Leawood, Kansas, United States - The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection eNote from Pastor Adam Hamilton for Friday, 25 July 2014

Leawood, Kansas, United States - The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection eNote from Pastor Adam Hamilton for Friday, 25 July 2014
Dear Resurrection Family,
Wednesday night our team finished 9 days of filming archaeological sites in Turkey, Greece and Italy related to the life of the Apostle Paul. The purpose of this is two-fold: First, I'll be sharing the footage with you in our September/October sermon series. Literally retracing Paul's journeys helped me, and I hope will help you, to better understand his life and message. Secondly, we filmed six ten-minute small group videos while on this journey which will be used by groups at Resurrection but also by thousands of churches across the US.
This week, after filming in Turkey and Greece, we came to Italy, where we visited churches built atop sites that purport to be related to the end of Paul's life. All told our team traveled 2,300 miles and filmed in 11 ancient cities during the last nine days. If you would like to see some of the pictures, check out my Pastor Adam Hamilton Facebook page. Each day the last week I posted five to eight pictures with brief descriptions.
This weekend our special guest pastor is Rev. Greg Ealey who serves as the Pastor of Paseo Baptist Church in Kansas City, Missouri, one of our mission partners. A native of Austin, Texas, Pastor Greg is a respected church and community leader who is passionate about breaking down walls and uniting churches - both urban and suburban - to transform lives and communities. You'll be blessed by his message.
Next weekend is our summer Resurrection Movie Night on Sunday, Aug. 3, at 6:30 pm in the Leawood Sanctuary. Come enjoy the hit-movie Frozen and an evening out with family and friends. We'll have popcorn and water, and you can pre-purchase dinner online.
While we were in Rome yesterday, the Pope met with Meriam Ibrahim. Meriam was sentenced to death in Sudan when a family member brought charges against her related to her Christian faith. She was raised Christian by her mother, though her father was Muslim. She joined the Catholic Church just before her marriage to a Christian man. She had committed the "crimes" of apostasy for leaving Islam and of adultery as a Muslim woman is not allowed to marry a Christian in Sudan. She refused to recant her Christian faith in the midst of these trials. It was the intervention of the Italian government and the Pope that ultimately secured her release.
As this scene unfolded in Italy I was reminded of the place where some of the first Christians in Rome were put to death for their faith - what was the place of training for charioteers but is now the square in front of St. Peter's Basilica in Rome. I wondered how many Resurrection members would be willing to lay down their lives for their faith. We call such persons who died for their faith "martyrs" which is drawn from the Greek word martryria which means "witness." Those laying down their lives for their faith made the ultimate witness or testimony to the gospel of Jesus Christ. Christianity spread throughout the empire in part because of the witness of those willing to lay down their lives for their faith. Meriam was a modern example of one willing to do the same.
On a side note, this story is one more reason Pope Francis is loved and respected by so many Catholics and even many Protestants, I among them. He is a Christian leader who seeks to live an authentic faith and demonstrates compassion for people. I don't agree with him on every point of doctrine (though Protestants and Catholics agree on 90% of all doctrinal issues). But I do consider him my brother in Christ and the most influential Christian in the world today.
As I write this note to you I'm praying for the people of Israel and Palestine. Once again peace seems so elusive between these two peoples. Please join me in praying for peach with justice for both Jews and Palestinians.
Finally, I just finished reading the story of the five-member track and field team who medaled in several events earlier this week at the USA Track & Field Masters in North Carolina. All five members were in their 90's! I think you might enjoy this story. Here's the link.
I've got to run. Wishing you God's blessings in the coming week!
Adam Hamilton
The Church of the Resurrection | info@cor.org
The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection
13720 Roe AvenueLeawood, Kansas 66224 United States
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Relay team of 90+ year-olds set world record at USATF Masters Championships by KOFIE YEBOAH
A group of five men set three world records at the USA Track and Field Masters Outdoor Championships in Winston-Salem, North Carolina on Sunday when they became the oldest team to cross the finish line in each event.
The team consisted of Charles Ross, 91, Charles Boyle, 91, Roy Englert, 92, Orville Rogers, 96 and Champion Goldy Sr., 97.
According to USA Track and Field, the foursome ran the 4x100m relay in 2:22.37, the 4x400m in 12:41.69 and the 4x800m in 28:17.10 seconds.
Boyle subbed in for sprint specialist Goldy Sr. for the 4×400 meter and the 4×800 meter relay.
In addition to running, these men are highly decorated off of the track.
According to Walk! Magazine, Boyle was an employee at NASA for 32 years and has written a kid’s picture book and a novel about space adventure.
Ross is a veteran of the Korean War, World War II and the Vietnam War.
Take that father time.
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