Blue Springs, Missouri, United States - The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection Blue Springs enote from Reverend Penny Ellwood for Friday, 21 March 2014

Blue Springs, Missouri, United States - The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection Blue Springs enote from Reverend Penny Ellwood for Friday, 21 March 2014
Greetings Resurrection Blue Springs,
Last weekend I traveled to St. Louis for a baby shower for my daughter.  The shower included family and friends from my daugther's "in-law" side.  When we arrived at the home of my daughter's in-laws, where we stayed for the weekend, we were greeted with warm hospitality and lots of excitement for the event.  I was handed a gift immediately from the other grandma-to-be.  It included several thoughtful items, including a go-cup that said, "Grandma's my name and spoiling's my game."  I felt immediately welcome and quickly we were enveloped in a world of pink and all kinds of baby musing in anticipation of this little one to come.  This same care was taken to welcome each and every shower guest the day of the event too.  It was a wonderful weekend.
This weekend reminded me again of the importance of hospitality and welcoming strangers.  This is something that we have to be cognizant of every week at church but even more so on the high holy days when we recieve a large number of guests.  These times are a ripe opportunity to nudge someone who may have fallen away back into a relationship with God and a faith community.  In just a few short weeks, we are anticipating an Easter celebration that will bring in a houseful of guests. We want to be ready so that every person that enters our doors has a positive experience and feels welcome.
As we have grown, we have a need for more volunteers to ensure this radical hospitality.  This Sunday in our bulletin there will be an insert where you can sign up to help us accomplish this goal of making everyone feel welcome.  Then on April 6th, at noon, we'll gather for lunch and hold a training session for each of these hospitality roles so that we're ready for Easter.  I hope you'll take some time to pray about serving in one of these positions and sign up this Sunday.
Pastor Adam's new book "Making Sense of the Bible" was released on Tuesday this week. Several of you have asked how you might get a copy of Adam's book.  We are expecting to have 20 copies for sale in our bookcase this weekend for those of you who would like to purchase a copy - $17 (incl. tax), check or cash only please.
Here's more about what's coming up at Rez Blue Springs:
Donations Needed for Easter Egg Hunt
Employment Opportunity
Special Needs Ministry
Come Serve With Us!
Easter Egg Hunt!
rezlife Purity Conference
Serve with rezlife Summer International Mission Trips
Donations Needed for Easter Egg Hunt –Through April 6, drop off wrapped candy and plastic eggs (filled or unfilled) in the children's check-in area near the west entrance. And don't forget to mark your calendars for the community party on April 12th at 10 am.  We will host a variety of fun, kid-friends games, activities, crafts and, of course, an egg hunt! We'll need extra hands for preparation ahead of time and the day of the party. If you'd be willing to volunteer, contact Diane.Enlow@rezbluesprings.org.
Employment Opportunity: Resurrection Blue Springs Guest Services Coordinating Assistant, 10 hours per week, including Sunday mornings. Ensure the highest level of hospitality for church members and guests. Coordinate hospitality efforts for our Connections Ministry, Worship and Special Events. Provide leadership, training, delegation and support to volunteer ministry teams. Serve as a resource for all church staff and church members. Qualified candidates will be organized, highly motivated and self-directed. This position will work as member of a dynamic and fast-paced team that requires the ability to handle change. To apply, visit rezbluesprings.org/apply. 
Special Needs Ministry Matthew’s Ministry is The Church of the Resurrection’s awareness, outreach and support ministry for persons with special needs and their families. It is our desire to show the love of God to all people and to incorporate them into the life of the church. If you would be interested in starting Matthew’s Ministry at Resurrection Blue Springs, or if you or someone you know could benefit from such a ministry, please join us Sunday, March 23, after the 10:45 am worship service for a short informational meeting.
Come Serve With Us – Training Provided! To prepare for Easter, we have planned a spring refresher for all current hospitality volunteers and training for new volunteers on Sunday, April 6, immediately after 10:45 worship. We will meet in Fellowship Hall to enjoy a quick lunch together as Pastor Penny shares our charge to provide Radical Hospitality to everyone who enters our doors. Then, we will split up into groups for a quick training specific to your role. We still need more Hospitality Team members, so please join us at the training if you'd like to find out how to serve. We will definitely need additional people to serve Easter Sunday (April 20), especially at the 7:30 am service. Contact Heather Sooley if you are interested in volunteering – you don’t have to be a member to serve!  See Sunday's bulletin for more opportunities to serve.
Easter Egg Hunt! Saturday, April 12, 10 am Rain or shine! Grab the KiDS, find the Easter baskets and join us for an awesome family event! Early childhood to elementary age children will enjoy the egg hunt, as well as snacks, games, crafts and fun! No registration is necessary. Bring your friends!  If you'd like to help out before, during or after the Egg Hunt sign up in the KiDS COR check in area or contact Diane Enlow.
rezlife Purity Conference – Register NOW! Friday, April 25, 7–10 pm, Leawood Student Center. This event is for 6th-12th grade students, parents and those who work with teens. Featured speaker is Pam Stenzel, author and key speaker for teens and parents on purity and abstinence. Pam tackles today’s tough issues of purity with candor, insight and humor, as she challenges young people to get the abstinence advantage. Visit her website at www.pamstenzel.com for more information. This even is designed for students and parents to attend together, however any adult that works with teens would benefit. For registration and information, go to cor.org/students.
Serve with rezlife Summer International Mission Trips – Students in grades 10–12 (grade in fall 2014) are invited to grow in their faith as they learn about other cultures during rezlife’s summer mission trips to Haiti – June 21-28, or Jamaica – July 5-13. Learn more at cor.org/students.
This weekend Pastor Adam will continue our series, "The Gospel of the Nobodies."  We will turn to Jesus' compassion for those demon possessed.  We'll also join in prayer and singing our praises to God, led by our awesome worship team. it's going to be a great Sunday of worship.  Plan on being there at 9 am or 10:45 am.  I look forward to seeing you!
Abundant Blessings,
Penny  
Contact Our Staff:
Church Office Phone: (816)389-8900
Rev. Penny Ellwood, Campus Pastor penny.ellwood@rezbluesprings.org
Mike Ash, Worship Leader/Director of Community mike.ash@rezbluesprings.org
Diane Enlow, Director of Children's Ministry diane.enlow@rezbluesprings.org
Clark Johnson, Technical Producer clark.johnson@rezbluesprings.org
Heather Sooley, Operations Coordinating Assistant heather.sooley@rezbluesprings.org
Lori Wolverton, Nursery Staff lori.wolverton@rezbluesprings.org
Visit us on the web:
www.rezbluesprings.org
www.facebook.com/rezbluesprings

For upcoming and ongoing programs and events at our Leawood Campus, visit www.cor.org.
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