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Photo of the Week
Where every picture tells a story.
Photo of the Week archive
Organic Garden in India
 
Left to Right: Bob McCombs, Don Jarvis, Susan
Hirsch, Carolyn Mccombs, Wes Hirsch
Three retired Missouri District Superintendents along with other VIMers from
Missouri are in Mussoorie, in North India where they are serving at Woodstock
School, a Christian International School, in North India. Some of the team
members are working in the school library and others are working on an organic
garden research project of the school. The research organic garden is doing
work on improved gardening and farming opportunities for villagers in the area.
Those pictured in this week's photo of the week are cutting away some of the
hillside for a chicken coop.
Fall Gleaning
 
This fall volunteers came together to glean leftover turnips
for the hungry. Thirty three people lent a hand at Rost Landscaping in New
Franklin, MO to glean 4,917 pounds (over 2
tons!!!) of turnips. The food was then sent to the Central Missouri Food Bank
of Columbia. If you are interested in learning more about gleaning and
other hunger initiatives, contact Jeff Baker at the Office of Creative
Ministries; baker@umocm.com or
573-474-7155.
Festival of Sharing 2008
 
 
The Festival of Sharing took place this past weekend, October
18th, at the State Fair Grounds in Sedalia, MO. It was a wonderful success
due to the many different denominations that brought their gifts of kits, money
and helping hands. Top left you see the work area of the arena floor
deserted as the volunteers and other attendees gather on the other side to
praise God for the gifts received; Top right is the ever popular quilt auction
where hand made and machined quilts donated from local artisans are auctioned to
support the tools of hope and blankets program; Bottom left we see volunteers
busily checking, sorting, and repackaging kits for shipping; Bottom right are
the Heifers donated through the Festival to a Heifer International project in
Holmes County Mississippi. Mark your calendars for next years Festival,
Saturday October 17th, 2009.
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Apple Gleaning at Lexington,
Missouri |
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A group led by Peggy Eschelman recently gleaned
apples in Lexington, MO. In four hours they gleaned 1800 pounds of
apples that had fallen from the trees. The apples were delivered to
the food bank in Kansas City. Contact Jeff Baker, at the Office of
Creative Ministries, for more information about gleaning
opportunities.
(baker@umocm.com or 573-474-8155). I would like to thank Norm Rasa of Rasa
Orchards for giving us the opportunity to glean his orchard.
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Volunteers in Mission
Scouting Trip to Russia |
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Matt Miofsky and
Mike Wondel in Moscow
Rev. Matt Miofsky and Rev. Mike
Wondel are on a Volunteers in Mission scouting trip to Russia on
behalf of the Missouri Conference. Each of them, as well as
VIM Coordinator Audrey Phelps (see Photo of the Week below), will be
leading conference VIM teams to Russia. We will let you know
when their dates are finalized so you can sign up. Below you
will find a partial entry from Matt's blog. You can keep up
with their experience through his blog by going to
www.gatheringnow.org and clicking on "Pastor's Blog".
"Well, for
those
of you following this trip, I am in Voronezh, Russia sitting
at Resurrection
UMC.
It is a new church started by pastor Irina
Mitina
about 12 years ago. It is in a pretty nondescript building but on
the inside it is very nice. They now have about 50 people
worshipping weekly. As I talk to her, I cannot get over the
challenges and
obstacles starting a new church in this city entail. We
traveled yesterday out to Camp Voronezh. It is about 20 miles out of
town (drive time 1 hour in the back of a van on something that
resembled a seat). The camp is important to the three United
Methodist churches in Russia. Besides being a typical place of fun,
relaxation and learning for adults and children, it is also a place
where the gospel can be safely shared. I say safely because the
culture here is still not the friendliest toward
outside
religions." --Matt Miofsky |
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Caden Phelps Steals The Show |
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(Pictured left to
right: Audrey Phelps, Isaac Johnson, Carol Oliver w/Caden,
Terri Williams)
All work came to a halt when Caden Phelps, the
darling baby son of Audrey and Eric Phelps, visited the Office of
Creative Ministries. Audrey Phelps, currently on maternity
leave, serves as the Missouri Conference Volunteers in Mission
Coordinator for National and International Projects and Teams.
Despite being handed around from person to person and the use of
other wake-up tactics, Caden kept sleeping. Or was he
pretending sleeping knowing that everyone who visits the Office of
Creative Ministry gets put to work in some capacity???
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National Honduras Initiative
- Sunrise United Methodist Church |
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| Participants from 14 states gathered at
Sunrise United Methodist Church, on Friday, September 19th for the
sixth annual Honduras Initiative. Participating from the
Missouri Conference were from Sunrise UMC, Morning Star UMC,
First UMC of Sedalia, Wesley UMC in Springfield, Hermann UMC and St.
James UMC. Over 20 Volunteers in Mission teams from the
Missouri Conference have served in Honduras since the Initiative
began six years ago. Pictured are members of the Methodist
Church in Honduras who also traveled to O'Fallon with reports about
their churches. |
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Global Market - Community
United Methodist Church, in Columbia |
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The Global Market is located
inside Community United Methodist Church, in Columbia, Missouri.
The mission of the market is to provide a fair and living wage to
the artisans in developing countries who usually have to sell their
products to large wholesalers for next to nothing. The shop is
an ideal place to purchase gifts for friends and family as well as
items to use personally. The market is open Tuesdays from 9am
to 1pm, Wednesdays from 1pm to 7pm and Sundays from 9:15 to 10:45
am. In the Photo of the Week volunteer Barbara West holds a
Guatemalan shoulder bag and a stuffed animal toy. For
information about how your church might start a mission project like
the Global Market you may contact Community United Methodist Church
at 573-445-6131. |
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The Office of Creative Ministries
We coordinate such ministries as:
the Festival of Sharing, Volunteers in Mission, Heifer Project
International, the Society of St. Andrew, the Christian Native Craft
Festival, Disaster Response and many more.
Having been called by God
to do so and having been shown the example of Jesus Christ the Office of
Creative Ministries has joined hands with people of other churches and
faith groups to accomplish the ministry of meeting the human needs that
exist in Missouri and the world.
Office of Creative
Ministries Staff
Jeff Baker, Associate Director for Volunteers in Mission (Missouri)
Isaac
Johnson, Office Manager
Max Marble, Director
Ann Moreton, Financial Records
Carol
Oliver, Associate Director for Heifer International
Audrey Phelps, Associate Director for
Volunteers in Mission (National and International)
Terri Williams, Associate
Director for the Festival of Sharing
Please contact us for more
information. Let us know how we can help you grow the mission work in
your local church. You may easily contact us by clicking on to the email
address below. Best wishes in all your mission endeavors.
Telephone 573-474-7155
- Fax 573-474-6898 - E-mail
Office of Creative Ministries
Address 3009 David Drive, Columbia, MO 65202
Counter Reset 4/15/08
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