The Southeast District Office Will Be Closed:
- Wednesday, June 19 - Closed in Observance of the Juneteenth Holiday
- Thursday, July 4 - Closed in Observance of Independence Day
2024 Annual Conference Recap and Resources
Videos: Videos from last weekend’s Annual Conference Session, along with the videos that were shown at Annual Conference, can be found on the Missouri Conference Vimeo page, HERE.
Slides: The slides that were on the screens during reports made at Annual Conference can be found HERE.
Appointment List: Click HERE to view the 2024 Appointment List or download a PDF.
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Southeast District Dinner and Retirement Celebration: During this Annual Conference, we celebrated the upcoming retirements of Southeast and District Superintendent - Bruce Baxter and District Administrative Assistant - Lisa Conley. Pastors, laity and families came together to share their well-wishes and celebrate the new things Bruce and Lisa will be doing in the future!
The district dinner Friday night was one of the highlights of my 41 years in fulltime ministry. The district staff and the “party team” did a fabulous job. I was blessed and grateful for all the efforts invested in this evening, and especially the personal remarks on the cards for our memory book. Audrey was so sad to miss it. I read her the cards over the weekend as she started to recover. She is doing well now, with hopes to be discharged from the hospital on Thursday. Bruce Baxter
I want to express my deep appreciation to the Southeast District for a wonderful retirement celebration! The District staff, Lay leaders, laity, pastors and our families went out of their way to send us off to do "new things" in a big way! Thank you! Lisa Conley
Hate Divides, Love Unites Campaign Resources and Updates
The Missouri Conference has produced a digital graphics package about the uniting power of love, called Hate Divides, Love Unites, in time for another divisive election year. Print-ready files are available for download to produce yard signs, banners and t-shirts if your church would like to promote a message of love over hate. The Missouri Conference wants to become a brave, empowering place for people from diverse cultures and generations so that we can become a Church for all God’s people. We seek to do this by equipping Conference leaders and local churches for multicultural leadership, cross-cultural connection and healing justice.
- Read a press release about the campaign HERE.
- Access the digital graphics HERE.
Post-Annual Conference Update:
During the Saturday Afternoon Business Session, a challenge was issued for United Methodist churches across Missouri to pledge money or sponsor Hate Divides, Love Unites billboards. The Annual Conference staff are creating a media plan as well as looking at pricing options. If your church wants to participate, you can begin the fundraising process while details are being solidified. More information will be provided in the upcoming weeks.
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Southeast District Grants
Fall Grants Due by August 1st
The Southeast District is offering ministry grants to any United Methodist church or affiliated organization in the district boundaries.
• Priority will be given to organizations that have not previously received a grant.
• Priority will be given to Conference initiatives listed below.
- New Places for New People (NPNP) -New or growing Alpha programs.
- Next Generation Ministries - (birth-college age) New program that multiplies Next Gen Ministries in the local church.
- Raise up Missional Leaders – training or an experience to recruit, train or disciple missional leaders engaged in the congregation.
Details can be found in the Grant Application here:
• Fall Grants are due by August 1st. All applicants will be notified by September 1st.
Upcoming Lay Education Courses
Zoom Courses:
Find-a-Church is an online directory of more than 10,000 United Methodist congregations. Last year, Find-a-Church had 3.17 million page views, representing visits by 1.36 million users. Make sure your church’s profile is up to date so people in your community can find you. Go to https://www.resourceumc.org/en/content/update-your-find-a-church-profile
Just a reminder! Conference and District Staffs cannot update Find-a Church profiles.
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Missouri Receives UMCOR Grant for Sikeston and Surrounding Areas Following Spring Storms
The United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) has awarded the Missouri Annual Conference a $10,000 solidarity grant for relief efforts related to Spring 2024 storm damage in the Southeast Missouri area.
Conference Disaster Response Coordinator (CDRC) Scott Burdin applied for the grant after surveying damage in the area now considered to be from an EF3 tornado. The grant money will be used to build food boxes, hygiene kits and purchase plastic totes for distribution in partnership with MARC (Multi Agency Resource Center). Distribution points were, Sikeston YMCA, First UMC in Sikeston, Dexter Parks & Rec Gymnasium and Doniphan MO.
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PICTURED ABOVE: June 11, 2024, at Dexter Parks & Rec Gymnasium, Scott Burdin, Cameron Knapp, Erika, Zettie, Opal Simmons and Bev Rhodes distributed 100 totes that held hygiene kits and cleaning supplies along with a food box to individuals who participated in the program.
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Community Worship Nights Concert Series
Join Trinity UMC (Piedmont) this summer for incredible nights of worship as the Community Worship Nights Series visits Piedmont, MO! Tickets are $10 per concert and can be purchased at the church, at the door or online.
Dates & Lineup:
June 30 - Nathan Sheridan, Baily Hager & Ivey Asher
Aug 4 - Seph Schlueter, Cade Thompson & Jeremy Rosado
For More Information, Click HERE for the flyer.
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Juneteenth Resources
Juneteenth (June 19) marks the day in 1865 when U.S. federal troops arrived in Galveston, Texas, to take control of the state and ensure all African Americans were freed. The troops’ arrival came a full two and a half years after the Emancipation Proclamation had been signed. The date is now a federal holiday. The Missouri Conference encourages local churches to observe and celebrate Juneteenth. We’ve compiled a resource list to help you do so: www.moumethodist.org/resourcedetail/juneteenth-resources-16526695.
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Learn More About Healthcare Support in Mozambique
The Mozambique Initiative supports access to healthcare in rural Mozambican communities through its mobile health clinics. This ministry reduces the distance between the community and its medical care. Closing this gap improves outcomes for pregnant women, children under five and those suffering from easily curable, yet potentially deadly, diseases. Learn more about how mobile health clinics are improving lives with these new resources: https://mzinitiative.com/donations/healthclinic/
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Jump Start Your Ministry
Does your ministry feel stuck? Is yesterday's approach to ministry not yielding hoped-for results? Jump Start is a podcast series that reimagines ministry essentials and offers new questions, new thoughts and new scorecards. Each episode covers a stand-alone essential geared at jump-starting a ministry that needs new life. You’ll get practical advice and solutions that can be immediately implemented in your ministry context. Listen on your favorite podcast app or at www.moumethodist.org/jump-start-podcast
Youth Coordinator Position Available
New McKendree UMC is seeking a Youth Ministry Coordinator to oversee the implementation of programs, events, and activities that lead youth (grades 6-12) to live out the mission of the church, while celebrating and supporting parents as the primary leaders of discipleship in the home. This is an hourly position (up to 30 hours/week).
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