Missouri Union Presbytery » Mission Opportunities: Trips & Other

Vacation Bible School around Missouri Union – African Connections

VickiSchildmeyer — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 15:36:18 +0000

Under the Baobab tree after a great VBS week for Macon County Larger Parish

Sharing the Gospel–A Road Trip for Giraffes–Yes, it really was Rev. Mary Ellen Waychoff driving a giraffe, an elephant, and other African animals to New Cambria July 13! DCE Marilyn Hofmann from FPC Jeff City loaned Jonathan Giraffe and other large animal cut outs to Macon County Parish for their VBS July 18-23 Thanks to the Dodson Family at FPC Jeff City for creating and sharing these wonderful gifts! 28 Children, 12 Youth helpers and numerous adults came together under the Baobab tree at New Cambria UCC. The Macon County VBS offering went to the Festival of Sharing. Themes were: Trust, Love, Follow, Care and Share. Next Stop for Baobab “critters” is First Presbyterian-Columbia July 26-30.

Baobab Blast at Range Line was great fun and exciting learning for 34 kids and helpers! Curriculum includes animals from Africa (like 2 giraffe sighted at the Church near Houstonia!) along with science activities, Bible stories, songs, crafts and snacks. Each month Range Line, Longwood, and Curryville churches support the African Immigrant Fellowship in Columbia. Range Line’s VBS offering went to the Agape African Fellowship in Columbia and Heifer International to buy goats for farmers in Haiti. Betty Lou (Dotson) Kriesel directed VBS at Range Line. Trinity-Columbia, First-Columbia, and Lake Church-Osage Beach also support Agape African Fellowship.More African connections . . . Kids, Youth and Adults at FPC Jefferson City’s Baobab Blast sent their VBS offering to the Mary Beza Clinic in Ethuleni, Malawi with their own Mission Team to Malawi! Hear how your contributions make a difference and provide basic needs in Malawi, contact Mission Team Leader Kyle Kittrell at kylemo@mchsi.com or 573-634-3662. Jeff City VBS Director was Melissa Rizner; Priscilla Ford led science.

Welcome to VBS at Range Line Presbyterian! Kids, Giraffes and Helpers--Everyone had a great week

MUP “Peru Crew” Another Awesome Year!

DavidHenry — Wed, 16 Jun 2010 17:58:31 +0000

Mission/Work Trip to the Peruvian Amazon-Another great success! Pastor Dave Henry (FPC Jeff City) others from Jeff City and Bethel-Salem PC in Morrison left for Iquitos, Peru June 11. The team returned June 20, and would love to share about their visit/mission with your church or group . Contact Dave at dhenry@fpcjcmo.org or 573/636-2149. Pastor Henry’s Report from 2009 Trip–July 2009 was an awesome week in the Amazon – filled with God-experiences and reminders of the beauty of God’s creation and people everywhere–Also, God’s grace which sustains and blesses us all!” according to Jason and Misty Hilkerbaumer (Bethel-Salem, Morrison), Bob Clardy (Moberly), John Caverly (First, Mexico), and Alex Denning & Dave Henry (First, Jeff City) These 6 from MUP arrived in Iquitos, Peru on Sat, July 25, 2009. Along with 7 members of Middle Octorara Presbyterian in Quarryville, PA, they worshipped, worked, played and prayed beside Christian brothers and sisters in the Peruvian Amazon. They built a safety fence between the river and the SCOTA School (Special Children of the Amazon–children with physical & mental handicaps) They also built relationships with villagers in Tamshiyacu, an hour by speedboat down the Amazon River from Iquitos. FPC Jeff City and Middle Octorara are “sister churches” of the Reformed Presbyterian Church in Tamshiyacu. Along with financial support they make an annual work/mission trip to the Peruvian church/village. During the past several years, Medical Missions, Inc., the Amazon Mission Fellowship, and these two congregations have built a church, a pastor’s home, and the SCOTA School. In 2009 “Peru Crew” also led a Bible School for village children – with Bible stories, crafts, singing, face-painting, games and more. Sixty-two children came on Monday, and by Thursday, Pastor Henry lost count after 92! It was a wonderful time; children share Bible stories and their artwork with their families. Peru Crew members played soccer with the children/youth, threw Frisbees and footballs and even organized a game of whiffleball! Despite the language barrier continual conversations took place. We all learned about one another about our cultures and our shared faith.

2008 Mission Trip-Hungary, Ukraine & Romania

CecilCulverhouse — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 22:53:23 +0000

By Cecil Culverhouse

1. My first impression on returning to Hungary this year was of great activity. Bishop Csomos met us with many of those who work in various areas of church life. I remember when meeting with the bishop was a quiet affair. Bishops attended functions at the churches (such as ordinations), and encouraged the pastors in their work, but very little was happening. Now the office is bustling.
a. A few years ago the Cistibiscan and Debrecen Church Districts bought a radio station, which reaches 80% of the two districts. It provides significant church programming interspersed with commercial programming.

b. The church district has purchased a new conference center that has a current capacity of ninety beds. The district has two major conferences each year, with 1500-2000 attending each. It also has conferences for retired persons, for women, for those responsible for church music, for youth, and other activities.

c. Examples of how the church district continues to strengthen its educational program are:

* The new primary school at Sarospatak continues to add a grade each year, making a complete educational opportunity possible at Sarospatak. The Academy at Sarospatak has a new CEO, Vegh Balozs, who was present for our meeting. He coordinates the work of the various institutions and oversees finances.

* A special primary school for arts is opening in the town of Goncs.
* A University Chaplain is functioning at the University in Miskolc.
d. The church district is engaged in a mission to the Roma or gypsies. A young woman minister, Anita Borghasi is in charge. They intend for this ministry to be congregationally based and five small ministries are functioning.

e. Other ministries continue to function. For instance, the Maon Center for mentally handicapped adults is at capacity. It has twenty full-time residents, and others come for the day. It is a happy place full of activities.
* This year the district has a social worker on staff to organize help for the needy throughout the district.
* There is a new church development at Avas Estates.

* A youth center begun by Sandor Szabo is next to the church offices and is functioning well.

It is hard to describe the difference a few years have made in the work of the church district. For many years the church could do very little while living under the restraint of a hostile government. Once freedom came, it has taken time for the church leadership to have the vision and skills to move forward. Now it is flourishing.

2. My second impression is that congregations are alive and growing. An example is the Avas Del Church new church development in the Avas Estates District in Miskolc. This district consists of Soviet block apartments housing 40,000 people; it reminds me of the now demolished Pruitt-Igo housing in St. Louis. The church does not yet have a building; it meets in a Jesuit high school. It started with 20 people, and grew by knocking on doors. It now has 120 members, with two services each Sunday and about 120 in attendance at each. The young pastor is Andras Dande. His wife is also a minister. The church is partnered with Coates Street Presbyterian in Moberly.
The Encs church started in 1994 in a town that had no Reformed Church. It began with 100 members and now has 500 and a beautiful building. They have about ten young people confirmed each year. Marie Balsky is pastor, and the church is partnered with the Fulton Church.
The Vizsoly Church (also a partner with the Fulton Church) has been mainly a museum. It is where the first Bible was printed in Hungarian in 1590. The pastor was essentially curator of the museum, because there were very few members. This time, however, we found the church bustling with activity. They are engaged in two building or renovation projects: a youth center and a guest house.

The church at Kalosca in southern Hungary is pastored by Janos Hunyadi, who spent several weeks in our Presbytery when he was a student. His wife, Emoke Petri is also a pastor. She spent a year at Eden Seminary in St. Louis. The town of Kalosca is about 18,000, heavily Roman Catholic. It is a mission congregation. In the five years they have been there, the membership has increased from 140 to 272. There is a baptism almost every Sunday. An adult confirmation class that lasts eight months produces 8-10 professions of faith each time it is held. The congregation has many activities. Janos preaches at two other villages as well as in Kalosca, and Emoke teaches religion in the schools.

3. The third impression I had on this trip was how desperately needy Ukraine is. David Pandy is working hard (more hours than any of us could take) trying to help the church there. Some things are hopeful. The church at Nagydobrony was full of worshippers. The gypsy church was lively. The gypsy school is functioning. A new home for the elderly has been built, and the children’s home is still doing well. The school at Nagybereg continues to function, and the school at Tivalafalva is flourishing. However, the gypsy school in Nagydobrony has problems, and it is going to concentrate on Kindergarten and first grade.
The school at Nagybereg may lose space for its girls’ dormitory, which was leased from the town, and some doctors want to make it a hospital again. Beregszasz is full of beggars, and largely ignores its large gypsy population. The government is corrupt and uncaring. Unemployment is very high (80%). The church is poor, and lacks good administrative leadership. It is a sad and desperate situation.

4. We saw a good bit of the church in Romania, but did not have the time or ability to assess the situation well. The seminary in Kolosvar seems to be doing well, and we saw some flourishing congregations, but many of the churches are little more than museum pieces, with two or three members left to care for a large and historic building. An effort to force integration of the Hungarian population into Romanian society was begun some years ago, and continues. Many of the Hungarian communities have been scattered, which, of course, affects the church.

5. We were able to see many long-time friends: Bishop Csomos, Hoijni and Zoltan Domolos and their children, Sandor and Elizabeth Szabo, Gabriella Rackosi, Istvan Gyori, Daniel Szabo, Denes Dienes, former Bishop Kurti and his family, former Bishop Horkay, and others.

6. I was impressed at the evidence of the partnership with Missouri Union Presbytery: at Miskolc which partners with the Moberly Church and Avas Del; at the Roma (gypsy) ministry with the renovated apartment for a minister to the gypsies; at Encs which partners with the Fulton Church, and at Vizsoly with its partnership with the Fulton Church, and at Scerencs with its partnership with the Jefferson City Church; at Sarospatak with the house given for Daniel Szabo in his retirement, the dormitory we bought, the library repair and the many books we provided, the scholarships for seminary students, the fence around the new elementary school, and the published class lectures of the professors; in the Ukraine the gypsy school at Nagydobrony, a dorm for the students at the Secondary school, the food for the students, the heating system for the Secondary school, the dorm at Tivadarfalva, the renovated house for two teachers at Tivadarfalva. We have been and remain deeply engaged in the work of the Hungarian Reformed Church in that area.

Local Disaster Assistance Mission-June 19-27, Louisiana, MO

Angela Pool — Tue, 01 Jun 2010 19:23:42 +0000

Join Presbyterians and friends from several churches to complete repairs/reconstruction of a house damaged by fire last year in Louisiana, MO. Volunteers pay $15 per day for meals and lodging (at local churches). If you are interested, please register with Kathy Montgomery at 573-639-0378. Volunteers can help as many days as they are able.

Longwood Children Buy Goats

Pat Roller — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 23:22:58 +0000

The Longwood Church, Marshall organized a Sunday School in May, 2009 with two faithful children and JR Greer as their teacher. Since August they have taken on the project of purchasing a goat for Uganda through Heifer International (See www.heifer.org) The children brought their own money and raised enough to purchase one goat. At Longwood PC’s Lord’s Acre Sale, they sold soda to see if they could purchase another goat. As of Oct 11, they need only $13 more to purchase a second goat. They have thought about challenging the rest of the Presbytery churches with Sunday Schools to raise enough money to purchase a goat, rabbits, chicks, bees, etc… for each of their children who attend Sunday School. The entire Church and their pastor are proud of them and their dedication to helping in mission endeavors.

Agape House Vandalia

ScottJohnston — Sat, 06 Jun 2009 01:39:48 +0000

(June 2009, Report RE: Agape House-Vandalia) “I recently spent 3 nights at a guest house associated with Barnes-Jewish Hospital in St. Louis while a family member had testing. What a relief to find an affordable place to stay so close to the hospital! Rooms were nice, staff made guests feel at home, and a kitchen with supplies was available. The guest house reminded me so much of Agape House. Those same comments were repeated many times on guest evaluations,” reports Janet Heim, a member of the Agape House Board.

Janet goes on to say, “We thank you and many other congregations for your ongoing support of Agape House. It is so nice to come to a strange and/or difficult situation and be made to feel at home. THANK YOU for making that possible!”

During the summer, donation requests are for: juice boxes, snack cakes and individual size peanut butter and cheese crackers–anything children might enjoy. For more information about how your church can support the ministry of Agape House Vandalia, please call 573-594-6755.

Apr ‘09 Work@Camp

MichaelLewton — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 21:28:49 +0000

Camp Work Days planned for April 3, 4 and 6, 2009 (Friday, Saturday and Monday) – Help get Covenant Point Camp ready for spring & summer activities! Come when you can, leave when you must. Camp address: 3492 Camp Keown Rd, Holts Summit, MO 65043. Call Mike Lewton 573/301-9117 or David Jones 573/645-4991 for info or to sign up. Reservations help us plan meals. “Burning Brush” Report March 8, 2009–20+ volunteers, including youth, cleared brush and tree branches to prepare for grading of the new play field under construction at Covenant Point on Sat, March 7. Everyone enjoyed the work–and tasty lunch, courtesy of Laura Hart and Allegra Harrison, BUT they left plenty of work for others on April 3, 4 and 6, 2009.

“Out of Chaos, Hope” Feb 2009

Jim Cruickshank — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 22:52:47 +0000

3 yrs after Hurricanes Katrina & Rita–recovery go on. Report of Jan 25-31, 2009 trip to New Orleans by Kathy Montgomery: “Known as “Blue Angels of Hope”, 20 members of Missouri Union Presbytery, from 9 different churches, and 3 friends joined Presbyterian Disaster Assistance (PDA) and traveled to New Orleans, LA. They sucessfully provided help and hope to survivors of the 2005 hurricanes. Their reconstruction efforts were welcomed and appreciated as survivors continue to rebuild their lives. It’s truly lagniappe (God’s grace/gift) to see first-hand the appreciation and renewed hope when a family home in the lower 9^th ward is restored and dedicated. In one week, the hard-working Blue Angels assisted with 4 homes, each with unique challenges. Even though our group was experienced, skilled AND very motivated, some of the tasks were quite demanding. The Blue Angels hung, taped, and mudded sheet rock; installed bamboo flooring; installed ceramic floor tile; installed insulation; painted and trimmed rooms; framed windows and doors; and tackled two roofs – removing shingles, re-decking, sheeting and re-shingling. One roof was actually raised and suspended before this was accomplished. Whew! So much work, but SO many smiles, so much fellowship and an awesome witness for Christ… (Not to mention, aches and groans from the Blue Angels!) Mission Team volunteers stayed at the Olive Tree Volunteer Village (formerly Eastminster Presbyterian Church) in east New Orleans. This area was also heavily damaged in 2005 and has remaining problems. At Olive Tree, we shared space and friendship with 34 Presbyterians from New Castle Presbytery (Delaware/Maryland) and 11 Canadians. PDA currently operates 4 volunteer villages along the Gulf Coast and provides hospitality and connections to families in need for volunteer work teams. Just think how much more could have been accomplished with more Blue Angels from MUP! Give prayerful consideration to joining the next mission trip to the Gulf Coast in 2010.

Mission/Ministry Team Openings in MUP

VickiSchildmeyer — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 20:57:07 +0000

MISSION TEAMS in our presbytery have openings. These teams are not just for pastors and elders–any church member, including youth, can serve. It’s your chance to learn from others with like interests, share your God-given gifts and follow Christ more faithfully. As Jesus’ disciple, what is God calling you to do? Maybe a presbytery-wide Mission Team is where God is calling you to “build up” the Body of Christ. The work of these groups varies widely, but the sense of contributing to the wider church is a common theme. Some meet monthly, many only as needed. Those with openings are:

Media Promotions
Senior High & Mid-High Youth
Family Enrichment Ministries
Social Justice & Peacemaking
Church and Society
Hungarian Reformed Church Partnership
Disaster Assistance & Preparedness (MUP-DAT)
Campus Ministry-contact at college/university
Criminal Justice
Small-Church Christian Education

Call the presbytery office at 1-800-635-3178 to contact any of these Mission Teams. Put your gifts into action! Mission Teams Committee Moderator is Elder Bruce Oliver.

Sr High Mission 6/09-REGISTER Today!

DavidHenry — Sun, 14 Dec 2008 13:37:28 +0000

ALL Sr Highs (completed grade 9,10,11 & 12, including college-age) from Missouri Union are needed for a Mission Trip to Annville, PA Sat–June 20 thru Sun–June 28, 2009. Reserve your space for this faith-building mission trip with a $60 deposit to Pastor Dave Henry by Jan 15 2009!Total Cost: $450 - Includes transportation, lodging, meals (except fast-food enroute), building materials, supplies & programming. Questions–Contact: Dave Henry 573-636-2149 dhenry@fpcjcmo.org or David Jones 573-645-4991 djones58@gmail.com Working through REACH Workcamps (http://www.reachwc.org/) Senior High Youth will travel to Annville, PA to work on the homes of elderly and low-income families – painting, building porches, decks and ramps, weatherizing, and doing other home repairs. Each day is filled with work projects, devotions, worship, singing, drama, fun and fellowship with youth from throughout the US. Youth are assigned a “work crew” for one project during the week. They get to know a family and share their lives. Participants stay in a local high school (air mattresses and sleeping bags) and eat in the school cafeteria. Evenings are filled with spirit-filled music and worship, excellent dramatic presentations, recreational activities and group reflections. In addition, this year we’ve been invited to a chicken BBQ with an Amish family in Coopersville, PA!

Mission Team Leaders: Dave Henry, Associate Pastor First Presbyterian, Jeff City, has led REACH Workcamp groups past four summers & mission groups to Pensacola-FL, Bay Saint Louis-MS, and Amazon Jungle of Peru

David Jones, Director of Youth and Outdoor Ministries at First Presbyterian, Jeff City and MUP Assistant Camp Director, is a veteran of many work/mission trips, most recently the 2008 REACH Workcamp to Oceana-WV.