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ABOUT | MISSIONS

2023-02-08_10-49-00_604
Serving

Why Serve?

Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms. 1 Peter 4:10

Hello Community!

Manchester UMC is a church that strives to follow our scriptural calling to serve God by serving our neighbor. Putting our faith into action is a core value that we seek to live out by helping those who are vulnerable and struggling among us. This happens through a variety of missional programs and activities that we plan ourselves and/or partner with others in order to make a positive impact in our community.

Regardless of your age, ability, or experience, Manchester UMC hosts several on-going or short-term, on-site or off-site, and seasonal opportunities for you to put faith and love into action by becoming the hands and feet of Jesus Christ in our communities, nation, and world.  AND every one is welcome!  (You do not need to be a member of Manchester UMC to participate!)

There are many ways to put faith and love into action. When we help in ways that align with our abilities and interests, we unlock new potential and help to foster a more rewarding experience.  

Check out these mission opportunities and then complete the form below to let us know your interests.  There is no obligation to participate.

Hope to serve with you soon!

Liz Shuburte
Director of Missions

ways to serve

Manchester UMC offers a variety of seasonal, onsite, and offsite missions.

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On-Site Missions

If you’re ready to jump into an opportunity to serve others at Manchester UMC, explore these on-site missional opportunities for any ages and stages of life:

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Off-Site Missions

If you’re ready to jump into an opportunity to serve others in the greater St. Louis area or beyond, explore these off-site missional opportunities:

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Seasonal Missions

If you’re ready to jump into a short-term opportunity to serve others, explore the seasonal missional opportunities that occur onsite and beyond our walls a few times a year.

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Missions Events

Manchester UMC has some of the current mission opportunities in one place! View the calendar at any time to learn more about mission opportunities that are available now to sign up.

Are you interested in learning more about missions?

Please complete one form per person.

2023 Mission leaders

2023 Missions Team

The Missions Team provides strategic input and recommendations for the Missional efforts of Manchester United Methodist Church. It also helps to prioritize and allocate missions funds collected during the year through special offerings and gifts (e.g. Easter, Christmas, Communion, General Missions, etc.) to internal and external groups.

The Missions Team consists of nine congregational representatives who serve rotating 3-year terms. The Missions Team includes the Director of Missions, Social Justice Director, the Century 3 Service & Social Justice Strategists Team Leaders, and ex-officio members that serve with voice and vote. The group is co-chaired by the Director of Missions and a congregational representative.

Nina Arnold was raised in the United Methodist Church. She joined MUMC during the pandemic.  Nina works as an emergency nurse at a local hospital.

Nina has strong passion for advocacy work for the community, as well as to help improve the health and wellbeing of all people. In her personal life, Nina enjoys hanging out with her cat and sister, reading, and traveling.

Kendall Conway is currently an 9th grader at Parkway West High School.

Kendall is very active in youth and serves on the Youth Events Planning Team, as well as the Youth Advisory Council at Manchester UMC. Kendall is also very active with the youth music program. She sings with Cantate Youth Choir and plays the cello for the Youth Band.

When Kendall was in elementary school, she participated in SonShine Singers, Joyful Noise and Music Makers Children’s choirs. She was lucky enough to be a cast member in the last Music Makers musical before the pandemic. Kendall is also a proud graduate of Circle of Friends Preschool where she attended for four years.

When Kendall isn’t at Manchester UMC, she loves to read, travel, play LaCrosse, and hang out with her friends.

Ali Fields, Ex-Officio Missions Team Member

Director of Social Justice
Ex-Officio of Missions Team Member

Ali and her partner, Steve, joined Manchester UMC in March 2012. Their sons, Wyatt (11) and Harrison (9), are Circle of Friends graduates and active in the children’s choirs. Her whole family loves to participate in the Vacation Bible School evening program.

Ali graduated with a degree in Theatre from California State University, Sacramento, then headed to Los Angeles to work at an outdoor repertory theatre. Three years later, Ali decided to shift her time and attention to law school, which brought her back to the Midwest. In law school, Ali interned at a district attorney’s office and worked on cases ranging from misdemeanor traffic violations to second-degree murder. After law school, she began her legal career as a civil litigator fighting for her injured clients.

Ali practiced law for several years, then shifted her time and attention to her growing family. During this time, Ali became more involved with ministries at the church (Children’s Ministry, VBS, Parents as Leaders, Sonshine Singers and small group leader).

In 2015 Ali entered recovery for a decades long struggle with an eating disorder. As she healed her relationship with food and her body, Ali began to channel her passion for advocacy and justice through her blog, Road to Recovered (www.roadtorecovered.com). She started volunteering as an educator with the Missouri Eating Disorders Association (MOEDA). From 2018 to 2020, she served as the Education Coordinator for MOEDA and helped bring eating disorder education and awareness to schools throughout the St. Louis area. In 2019 Ali became a certified eating disorder recovery coach.

Through her extensive work in the eating disorder recovery field, Ali frequently observed the intersections of race, gender, ability, age, body size, sexual orientation and socio-economic status and how societal oppression lands upon the body. And how healing our relationship with our own body “impacts how we value and honor the bodies of others.” (Sonya Renee Taylor)

Ali is excited to channel her passion, experience and knowledge into her role as Director of Social Justice at Manchester UMC. Please reach out if you have ideas or questions.

Karen and her husband, Frank, joined MUMC in August of 2021. They have two adult children: Lisa Greening, Director of Turn the Page STL and Tom Greening, Senior Scientist in Exploratory Design at Apple, Inc. in Cupertino, California. The Greening’s are proud grandparents of four grandsons, ages 4-21 years.

Over the past 30 years, Karen was actively involved in UUMC Kids’ Place after school program, coordinated the Open Door Food Pantry, served as a member of the Missions Team and Nominations Team as well as being on the Board of Health Protection and Education Services in University City. In addition she contributed to many social and educational groups within the church.

Karen’s passion is the health and well being of persons in diverse and underserved communities. In 2000 she was awarded “Social Worker of the Year” by AOSW at their international conference. This was in recognition of her work at Barnes Hospital and Missouri Baptist Medical Center with cancer patients, their families and the medical staff.

After retirement, Karen served as President of the Missouri Baptist Medical Center Auxiliary and raised money for medical equipment and patient care. She also worked as a Practicum Advisor at The Brown School of Social Work at Washington University. Her volunteer work at area Health Fairs and in the Cancer Research Office were noteworthy.

As a new member of MUMC Karen looks forward to serving on the Missions Ministry Team and meeting new friends in the congregation. She currently participates in Church Online, Reflections Class, Marathon Bridge, supports Bridge Bread and volunteers at the Walk Justly Conferences.

Cliff and his wife, Autumn, moved to the St. Louis area from Cincinnati, Ohio in 2000, and have been active members of Manchester UMC ever since.

Cliff was born and raised in St. Louis, went to Lindbergh High School and graduated from the University of Missouri – St. Louis with a bachelor’s degree in marketing.  He is newly retired from the Kellogg Sales Company after 36 years of service.  Cliff and Autumn have lived in six different cities along the Kellogg journey, but plan on making St. Louis home for the foreseeable future.

At Manchester UMC, Cliff currently serves as the chair of the Manchester Methodist Men’s Christmas Tree Lot.  Additionally, he is an active member of Bridge Bread, the Missions Team, Men’s Club and is a lead usher on Sunday mornings.  Previously, he chaired the Seeking Cluster, was a member of the Vision Council and participated in Habitat for Humanity builds.

John Heskett and his wife Jeanie have been members of Manchester UMC since 2001.  They have two adult children and are blessed with eight grandchildren.   John and Jeanie are retired educators who served in school districts and universities in central Missouri and St. Louis County.

Over the years John has served in various capacities at MUMC including terms on the Finance Committee, Missions Committee and Nominations Team.  He also has taught in Children’s Sunday School and is a leader in adult faith formation classes.

Two passions he brings to the Missions Team are Habitat for Humanity and Mozambique.  John is an avid bicyclist and has participated in fund raising bicycle rides with the MO-Hab Riders for Habitat for many years.  He has also participated in the Mozambique Ministry in partnership with others and has traveled to Mozambique on three occasions to support the availability of clean water and assist in the improvement of elementary education and health care in rural areas of the country.

John has been members at Manchester UMC since 1975. He has served on almost every board and committee at MUMC. Among his accomplishments are:

a) helping to start the youth mission trips to the Hinton Rural Life Center
b) helping to found the MUMC Emergency Response Team
c) founding the mission trips to the Midwest Mission Distribution Center (an UMCOR affiliate)
d) becoming the ministry leader for MUMC Apple Butter Days

He is most proud of the mission trip to Russia along with his wife Lois which resulting in the adoption of their three children.

Megan Huether’s bio will be posted soon.  

Heather began attending Manchester UMC in 2010 as part of the youth group. After high school, Heather was an active member of the Young Adult Ministry, interning for 2 years within that ministry. In her time at MUMC, she has taken more classes than she can count and been part of many small groups, constantly trying to learn as much as possible. Most recently and notably, Heather was a member of the Young Adult/Demographics WIN Team, a group with the purpose of making the church a more welcoming place for young adults & young families.

In 2019, Heather was baptized in the Methodist Church at MUMC, and shortly thereafter, became a member of the Church. She is passionate about social justice, bringing young & diverse voices into the conversation, and challenging our thought processes, theology, and worldviews. 

Outside of church, Heather works as an oncology (cancer) nurse, rotating between night and day shifts. She loves to cook and eat lots of Korean cuisine, as well as plays video games, reads, and hangs with her cat. She can’t wait for pandemic to end so she can hang with friends again and travel the world!

 

Mark Lashly and his wife, Susie, have called Manchester UMC their church home since joining in 1974. We have two married sons and three granddaughters. Over the years, Mark has been involved in Manchester UMC in various ways, including: Pre-School Committee, Chancel Choir, Drama Ministry, Certified Lay Speaker program and helping lead contemporary worship for 16 years as a member of the One Voice Praise & Worship group.

Mark is also a board member of Sneakers with Soul®, a standalone 501(c)(3), that grew from the ministry started at Manchester UMC by Maurice Parisien in 2010.

Liz’s bio is coming soon! 

Becky and her husband, Brian, have been members at MUMC since moving to Ballwin in 2003. Becky, originally from Arlington Heights, IL and Brian, originally from Mound City, MO, met in 1998 when they both landed in St. Louis after college with jobs at the same commercial real estate firm.  Brian and Becky were married in 2001 and they have 3 children: Emma (2003), Alex (2005), and Matthew (2009).  All 3 were baptized at Manchester UMC and Matthew is the last one currently going through confirmation classes. Alex and Matthew are both Circle of Friends preschool graduates.

While their kids were younger, Becky volunteered as a Circle of Friends committee member, nursery helper, Sunday School teacher, choir mom, VBS leader or where needed. Once the kids were a little older, she has found joy in participating in various bible studies and becoming a member of the MO-Hab riders.  Becky has participated in at least 5 Mo-Hab rides, raising money and awareness for Habitat for Humanity while pedaling 250 miles across Missouri or Illinois. In addition to riding, she has volunteered at the Bike Rehab and worked on Habitat builds.  She has also enjoyed serving lunch to the youth at Epworth.  Becky feels blessed to see how the missions of MUMC genuinely impact our community and is excited to serve as a member of the missions team.

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