Category: Missionaries

129. Somewhere Out There In Prison

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Mary Z Longstreth

Mary Z. Longstreth is a Deaconess and United Methodist missionary serving as the Director of Faith in Community Ministries, in Indianapolis, Indiana.  However, Missouri is her home state.  We caught up with Mary Z at Wilkes Blvd. United Methodist Church, in Columbia, where her father served as pastor when she was growing up.  She was invited to Wilkes to share her story while itinerating in Missouri.
Her ministry involves the formation for Faith Care Teams.  Faith communities identify 6-8 individuals committed to developing a supportive, caring relationship with an incarcerated person who will be returning to their community as their neighbor.  Trained care team members regularly visit and correspond with the incarcerated neighbor and help him/her prepare for release.  Prior to release, the care team and neighbor develop a covenant agreement of expectations and commitment to activities necessary for successful re-entry, reintegration and restorative relationships.  The care team provides practical, emotional and spiritual support throughout the transition to community life.In this MissionCast Mary Z tells about Buddy and the congregation that prepared for “someone out there” who became a part of their church family.More information may be found on the Faith in Community website at http://www.choicesteam.org/fcm.htmlFor information about providing support for Mary Z as one of our Missouri missionaries contact Alan Pruitt, who serves as the Missouri Conference Secretary for Global Ministries at pruitta1@yahoo.com  Her missionary support advance special number is #982982.

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76. Empowering Women Project – Sandra Sipes

Sandra SipesThe Empowering Women Project is having a profound impact on the lives of women and families in the central Missouri I-44 corridor. Sandra Sipes, our Missouri Church and Community Worker, directs the project from her office in the Phillipsburg United Methodist Church. MissionCast interviewed Sandra at Phillipsburg to share the story of the fruitful ministry of the project. Those who wish to help out with funding this ministry may send donations to Empowering Women Project, c/o Sandra Sipes, 18296 Dallas County Line Rd., Phillipsburg, MO 65722. For a brochure and more information about the project call Sandra at 417-589-3113.

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14. Commissioning Missouri Missionaries

CommissioningTwo women from Missouri were commissioned as missionaries of the United Methodist Church by Bishop Joel Martinez during the recent General Board of Global Ministries meeting in Stamford, Connecticut.  General Board of Global Ministries Director Judith Ball from the Adrian United Methodist Church and Max Marble, Director of the Office of Creative Ministries, represented the Missouri Conference at the Commissioning Service.

Carol Clay Mann was commissioned as a deaconess.  As a deaconess she will continue to serve in the Lewis County C-1 Schools in Ewing, Missouri, and with the Quincy Area Network Against Domestic Abuse in Quincy, Illinois.  Carol is a member of the Olivet United Methodist Church in Taylor, Missouri.  She learned about the deaconess program at the Wesley Foundation in Warrensburg and has spent the past 8 years in study, training and preparation.

Mary L. Ward was commissioned as a Church and Community worker and has been assigned to serve as Executive Director of the United Methodist Outreach Program of Roanoke,Virginia, beginning June 1, 2007.  Mary is a member of St. James United Methodist Church in Kansas City.  She learned about missionary service opportunities while working on staff of the Missouri West Conference Office and learned further about the Church and Community Worker program at the Missouri Conference Cooperative School of Christian Missions from Sandra Sipes, who serves as a Church and Community Worker in the Missouri Conference. 

If you feel that God is calling you to missionary service you may visit with Rev. Jan Bond, who serves as chair of the Missouri Conference Committee on Missionary Personnel.  Interestingly, you do not need to be a United Methodist to serve as a missionary through the United Methodist Church.  The most recent person to be interviewed by the Conference Committee on Missionary Personnel was a member of the Episcopal Church.

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