute to let us know you plan to join us>
But still join us even if you didn’t get a chance to register!

Here’s the small group study guide by authors Brian Kaylor and Beau Underwood.

Join us via Zoom>

This online book study opportunity will take place on each of the 4 Monday evenings in September.

All are welcome to join in the discussion of Baptizing America: How Mainline Protestants Helped Build Christian Nationalism. Buy the book here>

Please take a minute to let us know you plan to join us>
But still join us even if you didn’t get a chance to register!

Here’s the small group study guide by authors Brian Kaylor and Beau Underwood.

Join us via Zoom>

Mid-America’s women in ministry are invited to this gathering to get acquainted, or re-acquainted and connect or re-connect with other women in ministry around the Region.

There is no cost but please do RSVP by August 12th by emailing Associate Regional Minister Rev. Jennifer Long.

This workshop is for pastors, elders, and those who care.

Rev. Robert Green will be sharing insights from his book The Art of Spiritual Care in Education: Gifts of Knowledge, Courage, and Skill. Where Religion, Science, and Education Merge. We will be taking pre-orders for when it is published.

This seminar qualifies as Boundary Training renewal for clergy who attend, read the book, and complete the follow-up document.

Thank you to Rev. Dr. Kim Leon, who serves as Chaplain at Boone Hospital, for planning this event.

Registration is free thanks to our Rickman Legacy Fund for Leadership Development.

Register now>