Exciting News from The Connecting Grounds

Rev. Christie Love of The Connecting Grounds and Rev. Dr. Phil Snider of Brentwood Christian Church share their exciting news via Facebook video.

As Spring has now sprung, the cold weather shelter program that The Connecting Grounds, as well as other Springfield congregations, participates in will be drawing to a close. Unfortunately, the needs remain for Springfield’s unsheltered population even when the temperature surpasses 32 degrees.

In response to this ongoing need, The Connecting Grounds has determined that the best way for them to be faithful stewards of their building is to make it available as a year-round shelter. They are in the process of obtaining permission from the city for such use, and they are very excited to serve the community in this way.

This new ministry, however, will leave the congregation without a place to worship on Saturday evenings. Luckily Brentwood Christian Church has a fellowship hall that isn’t used on Saturday evenings, a minister that thinks outside the box, and a leadership team that is enthusiastic about supporting such a vital undertaking.

So, beginning this weekend (March 25), The Connecting Grounds will share space at Brentwood Christian Church for their Saturday evening activity. Dinner begins at 5:00 and worship is at 6:00. Shuttles will run from the Outreach Center to the church.

In explaining the evolution of these new plans and partnership, Rev. Christie Love of The Connecting Grounds says, “We need to learn how to take the walls down and find ways to collaborate and partner together more to really, genuinely be the Body of Christ that’s loving out loud.”

Brentwood CC’s Rev. Dr. Phil Snider maintains, “It’s the kind of work Jesus was about” and is excited to participate in this “hands-on response to the Gospel.”

Toddler-Time with Pastor Scott

Toddler-Time with Pastor Scott is an outreach of Lathrop First Christian Church. Each Wednesday that school is in session, children who are not yet in school and their parents/grandparents come to the church at 10am. They sing songs, read a story, play a game, do a craft, and have a snack. In many ways, this is a Sunday School class for these children, just not on Sunday mornings! It also allows some of the church volunteers to interact with the parents, and gives parents time to talk with one another. Each session runs about 45 minutes to an hour.

Toddler-Time with Pastor Scott began in the fall of 2021 as a way to reach out to the community. Lathrop does not have a public library, but often public libraries have “story times” and other things for children to do. So, on a trial basis, Pastor Scott reached out to the local Parents-As-Teachers organization and told them his idea. Initially, they met in the local coffee shop (Gentry’s) and used a small room. It was initially just for the month of September, but then quickly expanded to include special holiday times as well. In the fall of 2022 it expanded even more, now having a Toddler-Time weekly as long as the school is in session (we did take January off). Because of the amount of interest, it had to be moved to the church’s fellowship hall. By moving it to the church building it has also allowed more room to do an activity and more space for craft time. It has been wonderful to see the congregation get involved in Toddler-Time by volunteering to help put craft packets together and come to talk with the parents and help children do their crafts.

Thank you to FCC Pastor Scott Archdekin for this story and photo.

PGCC Helps Phil the Peacock

Prairie Grove CC partnered with Ozarks Area Community Action Corporation (OACAC) of Dallas County to help Phil (fill) the Peacock for their local food bank.

PGCC pastor Rev. Jennifer Long is pictured here (on right) with Kathy Banks, Supervisor of the Dallas County OACAC Neighborhood Center in Buffalo. Banks was thrilled that such a small congregation had so much non-perishable food for her to pick up!

The People's Pantry is a 24/7 accessible food source for those in need in Dallas County. There are no income requirements, no questions to answer, and no appointment needed. Phil the Peacock became the mascot for the Dallas County pantry to help promote food drives within the county. Since October of 2022, they have partnered with thirteen different churches, businesses, or organizations for food drives to help feed the hungry in Dallas county as food prices go higher and higher.  

Wednesday Night Meals at Community CC in Camdenton

Wednesday Night Meals at Community Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in Camdenton, Missouri are SO MUCH FUN!  Nearly every Wednesday evening at 5:00 pm, we gather for serving, food, and fellowship. Prior to COVID, Wednesday nights included a dine-in 5:00 pm meal with no RSVP. Youth Groups and choirs would also meet around this meal time. In 2023, there are some similarities to the past, but also some adjustments.

Every Wednesday, we now offer home delivery, pick-up in the parking lot, or dine-in. This is possible due to an enormous number of people working together. It all starts with the generosity of the cooking teams. Each team has their Wednesday of the month to design and prepare the menu. Some of these cooking teams are as small as a married couple, or as large as five individuals working together. In addition to these cooking teams, there are multiple individuals that just show up between 3:30 pm and 4:30 pm to finish preparing the food, wash dishes, and organize the to-go orders. Conversation, support, hard work, and love abound in the kitchen. In concert with this process, three individuals work together “behind the scenes” throughout the week to organize the RSVPs for home delivery, pick-up, and dine-in. There are currently two delivery teams, of two people each, that deliver food throughout the community at 4:45 pm. Also at 4:45 pm, our pick-up individuals pull into our parking lot, and food is handed to them through their car windows. For the delivery and pick-up individuals, food is presented in reusable containers and carried in reusable cloth bags. A printed meal prayer is included in the cloth bag as well. These containers and cloth bags are usually exchanged each week.

At 5:00 pm in the fellowship hall, a blessing is offered and the cooks serve anyone who walks in our door. It is always a surprise who will come, and who we serve. There is no charge for the meal. CCC is proud to have a servant’s heart, and to build discipleship through this weekly meal process. 

By 5:30 pm every Wednesday, the three youth groups head in different directions in the building, and many people pitch in to support one another, to clean up tables, and to wash dishes. CCC is grateful to our custodian Jenny who mops and cleans after the mission and ministry of Wednesday nights.  

Wednesday Night Meals are SO MUCH FUN, but it takes a community-minded attitude and a lot of work every single week.  If you have any more questions, please contact Senior Pastor William R. Brown.

Thank you to Rev. William Brown for this story and photos.

Community CC Chili Cook-Off

Despite the cold and icy weather the chili cook-off at Community Christian Church, hosted by the elders of the church (pictured at right) on January 29th, was a huge success.  With nine different entries, and more than 125 people in attendance, tasters could choose which chili was best—from spicy to sweet, white chicken or sausage. 

The champion (Brian Degitz-Fries) and runner-up (Betty Rega) are pictured below.  In addition to the wonderful time of fellowship, over $1,600 (through ticket sales and a silent auction) was donated to UrbanReachSTL, CVPA (Central Vision Performing Arts High School), and the orchestra students of Parkway Central High School who helped serve the chili!

Second CC in New London Reaching Out

The Disciples Women of Second Christian Church in New London recently visited their local laundromat to evangelize. They greeted everyone there and distributed quart-sized plastic bags containing a dryer sheet, a small bag with a capful of Downy Unstopables beads, four Tide pods, and $5.00 in quarters. Also inside was a postcard that read on one side "THERE'S HOPE!" and on the other side an invitation to come worship with them, listing the church’s location, time of worship, Facebook page, etc. The group was happy to connect with some of their neighbors, who were surprised and thankful for the gift.

GriefShare at West Lake Christian Church

Over the past year, West Lake Christian Church has been reaching out and serving those struggling through grief by offering a ministry called GriefShare. Lay leadership has recognized the grief present throughout the community and have been reaching out to try and offer Biblical ways of journeying through grief. They have had 66 people impacted by the ministry, 27 of which are not members of the church. We celebrate the effective ministry of Jesus Christ and pray for those have partnered with people as they journey through the valley of the shadow of death.
Learn more about this ministry on the congregation’s website here>

Thank you to pastor Chance McMullin for this information.

St. Charles Christian Church Started 2023 with a SPLASH! 

The Faith Family at St. Charles Christian Church in St. Charles, MO frequently partners with their friends and neighbors in the Orchard Farm School District to serve and play. Again this year, SCCC jumped in to sponsor the New Town Polar Plunge on New Year’s Day. 

Following Sunday services, their new Pastor, Matthew Ricks, several of the church member families, and hundreds of neighbors gathered at the neighborhood beach to plunge into the New Year and raise funds for Special Olympics. 

The temperature was nearly 60 degrees, so there were large crowds of supporters cheering on over 70 “Plungers” who scurried into the still icy waters. Local first responders suited up in their dive gear and joined those in the water - and monitored the event from the shore - to ensure that the fun and frivolity went smoothly. In all, over $1,400 was raised for Special Olympics.  

The congregation sends a huge thanks to the Robbers family who champion this event and invite them to play a little role in this annual activity. 

Thank you to SCCC’s Susie Pundmann and Matthew Ricks for this information and photos.

Outreach of FCC in Savannah

Savannah FCC's Women ReJoyce has a ministry called Campus Cupboards where they fix and freeze casseroles, soup, burritos or other meals for high school kids/families that are food insecure. Recently they made over 40 quarts of chili to stock the freezer. The ground beef for the cook-off was on hand from a donation of 50 pounds of ground beef by the Missouri Cattlewomen, thanks to one of their members.

 

Also their Sew Time group, in conjunction with the outreach team and the entire SFCC congregation, made quilts and blankets for high school and middle school children, as well as making "stockings" filled with personal care items. These were gifted to students just before their holiday break.

 

Savannah Christian Church is proud to be 175 years old, and going strong!

Thank you to Rev. Kate Titsworth, FCC pastor for this information and photos.

How Do We Plan A Ministry with Older Adults?

This question is asked of our Older Adult Ministries Coordinator Jan Aerie more than any other, so she put together a booklet containing her answer!

The tool kit she created will take your church group through a step-by-step process for beginning or advancing in ministry with older adults. The process focuses on four A words: building awareness, assessing assets, exploring alternatives, and taking action. Spending time on each step will help your church better understand your mission, your community, and its needs. Using these tools will lead to a more vital, growing, and active congregation.

Now is the time. This is the place. You are the one.

Download it today!

FCC Republic Feeding the Hungry

Thanks to FCC pastor Rev. Lee Young for this information and photos.

In partnership with Crosslines of Springfield’s mobile food pantry on Saturday, September 24, volunteers from First Christian Church in Republic were able to help 99 families (200 individuals) in their community to fill their cabinets. Each family received a dry goods box (with pasta, peanut butter, canned vegetables), a box of fruit and veggies, eggs, milk and a pork roast along with Twinkies and donuts!

Centennial Christian Church Annual Back to School Party 2022

Centennial Christian Church and its Outreach Ministry sponsored their Annual Back to School Party on August 13, 2022 in the Fountain Park Community of St. Louis. This event brought the church, Centennial neighbors, community organizations and resources together all for the purpose of preparing young people to return to school inspired, empowered, and loved. This year’s festivities included music, food, refreshments, a magician, horseback riding, Fire Department activities, the Magic House, St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department’s Polar Express, eye exams and medical screenings for children and adults, community resource vendors and more.

Forty families, totaling 100+ individuals were in attendance, enjoying a fun-filled afternoon.  During this festive celebration, children were able to receive bookbags, school supplies and more. In addition, each child was able to receive swag bags, loaded with hygiene products (soap, lotion, toothpaste, toothbrushes, mouthwash, hairbrushes and combs, face towels, deodorant) face masks, hand sanitizers, winter hat and gloves set, and new packages of underwear (t-shirts, socks, and underpants).  There was something for all ages to enjoy.  One of the highlights of the back-to-school event is always raffling off four new bicycles for children and Walmart gift cards for adults. Putting a smile on the face of families is the goal of the raffle!

This year’s event was full of fun, joy and excitement as Centennial sought to be neighbors to their friends. Centennial’s Outreach Ministry continues to ensure that Centennial is at the forefront of partnering, serving, leading, and resourcing the Fountain Park and Lewis Place community. As we hear often, “This is what community looks like!”  For more information or volunteer opportunities for Centennial’s outreach effort, please contact Pastor Perkins or Deacon Clint Potts at Centennial at 314.367.1818.

Thank you to Rev. Derrick Perkins for this story and photos.

Faith Adventures Camp Supports Ukrainian Relief

Faith Adventures Camp had an incredible week at camp! We had 105 registered campers, 31 volunteer staff members, 16 churches that participated, and more fun than you can put a number on! To top it off, we collected $1,078.40 in offerings that we are sending to Week of Compassion – Ukrainian Relief! This was our first year at Camp Galilee and what a wonderful facility with the best people running the show that you could ask for. Of course we owe it all to God for putting us together! We are already making plans for 2023 and couldn't feel more blessed to be able to do what we do! Contact us at faithadventurescamp@gmail.com or check us out on our website at www.faithadventurescamp.com.

Thanks to Kim Houser for this information and photo.

Ozark Christian Church Helping Their Neighbors

In the month of July, Ozark Christian Church called upon its members to help and show God’s love in different ways. The Men’s Group collected hygiene and cleaning supplies for the women in Freedom’s Rest, a domestic violence shelter in Ozark. There were many bags and boxes of items that Shane Strahl and Dan Richardson picked up and delivered last week.

They also helped a Ukrainian family in need. This family came to the U.S. after waiting in line for 48 hours with 3 young boys and another child on the way. OCC had special offerings and Outreach added on to that which nearly tripled the amount. The church was able to provide them with $770 and cover them in God’s love and kindness.

Thanks to Ozark Christian Church Office Manager Samantha Burn for this story and photo.

FCC Troy Mission Trip

The Mission Team from FCC-Troy recently returned from a work camp experience in Sheboygan, Wisconsin. Twenty-five youth and adults travelled there on June 26th and returned on Saturday, July 2nd. Rev. Seth Rash, Associate Minister of Family and Youth at the church organized the trip, which is an annual activity of the youth program at FCC-Troy. The youth carried out a number of tasks, in association with GROUP which organized the mission experience in Sheboygan, along with some 200 other youth from around the country. 

Also new for the congregation is that their nearly $1 million addition is nearing completion. This new addition will feature four classrooms, a conference room, and new restrooms - approx. 3000 sq. feet. Martin Contractors, from Eolia are doing the construction - they are also church members. The addition was designed by Baalman Architects of O'Fallon, MO. It is hoped the new building will be ready for occupancy by September, with a dedication to be planned in the fall. 

Thank you to FCC Sr. Pastor Rev. Dr. Jeff Moore for this information and photos.


Montgomery City CC Outreach

Pictured from left to right: Rev. Angela Williams, Julie Deering (Nature's Plow), Kathy Gilbert (Montgomery City Christian Church Deacon)

Montgomery City Christian Church Outreach ministry received 100 pounds of ground beef from Mike and Julie Deering from the local family farm Nature's Plow. The ground beef will be provided to local residents during our monthly free Outreach program.

We have not only partnered with Nature's Plow to provide food to our neighbors, but also with High Hill Christian Church, which has provided non-perishable food boxes each month to provide to the community at our location.

Mike Deering of Nature’s Plow had this to say about the donation:

  • We often hear about the urban and rural divide. It’s sad that the one thing that unites us is food insecurity.

  • Nearly 13 million kids in the U.S. are food insecure. That number includes hundreds of thousands of Missouri kids here in the nation’s agricultural heartland.

  • According to Feeding Missouri, as many as one in five people in rural Missouri face food insecurity. Among children, the numbers are even higher. In parts of Missouri, one in three children faces food insecurity on a regular basis.

  • Our family farm won’t sit on the sidelines. Period. We found Angela on Facebook and are inspired by what her faith community is doing to help the food insecure in a way that allows those who are hurting to get what they need in a discrete and respectful way.

  • We live here. We farm here. We care. Many others do as well, evident by the fact that the little food pantry shack remains consistently full.

Thank you to MCCC pastor Rev. Angela Williams for this story and photo.

The Connecting Grounds Receives Grant

Pictured here with The Connecting Grounds’ Holly Madden and Christie Love are Rob Baird of the Musgrave Foundation distribution committee and Brian Fogle of the Community Foundation of the Ozarks. 

The Connecting Grounds recently received a grant of over $43,000 to expand their Family Connection program. Holly Madden, Family Connection Director, had this to say about the grant, how it will be utilized, and how it will impact many lives:

We are so incredibly honored for our Family Connection program to be one of the grant recipients for the Musgrave Foundation and Community Foundation of the Ozark’s grant to support children and families in the foster care system.

From the moment we hosted our very first parent-child visit, we saw the hope that this safe space and volunteer supervisors that engaged relationally brought to our families while they worked towards reunification.

This program started as an outreach one night a week but has rapidly expanded across the county and now the state.

We are incredible humbled to be selected for this grant which will be used to further expand this program. A few of those projects will look like finishing the remodel on our garage on TCG property which will turn into a function-able second visit space to be used every evening throughout the week! We will also be able to pay a stipend to a new staff member to support the local Family Connection while current staff focuses on expansion of Family Connection. This funding will also provide for some monthly activity expenses for parent-child visits, and will fund the next 2 semesters of our Parent Connect program!

There really aren’t words for how grateful we are for this opportunity and how excited we are to love on and support even more families across Greene County and across Missouri!

Congratulations and blessings to The Connecting Grounds as they further this vital ministry!

FCC Republic Celebrating 150 Years

First Christian Church in Republic is celebrating 150 years in ministry this year. One way that they’re marking the occasion is with some challenges based on the number 150.

The first challenge was, in partnership with their local United Methodist Church, to collect 150 pairs of shoes to be sent to Strong Tower Haiti. They exceeded this goal by collecting 175 pairs!

The April challenge was to collect 1500 diapers for Republic Pregnancy Resource Center. They went far beyond that goal as well. In fact, people were invited to guess how many diapers were collected and the person who guessed closest without going over won a gift card to Andy’s Frozen Custard. The final count - 9,003!

They will be looking forward to more activities as the year goes on. The challenge for May is for each member to read 150 Bible verses.

Thanks to FCC Senior Pastor Rev. Lee Young for this information and photos.

St. Charles CC Serving Their Community

On April 21, St. Charles Christian Church hosted A Community Conversation about Fentanyl, Opioids, and Grief. Less than a week after a local teen passed away, about 100 people including many youth, as well as members of law enforcement and fire and rescue staff, attended the event to learn and grieve together.

Panelists included a representative from the Center for Hope and Healing who presented a workshop on grief, a representative from the Drug Enforcement Administration who shared information on the increasing drug epidemic, and a physician’s assistant who outlined related medical facts.

The event was livestreamed and can still be viewed on their Facebook page and YouTube channel.

This Easter, the congregation also sponsored an Easter egg hunt for the community, as they’ve done annually for many years. Over 250 families participated this year! The event has outgrown the church yard and now has different age groups meet in different local parks. Church members provide the candy and prizes, and pack the eggs. Newtown has other activities for the kids following the hunt.

Thank you to St. Charles Christian Church pastor Rev. Chris Franklin
for this information and photos.

South Joplin Christian Church's Lenten Roads

South Joplin Christian Church collected 60 pairs of shoes and socks as a suggested spiritual discipline for their worship theme, "Lenten Roads." In place of cloaks on the road for Palm Sunday, worship attendees lined the chancel with walking shoes for Joplin schools' Bright Futures and Soul's Harbor, a local shelter. It may not be feasible for us to wash the feet of the unsheltered, but we hope to put socks and shoes on at least some of our neighbors in need.

Thanks to Senior Pastor Colleen Carrol for this information and photos.