A chance to start your Sunday off with friends, a cup of coffee (or tea, or even a bit of something to eat), a good book and discussion before heading off to church. What a great way to make friends who enjoy these things as much as you do!
Book Choice: If God is Love, by Phillip Gulley and James Mulholland
As the ground-breaking show, “The Walking Dead,” returns from the winter break for the second half of season nine, we will gather to watch what happens as our favorite characters encounter “The Whisperers.” For the hour before the show begins, we will enjoy our time together and discuss our book. Join this fun group of folks to scream and cheer on the remaining humans of the zombie apocalypse!
Book Choice: Grace, by Max Lucado
This group will embody the soul of adventurers by leaving themselves open to all kinds of experiences. These may include cooking something seasonal, a cake decorating lesson, discussing what we should be doing in the garden at this time of year, indoor plants, orchid growing pointers, learning about the history of St. Louis as a slave state and anything else that the group might want to explore.
Book Choice: If God is Love, by Phillip Gulley and James Mulholland
Do you enjoy playing board games and trying out new ones? Do you have a love for good-spirited competition? This group will be perfect for you! Thanks to the tremendous collection of games at Pieces Café in Soulard, each week we will choose from hundreds of games, sometimes a classic, sometimes a brand new adventure. It will be a great opportunity to enjoy an atmosphere of fun while also getting to know others.
Book Choice: If God is Love, by Phillip Gulley and James Mulholland
This group will be finding great places to Dine one week and then Dive Into great discussion about grace the next week! It is often true that gathering around the table to eat and gathering around a home to share our stories are two of the greatest bonding experiences people can have. Make your home with this group!
Book Choice: Grace, by Max Lucado
If you love to line dance or want to learn how, a couple of experts will be joining you each week to offer free lessons! Yes! You and others who find this to be a fun and exciting idea will enjoy the thrills of line dancing together each week!
Book Choice: 2019: A Book of Grace-Filled Days, by Margaret Felice
Since our choir already meets every Thursday night, they naturally form a Meetup Group. Each week they will practice and sing in preparation for worship, concerts, and events, and while they are together they will also participate in our grace-themed devotions.
Book Choice: 2019: A Book of Grace-Filled Days, by Margaret Felice
Enjoy a leisurely Saturday morning where you can work on your favorite craft, encourage others in their crafts, and make new friends in the process. This will be a great time to create cool things and work on different projects you have going. This will also give us time to chat with each other about all kinds of things going on in our lives.
Book Choice: Grace for Amateurs, by Lily Burana
This group will explore all things Broadway and Musicals from the movie "Camp" to a field trip for a Broadway touring show here in town. We'll sing along to Showtunes, and learn about all that happens behind the scenes. Whether you know a lot or nothing about it is not important. You only need to be willing to enjoy all kinds of musical theatre, movies, soundtracks, and original Broadway cast recordings.
Book Choice: If God is Love, by Phillip Gulley and James Mulholland
Want to connect with other people closer to your own age? If you are 19-30 years old, then this will be a great way to make new friends whose life experiences mirror your own. The group will enjoy different activities and experiences together.
Book Choice: Grace for Amateurs, by Lily Burana
Because we are a congregational church, major decisions of the church are made by a vote of the full congregation, not just the leadership. Therefore, on July 1, we gather for three main purposes as we work toward a time of decision-making.The Congregational Forum on Sunday, March 3 at noon. Hear reports from the Staff and receive a financial report and proposed budget from the Board of Directors.
Agenda
Call to Order
Opening Prayer
Membership Report
Senior Pastor’s Report
Financial Update (Year End 2018)
Building Search Discussion and Feedback Session
Closing Prayer
For 2019, our Lenten Sermon Series is entitled, “Reconnecting with an Unhurried God.” In our busy world, God invites us to slow down. As part of that invitation, everyone is invited to sign up to receive a daily mediation/reflection email to help you focus your spiritual life during Lent. MCC of Greater Saint Louis and MCC Omaha are partnering to do this series and these reflections, so it is also a wonderful opportunity to connect with other MCC folks. Simply click the button below to sign up.
“Come to me all you who are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, I will give you rest.” — Matthew 11:28
On the third Saturday of every month, MCCGSL will be holding a Monthly Prayer Vigil until our new church home is found. The first vigil was on February 16. Thanks for all who participated. The next vigil will be on Saturday, March 16. Signups will be for 15 minute increments beginning at 7am and ending at 7pm. There will be two openings for each time slot. We are asking everyone who signs up to pray from their home (or wherever they are) during the time that they selected. Suggested prayer ideas will be sent to those who sign up. Please follow the link below to pick your time.
This year's Trivia Night will be held on Saturday, April 6th. Doors will open at 5pm and Trivia will begin promptly at 6pm. Our theme for this year is “Happy Holidays,” so brush up on your history of Valentine’s, Independence, and New Years Day as well as trivia related to Halloween, Christmas, and more! It will be a blast!
Get a group of your friends together and sign up for a table, or just sign yourself up and we’ll place you at a table with some potential new friends. There are plenty of opportunities to donate to or sponsor the Trivia event. Thanks for supporting a great cause, and we promise it will be worth every dime!
Join the MCCGSL Choir for Pride Night at the Cardinals game versus the Astros on Friday, July 26. The Choir is selling $58 tickets in Big Mac land for $20. Email Jerry Smith at jerry.smith@mccgsl.org or contact a current choir member to order your tickets. Invite a friend or plan a outing with your MUG!
If you have been visiting for a while and want to learn more about our church, this class is for you! All are welcome and there is no requirement to become a member.
In the class, we will explore what MCC believes, the work we feel called to do and the ways we are invested in your spiritual life. Lunch and breakfast are provided.
4:30pm Service
Our 4:30pm service will feature a couple of special moments for children while also being an enjoyable Christmas Eve Service for people of all ages. This is a moving service that will fill your heart with Christmas joy.
11:00pm Candlelight Service
This late night service geared to adults will run from 11pm-12am and feature a “Silent Night” candlelight welcome at the precise moment of the arrival of Christmas Day. Join us for this truly special moment of celebrating the arrival of Christmas morning.
On the longest night of the year, December 21st at 7:00pm, we take some time out from the hustle and bustle of the Christmas season to acknowledge that, for many, moving through the holidays is less than joyful. If you carry grief, sadness, or a general sense of melancholy through the holiday season, this is an opportunity to acknowledge it and discover new ways of honoring the feelings while also releasing them so that celebrating Christmas can be more joyful.
This is one of the highlights of the year! You can ensure to enjoy this night of music. Join us on Saturday, December 15 or on Sunday, December 16 at 6pm for the annual MCCGSL Choir Concert, “His Name Shall Be Called.” The concert is free, so come on out and bring your friends.
Calling all kids! Calling all kids!!! Santa Claus will be in the house…just days before Christmas! Come talk to Santa and have your picture taken with him so all your Christmas wishes are heard! There will be craft activities as well as picture taking. Parents, bring the kids! This will be great fun!
Our city-wide World AIDS Day observance will be held at MCCGSL this year. We will gather on Friday, November 30th at 5:30pm to remember, share stories, and lift up those who are living with HIV/AIDS. There will also be a special time to speak the names of and pray for those we have lost. A free drinks and appetizers reception sponsored by Wal-Greens and Food Outreach will follow.
Join us for this annual tradition where we will “Deck the Halls” of our church for the Christmas Season. While we put up Christmas Trees and other decorations, we will share in great music of the season along with some hot chocolate and other holiday treats!
Beginning on Sunday, November 25, we will be collecting toys for children in the community aided by Project Ark. Every year, our congregation loves being part of the Christmas joy that families might not otherwise experience. When you do your Christmas shopping, remember these families. Check the 2018 Wish List below for more specific information about the toys desired. Please bring the toys to the MCC Outreach Team at their table in The Engage Room by Sunday, December 16.
Transgender Day of Remembrance is an annual opportunity to raise awareness about violence toward transgender people and to remember those who were slain in the last year.
This year's event will be held at the St. Louis Transgender Memorial Garden at 1469 S. Vandeventer Avenue (at Hunt Ave) in The Grove.
Join us on Sunday, November 4, 2018, for our Annual Congregational Meeting. At this meeting we will vote on the 2019 proposed budget, the Board Candidates, reports from our leadership, and hear more about our building sale and search process. An agenda and other documents for the meeting are below.
With Bill Hurst’s recent withdrawal as a candidate, we now have four candidates running for four positions. This means that the vote for the candidates will be one of affirmation. Candidates must receive at least 50% plus one of the quorum of members on election day in order to be seated on the Board. If anyone is not seated, the Board of Directors will appoint a member to fill the vacancy.
This online opportunity to engage your faith and others on a daily basis begins on September 16 and continues until October 28.
As we all consider joining a Meetup Group this month and celebrate our 45th Anniversary in October, it is a good time to reflect on the importance of connection, friendship and community in our lives. For part of September and all of October, there will be daily, online devotions/reflections about these themes. Join in together to receive these reflections AND have the opportunity to interact with each other around them. This is an easy and quick way to give your faith a little time every day while also making connections with others who are doing the same!
Come and celebrate our 45th Anniversary of Ministry by attending a gospel music concert on Saturday, October 27 at 6:00 pm. Throughout the evening you will hear performances by the MCCGSL Choir along with our friends from Glory to Glory Christian Church and our new friends from the Community Gospel Choir of St. Louis (pictured below) under the direction of Suzanne Palmer! Bette Welch has arranged for an instrumental ensemble to share music that evening, too! It will be a wonderful night of music and praise.
Throughout the concert we will highlight and recognize many of our ministries and the volunteers who lead within our church family. As a way to say thanks, there will be a special reception to follow the concert with light refreshments and musical entertainment by Cary Colman. Please RSVP so we can plan accordingly.
Join Pastor Wes at The State Historical Society of Missouri on the campus of the University of Missouri St. Louis (UMSL) to review the founding documents of our church.
Due to the restricted space and hours of the Historical Society, Pastor Wes will review the key documents in the records room in groups of 5-10 people at a time for 30 minutes at a time. Pictured is the letter detailing the first service of MCCGSL where just 10 people gathered. Follow our founding members on their journey from 10 to over 100 in just one year!
Following service on Sunday, October 21st, join us for a forum to meet the 2018 candidates for the Board of Directors. Visit this page after Monday, October 15th to read bios of all the candidates!
The election of candidates will occur at the Annual Congregational Meeting on Sunday, November 4, 2018.
On Sunday, October 14th we will have a Special Congregational Meeting to hear about and vote on any relevant offer(s) on our building for a sale. Additionally, the Board will review the two draft budgets below for the congregation for 2019. One shows our budget if we do not sell, and the other shows our budget if we are renting space (while searching for a new permanent home). Please make it a priority to attend this Special Congregational Meeting.
Here are the budgets the Board has put together:
2019 Rent Budget vs 2018 Budget
Walking Dead Fans Meetup Group
As the ground-breaking show, “The Walking Dead,” enters its 9th Season, we will gather to watch, scream, and cheer as Rick and his crew continue their journey to find their old lives...if they haven’t already lost themselves in the process.
We will also read the New York Times best-selling novel, The Lovely Bones. This book also touches on the topic of the un-dead, by following the story of a young girl through her journey in the afterlife after she was murdered. This hope-filled story of humor and suspense provides a very profound and discussion-worthy depiction of heaven.
Coffee & Good Book Meetup Group
This group offers a chance to start your Sunday off with friends, a cup of coffee (or tea, or whatever), a good book, and discussion before heading off to church.
Together we will discuss the powerful book, "The Light of the Fireflies," a boy has spent all of his life underground, locked in a basement with his family because they had been horribly burned before he was born. A few days ago, some fireflies arrived in the basement. His grandma said, There’s no creature more amazing than one that can make its own light. That light makes the boy want to escape, to know the outside world. Problem is, all the doors are locked, and he doesn’t know how to get out…
Young Adult Meetup Group
Want to connect with other people closer to your own age? If you are 19-35 years old, then this will be a great way to make new friends whose life experiences mirror your own.
Have you read this book? It’s so good! Every day a different body. Every day a different life. Every day in love with the same girl. There’s never any warning about where it will be or who it will be. “A” has made peace with that, even established guidelines by which to live: Never get too attached. Avoid being noticed. Do not interfere. It’s all fine until the morning...
Happy, Joyous, & Free Meetup Group
Anyone can benefit from the spirituality of the 12 Steps of Recovery. This is an opportunity to do amazing growth work, surrounded by others who will support and encourage you. It’s time to grow so that being happy, joyous, and free are part of everyday life for you!
We are all addicted in some way. Breathing Under Water shows how the gospel principles in the Twelve Steps can free anyone from any addiction—from an obvious dependence on alcohol or drugs to the more common but less visible addictions that we all have to various things. Let’s find healing and hope together.
Dog Walkers Meetup Group
For dog lovers who would love to get out more for walks as well as meet new friends, this group is perfect! Maybe you are someone who just enjoys strolls and would enjoy meeting others who do. While walking your canine best friends, make some human friends, too!
God Got a Dog is a collection of short poems that celebrate the simple things in our world while taking a look at what it means to be human. The reflective and often humorous words and pictures create a glimpse into everyday life through wide and wondering eyes that blend the familiar with the profoundly spiritual.
Gardeners Meetup Group
Do you love flowers and all things gardening? Would you love to explore gardening further while spending time in a beautiful garden with others who love it too? This group will learn about gardening and enjoy gardens so don’t miss out!
Each day we face a barrage of messages from society telling us who, what, and how we should be. Brown engages our minds, hearts, and spirits as she explores how we can cultivate the courage and compassion to wake up in the morning and think, "No matter what gets done and how much is left undone, I am enough."
Praise and Worship Meetup Group
If you love to sing AND you desire to praise God in your singing, then this choir is for you! Make new friends, use your gifts, and become family as you sing and share devotional time together each week.
Using Devotional Warm-Ups for the Church Choir, we will take a few moments before we start singing to explore a variety of challenging devotionals on ten different musically oriented topics. This should bless us and help us prepare to bring our congregation a joyful ministry of music!
Explorers Meetup Group
This group will be exploring interesting people, places and things in St. Charles County! This area is rich with surprises so exploring them together can only be fun and interesting! Whether you live in St. Charles or just find this idea compelling, this group is for you!
Bashir, a Palestinian, journeyed to Israel to see the beloved home that he and his family fled nineteen years earlier. He was greeted by Dalia, an Israeli college student, whose family fled Europe for Israel following the Holocaust. This story brings the Israeli-Palestinian conflict down to its most human level, demonstrating that even amid the bleakest conflicts there is hope.
Swing Dancing Meetup Group
If you love to swing dance or want to learn how, Brad Silk will be joining you each week to offer free lessons! Yes! You and others who find this to be a fun and exciting idea will enjoy the thrills of swing dancing together each week!
Daily Guideposts 2018 centers on the theme Unfailing Love and is filled with devotions from forty-nine writers. Each day readers will enjoy a scripture, a true first-person story told in an informal, conversational style, which shares the ways God speaks to us in ordinary life, and a brief prayer to help apply the day’s message.
Foodies Meetup Group
Do you love to try new things to eat whether it’s in a restaurant or a recipe you try? Wouldn’t it be fun to hang out with others who enjoy the same palate adventures? This will be fun, delicious and even insightful!
In this bestselling book, authors and Quaker ministers Philip Gulley and James Mulholland expand upon their belief that God saves everyone with perfect grace. If we are honest, we’ve all had questions and doubts about whether God’s grace covers everyone, so no matter where you are in these questions, this book is stimulating and profound.
Daytime Trippers & Weekend Warriors Meetup Group
Join others who enjoy planning short day or weekend trips in the region that surrounds St. Louis! You will benefit from the knowledge that others have and learn about the possibilities all around you!"
The Road Not Taken” is a beloved poem and packed with meaning for this trip we call life. In it, Robert Frost famously wrote, “two roads diverged in a wood and I, I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference.” Let’s travel a bit of road together!
Art Journaling Meetup Group
An art journal is like a written journal, except that it incorporates colors, images, patterns, and other materials. Some art journals have a lot of writing, while others are purely filled with images. It’s a form of creative self-care so join other friends as you use these tools to reflect on your own life and feelings.
We will read this revealing classic, a delightful and invaluable guide to our inner spirit and our outer world. And at each moment we are at just the right place in the journey. As Emmanuel points out, “Who you are is a necessary step to being who you will be.”
This will be a great opportunity to enjoy playing games together in a place designed for the gamer in you!
If you love board games, getting know others and having lots of fun, then this is for you! Pieces Cafe in Soulard has 800+ games to enjoy along with food and drinks and will serve as a great atmosphere to enjoy playing games!
The cost to play games is $5 per night, plus any money that you might spend on food or drink.
We are blessed to have Jennifer Kovar to come and offer us the Estate Planning Seminar.
Jennifer’s law firm, Kovar Law Firm, LLC, is located in the heart of Maplewood in
St. Louis. She frequently assists LGBTQIA+ clients in Missouri and Illinois with
their estate planning. This includes wills, trusts, powers of attorney for property
and finance, and a variety of health care documents as well as name and gender
marker changes. Jennifer also provides legal services for new businesses, such
as drafting formation documents, and assists in many ancillary real estate
matters. Jennifer serves on the board of STL Village (aging in community).
Former board service includes Gateway Business Guild (LGBTQIA+ chamber of
commerce), Confluence Academy Charter Schools and St. Louis Frontrunners
(LGBT running/walking club). Jennifer received her education from University of
Tulsa College of Law, University of Oklahoma, and is a Fulbright Scholar.
For the third year in a row, the MCCGSL Choir has been invited to sing the National Anthem at the September Cardinal game against the Milwaukee Brewers. Our seats are in a new location this year, right field box seats. The choir will process right in front of your seats!
The Choir is selling game tickets for $20 each, normal price for these seats is $44.
Ticket Sales are now closed.
