The Small Group Book Study has a new start date: May 16th

Small group study of Searching for Sunday by Rachel Held Evans on May 16,23 and 30 at 7 p.m. at the church. Sign up on the easel at the church or online: https://maplewoodumc.org/searching-for-sunday Reach out to Suzanne Thompson, 314-781-1950, or Jan Harsh, 314-781-3960.

The MRH Weekend on Wheels (WOW) pantry is in CRITICAL need of donations in order to finish out the school year.

They are currently serving 34 families and do not have enough for their May boxes. If you're able to, please consider donating items this week. Donations can be brought to the church. Below are the items they need. Thank you!

34 jars of Pasta Sauce

34 boxes of Pasta/Spaghetti noodles

34 rice sides

34 jars of Peanut Butter

34 jars of jelly

34 boxes of Pop Tarts/Toaster Pastries

34 cans of Chunky Soup (Like Progreso/Campbell's Chunky)

34 cans of Chicken noodle soups

34 cans beans

34 boxes of cereal

68 cans of chicken or tuna

68 cans of fruit

68 cans of kid friendly pasta (like Chef Boyardee)

68 cans of green beans

Thank you for helping WOW finish strong!

This summer we are hoping to expand our children's ministry and bring in new leaders to teach the children about something that you have a particular interest in or an activity you enjoy! This went over so well last Summer we decided to do it again! Please consider signing up for one week (or more) and pick a project or activity you are interested in, you can even use some of the same activities as last year. Please know that you won't be in the classroom alone! You will have support from other adults who are familiar with the children. Please reach out to me if you have any questions! Please click on the link and sign up, please respond ASAP

To sign up click here:

2023 Summer Sunday School



Brittany Link

Trustees Need Help Moving Pews

Painting of the Sanctuary will begin on Monday, May 15 and will be completed by the following Sunday. Help is needed to move pews away from the wall and then back. Call Dave Vierse: 314-791-6687 to help

MUMC Kids - Egg-Water Experiment in SS, salty water demonstrating how “ Faith” lifts us up but life without faith or  too much “Doubt” or fears hold us down.  

Dear Friends,

Mother’s Day is this coming Sunday. I wanted to learn more and refresh my memory about the origins of Mother’s Day so I did just a little bit of reading on History.com. I learned that in the 1800’s Ann Reeves Jarvis of West Virginia helped start “Mothers’ Day Work Clubs" to teach local women how to properly care for their children. Later these clubs began to serve as a unifying force around the West Virginia area that was still divided over the Civil War. In 1868 Jarvis organized “Mothers’ Friendship Day.” Mothers gathered with former Union and Confederate soldiers to promote reconciliation.

Later, in the early 1900’s Ann Reeves Jarvis’ daughter, Anna Jarvis, promoted the national celebration of Mother’s Day as we now know it, successfully lobbying for the day to become recognized on the national calendar. Anna Jarvis’ vision for Mother’s Day was for mothers to wear a white carnation, be visited by their children and perhaps attend church together. However, the folks who sold cards, flowers, and other merchandise saw this day as an opportunity for profit. Jarvis was so dismayed by the commercialization of Mother’s Day that by the time of her death, she had denounced the holiday and wanted it to be removed from the National Calendar.

A day with its roots in promoting reconciliation resulted in conflict. I imagine that even now if this were a topic of conversation at a Mother’s Day dinner, there would be some folks taking the side of the merchants. (Don’t their babies need shoes too?! Plus, moms might want a little something in a nicely wrapped box on their special day.

Others would line up on the side of Anna Jarvis. One white carnation and spending time with your children at home and at church is perfect. No cards or gifts are necessary. 

Even in the same households our ideas and opinions can vary widely. We can find a way to disagree over just about anything can’t we? And when we disagree, does there have to be a “winner?”  How do we even decide who wins some disagreements? Is it OK to disagree and to be divided around an issue? 

This Sunday we are going to talk stop for a moment to Catch our Breath in times of division. As we do, we will hold up our ways of dealing with our differences in the light of Jesus’ teaching in scripture.

I look forward to worshiping with you this Sunday. 

God’s grace and peace be with you,

Pastor Kim

Fellowship Hall clean-up for Freedom School and Aftercare

A team is planning to clean out the area behind the stage, the room behind the kitchen, and the corner of fellowship hall behind the screens. If you have items you want to claim please remove them by May 15th or put your name on it so it can be moved later.

Thanks! 

Mary Kunce: 314-283-6953 and Renee McDonough: 314-540-6707

Celebration of Graduates on

Sunday June 4th...during worship



If you or a loved one is graduating from post-college, college, high school, 8^th grade, please send a photo, the name of the school they attended and information about the next school or future plans to Brittany.l@maplewoodumc.org