204 S. Ninth St. • Columbia, MO 65201-4818 • 573-443-3111 • www.moumc.

org • April 5, 2018 • Volume 31, Number 13

Worship Looking Ahead

Services • April 8: Donut Sunday in Cornerstone
Four unique Coffee Shop
worship • April 15 & 22: Confirmation Sunday at
opportunities the 10:30am service
are offered on • April 15: Youth Parent Meeting at 5pm
Sunday. in CLC 103 - Katja will share info about
mission trips, and MUMY parent Tanya
Alberty will also share.
8am
• April 15: Festival of Sharing - UMW
McMurry Sophia Circle will have an informational
Chapel display in the Connector to collect for
Informal worship the Dental Kit in April. We will accept
with a personal
touch. Sharing
kits members of the congregation
assemble and bring to us, as well as Eastering
prayer concerns monetary donations to be sent to the By Fred Leist, Lead Pastor
is welcomed. Church office. I know that “Eastering” isn’t a word. At least, that’s what
• Sunday, April 15 @ Noon Town Hall the spell check feature on my computer says. But, let’s
9:15am Meeting in CLC 103 just say that in the days following our Easter celebration,
Sanctuary • Sunday, April 15 @ 6pm Town Hall we should still be “Eastering” by focusing on the ways in
Contemporary Meeting in the Chapel which the Risen Christ is available
worship that • Tuesday, April 17 @ 10am & 6:30pm to us in this workaday world of ours.
includes a Town Hall Meeting in the Chapel After all, as one of my ministerial
children’s time, • Thursday, April 19 @ 6:30pm Town Hall colleagues says, “Easter has dropped
Praise Band. Meeting in the Chapel its bombshell about victory over the
• Saturday, April 21: Columbia grave right into the middle of this
10:30am Community Band at 7pm old world and nothing is ever the
Sanctuary • Sunday, April 22: MUMC Blood Drive in same!”
Traditional the Atrium 8:30am-12:30pm
On Easter Sunday evening I received
worship with an E-mail from one of our MUMC members, describing
music from the • SAVE THE DATE: last week of April!
Watch for info about UMW’s annual their experience of getting pushed out of their familiar
choir. and comfortable pew seat because of the Easter morning
Geranium Sale for Missions!
crowd. They ended up on the very front row and sent me
7pm some reflections about the experience. The misplaced
Cornerstone • Sunday, June 10: Hot Summer Night’s
member said, “I was closer to the action.” He also said,
Concert (7pm at Missouri Theatre)
Coffee Shop “Taking in the sermon and exercising one’s faith in front
MUMC Choir and the Missouri Symphony
Contemporary can be a different experience.” He even included possible
Orchestra
worship led ideas for future sermons: “Don’t Fear the Front Row” or
• Sunday, July 1: MUMC Blood Drive in
by the Ignite “It’s Uncomfortable Close to the Source.”
the Atrium 8:30am-12:30pm
College Age I appreciated his reflections because they set my own
• July 29-Aug. 5: Vacation Bible School
Ministry Team. thoughts in motion. When we talk about the Resurrection
we are getting close to the very source and center of our
faith as Christians. I’m reminded of the words of Henry
Nouwen in Letters to Marc About Jesus: “In every phase of
my search, I’ve discovered also that Jesus Christ stands at
(continued on page 2)
(continued from page 1)
the center of my seeking. If you were to ask me point-
blank, ‘What does it mean to you to live spiritually?’ I
would have to reply, ‘Living with Jesus at the center.’ ”
(p.7)
What if we practiced Eastering by allowing the Risen
Christ to be at the center of all we say and do? What
if we moved into the front pew and got closer to the
source of our power for living, even if it moved us out
of our comfort zone? What if each of us found a way to
live with Jesus at the very center? We would begin seeing
everything – our lives, our relationships, the world around
us – in a whole new way. We would arise to new life in the
Resurrection.
Happy Eastering, Fred
Children’s and Youth Ministries
Safe Sanctuaries training is available online and is now
provided at no cost to volunteers! To sign up. contact
Katja Jones at katja@moumc.org or Linda Leist at linda@
moumc.org. Children’s Ministry volunteers can sign up for
slots any time at https://goo.gl/mAkhjD.
2 MISSOURI UNITED METHODIST CHURCH
Creative Renovation in MUMC
Children’s Ministry
Many may remember the Minershagen family who
attended this historic church years ago. This family took
steps to ensure their name would be remembered by
establishing a fund, which is now available and designated
specifically for the purposes of enhancing our Children's
Ministry - one of the core ministries of our church today.
With the blessings from this Minershagen fund, our
Lead Team has supported a select Creative Renovation
Team to research, plan and imagine a safe, functional
and welcoming space for all Pre-K and Elementary-age
children. Here is a short summary of the things you can
expect to see changing soon in the areas of the Connector,
Whittler Hall, the Nursery Hallway and the Elementary-
age classrooms:
• New bright colors and signage in the Connector,
specifically at the Check-In Desk to welcome all
families to our church.
• Coordinating wayfinding throughout Whittler Hall,
directing parents and children to proper drop-off
points and age-appropriate classrooms.
• New classroom flooring, paint, cabinetry and other
essential materials to provide all Pre-K children a
safe, functional and comfortable space in which to
learn the word of God.
• An enclosed gross motor space within Whittler Hall,
providing a secure place for children to play, sing and
learn.
• More classrooms equipped to welcome children with
unique sensory, social or behavioral abilities.
Renovations will begin taking shape in May and continue
through July 2018. Regular ministries will continue with
little to no disruption. More information may be available
at the family check-in desk in the Connector.
The Creative Renovation Team provides consistent
monthly reports to the Lead Team. Team members
working on this exciting project include: Kate Stull, Walt
McManus, Susan Sappington, Bryan Sappington, Jacqui
Jamieson, Courtney Gaunt, Katja Jones and Linda Leist.
Want to Volunteer with Heifer?
Join us at one of our events for a chance to visit with
a Heifer volunteer about upcoming ways you can help!
Whether you are thinking about a one-time opportunity or
want to be a regular part of the good we do, we’d love to
chat! If you cannot join us but are still interested, email
us at midmissouriheifer@gmail.com.
• The Heidelberg, 410 S 9th St.
Thursday, April 19, 4-6pm
• Kaldi’s Coffee, 29 S 9th St.
Saturday, April 21, 8:30-10:30am
April 5, 2018 - Vol. 31, No. 13
 Week of
April 2-7
The resurrection of Jesus has multiple meanings. Let’s explore some of
them.
Transformation: Often symbolized by the metaphorsis of the caterpillar
to a butterfly, resurrection reminds us that our current states can be
changed into even more beauty.
Eternal Life: Funerals in our tradition are sometimes called Services
of Resurrection. This speaks to the belief that those who die in a Christ
will live on with Christ.
Light: While there are lessons and insights we glean in the darkness
of our lives, resurrection signifies a redemptive light is possible and
coming; that our dark days and seasons can be redeemed.
Victory: Traditionally, there is imagery of Jesus defeating the enemy
(Croatia victor). To accept the resurrection is to share in the victory
through Jesus Christ.
New Day: That morning when Jesus was not to be found marked a new
day and new reign. Christians who follow Jesus speak of Jesus as Lord,
alluding to his reign and also their commitment and allegiance to him.
Power: The same power that raised Jesus from the grave lives in us. If
you believe this, the resurrection is personal and very present.
You don’t have to pick one meaning of resurrection, but you might
consider which meanings resonate and which challenge you.
“Who’s Going to Transform Me? - I AM!”- April 1
Scripture: John 11:1-6;17-25 (NLT)
A man named Lazarus was sick. He lived in Bethany with his sisters,
Mary and Martha. This is the Mary who later poured the expensive
perfume on the Lord’s feet and wiped them with her hair. Her brother,
Lazarus, was sick. So the two sisters sent a message to Jesus telling
him, “Lord, your dear friend is very sick.”
But when Jesus heard about it he said, “Lazarus’s sickness will not end
in death. No, it happened for the glory of God so that the Son of God
will receive glory from this.” So although Jesus loved Martha, Mary, and
Lazarus, he stayed where he was for the next two days.
When Jesus arrived at Bethany, he was told that Lazarus had already
been in his grave for four days. Bethany was only a few miles down
the road from Jerusalem, and many of the people had come to console
Martha and Mary in their loss. When Martha got word that Jesus was
coming, she went to meet him. But Mary stayed in the house. Martha
said to Jesus, “Lord, if only you had been here, my brother would not
have died. But even now I know that God will give you whatever you
ask.”
Jesus told her, “Your brother will rise again.”
“Yes,” Martha said, “he will rise when everyone else rises, at the last
day.”
Jesus told her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Anyone who believes
in me will live, even after dying.
New Living Translation (NLT)
Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007, 2013, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of
Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Read or subscribe to the weekly guide at moumc.org/grow
Printed copies are available at the Connector Desk.
Missouri United Methodist Church Periodical
204 S. Ninth St. Postage
Columbia, MO 65201-4899 PAID
Columbia, MO
573-443-3111 USPS No. 355460

“We exist to connect all people with Jesus Christ.

We do this by welcoming enthusiastically, growing deeply and serving courageously.” /MissouriUMC

Guest Wi-Fi: MUMC - Guest (Password: password)

Office hours: Monday-Friday, 8:30am-noon, 1-4:30pm

Town Hall Meetings: Sunday
Worship Reconfiguration
Proposal
For the past nine months our new pastor has been
listening to comments, questions and concerns related
to our current worship schedule on Sunday mornings at
MUMC. In response to those many conversations, and in
the interest of focusing more intently on our mission of
“connecting all people to Jesus Christ”, Fred offered
to the Lead Team a proposal to reconfigure our Sunday
worship schedule. After receiving Fred’s proposal the
Lead Team gave their approval to take the proposal to
the congregation in the form of a week of town-hall
meetings (April 15-20).
The purpose of the town-hall meetings is to share
information about the proposed new schedule, present
the rationale for the proposed change, field questions,
and gather information about how the changes would
impact our ministry with families who are currently here,
as well as those we hope to reach.
The meetings will be scheduled at various times
throughout the week (both daytime and evening hours)
to facilitate the broadest possible participation from
our church family. No child care. Here are the scheduled
times for the meetings:
• Sunday, April 15 @ Noon in CLC 103
• Sunday, April 15 @ 6pm in the Chapel
• Tuesday, April 17 @ 10am & 6:30pm in the Chapel
• Thursday, April 19 @ 6:30pm in the Chapel

Saturday Breakfast Café

Volunteers are needed to help serve breakfast to those less fortunate in our community between 7:30-9:30am, and
provide food or Hy-Vee gift cards each Saturday in April for the Breakfast Café. MUMC hosts the breakfast in April
and June. If you are interested in volunteering or providing a breakfast item or Hy-Vee gift card, please contact Emily
Murray at eagmurray@gmail.com.

Cemetery Lots for Sale The Prayer Garden Committee has up to four cemetery lots for sale in
the Lord’s Supper Garden of Memorial Cemetery. For more information call Doug Henderson at 573-356-7902.

Photo Disclaimer: Services and events hosted by the church are considered public. The church has permission to use images of church members for promotion, publicity and
outreach materials unless advised through a non-consent form. The church will not attach names to the photographs of individuals or groups unless prior permission is given. To obtain a
non-consent form, please contact the church office.

Want to get the Church Newsletter via email? Have you changed email addresses? Go to: www.moumc.org/subscribe to subscribe or update.
The church provides bus transportation to the 10:30am Sunday worship service.
Call 443-3111 before noon on Fridays. Bus service is available to all.
The Messenger (USPS No. 355460) is published weekly except the last week of the year by Missouri United Methodist Church at 204 S. Ninth St., Columbia, MO. Periodical postage paid at Columbia, MO.
POSTMASTER: for change of address, send to Missouri United Methodist Church Messenger, 204 S. Ninth St., Columbia, MO 65201-4818, April 5, 2018
Staff: Lead Pastor Fred Leist. Laura Bentley, Administrative Assistant; Adam Bordoni, Facilities; Tim Coday, Director of Music Ministries; Debbie
Craighead, Finance Assistant; Joan DeBoe, Pastor of Worship & Administration; Adriene Floyd, Office Manager; Courtney Gaunt, Director, Discovery
Days; Teressa Gilbreth, Director of Communications; Charity Goodwin, Pastor of Discipleship; Jacqui Jamieson, Assistant Director, Discovery Days; Katja
Jones, Director of Youth Ministries; Linda Leist, Children’s Ministry Coordinator; Jo Lee, Events Coordinator; Gabriella Miller, Nursery Coordinator;
Kim Parker, Pastor of New Generations; Preston Williams, Tech & Facility Steward; Music Staff: Craig Datz, Organist; Kaye Miller, Director of Wesleyan
Ringers; Rochelle Parker, Associate Organist; Marilyn Rowe, Serendipity Choir; Rachel Blomquist, Grace Notes Choir