Missouri Union Presbytery

I atteneded this class at Missouri School of Religion and found it to be an excellent use of my time.

Key points presented by Dr. Karen Tye were that small member congregations do not need to beat themselves up about not being corporate or program churches. As with individual people, God calls congregations to be and do different things. Each congregation needs to use the talents and resources God has provided with imagination and creativity to build up the body in the way and place where God has placed them.

Another key emphasis was that education IS happening ALL the time. Our role as leaders/teachers/mentors is to be conscious of what we are teaching. Even when we don't realize others are watching and learning, what we neglect, ignore or won't talk about are also conveying a lesson.

The class was held at the Rickman Center in Jefferson City and I highly recommend it to anyone who wants to help other learn and grow as Christians or to grow themself.

The Church & Society Mission Team continues to analyze the implications of proposed legislation, especially the PROPOSED 2009 STATE BUDGET. Their website-SEE LINK BELOW-informs Presbyterians and all others of the details and consequences of proposed and existing laws. For a complete update of all C&S Mission Team work at their website:

Go To C& S Mission Team Website

The C&S Mission Team has just completed a thorough summary of FISCAL ISSUES. This includes a clearly understood summary of the 2009 PROPOSED STATE BUDGET and likely implications of budget proposals. The C&S Mission Team continues to track the effects of cuts in low-income healthcare, services for the disabled and support for higher education. Another issue they regularly report on is predatory lending in Missouri.

In late 2007 the Church & Society Mission Team mailed a questionaire to all Pastors, Sessions and Boards of Deacons within the Presbytery. Their objective was to gather information and opinions about what issues are most crucial to Presbyterians in Mid-Missouri. In order to make your voice heard, please return these if you have not already done so.

To review specific C&S Mission Team topics and action plans, please see additional posting on this forum or link to their website above.

The C&S Mission Team's next meeting is Sunday, July 13, 2008, 2:30 PM at FPC Columbia, 16 Hitt Street in downtown Columbia.

Updated from the Church & Society website: www.fpcjcmo.org/society_mission/ and Ray Schneider, C&S Mission Team Coordinator